New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-17
NT yHERE are the stars of yesterday
w what vt becomes becomes. Of the movie aassns'
AS any we'll trained press agent


will tell you, movie star is born,
not made Perhaps she has been on the
screen since the tender age Of three; maybe
she was born there, at any rate the chances
are she "evinced prediction for dramatics
at very early age"
Fate crowned her; her uncrowning, while
involuntary, is as guardedly silent as her as
cension WAC unanimously blatant. Yet fate
plays as large part in keeping her in as in
getting her in.
Thus movie queens find the pathways to
stardom uncertain, and many are the ways
through which they are quietly banished from
public view. The screen is already over
crowded; it has no room for a fat star, so
a few extra pounds and her throne totters.
Oddly enough, it has less room for thin
actress and often has skinny elbow pointed
the way out. Then there is temperament
but
The commonest cause, however is an over
estimated earning capacity. Contrary to the
best traditions of the game that an actress
works for the love of the thing and for arts
sake, it is shocking fact that her main goal
(usually)is not artistic success, but financial.
This is no fault of hers She may have en-
tered the films with the highest ideals, but
she soon learns that the handspring of pic
lures, in the eyes of those who produce. dis
tribute and exhibit them, is their cash-return-
.v,<r vol, H.
adopts. OF course, production may be both
artistic and popular, but popularity means
money, while art-oh, we'll, we still have the
art galleries.
A movie queen is quite like queen bee
she must be commercial winner. There is
no room for drones. It's case of stand and
deliver
The case of a certain star may throw light
on this subject. She was at the height of her
popularity and was riding along on an iron
bound contract. The latter was masterpiece
OF legal art. 1t gave her almost everything
she could ask including mounting salary
that grew larger with nearly every picture
she made
Her income thing to marvel at, but
it proved her undoing. She had been too
shrewd in drawing her contract and had over
estimated her popularity So when it became
apparent that the revenue brought in by her
pictures failed by several thousands of dollars
to balance her salary there was an investi-
cation
1t happened that she was quite popular and
there was determined effort on the part of
her managers to discover the reason for this
growing loss and to stop it. But adverse finan-
cial returns continued and her exit was as
sured 1t was graceful, quiet and complete
And no other film company cared to take
similar chance with her.
Contracts are strange documents Often
when apparently highly advantageous they
prove the means of sending the crowned hold
er into Punishment. 1t is interesting to spec
uate on the outcome The actress holding it
is young. She is gifted, has had wonderful
experience and is very popular. Her contract
is tribute to the business ability of her ad-
visors. One of its stipulations is that her
name shall be given equal prominence, in ad-
vertising, with the title of the picture. And
no other player may be mentioned in this
connection without her express consent
Then, reverting to the subject of departures
there is the case of famous stage beauty
who entered the films.
She had beauty of striking character and