Variety (July 1919)

W:'*-'-'-- ■ ■!'"'■ ■ ; - 1 "■■' i! '' -:' : ^-:v '■v i ;;i",'-'-' i '. - ^^'.'v^KiJ*'^''''- '•'■•'' ''•■■. ■ : ■'.'■■ '■■'■■ : ■''"■ : '''' i'^^'- JJ '-'^"i'^ ■.'■'•''''/'. ;./>'l ■•.>'•.'"■ ''.'.'■v.'-,,-" '."-^W ■ :s '::^\j :r -;* ; -?W^ : :'*%:^4$&''&i^ : '&^J ■■ ■'v^v^^ i ■'■'■• ■■■..', .' '■ '. ■'. ':■■'.'•■' ■■'■■■' \ \ : : ■■':':'. ' '. '■'' ' : -: -" ■"•/;-' ... ■. '. ■.''.''.•■''•'...''■. .''''.•''■ ■•' ■ ■' ' .' '.■'.' *■'.'■•' ' ■' ■ . '■ -.'.''. •'■■* -i.' : - : \ I MOVING PICTURE DBPARTM^ PAGES 42 TO 50 4 £t^^ ^-^s^w^iw ■■3.0 k: ■ . ■ **-W ! -■ ■■-■■ ■">: ; ■:■■«..>; :• ' ^■■-.■\ :.<.,;--■.:..■ r.-rr,--;: -, AUTHORS LEAGUE WARNING AGAINST PICTURE PRODUCERS Advises Members Not to Do Business with Motion Picture Folk' Without Cash in Advance. Say That Reports of .; : . Big Money for Stories Is Only Propaganda. Pub- lication Only Real Protection. v.- >: i. . Sj! *•::, mi .. sfv MS V V. Set* ■.,. ■ ■ ■ £§§ ' ■''■;: •■: ■': ■- . v ; "t" ';. :;< * ! The psycopathic ward at Bellevue and the delirim tremens section of the same buggy retreat are as decorous and intelligent as an informal meeting of John D. Rockefeller's golf retainers compared with the, maundering obli- quities now'making an inferno of the motion picture scenario field, accord- ing to the Authors' League, which yes- terday sent broadcast to .its members supplementary injunctions to beware negotiations of any kind with picture producers, save when.at least one third cash down payment was made on matter up for sale. The red flag of the League's shep- herds was drawn from, its sheath be- cause of the atractive blaze's most of the big picture producing firms are flashing just now. with crtes for play matter at the authors' own prices, and the announcement by the Famous Players-Lasky combination it has just annexed Eugene Walter and Max Marcin, at salaries akin to the Presi- dent of the U. S., and a counter offen- sive by the Goldwyn people that they have through their new association with the Goldsol \ arid Shubert money sewed up for films the plays of A. H. Woods, the Selwyns and the Shuberts. The Authors' League warns authors against the picture manufacturer, that he is paying as little as ever, and noth- ing when he can make honeyswoggle pass for currency, and the League quotes specific instances of outright dishonesty. The Marcin-Walter-Famous Player- Lasky deal is said by the Leagues' spokesmen to be rather in a state of negotiation than of consummation, and that its consummation may never occur. Also, it is pointed out that the re- cent F.-P.-L. vaunt of its capture of the Charles Frohman play vaults must be accepted in the nature of advertis- ing propaganda, as the Frohman plays were sold once before to a combina- tion that started to produce them at the Mutual-Empire studios at Glen- dale, L. I., with John C. Freuler acting for the M., and Al. Hayman for the Frohmans, and that moreover six of the plays were produced and went into quick and unprofitable oblivion, ac- cording to the Freuler report. The League doesn't say that Marcin as a dramatic creative asset isn't a high power value to the F. P. L. group if it gets him, nor attempt to minimize the play voltage of Walter, but Broadway, asserting it is keeping true to facts, says that Marcin's first success, "A House of Glass" was made / successful by George Cohan's collab- oration, a fact proved by a split of royalties, and that "Cheating Cheat- ers'" royalties were so ponderous that Marcin sold out to Goldsol fairly with- in, the week of the .play's production;: moreover that most of Walters' plays have been in court as to first author- ship and that even if both writers rep- resented the 100 percent, dynamos the picture men would attach to them, the playwrights at best, according to past performances require a year, or even longer to turn out a successful play. The warning of the A. L. carries with it the suggestion that authors shun the m. p. scenario field absolutely until the authors' wares have seen publication. Then, protected by U. S. copyright, the picture scenario depart- departments will take less liberties with proffered material, and the ma- terial itself, by reason of its publica- tion, will demand a reasonable price. The same street criers that vivisect the Marcin-Walters-F. P. L. situation as well as the Goldwyn-Woods-Sel- wyn-Shubert deal say that the play vaults of all three of the theatrical firms have already been shot to pieces, and point to attenuated play lists of the trio suitable for film adaptation, and stick their index fingers sharply at the Advanced Motion Picture Corpora- tion started by Lee Shubert two years ago that had to go begging for its ma- terial to outside sources, eventually falling back upon the Buck novel, "The Battle Cry," later released by Pathe under the title, "Her Man," and filming besides "The Co-respondent" a Shu- bert production that had failed as a play, as well as "The Eleventh Com- mandment," an adaptation of a manu- script by Grant Stuart that had never seen play form, named in its original form, "The Narrow Path." Authors are also viewing with mixed and negative emotions the prospects of submitting their scripts, whether for plays or scenarios, to other authors at the head of their depart- ment in a big film concern, with the chance of having the script returned, but only after they have bee'n read by the same authors. COSTLY LEAK LOCATED. A gum shoe that left a trail despite the shrewd cunning of its wearer to blur the outlines, resulted in' the dis- covery Monday that one of the' biggest of the film makers was losing through a certain- exchange a lot of money from films that worked hard but not for father. The discovery has since led to an exhaustive investigation of all the ter- ritories of the .concern—24—with the employment of secret sleuths, and the uncovering of a general small specu- lation in more than 50% of the zones of this particular firm. Noised about among other producers, the incident started the long distance 'phones - and special night delivery 'graph w ( ires of the country on a.spree, with the result that a better check- back system against exchanges will undoubtedly be formulated and put in action by at least several of the stand- ard manufacturers before the new sea- son gets really under way. ■ In the speculation, an average of $10 per day was first discovered to have found its way to the pocket of a certain -exchange employe. The further, .investigation developed that like small sums were being held out pretty much all along the manufac- turer's entire frontiers. No records of these small sums were ever made, because the film was handed out usu- ally on a 'phone order and at short notice, often as the result of a delayed shipment from another producer in- cluded in the consumer's program. Being deals between acquaintances located in the same towns, often where the friendship item cut ice, both as to the price made and the silence and confidence implied, pie* ture got out of the exchange and back without the cop on the beat be- ing disturbed by the.transaction. The grossing of the possibility of losses annually if the average were extended showed the manufacturer that in his 24 territories with an aver- age of 20 territories each, he could lose in a year any part of a quarter of a million dollars. C. De Soria Gem Stage Mgr. for F. P. Charles De Soria has been appointed general stage manager for the new Moss-Famous Players-Lasky picture house circuit. De Soria was the first chief eltctri- cian at the Hip. Converting Hunt's Palace Into Studio. Frank G. Hall has leased the old Hunt's Point Palace, 163d street and Southern boulevard and will start im- mediately converting the premises into a picture studio. The lease calls for six years' occu- pancy at an annual rental of $125,000. B'KLYN STRAND BOOKINGS. The bookings for the new Strand, : Brooklyn, when it opens Aug. 30, may pi prove troublesome to some one. It is located at Fulton street and Rockwell place, about six blocks away from Loew's Metropolitan. The Strand"*; seats 2,500. It is the' largest house J over the bridge, excepting the Met, 5 that seats around 4,000. Max Spiegel, of New York, is in-" terested in the Strand, Brooklyn, also the Strand, New York. The Brook-; ! lyn theatre wishes to play pictures day . and date with the New York Strand, That brings. it into conflict with the^ Loew Circuit, which books the Metro-' politan and has in all 70 days or more it can play a feature. It is reported , the Loew people may sidestep any picture given .the two Strands, if it is to play the Brooklyn Strand concurrent ; with the Loew time, or before it could reach the Metropolitan. g The story said the matter had not been settled up to the middle of this week. .-.--.-J aL The proposed new Keith theatre, Brooklyn, is to be situated on Fulton street, between the Strand and Metro- m politan. j ' . v-'Sr IMPORTANT COPYRIGHT SUIT. j. Hartley Manners has started a . suit against Famous Players-Lasky on; the production of "Peg O' My Heart.":: The picture rights of the play have™ been a bone of contention between Mr. Manners and Oliver Morosco for over r v a year, and the U. S. Circuit Court of— Appeals decided the picture rights were- vested in Morosco. He in turn dis- posed of them to F. P>L. ' Mr. Manners, the author, now sues , the picture producers on the grounds they have produced a garbled version of his play. His contention is that his contract forbade any alterations being made in the presentation of the piece other than were set forth in his orig- inal manuscript. F. P.-L. has completed the pro due- '.7 tion of "Peg," but is holding up the release pending the litigation. The case is of such an importance picture interests have called in Nathan Burkan: to handle, their side of the case, he being the leading legal light on copy- right law in the East. Anita Stewart Company Coming Eaat. The Anita Stewart Company fs on its way to New York to produce at least one picture in the East. The or- ganization is due here today. AL ST. JOHN A STAR. Al St. John, side partner of "Fatty" Arbuckle for the last three years, hasvv been signed by Warner Bros, for five years, and will be starred in a series of picture comedies, to be released through Famous Players-Lasky. St. John, one of the original Key- stoners, has been forging ahead stead- ily since joining Arbuckle and is now rated as one of the best box office cards in the comedy division. St. John's * Warner contract, it is understood, will ,- net him in the neighborhood of $250,000 a year. His salary with Keystone, six :; years ago, was $75 a week.