Evening star., 1924-05-15
HOLLYWOOD LOSING
BIG FILM STUDIOS
Rise in Value of Land Drives
Larger Producers to Cheaper
locations.
HEGIRA TO CULVER CITY
Scandal Still Runs Strong in Movie
Colony.
Ry Consolidated Press.

Los ANGELES, May l5.-There is
one factor that can BRING about a
divorce of Hollywood from its motion
picture colony. and that is the dollar.
Already there are signs of a rift in
Nhat mas peen a successful, if some
What stormy. alliance, and while
hollywood is not doomed to extinc-
Ilon from the map of public interest
or 10 lose its place in the sun in the
next few months, the almighty dol
,d[ is beginning to exercise its potent
lhHuence against the picturesque COM
Inunlty as the center of motion pic
ture production of the world.
"A merger or motion picture pro-
ouclng interests just completed will
cause the abandonment of one of the
largest studios in Hollywood in favor
OIL another studio in Culver City. Still
another of the large studios will be
abandoned in the next few months
Ior new location many miles from
hollywood. And the dollar interest
Is behind both moves.
Rise In Land Values.
IT is not design but rather the ac-
cldent of wholly unlock ed for advance
In property values chat has turned
the dollar interest against motion pic
ture production in Hollywood. No
producer can feel justified in holding
on to several acres of ground that
hdS reached a NdIue or nunQreQS OF
thousands of dollars when another
site just as well if not better suited
ior motion picture production can be
obtained for a fraction OF that sum.
And none Of them is going to do it.
One of the biggest motion picture
lots remaining in the heart of Holly
wood is valued at more than $2,000,-
600 for business and residence pur-
poses and when this plant moves, as
1t undoubtedly will within the year,
the end of motion picture production
in Hollywood will be just around the
corner.
Mary to Retire.
Mary Pickford and Douglas Fair
banks have a large Hollywood studio
and lot under lease, but Mary, in
London, has made the interesting an
nouncement that she is neither a
Bernhardt nor Duse. and that three
or four more pictures will mark the
end of her picture-making career.
Eoug may go on making pictures, but
the tremendous cost of his recent pro-
ductions has discouraged him from
large undertakings. He would un-
doubtedly be as we'll satisfied with
another studio outside of HOLLYWOOD.
Charlie Chaplin's studio also has
increased so in value of the land that
Chaplin, as a good business man, will
undoubtedly dispose of il for other
than motion picture purposes. Only
one or two studios worthy of the
name will then be left, and Holly
wood can no longer be called the
home of motion picture production.
Drift to Culver City.
There will undoubtedly be a new
center of production not far from
Los Angeles, for the producers have
no intention of abandoning southern
California The present drift appears
10 be toward Culver City, where a
number of large studios are already
located. The price of land there is far
below that of Hollywood, but it also
Is increasing and the business men
pehlnd picture production will un-
doubtedly regard the purchase as a
flrst-class investment.
VIII the motion picture COLONY
abandon Hollywood to follow the
trek of the studios? 1t will, and stay
not upon the order of its going. And
there Culver City has another ad-
vantage. for it is the liveliest spot
thls side of the Mexican border.
Is LictIy Place.
There is all-night dancing and Sun
DAY, too. in its pretentious road
houses, and they even now eniov a
large patronage from motion picture
folks
Not for the bright lights alone and
the liberal laws of the little city is
Culver City the heir r-at-law and lega-
the movie colony will be free from
surveillance that has become per-
sonally distasteful to many is a rec
ommendation that will have weight
in their hegira
In the meantime Hollywood is
Keeping up the pace that has won it
such large place in the public
prints. Bert Lytell says that he ex-
poets to be divorced, but there is no
woman in it. Claire Windsor is a bit
more frank, saying that she thinks
Bert one of the incest men she ever
met.
The beautiful Ann Luther, who re-
Gently married Ed Gallagher of the
team of Gallagher and Shean and
who was named by Evelyn Nesbit
ThaW as correspondent in her action
Tor divorce against Jack Clifford, her
husband and dancing partner, COM
plot to blackmail her. Divorces too
numerous to mention have been filed.
in word, Hollywood still holds it's
own.