The Photo-Play Journal (Jul 1919-Feb 1921)

October, 1920 my story. This has happened since on other productions. While I was in England a wealthy American disappeared completely — he had been to supper at the Savoy Hotel, after which he entered a taxi to return to his own quarters, and no trace of him was ever found since then. Detectives from Scotland Yard and William J. Burns, recently of the United States Secret Service, who also happened to be in London at the time, investigated the case, but found no clues. I was interested by the mystery elements of the case, and with Mr. Burns we searched along the Thames and finally found a hat and an empty wallet on Hungerford Bridge, which were identified as having belonged to the missing man. The Thames was dragged, but the body was never found. Thus the mystery remained unsolved — later I went to Paris on an assignment and while there, met the famous Bertillon, who was working at the time on his iris test. Bertillon's idea was that the iris of a dead man's eye had indelibly photographed upon it the last scene which he saw before his death, and that if some method could be devised of getting this iris picture upon the photographic plate, many of the mysterious sudden deaths unsolved in the past could be worked out to the proper solution. The visit to Bertillon came shortly after the mysterious disappearance of the American in London, and they were so associated in my mind that when I wrote "The Third Eye," the serial which is now being shown on the screen, I coupled these two incidents and solved the mystery of the disappearance by a photographic close-up apparently made from the iris of the villain of the story after his death. Just one more illustration of how my syndicate experience helped me: When Queen Lilluokiwani, the beloved ruler of the Hawaiian Islands, who will also be remembered as the composer of several Hawaiian songs which have since become popular, died, I was detailed to cover the story of her funeral. And while I was in Hawaii I learned a great number of local legends and studied local customs, as well as visiting numerous spots of interest in this group of islands — all of which material has been embodied by me in "The Taint" which I recently sold to Hope Hampton. But I do not want to convey the impression that it is essential for a man or woman to have been a reporter or to have traveled everywhere on newspaper stories to get the material for scenarios. As a matter of fact, I have based most of my stories upon actual occurrences which I learned either from personal observation or from newspaper reading. I feel strongly that life contains far more thrilling stories than the mind of any human being can evolve. Here are some illustrations along this line. Shortly after the Bolshevists assumed the reins of power in Russia, the Soviet at Saratov issued a proclamation that it was unlawful for any man to possess his wife alone if any other male member of the community desired her. I read of this in the newspapers, which printed the story broadcast, and it shocked me to such an extent that I finally secured a copy of the original decree and determined to use this situation in a story which would awaken my fellowAmericans to the dangers of Sovietism. This story was "The New Moon," in which Norma Talmadge starred some time ago. About this time, too, I read in our newspapers of the number of enemy spies who were found in aeroplane factories, and whose fiendish work consisted of weakening the planes so that unfortunate airmen were killed after rising into the air. Those who saw Earle Williams in "The Higher Trump" will now see where I got the basis for that scenario. As I write this story for the Photo-Play Journal, Eugene O'Brien is working under the direction of George Archambault on a story of mine called "The Nobleman;" since the picture has not yet appeared, I will not give away the plot, but I am ready to acknowledge that it is based on an actual occurrence in criminology which was told to me by one of the leading detectives of New York City. Another war story of mine, which was suggested to me by my newspaper reading, came from the photographs which were distributed by the propaganda departments of the Allies in the recent war and which showed a cross of shame burned on the bare bodies of French girls whom the enemy found obstinate to their advances — if you saw Dorothy Dalton in "Vive, la France !" you will remember the horror of this episode. And now for a final illustration of the statement that the newspapers are veritable scenario mines. A certain bad Mexican in San Bernardino, Cal., found his greatest delight in becoming intoxicated and shooting up the particular saloon in which he happened to be. One evening he was seen in his usual state at a certain bar — next to him stood a prospector with several bags of gold dust. The next day the prospector was found dead and the Mexican was convicted of his murder on circumstantial evidence. Sentenced to life imprisonment, the Mexican spent his spare time in the San Bernardino jail by drawing upon the plastered walls a reproduction of the scene of the Crucifixion which was marvelous in its fidelity and artistic qualities. The sketch drew so much attention, both from the jailers and visitors — and later the newspapermen — that his prison cubby hole came to be known as The Cell of Christ. In fact, this incident created so much comment that a band of citizens finally secured the parole of the Mexican, and since his release he has been devoting himself exclusively to his art — although he had never drawn or sketched before his incarceration. Incidentally, I have since seen a bust of Lincoln which this Mexican made, and which is so marvelous and artistic a product that it will probably be placed in the halls of one of the State Universities in California. What imagination could conceive a more interesting or a more dramatic incident than the discovery of the Crucifixion on the wall of this hardened Mexican prisoner ! And this scene, slightly altered, is the punch of a special production which Maurice Tourneur made of {Continued on page 58)