Star-dust in Hollywood (1930)

Los Aitgeles — T^eal Estate in an ambitious exploitation. Next day Brown regretted his decision and decided to ask for the return of his money. The chief realtor smiled grimly at the simplicity of the author's request. " Now, wait a minute before you make your decision,' ' said Brown. " Do you know with whom you are dealing? I am an author." " Glad to hear it," said the realtor jeeringly. " You'd better write a story for the Safdy Evening Post 'n get your money back that way." "Wait a minute," said Brown. " Now an author is a man who invents plots. He is, in fact, an ingenious person. I mean he uses his wits. This proposition of yours is expensive, you want to attract the best people to it. I can be very unpleasant if I want to be. For instance, you do much of your best business on Sundays, I think. Oddly enough I happen to have a number of negro friends in this town. I might organize Sunday picnics with these friends to my lot. We might spend the day there, playing the banjo, singing, and dancing. After all, it is my lot, isn't it ? That's the first idea, one that just popped into my head, but if I bothered about it I could . . . Let me see now, we might . . ." " Aw ! Cut it out," interrupted the realtor angrily. " You win, Mr Brown. . . . Only be a white man and for God's sake don't tell anybody else that we've given you your money back. . . ." Yet Californian business men affect to despise authors. As my convalescence proceeded we were able to take longer excursions in our old car and explore the mystery of Los Angeles-cum-Hollywood's charms. We failed to solve them. Northward we had to drive twenty miles to be free of the interminable succession of raw villa towns, bungalow [6S]