Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-11-11

IRON a schoolboy amateur with
l. homemade camera shooting scenes
in his back yard with neighborhooo klos
as actors" to highly qualified teen
nician and promising director with the
Fox Movietone forces under a f1ve-year
contract is the leap made by RusSeIl
r. Erwin of East Orange, N. J.
Some time ago Photoplay Magazine
conducted a contest for which 1000 IN
prizes were offered. In the S5-miln.
meter division Ervin'S picture ana
How" entered by the Motion Picture
Club of the Oranges, won the $500 prize.
1t was shown to an executive OF Fox
Films and the five-year contract was
the result. The contest was conducted
as a result of the growing CONVICTION oy
James r. Quirk, editor OF the maya"
zine, that the amateur field is veri-
table bonanza of talent upon which the
great producers may draw.
Fifteen years ago the neighborhood OF
East Orange, N. j., in which the Erwin
family lived was over-run with embryo
EdiSons tinkering with wireless sets IN
the back shed. Russell Erwin tired
wireless, got no kick out OF 1t. The
old Kodak had lost its appeal-movles
were a logical sequence.
A discarded protector ruStlng IN the
essentials of Russell's first camera. He
made the box. devised take-up, dug
up some old clockwork gears and fitted
lenses taken from the protector, an
exact investment of $1.19 plus unstinted
enthusiasm.
The first film he used was some i'm
possible stuff imported from France. 1t
cost him 212 cents foot and he raised
the money by selling soap from door 10
door. Of course, the contraption was
not q daylight-loading affair. 1t was
loaded in tar-papered shed used as a
laboratory. First tests were made in the
back yard of the Erwin domicile with
neighborhood kids. Sets were made With
stats. wallpaper and paint. Family
sheets Just back from the laundry were
clandeStinely utilized as ref1ectorS.
The first showing proved a brilliant
success so far as Erwin was concerned.
A homemade protector threw the f1g-
ures on the screen. They were 1mpoS-
sible of identification, but they moved.
Gradually the apparatus was improved
and one day Russell stepped out in
search of news reel subjects.
The Boy Scout troop to which he be-
longed staged rally. Erwin ground out
more 212-cent film. The stuff was de-
veloped in the family bath tub and
cllOW1l dG a 1OCd1 b41CdCCA. 4NO dAAAAAo-
sion was charged. The Scouts were
there in force. So were auntS, uncles,
parents and younger brothers. News
man Erwin covered all local news events
and celebrities until his high school
days were over He built better cam
era and then another still more i'm
proved.
At heart Russell was not a newsman.
He aspired to do powerful dramatic
story A melodrama with a cast Of six
budding Fairbanks and Pickfords was
the result Russell wrote it, directed 1t,
shot it and titled it. On the screen it
proved to be one of the greatest come
dies ever made.
Just before he entered the University
Of Pennsylvania Erwin had saved money
enough to buy a professional camera.
He covered all foot ball games and col
lege affairs for four years. When he
was graduated in 1920 his university
gave him a degree of electrical engineer,
but he had earned degree in cinema
art that no college has to offer. The
art of the cinema had taken a firm
grip on the spirit of young Erwin.
In 1924 the Motion Picture Club of
the Oranges was formed and two-reel
production was suggested. Erwin got
busy on arc lights. He made two of
20 amperes. The cast was called to-
gether from the membership Of the club.
1t was distinctly a community affair
Erwin wrote, directed, photographed
and edited the picture, which was titled