The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-31
BY HOKE NORRIS

CHAPEL HILL, July 30.-(R-In
a rough cabin that once was the
home of slaves, Paul Green and
Richard Wright are dramatizing
Wright's novel, Native Son., a
story of negroes.
The young negro author of the
years sensational novel came to
Chapel Hill for the collaboration at
Green's suggestion.
Wright brings TO the dramatiza-
ton the knowledge of one who has
seen at first hand the operation OF
forces which lead to such brutal
crimes as he describes in his novel.
Green contributes the dramatic
artistry of a trained playwright,
the artistry which in 1927 won him
the Pulitzer prize for In Abra-
hams Bosom.
Naturally, the story of Bigger
Thomas, Wright's hero, is present
ing problems, and which the writ
ers hope to surmount in time for
Orson Welles and John Housman
to produce the play in New York
next season.
Working in the cabin near
Green's home two miles from here,
the two have completed the first
rough draft of the drama-'Wery
rough" Green said - but still
haven't determined how to end it.
In the novel, Bigger Thomas,
awaiting execution for the murder
of a young white woman, realizes,
if hazily and dimly, the true pru-
port of his act. He sees also the
full scope of the forces which have
driven him to commit the crime.
1t is a powerful psychological pas,
sage but not easily adapted to the
stage. 1t may be presented in a
monologue.
Also, Green and Wright are con-
sidering the use of music to height
en the dramatic effect. However,
Green said only one scene could be
easily given a musical background
and the need for music was mostly
technical, to fill the actionless
blanks between scenes.
When you have a great number
of scenes" Gas Native Son. is
likely to have), Green said, ''you
need something like music to carry
the audience from M scene to an
other.
Native Son" will be Green's
fourth New York appearance. His
first three plays-'In Abraham's
Bosom, THE House of Connolly
in 1881, and johnny Johnson" in
l937-were written by him alone.
His novel, Laughing Pioneer,
published in 1882, has been drama.
tized and may be produced on
Broadway, and he said he had If
mind an original drama which he
hopes would also be presented
soon. So, conceivahly, these a n G
Native Son" may run simultan.
eously.
Despite his success on Broad.
way, in Hollywood and in his own
state, Paul Green is still in many
ways the unaffected farm boy he
was when he first entered the Uni.
versity of North Carolina, where he
now teaches in the drama depart.
ment. He still talks in the drawl oil
the section from which he came
Harnett county, in central North
Carolina, On whose sandy loan he
farmed. And he still likes to farm.
At his home he raises corn and
potatoes and things like that"
I'VE did that at home," he said,
land I'm glad to get back to it.
It always did kind of irk me to
have to buy things from a grocery
store"
Green is 46. He was graduated
at the university in 1921-after a
period of war service-and did
graduate work there and at Cor
nell. He taught philosophy at the
University for a while but went to
the drama department when he
found that the teaching of many
different philosophers might be rob-
bing him of one of his own.
He has spent some time in Holly
wood, writing for the movies, but
he and Hollywood r on mutual
bad terms. He has had some I'm
kind words to say about motion
picture making as p%racticed,
though he thinks the medium is
marvellous" and is the first great
outlet for art developed in the ma
chine age.
1.-THE last time I was in Holly
wood" he recalled, II had an as
signment, and I hired me a hotel