Motion Picture Classic (Jul-Dec 1930)

Some Like Stardom But Others? I _^/) DOLORES COSTELLO •."®[L®[SD®(!D§ ©S-ffSr /^ffMPHdtet Witt) CONRAD NAOEL .tf^(a4(io. "THUR APR .^kn-^ALL TALKING 9*^ X MARRIAGE PIAYGROUND MARY BRIAN w FREDRIC MARCH # Norma Shearer's name was several times more attractive than "The Divorcee." The names of Mary Brian and Fredric March meant less than "The Marriage Playground." Dolores Costello rated slightly more than "Glorious Betsy" featured player may find his role cut to the "bit" classification. As a salve to his vanity, the industry then refers to it as a "featured bit." A nice custom. More often, however, the bit players are the ones who solve our screen servant problem, essaying as they do the characterization of butlers, maids, valets and the like. Then there are the extras. They feel their prominence in the social scale as keenly as the rest. At least, they are on a rung higher than just "atmosphere." As near as I can gather, the distinction extras assume from the mob rests in the fact that they are ordered by the dozen rather than in carload lots. Their faces in a cafe scene may be indistinguishable, but at least they receive pay checks as individuals. "Atmosphere" is contracted for as a group, acts as a group, and are paid off each day in cash — in a group. They are merely the crowd in the grandstand or the mob at the castle gates. "Why," you say at this juncture, "that isn't difficult. Anyone with half an eye can see who's who in the social register of filmdom. What's hard about vtV Upsetting the Formula UNFORTUNATELY, there are several complications that must be taken into account. The A B C's of stardom are rigidly observed in Hollywood, but your local theater manager frequently upsets the tradition. The name of a sectional favorite means money to his boxoffice. He knows who will draw the most patronage, so he usurps the privilege of conferring stardom as he sees fit in newspaper advertising and billboards. The most amusing instance I know of such billing occurred in the Negro section of Los Angeles. Oscar, the colored bootblack at Paramount, has an enormous fan following in this locality. Consequently, a small theater literally plastered the district with handbills reading: "Tonite Oscar Smith in 'Man Power' with R. Dix." More recently comes the report of a Lynchburg, Va., exhibitor, who made Anita Page the star of "Caught Short" and scarcely mentioned Marie Dressier and Polly Moran in the advertising. The marquee of a Minneapolis theater read "Mitzi Green and Clara Bow in 'Love Among the Millionaires.'" Clara was lucky to retain co-stardom. The studios have little control over the situation. All they can do is to request adherence to proper billing. In the posters and advertising matter they distribute and on the title frames of the release prints, the billing is correctly given. As a matter of fact, in the majority of cases the credits are worked out in percentages. For example, the cast sheet of the Warner Brothers' production of "Moby Dick" reads John Barrymore ioo%, title 75%, Joan Bennett (featured) 50%, Lloyd Hughes and other members of the supporting cast 20%. The director generally receives 20% billing, the author 3% and the adapter 2%. All of which means that the star's name in type is to be full-size and the picture's title three-quarters, while the leading lady's name is only half as large. The director's billing varies according to his box-office draw. Ernst Lubitsch, D. W. Griffith and Cecil de Mille frequently take 100% and precedence over the picture's title. In a number of instances these qualifications in type percentages are written into the actor's contract. Now Starred, Now Featured TO become even more involved: Stars sometimes accept roles in important productions and as a result receive only feature billing. Generally the cause of (Continued on -page 78) 74