Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-12-13
STAGE STAR FADING
IN NEW MOVIES
Triangle, Kleine and Fox Agree
to Try and Regulate Sal
aries offered
Rv the Phntoplay Editor

| There has been movement under way
| within the last few weeks in which all
| of the big producing concerns are inter-
! ested and which may finally result III an
! arrangement between them for the regu-
lation OF salaries of big stage stars ior
picture work Heretofore the producers
have been bidding against each other Tor
the services of the stars and the result
has been that several of the concerns IN
their haste to get a signature OF a name
before n competitive firm should secure
II have made contracts with stage stars
before they have had any knowledge how
they would screen or what they would
do in pictures and when the final result
was turned out the picture people have
been sorely disappointed on more than
one occasion.
There have been several instances Of
this lately, and the picture people have
consequently been doing some figuring.
one producer stated recently he was sure
he could have made" half a dozen good
film stars of stable quality with the diff
ference that he paid in salary to as many
stage celebrities If he had devoted that
money to advertising them.
one of the most notable instances of
what may be done with good picture
material properly exploited Is that OF
Theda Bara, practically unheard OF u
year ago In pictures.
Mary Pickford is another instance of
pure picture popularity.
manager figured 1t out the other day
that instead Of placing a star under con-
tract whose only asset was a name that
she had developed i'm stage work and
pnving her $4,000 annually, he was going
to take the possibilities in his employ in
pictures and when there is a girl whose
salary may be anywhere from S25O0 to
$4,000 a year the balance between that
and $4,000 is to be spent in advertis-
ing
Klene has for some time past under
taken the making of his own stars and
several other concerns are rapidly fall
ing in line with his views.
The only concern set "for the star
system" at present is Pathe, which is
insisting all of the producers releasing
features through 1t shall provide a we'll
known stage star for each picture.
A Kipling work will at last be seen in
motion pictures. He is one famous author
who up to now has not lent his talents to
the screen. Pathe, 1t Is announced, has
acquired the picture rights to THE Light
That Failed perhaps Kiplings best
known work. and turned 1t over to Ed
ward Jose to produce.
The movies" have Invaded another
amusement field for star player, Ralph
Bingham, one OF lnllduelDIlld > DeSl
known actors, who for years has been a
star of the first magnitude on the lyceum
and chatauqua circuits of the nation, has
signed a contract to appear in the motion
picture field.
Mr. Bingham will be with the Mirror
Films, Inc, of New York. Clifford B.
Harmon, widely known in this city is
president of the company, which Is
new one, and William C Toomey and
Lawrence Marston, both we'll known in
the picture field are among the executives.
Nat C. Goodwin, Andreas de Segurola,
the grand opera star, and a number of
other prominent players are with the
company, which has a large studio in
course of construction at Glendale, l.. |.
Mr. Bingham will start work in the
motion picture plays after the first of the
year.
A new municipality was placed upon
the motion picture map this week when
A. S. Roe president of the Eagle Film
Manufacturing and Producing Company.
of Chicago christened the new studio