Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1934-06-11

Then, before you nave time 10 an
swer, they'll tell you themselves:
We've ruined writers with our prices,
our methods and our jealousies. We
don't buy story because it is good
half as often as we buy personality
who has written good story, so the
other fellow can't get him.
They won't say this last for publica-
ton. naturally. but that is the sort of
thing they talk about when not being
interviewed and when they sit. smok-
ing, over a nightcap at the close of
party.
Many stories have been bought be-
cause of studio jealousy rather than
on the strength of the merit OF
story. Some producers buy blindly be-
cause they hear another producer Is
interested. rather than because they
have studied the story and feel it has
new angles for their star.
A very clever book. The Postman
Always Rings Twice" was bought re-
Gently, one hears, merely because
few Of the boys began competing for
it. First one and then another started
worrying that some of the more know
ing producers would get hold of it and
wangle a successful picture out of it.
Now that it is safely bought, it turns
out to be highly censorable material,
very difficult to make into a movie
and retain any OF the features of the
pungent tale which was incorporated
in the book.
Stories are bought and then shelved
to keep some other fellow from buying
them. Then comes that retrenchment
day when purchased stories are drag
ged out Of their hiding places and
reconditioned to meet demands for
economy of the efficiency staff. Such
stories-lame things stirred into a
piquant movie hash by routine-fuddled
brains-do not turn out to be great
pictures.
Authors work for themselves on
story material which is, if not in
spring to them, at least interesting.
And often it Is interesting only in
that the writer's are aware that such
material. capably handled is salable.
while something that might yield
them inspiration has no immediate
market value. Out here, where
authors are put under contract,
handed out any kind of story to
work on, Lonsdale might be slipped
a Western to revamp according to
studio methods. And the men who
issued the order would wonder DULY
why a chap who admittedly is a
writer" can't write anything sue
cessfully.
Authors work on three-month OPP
tons, or from picture to picture.
Once on a lot, they generally hold
their best idea up their sleeve be-
cause, when summoned before a new
studio head, they must have at least
one clever suggestion to make in
order to cinch the next contract. In
this way they soon learn to bargain
with their ideas In quite the same
way the producers bargain for their
services. ,
A writer used to be a fellow in
studio apartment a garnet, hall
bedroom or a cottage-an original.
studious or erratic personality. as the
case may be-who worked with ideas
and let business men worry about
money. Authors in pre-movie times
didn't have town and country houses,
buffers. fleets of motor cars and
dropper-inners to make their homes
into country clubs and disturb their
trains of thought. Your movie author
has all of these. And all this has
something to do with the dearth of
movie originals.
Starring personalities without CIV
ing those personalities the backing of
good, sound story is another habit
that is having disastrous results. OF
all the personality combinations that
have swept the country off its feet