Show More Human Interest Is N Need e d of th the thC Thomas o Screen C Meighan Shakespeare Shakespeare Shake Shake- As our old Old friend William WIlHam the The plays play's speare used to say sav thing And of that Thomas Meighan Is If c convinced There Theres B II nothing noth in ing original about finding some some- e- e wrong with the movies Is associated associated Everybody does that if it he with the films as a a. critic an actor or ev even n a producer Finding fault tault with the movies as a pastime s Is as correct r as eating fn with a salad I fork lt Its It's the thing And an hours hour's conversation v with stith Ith Tom Torn Meighan probably the most popular of ot present day male stars convinced con me that Tommy be believes be- be IInes hitte something must be done if th the days day's to be saved sa That's meant in all seriousness I Meighan ret returned to New York Tork recently from the coast Hes He's workIng work work- Ork Ing lag now on Pied Pled Piper Malone Jalone an original screen story by Booth Hoot II And Anti that picture Illustrates Illus hates clearly both points Meighan made in his effort to shed his views view I bout tIme the present critical con condition of ot t the ht cinema ab This picture Meighan llanesa said 1 Is Ia about people It t Isn't one of the I spectacles It isn't costing a a. mint of mOne money to produce But its it's a areal areal areal real story It It has meat merit and the added value alue of being being- human That's ThUs what the screen needs There Isn't an actor on the screen n t today oda taking a keener personal In IntErest Interest interest In- In terest In his work than Meighan Men tn around the Famous Players studio tell me he is on the job early and stays stas late He lie watches each tach scene shot whether he appears in it himself or not Its It's because he takes such a deep drep Interest that Meighan jealousy jealous watches each story he is given to act For the last two pictures at least Meighan has gone out personally personally person person- ally and n had d stories t written for him One was v Woman Proof et by his friend George Ade Ads The other Pled Pied Piper Malone Both are by famous authors Both are original screen stories written for tor him sim es esI es- es m I I 1 believe belle all material used In pictures should be written originally original original- ly Iy for tor the screen Meighan said This mania of producing published works is all wrong It Isn't sary Most of the time when that I Is done the result is crude when I compared with the original book and the screen suffers People want simple stories simple stories about people like themselves es They want life reflected as it really is And to satisfy that demand I go out myself and have these stories written written writ writ- ten by men who know their business busi busi- ness producers Ii producers If would call a halt to this mad maJ wave wae of ot sp spectacles with I huge tuge sets with costly trappings there would be no rio need need or or rather r there would have been beets none none for for tho the announced shutdown of studios h hu he 1 sa says 3 Meighan believes there still is time to apply the brakes and andward andward I ward rd off oU the threatened period o of ot depression I IThe The Tho star has hll tho the same lame idea as renards re- re cards nards h hi his work as Andrew Carnegie d did when b building I up his I steel c cor cor- l 3 Carnegie knew that un unless un- un less ho he surrounded s himself with men of or equal or g ater ability h he would not progress very Very ery far And Ands Andst s st S1 he drew about him smart budness business business busi bud ness men and gave them a a. free voice olce in the conduct of the building enterprise And BO so It Is with Meighan He lie isn't afraid that George Ade Ads or Booth will take the spotlight off oCt him He Ife knows and rightly so that ren iren of that caliber will only add to the picture and malts make It a 3 greater drawing card And he tie Insists upon his supporting cast made UD tin of ot experienced men and women I those thoe who have passed the test teat of i I public approval al Because unless I each character is is- strong regardless his to the I of ot own ability put picture over oyer Meighan knows knotts 0 the film j jwill II if will still fall In the long run I Meighan cites Chaplins Chaplin's The Kid and his own wn Miracle Man Ian as two two of the best examples of what tho the I Ideal screen story should be Neither is elaborate Both Iloth are simple to an I extreme point Both made thousands thou- thou sands of d dollars i S SAnd oio And to Meighan pictures are a business Just juat as Its much as an art He lie I wants Isle his pictures to make malee money He Ito puts put ever everything he has in them And money that's hll why they do make 4 S I I I I j i j i I THOMAS tAS N. tN |