Evening star., 1933-09-10

!
Zasu Pitts, mho has set a Hollywood
record bv appearing in 43 pictures in
the last jcur years.
HERE seems to be more of a chance
for an absolute newcomer in Holly
wood than for trained screen actors.
Not many weeks ago Margaret
Sullivan arrived in the film capital.
Not once had she been In front OF
motion picture camera. Yet she was Drought
to the movie capital from New York for the
express purpose of playing the leading feml--
nine role in only Yesterday one OF the
prize parts of the year.
While that happening some 9oOo vet
ersns of the screen, actors and actresses OF
sufficient importance to rate screen creoit
when they do appear in picture, watched
and wondered why there was no work 1or
them
Hollywood is overrun with actors-about
n 600 in all 1900 Of these being ex ras.
The other 10000 range from bit players TO
stars, when they work But they don't ~ofE
0ften-that is most of them don't.
select few are before the cameras almost
continuously The others know deep Gown
in their hearts that there Is very little chance
Of getting job. Still they cling to that vague
hope.
Occasionally q Margaret Sullivan comes
along and grebs a role which might have gone
10 one of their number That is heart break
ing but they go right on hopmg-hopine mat
tomorrow will bring q new deal.
OUr of this group Of 10000 only l.500 have
~ worked at all during the past year Only
S06 have averaged two pictures a year or more
during the last four years. few have worked
almost constantly.
Zasu Pitts. for example, has appeared in 43
Aims during this parted average of nearly
one picture a month She is the leader Of
aI free lance players when 1t comes to the
number of pictures made.
majority of the 326 have had eight pic
lures during the four-ye period. In add-
tion to these. there some $50 contract play
ers who work steadily-or at least get PAD
regularly
One might wonder why such condition
should exist when there is continual cry 1of
new faces on tie screen Surely scme OF the
10 900 experienced players have genuine screen
possibilities
Pohtics-tiat one word is the answer to a
great deal of Hollywood's Unemployment.
When it comes to political strategy, Washing
ton wouldn't have look-in with the Holly
wood crowd.
Day and night they play their little game
while the bewildered actors and actresses Won
der Just what IS happening. No longer does
the question arise, How good an actor is hep
Now it's How good manager has he?
So closely have the established agents III
town allied Themselves with various studio fac
tions that it is almost impossible for any
ulayer without agent to get Job. Ihe
exceptions to that rule are the Margaret Sui
ivans who seen in some remote pace oy
q studio official and brought to HOLLYWOOD
under contract before the agents have chance
to interfere.
Nor are all of the players agents on an
equal footing Scme have much closer con-
facts with those studio men who are c2stlng
pictures a. result their clients get most OF
the work.
Various methods are employed by managers
in getting jobs for their clients Some CT
them are extremely friendly or related to Ger
tain studio officials. That. of course, is OF
tremendous aid Others have been known to
use rather underhanded business procedure.
Then there are those who simply sell their
players on merit.
Let's take look at how this first class oper-
ates. Mr. Jones. who is managing dozen
actors is brother of executive at Studio
A. He also is very friendly, largely through
his family connection, with an official at STU
dto His clients will work largely for those
two companies.
occasionally some of them will work at
~ Studio C, simply because they are the
players wanted by C's directors for certain
pictures But because of certain personal diff
terences between Mr. Jones and the execu-
tlves at Studio D and Studio E. they haven.
. chance of ever getting in picture at these
regardless of how well they may be suited to
particular role
It's a bit difficult to follow the activities OF
the second group. They are too varied and