We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
36
SCREENLAND
and floor lamps, and hung out his sign as an "independent producer.'' Forewarned of his San Francisco activities a young woman friend of mine paid him a visit to learn, if possible, what he had up his sleeve for Los Angeles investors. Let her tell her experience:
"It was 9 in the morning when I entered, and already half a dozen prospective clients were waiting for Mr. McKeen, president, secretary and board of directors of the 'picture company.'
"At 11 o'clock Mr. McKeen entered, walked quickly and obliviously past the waiting roomful and shut the door of his office. Then the buzzer began ringing, and one by one the sheep filed in.
"When my turn came to enter the sanctum, the first thing which struck me was the personality of McKeen. A handsome man, with dark hair, close clipped moustache, and regular features, there was a magnetism about him which lent conviction to his words and compelled liking of the man himself.
" 'Your name?' he interrogated.
" 'Marjorie Gray,' I replied promptly.
" 'How do you do, Marjorie,' he smiled, shaking my hand warmly and waving me courteously to a chair.
" 'So you want to get into pictures.' He looked at me closely, yet with a friendly twinkle in his dark eyes.
" 'Take off your hat. Marjorie.' T did.
" 'Turn sideways. That's right. Now stand over there. How tall are you? Five feet four. Hm. Just about right." He paused thoughtfully.
" 'You have an almost classical profile. A face that would screen well. Are you athletic? Swim, play tennis a lot? That's fine. Always wear your hair straight?'
"He smiled engagingly when I declared that waves were too expensive for stenographers.
•' 'Now. Marjorie, are you in a position to support yourself for a few weeks?' he inquired.
" 'Yes, I could manage that all right,' I told him.
" 'You don't have a car, do you?' This very casually.
"I explained about my Ford, adding that I also was the proud possessor of a bank account.
" T think you'll do, Marjorie,' he announced decisively. And he went rapidly into plans for photographs a screen
tryout and spoke alluringly of an opening in the cast of the company's next production."
"Marjorie Grey" did not return to become a film star, as per appointment, however. She knew a little more about Mr. McKeen's company than Mr. McKeen suspected.
To enumerate all the production schemes for exchanging hard cash for soft opportunities in film investment would be a tedious task.
There was an Albany man who cleaned up about $40,000 in two years. His favorite scheme, according to the New York attorney general, was selling managerships in branch offices of "King Films."
There were three others accused by W. H. Kollman of Los Angeles with selling him a two-thirds interest in the "Cinema Stars Company." a movie publicity concern that did not exist.
There was Regal Brady, president of the Desert Feature Film Corporation, who had a jail cell as office for a time when five cowboys declared they had paid him $100 a share for stock he was selling to others for $1 a share.
There were any number of others who clinched with the law. And twice as many again who were careful to keep inside the law. There are some SO studios in Los Angeles. And just 19 of them are occupied by legitimate, recognized producing companies. The remainder occasionally house regular producers, but most of the time are headquarters for production companies with stock to sell and little other aim in life.
The moral is: There's no easy money in the movies. That is, except for the "producers" who collect it and give nothing in return. And even they, as you see. frequently wind up in jail.
Real money made in motion pictures is the result of sweat and prayers and watchful waiting. And you have to have a fortune to play with from the beginning.
Remember that the only successful small movie stockselling proposition in film history was the New Bedford Whaling corporation, which produced "Down to the Sea in Ships." Its third dividend to stockholders equalled the amount originally paid for stock. Yet the original investments were tied up for two years. And "Down to the Sea in Ships" was one of the high spots of last year's films.
The safe rule is: Don't buy movie stock unless it's listed on 'Change. And don't buy it then unless vou can get along very well without the money.
01 A dilapidated street exterior on the ill-fated Brentwood lot, where King and Florence Fidor produced when they first came to Hollywood. With the great success of the Fidors to point to, it lias been easy to convince unwary investors that this was the place where fortunes could he made.