Judge — January 4, 1930 — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

aL + JUDGE JUMGIN G mMOV L$ SUSPICION grows in movie circles that just at pres- A ent what the industry needs more than anything else is a new plot. I have conferred with several workers and they are more than discontented. I know two or three scenario writers who are considering going to work just to escape the boredom that is Hollywood. While it is against my uncompromising policy, I feel that it would be treason for me to deny my support at a time when the industrial leaders of the nation are grimly sitting through banquet after banquet and highball after highball in a desperate attempt to help the workers of the land push Radio up to 50 again. Several times I have offered to sell my services to any promising 1 ¢ company, but, in a falling market, I have decided to give recklessly in a final attempt to get the movies back on their feet. I hereby outline a few movie plots which may be used freely by any company in need of plot material. I have merely added a few devices to the old models in order to save them the cost of new factory equipment, and I hope when the history of these days is written it will not be said t Lorentz sat at home and whined about margins when there was work to do. I. The Great War Plot. The opening scenes show the family life of a peaceful home in Lima, Ohio. Jim, the hero, looks a little like Red y and Perey Shelley. He is president of the bank, an Olympic hurdler, plays football for the Chicago Bears, and is in his second year at high school. War! A big horse, spurred by a ghastly skeleton, rides through the town, laughing and gibbering. (‘This indi- cates war.) he next shot gives us a glimpse of war-torn France (indicated by two geese being insulted by German Uhlan). We are then shown Jim, who is a major now and in charge of a special detail in Paris, named Yvonne. One night Yvonne comes home a little tight and finds Jim drawing a map of Washington, Philadelphia and Brook- line for a German spy. Yvonne becomes suspicious (she doesn’t feel very well, anyway), and Jim staggers out into the night, broken-hearted. (Indicated by his tearing dirty pictures Yvonne had given him on his thirt day.) Jim gets tight and, by accident, falls in with som« Marines. He is taken to the front and gets shot in the leg for pulling some loaded dice ina crap game. He home on les puts his money in good, sound securities By PARE LORENTZ and marries the nicest girl in town. (Indicated by per fect attendance diplomas from Vassar, Hotchkiss and Hun school.) Next shot shows pretty Yvonne getting off at Ellis Island and final sce i eteria kitchen, where Jim gets her a job. II. The ngster Plot. This story differs from the old model in that in quick flashes it traces the family tree of Jim, the hero, so that we can understand that, though a gangster, he comes from rare old stock. The first scene shows his father being led to a platform by court officials and d ated with a rope for horse-stealing; next, his grandpére and mére runnin, a shell game in the Yukon; and the next shot is a picture of the execution of Charles I, related in no way to our hero. We then see Jim as a youngster. A schoolhouse, It bursts into flames. Little Jim sits in his Hispano with a sawed-off shotgun and picks off his playmates, one by one, as they come tumbling out. Ten years later. Jim is living in cle floor of a Park Avenue speakeasy, which he owns, Sud- denly his mother, a father and two uncles arrive to visi and remind him of his past. He takes them to the reser- voir and quietly drowns them one by one. He then goes home and the final scene, assisted by +,000 extras, shows his marriage to Florence Jennsvold of Oswego, N. Y., who has the roulette concession in his joint. nce on the top III, The College Hero Plot. This one starts in Nutley, New Jersey. Johnson, the hero, is just a rowsy-towsy corybant, who reads all the comic strips and gets tight and bowls at the Elks club y night. He is in love with a fine girl, who plays short stop for Bryn Mawr. She won't have anything to do with him because he is not a fine fellov wholesome plumber who holds her sw the big g Johnson finally gets out of grammar school and, heart- sick, enlists in the University of California. There he becomes an Eagle scout, plays the drum at all the dances i fullback on the football team. Comes the day of the alifornia is playing Princeton. The train is wrecked ‘at Manhattan Transfer and the entire squad, except Johnson, is killed trying to get a s train, Johnson walks to Prince mes. in a tube 29) on (Continued on page The Movie Guide “Arvenat"—One of those happy Soviet "—The best movie of the year. things Dolores Costello hantly The plot hides behind the camera, which happens to “Condemned” — Ao all bbe funny with a serious story “Disraell’—George Arliss in a good repem of bis stage play 14 Reoms”- “Peston dasteg eC “Feotlights and Fools’ ing her pay The Kiss” —Greta Garbo in nothing at all a cat trying to issue. orth sewing. Russia freeing her shack- by, Aen Marine enough to see. Half-talkie. ‘Piccadilly ing “Sweetie” —Pleasing. 21 “Paris Boang The wart play well done, “The Sky Hawke —Lo thie ive, Froferick Match. “Show 3" —Wo od music “Taming of the Siew —Vry sell dove. “Prosmert™ A "Molnar story done well “The Miespasser= Giesis Sanne makes a brave effort, but a jagabond Lever” If yos like sato- 1 don't know where it is, but { powuble. Silent. e plares ‘Romance of Rio Grande” —Terrible ‘Why Bring That Upt”—Moras and Mack Seven Faces” —Nooe of them worth see. ceyey min Nowheres”—Iichand Barthelmess works well in a fragile romance. comicbooks.com