Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-05-29
CHAPTER XVIII.

The room the Lontaines occupied IN
the Alexandria adjoined Lucinda $. and
while she was lazing over breakfast
Fanny tapped on the communicating
door and drbfted IN, en- negligee, with a
cigarette ana an airy noHchalanee oddly
nj war with o problematic shadow that
lurkaa IN her eyes.
My amIabie drst husband" sha an
nouneed, has charged me 10 arrange for
an audience M your convenience"
as soon as you like" Lucinda
laughed.
THIS morning Harry has walked up
with his poor dear head more than us
usl}y added with gorgeous schemes, and
says Ia wants 70 consult you What
hn really wtnts - yonr nncondittena.
approval of everything h. has 70 propose,
So 10 be wise as Well rs kind
"l1 try" Lucinda promised.
Considered III the light # this SENT
serious warning ntl that Lontaine had
10 Law before her seemed almost dis
appanungly conservative.
IKE been thinking it over all night"
he ssarcd Lucinda seriously as she and
Fanny settled 10 give him attention.
"and Il seems to me- ought 70 let YOU
know more specifically what Your" let
ting yourself In for. before | ask you 20
hold yourself Pledged
THAT sounds suspicionsly Ike prep
aratton for letting me down easily
Please don't think that There was
n convincing CLINT Of alarm In Lontalne' 5
look. Never more enthusiasts, mora
sure Of ANYTHING than | am q Your
eventual success. Rut its going 70 mean
hard work for both Of US"
II shan't mind hard work" Lucinda
renIied, "sa for disappointment. ]
don't expect much, SO ! can't he very
hard hit II everything doesn't turn ont as
happily as one might wish
IF that spirit won't win for US, moth
ing Will" LontaiRe declared. Now for
a tentative program. cur hFst
step. naturally, will he to incorporate.
And since It seems TO be the fashion on
this side, and our corporate name VIII
serve as n trademark, | venture to suG-
gest LINDA Ice. Inc
"One name Is as good rs another, don't
you Think"
Good. Call that settled Then as to
finances My study of American studio
conditions has satisfied me that pro-
auction costs this side are normally ex-
ccssfye The average cost Of we'll made
picture today is between eighty and a
hundred and twenty thouSand-too much
by half"
''Mr. CuIp's secretary told me Alma
Daley q pictures cost bel"eth u tt"ittA u
and fifty and two hundred thousand
each"
IF so, Ben Culp Is throwing money
away through ignorance or bnd manage
ment or Indifference.
but saw picture costs us fifty thou
sand: its gross earnings, the first year.
should be two hundred and fifty thou
sand We ought to turn out not less
than four pictures year. which Will
mean Mt least four hundred and fifty
thousand clear profit to be split up be
tween the star, the executive, and the
capitalists"
TT sounds Ike fairy tale"
1T IS a fairy tale-come true In real
life. Nothing else could account for the
present day tribe of motion picture mil
lionaires They have imagination enough
to see cheap amusement for the masses in
what most intelligent people, dozen
years ago, considered merely a mechanical
curiosity. So they invested their small
savings, these petty tradesmen and
transforming actors, In the venture that
high finance scorned. and the boom found
them securely In the saddle. That's why
the public gets so much perfunctory AMI
stunid stuff thrown at 1t today.
"Rut our pictures aren't going to be
IN that class-are they Z"
"Rather not, We're going to go at this
thing In an, Intelligent way. Wen pick
a good staff, select our stories with care,
get the best men to write our scenarios,
and gather round US a group of actors,
like those who have made the Continental
cinema what 1t Is today. more interested
In their wosk than In themselves, will
ing to take their chances of scoring in