Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-01
Flashes From the Screen
News and Comment of the Photoplay
By C. E. Nelson.

Paramount company within
the past week or two, it may be
that the latter producing outnt
knows where it stands. This idea
is brought forward by a person
who is familiar with producing
methods of the studios. For In
stance. he points out, it has al
WAYS been the scheme of the Para
mount company to sign players to
short-term contracts. There were
several ideas back Of this plan,
but. naturally, the principal one
was to safeguard the company.
Not much attention was paid to
the player himself. In the usual
run of events, it would be easy TO
sign him to a new contract, in the
event that he became star, at
much higher salary.
Now, however, another produc-
ing company jumped into the
game, and players who made good
with a first contract were offered
much more cash to sign with the
brothers Warner. One may take
the case of Kay Francis as an IL
luStration. She is said to have
Joined Ruth Chatterton, William
Powell and George Bancroft in the
high Jump to the Warner lot. Kay
went to the Paramount company
as an unknown player. She leaped
to the spotlight and became fea-
tured. and this was her status
when her contract expired. See
ing possibilities in her work,
Warmers offered her better con-
tract.
But, according to the person who
knows the studios, there is little
reason for alarm around the Para
mount Offices. He points out that
the Paramount company has
plenty of cash which could be used
to hold the players if it really
wanted to hold them, and he also
says that Paramount adheres to
a policy Of allowing players to go
when it considers they are
washed up" The term washed
up means they are to be discard
ed for box Office reasons. The
players allowed to leave may have
served their terms as drawing
cards with Paramount, although
they may have more success with
other concerns. It is also said that
Paramount will not allow such
young players as Nancy Carroll
and Frederic Marsh to leave their
employ; that the company officials
are great believers in youth for
the screen" and that they swear
by the drawing power of certain
types of players. 1t may be pol
icy of allowing the other COM
panies to have the stars, and then
exhibiting the efforts of the
younger and newer players.
But, after all is said and done,
there is no getting away from the
fact that Paramount has lost
valuable quartet of screen play
erS. Bancroft, on account Of the
character of his late pictures, does
not have the drawing power which
was once predicted for him, but
he has possibilities. Ruth Chat
her first picture. william Powell,
recently elevated to stardom, Is
box Office attraction, and Kay
Francis has her best work before
her.
The latest news from the war
front concerns the Eastern activi-
ties of Warner Bros. It is re-
ported that they are angling for
Claudette Colbert and one or two
others, now employed in the East
ern studio of Paramount. Al
though the Pathe company con-
tends that Constance Bennett is
their player by reason Of long
term contract, rumor has it that
she is considering an offer made
by Warner Bros. It is also said
that the latter company has made
an offer to Lew AyreS, Universal
star, holding in front of him
contract for 100000 for his Serv-
ices in six pictures.
The players, themselves, natur-
ally, consider this state of affairs
a very good indication of improved
conditions in the movie world.
They go on record for raids" and
more raids"
WITH the coming of chain the
aters, house managers have
been more or less hidden from
public view. That Is, the patron
knew that some one was in charge
of the theater, that some one was
arranging his programs and at
tending to the vast amount of i'm
portant detail, but he did not know
who this particular person was.
Now the United Artists Corpora
ton comes along with a plan to
treat each house manager as
though he were an independent
exhibitor, owing his particular
theater-becauSe. to all practical
purposes and effects, that's just
what he is. Considerable OF the
success of a theater really depends
upon the house manager, although
you or ] may not see him.
The theaters today, according
to the United Artists idea, must
have personality, and the person
atty Of a theater is no more nor
less than a reflection of the per-
Sonality of the man who manages
it. The theater manager must be
a Snowman, and his individual
initiative goes far toward the sue
cess of his particular theater.
Whether a manager owns his the
alter, or is employed by a chain az
manager, he Is the real power Of
his local organization.
"A CCORDING to Alfred e. Green,
who directed Men Of the
Sky" for First National, theater
audiences have themselves solved
one Of the problems of the dia-
1ogue pictures. On the stage, dur
ing a comedy production, audi
enceS might laugh, and the dia-
logue was stopped by the players
to allow the outburst. However,
with the Aim comedies, laughter