Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-06
Motion Picture
Album
by ROBERT e. SHERWOOD.

EDMUND GOULD1NG believes ther
is now a great and crying need /
the movies for man power. and thu
the only way TO discover and cultivat
this desirable commodity is through
determined campaign of educationa
propaganda.
Mr.. Goulding. he IL said. is men
tally alert Englishman who came f
this country on bis ma jeStys service
in the last year of the war. Havin;
completed his official business and re
turned TO multi. he brought himsel
forcibly to the attention of the movi
producers by means of an amazing
ability as story teller.
used to see Mr.. Goulding in thos'
days confronting Jesse Lasky. or Dicl
Barthelmess, or one of the Talmadges
across table at the Hotel Algonquin
His deep. sonorous voice, the thump
of his emphatic fist on the table top
would reverberate through that con
versation-fllled dining room--and i
was always a foregone conclusion tina
the object of Mr.. Goulding's inspired
eloquence would succumb before the
demi ia sses had arrived. and woulf
offer the gifted young Briton large
sums of money for the screen rights
to his latest creation.
Mr.. Goulding wrote and sold many
such stories, and also gained substan
tial fame and fortune as continuity
expert. His adaptation OF Herges
heimer's "Tol'able David stands out
among the finest movie scenarios that
has even been written.
Two years ago Edmund Gould'ng
was exalted by Metro-Goldwyn to the
position of director, and he subsequent
~ turned out several successful pic
lures. including sally, Irene and
Mary" an eye-fil1ing. comedy drama
and Paris" an Apache melodrama
with many moments of intense power.
Recently, in the course of a vaca-
ton in New York City. Mr.. Goulding
tourneyed to Columbia University and
there produced, in one evening. two
reel comedy. The, cameras. lights, etc,
were furnished by Metro-Goldwyn; the
actors and actresses were recruited
from the student body at Columbia.
where an excellent course in cinemato-
graphic art has been in existence for
some years.
II Is largely as a result of this in
teresting experiment that Mr.. Gould
ing's views on the subject of man
power have been formed.
$50
THE movies" says Mr.. Goulding,
"have existed on the cleverness,
shrewdness and instructive understand
ing of few men who have managed
to ascend to executive positions in the
studios. These men are frightful@
overworked, overburdened with respon-
sibility; the limit of their various men
tai capacities has been reached, and
there is no one to succeed them or even
to supplement them.
I'VE have arrived at point where
new men sand women are urgently
needed. There lis plenty of skill, talent
and expert craftsmanship in Holly
wood, but of constructive intelligence
there is almost none. We need that,
and we must 60 outside Hollywood to
find it. We're not doing that, because
we don't know where to look.
THE trouble is that the motion pic
lures, as a profession. lack dignity. If
q young college man tells his family
that he has decided to be doctor, a
lawyer, novelist, an engineer,
bond salesman. politician or a play
wright, he is usually given all due en-
couragement in the furtherance of his
ambition; but If he announces that he
is going into the, movies, his honored
parents hold up their hands in horror.
InGY 1eRi sure LIlaL IHSIT l1llS DO:
will be cheapened, coarSened. even
contaminated by contact with the
slaves of the silent drama-that he
will lose caste.
"Of course the movies gain an enor
NOUS number of recruits each year
far more than they can possibly use.
But inspect these masses of poor souls
who migrate hopefully to Hollywood
each year, and what do you find?
Broken-down actors from Broadway,
disappointed newspaper men and thou
sands upon thousands of miserable
bo'-s and girls who have missed out in
one career or another--failures all.
Thew seek the movies because here,
they confidently believe, they will find
an opportunity for easy fame, easy
money.
1--WE don't need that type. We have
too many of them on hand already.
We want young men and women of
taste and background, who have sin
certify Of purpose and willingness to
work, whose minds have been ade-
stiles have law schools and medical
schools, and it is from such institu-
lions that all the great lawyers and
surgeons are derived. Why shouldn't
there be motion picture schools"
What" / inquired, should be the
principal object in such schools
should the students be trained primar-
lily as directors, or scenario writer's, or
actors?"
There should be no specialization"
said Mr. Goulding. 'In Prof. Bakers
course, first at Harvard and now at
Yale, the main object was to develop
playwrishts, and yet Prof. Baker has
always been careful to instruct his
students in all branches of dramatic
art. They not only write plays, they
design scenery. build ii and paint 1t.
They study stage lighting. direction,
acting-everything, from the writing
of the manuscript until the curtain
goes up. That is why so many of the
Baker graduates have succeeded He
doesn't teach them how to write plays
tno one can do that, but he does i'm
part to them a thorough knowledge
of the theater in all its phases.
THE same thing can be done in the
movies, If we can only set a precedent
for 1t. if we can only establish the
screen as an honorable field of en-.
deavor.
IF such college courses are insti-
tuted." he added. Il know that the
film producers will fall all over them.
selves in an effort to cooperate. They
will lend their directors, stars, camera.
men, scene designers. techniciaf1s and
statesmen as instructors, lecturers and