The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-11-20
FEAT URE FILMS
INT REDUCED
BY luxor
Federal Trade Board Hears
History Of super-Movie
Development
b. ROBERT S. THORNBURGH


By ROBERT S. THORNBURGH
Adolph Zukor shuffled up the.
cards and dealt the first hand in
the greatest Of all movie dramas
on June 1, 1912, when he organized
and became the dominating power
OF the Famous Players Film Com
pany.
This, the Federal Trade Commits
sion charges. was the opening
scene Of a conspiracy as a result
Eof which "Adolph Zukor, Jesse i.
Lasky, and the Famous Players.
Lasky Corporation have built up
and exercise dominating control
ofer the motion picture industry
that has dangerous tendency to.
give them a complete monopoly
therein. .
There are three distinct sections
Of the charge:
G-The control and monopoly Of
the production OF motion pictures.
Control Of distribution.
3-Attempt to control exhibition
through lease and ownership Of
theaters, and block booking" Of
pictures
The early scenes OF the great
drama began to unfold as the
movies came into being. Prior to
the organization OF the first Zukor
company a picture OF four or more
reefs was virtually unknown.
luxor entered the field of fea-
Weli-known and popular plays and
acsors from the legitimate stage.
Hobart Bosworth. a legitimate
n mi fN4fr - i.
a corporation formed to put Jack
London,s stories onto the screen.
Jesse L. Lasky and Samuel Gold
wJn formed a third entry. They
specialized in the photodramatiza-
ton of the best selling novels OF
the day.
When the zukor interests failed
TO reach an agreement with the
Progressive Motion Picture Com
psny OF San Francisco. a distrinu-
tor, the Paramount Pictures cor
sloration was formed in May, 1914.
Zukor, Lasky and Bosworti1 enter
&c into contracts with Paramount
t. distribute their plays. Later a
twenty -five-year agreement was con-
cluded, giving the producers an adj
vance OF SIS. 900 on each production
About this time Mary Pickford
became an important player in the
drama. One OF the popular stars
OF the day and a big drawing at.
traction she was successful in a
demand for greater salary.
Coup By ZuIkor
A coup by luxor over the dis
tribution of THE Eternal City" an
early play Of great success, led to
Paramount buying half Of the
luxor corporation, while Zukor got
half interest in the Select Film
Booking Agency which distributed
tho feature, according to the Gov.
ernment's brief.
This one-half interest In the
Select agency was Zukor's entering
wedge to obtaining complete con
troll of Paramount pictures and its
subsidiaries and of merging produc-
ton and distribution" the commits
sion charged.
The commission charged flatly
that Zukor wrecked Paramount in
1916.
zukor, Lasly and Goldwyn, de-.
scribed in the brief as "the con.
spirators," formed the Famous
PlayeFs-Lasky Corporation in July,
1915. It's charter, according to the
Government, provided for carrying
out Zukor's idea Of merging the
three branches of the industry. 1t
provided the following power:
ITO purchase, sell, produce. lease,
! manufacture, exhibit, deal in and
with motion-picture negatives and
| positives, and to erect, purchase,
! sell. lease and operate theaters and
| amusement enterprises of all kinds.
Leasing Authorized
1.-THE first meeting of the board
authorized the leasing of theaters
| In Chicago and the minutes from
| then on Is the history of it's con
! tinuouS activities in the purchase
| Of competing companies; in ac
| curing theaters throughout tbs
/ United States and Canada; and II
| financing theat$r booking circuits
and buying stock interests" the
| brief said.
Zukor suitably provided for the
"P ara m unit Conspirators," the
Government charges. Each. it was
lstated, was to continue as manager
of a moving picture booking ex
change and was to receive 81 ,00(
a week and per cent of the gross
revenue.
"Zukor, as president of the Fa
nous Players-Lasky corporation
remained its one directing power,
the commission said. THE whole
record shows that Zukor speaks
and acts for the corporation anC
all It's subsidiaries on all questions
Of policy and general manage
ment."
/ Another big instaIIment Of '"Th'
= E.