Evening star., 1926-12-26
Flashes From the Screen
BY c. e. NELSON.

might not go amiss. Long before
the brothers were starred in the pic
lures they were playing parts that
made them stand out from other
actors-they were stealing the pic
lures from under the noses of the
stars. Now they have climbed the
ladder to stardom and are draw
ing the salaries of motion picture
favorites.
Wallace and Noah were born on
a farm in western Missouri Noah
went on the stage and became a
singer, while Wallace cast his lot
with a circus and became all animal
trainer. He was the valet of the
elephants until he discovered one
Summer that his voice was just as
good as that Of his brother. Then
the two of them joined stock COM
pany, later appearing in musical
comedy under the direction of Henry
Savage The next step was the
movies, Wallace going to work in
the old Essenay studios in Chicago,
and in his first picture playing the
part of a Swedish housemaid. He
later joined the comedy troupe of
Mack Sennett in Hollywood, and
was then cast in The objectionable
Sin directed by Marshall Neilan.
Then came work in The Four
Horsemen." The Sea Hawk. The
Lost World" and Richard. the Lion
Hearted" Noah followed along the
same line. first appearing in come
dies. and the brothers have travelled
together to photoplay success.
OF the new pictures opening on
" Broadway during the past few
days. The Fire Brigade" and The
Gorilla Hunt" seem. to be really
worth while. The latter is an alb
sorbing story of a bigga hunt
in Central Africa, the hunters OBJ
tanning three huge specimens. The
Fire Brigade" is melodrama,
Charles Ray and May McAvoy play
ing leading parts.
CAMUEL GOLDWYN has COM
~ pared the modern cost of pro-
ducing photoplays with the cost Of
only few years ago. As an illus
tration. he cites the employment Of
Geraldine Farrar to work in three
pictures. Carmen" Temptation"
and Maria Rosa" Miss Farrar
was given $4,000 for her acting in
the three pictures. and one of the
considerati of her contract was
a private railroad car from New
York to Los Angeles. Carmen"
cost $4,000, Temptation" $4,000 and
Maria Rosa $4,000.
Goldwyn says that if Carmen
were produced today it would cost
in the neighborhood of $450000.
And then goes on to state that his
firm, in 1913, was paying Blanche
Sweet salary of $400 a week, show
ing how salaries have jumped with
in the past few years. A few of the
directors are now paid as high as
100000 for single production. This
is considered the top figure and is
received by Henry King. Lubitsch
and King Vidor. In his early days.
Wallace Reid received a salary OF
SIS per week; at the height of his
popularity he was receiving $500
per week, and it is estimated that if
he were alive and a star today he
would be receiving in the neighbor-
hood of $1,000 per week. Charlie
Chaplin. when working with the
old Essanay firm, received a salary
of 81 900 week. So have the prices
gone skyward.
* * X
Notes from the PhotopIay World
The stage is coming to the screen
in the production of Viola Dana's
next vehicle "Homestruck" The
cast will include four actors from
the legitimate-George Irving, fa-
nous for his father roles; Alan
Brooks. former musical comedy
star: Charlie Howard. the comedian
acrobat of "Tiptoes,' and Nigal
Barrie Ralph Ince, another old
timer. will direct the production
Alice Day, prominent in the Mack
Sennett productions. is to star in
her own two-reel comedies. She is
claimed to be one of the latest
finds" around the Hollywood
studios.
"Gunboat" Smith. once an English
prizehghter, plays part in Wings
a war picture, which has been in
the course of production for many
months. He is rough-and-tumble
top sergeant.
Work has been completed on
photoplay based upon The Magic
Garden" the last story of the late
Gene Stratton-P Porter.