Argosy and Railroad Man's Magazine — page 43: what you’re looking at

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

MUSTERED OUT. toom set; the director had done likewise. Props, seeing himself between the devil and the deep sea, provided both sets, and left the principals to scrap it out. Which was wise. Reever Keene took one look at the di- rector’s set, and ordered it off the stage. The director was inspecting Reever Keene’s set, and Keene met him in the act. “My Lord!” said the director. “J don’t know anything about. motion-pictures; I’m just a poor simp who’s spent all his life in the game’. Look—for the love of Heaven, look!” “Get down to cases, you,” growled Keene. ‘“‘ Never mind the high-art stuff now.- Just be sensible and tell me what’s wrong!” The director swallowed hard and waved his hand at the set. It had been assembled with a good deal of trouble. There was an imitation Rubens; there was a real set of imitation armor that looked from the cam- era considerably like fifteenth century. The rest was deeply rich velvet and hangings. “ As man to man,” said the director, “T’ll put it to you, Keene. How do you think this dark stuff is going to take? All to the bad! It can’t be done, man! You’ve got to have contrast. Now, can’t you realize that this’ picture has got to show a society home? A real swell home. None of your junk, but stuff that spells money, They eat it, the people do!” “Tf you knew the money we’d spent on this set,” began the property-man plaintive- ly. But Keene interrupted. “What would you suggest, then?” “ Just what I ordered set up!” returned the director. ‘Statuary. A nude on the wall. Some o’ this here lacquered Chinese furniture—we got Bent’s whole store to draw. on, and you know the best people ain’t buying anything else but lacquered, which shows up like real money. Then that high-colored rug, and so forth. It “ll be toned down fine in the film, Keene.” “Maybe so, maybe so,” said Reever Keene. “And then these here costumes. Ibeen reading over your directions.” The director tapped the papers in his hand, with growing ©} ARGOSY 385 boldness. “I notice you got white neck- ties with evening clothes; you know’s well as I do they don’t make contrast. Then you got the society dames ordered to cut out the low-neck stuff— What the hell give you such a notion of society, .anyhow? Don’t you know they run around half naked? And no jewels. My Lord! If I was to run out such a picture the society papers would give me plain hell!” “Tf you had ever read them at all,” said Keene dryly, “‘ you’d see they do that, any- how.” A few minutes later the president sent for Reever Keene: “Take a cigar, Reever,” he said genial- ly. “Now, we'll have to cut out this fussing bétween you and Bob, see? He’s a damned good director; I’m not paying him twenty-five thousand dollars for noth- ing.” : “Let him mind his own business, then,” said Keene; a little white around the jaw. “ve got a good picture, and he’s not to spoil it.” “‘ Sure not,” agreed the president affably. “But see here, now._ He’s contracted to put out your pictures, ain’t he? All right. And ‘he’s got the say.” ‘“In ather words,” said Keene slowly, “Tl have to stand for his directing in this picture, eh?” “Sure. His contract is up in three months. If you want, I'll put you in charge of your own directing after that.” “Then stop work on this picture until he’s out of it.” ““Can’t do it, Reevem,-we’re a week be- hind on the next release, and it’s got to be rushed. ‘That’s why I’m putting it up to you straight to work in with him now, and we'll work in with you later, see?” Reever Keene nodded curtly. “Til try,” he said. “ But—I won’t promise.” : “The hell he won’t!” laughed the presi- dent later, when he was recounting the con- versation to the director. ‘‘ Like the rest of them—throwing a big’ bluff so he can strut around the Screen Club and tell how he handed it to me! Well, that’s one way of managing these here stars, believe me! This guy’s getting more money than the comnliclooolks.conn