The New York herald., 1922-12-17

to laugh at their more self-conscious
brethren Of the silent drama.
|
Valentino Speaks.
In the January issue Of Photopldy
MGo1ztne Rodolph Valentino addresses
his friends and admirers in an open
letter. 1t contains the usual amount
Of bunk about my dear public" but it
also contains some frank and intelli-
gent statements.
Having described his difficulties at
the Paramount studio, he says:
MY contract called for $3.50 a
( week. After I had paid for many of
the clothes to be worn in my pictures
(and every actor requires an extensive
! wardrobe of expensive clothes) and
had answered thousands Of fan letters
every week, and sent my pictures when
| they were requested-you can imagine
| had very little left. But even at that
/ was willing to go on at the same
salary II they would permit me to
make real photoplays instead of max
ing cut -and-dyied program features,
that can be hacked and torn and CON-
pressed into a given number Of feet OF
film to At so many cans, like so many
boxes Of sardines. ..
when saw The Young Rajah,' the
last picture In which 1 appeared (and
on which I worked day and mighty
felt had raised the issue one picture
too late. l was terribly disappointed
in IT. I felt sick.
"I appreciate that the producers
have a problem. If they turn out pro-
gram pictures, oil Of equal length and
all to be run the same number of min-
utes and all supposed to cost approx
mately the same-some cannot be as
good as others.
But I felt 1t was an imposition to
put me in weak stories in order to
bolster them UP, just because the pub
lie had shown disposition to flock to
see those In which l appeared. Three
or four pictures of this kind would kill
me- You would say, We thought VAL
entino was great. He isn't so good
while, as l said, am not selfish
for money-money means very little
to me and l have gone without 1t long
enough to be used to it, am selfish in
wanting to make good pictures.
don't want to be a cog in a machine
that grinds them out in cut-and-
dried fashion.
"Art cannot be measured by inches.
This is true talk, and when Mr.. VAL
entino attacks the program he hits
the evil which is at the root Of all the
trouble in the movies.
The process of program picture pro-
duction IS conducted as follows:
A large company, such as the Fa-
nous Players Lasky. Fox or Univer-
sal, builds up number of stars whose
names are sure fire box Office attrac-
tons. Then an annual program is
outlined for each of these stars. They
must make q certain number of pic
lures, which will be ready for release
on schedule time.
These pictures are sold before they
are made to exhibitors who appreciate
| the drawing power of the stars name.
Tho director. the story and the title
OF the photoplay viii have a certain
amount of effect, but the stars the
thing.
Program pictures are machine made
| In every sense Of the word. They con-
form to a certain set standard In cost,
in time of production and in date of
issue. The company which produces
them relies on its sales organization
and its advertising department to put
them over.
The quality of the picture makes no
! immediate difference, although It is
bound to exercise a deadly effect IN
the long run.
ID. w. Griffith does not make pro-
gram pictures: neither does Douglas
Fairbanks, Rex Ingram. Richard Bar
thelmess, Mary Picldord, Charlie
! Chaplin or Harold Lloyd. Unuues-
tIonably that is why their names stand
at the head OF their profession.
! Close on the heels OF the news that
Doug and Mary and Charlie and Pola
are to make a world tour comes the
announcement that young Master
Jackie Coogan is going to Europe
| probably in January.
Perhaps the infantile star will dis.
cover some new screen faces I'm British
society, as Norma Talmadge has done
At any rate. he should make a big stir
in the European capitals.
The Universal production OF Booth
Tarixington's novel. The F1irt." IS
coming 10 the Rialto on Christmas Eve.
II was the first OF his adolescent
stories. and introduced that marvellous
character, Pcnrod Schofcfd.
John Emerson and Anita Loos have
started West. where they will make
another picture for Constance Tai
nadge.
We are assured that George AIDES
story. Back Home and Broke" IN
which Thomas Meighan appears, con-
tains no cabaret scene. no cigarettes,
no cocktails, no triangle plots. no viii
lains, no boudoir scenes and no boot