Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-26
y HERE is a strange, ominous,
swishing sound In Hollywood,
as of an eXecutioner's AK be.
ing welded.
Salaries are being cut,


ing welded.
Salaries are being cut!
Hard as this is to believe--the great
revolution has started; the Infatuated
mob of hunger-crazed Aim magnate.
has risen and is running amuck. Hun
dreds of mortgages on palatial villas
IN Beverly Hills are about to be fore
closed: the second payments on thou
sands of big limousines will never be
RENTED.
The old arIstocracy OF filmdom is tc
be overthrow, and its opulent mem
bers rolled in humiliation to the gull
lotine.
A new and far less costly aristocracy
Is being created to take the places OF
the alien idols.
There have been recurrent hints and
rumors of this impending outburst for
many months. but the first authentic
prediction appeared in the Wall Street
Journal short time ago.
Said this unimpassioned publication:
"There are many persons of consid-
cradle ability who cannot turn out
their work on a basis that will permit
the film to make good profit. These
individuals are gradually being weed.
ed out of the STATS OF the large film
producers. What the companies plan
to do is to develop younger talent,
build up stock companies and cut the
salaries OF minor figures who can be
replaced. Stars will be kept as long
as their salary demands do not reach
proportions that endanger the margin
OF profit In a film
When the Wall Street Journal says
that. it may be accepted as official.
Hollywood may boast of its omnipo-
tence, but it still lives in deadly awe
trated in lower New York.
X X -
The dearest hope Of the producers
at this moment Is to break down
the star system-to reduce to the
ranks those high-priced entertainers
whose names were all important in
the box office. In other words. if a
film is to make a huge profit the
producers want that profit for them.
selves; they see no reason why they
should continue to pour the heaviest
cream and sprinkle the sweetest
sugar on the stars Strawberries.
The same attitude applies to di.
rectors who have become unduiy
famous and, therefore, exorbitantly
expensive. t-Famous-Lasky
which Is and always has been the
financial leader Of the industry, has
TAKEN the most important moves IN
this direction. Paramount has re-
Gently parted company with such
stars as Gloria Swanson, Thomas
Meighan. Raymond Griffith. Douglas
MacLean, w. c. Fields and Ed Wynn,
and such directors as James Cruze,
Herbert Brenon. Malcolm St. Clair,
Frank Lloyd and u. w. Griffith.
The Paramount stars now include
Fred Thomson, Jack Luden, Fay
Wray, Gary Cooper. Clara Bow. Flor
ence Vidor and Esther Ralston (the
last three of whom have only re.
Gently been elevated to stellar EN-.
inence). The principal directors are
Edward Sutherland. Victor Fleming,
William Wellman, Josef Won Stern.
berg. Harry D'Arrast, Gregory La
Cava and Luther Reed, all Of whom
have arrived within the past two
years.
Elsewhere the same conditions pre-.
vail. The big names Of next season
were unknown a short time ago. Do
lores Costello, Col. Tim Mccoy, Janet
Gaynor, Charles Farrell. Victor NC
Laglen, William Haines, Dolores del
Rio. William Boyd. oliver Borden