The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1944-10-12
WRITE A BOOK, SOLDIER.

WRITE A BOOK, SOLDIER!
Calling all soldiers, sailors and
marines who have been wounded in
action in this war. z. P. Dutton Is
offering CT Joe award of 5000
for the best book manuscript SUBJ
mitted by q wounded service man
or woman. Sgt. Marion Hargrove,
John Hersey and 1t. John Mason
Brown are members of an advisory
council for the award. Final judges
are George Acklom, Fred Marsh
and j. Donald Adams, of buttons
editorial staff. The award will be
issued annually for three years.
Closing dates for manuscripts sub
mitted for the first year is January
/, 1945."
THE FLYING YORKSHIREMAN
A story or a novel is written. 1t
strikes the public fancy. Perhaps
only few know it at first. 1t gains
popularity with passing time.
Months after it is written-perhapS
even years-it may finally reach the
screen where it will delight millions
more.
What happens to it between the
original publication date and the
time it actually becomes a movie
often makes a fascinating tale. Re-
printed here, from "The Publishers
Weekly" is the interesting story OF
the various detours Eric Knights
unusual tale THE FLYING YORK
SHERMAN followed on its seven
year journey to the screen. Eric
Knight, you will remember as the
English author of THIS ABOVE
ALL and LASSIE COME HOME.
which you enjoyed both in book
form and in the movies.
1.-THE saga of Sam Small (the
Flying YorkshiremaD starts back
In 1887. Eric Knight, then strug-
Cling writer. sold the story, novel;
cite or 'novella,' to Whit Burnett
who published it in Story maya
zine. That was In July. Burnett paid
Eric q modest sum for 1t. Perhaps
$50.
"In September it attracted the
attention of Earl Carroll, Broadway
producer of beautiful girl spectacles,
who bought the screen rights with
the purpose of making a picture OF
1t. Eric, said Carroll, would be hired
to write the adaptation. The cash
involved was $1,000, of which Eric
received 5000. after the agents fee
was deducted. That's all the money
Eric ever got for the picture rights.
1.-THE following year, in April,
Harper's bought out THE FLYING
YORKSHIREMAN and other stories
and it was also the May selection Of
the Book the Month club. A play
wright named Philip Stevenson
dramatized it under the title
TRANSIT but it never came to the
stage.
Meanwhile, the screen rights
changed hands. Earl Carroll sold
them to somebody (who can't be
remembereO for between 5000 and
$1,000, and this purchaser In turn
sold them to Jack Moss, Gary
Coopers manager, for about $4,000.
That was In August, 1888. In De-
cember, Eddie Cantor got excited
and bought them from Jack Moss
for $4,000.
"Six months later MacLean'S
magazine in Canada, reprinted the
story. Canadians loved it. BY this
time so did great many other peo-
pie.
Eddie Cantor, leaving the RKO
lot, turned the picture rights over
to RKO, presumably for a sum in
excess of $4,000. But along came
Frank Lloyd. a producer from Para
mount, and bought them from RKO
for himself, for q sum IN excess
of the excess. He wanted to star
Will Fyffe as the Yorkshireman.
by July, 1910, the Readers Di-
coStJ .ftsr ynat,,re consideration
decided to print condensed YER
sion of the story. Six million read
ers loved 1t.
Time marches on. In l94l Frank
Capra and Robert Riskin. writers,
producers, directors, paid Frank
Lloyd 10000 for the screen rights.
January 10, 1913: Eric knight
died IN the crash Of q plane" while
accompanying President Roosevelt