Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-04
FLASHES
FROM THE
BY c. e. NELSON.

ing the waste OF money II
the production of motion
pictures, and from Hollywood come
strange stories of the throwing
away of hard cash. A number OF
the writers seem to make the direc-
tor, Erich Won Stroheinl, the princi-
pal reason for such articles on use'
less expenditure, but it is safe to say
that he is no more at fault than a
great many other directors. The
work of Won Stroheim, for the rea-
son that it has always stood out from
the rank and file, has attracted more
attention, and now he is being held
up as an example of movie waste.
The charge is made-and 1t is
true one--that Director Won Stro-.
helm shot 90 reels in the making OF
"The Wedding March" while the
picture in its completed state is sup
posed to run to not more than Il
reels. The director did the same
thing when he filmed the exceptional
picture from the Frank Norris novel,
"McTeague." which was produced
under the name of Greed" How
ever, the latter turned out to be a
good motion picture--far above the
average-and Won Stroheim was
given a temporary pardon and al
lowed to continue with his labors.
Great plans were made for The
Wedding March" and the 90 reels
have required more than year to
complete. The picture will be re-
fnaznl 41,,c Lon thn uhnNn
toned II reels, and the Paramount
Famous-Lasky Corporation finds it
self confronted with the gigantic
task of cutting down As reels. Won
Stroheim seems to have severed his
connection with the corporation.
With orders to make the cuts him.
self, he was able to draw the picture
down to Is reels, exclaiming that
each reel cut was year from my
life!" He could do no more, and SO
the job has been passed along. The
task OF whipping the picture into
shape goes to Josef Won Sternberg,
and it is reported that Won Stro-
helms next work will be done under
Carl Laemmle and the Universal
banner.
Won Stroheim's directing has al
ways been given a great amount of
publicity; the picture-going public
has always been interested in his
productions; therefore, his efforts
and "wasteful methods" have at
tracted much attention. although
there is no getting away from the
fact that his pictures have been good
ones. 1t is safe to say that, if the
truth were known. there are many
directors in the Hollywood vicinity
who are as wasteful as Won Stro-
helm, but their work has not been
called to the attention of the general
public.
One little story regarding Director
Won Stroheim and "The Wedding
March" is to the effect that he shot
thousands of feet of film and spent
three weeks in getting Zasu Pitts
to fall out of bed in just the manner
suitable for the picture. With this
director. even the falling out of bed
trifie to some-became
feature event, or an art in itself.
And what are few thousand dollars
and the passage of three weeks time
when it is possible to screen a really
artistic fall from a bed?
X X r. X
I VA DE PUTT, sometimes called
~ the Cinema Symphony" has
sailed for Germany, where she will
star in single superphotoplay. She
will return to this country within
two months. Miss De Putti's best
work under American directors re-
calls God Gave Me Twenty Cents"
and "The Sorrows of Satan" but
her best starring vehicle was 'Varie-
ty," produced in Europe before the
debut.
THE production end of the photo
- play game seems to be eternally
changing, and one of these days it will
find itself. Like most new ideas and
industries, there must be a series of
plans worked out and tried. They
are discontinued for others, and the
work goes on. The Paramount COM
pany was the first to try out the
stock company plan, and the F. B. o.
Studios followed. Now comes word
from Hollywood that the latter pro-
ducing company has discontinued the
stock company idea. 1t will have
only stars and small group of play
ers, who are being groomed for star
dom, under long-term contracts. All
other actors used in F. B. o. pictures
will be selected from the open mar
ket. The move, it is pointed out,
will not only help the company in
obtaining better casts for its pic
lures, but will also be boon to
players in making it possible for
them to play parts in which they
are best suited.
THE stock company of players
under long-term contracts always
has been economically unSound, both
from the standpoint of the producing
company and the actor" explains
William LeBaron, vice president in
charge of F. B. o. production. "By
abolishing the stock company F. B.
o. hopes to get the best actor or
actress available for the principal
roles OF tie pictures. by our new
system of casting, all players who
are competent and good actors will
be in constant demand, 81 weeks in
the year"
y X X x
I LILLIAN GISH will not appear in
- a single one of the next three
w. D. Griffith pictures, according to
the present schedule. which has just
been made public. This disposes of
the rumor that the star would ap-
pear under Grifith's direction. The
three United Artists pictures. which
will engage the director for the next
year. are romances, and Mary Phil
bin has been employed for the first
story, "A Romance of Old Spain."
which goes into production this