Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-06
Flashes From the Screen
BY c. E. Nelson.
rs there considerable hokum in
the much-advertised salaries
of the screen stars? We have

. IIl6I6 COIlSlQ6TdDl6 IlOkuLIl II
the much-advertised salarie
of the screen stars? We havt
= long been given to understand
that the shining lights of tn,
movie world were about the high
est paid of all entertainers. No
even Babe Ruth's gigantic salary
received for swatting numerous
home runs during the heated sea.
son, was supposed to compare
with that of a red-headed favor.
lite of the fans. Since the day!
when stars were first made in the
movie game, we thought the in.
come taxes paid land unpaid) BY
!. the stars were about the largest
on record-and all these ideas are
shattered by Herbert CruikShank
writing in the Talking Screen.
According to this writer, the
thouSandS-a-Week legend is some
times necessary, but such stars Of
the talking screen as Jack Oakie
Clara Bow, John Boles. Alice
White, Jimmy Hail. Helen Twelve
trees, Sue Carol, Buddy Rogers
and others know differently-anc
It's all in the contract.
For instance, take up the case
of Jack Oakie. This s.ar was first
seized by Wesley RuggleS and tiec
down to a $100-a-Week contract
Then he was sublet to Paramount
= for $3.50 week, out of which Jack
now gets only $3.50 every sever
days, though he has refused g
$1,500-a-week split with Para
= mount. On the day that his far
mail broke the record established
by Rudolph Valentino, Buddy
Rogers was receiving only $400 a
week. Sue Carol, rented out tc
another company for $1,000 q
week, got only 5000 when Satur-
day night rolled around. Clara
Bows salary is sliced up, for she
has a contract with B. P. Schulz
berg which forces her to give him
a share of her earnings.
Also, according to Mr.. Cruik-
shank, cutting salaries is a com
mon procedure around the vel
known studios. About a month
before option day the producers
shun their star. Then, when the
contract lapses after 80 days OF
this treatment, the zero hour ar
riveS. The star is called upon the
much-worn carpet for an old
fashioned lecture, told his work Is
pretty awful" but that out of the
goodness of heart the company Is
considering retiring him-o1
course, at slight cut in salary
A new contract is usually signed
the player naturally being much
pleased because he is not cast
among the screens driftwood
The much-advertised salary OF
John Mccormack, paid by the
Fox company for work in one pic
ture, is claimed to be authentic
The singing star was paid $4,000
a week for 10 weeks. The salaries
of such stars as Charlie Chaplin
Harold Lloyd, Douglas Fairbanks
and Gloria Swanson are really not
salaries at all. They are practi-
cally their own producers: they
receive a share of the earnings
from their pictures, while they
also share in the cost of their
production.
THERE is a radical difference in
the making of stars for the
stage and the screen. In the
good old days." when a player
became star of the stage he or
she usually remained star until
old enough to retire. With the
screen comes an altogether differ
ent system. 1t may be that the
movie fans can be termed more
tickle than the stage fans, for
they certainly change quickly
when it comes to the selection of
screen favorites.
Many of the screen stars of
and 10 years ago have slipped
from memory. Aside from Mary
Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Nor
ma Talmadge and a few others,
the stars of a decade back are
only found in the record books.
A few of the old timers are play
ing minor character bits in some
of the new sound pictures. Strange
as it may seem, the feminine stars
last longer with the public than
the male, and yet the new femi-
nine players who have gained
stellar roles outnumber the men.
\
NO matter how far we travel in
motion picture affairs, we
cannot get away from the monkey
picture, "Ingagi" Again this film;
which several months ago startled
a blaSe theatergoing public, has
reached the limelight, this time
its owners filing suit for $685.
600 against the Will Hays organ
ization. Congo Pictures, Ltd, ac-
cording to the suit, has been
"goaded beyond endurance by the
concerted attack launched against
/. '1ngagf; the defendants are asked
to pay 1855, 900 for actual damage
to date and 100000 as exem-
plary or punitive damages"
The owners of "Ingagi" claim
that the Hays organization has
passed many pictures far more
objectionable than 'Ingagi.' If we
are forced to expose the film in
dustry, let us expose all produc-
erS' methods which permit the
use of doubles both in action and
voice miniatures and glass shots
upon the screen and the employ
ment of many Studio-made for
eign scenes and other trick and
So-called travel pictures, and not
confine it only to the independent
producer. We claim 'Ingagi tx
be clean and extraordinary enter
tainment, and instructive as we'll
and that this effort on our part
will clarity the situation ane