Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-16
Motion Picture
Album
BY ROBERT f. SHERWOOD.

THE sincerest form of fattery i
practiced with great frequency il
Hollywood.
Let one man produce a successful
picture of A definite type, and all hi
jealous competitors viii hasten t.
initiate him.
Thus, THE Traffic in Souls" was
followed by a host of sex pictures
THE Miracle Man inspired a swarm
of religious pictures;'" Flaming Youth
promoted innumerahle exposes" OF
the gin generation.
These outbursts of imitation have
happily, been of brief duration. The
public is not slow TO realize when II
is being imposed upon in this par
ticular way, and it's approval of one
particular type of picture is short
lived.
The Covered Wagon" however,
stands out as a great exception. In the
extent Of its influence. this has prob
ably proved itself the most important
production in movie history. for it
was 1.-The Covered Wagon" that &C
tually inaugurated the craze for
'epics." and although four years have
passed since THE Covered Wagon"
made its first appearance, the craze
goes on with more vehemence than
ever.
An "epic," In the movies. may be
defined as a picture that deals with
some heroic phase of current or his
toric life, and that cost over $4,000
TO produce
Most of the epics have dealt with
episodes from American history, prom
inent instances Of this being THE
Pony Express" THE laundering
Herd" THE Flaming Frontier" "Old
Ironsides." THE Rough Riders and
THE Iron Horse"
Now, however, the producers are
going in heavily for modern epics.
1.-THE Big Parade" is one of these; so
are What Price Glory" Tell 1t TO
the Marines THE Fire Brigade. -
'"The Big Gun" Wings" and a great
many others.
OF course. the Great War yielded
vast material, and the film folk have
not been reluctant to use it. But
that source is now beginning to. run
dry, and all the scenario editors are
casting about frantically for new
epic ideas.
THE Fire Brigade" is sure to he
followed by other pictures of a sim
lLIT nature. AtFSd0N all CpiC VI INV
crime wave-entitled You Can't
Win'-has been announced. There
will undoubtedly be epics of the po-
lice force, the Post Office Department,
the Prohibition Enforcement Unit, the
high protective tariff, the Pennsyl-
Tania vote scandal and the Einstein
theory.
Furthermore, they probably will be
good pictures. That is the most re
markable feature of the epic craze.
The standard of merit among the
imitators of 1.-The Covered Wager"
has been amazingly high.
For some inexplicable reason, if a
movie director can be persuaded that
he's working on an epic he spurs
himself on to extraordinary efforts.
He outdoes himself-with gratifying
results.
The number of epics increases the
number of superspecial features,
which are shown at advanced prices,
two shows a day, before they are
released to the regular movie thea
tiers.
At the present moment there are
10 such pictures running in New
York: THE Big Parade THE
u
gade." Michael Strogoff,' 1.-THE Bet
ter ole" Beau Geste," Tell 1t to
the Marines What Price Glory"
'Old' Ironsides" and Don Juan"
had a talk the other day with Gil
Boag. who used to be known as the
foremost night club proprietor in New
York, but who now is merely "Gilda
Gray's husband" He told me that
"Aloma of the South Seas" Miss
Gray's first picture, had earned
$1,000, 900 in gross receipts; her per-
sonal tour, made in connection with
the showing of the film, crossed
$3.50, 900. Wherever she went, theater
receipts were 40 per cent above
normal.
This one venture of Gilda Gray's
resulted in a profit to her employers
Famous Players-Lasky) of a million
dollars-that is, If Mr.. Boags solemn
oath is to be trusted.
Miss Gray Is to make one more pic
ture for Famous Players. 1t is called
Cabaret" and is even now in process
of production at the Paramount Studio
in Long Island City.
After this is completed. and the
incredible profits have been counted
up, the: gilded Gilda win probably
start her own producing company,
under Mr.. Boag's management, with
United Artists attending to the dis
tribution.
It's a lucrative business, the movies
more satisfactory, as Mr.. Boag him
self comedies, than the night club
game.