Evening star., 1926-05-02
THO,MAS MEIGHAN
Ambassador
The Moving Picture
By Robert E. Sherwood

COME 20 years ago, a play called
- Brown of Harvard" by Rida
Johnson Young, was played in Boston.
On the opening night, the perform
ance was attended by a large delega-
ton Of Harvard undergraduates. who
proceeded to voice. in substantial
manner. their disapproval of the pro-
duction. In fact, SO emphatic was
this disapproval that the management
was compelled to lower the curtain
prematurely to protect the actors from
the shower Of eggs. lemons and vege-
tables that descended upon them.
Now, after 90 years, Brown Of Har-
ward" has returned to Boston-this
time in moving picture fornl-and his
tory, apparently, has repeated itself.
When the picture was revealed at
the Loew State Theater in the CEN
ter of American culture a new gen.
Grafton of Harvard students was on
hand to greet it with the official col
legiate razz. The boys couldn't throw
things, of course-the performers be-
ing. at the moment. in HOLLYWOOD
Even a Harvard athlete can't throw
an egg 1900 miles.
The old disapproval was there. how
ever, and 1t was not suppressed. /
have it on the authority of Thayer
Cummings, captain of the Harvard
hockey team, that the "booing, hiss.
ing, laughing and shouting was eX-
traordinary."
The big scene of the picture, accord
ing to Mr.. Cummings, is one in which
the hero runs from the Harvard
Stadium. after the foot ball game with
Yale. to the college hospital to visit
his dying roommate. It is an episode
fraught with pathos and heart in.
tears, dasheS up to tho door OF the
hospital room in which his chum is
expiring. A Sad.faced nurse appears
to let the hero in.
At this point an irreverent under
graduate in the audience asked. in
loud tones, "1s 1t a boy or girl?'
Perhaps the Harvard students are
a bit hypercritical in their attitude
toward Brown Of Harvard" Their
veto on the production, of course,
doesn't signify that it won't be a sue
cess with the great nOn-collegiate
public. When the picture plays in
New Haven, Conn.,; in Ann Arbor.
Mich. or in other places its refiec.
tions Of undergraduate life in Cam
bridge, Mass. may be greeted with
enthusiasm.
Brown Of Harvard" was adapted
to the screen by Donald Ogden Stew.
art, who happens to be a graduate OF
Yale.
Perhaps that accounts for it.
Some time ago, in these columns I
called attention TO the activities Of the
Iplaywrights in fighting the dread in.
fiuence Of the movie industry on the
spoken drama.
Various film magnates, the dramat.
lists protested, were dominating the
theater to such an extent that they,
the authors, were not receiving an
even break. Movie moguls, with their
vast resources, were subsidizing pro.
ducers Of plays-and then acquiring
the screen rights to these plays at
ridiculously low figures, thus taking
the bread out Of honest playwrights'
mouths.
Since then have heard Of an in.
teresting case in point: !
An author, named William Hurlbut,
| wrote a grim, devastatingly tragic
| play called bride Of the Lamb"
which dealt In an exceedingly frank,
| outspolen manner with religious SUB.
jects that are usually CONSIDERED
taboo.
Mr.. Hurlbut offered his play to
producer, Robert Milton, who read 1t
and liked it, Mr.. Milton then went
to the Fox Film Corporation, who ad-
| vanced the funds for the plays pro-
duction on the stage.
Bride Of the Lamb" was presented,
with Alice Brady as it's star. at the
| Greenwich Village Theater. In New
| York, and it proved to be an tnstan-
taneous success. It has subsequently
been moved uptown to a larger
Broadway theater. where 1t Is con-
| tinuing to do enormous business.
Now, it so happens that, on the race
Of it, the movie rights to Bride OF the
Lamb" are not worth a great deal or
money. In treatment and in theme, 1t
would have to be revised completely
before It could qualify as suitable Tor
the screen entertainment.
Why, then, did Mr.. William Fox. of
all people, choose to back itT What
did he expect to gain by his invest.
ment? The answer Is silence.
AS a matter of fact, no tears should
be shed on Mr.. Fox's behalf. He has
already turned in a handsome prodt
on the box-office returns of Bride OF
the Lamb" and whether he ever
makes a picture Of it or not. his ex'
tensive bankroll Is not likely to suf-
fer as a result Of this venture in the
theater.
* X x X
Rudolph Schildkraut is to play
David Warf1eld's old role in the movie
version Of "The Music Master" Gene
Tunney. aspirant TO the heavyweight
title. is in Hollywood. acting in pic
lures. BY the way, whatever became
of Jack Dempsey?
The betting is now two to one that
An u,cVas Plaaerx Uill nAVAE make