Evening star., 1928-11-04
THERE is considerable spec
ulation regarding the out
come of Erich Nnfn Ctrn-

come OF ErlCn Won SCro-
helms efforts with the new
Gloria Swanson picture, Queen
Kelly" Although the director
actor worked for years on THE
Wedding March" and spent hun
dreds of thousands of dollars, the
picture did not strike the public
from the box Office standpoint.
It will go down in motion pic
ture history as a flop" But this
seems to have made little differ
ence with United Artists, who
employed Won Stroheim and gave
him very important job.
The Motion Picture World. a
trade magazine, does not consider
Won Stroheim great director,
and the writer is quoting from an
editorial in this weeks issue:
He may be great artist, when
left to his own particular ways
cf working. With unlimited time
and unlimited f1nance-but a
careful stud.' of his record
since he produced The Pin
nacle" for Universal reveals
something lacking on the point
earning the reward of being
: great director. If Won Stroheim
thOuld live to a sufficiently ripe
old age, retaining his full mental
and physical vigor, and if the
supply of producers and the
supply of finance should con-
tinue sufficiently abundant, it
would seem that eventually he
would be able to leave behind him
q considerable number of extraor-
binary pictures. But under
exactly similar conditions there
are doubtless large number of
who could do the same thing.
1--WE heard it expressed recently
by man in the trade, who is as
competent as any one else to
speak about Won Stroheim and his
work, that it would be most ex-
traordinary indeed if any man of
the average intelligence and
ability would not get at least some
fine results if he spent as much
time and money as Won Stro-
helm.
THE severe financial exactionS
involved in producing motion pic
lures demand of q director a con-
ScientiouS effort to keep eXpendi-
lures in time and money-which
in this case are practically the
same thing-within reasonable
limits. Won Stroheim is notori-
ously painStaking in his work.
Whether he is working on an in
dividual closeup or a great mob
scene. he is inclined to retake
scenes almost innumerably."
But all this sums itself down to
the fact that the director has
been spending too much money.
Little is said regarding the quail
ity of the Won Stroheim products.
Greed" the picture version of
the Frank Norris novel, NC
league" which was directed by
Won Stroheim, was good picture,
although it may not have been
big box Office attraction.
A good picture, naturally, from
the producers viewpoint, is
good picture for only one reason:
It draws big money at the box
office. A HoOt Gibson Western, if
it gathered as great a part of the
public as What Price Glory?"
would be considered just as good
a picture. And, of course, it is
fitting that the manufacturer
look at the matter from that
angle Won Stroheim's pictures
have not been big box Office at
fractions. Therefore, Won Stro-
helm and his work come in for a
generous share of slapS. How
ever, it is safe to say that a big
part of the picture loving public
those interested in sincere
efforts-will stand behind the
director actor in his attempts to
produce something really worth
while.
A CCORDING to reports from
New York, Roxy is planning
another theater-" biggest
thing in the amusement world
but there is no verification. When
interviewed concerning the prof.
est, Roxy stated that he was not
yet ready to make an announce
1nent, but that he might make
one at a later date.
A LMOST 10 years ago the book
Uncle Toms Cabin" first
= created talk throughout these
United States, and it is claimed to
have had considerable to do with
causing strife between the States.
Then after the Civil War was
over, the stage version of the book
vas a record breaker of it's day.
tom" troupeS scattered here and
there over the country for many
years: Great Danes and ordinary
rabbit hounds maSqueraded as
bloodhoundS, and Eliza was
chased across the ice-choked
river twice each day in every city
and hamlet of the land. Simon
Legree wore the cracker" off his
black-snake whip, and Little Eva
died to the accompaniment of
Hearts and Flowers" and the
Sobs of heart-touched audiences.
Those were the days
It is most surprising that Uncle
Tom" and his cabin are having
real box Office revival. Uni
versal, manufacturer of the film,