The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-02-18


Joseph M. Selenck, husband of Norma
Talmadge, is emerging as the man
of the hour in motion picture pro-
ducing circles here, and will prob
ably be the business head of the new
association of Independent big stars
who are following the lead of Douglas
Fairbanks and Mary Pickford in re-
belling against what they call pa
. chine made pictures"
Mr.. Schenck, who this week paid
$4,000, 600 for one-fifth interest in
a chain of 105 theatres in California.
and who only recently paid $1,000, 900
for the controlling interest in the i'm
mense united studios, formerly
known as Brunton's, admits that he
has been in final conference with
Fairbanks and his associates on the
new arrangements.
This admission means that the in
dependents will have features by the
following stars to offer exhibitors
Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford,
Norma Talmadge, Constance Tall
madge, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chap
lin, Pola Negri, Harold Lloyd, and
probably Charles Ray. d. w. Grit
fifth also may be aligned with the
stars. The alignment is particularly
strong in comedy stars-Chaplin,
Lloyd, Keaton and Constance Tai
madge. Fairbanks would rank with
the comedians rather than with Sc
rious actors so that where men stars
are concerned the list is weak in ro-
nance or serious stars. That Valen-
tino will finally land with Schenck
lis not doubted by those here who are
in the know" and Chaplin will bring
with him into the new fold the new
series of serious plays in which he
narSnnallU ic diraQtinp eto n
Edna Purviance.
Frank opposition to meddlesome
censorship is part of the plan of the
big Independents, Mr.. Schenck admits
and he says that if necessary the list
of stars will be augmented to assure
complete 90 weeks a year release
circuit and theatres will be built. or
leased where necessary to exhibit
their films
81 say without hesitation that In
the great majority of instances cen
sorship organizations are se1fishly
conceived and selfishly conducted, !"
Mr.. Schenck declared. even such
men as Rockefeller gave financial
support to the censorship movement
at first, but Rockefeller discovered
that the movement was being di-
verted to selfish channels and then
Withdrew his backing Within rea-
sonable bounds censorship is a val
liable thing. But when it becomes
foolish it is greater detriment than
any person outside the Industry can
possibly imagine"
This declaration of policy and of
expansion is coupled here with a
statement made to the Western Mo
tion Picture Advertisers association
by A. p. Gianitti, president of the
Pixar 10 ho MI Of
York. when he was in the west last
month that there is one man in the
picture business who can have all
the backing he wants merely on his
personal word and that man is j, NJ
Schencls."
Absorbing the Foreigners =
a tale is told of a certain tribe
of South Sea islanders which sue
cessfully resisted conquest for years
by the simple expedient of eating
all the would be conquerors as fast
as they appeared.
That is the effective plan adopted
by the motion picture producers OF
the United States in frustrating
what a year ago was widely heralded
as the menace" of European made
films. The four people who seemed
to make this menace" dangerous are
now in Hollywood or Culver City
working on American pictures under
long term contracts. They are Pola
Negri, Ernest Lubitsch who directed
Passion" and the other big German
successes; Victor Seastrom. the
Swedish director, who is looked upon
as the man who will do for the. films
what Ibsen did for the stage, and
Charles De Roche the French ro-
mantle actor, whom the Famous
Players organization hope will be
Valentines successor.
Lubitsch is now engaged in pre-
paratory work for the Pickford pro
duction of Faust" but will prob
ably not continue in this capacity,
for he is proving to be a new type
of man to Hollywood. Most of the
directors here are what are known
as yes" men, men who never dis
agree with their employers upon i'm
portant matters. Lubitsch, an artist
of the first rank and a man with a
genius for the dramatic, is proving
to be mo" man of surprising force
Mary Pickford showed such success
in her own way that she does not
understand how !. to deal with no
men, so that change of directors
VIII surprise no one mere. But
Lubitsch will remain in America
nevertheless. Seastrom has been
signed by the Goldwyn company UNI
der a long term contract, which
SPECIFIES that he is to have q free
hand and will not be forced to handle
the "happy ending Pollyanna stuff,
which, to every European seems SC
futile and inartistic.
Fight Machine Made Films
Declaring that the scenario de-
partments of the big producing com
panies have formed kind of "trust'
to keep out new writers, the Palmer
Photoplay corporation, scenario
school which has for years conduct ed
q national, advertising campaign fol-
mail students, has gone into the pro-
ducing. end of the business. The Ince
studiofis being used for the filming