Motion Picture News (Nov-Dec 1925)

December 5 , 1925 2641 Lasky Reorganizes Production Forces on Unit System Paramount Junior Stars Commence First Picture FALLOWING the conference of the recent Paramount conven vice-president, this week anno mount producing forces, under whic charge of the various units. The made by Mr. Lasky : Hector Turnbull, William Le Ba sociate producers and will be in cha Turnbull and Mr. Schulberg will be studio in Hollywood, and Mr. Le tion in the Long Island studio. Charles Eyton, as already anno foreign representative of the produ Europe to make arrangements for Walter Wanger continues as general manager of the Production Department and Edwin C. King as general manager of the Long Island studio. Victor H. Clarke has been appointed general manager of the Lasky studio. Ralph Block, managing editor of the editorial department, has been appointed supervising editor at the Long Island studio as a member of Mr. Le Baron's staff. Lloyd Sheldon will be senior supervising director at the Long Island studio and other supervising directors, besides Mr. Block, will be Tom J. Geraghty, Julian Johnson, Townsend Martin and Luther Reed. On the West Coast Lucien Hubbard will be senior supervising editor and his associates will be Garnet Weston and Kenneth Hawks. Henry Salsbury continues as manager of exhibition and distribution relations in the Home Office and John W. Butler as manager of the production department's Home Office. '•For the last several months." said Mr. Lasky. "We have been working out plans for our coming group of productions. We bave evolved an organization of the producing department which gives us the prodneing brains of some of the ablest showmen in the picture business, and our reorganization makes it possible to give even greater individual attention to ach production." Hector Turnbull, associate producer of the Lasky studio, comes to his new position following ten years of successful work in the producing end of motion pictures. Leaving the New York Tribune, of which he was dramatic critic, he joined the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company in 1915 and almost immediately won recognition as the author of original screen stories, among them "The Cheat," which was the first original photoplay to secure a world-wide success. When Adolph Zukor and Jesse L. Lasky merged their producing forces in the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, Turnbull went with the new organization and has remained with it ever since, except for a period of two years when he was serving his country during the war. He enlisted early as a private, saw plenty of active service ■overseas with the Twenty-seventh Division and was discharged a captain. For the last the production department heads at tion in Chicago, Jesse L. Lasky, first unced a new line-up of the Parah three associate producers will have following appointments have been ron and B. P. Schulberg will he asrge of actual studio production. Mi-. the producing heads of the Lasky Baron will be in charge of produc unced, has been appointed general ction department and will leave for production there. two years he has supervised production at Paramount's West Coast studio. B. P. Schulberg, associate producer at the Lasky studio, was with the original Famous Players from its inception. After seven years with the organization, first as head of the publicity, advertising and scenario departments, and then as general manager of Paramount, he resigned in 1918 to become an independent producer. He produced close to 100 pictures, and, despite Hunted resources, won recognition for the large number of box office success to his credit, including such pictures as "Rich Men's Wives," "Shadows" and "The Virginian." His last production before returnin? to Paramount was "The Girl Who Wouldn't Work." During his career as a producer he was the discoverer of much brilliant directorial and player talent. He brought out two directors who were instantaneous successes. William A. Wellman and Marcel de Sano, and developed such screen personalities as Clara Bow, Donald Keith, Alyce Mills and Gilbert Rowland. Throughout the industry he is recognized as the new type of showman-producer and is credited with having an unusual box-office mind. In the Eastern studio, which has made an enviable record for artistic and box-office successes, Mr. Le Baron's production abilties will have full scope. Editor, damatist and showman, Mr. Le Baron quickly established himself in the motion picture business as a production expert of brilliant ideas and showmanship, and a series of extremely successful productions has resulted from his work. Victor H. Clarke, general manager of the Lasky studio, has been with the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation in important capacities for the last five years. Before coming to the corporation in 1920, he had wide experience as an executive. Following his graduation from the University of Illinois in engineering, he entered into general construction engineering work, which culminuated at the beginning of the war in his being placed in charge of the construction of one of the larger of the army cantonments. Following the armistice he went with Stone & Webster in an executive capacity. Shortly after joining Famous Players in 1920 he was made general manager of the Long Island studio and a year later was transferred to the Pacific Coast as assistant to Mr. Lasky. Since the organization of the Producers Association in 1922, he has been the representative of Famous Players in that body and in 1924 served as vicepresident. On Monday of this week the Paramount Junior Stars of the Paramount Picture School started work on their first production, tentatively titled "Glorious Youth," being directed by Sam Wood from a story by Byron Morgan — the combination which made many of Wallace Reid's outstanding pictures. A reception and tea was held for the press on Monday afternoon at the Paramount Long Island studio at which the Junior Stars were introduced to the writers. Prior to commencement of production, options were taken on the 16 students under which those whose work in this first picture is satisfactory will be given five year contracts calling for a total remuneration of $76,050, on a sliding scale starting at $75 a week and mounting for $500, witli a yearly option clause. Mastbaum Denies Reports Stanley Co. is to Sell to Fox; Fox Buys Whitehurst Chain JULES E. MASTBAUM, head of the Stanley Co. of America, this week denied that that corporation was to pass into the control of William Fox, as reported earlier in the week. In response to a query from Motion Picture News, Mr. Mastbaum wired: "Reported deal with Fox absolutely without foundation." This sets at rest reports that Fox was seeking to obtain control of the Stanley Co. for a consideration said to be S7, 000,000. In sixty days, however, the Whitehurst theatres in Baltimore will pass to the Fox Theatre Corporation. This includes the Century, the New, the Parkway and the Garden. Strong competitive bidders for the group are understood to have been the Stanley Co. of America, Loew's, Inc., and Famous Players. Both the Loew circuit and the Stanley-Crandall interests have intended building in Baltimore for some time, but these plans have been held in abeyance pending possible acquisition of the Whitehurst chain. Now, presumably, they will go forward with new construction. Fox will build in St. Louis, it is understood. Meanwhile, Goldman and Skouras Brothers are seeking additional neighborhood houses in that city.