The Omaha Sunday Bee Magazine Page
TheSloooooo PscturePlavThe Po
Characters in the $1,000,000 Picture Play. From Left to Right George Barr McCutcheon, Charles Hanson Towne,
Wallace Irwin, James Montgomery Flagg, Charles Dana Gibson, Burgess Johnson, John Walcott Adams, Will Irwin,
Tom Masson, Julian Street, Rupert Hughes.
A3 a special favor to readers of this
newspaper they are given a
glimpse on this page of a $1,000,000
moving picture story that will never reach
the public In any other way. This re
markable film, placed on view throughout
the country In the usual way. probably
would be worth even more than the million
dollars It would have cost for such use,
yet only ono copy Is In exlstonco and that
is safely locked up In the archives of tho
Dutch Treat Club of New York.
"Why such neglect of money-maklng op
portunities in this commercial age? you
ask. Why such wastefulness' of genius?
Ah, that word "genius" explains It Genius
contains quirks and queer methods of
ratiocination which It Is hopeless for nor
mal persons to understand. The geniuses
in this cast! authors, artists and poets
are of the capitalistic class, all plastered
oyer with money by humble magazine
publishers, who stand in-line' before their
doors, hats in one band and check books
In the other. So, finding themselves
full of coin and valnglorlousness,
they said to each other.
"Come, let's squander our price
less best efforts on a masterpiece of
art for one exhibition only to an
audience composed of ourselves
and let the publishers and the pub
lic go hang!" '
That's the genesis of tho Million
dollar moving picture story re
cently thrown on tho screen just
once, behind the closed doors of
tho Dutch Treat Club, choice bits
of which are produced on this page.
If you doubt that this film is
'worth a million dollars, Just con
sider who aro the authors and ac
tors. There's Charles Dana Gibson,
Illustrator, creator of "The Educa
tion of Mr. Pip," "The Gibson Girl"
and other masterpieces of Interna
tional fame, who won't sharpen a
pencil for any publisher who talke
in smaller amounts than four figures.
Here you see him working for
nothing as a disreputable "gun
man." The Billionaire Baby, Properly
Stamped and Addressed, with
the Prize Poem in Its Pocket,
Gets Safely into Uncle Sam's
Hands by Parcel Post
Noto the contemptuous look on tho Gib
son face as he marches through tho story
thus wastefully, appearing to say to him
self: "This is what I really think about
money no publishers being present."
Two other gunmen Will Irwin and
John Wolcott Adams aro writers, with a
monopoly of all the words in the diction
ary which they sell retail to magazlno
editors for tho price of a king's ransom.
Another Irwin Wallace, tho fat one who
writes words which ho sells for as much
as ten cents each, In choice lots of ten
thousand, makes the most oxponslvo baby
ever shown on any moving picture film.
James Montgomery Flagg, artist and
author, whose prices cause publishers'
ehrleks of agony to resound throughout
the land, figures as "Dickey Le Glnny Hen."
a poet make-up to resemble Richard Lo
Galllenne. His three fellow poets in tho
film are Julian Street, Charles Hanson
Towne and "Burgess Johnson. Try to
hire them to do anything for tho .public,
and then go and place a mortgage on your
printing presses for tho means to get thorn
Copyrights 1913. by the Star Company.
started. Suroly something ought to be
dono about this. Tho Government has
been heckling plutocratic publishers.
Why should these luxurious artist and
author chaps go unscathed?
To make up tho balance or tho value of
this $1,000,000 film it is only necessary to
mention tho names of tho other par
ticipants: Rupert Hughes, dramatist, tho villain;
George Barr McCutcheon, wrltor, the bar
tendor and also tho nurse; Tom Masson,
editor and poet, postman and messenger
boy; Compton McKenzie, novelist, a lady
editor; Langhorno .Gibson, artist, news
boy. Total, $1,000,000, Just for ono show be
fore tho members of the Dutch Treat
Club, an organization composed pf ono
hundred artists, authors and poets who
are so tired of being invited to dinner by
publishers that they have gone to tho
other extreme of herding by themselves,
every member eating at his own expense.
If you know anything about the tlmo ro
quirod to wrlto a moving picturo
"Now for the dirty work!" Rival Poets and Gunmen About
to Kidnap the Billionaire' Baby, in Whose Pocket Dicky le
Ginny Hen Has Hidden His Prize Poem ,
"scenario," to costume and rchearso
the company and turn the camera
crank until tho right results have
been obtained, you will rcallzothat
this million dollar estimate Is
more than reasonable.
"Saved by Parcel Post; or, The
Bllllonnlro Baby" that is tho title
of this moving picturo story pro
duced for one performance only.
Its authors Rupert Hughes and
Jamesjrfontgomery Plngg tell it
somewhat thus:
The scene opens In the Frltz
Carlton, a low dive. Four poets
are discovered hungry and thirsty.
In tho background sits the villain
nnd three gunmen, drinking and
plotting. A newsboy niters, Is
held up by the gunmon and robbed
of his jennies. Tho oets search
their iockets nnd finally unearth
a penny, with which they buy a
copy of The American. With heads
Great Britain nights Reserved.
together they scan each page for
stray gems of poetry, but discover
Instead an advertisement of the
Rust Beautiful Woman's Maga
zine offering a prize of frW.OOO for
tho best poem submitted within
twenty-four hours. Poets fall des
porately to work writing, to the
IntenFe disgust of tho gunmen,
Dicky Le Ginny Hen decides he
cannot work In such vile surround
ings. Ho will find Inspiration In
the woods and fields. The next
scene finds him strolling dreamily
over the Palisades. Nature, how.
ever, falls to provide the necessary
Inspiration. Suddenly ho notes n
two hundred pound baby In a spe
cially built carriage Richard
falls In love with tho nurse at
once. Ills loves brings In its train
the longed-for inspiration. He
ncrlbbles hurriedly tho wondorful
words that pour from bis enrap
tured heart
Showing How Charles Banc
Gibson, James Montgom
ery Flagg, George Mc
Cutcheon and Other
Artists and Authors
Created a Priceless
"Movie" for One
Performance
Only at Their
Club Dinner
In That Low Dive, tho Fritz-Carlton, the Four Poets Read the 50,000 Priz
Poem Offer, While the Gunmen Look on with Contempt.
Returning to tho Fritz-Carlton ho boasts
of his conquost, his poom and Mb cortnln
victory In tho competition. The other
poots realizing the poom Is far superior to
anything they might do themselves, try
to tako It from him but ho oscapos.
In tho next scono ho returns to tho
nurso and finishes tho poom. Othor poots
aro on his trail. In despair ho searches
frantically for somo safe placo to hldo
the priceless child of his brain. A brilliant
idea comes to him. Ho will placo the
poem In tho jacket of tho baby. No sooner
thought of than tho doed Is dono. Tho
nurso flees with tho child. Tho poets dash
"Foiled Again!" Rival Poets and Gunmen
Outwitted by Dicky lo Ginny Hen, Who
Gets the $50,000 Prize
upon tho scono, capture Dicky, and lath
lila manly form to a treo. Then begins a
porlod of horrid torture to compel tho
bravo horo to rovcal tho secret hiding;
placo. It Is only when ono friend begins
pulling out his precious hair that he
vreakons. Ho tolls thorn whoro the
papers are, but their courago is not oqual
to tho feat of facing tho nurso and child.
Thoy bargain for tho services of tho
gunmon. It is decided with their help to
kidnap tho only son nnd heir to John D.
Rotonsmcller. Cloyerly tho conspirators
stalk their proy until at last thoy aro
cornered, and Dicky, Booing his dream of
triumph shattered, collapses upon the
trembling arm of tho nurse. But
help Is at hand. At the moment
when It seems all too true that vil
lainy will triumph tho child rises up
in his wrath and lays poets and gun
men senseless nt his feet with dull
though soundless thuds from his
manly lists.
They tako refuge In night with the
conspirators clinging remorselessly
to their trail. Brought to bay at last
'before a U. 8. Purcol Post box, Dicky,
brilliantly resourceful to the end, pro
duces Just the right quantity of
stamps from his pocket, sticks them
on tho baby's nose, writes the ad
dress of tho Bust Beautiful Maga
zine on his forehead, deposits him in
tho box, and turns to face the baf
tled conspirators with a sweet smile
of calm content,
Into their midst pushes n U. 8.
postman. His duty Is plain. With
a wide (jesturo that expresses nil tho
majesty of tho powtrful department
behind him, he waves them to one
side and disappears with tho child.
The tlual scene opens In the office
Mugazlne. Enter postman and his
charge. With a graceful gesture the
baby pluces the precious manuscript
in tho lady editor's hand. Dicky en
ters and stands shyly awaiting her
decision. Bohlml him tho perfidious
loets and tbe disgruntled gunmen
iuko iiieir places. There Is a mo-
inent of nerve-racking suspense as'
eucli scans tho faco of tho arbltress!
ot ineir poetic destinies.
Quickly the expression of lnteresti
on the baby's face gives place to one'
of ecstatic Joy as she grasps the deep
significance of tho llterury gem be
fore her. From her desk she takes a
hugo bundle of greenbacks 00,000,
ono dollar bills and places them in'
tho trembling hands of Dicky. Thei
conspirators fall prostrate upon thelrl
faces, and Dicky, his loved one andl
tho baby, march triumphantly forth'
over their supine w -
