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Centauri, issue 2, Winter 1944
Page 7
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Centuari Page 7 ~HARRY WARNER,JR.~ THE UNNAMED Once in a while, I see a fan article whose author rather violently proclaims and laments the sad fact that there are no decent scientifictional movies to be found, when one exhausts a half-dozen or so meager examples of the genre-- "Things to Come" ,and a few others over which most fans rave, whether they've ever seen them or not. These fans usually ask bitterly why fandom doesn't do something about the situation,and somehow manage to get producers to come through with more movies of this sort. But no one ever does any more about it than the weather, excepting a petition that was started about eight years ago, and never even got as far as Hollywood. The fact is,producers are afraid to screen adult stf, just as they're afraid to screen any kind of adult entertainment, except when a book has become tremendously popular and its author demands a reasonably faithful screen version. Right or wrong, that's the way they feel about it, and I don't believe the efforts of a couple of hundred fans could get them to spend several million dollars on an epic film version of "The Skylark of Space". But the thought occurred to me, why not go at the thing from a different angle, and get a couple of short subjects produced? I know little about the intricacies of the movie business, but I am certain there is less to be lost on shorts, and consequently they aren't quite as standardized as full length features. My plan is this: Several West Coast fans have contact with Hollywood. With them acting as go-betweens, some of us could decide on a story we want to see filmed, arrange with the author and original publisher for screen rights, study up on writing scenarios, and turn out a product that would need only actors and cameras for completion. The ideal story for this purpose, to begin with, is "--And He Built a Crooked House." About ten or twelve minutes would suffice to tell the tale on the screen; it's funny enough to appeal to those
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Centuari Page 7 ~HARRY WARNER,JR.~ THE UNNAMED Once in a while, I see a fan article whose author rather violently proclaims and laments the sad fact that there are no decent scientifictional movies to be found, when one exhausts a half-dozen or so meager examples of the genre-- "Things to Come" ,and a few others over which most fans rave, whether they've ever seen them or not. These fans usually ask bitterly why fandom doesn't do something about the situation,and somehow manage to get producers to come through with more movies of this sort. But no one ever does any more about it than the weather, excepting a petition that was started about eight years ago, and never even got as far as Hollywood. The fact is,producers are afraid to screen adult stf, just as they're afraid to screen any kind of adult entertainment, except when a book has become tremendously popular and its author demands a reasonably faithful screen version. Right or wrong, that's the way they feel about it, and I don't believe the efforts of a couple of hundred fans could get them to spend several million dollars on an epic film version of "The Skylark of Space". But the thought occurred to me, why not go at the thing from a different angle, and get a couple of short subjects produced? I know little about the intricacies of the movie business, but I am certain there is less to be lost on shorts, and consequently they aren't quite as standardized as full length features. My plan is this: Several West Coast fans have contact with Hollywood. With them acting as go-betweens, some of us could decide on a story we want to see filmed, arrange with the author and original publisher for screen rights, study up on writing scenarios, and turn out a product that would need only actors and cameras for completion. The ideal story for this purpose, to begin with, is "--And He Built a Crooked House." About ten or twelve minutes would suffice to tell the tale on the screen; it's funny enough to appeal to those
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