A name to remember

Cecil B Demille was a giant of the early cinematic age and his name is one of the few from the period that still lives on – unlike Lorna Moon.

Originally from Strichen in Aberdeenshire, Moon wrote to Demille to tell him that his last film had been rubbish. It must have been some letter because his reply – “if you think you do better, come and try your luck” – was the stuff dreams are made of.

Moon did as Demille suggested and went on to become the highestpaid female screenwriter of 1920s Hollywood, creating scripts for the likes of Greta Garbo and Gloria Swanson. But, back home in Strichen, she was less popular. Her 1925 book of short stories, Doorways in Drumorty, was banned from the village library after locals recognised themselves in the characters.

Now a stage version of the book is to go on tour around Scotland and its playwright, Mike Gibb, believes Moon deserves a similar profile to Scottish writers like Lewis Grassic Gibbon and JM Barrie. If that’s anything like true, Scotland has a “new” literary hero, a name to remember – and maybe shout from the rooftops.