The New York herald., 1922-09-03
High Lights and
ShadOwS on the
NewS of Pictures
Hollywood Has Finally Awak-
ened From Long Sleep and
Production BOomA
~ FRANK vREELAND.


r HOLLYWOOD has finally ava
kened from its long sleep. and
4 = Is doing the business Of acting
like a Phoenix that has just risen
from the ash can. with speed and vivac-
ity. Production. to put 1t simply In
words Of three syllables. is In the
ascendant. John G. Finn, who bears
with ease the weight Of an important
executive position with the Famous
Players-Lasky Corporation. which in
cludes the supervision Of Paramount
theaters throughout the country, says
that film making is once more almost
in full bloom amid the eucalyptus and
the cactus. And who should know
better than Finn?
He says that production has lately
improved about rs per cent. In Los
Angeles and that In the big stvdios
activities are virtually back at normal.
which makes the sun shine again with
true Californian brilliance for many con-
firmed Hollywood residents. Both the
Lasky studio and the Universal are
running at capacity, the former having
thirteen companies seethins with emo
tion on the lot.
The Goldwyn studio. which has been
closed for some time. has reopensd and
is running at about half speed, though
Il 10 expected to be going at full tilt
soon. especially when "Ben-Hur" starts
tearing up the ground. The various units
Of First National are showing signs Of
life to the same degree. Metro. which
was m a coma for sonie time, II likewise
coming to.
While production among the large
companies generally has not rsachsd tte
notch attained in the feverish days right
after the war. 1t Is regarded as Close to
normal. since In those days every one
except head walters was finding II prof
table to work in the movies. But
though the distilling OF pictures Is once
more encouraging, the bulk Of produo-
tion is only half what II was back II
the era when Hollywood simply drippe1
pictures instead Of scandal. This "a due
tc the disappearance of the small inde-
pendent producer, who is no longer able
to lay violent hands on the coin offered
him by unsuspectlng layrnen who thought
they saw in the movies chance to make
fortune without straining their gray
matter.
The independents. adding 10 the stand
ard program pictures made by the big
companies made q total Of sixteen r1ew
features a week. from which the exhibit
tor could choose those that would best
addle the thoughts Of his patrons Nov,
Finn says, only eight new features are
setting the market agog weekly. Come
of the thrill manufacturers. also. among
them Goldwyn and First National, have
cut down their list of pictures ~ half.
promising to make up for this by laying
on the quality thick. Universal anu
Paramount will provide about as large
q humber Of features as last year. tn,
latter organization dropping no fcwes
than ninety pictures into the hungry
NAV of the public.
The boost in work out West has beAn
brought about by reawakenine Of
appetite on the part of the public Ex-
hibftors everywhere. Finn says. are
making large bookings, evidently bank
Ing on the prospect Of boom in bust
ness this year because the public seems
TO be once more cognizant OF the fact
thati nfckelodeon theater is a good
place to so to after sma shirig the crocksry
Tor supper. Feature pictures are a 4
premium and photopiays by Charlie
Shapiin. Douglas Fairbanks. Mary Pick
Iooru and Charles Ray are eagerly
snapped up--whereas even these titanS
treinbled on their throne q year ago.
business Is coming back gratifyingly
everywhere throughout the country ex.
cept In the middle West which ts ,ust
getting It's breath after a month ana q
half OF asbestos scorchins weather.
Finn attributes the big jump IN attend
once In New York city not only 10 the
peasant weather but chiefly to the ex.
hibition of exceptional features In the
summer which ordinarily would not have
been uncoiled until the winter. This has
fastened the grip OF the movie habit on
the American people once more. Thus
a momentum OF interest In engendered
one week by striking feature which
draws $4,000 to $4,000 more for the
week than usual and that very momen-
tum carries the patrons to the film
palace the following week to see a
frediocre photoplay which thereby finds
$4,000 moTs sticking TO II than Is Gus
tcmary.
The impending merger between First
National and Goldwyn which seemed 10
Lave only hairs breadth separating 1t
from contamination. finally fell through.
II Is reported, because the participants
couldn't sing close harmony with regard
~ the details Of production.
Now that the deal has come to nausht
fhe Capitol seems likely 10 come under
the Paramount influence In part. swerv-
ing aside nionientariiy from It's ale
glance TO Goldwyn, chief competitor to
Paramount In peddling pep to the public
The management OF the Capitol has Just
purchased for early presentation two
Paramount pictures. THE Old Home
stead" with Theodore Roberts. and TO
Have and TO Hold" and is said 10 have
laid several million German nisrks for
fhe same. To Have and to Hold is
one Of those carbon copies of an earlier
screen success which are now advertis-
ing that the story shortage is az bad as
a fuel shortage.
Several years ago wallace Reed knit
his brows and famed the air with a
sword In screen version Of Mary Johns
toms famous romance. The latest
version has been directed by George
Fitzmaurice. with Betty Compson as the
object of possession and Bert Lyteil
stepping out OF rs customary evening
clothes to rune II. Theodore Koslof
will play the Duke Of Buckingham. and
despite the serni-regaI character OF his
role he will no doubt find an opportunity
10 fling knives about In his favorite
fashion.
The reported scorchIns OF the pretty
fnatprro NJ MiGa Anna q Nftaucu IN n