Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-09-09
How Movie Money Moves
BY Frederic i. Haskin


calling, a yearly contract at an i'm
mense salary looked almost unbeliev-
ably good. "
But the actors had the dignity of
their profession to think about The
dignity Of the theatrical profession is
one Of the most immense and amaz-
ing things in the world. An actor will
remain idle for years rather than take
any part which is below his own esti
mate of himself. So the stage folk
scorned the movies, and the bids for
| their assistance kept going UP.
Then Sarah Bernhardt-the divine,
the supreme Sarah, who is everything
that an actress should be both to the
| public and the profession-signed a
contract with great motion picture
company and made several most sue
| cessful films.
Needless to say. the season opened
| then and there. The Broadway peo-
pie entered FINLAND like sheep going
through a gate, And the money that
came to meet them was something
stupendous Billy Burke is said to
| have received $4,000 for making a
single serial. Geraldine Farrar is re-
ported to have made $4,000 week.
Such near great ones as Ethel Barry
more, Anna Held and Dustin Farnum
| are said to have been paid in the
| vicinity OF $1,000 a week each. e. H.
! Sothern, who is now making three
pictures for one Of the big companies,
is said to receive $4,000 week. Mrs.
Fiske, Mabel Taliaferro, Douglas
| Fairbanks and Olga Petrova are some
, Of the other we'll known ones that
| made the change. A host Of lesser
ones followed A leading man who
had been on Broadway for many
years. but had never achieved any ma
| tional reputation-Or anything ap-
preaching Alphabetically got con-
tract for $3.50 week The leading
lady who plays opposite him, often
having the more important part, and
! who grew up in the movies, receives
500. ....
So the Broadway people have all re.
! ceived the salaries o. movie stars, and
| thew have been almost as numerous as
| real stars on a clear night. They ex-
plain where large part Of the tre-
| mendous movie investment has gone.
Talent from the legitimate stare has
| not been the only extravagances OF
this lusty young industry. however.
Keen competition between number
of strong companies. all. up to a few
wears ago. earning immense sums. has
led to lavish Expenditures in all lines.
For example, few years ago. settings
were made with the help Of paint and
| papier-ma che, but without much ex-
pense. Now there is a passion for
the genuine among Directors who fairly
out-Belasco Belasco. Real carved
doors. senuine antique andirons, etc,
OF real period" furniture. genuine tap
estries. are bought for single settings
At least one OF the big companies has
an emDlove whose only duty is to at
tend auctions and house sales. and
noke about the antique and second
hand stores in search of the rare and
expensive bits that will give an anthem
tic touch to the pictures.
Crowds. too, have grown In size at
an alarming rate. A few years ago
a great battle scene would be enacted
with the help Of perhaps hundred
supers, who would charge across the
scene again and AGAIN. Now thou
sands are often used. At one to five
dollars apiece. they represent for
mida BILE investment. a AZ
Directors salaries are another
soaring item. Where couple Of hum
dred used to be high weekly stipend,
twelve hundred IS not unusual now.
/ And the chief art Of this important
functionary seems to be to devise new
ways of spending money-although de-
vising ways Of saving it is apt to be-
come his forte in the near future.
A brilliant young director was re-
Gently given charge of the making OF
fanciful Aim with tropical setting.
He forthwith iourneyed to tropical
island, taking hundreds of peoDle with
+! him Having found suitable and
| perfectly authentic setting. he pro-
ceeded to build whole city and hire
native population for 1t. Then he
went ahead with his picture. The
president OF the company became
alarmed at the bills, took the first
boat for the island and threatened the
director with discharge. demanding
that he surrender the script of the
scenario at once The director ex-
planned that the script was all inside
his head. So they had to let him An
ish the picture. which be did at a total
expense of S75OOO0. Then they fired
him-and rival company hired him
at larger salary. .~..
But they all agree that this gay bus
mess is about over, that the motion
| picture industry has passed through
it's first youth. and sowed its wild
oats The headache and the debts are
| coming on, and period Of hard, solid
! and conservative endeavor.