Judge — November 27, 1920 — page 22: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

NEW MOVES IN THE MOVIES > Wanted—Five Million ‘‘Scnerios”’ By Myrox M. Stars (“LeNso* EAR mister editor: Here please encloced 5 scnerios, entitle The woman he Gave Osso the Woman-soul will let the editors and continuity writers and directors go ahea with a good story in the best way they can devise, without inter- ference from a star who would likely be sitting behind the imi tation jewelry counter right now if the inside of her skull Under the Green x) The True blackSm The Man-blood. I Thoap very much you will by these scnerios for 1.000, dollar apiece as I have paid 15 dollar for a senerio coarse and need the plays—all the dran ass Mabel wasn't concealed behind a face that’s unusually Also—there isn’t any famine in stories, and there ne asy to look at t has been. in all moviedom. Think of all the books in the library all the stories in all the magazines, past and present—all the tic poems, from Homer down. Think of all muney bad. my husband says I have tekin the muney out of — the trained writers of the country (a thousand of ‘em listed the childerns mouths becus now we havent got enuf to ne fuast his time becus If it is to muc.. eis se hungery S Res'ptfully yrs Mrs. If we were hard-working sene ment of the Agamemnon Film Company and every Tillie in Alaba sending in manuscripts of abou would we feel when we saw in vertisements, apparently endorsed by pron inent motion picture men, announcing That the motion pictuze industry is iacing a famine in photoplays- That this famine has bec. unt ‘em, two) years— That more people must be trained to write photoplays if the movies are to s That literary genius is not essential to scnerio writing That it never was— That the movies offer exceptional oppor- tunities to all who have any imagination or story ideas That they lars for a we at is), and That we better mail in the money w the mailing’s good Surely the movies need stories. Aaye who goes to’em regularly will admit that. But they need better stories—not more of the same. Moreover, they are in particular need of more editorial brains that can recog: nize a real story when they see it the grade te for two as much as two thousand kable story-plot (whatever b and I must get muney. the littlest is ¢ vin all the pleas by these scnerios off me. will take less but they said you pay 1,000. Prue Doar » readers in the scnerio der getting only f or fifty dollars a week and reading twice that many’ senerios a and North Dakota seemed to be f that letter, how yus magazines prominent ad- have those ideas. Pictures Worth THE GREAT REDEEMER ‘A miracle in jail, with some ex- cellent touches. OVER THE HILL* Story of ingratitude, sobby but fine BODY AND SOUL ‘Dual persona:'ty, sk’. WAY DOWN EAST Three shows for one ticket MADAME The origis a) mother i-court THE NORTH W.NDS MALICE Aloska yarn, with second-brew Huisoresque on the side MADAME PEACOCK Naz'mova portrays the shallow mother 39 EAST* Comedy and Romance wth Room end Board. CONRAD "N QUEST OF HIS YOUTH Fair presenta SHE'S A VAMP’ ‘Short comedy of real kids ARE ALL MEN ALIKE? Farce made artistic, but not very in pictured with n of fine theme. And of the continuity writers and direc- fanny. tor’s brains that can re-tell a good story effec- | MUMORESQUE tively when they have it Ceara Seder Tis ins that oter br. And of proc ‘eptionally good. tsince every year in the “Best Short Stories willing to turn out the best they can do—for a cent a word, ¢ less, in nine cases out of ten And more, literary training is essestial, in almost every in stance. For the time has gone by, these ten 3 plot would command more than 5 skill is necessary pression that will carry onto the sc rty skeletons have been used over and over: senses will pay good money’ for the And again: the movies do not offer exceptional opportunities to all who have imagination, or ideas for stories. We all ndex alone) able and hen a bare ssing attention, The literary racters and make the im n. The poor old plot no movie man in his «© worn bones again. rs, to create the ch ery person in the country believes hi could write usable photoplay's if he could only get the secret, leam the proper forn: But the thousands and thousands that send in their scenarios—how many get checks for ‘em? Buh-lieve me, lots of times they’re lucky to get even their manuscripts back. Provided, that is, said mss. are rth getting back. In Los Angeles, Queen City of the Fillums a lady editress announced a while ago that she just couldn't get good stories. Out of five hundred submitted each month, she'd found just one, in all the months, that was worth buying. For the rest, she bought books But she never said she couldn't get any stories. Just couldn’t get good ones—new ones—well-written ones. Besides, anyone else going over the very pile of stories that she had discarded would find some they liked much better than the one “‘good"’ one she found. So let us—those of us with “imagination and “ideas,” whoycarn to write for thescreen at several hundred dollars a week—hesitate It may be we have the story-telling qualities that will enable us to surpass our tens thousands of competitors. And then ag: in, it may be we haven't. And, considering the thousands, it’s much more likely