Edmund Goulding Reaches the Peak of his Career (1924) 🇺🇸
Noted scenario writer reached the peak of his career with five special scripts for Fox. Four are giant specials. The five scripts constitute the biggest assignment of his motion picture career.
Edmund Goulding, novelist, playwright and scenarist, who has probably created more motion picture scripts of big productions than any other man in the business, has written five continuities for Fox Film Corporation, four of them being for Giant Specials to be issued by that company during the season of 1924–25. They are The Fool, Dante’s Inferno, The Man Who Came Back, The Dancers and Gerald Cranston’s Lady. The achievement, marking as it does the end of what Mr. Goulding calls “a self-imposed apprenticeship in motion pictures,” brings this capable creator of picture fiction to the peak of his career.
The five scenarios just completed for Fox by Mr. Goulding constitute the biggest assignment of his meteoric motion picture career. Each of the works is from either a sensational stage success or a literary achievement that, through its great dramatic merit, has enjoyed tremendous popularity.
Edmund Goulding was born in Middlesex, England, and went on the stage at the age of 13. He was educated between the acts, so to speak, and began writing for the stage when he was 17 years old. Many of his one act plays were produced in England, but he never forsook the footlights. When the war broke out Goulding was considered one of the coming character actors of his generation. At that time he was being featured in My Lady’s Dress, a stage play that was later produced on the screen by Fox.
Goulding had the distinction of writing the first war play produced in England. It was presented at the Palladium theatre, London, four days after the declaration of war, Goulding writing and staging the piece, besides starring in it. The play was a one act affair called God Save the King and its popularity endured throughout the conflict of nations.
It was during a temporary visit to America that Goulding first tried his hand at scenario writing. The result was The Silent Partner, directed by Marshall Neilan, in which Blanche Sweet was starred. He followed this with The Ordeal of Rosetta, with Alice Brady. The readiness of acceptance of his work led Goulding to decide upon motion picture writing for a career, but he did not follow his intentions to the letter until he had written and had produced in London in 1913 his first three act play, Ellen Young, which he did in collaboration with Gabrielle Enthoven [Transcriber’s Note: Ellen Young premiered in 1916].
Service in France followed and in 1919 Mr. Goulding returned to America to follow out his purpose. A veritable storm of small pictures followed for Selznick [Lewis J. Selznick]. The Perfect Lover, featuring Eugene O’Brien, was one of these. Then came The Daughter of Two Worlds for Norma Talmadge.
The ever alluring offer of a directorship came at this point, but Mr. Goulding made a decision which has had much to do with his career. He determined to put in five years of continuity and scenario writing to round out his inherent gift of creation and to absorb the difficult technique of visual drama. This he deemed absolutely necessary to a finished director and in following his purpose he has helped greatly to place the art of scenario writing on the highly specialized plane which it now enjoys. Curiously enough, Goulding completed the script of The Dancers for Fox five years to a day from the time he decided to devote all his energies to the work.
But, Goulding admits that he deviated slightly from his course. The result was two novels and a play. Fury, one of the novels, was adapted to the screen by the author and presented with Richard Barthelmess as the star. The second novel, Shadow Lane, is being published by Dodd, Meade & Co. and will make its appearance in the fall. The play, Dancing Mothers, was written in collaboration with Edgar Selwyn and was produced recently in Atlantic City. It will make its appearance on Broadway in August.
The enthusiasm and diligence with which Goulding tackled his job of scenario writing soon brought him to the top of his profession. During the week of January 1, 1922, he had two original pictures on Broadway which were convincing testimony to his versatility and facility. They were Tol’able David, in which Richard Barthelmess made his first big starring success and Peacock Alley, with Mae Murray. One was the story of a dark, serious boy in a tragic role; the other a frivolous tale of white lights with a blond, frothy, light hearted woman in the lead. He remained with these two stars for a year, during which he adapted Fury and The Bright Shawl for Barthelmess and wrote Fascination, Broadway Rose and Jazzmania for Miss Murray.
Again the question of direction came up, but by this time Goulding was earning more than the average director and he determined to stick to scenario writing.
Coming down to this year, Goulding took a two months’ vacation in Europe and during the rest of the time completed his book, Shadow Lane, collaborated on Dancing Mothers, the play, wrote an original scenario, The Beautiful City for Richard Barthelmess and “The Storm Bird” for Dorothy Gish and then, his self styled apprenticeship near its end, went to work for Fox. All the dramatic technique he has acquired in his varied career was put to use in the big Fox productions with the result that Mr. Goulding considers his work on The Fool, The Man Who Came Back, Dante’s Inferno, The Dancers and Gerald Cranston’s Lady the best he has done.
Mr. Goulding’s equipment for scenario writing has been enhanced by the fact that, at various times he has worked as a film cutter, assistant director, has directed six two reel pictures of which he has little to say and has been a screen actor, appearing in Three Live Ghosts. He chalks all this up to “business collateral.”
“One or two successes in scenario writing,” says Mr. Goulding, “while it may assure the rent for a few months and encourage consideration for future services, doesn’t mean a blamed thing. The reward comes for steady work. The writer develops a sub-conscious technique that is as indispensable to the screen author as it is to the painter, the pianist or to those in any of the other highly interpretive arts.”
—
Edmund Goulding who prepared the scripts for five of the Fox specials — four of them giant specials — for 1924–25.
Mr. Goulding has prepared scripts on The Fool, Dante’s Inferno, The Man Who Came Back, The Dancers and Gerald Cranston’s Lady. These scripts bring Goulding to peak of career.
Collection: Exhibitors Herald, August 1924