LURE OF HOLLYWOOD

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 293, 6 September 1932, Page 6

LURE OF HOLLYWOOD

18,000 Extras in Filmdom “SHOALS OF PRETTY GIRLS” In contrast with the upper layer of filmdom, where weekly salaries go by the thousand dollars, the other side of the business was painted yesterday by Mr. Hal G. Evarts, of Los Angeles, a well-known American author, who is a through passenger 'by the Makura. “During the depression,” he told “The Dominion,” “every girl who wins a beauty contest of any kind at all makes straight for Hollywood. Last year there were nearly 18,000 registered extras—people who have done some film work already. They averaged about a week’s work apiece. Of course It’s not enough to keep body and soul together.” Among these extras, Mr. Evarts said, was every type of film actor that might be needed for any particular role. Cowboys, stunt riders, freaks of all kinds, and “shoals and shoals and shoals of pretty girls.” The amount of work offering last year would have kept 800 of them employed for the full 40-week production period. But this was split up among the greater proportion of the 18,000. On location the regular minimum pay f°r girls was 45 dollars a week, with board and transportation; and at Hollywood the regular minimum pay was seven and a half dollars a day. Any special abilities or talents would result in an increase on those rates.

Mr. Evarts himself is a writer, and his for the last fifteen years been a contributor to the “.Saturday Evening Post.” The filming of some of his stories from that publication led to his being drawn to Hollywood. He recently worked for seven months with Fox Films, having written the story, scenario, and dialogue for a film that the company was to produce. For four months, off and on, he travelled about, with the director, picking suitable locations, which were spread finally all the way from Mexico to Canada. At one stage during production they had 850 people in the back country, over a. mountain range, and about 65 or 70 miles from the nearest railroad. They

were on location there with 1700 head of stock. The film cost altogether two and a quarter million dollars. Mr. Evarts Is accompanied on the present holiday trip by his son, Mr. Hal G. Evarts, junior, who is to enter Stanford University this autumn. They have been to Australia and up to New Guinea and back.