Variety (June 1924)

w^Ai«<i*r» JvM 1^ i^cvirwESf' ''■•*>=.i^iH^«';-i ■*!'S'.M/lJ"Ti.» VASnrr EQUITY STARTING AFTER PICTURE HELD; FnH PLAYERS DEMANDING MORE SALARY Reprisal for Skut-Down of Sprlog—Salaries Asked Shooting Up—Frank Gillmore Expected in Hol- lywood This Month—Producers Committed to Announce Programs—Actors See Opportunity L>o8 Angeles, June 3. With the announcement that pro- duction of pictures Is to get under way heavily this mont.h, it has come to light Equity has t«en very active in the studios here. It is reported to have over 1,000 men»- bers added to Its ranks in the pic- ture branch of the aaaoclatlon. Numerous meetings of actors have been held, some secret and others rather open. All were held for the purpose of preaching the virtues of Equity and the inttuence It could have in the picture field. The result of these meetings has brought out that members of the association who are seeking posi- tions with the producers not alone are asking for more money than they had obtained In the past, but are asking that the contract be made out to read that not over 48 hours constitute a working week and all ivorklng tlmo over that be . iiaid for pro-rata. Variety has been Informed by a well-known screen player though at the present time the name of Equity ha« not been used by the actors i.i their deallnss with the producers, the organization will shortly make its plan known and Insist on an Equity pictiuro contract. The word has been passed arou»d among the screen actors that Prank Gillmore of Equity wHl ar- rive here durinc this month. At that tim» It is expected that GUI- more will coine out Into the open and make known the policy of E<iuity with reference to it* mem- l-^rs in the picture industry. It is also expected that ho will announce that efforts wUi be made to Equitlze the entire picture fleid. This endeavor has b^n made be- fore, but aothlng waa materially accomplished. Wcdgewood Noell. who la In charge of tho Hollywood ofllco for Equity, when aaked by Variety re- garding the movement, declared he did not care to dlscusa the matter at this time. He stated, however, Gillmore might arrive here shortly. The actor who conveyed the In- formation regarding the movement to Variety stated the producers thought they had out-amarted the actors when they suddenly shut down on production. Ho said the Famous Players-Lasky Players, iwhen shutting down some time ago, idid so to "throw a scare" into the actors, directors and artisans who \vork on the sets, whom r.-P. felt were demanding "outrageous" sal- aries. He said that now, whea the producers are announcing the big number of releases they are (oing to make, the actors and their co- horts are prepared to take retal- iatory measures. •They, figure that the producers laxist keep busy to bo in step^ with ~' their releases and to do so must get active at once. The screen actors feel that as long aa they were frozen out for a long time on account of the dearth of production they should make up for lost time. Players' Increases Or.= player (iohn Bowers), who always has been getting from $800 to $1,000 a week, has been asking $1,500 a week, while other feature players who have been getting ■ around $800 are asking $1,000 and more. The producers who are anx- ious to get started are holding off, figuring that if they will meet the demands at present of tha actors, production cost will run consider- ably more than they have figured on. An Independent producer re- __cently eent for a certain type of star for a feature he la maUing. Th^ fir.st woman npproaclied wanted $10,000 flat for the picture which he fis;ured on making in four week.s, while another who tuia been accus- tomiJ to $1,500 a week asked for $2,0»0. The niimerous af^onts handling stars and other players have th» nc'v sa^ry, llafs, ci»Xa,logt)^.) Wl»en a producer asks them why the sud- den tilt, the reply generally is the actors feel they have not had much work within the last year and that when there la an opportunity for an engagement they want to make up for lost time. Puramount is scheduled to do an unusual lot of production this month. Most of tha leads for its pictures are engaged, but others sent for by the casting department seem to havs raised their ante. On the UiLlted Studio grounds the different producers expect to get 11 pictures under way during June. Warner Brothers want to start off six, while at the Metro- Goldwyn lot they are calculating on at least 10 productions. Uni- versal and Fox are going along their regular routine and are mak- ing their average monthly allot- ment. At the Ince studios U is ex- pected that four pictures will be made during the month, while a number of independent producers as thalW*'^ are starting. EXHIBITOR AS HIS OWN BOSS TRADING FILM PRICES "U** and U. A. Hook-up on "Hunch- back* and "Robin Hood" An "exchange of sales figures'* proposition Is reported in force be- tween United Artists and Universal, with "Robin Hootf' and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" figur- ing in the exchange. Al Llchtman, head of distribution for "U," is anxious to have "The Hunchback" compare with the sales on thb ITairbanks feature. The salesmen In "U" exchanges have the figures of "Robin Hood" available, under this plan, and are pushing "Hunchnack" sales to the limit. KUMSKY EEWARDS MANAGEES Detroit, June 3. John H. Kunsky has rewarded two of his managers who have com- pleted ten years of continuous service. They are Thomas D. Moule, man- ager of the Capitol, Madison and Adams, and Mike Schmenseer, man- ager of tfte Columbia. Each received $1,000 in cash and a four weeks' trip to California, with all expenses paid. An exhibitor organlzatloo, national In its scope, received a bow Impetus in Bovton last w«A at th* annual coaventioo of tha M. P. T. a A. It was a business convention. PoUtlca played a part, but It was not the sort of a part one expected. It was a convention tiara»onk>as with too mucb Ikavmony If that is jMsslble. Something was started tbat bids fair to bring back the M. P. T. p. A. as a natioaal orcaiUsatto* to a decree maintained prior to the third aad fourth coaveatlon* which were the causes of splits In the ranks because of too much politics. The exhibitor, the tndependenet. If he could at anytime b« welded into a solTd whole, could go out and pretty much lay down the law to the producer and those exhibitors who are now getting tholr way in most everything that they try to put over. The Independents will have to be 100 per cent organized to do^ It, No half way ro«aflure wiU suflics. Tbe independent exblMtor must consider In hla organizatloB It should at all times be an exhtbltor- orgnnizatloi) and not one where exhibitor and distributor, eicchanga owner or producer are alt mixed up In the membership. That waj really the cause of the spUt In tbe past la the organiza- tion. There was too much outside influence wielded from Interests that controlled exchancea; aa well as theatres, and they were not tiew Nork particularly. As aa organisation tbe M. P. T. O. A., for that matter any other organization of exhibttora^ «ho«ld be an exhibitor-organization and the exchange and produelBg foreea idiould be put outside of the asso- ciation. The exblbltera can never hove to have a real erganiaatlo* or to have anytblaff like eencerted effort la their organiaatioM uatil they do this. In Boston thlRga vent alopc very smoothly. A new form of organlzatLoa vaa conicelved. adopted and placed Into offeet and at the same time plana lor flnaaclac it were also worked out aad adopted. It wUI have to go ftartber thaa tbat. The money to oiMrate aaaat come In beforo tbe exbtbltora can axpect that they are (oing te achieve anythlnc. Meaey Is tbe aeeesslty for any aggreoeire orgsnl- nation and the plans as K was ootUned"seems a simple one. It doesn't place too great a burden on tb* reaourcea of any exhibitor when be considers it la tbe best fona of busiaeas Insurance be ca» pooathty take out. If the exhibitor at larce want* t» rua his ow% theatre he wtR have to kick in to hla OAklonMl orgttmlamtimt, and If he wants to be bOM of his own business that reprsssa t a his tavestment be wUl reattae it. NEW gujoi noass SHOWN AT LOS ANGEIES V' r Thomat-Leoiiard Process Re- suit of Nine Years' Ex- perimenting JESSE LASKY SAILINO It la reported Jeswe L>. L>a.<<ky ex- pects to sail today (Wednesday) on the Berengaria, ROSEMARY DAVIES, STAR Sister of Marion Davtes Under Con- tract for Four Production* Rosemary Daviea. alstar of Marlon, is to be starred la plotitt-eo by IVed Wlehl Productions, negotiations having been consuaunated at tbe offices of the Metropolitan Caatlng Company, on West 44tb street Miss Davles* contract calls fbr four productions, tbe first a aereea version of Sir Bulw^r liyttoa'a "Alice," to be directed by Prank Donovan, and distributed by tbe Selznick Distributing Company. Although new to film stardom Miss Davles is not Without film ex- perience. When attending college she passed up a prospective con- tract from D. W. Grlffltb to continue her studies. After leaving school she appsared In two Ziegfeld produotloaa. MURDERER CONVICTED KiUar of Peter Hall tent te PriM» for Lif« . ' Lansing, MIeh., June 9. Martin Woehler, 19, of St Louis, has been convicted of first-degree mwrder In ooanectlon with the kill- ing «f Peter HaTI, local theatre manager, In an attempted hoM-up in tha Plaza theatre box-ofllce last December. - * Th* jury deliberated two hours before bringing in a verdict. The decision marked tha culmination of ttire* trtala, due to jury disagree mena. Judge Le^.and Carr sentenced Woehler to life Imprisonment at Jackffon. Woehler and his cousin killed HaU when the latter resisted their efforta to rob htm. The cousin, William Baumgartner, also of St. Louis, paid fbr the shooting with hla life when he sent a bullet through his heart as he faced certain capture the oaomlng after the murder. Woehler. a debonair youtb, dis- played BO apparent emottoa upon tbe announclag of tbe verdict Two women were ntemkers of the jury which convicted Woehler, while there were no women on tbe previous juries falling to reach a verdict. Ijos Angeleo, June t. The Spectro-Colcar method, a new means of anaking and projecting natural colored films, recently pat- ented by William Thomas, ha£ Its first showing before an audience at the CaHfornia. It wawi la tde torm of an SM-foot abort sabject featur- ing AAnette KeOeraoan and girl* in a niwvbar of iihysioal culture and diving feait*. Thomas ha* been working on this natural color process for nine years, and from observations seems to have simplified the method of making: and prodectiag natural colored BMllon pictures to the extent that It will be feasible for any concern to produce them without extra cost and ustng the same raw stock for negative and positive print* as 1.4 used for the regular featuras. The projection portion of the matter Is Very simple, as It only reaulres the adjuottng of na aperture and doubl* ten*, wMcb can be done without dltfBetilly or rendjustotent of the prod*ctlo« head. Aa a ftni«Mied produot th* OIbb I* "black and whtte^ in appeeorance, and tbe same a* any ordinary stock. Trom observatlMi t. look* no differ- ent than tb* ethar finished aim product. Tb* method in trbtoh th* natural color I* carried to th* screen lA through the attachcnent of a color manlpnlatlsc nppOanoe. Ave Ineheai In diameter, t» the extension arm o4 any motion ptetuc* camera where, the Iris is oarrted. TbU t»doae with tbe use of n fiasibl* drive cahl*;^ vUcb c*nn*fef with tb* crank ad tha camarau that prow** t* b* th* mean* ef prodaetnc tha antoral coiar vahMS on th* »egntiv% vWeh to th* nnked >y* nr* bMMk and wM«*^ A* the same thn*^ as no djr** or eolar- ing are uasd, tt produoas n normal negative »btch aak* a po*lttT» print In the aam* manner, and tim*, a# tbe rair stock which 1* aioir used for black and whit* ia att Inbocatorie*., Th* projecting o< Stm* nnder th* Thoasaa> Leonard praaa— npvea«a to he a aimple feat, a* w«* demon- strated to the reporter with n. normal machine. Ttapoaitlve print '' passes throHgb the maobtne In tb^ usual manner, with th* us* of a , . double op«nlnc and * oombiantUm lens, which «r* attachad and de- ', tached Inatantly. The double apperture, attached to the film r<Ke in the back of the pro- jection head instead of the single i aperture, brings out tbes* two pic- ture* simultaneously, *o that they '■ are picked up by th* douUe len« and projected and superpoaod a* one ' solid pictura 1a Its natural oolo^. CHINESE-INBIAS OIBL San Francisco, June >. Anna May Wong, Chlneae picture astre**, who has been featured In several Hollywoo'd productions, ar- rived In San Francisco, her native city, this week en route to the Far florth, where she Is going to work OB "location" for "The Alask9,n." tbe outdoor scenes of which are to l>e "shot" la their actual locale. In this picture Miss Won« Is cast for an Indian glrl. OTHER KIPLING STORIES Maitde Adan»* May 8*0Mr* Th*m Abroad Until the return of Maude Adiuna from Elurop* nothing will b* don* at present upon the propoaed pic- turlzation of Rudyard KlpUng'a "Kim." which Mia* Adama baa de- cided to produce for the screen. Beauvnla Fox. formerly dramatie editor of th* New York "Tribune.'* la now in charg* of the publlcitjr bureau of tbe Guild. During her atay abroad Artama ta la rnaiatant cenf* with Kipling regarding th* "Ktan**^ prodactfon. and it ia .not unlUtety ah* Bsay obtain an option upon^oHMf Rlpllng atorles. ROSEMARY DA VIES Nife]^^0y,,«T*?V'.<I^.W0y(M^*S AND SISTER OF MAfMON IXENE FKANKLIN'S S0N6 Chicago, j^ne t. Irene Franklin has written three songs, one of which is "I Wanted a Cav« Man." dedicated to Imogen© Wilson, who c.iu«ed Franlc Tinney'3 arrest. Miss FranUUn Is busy a.s a writer In addition to her other dutlen. She Is under contract to write travel tet- t^^ fpJloTvlng^ ^hcr, de|j>art|«e^ f^r LOTUS KATEE'S STATEXEIT Los Angelea, Jnne 3. . Louis Mayer yenterday Isaned a statement on behalf of Metro-Qold- wyn, stating the merged oonoerna wlU spend $lS,00e.0«O during this year on fifty releases. An expansion ot construction will take fn several buildingA much equipment auid give eaiploymeat to 7,000 peeple, say* the Mayer an- nouncement. HISS CLAYTOirS COHEBACK _ Marguerite Clayton, former screen star in retlretrent for several ye»r* is going to stage a comebaoi' She has been placed u^' con-, tract by Hunt Strookberg < id will appear in support of Harry Carey fur Ho<lkinson, dtracte^ b^ E^()ev«f ("B^ee?y"> ^seA • it •; i w»-' iit'