The Moving Picture Weekly (1920-1921)

16 The Moving Picture Weekly august 20, 1921 UNIVERSAL WILL TAKE NO PART IN MOTION PICTURE DAY R. H. Cochrane, Vice-president, Declares that the Universal is Entirely out of Sympathy with the Plan RH. COCHRANE, vice-president of the Universal , Film Manufacturing Co., and in executive charge while Carl Laemmle is in Europe, issued on Monday the following statement: "The Universal is decidedly not in favor of Motion Picture Day, nor will it have anything to do with that movement. Let's look the situation squarely in the face: "In the first place, the exhibitors are not doing such a land office business that they can afford to give up a day's receipts or any part of a day's receipts for the Motion Picture Day Fund. "In the second place, the distributors are not having such a rush of prosperity that they can give up one day's receipts for that purpose or any other. "In the third place, from the very beginning we have opposed this movement because it was launched without due regard for its possible consequences. Imagine the effect among crooked politicians all over the United States if such a fund were built up. The very thought of so much money would make their mouths water. They would resort to the old trick of introducing adverse legislation in every legislature in the United States in the hope of being "bought off" with money from a rich national fund, such as the Picture Day Fund plan calls for. "So far the moving picture industry has fought a clean fight against all sorts of adverse legislation. It has won more battles than it has lost, by long odds. The very fact that it has been a clean fight, without bribery or corruption, has permitted us to hold up our heads and look every would-be crooked politician squarely in the eye. It strikes us as the height of folly to have even the appearance of evil in our ranks, for it assuredly would look as though there were something rotten in our methods if we were to raise a huge fund to fight crookedness. "What we need in all fights against fake reformers and politicians is the active help and influence of all exhibitors and their screens for the purpose of pitiless publicity. We do not know of any occasion when the exhibitors have refused such help when properly appealed to. Let the exhibitors and distributors and prrducers fight each other as much as they like on all other questions, but let them fight as a unit when it comes to questions of outside interfei'ence or oppression. Self-preser\'ation will compel them to fight side by side whether they want to or not; and that is more than all the Motion Picture Day Funds in the world can do. "The Universal is out of the movement completely and will take no cognizance of it in any way whatever." Zoo Chief in Accident A. C. Stecker, chief of the Universal City arena, tore his little finger off at the big knuckle when he jumped from the top of a training cage in an effort to land on a ferocious lion. His signet ring caught on a nail, throwing his entire weight on the finger. He was rushed to the Good Samaritan Hospital, where he is being cared for. The accident occurred in the filming of "Terror Trail," a serial in which Eileen Sedgwick is starred. Stecker's idea was to hurl himself on the lion to strangle it into submission in order to save the life of Miss Sedgwick, who was alone with him in the cage. Thalberg Emulates ''OneArmed PaperHanger'' The industry is in pretty tough shape. There are only nine companies working at Universal City. Four other directors are cutting recent productions and preparations are being made to begin work on new stories as soon as the big plant can catch up with the special attractions that are now being speeded to the screen. Irving G. Thalberg, general manager at the studio, is enjoying the slack time as it gives him part of every Sunday morning off and sometimes two evenings a month. Dean 's Gametiess Praised "She's as game as a United States Marine." That is what members of Priscilla Dean's Universal Expeditionary Force said of the famous star w-hen the outfit rolled into Universal City after four gruelling weeks in British Columbia, where the principal scenes for "Conflict," Miss Dean's forthcoming Universal-Jewel feature, were directed by Stuart Paton. The traveling troupe is with Priscilla to a man. "She slept on the ground, ate the grub without squawking, worked like a Trojan and made everyone around her happy!" said one of the bunch. "Some star," said Irving G. Thalberg when he heard of it. "Set aside at least one day a week for Universal pictures" 52 Universal Special Attractions this year.