Screenland (May-Oct 1931)

for May 19 3 1 127 said, "but, of course, writing will always come first. There are so few women novelists in this country — and I think there is a place for more. I have a book in my mind now, that I'm terribly anxious to write. I've been thinking of it for a long time — but I want to sort of grow up to it, first. I have an awful lot to learn about writing and I want to wait until I feel I can more nearly do it justice." No, she is not dizzy. " 'Schoolgirl,' " in answer to my question as to her own reactions to her work, "has a good deal of color, I think. But it's poorly written. 'Beau Lover' is better written, but I don't think it's nearly so vivid. Of course, it's plain that they are adolescent work. But I'm gradually finding out just what I want to do. Plots don't interest me as much as characterization. I like to use situations, rather than stories — situations that develop naturally from human characters." It is only, one notices, when she is talking of her work that she is really articulate— articulate beyond her years. About "Schoolgirl" as a play, she smiled sheepishly. "It went over pretty well, but it got hell from the critics !" Her own tastes in literature run to Hemingway, Somerset Maugham, Bertrand Russell — with a particularly soft spot in her heart for Van Loon's "Story of Wilbur the Hat." She likes the idea of being a movie star, but is in mortal terror of losing her head in Hollywood. That head appears, however, to have sustained a level balance thus far— a balance amazing for the brevity of her years. She may be unduly young, but she is already an aware and conscious person. And such people seldom go, to coin a phrase, haywire. Juliette Compton is one of the best dressed women in pictures; anyway, you'll be able to judge for yourself when you see her in "City Streets." They Get $1,000 to $5,000 For a Story Continued from page 57 into pictures. Since coming to Hollywood, she has "The Southerner" and "Inspiration" to her credit, and is now working on "Five and Ten." Florence Ryerson is a California girl, college graduate, whose father and grandfather before her were newspaper men, so she naturally began writing before she was out of school — sold her first story at eight, a melodrama about Indians ! Her first husband, Harold Ryerson, went to war, whereupon Florence started designing pretty house dresses and had a full-fledged factory doing a national business to hand him when he returned. Now she is married to Colin Clements, another writer, and they collaborate on books, plays, poetry, scenarios, one of which won the O. Henry prize for 1930. Florence has a jolly boy of about 15. It was five 3'ears ago that she began her scenario career — one-reel comedies for Arthur Lake at Universal, putting in lots of time in the cutting room, so as to learn all the ropes. Her pictures since sound arrived include "The Canary Murder Case," "Hot News." "Dr. Fu Manchu," and "The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu," also "We Three" for First National, just finished. She and Colin Jive in a Spanish house at Beverly Hills, wTith three typewriters, a secretary, a dictaphone, and several cats ! They work at night, from 9 p.m to 2 a.m., and turn out a prodigious amount of work between them. Dorothy Farnum, who is Mrs. Maurice Barber, is now in Paris writing for French production, but she hops back here to help out once in a while, notably with "A Lady's Morals," for Grace Moore. Dorothy always seemed much too pretty to be a writer, but she has over twenty pictures to her credit. Another clever dear is Maude Fulton, first famous as a child prodigy piano player at 9 years of age. She was 12 when her first book, "Sir Sidney's Revenge," was written. Her writing proclivities probably were encouraged by the fact that she haunted her father's newspaper office. But family finances failed, and at 12 the young novelist was carrying hat boxes for $2 a week, to help out. At 13 she played the piano in a ten-cent store for $3.50 a week, but an old friend of father's got her promoted to secretarial work — she learned shorthand, typewriting and had the measles all in the same week ! When she had saved $100 — 15 years old then — she sallied forth to conquer the world via New York. After some starving days she got work in the chorus, lodged in a house for immigrant girls, and lived on 15 cents a day. In five years she was a star dancer on Broadway. Then she toured Europe, as a dancer. It is on record that she turned down an invitation to dine with Stanford White the night he was murdered. All this time she was writing, too. and presently came the successful stage play, "The Brat," in which she herself starred. Followed "The Hum *50,000 to tickle chocolate palates If there is one thing on which all Americans agree, it is good chocolate! 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