 Before coming to Los Angeles, he was night editor of "The New York Times".He had written five screenplays on the side and decided one day to travel to Hollywood to see if he could sell any of them; he sold three and in 1923, his career was launched.A film he loved was entitled "The Vanishing American" and it was the first film to portray the Indian in a favorable light; he received an award from the Cherokee nation for this film.