Motography (Jan-Jun 1918)

294 MOTOGRAPHY Vol. XIX, No. 7 tion, the Balboa studio is increasing its output by adding several new companies. No orders have been received from the fuel administration to reduce activities, nor are any such orders expected. Laemmle Blames Waste Carl Laemmle, president and director general of the Universal Film Manufacturing Company, takes occasion to censure the industry for waste. He declares waste alone is responsible for the present condition of affairs. "In spite of all we read and hear about the efficiency methods adopted by the various film organizations, there isn't another industry in the world in which waste is so common, or so complacently regarded," declared Mr. Laemmle. "The item of stars' salaries is an old, old story — but an all-important one, nevertheless. Needless extravagance in production is another. Excess advertising of weak productions is a third. Slipshod distributing methods, a fourth — but I could go on and detail an almost unending list. Cites Example of Waste "Let me cite you an instance of gross negligence that recently occurred in connection with a certain big feature — what I say to you was told to me by one of the men connected with the organization which produced the picture. "The producers engaged a certain world-famous star at a staggering salary. It was agreed that the player was to commence work on a certain date. Yet, not until almost three weeks from the date agreed upon was the first set used in the production ready. In the meantime, the star's salary had to be paid. I understand that when the picture was finally completed its cost reached a six-figure total — and not a small part of it was merely represented in the money handed to the central finger. "Here's another instance," said Mr. Laemmle : "In reading a story the other day, I came across a few paragraphs telling of the terrific expense to which one company had gone to erect a set which was subsequently destroyed to obtain certain effects. Press agent camouflage? Not at all! The writer told the truth. Perfectly good money, and lots of it, did go up in smoke — and all for a scene which really could have been dispensed with, without in the slightest way detracting from the interest of the story. Good Pictures Often Cheap "You probably know that the most successful productions the industry has known cost comparatively little. Take 'Traffic in Souls.' Not another of the many imitations that followed in its train ever came within hailing distance of the money it made. They cost anywhere from two to ten times as much as did our picture, too. ' 'Where Are My Children?' is another feature that made real money. Cost? Away down in the five figures. Imitations which followed it all cost at least again as much. We produced for Jewel Productions, 'The Price of a Good Time' and right now that picture is making more money than ninety-nine out of every hundred features on the market. 'Shoes,' and such serials as 'Liberty,' 'The Voice on the Wire,' and 'The Red Age' all made money without the necessity of our wasting fortunes in producing them. "Frankly, we have stopped producing spectacles because the public would rather pay to see stories — stories dealing with the plain people in a plain, human way. We are not paying tremendous salaries to stars for the same reason. Neither 'Where Are My Children?', 'Shoes,' or 'The Price of a Good Time,' contained world-famous stars, but they did contain the all-important element — the story. Trade Has Much to Learn "As far as distribution is concerned, we have still much to learn from the lowliest organization in the commercial field. As far as I can see, it is the burning ambition of every fledgling film organization to immediately establish a string of exchanges reaching from New York to San Francisco, and from Chicago to Dallas. That the wise old policy of 'make haste slowly' is the proper one to follow apparently never occurs to the average film head. So offices are opened and overhead piled up with the usual result. "Manufacturers in other fields do things better. If a branch proves unprofitable, they simply withdraw from the territory until conditions are more favorable. The Universal has no hesitancy in declaring that it has pursued this policy from time to time. Were this practice general the market for pictures in the various territories would not be glutted. Tells Harm That is Done "What has been the result of all this extravagance, waste and bad management? The unscrupulous chap who had been living off the fat pickings of the fake mine promoting game and the oil stock swindle drifted into the business. Thank heaven, he didn't stay long, but he remained with us long enough to do considerable harm. "Politicians looking for bright prospects for taxation also lit upon us as fair game. The result is that we are probably the most heavily taxed of all legitimate industries. "We've proudly proclaimed ourselves the 'Fifth Greatest Industry' so long and so loudly that we've almost come to believe it. But the truth is simply this : After we've got down to a sane and sensible method of doing business, and by this I include all ends of the industry, we'll find that we are not the fifth nor perhaps the sixth, nor seventh. What we will find, however, is that we've swapped pretension for rock solid fact — bubble inflation for genuine profit." Humor Reigns in New Film for Miss Pickford There is little doubt that "Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley," in which Mary Pickford will appear next for Artcraft, is her most humorous picture. Clothes-Line Alley is typical of the tenement district of a great metropolis. The characters that appear, from the star down, are all indigenous to the precincts that form so large and so picturesque a portion of the city. Mary Pickford, of course, appears as Amarilly, daughter of a tender-hearted Irish washerwoman mother with a family of children who are messengers and newsboys. In Miss Pickford's support are the following playes : William Scott, Norman Kerry, Ida Waterman, Margaret Landis, Kate Price, Thomas H. Wilson, Fred Goodwins, Herbert Standing, Wesley Barry, Frank Butterworth, Antrim Short, George Hackathorn and Gertrude Short. In addition there are numerous types of the tenement-folk, policemen, Chinese and others.