Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-22
Moving Picture Album
BY ROBERT e. SHERWOOD.

ING on a new one, the progress OF which
is being watched with considerable in
terest hope that you will be a leader
in this new phase, as you were In the
old one--that your intelligent methods
of movie production, based on a sincere
appreciation of art in entertainment.
viii continue to be source of inspira-
ton and means of guidance for your
dull-witted brethren in HOLLYWOOD
If you choose to adopt the infant
Movietone, I fell certain that you will
use il as 1t has never been used before.
q, which is 10 say. that you will use It
effectively. Certainly. you are one of
the few stars in Hollywood who won't
have TO so to any elocution teachers to
learn to speak the English language.
II am waiting anXiously for an an
! nouncement from you on this subject,
but that doesn't mean that you have
/ 10 send a reply to this letter.
| One of the redeeming features Of
/ open letters is that no one is ever ex-
pected to answer them"
THE FADING STARS.
THE last two years have witnessed
] the decline and tall of many of the
established stars of Hollywood. Those
DAYS are gone forever when the quality
Of a picture was gagged by the popu-
! larity of its star; under present condl-
! tons, the situation IS exactly reversed.
The movie producers now seem to be
anxious to abolish the star system; they
are deliberately killing of the old stars.
! those whose names eXerted a magical
effect on the box Office, and they are
doing everything they can to prevent
new stars from arising to occupy the
vacant positions Of supremacy.
dc
for this. Under the old system. the
star became too valuable a property,
and therefore too powerful. Literally
millions of dollars we're invested In the
unstable flesh and blood of human
beings. who might die, or grow UNI
manageably temperamental, or involve
themselves in fatal scandals. 1t was
the star system, and the precarious UNI
certainty thereof, that promoted the
epidemic of gray hairs and badness on
the heads of our foremost film mag
mates.
A star might be able to earn huge
fortunes for the man who had him
under contract, and the latter would
bet his money accordingly. But then
the star might accumulate unsavory
publicity, quit cd, depart this life or
develop unhealthy personal habits, as
many favorite heroes and heroines have
done.
There has been no form of insurance
devised to cover all the contingencies
that may arise to The star system.
It was all very well to keep the sys-
tenn going as long as the stars managed
to make more money, in the ultimate
accounting, then they cost. But the
time has come when even stars name
can't save a poor picture.
wears
of dumb credulity. has turned wise.
The cash customers are no longer
blinded by the glare of electric lights.
Some time ago the producers made
a feeble attempt to inject economy
and efficiency into system that was,
at its base, uneconomic and inef1cient;
they tried to cut salaries. The big
stars refused to accept the cuts, ano
the loud talk about wage-slashing died
down TO a whisper.
So the producers, goaded on by the
hesrtIess financiers of Wall street. have
been forced to resort to drastic meas
ures II they couldn't reduce the stars
salaries. they could reduce the stars
Importance: and they have managed
to do Just that.
Outside of the United Artists Cor
poration. where the stars themselves
are the principal stockholders, you will
not ind one big corporation that still
sticks to the star system
The old established stars. such as
Pola Negri. Thomas Meighan, Lillian
Gish. Richard Barthelmess, Corinne
Grifith, Adolphe Menjou. Marion
Davies, Reginald Denny, Ramon No
varro. Leatrice Joy and Milton Sills
are fading into obscurity. some rapidly,
some gradually.
The new stars that are coming up,
such as Charles Rogers, Sue Carol, Fay
Wray. william Boyd, Richard Arlen,
Lupe velez Greta Carlo. Wilma Banky,
Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford and Do
solitary spotlight-that is to say, they
are permitted to appear only in all
star casts
Five years ago 1t was considered RI
diculousiy wasteful TO use two stars In
the same picture. Now ii Is practically
necessary TO do so.
John Gilbert has co-starred with
Greta Carlo, Ronald Coln1an With
Wilma Banky and Rod La ROGUE with
Dolores Del Rio. Mary Pickford, Norma
Taimadge and other great ladies have
considered it advisable to share their
glory with their leading men. such as
william Haines, Charles Rogers and
Gilbert Roland. Thomas Meighan finds
himself on equal footing with Louis
Wolheim and Marie Provost in THAT
Racket" land. incidentally. this Is the
smartest move and the best movie Mr..
Meighan has ever made. John Barry
more and Constance Talmadge are
about to appear together in The Last
of Mrs. Cheyney."
You can count on the fingers OF
either hand, the names that are now
big enough to monopolize the space on
the electric signs. Charlie Chaplin
and Harold Lloyd certainly remain in
that exclusive class, but they are now
almost alone.
Shed no tears over the demise OF the
star system 1t was the cause OF vast
losses OF money fthe pubiic's money!
and worse than that. 1t was the cause
Of innumerable bad pictures
Now that ii has gone, the pictures
may not be good, but they viii, at
least, be better
tCopyriRht. 1927