Variety (August 1925)

^'^i'^ •"a»>'. >',IBKiiatX1ff:-l s-^jjnj*,-- ^^'^'. ,^-^.jx.\^mK- "5^.^' A' fe «?•:■ I---. VARIBTY PICTURES ■^r ?^fi?^(5»3iK^ «t*^W»r-if«' ^;^/ln«I^v -" WediiMdax, Aufi^Uit 18, 192^ ,1 I "^"^^-T^ INSIDE STDFF .,«s;<i;ii,. r« ■•V PNPIPTURE$ M«tro-Oo1dwyn In Itii'catnpatgrn to turn out product at wh&t is said to b« an average of $7.5,000 per picture, has set an 18 to )tO-day shoot-' Inx schedule with a 8cor« of new, and. In some instances, untried, dlrec-j tors used to make the pictures, practically every one necesaitatinK Mtakes reported, as CMtlr. It is said tb« chief executive at the studio and his two assistants feel tlhat the student director, of whom ther have many on the lot, betnf a ne^ perspective to the industry and possibly can turn out a better box office attraction than the old line director. They have had severail of these directors on some of the latter pictures. It was flgrured by the •tudlo heads that by using the 18 to 20-day schedule with the directors following religiously the sequence treatment that has been furnished them, that they could not go amiss. However, should the picture as they turn It out prove to necessitate retslces, it was calculated It would Im cheaper than to have a more expensive director maks the picture •nd take a muoh longer time. It Is said that John M. Staht, ■Who has been on the lot making pic-< tures occasionally, has been used most of the time during the past fev^ ' tttonths making retakes. Several others of the tilfher priced din»ct^s under contract Wet« also used for these puri>oses. One of the ease* li'here a sgtan mads Us last picture for the Arm' and Which necessltatMl^ retakes was that of the picture "Don't," the las^ Rupert Hiighes picture for Motro-Ooldwyn, which Alf Ooulding directed. It yraa necessary to.use X90 retakes and added scenes before the picture was completed. On account of the manner in which the studio execu« lives handle the picture, Hughes is reported to have ended his relation4 with the concern by walking oft thfs lot, and Ooulding also leaving lo g<) with Mack Sennett, - In the ease of "The Circle," which Frank JEtorcage made prior to setter* tng his relations with the organisation, it was necessary to chahge th4 ' story alwut and have a large number of scenes retaken by other director4 The latest case of rushing a picture thirough and necessitating a.lsni number of retakes la that of the llarioa Davies picture. "Idghts of Old Broadway," which Monta Bell dlreeted. Marshall Meitan, who returned to the lot to make a picture tor the oonoern. was called upon wl>ile waJtlnr for his story to take hold of the Davies picture and make around §$ retakes, which he is doing at the present time. Bell, on the other , hand. left the lot to go to the Flunous Players' studio, where he wltt make "The King of Main Street" starring Adolph Menjou, before returni- tng to the M.-0. plant. j It is said that there Is hardly a pteture of the new M.-O. 'U-*M pro- ductions crop that has not required the services of a "doctor" tor whlpf>ing It into shape. Ttie retaking of scenes and reithaping of the stories are said to add anywhere from tS.OOO to 150,000 to the original cost of f yiotan. On a certain Culver City lot, where three executives are in charge at i>rodnctlon activities, there has-been an over-zealous endeavor en the part of these people to get personal publicity. They have placed thsmr selves above the product they make, as well as their star^ to. obtaift personal mentloa. . ' ; Recently, when the natter of 1925-M releases 6am* up. two of thh., three executives, who do aot a* yet get screen mention, had a long dlsr •ossioB. One asserted he was entitled to get screen mention, being on|» •t the rlce-presldeots of the company. He stated that as the chief •zecoClve at the studio had his name used as presenting the picturetf, ao lar as the. screea was coacemed, that at least his name should bu used In ssrtMTtf^tf^", He stated that when he was associated with another concern In Hollywood they permitted him to have scireen naentlon,^ and that now, occupying a more important position, he was entitled to get this recognltloa. Although this thought had rievef entered Into tihe mliid of the Junior execuUve, who had been a general manager for several of the larger pro- ducing companies, he felt he, too, should have this mark of recognition, as he did not feel the other man wtu entitled to get ahhad of him so far as world-wide puMlolty on the screen was concerned. A great many hours of the studio time on several days was wasted! by these men discussing the <!ue8tl6n of their individual propagandalsmJ Word of the matter canra to-the attention of the senior executive, whO| called in the two men 'and told them In a rather iftrm but pleasant manner that screen credit would take up too. much room In the preludsi to the actual running of the picture, and he felt at this time the names should be eliminated, as his was sufficient sa far as the producing organisation is concerned. Bo the two executives are now waiting for the lOM-27 season to come along, when they will again endeavor to get screen recognltloa. " .. ——— . ' Samuel OoMwyn Seems to have fouifTl on* of the best leading woman bets of the jreaT la Vllma Banky< a blond Hungarian acreen actress; whotn he imported while oit Ills recent trip Ut Buropoi Her work opposite Ronald Colman In "The Dark Angel," it Is i^idv wUI estebllsh her as one of the best ingenue payers seen at the west coast studios in years. Joheph M. 8cheri(dc sati' sdhi^ "rushes" of her work and immediat^y drafted her to play the ImmI 6ppofiUe Valentino In "The Lone Eiagle." S6hehck is said to hat* W<»rl Impressed to the-extent he has counte- nanced Miss'Baaky'playlhi the feminine lead In "The Oarden of Allah," which Qoldwyn will make for the United Artists' program. Ooldwyn is reported to 'hiitve a five-year contract' with Miss Baaky and through h*r endeavors, as well as those pt Colman, expects tq establish hinuMit As bhe bf thh foren^st producers In the United Artists gfbup. Ooldwyn has c'oAtract^ to make five ptbthres a year for United Artists, which will include two productioHs by George Fits- nuiUTlc* and two by Henry King, besldts his annual "Potash and Peri- mutter" ofteHng, which la the past has been releUmd by First National. . Those in the know are laughing at a stunt pulled by the sales depart- ment of a leading film ^distributor in connection with a Kansas City newspaper tie-up for publicity for one of the. distributor's serials now running in that town. The story Is that the newspaper! was induced to run t^ story serially while the film was running In a downtown house. The distributing compv^ agreed to tahe a number of display ads» but the pay for the ppao*. was to be on a percentage basis, the paper gatUng a certain per- cent, of the returns front the sales of the film through the local office It worked nicely. The story and picture are sttU running and a numf ber of the display advertisements have appeared and the. other day the paper received a check for |30 as its share, according to the agreement;. It Is reported th* paper will stick to Its regular rates from now on. ' Though no publicity was ever forthcoming as to the settlement made between Adolph Menjon and Famous Players-Lasky, whereby Meajou returned to the Famous Players-Lasky fold. It Is reported that prac- tically all demands made on the produc^ig organisation by Menjou were ooBxplied with. This Included the ralsin|( of his salary from |l,n* «e tS,SM a week tor the first year. Be*tde% Menjou is understood to have the prlvllegiB of selecting his director, p*—«"g on his stories and the members of the cast, as wen as getting publicity firom a< sprlal studio representative. Though Menjou «ld not aak to be starred, it Is s«M Jess* LasKy, (Oontinufd/M page SI) \ Hutchinson Revires Santl| ]^lNura*8 Filni Indust • Santa Barbara. Cal., Aug. ll.T', With the sale of the Amerl<iii' Film Co. studio to the Rutchlnsdft' Film dorp, of Maryland for |16o!o(S, It is expected the picture indust(>y will be re-established in this city, 8. S. Hutchinson, president of the American Film Co., had the deed of the sale filed in the County Clerk's office here. It is said Hutchinson feels the ia««' dustry can be revived here and that development of the property tta which the studio stands has be«a handicapped by dissenting directors of the old corporation. Howey«r^ the sale gives him controlling on ershlp. The studio was dosed' 1»1T. It is likely that Hutchinson . revive "The FMng A." brahd, pictures. HAiniltont A9<^ui Pi 1. ' Los Angeles, Aug. LL Uoyd Hamilton and his wife said to have come to a parting, their ways for the third time, \ Mrs. Hamilton Instructing her tocney, Oordon Lawaon. to. hkti- complaint for dlverc* on the grouads of desertion. , ,, It Is said the film comedian d^ his wife have already arranged a property settlement. The couple were married in June, 191t.- About four years ago Mrs. Haiatl« t6n brought suit for divorce, aileg« Ing desertion, but the suit was with< drawn. Two year: ago she sued for separate maintenance, and that action was also dropped. ■■'■■<' . The couple had been. liTias apart- for more than a year. First National and Plaji The executive committee of First National has before pt a plan to go into the production of legltin^ite plays which they deem suitable for pictures. A series of plays is already nnder consideration and the prodt schenie is said to have been brougt before the committee becaose of, bsavy. money which First Natlo has pfidln the last few amftooB pletare rights of ptajs. I ? ■UJ. miim AN ORCHESTRA AaflEVEMEIYr m BROADWAY!!! „♦ .■ »•.• f''^- '' d ■-«. IRVING AARONSON Presonts ■i ^>. 'i',^!*- b THE CRUSADERS Direction: FRANK C(HtNWELL [^^ THIS WEEK (AUG. 10) LOEWS ALDINErPinSBURGH, PA. After Svf SenscOionai WeekM on Broadway IHEATRE—2 WEEKS i&RIALTO raEAreE--4 WEEKS ,4*' CRUSADERS ■,y rf^ J Another Aaronson Agarregation of Unusual Versatile Merit FolW Irving Aaronson and His C0MMANDER5« Into the RTTZ-CARLTON HOTEL, Atlantie City, Opening August 17 , :('.*■ »..'%!.■ S^> ,.•.■.:< ., .^--'i'^-" ■ ^^'THE CRUSADERS ; S/ ^ Return to Janssen's Hofbraii-Haus (52d St and Broadway, New Yorit), on September 12 THE idENTERTAlNER-MUSlClAriSARE:' ir „ - IRVING SELTZER, Trumpet BOYCE CULLEN, Trombone PAUL WESTON, Bats . . FRED STONE, Banjo '^ Sa^phonq^ 'rj J • ^j| FRANK CORNWELL, ViolinUl-Leadi^ \ GUS GUPE^N, Piano . ^FUZZY" iCNlGHT, D^ms ^ ..A JOE GILLESPIE, Saxophone THOMAS NEA^Y, Saxophone .■•g»^rA«.' ■?-<:-, II ; < |. ft-- •: i^