Pictures and the Picturegoer (Jan-Dec 1925)

JANUARY 1925 Picture s ar\d Picture puer 27 hands. The care of the fan mail alone necessitates a Urge outlay for secretaries, stamp* and photographs. And the business of investing surplus money might be ^^ said to tonic under the business of stardom, too. I'he harvest years are few, and they demand every energy and attention. The money made in these years must he invested so that the future is insured. Sometimes a star is fortunate in being able to leav< these business worries to a father, mother or husband The husband of Norma Talmadgc, for instance, J' Schenck, has handled her affairs and Constance's, too, with the same skill and brilliance by which he has amassed his own fortune. And we wouldn't be at all surprised if John McCormick Colleen Moore's husband, and an official of her company, looked after her business interests. People with creative natures . . . .people at all artistically inclined . . . are not apt to be gifted with commercial minds. If you are born a merchant, you are a Gloria Swanson, too, has proved herself a farsighted business woman as well as a fine artist. thermore, can ruin the best story ever written, so he is also concerned in the selection of these co-workers. The longer it takes to make a picture, the greater is the cost. So every star has reason to worry if production lags while overhead mounts. Generally speaking they have no authority to speed things up or to make changes in the personnel of their producing unit. So their problem proves infinitely more difficult and calls for the utmost tact and diplomacy. Far-sightedness is something which every star needs. Everyone in the motion picture profession will tell you how well Anita Stewart handled her affairs. She found that her stardom meant frequent inferior pictures. So she was wise enough to give up the prestige of stardom and become what is called a " free lancer." This permits her a choice of roles. She need appear only in those productions which she feels to be worth while. Without any doubt, by making this change at the crucial moment, Miss Stewart has added years to the length of her career. /^ loria Swanson, too, is rich in ^"^ this valuable quality. For years the public knew Gloria as a bizarre, exotic and over-dressed star. Her roles called upon her for no histrionic ability. Gloria, with a full realisation of this, sought roles which little by little offered her a greater emotional range. She gave what leisure she had to study. And to-day the most capricious and demanding critic admits that Gloria Swanson ranks with the finest artists of the screen. There are any number of incidental business details connected with stardom which, need management with expert Above -.Norma and Constance Talmadge. Left circle : Joseph Schenck. merchant. You buy and you sell. You do the thing you are pre-eminently fitted to do and that's the end of it. But if you are a motion picture star, you find it necessary to develop tendencies which are opposed to your natural instincts. With the men tars this does not seem so incongruous. But time and time again I marvel over the efficient way in which so many of the youmr girls handle their business affairs. Nor has their business ability been permitted to become flagrant. It has not, in ninety-nine out of a hundred cases, seared their charm. Wonders, even in the practical work-a-day world, may b-e accomplished by virtue of grace and charm. It's quite a business . . . being a star.