Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1917 - Jun 1918)

H B TORS 'Say Touf, tra-lee!' to 5ryear Contract; don't Sign" — Laemmle niversal Head Advises Exhibitors Not to Obligate Themselves SKETCH OF PARALTA'S NEW LOS ANGELES PLANT President Carl Laemmle, of Universal, his latest talk to exhibitors which is 'led weekly to every motion picture atre owner in the United States, rns the exhibitors against signing ontracts obligating themselves to take he pictures for a term of years in which ertain screen stars appear. The LTniversal head handles the matr from the standpoint of the producer ho laughs uproariously every time an xhibitor signs his name to a "come-on" ontract. Mr. Laemmle says: 'Suppose you were a producer. "Suppose you guessed that the public ould want overpaid stars for years to ome. "Suppose you tied up a group of stars r a long time at terrific salaries. 'Suppose you found, to your horror. at the exhibitors were rapidly getting red of paying out all their profits for verpaid stars. 'What would you do? "Maybe you'd try to get the exhibitors sign long term contracts binding them show your pictures and no others in heir "theatres. Maybe you'd do any deserate thing to insure yourself of nough income to pay out those terrific alaries to overpaid stars every week, ■lay be you'd do any frantic thing that ou thought would shift the burden of hose terrific salaries from your shoulers to the shoulders of the exhibitors, -laybe you'd propose any wild scheme 0 get the exhibitors to hold the bag or you! Gloat and Sit Tight "And secretly you'd laugh at the exibitors if they fell for it. And with each ew contract signed and sent in by some asy-going exhibitor you'd give three usty cheers, to say nothing of threi.usky gloats and possibly a couple of ah rahs! "Well, boys and girls, you are about be asked to do the same crazy thing have outlined above. So far you have id out your profits to keep the overpaid ar and boss in luxury while you wored your head off to scrape enough oney together to pay next week's bills, ut you might get tired of doing this, ou might quit giving up all j our profits less you are signed up to a long-term -ntract. So the contract is to be shoved der your nose and you are to be asked sign your John Hancock right there the dotted line. "If such a contract is presented to |ou, frame it, but don't sign it. Hang up where you can see it ever} day. It rill give you many a laugh when it reminds you how foolish you would have feen if you had signed it, and how wise bu were to run out of ink just at the Ight moment. 1 "When the dotted line is shoved under bur nose, simply shrug your shoulders, hap your fingers like that and say I'ouf, tra-lee!' or whatever it is that the frenchman says when he wants to ex'ess good-natured nonchalance and all lat sort of thing! Remember — 'Pouf, a-lee!' " KEY TO PHOTOGRAPH: 1. SCENARIO DEPARTMENT. 2. ADMINISTRATION BUILDING. 3. CAFE. 4. PROPERTY DEPARTMENT. 5. WARDROBE AND DRAPERIES. 6. DRESSING ROOM. 7. GREEN ROOM. S. PLASTER WORKERS. 9. CABINET WORKERS. 10 GARAGE. 11. CARPENTER SHOPS. 18. OPEN SPACES FOR ENTERIOR SETTINGS. 13. LABORATORY. 14. POWER PLANT. 15. ELECTRICAL SHOP. 16, 17, 18. SCENE DOCKS AND STORE HOUSE. 19. FLORAL GARDENS. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24. GLASS-ENCLOSED STAGES. Paralta Plays, Inc., Pushing Work On Its Big Los Angeles Plant Buildings Will Cover Ten Acres— Will Be Most Complete Studio on West Coast When Finished Work on the new Paralta Studios, Los Angeles, Cal., is rapidly nearing completion. When finished this array of buildings, in which the productions of Paralta Plays will be made, will be not only one of the largest, it is declared, but the finest equipped studios in existence today. They are located on the north side of Melrose avenue. Los Angeles, just beyond Van Xess street. The new buildings will cover ten acres of the eightyacre tract which was purchased by this company a few months ago. A great number of the buildings are already completed and work is being rushed to finish these buildings covering nearly every foot of the available ground space of the ten-acre tract with permanent structures of brick and cement, including administration buildings, cafe, dressing-room buildings, five glass-enclosed stages, property buildings, warehouses, carpenter shops, electrical shops, garages and other necessary structures, each designed with every modern appliance known to produce the best results in the making of pictures. Ideal Location The buildings of the new studios are just across the street from the old studios, which have, up to a short time ago, been used by the Paralta organization. Centered, as they are, in a compactly planned group, the buildings of the new studio plant will serve as the hub of studio grounds to be utilized for the construction of large settings of buildings, street scenes, and replicas of entire towns, if necessary, for use in film production. This expansion of studio properties has been made necessary by the enlarged scope of production undertaken by the Paralta organization, which is now producing not only Paralta Plays. featuring their own stars, but also work for other film companies. Immediately facing Melrose avenue will be the central administration building flanked on either side by the buildings of the scenario department and the cafe. Behind these structures is the mammoth brick property building separated by a central arch-way leading back to the five steel and glass-enclosed stages each of which measures sixty by one-hundred and fifty feet and which has ample stage space to accommodate six to eight settings. These stages are to be higher than any glass stages now in use. this being done to arrange for better manipulation of the light-diffusing system and to make possible the suspension of certain scenic effects from the supporting girders in the top of the structures. Many Novel Features A novel feature of the long cement dressing-room buildings which will take up almost the entire eastern side of the stages, is a luxuriously furnished green room, which will offer an ideal meeting place and club rooms for the personnel of the official organization and professional forces engaged at the studio. The dressing rooms range in size and equipment according to the use they are to be put to, the dressing room of the stellar lights being an entire suite composed of a reception room, dressing room, wardrobe room and bath. The small portions of the grounds not occupied by buildings are being laid out in formal gardens of the French and Italian type. These gardens will occupy the space at the entrance to the studios and the available space inside the grounds not occupied by buildings. The studios will also include a laboratory building, a building for the wardrobe department and one for draperies. \7