Evening star., 1926-08-15
The Moving Picture
By Robert E. Sherwood

COME weeks ago, in this column,
called attention to the fact that
motion picture producers are becom-
Ing more and more hospitable to
young writer's withs young ideas-that
IT Is possible for them to obtain good
screen stories from authors who have
not previously gained fame as nov
ellsts and playwrights.
| Ihls statement has caused shower
OF correspondence to descend about
my head. Letters have arrived in
stacks and bales from those unsung
Shakespeares and mute Millions who
1eel that great scenarios are buzzing
about in their minds.
! one young lady wrote to tell me
| that. emboldened by my encouraging
words, she was leaving home for Hol.
| lyWood armed with four manuscripts
and $75 in cash. The manuscripts.
she felt confident, would increase her
bank-roll to millions as soon as she
could place them before the eager
eyes of Jesse Lasky, Samuel Goldwyn
or Cecil B. De Mile
MY nasty advice to that young
lady-and to others whose faith is
as great as hers-is this: STAY home.
Don't go to HOLLYWOOD unless you
have sufficient capital to support YOU
for minimum Of five years: if you
have enough to last you for 10 years,
SO much the better.
In saying that the outlook is roster
| for the young and unknown writer,
didn't mean to imply that the mil.
| lennium had arrived. That fair day
has not dawned as yet, even though
there are perceptible CLEANS of hope
beyond the horizon
The movie people need stories
that fact is self-evident Further
more. of 80 big special pictures that
are on schedule for next season no
| fewer than 20 are based on original
stores, written directly for the screen
by young and comparatively uncele.
brated authors.
In spite of this. there is no reason
to assume that any triumphal arches
are being constructed on Hollywood
| boulevard for the reception of these
unheralded geniuses from Sauk Cen
| ter Coffeyville and East Orange who
are Journeying to the Pacific Coast to
peddle ideas.
| Nor are the scenario editors in the
| studios any more hospitable to un-
solicited manuscripts than in the past
II you send a story to d film pro.
ducing company, the odds are about
one thousand to nothing that 1t will
| receive no consideration whatever
The mass OF these manuscripts Is so
great. and the proved quality so low,
| that the scenario editors don't bother
! with them.
| Eventually. l believe, there will be
a sort of clearing house for movie
| scenarios, in which manuscripts will
! be read and judged fairly on their
merits. When that is instituted, the
amateur writer will have a chance.
| In the meantime. he or she has no
| chance whatsoever.
There are great many historical
and biographical films in the making
following the artistic, if non -f1nan-
cial. success Of 1.-The Dramatic Life
of Abraham Lincoln"
Among those that are promised are
The Rough Riders" featuring Theo
| dore Rooseveltl. THE Greatest Show
on Earth featuring P. I. Barnum)
| THE King of Kings" Ia picturization
of the Christ story, Francois Nillon,"
The Firebrand" featuring Benvenuto
| CellinD. a story of the spectular es
capades Of Jean Lafltte, the polite
pirate, and various others.
| This is good sign. and | hope that
| there will be many more biographical
movies in the future.
| Among the historical characters who
deserve attention, l might suggest
these:
Alexander Hamilton. who put the
| United States Of America on paying
| basis.
| Dwight Moody, the great evange-
| list.
Brigham Young. one of the real
winners in the West.
Cortez. Maximillian, Montezuma and
| other characters in Mexican history.
| Bonnie Prince Charlie, the last or
| the Stuart pretenders to the British
throne.
| De Soto. Pere Marquette. Balboa
Ponce de Leon, Magellan and, when
YOU come to think of it. Columbus.
! Andrew Jackson and Stonewall
Jackson.
lious Puritans through England's only
serious revolution.
Mohammed, the prophet-one OF the
most absorbingly interesting char
acters that ever lived.
| Xenophon, the philosopher, who led
| 10 900 Greek soldiers through Persia
to the sea.
! Then there are the magnificent he
| roes Of the Trojan legends-Aeneas,
! Ulysses. Hector, Paris, Achilles ana
| The incompatible Helen herself.
| Indeed. there is more dramatic, ro-
mantle and inspiring material In MS
| tory than in all the novels or plays
that ever could be written.
y
Hollywood observation-disclosures was
demonstrated at the Universal studio
here when Lois Weber, directing The
| Sensation Seekers" engaged Philllps
Smalley, her divorced husband, for
! leading role in the picture. The Red
Grange picture. "one Minute to t..
Plav." Will be released soon. 1t Is
betraving no confidence to announce
that it deals in a general way with
the game of foot ball
| With so many films based on song
titles such as That's My Baby"
Always" THE Prisoners Song,
Memory Lane" etc, it is interesting
10 speculate on the possible adapta-
| lion to the screen of Ben Bernie
latest composition. which he he calls %o,s
! You Broke My Heart When You
Went Away and Left Me, But tooled
You. for Just as You stepped Out l
stepped Out. Too, and Now I've GOT
~