Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-26
The Moving Picture Album
BY ROBERT e. SHERWOOD.
these are the celebrities Of today and
tomorrow.

these are the celebrities OF today and
tomorrow.
In two Of the big companies
Metro Goldwyn. Mayer and United
Artists-the changes are not SO evi
dent.
Metro was reorganized only three
years ago and, at that time. started
fresh. 1t has created its own stars
John Gilbert, Ramon Novarro. Lor
CLANCY, Norma Shearer. Greta Carlo
Eleanor Boardman and Aileen Prin
gle. among others. BY shrewd manip
ulation Of contracts. together with
remarkable skill in picking winners
Metro has made its stars. and main
tanned them, at comparatively low
| cost.
United Artists, of course, is not real
| ly a producing company, but rather
| an association of stars and directors
who do their own producing. Here
you will find the veterans OF more
than one season in the public eye
| Douglas Fairbanks. Charlie Chaplin.
| Mary Pickford, Gloria Swanson, John
Barrymore, d. w. Griffith, Norma and
Constance Talmadge, Buster Keaton
and Herbert Brenon.
X X n X
Behind the campaign to cut salaries
is the tacit admission that business In
the movie industry isn't what 1t once
was.
Stars weren't paid $4,000 a week
because Of any charitable impulses on
the part of their employers: they re.
ceived these huge sums because, in
point of fact. they earned them.
This has been proved by the big
stars who have gone into producing
on their own account, and are paying
their own salaries out Of the net re-
ceipts from their pictures. Since
Harold Lloyd has been signing his
own pay checks his income has been
as much as $4,000 a week.
The big companies, however. have
been making bad films, as result of
their own stupidity, Encouragement
and short-sightedness. Reluctant to
confess that this Is their own fault,
they have placed the blame for their
losses on the high-salaried stars. Ac-
cordingly, they have told the stars and
directors either to accept a cut in
salary or get out. AS most have &C.
cepted the latter alternative, the pro.
ducers have been compelled to develop
unadvertised talent, which costs less
money, and to rely on their press
agents to make this talent famous
overnight.
How successful this program will
prove remains to be seen. Certainly,
if it Is successful, and IL the Clara
Bows, the Dolores Costellos, the Janet
Gaynors and the Jack Ludens become
great boX-off1ce magnets, and make
enormous sums Of money for their EN-.
ployers, then they. too, will be de-
handing and receiving ridiculously
big salaries. and the whole process will
be repeated all over again.
A vicious circle knows no end.
Bulletin.
HOLLYWOOD, Calif.-Greta Ms.
sen, who left Hollywood in a high.
powered huff two years ago, is back
and will play opposite John Barry.
more in Tempest" Greta and John
should make an attractive pair Of
lovers. ). Colleen Moore is still on the
outs with First National. but 1t seems
she is under contract for three more
pictures, which means that she can't
stray very far. Tom Mix is recover.
ing from wounds inflicted last week
when his star horse, Tony, uncere-
moniously threw him off. Perhaps
Tony Is growing tired of 1t all, as we'll
he might.
fCopyright 1927