The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1936-09-18
Cinema Actors
Used To Get Big
Salaries, Is Said
But Days Of Pickford Mil
lion Annual Income
Have Passed
By HENRY SUTHERLAND
u. P. Hollywood Correspondent

HOLL1 WOOD, Sept. IL. (UF).
When picture players speak of
the good old days" they aren't
just sentimentalizing - for, all
ballyhoo to the contrary notwith-
standing, actor salaries have been
slipping ever since a peak way
back in 1867.
Mary Pickford started the war
time film salary boom with a hop
from $4,000 a week to over ST.
100000 q year, a mark never
since equalled.
Modern eyes may pop at Greta
Garbo's reported $4,000 a week,
but it all adds up only to $46S, 900
a year, less than half the Pickford
figure. On a mathematical basis
the great Carlo isn't nearly as
hot as Cowboy Tom Mix used to
be back in 1925 when he was
dragging down $4,000 a week
from Fox films-$8S4,000 a year.
Pickford completed a contract
at 1000 a week with Adolphe
Zukor in 1915, and Zukor was
trying to white down her new
contract demand of $500 when
Chaplin was signed by the old
Mutual company at 100000 a
year.
That started competitive bid
ding campaign which ended with
Zukor recapturing Pickford on a
two-year contract at S1,04O,OOO
per year plus a 100000 signing
bonus.
Last accurate figures on film
salaries were those for 1884 re-
ported to the house ways and
means committee early in 1885.
Undoubtedly these are somewhat
changed now, but probably not
enough to alter the comparison.
Some of the high-priced mod
ems drew:
Will Rogers $924,314; Janet
Gaynor, S252,383; Winfield Shee-
han, 100000; Lew Ayres, S1O3,-
499; Warner Baxter $184, 900;
Shirley Temple $23,O64, (now re-
ported at $4,000 a picture) Lee
Tracy, $S9.583; Claudette Colbert,
S36,666, (now reported $3.50, 600
a picture, and she makes about
three a year,; Ronald Colman,
S1OS,0OO; Wallace Berry, $780,
600; Clark Gable, $94,666; Chas.
Iauobton SEE. 900: Victor Nc
Lagien, $4,000; Grace Moore,
$4,000, Daryl F. Zanuck, S1O4,-
900 and Constance Bennett, S4O,-
900.
SEQUEL to the death OF Irving
Thalberg demonstrates again even
grief has a publicity value in Hol,
lvwood. A leading show-our-card
Joint announced in a black-bor-
dered quarter-page trade paper
ad that it's autumn opening was
postponed Sowing to the passing
of a friend"
When Victor Moore, character
actor, traded his Long Island home
for one in Hollywood he burned
his Jap gardener to the ground.
Moore paid $16,233.S3 to boot on
the house, and while making out
the check was at the same time
paving his gardener. In error ne
sent a $40 check to New York and
gave the gardener one for 10
grand. A few hours later the
gardener returned boiling because
"my name isn't spelled right.
Margot Grahame reused up at
$50 a. m. to get trans-oceanlc
telephone report from her nus
band, Francis lister, on his new
play "Follow Your Saint" winch
opened in Edinburgh. The Scots
stamped it okay, she said, and
Lister takes it to London next
week.
Lawrence Tibbett will fly to
New York today the soft way. he
and Mrs. Tibet will be first pas
sengers aboard the new sleeper
planes.
Florence Lake admits she's sep
arted from Jack Goode, vaude-
william currently touring the east
with Leon Erroll's show. She had
been trotting about recently with
Lee Tracy, but says there IS no
heart interest involved.