Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-07

The slashing Of salaries in the
movies fails to draw any tears from
the eyes of the public, even though il
adores its movie stars, and the com
ments in the press generally reflect
the opinion Of the man on the street
that the reasonable reductions CON
templated are wise ones. If only they
will result in better pictures and per
haps in lower admission fees for the
fans.
''The inevitable has happened al
Hollywood. The still, small, but none
the less stern, voice of economic law
has finally made itself heard above
the tumult and the shouting OF the
press agent" says the San Francisco
Bulletin, which views the gold rush
to Hollywood" as over, but comedies
'it Is still a good mining camp" AS
the Minneapolis Tribune puts 1t: 1.-THE
romantic child of the American In
dustrial world Is evolving into the re
spectacle, sober, staid, restrained, mid
dle.aged business. The public will wit
ness this retrenchment now being
practiced without being greatly stirred
for the element Of pathos is not OF
the sort to help the handkerchief
trade much"
The unmoved st. Paul Dispatch re-
marks: "Now it will certainly be toe
bad if some of the screen folk, who
have been rolling in sudden and
glamorous wealth. should have to
practice a little economy. 1t will be
tragic, indeed, If instead Of being able
to sport half dozen luxurious motor
cars they must worry along with only
three or four each," and the Waco
News.Tribune declares: After the
drastic cut has taken effect, 1t will be
impossible for a leading lady to take
down a higher salary than million
dollars a week, and the poor publicity
agent will be at loss to manufacture
the stuff that furnishes the thrills Tor
the millions of feminine fans"
IF salaries at present are anything
like what they have been reported to
be, the various stars: near'stars ano
directors should be able to stand the
10 to rs per cent reductions without
danger of starvation. The tempera-
mental ones. it Is to be assumed, will
register dismay and indignation for
brief period, but they will have the
comfort of knowing that they ARE all
companions in misery" says the Kala'
nazoo Gazette, and the Tulsa Daily
World considers that "a scandal of
the age is the profligacy of the moving
picture industry! The salaries paid,
the royalties distributed from Juvenile
impresarios, the conspicuous station
and wealth piled into the lap OF medi-
ocrity minus that happened to screen
well-and, above all. the trust tactics
Of the leading factors in that indus
try-have combined to mulct the pat
ronizing public in a way that has all
but become intolerable," continues this
paper.
1.-THE public long since has felt,
the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel holds.
that movie players were being paid
salaries out of all proportion to serv-
ices rendered-out of all proportion
to the rewards for equal ability and
much greater effort in other lines OF
artistic endeavor," thought also
brought out by the Pittsburgh Gazette
Times, which says, ALLOWING for ex-
aggeration of the compensation re.
ceived by the chief stars, 1t Is still
true, probably, that they have been
what their talents would command In
any other line of efforts"
Some important queries are offered
by the Nashville Banner, which asks
Does this declaration of a slash In
the pay Of movie stars means that
the era of almost hysterical enthusi-
asm over individuals Is about ready
to pass? Does it indicate q period
when we shall have more pictures
with we'll balanced casts, more atten.
ton to plot, more care as to detail
and accuracy and less emphasis on an
Individual who, for one reason or
another. has caught the public's fan.
cy?" This thought is also expressed
by the Asbury Park Press, which
states, from a slightly sobered out
Mt We may get less gossip. sorssoNs'