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PHOTOPLAY
DANCING
AMUSEMENT SECTION
THEATRES
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PHILADELPHIA, SATURDAY EV EN IN G ,' OCT 0 B E R 16, 1915
THE PLAYWRIGHT INTERVIEWS
HIMSELF FOR THE PRESS AGENT
The Author of "Under Cover" Submits to an Auto-Interview,
but Refuses to Discuss "The
Decay of the Drama"
By ROI COOPER MEGRUE
CJV." sala the Press Agent, 'The
JjnvENiNO Ledcier wants a thousand
words from you about 'Under Cover' for
Sunday. Will you write something?"
"You write It," said I, the Author.
"Not on your life," replied the Tress
Agent. "I've had to write all the drool
so far; you'vo had a cinch nothing to
do but draw royalties."
"I should say so," agreed tho Manager;
"it's up to you to do something besides
complain that we don't get you enough
publicity. Playwrights make me side
anyhow." .
"What'll I write about?" 4 the Author,
answered meekly.
"There you go," said the Press Agent;
"give a dramatist a chance to get a little
advertising for himself and he dies right
on your hands, but he expects the press
agent to '
"You might mention," Interrupted the
Manager, "how well we've handled your
play, and that If It wpren't for the man
ager no playwright could possibly make
a real success."
"Even a playwright must have some
regard for the truth," I 3ald but very
gently.
"Ingratitude," murmured the Manager.
"I tell you," said the Press Agent
cheerfully, "dictate something about
'Tho Decay of the Drama,' 'Why Plays
Fall,' 'Is the Drama a factor In Modern
Education?' "
"Ye3." agreed the Manager, "that's
good hlghbrpW stuff,"
"And it's new, too," I added casually.
"Oh, they like to read the good old
b'ink," said the Manager. "It always
has been Immense."
"I suppose it would tre dangerous to
try anything new?" I asked timidly.
"Sure, the public wouldn't Btand for
It," said tho Manager.
"What new Idea have YOU got?" ques
tioned the Press Agent sourly.
"I might Interview myself, mightn't
1?" I asked hopefully. "You know, sort
of dual personality, one the interviewer
and the other the playwright. Then I
needn't ask myself any embarrassing
questions, and I could bo quite sure my
answers were not misquoted."
"Why. that IS a good Idea," said the
Press Agent, amazed.
"Maybe they might print it." the Man
ager reflected pessimistically. "Anyhow,
mention my name a good deal."
"And," added the Press Agent, "write
in a good, clear, legible hand on one side
of the paper only."
"Well, I'll promise about the paper,
anyhow," I sald.
I found Roi Cooper Mcgrue, the au
thor of "Under Cover," (now plajfcig
at the Garrick Theatre, Phlladelp'h'a,
matinees Wednesday and Saturday),
sitting at his desk. I have found that
most authors do that at one time or an
other. He seemed to me a pleasant
enough young man, weighing about 20
pounds more than he should.
"Yes?" I, the Author, murmured vacu
ously. "I've come to Interview you," I, tho
Interviewer, answered.
"You make me feol quite self-conscious,"
the Author replied; "its so diffi
cult asking oneself questions that will
not make one sound too egotistic."
"That doesn't matter," said the In
terviewer, "playwrights with two hits in
New York must bo egotistic, or every
one would bo disappointed at this viola
tion of tradition."
"Quite true, and one must not fool the
public"
"Ah," said the Interviewer, "how
comes It then that In 'Undv Cover you
do fool the public by keeping concealed
the Identity of one of your most im
portant characters till the very end of
the play?"
"An," said the Author, pausing a mo
$ ment to sharpen a pencil with which to
continue writing this' intervlow, "J con
fess I have been very much amused at
the criticisms of those learned in the
technique of the drama who', have said
that 'Under Cover succeeded In spite Of
the fact that It fooled tho audienco and
not becauso of it. I happen to know
they're wrong, because originally, when
the play was produced on tour I was
told that the twist In the tast act was
absolutely impossible; that It never had
been done, tiever must be done, and that
the audlcnce'must be told In the second
act who 'It. J.' really Is. So, one eve
ning I told one audience, and at the
end of the third act tho entire lot got
up In a bunch and walked out They
had no further Interest In the story, for
thero was no suspense, no thrill, no
nothing."
Continued on Page Eight
WHY I WENT INTO MOTION PICTURES
TO PUT "CARMEN" ON THE SCREEN
The Noted Prima Donna Tells How She Found a
Phantom Audience to Act To'and How She
Felt the Thrill of a New Art
By GERALDINE FARRAR
IT IS the sounding board of the piano
that gives roundness and substance
to the tone; It Is the resistance of the
carbon that gives greater brilliance to
All thH U by way of introduction to
what follows. Frequently, since last
spring, when I determined that the lime
had nrrived for me to enter a new field
the arc, and It Is the artistic sympathies i .f artistic endeavor, I have been asked
me question, -wnyj" My friends havo
wild, "Already you have reached great
popularity through the operatic and con
cert stages. Why motion pictures?"
of our hearers that Inspiro us all to re
double our efforts to interest, instruct
or entertain. The orator Is more olo
quent In proportion to the numbers of
his ampathetto hearers, the actor more
brilliant as his audienco sways to his
art
GERALDINE FARRAR'S CARMEN
Shakespeare the First Scenario Writer
By JOHN EMERSON
IP SHAKESPEARE were alive today
ho would be our most active scenario
writer. Shakespeare In some of his plays
had as many as 30 or 40 scenes. Of
course, scenery was no object to him, as
ho merely hung out a sign which said,
"This is a house," "This Is a well, "This
Is a battlefield." He evidently believed
very much In constant change of scene,
Since scen?ray meant nothing to him he
could do as he pleased. If he believed
In concentrated action and using a few
scenes he would have done so. So It Js
apparent that he bolleved thoroughly In
the modern motion picture method.
Shakespeare had a moving-picture con
ception of the background for a play's
action. After the setting Is provided In
a modern photoplay, director and actors
concentrato entirely upon the action. So
does tho spectator in the theatre. So It
was In Shakespeare's time. The audienco
took the scenery for granted, even though
thero wasn't any there, and con 'cn'iated
its attention upon the action.
In many other ways Shakespeare's
plays are indeed splendid movlng-plcturo
scenarios. Very little has beep done In
the way of (limine them, but I believe
when prpducers turn to thorn they will
find wonderful series of pictures, and tho
most striking and remarkable thing about
them from this point of view is that they
can be followed In regular sequence
Whon the average play or novel la
changed Into a photoplay It is nccosxary
to amplify and build it up, but following
Shakespeare's structure It will bo found
that his story is arranged Ir. movlng
plcturd sequence and fashion. I do not
sa.y'that the 30 or 40-scenes which Shakes
peare used would be tho only onrs em
ployed In (i. Shakespearian photoplay, but
that plenty of description will be found
In the mouths pt 'the characters, for
scenes,
wnue it is true that to most of the
Inquiries I have answered, "Why not?"
In half jest, I am glad now to tell more
fully precisely the reasons WHY I de
clined a summer of rest and ease for a
summer of mighty hard work.
For what was said In the lirst para
graph is qulto true .The artist the per
son who has dedicated himself to an
artistic cause if ho be sincere in his re
sponse, to the call from "within" cannot
stand still. There Is but one road in art
and that is "straight forward." Thero
is no detour, no turning back. And In
exact proportion to the Inspiration which
tho artist obtains from a responsive and
sympathetic audience, precisely so is tho
effect of lassitude and wasted oppor
tunity. Work is for workmen, as tho
comedian once said. And friends are for
artists
When Mr. Morris Oest first interested
me in nntlon pictures ns a field of work
exceptionally suited to those gifts with
which I have been endowed as an actress,
I was more surprised than amused. -I
had been at various limes to see motion
picture entertainments, but usually in
the theatres In Europe. It never had
even occurred to me to act for the screen.
The more I thought or the suggestion
the. more It Interested mo and before long
I knew-I felt, as It wore that motion
pictures really offered a field in which I
could not only work with great alncerlty
and happiness, but also through which I
would bo answering that inner command
constantly in the artist's mind, "Broaden
yourself, extend your scope, make new
friends."
After attending scores of motion
picture entertainments In New York and
other American cities I saw and under
stood to what wonderful ends thla great
medium of dramatic expression was
pointed. The Paramount theatres Inter
ested me most because of tho truly high
principles that heemed to prompt the
producers and exhibitors.
After discussion with Samuel Goldfish,
head of the Lasky Feature Play Com
pany, I found myself within a few weeks
thereafter on the way to Hollywood, Cal.,
whero the Lasky studio are situated.
When I fust sang for the talking ma
chine I believed for a moment that I
would be unahle to overcome tho feeling
that It was a mechanical contrivance
IJwaa not sure that tho best artistic
Impulses would respond. My experience,
however, was that once I starred to sins
all sense of tho mechanical thing In front
of mo disappeared. I saw in my mind's
eye a great throng of -people to whom I
was singing.
And that was my experience before the
motion-picture camera. I lost sight of
tho photographer and his steady turning.
I f.aw only a mighty gatherln-of men,
women and children-thousands upon
thousands w ho were watching my every
movement It wai thrilling and I knew
that my sincerity was meeting with re
sponse and that my pictures would please
Never In tho world's history of amuse
ments has there been any audience so
great, so wonderful, as the motlon-plcturo
audlcnre. Sight is the medium of the
photoplay, .and the simple emotions of
pantonine are universal to human nature
tho world over. The South American
native, the Chinese, the most highly cul
tured of Buropc and tho Asiatic all under
stand tho emotions pf comedy, of trag
edy, of hnpplness, Joy, sorrow. Jealousy
and anger.
So, where thousands have seen and
heard me In grand opera and concert,
where hundreds of thousands have heard
only ihy voice through tho talking ma
chine; millions now will be my audience
In motion pictures. And they will see
Ocraldtno Farrar In her happiest mood,
I (lesuro yon well, wait and see "Car
men," and tell me that you agree with
me.
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