Rupert Hughes — Blue Book of the Screen (1923) 🇺🇸

Perhaps the only eminent author who “began life all over again” in order to become a motion picture director, is Rupert Hughes, whose writings and novels are famous the world around.

Hughes was born in Lancaster, Mo., January 31, 1872, and while he was still very young his family moved to Keokuk, Iowa, and in this picturesque little town on the banks of the Mississippi he spent much of his boyhood.

After receiving two degrees from Western Reserve University, Hughes went East and entered Yale, where he took post-graduate work and received the degree of master of arts.

Literary success did not come to Hughes at once, for after working as a reporter with the New York Journal for six months, he was discharged. From there he went to the magazines and there followed a period of rejection slips.

However, he succeeded in placing several stories with the Saturday Evening Post.

Gradually he began to turn his attention toward longer stories, and in 1912 one of these appeared serially, “The Old Nest,” which has since been made into a screen classic. This was followed by other serials, “The Cup of Fury,” “What Will People Say?” “Empty Pockets” and “The Thirteenth Commandment.”

For a while he was dramatic critic on one of the large New York newspapers.

When the motion picture producers began turning their attention toward eminent authors to provide screen material, Hughes was one of the first of the popular, present-day writers to turn his pen to film stories. He did not write his first stories primarily for the screen, but adapted several of his past successes. These met with instant approval.

In the latter part of 1919 Hughes entered into contract with the Goldwyn organization, and since that time has been writing stories especially for the screen. Some of his outstanding successes have been “Remembrance,” “Come on Over,” “Gimme” and “Souls for Sale.”

—

Rupert Hughes often sits down at the piano bejore directing a scene to stimulate inspiration.

The home where Mr. Hughes has written so many of his novels.

Collection: The Blue Book of the Screen (1923)