Arthur Edwin Krows

Arthur Edwin Krows (1892–1958) was screenwriter, journalist, editor, author, and film director in the United States.^[1] He wrote a book on producing plays and articles about educational films.^[2] He illustrated one of his books.

He was born in New York City to Edwin Krows, a sales manager, and Lavinia Myers Krows. He married Marion Soeloman of Yonkers in 1914. His second wife was Catherine Peterka. He had a son.^[1]

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He directed films about social service. He edited several magazines. In 1927 made films surveying industrial museums in Europe with Charles T Gwynne, trustee of the planned Museum of Peaceful Arts in New York City (later renamed New York Museum of Science and Industry) as well as a leader of New York City's chamber of commerce, and cameraman Walter T. Pritchard.^[3][4] There were plans to build an industrial museum in New York City at the time.^[5] He wrote plays.^[1]

He wrote an article titled "Literature and the Motion Picture".^[6] He also wrote an article titled "Motion Pictures - Not for Theaters" for Educational Screen magazine.^[7] The article “Sound and Speech in Silent Pictures” (JSMPE, April 1931 pages 427–436) is a reprint of a chapter of his book.

His 1930 book The Talkies is included on the Library of Congress' bibliography of wax cylinder audio recordings.^[8] He worked for the Office of War Information during World War II.^[1]

He wrote that in order to appeal to the broadest possible audience, film businesses made films that could be enjoyed by people of lesser intellect.^[9]

He spoke on radio station WAAT.^[10] Theodore Roosevelt wrote back to him thanking him for his courtesy but noting Roosevelt could not attend the event to which he was invited.^[11]

He died in Yonkers aged 65.^[1][12]

Writings

• Play Production in America (1916)^[13][14]
• Playwriting for Profit (1928)^[15]
• Equipment for stage production; a manual of scene building D. Appleton & Company (1928), illustrations by Krows^[16]
• The Talkies (1930) Henry Holt And Company, New York

Plays

• A Word in Private^[17]

Filmography

• The Winchester Woman (1919)
• The Birth of a Soul (1920)
• Christopher Columbus (1923), part of the Chronicles of America series produced by Yale University Press^[18]
• Museums of the New Age (1927), full title Museums of the New Age: A Study of World Progress in Industrial Education^[19], a rediscovered film for which a score was written