SALARIES OF STARS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 189, 11 August 1928, Page 5 (Supplement)

SALARIES OF STARS.

TEMPORARY "CUTS" SUGGESTED. TALK OF RESISTANCE. BOX OFFICE VALUE OF A NAME. (By JAMES O. SFEARDTG, Hollywood Correspondent of "New It ork Times.") No. 11. The attitude explained in last week's article, is understandable, if one considers the motion picture business, its size, the suddenness of its growth and the uneveness of its rapid expansion. Edwin S. Porter made "The Great Train Robbery." the first "feature" film, in 1903, just 23 years ago. There was hardly any film business then. In the next few years there were a few shortreel features in tne hands of a few smalltime showmen, but by 190i —only 20 years ago —-the business was still a matter of nickels.

The film year book of 1 927. however, quotes £300.000,000 as the investment in the business to-day. Other estimates place the total at £"200,000,000 more. The industry is commonly recognised as tJie fourth largest in the United States. There are more than 20,000 motion picture, theatres in the United States, attended by some 17.000.000 people a day. Tt has been 1 estimated that -these people pa,i £200.000,000 a year for their entertainment, to which must be added £80,000,000 paid by the rest of the world. Sixty-eight theatres in the 13 largest cities of America grossed £10,000.000 in 1920. according to daily box office, re- : cords kept bv "Variety," the theatrical weekly. Of tlii- >un'i £2.300,000 went to the 10 largest tlieatres in New York City. £1.")00.000 to ten theatres in Los Angeles and £1.400,0**0 to the seven leading 'houses in Chicago. Reckoning in Billions. Tn the eleven years between January 1. 1913. and January 1. 1:120, SOOO mul-tiple-reel or feature pictures were made, and 800 were added last year. Millions have been spent in making these films, at an ever-increasing cost. Tn 1913 the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation produced three pictures with Miss G c raid i lie Farrnr — "Carmen,"

"Temptation." '"Maria Roea'' —at a cost of from £3000 to £4000 each. The fame eompanv, now known as the Paramount Famous' Laskv Corporation -t present spends from £40.000 to £00.000 on every one of its feature films of the tame class. T'nev are larger aiul more* elaborate, of fullrse. but no more ambitious for protits. The p«>iiit of the comparison is this: If "Carmen" were made to-day. with an ai-tre-s <»f Miss l'arrars 191;> standinir in the leading role, it would cost at least £<50,000 —and yield a smaller percentage of profit than its predecessor. At that price it would be what the trade calls a programme picture. Ihe "specials"' run much higher in eost. Many of tnem cat up £SO.OOO or £100,000 apiece, and the biggest ones, put out for 'long runs and road>howing, often cost £200.000 or more. Analysis of Costs. Its distribution is different for each picture, according to the conditions under which it is made: but. with due allowance for variations, the analysis of c>>is provided by AN ill llays tnav be accepted for working purposes. According to tnis analysis, the production co t of the average lilm is distributed as follows: —-

Actors' salaries Stiidi" overhead, including managemeut. maintenance. ground rent, etc. -0 Set s 1J Salaries of director, his assistant, cameramen, staff J® Scenario and original story Location expenses ? Kavv lilni ? Costumes _ Total 100 Thus it will be seen the biggest item is actors' salaries: and here the rise in costs is most strikingly evident. Miss Farrar received a total of i.4000 for the three pictures she appeared in twelve years ago. Colleen Moore is under contract to-dav ti> appear in twelve pictures for a total of £300.000— £25.000 for a picture, drawn while she is working at the rate of .CiOOO a week.

How Salaries Have Risen. Wallace Koid was one of the most popular stars e\ rr on t lie screen, and at the time of his death, in January, ll»23. he was receiving £.">OO a week, the most he ever got. liichard Dix, who may be considered his suectssor. though it is doubtful if lie has yet equalled Reid's popularity, lias doubled that salary, according to reliable information. Thomas Meighan. a contemporary of Reid's, whose salary was 011 a par with his when Keid was alive, now gets in the neighbourhood of £1400 a week. Pola Xegri is said to be paid £1200 and Bebe Daniels something approaching it. It is understandable, therefore, vhy the present .economy drive is directed primarily against salaries. Stars and other players have been asked to accept cuts of from 10 per cent and 25 per cent, and although tliyy are under contract and c-aiinot be ducked unless they agree, the producers think they will be amenable. Perhaps tlicy will not. There is talk of resistance in Hollywood. The Actors' Equity Association is on the ground ready to get into a light, if one should start: but, even so. it seems inevitable that salaries in general must come down.

Not necessarily- the salaries of popular stars, however. Any cut they accept is likely to be. only temporary. Tlie economy drive is not understood to mean that all" salaries are to lie definitely and permanently lower. It. r-imply meant-. cord his to observers, that tlicy arc to be rcduccd to a point from which readjustment can begin. Some of the extremely hisrh salaries paid to stars are considered a good investment.

Stars and the Box Office. Whatever one may think about it. the fact remains that names have box office value. Jlovie fans flock by tens of thousand* to *ce a pi.-lure in which Norma Talmadge. Lillian HUh, Lon Chancy. C lara Bow. tiinria Sv.anson, John Barrymore, Colleen Moore or any of tlie other nationally accepted stars appear. The name of such a star on billboards and in newspaper advertisements is enough to draw them into theatres.

A responsible ofTVI;, I ,<,tie of the larger producing com; aii':..- has reiftal figures to show that • name of a certain%tar is worth f''.'J.'tini a picture to hi, firm. This mean- that if two pictures are made at equal cost and of equal merit ■so far as story, acting and production j values go, tlit; one bearing the star's name can be isold in advance of release ; tor £tio.ooo more than the other Tito star gets £800 a week and appears in fn-e or six pictures a year. Would anyone say that she was overpaid? {To be concluded next week.)