The Film Mercury (1926-27)

Page Four THE FILM MERCURY, FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 1927 Hollywood, Calif. The Big Crash Is Coining ! The present lull in studio production has more significance attached to it then is generally imagined. True, at this time of the season studios curtail work in order to set their new season’s schedules of product, and unemployment is accepted as a matter of course. But the present lull in activities is a serious one. The past two years have found most of the larger studios working night and day turning out costly epics that did not meet with the approval of the box office, some never returning their cost. Frenzied production has turned the tables and producers now find themselves resorting to new tactics and finance in an attempt to stave off disaster. In an industry where two billions of dollars is invested, with the investors realizing less than four per cent on the money involved, something is wrong and the bankers are trying to locate the seat of trouble before they will dump any more of their money into the celluloid melting pot. The sudden turn in the foreign market situation whereby American producers must produce on foreign soil and distribute the efforts of foreign producers over here has put a cog in the wheel and has seriously interferred with well laid plans. The entrance of big multi-millionaires into the industry has caused worry to many of the magnates who have run the business, because these newcomers are in it to mount higher and higher and push aside any one who gets in their way. The money market is becoming worried and in order to appease the minds of these capitalists, studios have attempted economy measure, made gestures of good will, shaken hands with themselves and filled the newspapers with beautiful yarns of devotion and co-operation between studio, star, director and menial employee. Wall Street reads this fairytale and clamps the clamp down harder on the money till. With few exceptions, every studio in the business is financially troubled. They are resorting to every known measure, some extremely drastic in order to reduce expenses. But they are not eliminating the direct cause of this condition. When they throw out some of the hordes of incompetents, would-be supervisors and alleged master minds who continually waste money because they are inefficient and unworthy, the business will get back to a normal state. It is all very well for the various motion picture societies and Art Academy to shake hands and vow to do better the next time, but just as soon as a few months pass by the same chatotic condition returns. Few, if any, are sincere. It is a case of dog eat dog. The docile pup snaps at the hand that is feeding him at the first opportunity. We would not be at all surprised to see Wall Street bankers who are heavily interested financially in the industry, merging many of the film producing-distributing companies in order to stave off a financial crash. This crash is imminent. We would like to write in an optimistic vein but doing so would be misleading. T he only way out for the “experts” of the various studios is to engage independent producers of merit to produce pictures for them, or else engage some of these independents to snow them how to get value for the dollar spent. Laughing at the small independent is the big fellows suicide. The upper ten and the lower five are on the verge of becoming bedfellows. TAMAR LANE. ’ Quake Snaps Film Vienna — Films being shown in two Vienna theatres were snapped by two slight earth tremors which occurred recently. New Lake Comedy “Pins and Needles” is Arthur Lake’s latest one-reel comedy for Uffiversal. Max Kimmich is directing. New French Production Idea For Universal Paris — Carl Laemmle, president of the Universal Film Corporation, has arrived in Paris from New York on his way with his family to Laupheim, his summer home and native place in Germany. While in Paris Mr. Laemmle called on M. Herriot, the French Minister of Education and Fine Arts, and it is supposed that his call had reference to the proposal of Universal to make a big film on the French Revolution, in which scenes would be “shot” in France. The scenario would be prepared with the assistance of a leading French historian. Mr. Laemmle says he lias another project in mind. 'This is to make a film with an allroyal cast, every actor and actress in which would have a genuine title. In connection with this novel film project Mr. Laemmle will probably do some spade work while in Europe. After his holiday in Germany he plans to go to Rome to see Signor Mussolini. Edwin Bower Hesser With Mack Sennett Edwin Bower Besser, who has done artistic work in photographing stage and screen stars, has been engaged by Mack Sennett to devote his entire time to improvising novel and artistic effects for the comedy producer’s new releases, including the Sennett girl comedies and “The Romance of a Bathing Girl.” * * • David Selznick Gets New Post David O. Selznick, who who joined the M-G-M production force a few months ago as assistant to Harry Rapf, has been advanced to production supervisor. ♦ * * New Story Selected For Tim McCoy Film Tim McCoy’s next starring vehicle for M-G-M will be an original screen story called “Wyoming.” The picture will be directed by W. S. Van Dyke, who directed several of McCoy’s previous pictures. jli " TOM REED Titling “A Man's Past" Conrad Veidt’s First Starring Vehicle for UNIVERSAL Directed by George Melford Supervision Paul Kohner