Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-05

TINE popularity of a photo
play star among theateT
patrons parallels box office
popularity. This is quite
natural, although there are many
angles and features of box Office
popularity. In going over the list
of players who headed the list
during the past year Tin box office
popularity one gets a few sur
priSeS. Many of the stars who
made big money for the producers
and exhibitors are comparatively
newcomers to the screen. And, in
the opinion of this writer, they will
not be longtime leaders in box
off1ce returns. This may be eSpe-
cially true with the feminine
leaders during the past year.
Clara Bow tops the list during
the past IL months. She is fol-
lowed. not very closely. by Colleen
Moore, who headed the list last
year. Then comes Nancy Carroll,
Joan Crawford, Greta Carlo,
Bebe Daniels, Alice White, Laura
La Plante. Norma Shearcr, Billie
. Dove, Dolores Del Rio, Mary Pick
ford, Dolores Costello, Marion
Davies, Betty CompSon, Janet
Gaynor, Sue Carroll. Winnie
Lightner. Gloria Swanson, Wilma
Eanky, Mary Brian. Norma Tai
madge, Lupe Velez, Ruth Chatter
ton, Bessie Love, Anita Page, Lois
Wilson, Renee Adoree, Evelyn
Brent, Lillian Gich. Dorothy
Mackaill and others. The end of
the list is taken up with such
names as Ann Pennington, Esther
RalSton, Sophie Tucker, Florence
Vidor and Fay Wray.
Among the man players Lon
CLANCY heads the list. He is fol-
lowed closely by William Haines.
and then on down the list we
have Hoot Gibson, Buddy" Rog-
erS, Richard Barthelmess, Ken
Maynard, Tom Mix, Richard Dix.
Ramon Novarro. Al Jolson, George
Bancroft. Jack Holt. Gary Cooper.
Milton Stills. John Gilbert, William
Boyd. Douglas Fairbanks, Harold
Lloyd. John BoleS. Monte Blue.
Ronald Colman. Tim Mccoy. Con-
rad Nagel: Tom Tyler, Buster
Keaton, Victor McLaglen and
others. At the end of the list
come James Hall, Raymond Hat
ton. Lloyd Hughes. Fred Humes,
Puck Jones, Charles King, Hal
Sicily and David Terrence.
Last year the leaders among
the man players were Lon CLANCY
Tom Mix. John Gilbert. Harold
Lloyd, Richard Dix, William
Haines. Richard Barthelmess and
Hoot Gibson.
The money-making teams of
the past year were led by Dane
and Arthur, Gaynor and Farrell.
Hatton and Berry and Laurel and
Hardy.
Last, but not least. the big
money maker among the dumb"
players was Rin-Tin- Tin, followed
closely by Ranger, Rex "a horse)
and Flash.
One Of the big surprises of the
past season is the retained popu-
larity of westerns. Hoot Glib
son, Ken Maynard and Tom Mix
bold and brave heroes of the Wild
and Woolly, are real leaders among
the box office favorites. The
westerns" were the first success
full movies, and they retain their
call to the younger generation.
Another surprise is the falling
of in popularity of some of the
old-time stars. For instance,
Charlie Chaplin is away down in
the list, but he is far ahead of
Thomas Meighan, George O'Brien,
Rod La ROGUE, Adolphe Menjou
and others who were great IA
vorites few years ago. Madge
Bellamy, Corinne Griffith, Lillian
GiSh, Wilma Banky and Norma
Talmadge are far down in the list
for the past year. Some of the
old stars appeared in few pic
lures. This, naturally, cuts the
box office popularity, for the lat
ter is determined by the amount
of cash brought into the till.
A ND, when one speaks of bust
ness conditions in Washing
ton and elsewhere, it is interest
ing to notice a statement from
the financial district of New York.
1t is estimated that $4,000, OOO, 900
are now invested in the film in
duStry Of America. The number
of persons employed by the in
dustry at present is estimated at
100000 and their combined pay
roll is figured at $470, 0OO,0O0 a
year. Wall Street says the out
look for the motion picture bust
ness for the next year is very
good indeed.
OTIS SKINNER has signed his
first motion picture contract
with First National. He is to
make five pictures during the
next four years, and he will start
for the Pacific Coast within a