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MOVIES


          "SHEPHERD  OF  THE  HILLS"                  and  a  toni hing  literary  career.  An  itinerant  sign   age or cowardice, good or evil, each brushed in solid
                                                                                                   with a  ingle flat paint. The women are paragons of
                                                      painter  turned  preacher,  he  had  written  his  first
                                                      novel a  a parable to be deli ,·ered in weekly install-  youth, health, beauty, charm and purity. The action
                                                      ment  from  his  pulpit.  When  published  between   goes  galloping  along, heedles  of reality, from thrill-
          FILMED  AFTER  34  YEARS                    covers,  That  Printer  of  Udell's,  to  everyone'  sur-  ing  gun duel to breathless escape, from knock-down
                                                      prise, sold 500,000 copies.  The Shepherd of the  Hills,   fist  fight, to hair-trigger rescue.  But a  generation of
                                                      four years later, rolled up a sensational sale of 2,000,-  readers a  yet  unfamiliar  with  the  austerities  of  a
           he benign old man working at the card table below   000.  Like  other  best ellers  of  that  happy  decade   Hemingway, a  Dos Passos or a  Faulkner found such
         T is  ·writing his 18th novel.  He is  70  year  old.  To   (Gene  tratton  Porter's  Frecl.:les:  2,000,000  copie  ;   moral  tales  as  The  Winning  of Barbara  Worth,  The
          a  generation  coming  of  age  in  a  fearfully  complex   John Fox Jr.'s  Trail  of the  Lonesome  Pine:  1,255,-  Calling of Dan Matthews and The Re-creation of Brian
         world  his  name  brings, at be  t, a faint and amu  ed   000), Harold Bell Wright's books were hearty, naive   l{ent  so  engrossing  that, all in all,  10,000,000 copies
          smile  of  doubtful recognition.  But to their parents   melodramas of the big out-of-doors whose chief vir-  of Wright's books were sold.
         he will be remembered as a landmark in  an era now   tue was that they brought to a heterogeneou  people   Of his 17 novels, eight have been made into movie  ,
         coated  with  the  shimmer  of  no talgia,  a  beautiful   the  beauty  of  the  remote  corners  of  their  land.   some of them twice. The last,  0011 to be released by
         bygone day when peace and prosperity  eemed like   Otherwise,  to  modern  concepts,  these  works  seem   Paramount, is a Technicolor version of  The  Shepherd
         permanent  and  indestructible  blessings.  This  old   almost bare of merits. The writing is lurid and over-  of the Hills  (on  opposite page), which, for all its moun-
         man is Harold Bell Wright.                   wrought. The characters are  talking  cardboard fig-  tain scenic splendor, ha  even in a restrained adapta-
           It wa  in  1903 that he fir  t  tarted on  hi  trange   ure  , crudely symbolizing weakne  s or strength, cour-  tion, the dated sentimentality of its 34-year-o)d book.


















































































          Portrait of novelist at work  is  po ·ed  by Harold  Bell  Wright   untitled, is laid in the redwood country of California and   monia, Mr. Wright left his ranch at Escondito, Calif. sev-
          before hi  bungalow in Palm Spring .  The new novel, a  yet   will  be  hi  fir  t  ince  To  My  Sons (1984).  Ill from  pneu-  eral  month  ago to recuperate in Palm Springs' de ert air.


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