Judge — April 24, 1920 — page 26: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Drown by Hemwas Pacwrn “story” came to me the other day of salary-oflers made within the last ten days or so to, the By L employees of a single motion picture studio, And even though the man who told me of it wasn’t the studio press agent, I be lieve the figures to be correct. I could even quote chapter and verse if it weren't for the fact that some of the people concerned are my acquaintances—almost my friends—so of course it would be hard for me to give their names and let them get away with the benefit of the publicity. One of the first rules in Moshun Pitchers is to be careful about doing favors to your friends; it leads to so much hard feeling. Here's the dope: \ designer of sets was offered $1500 a week by a riva cern—a paltry seventy-five thou’ or so a year One of the younger directors was offered $2000 a week. A little better, but not much; only a little over a hundred thou- sand for the whole twelve months. Another director was offered $2500 a week—less than a hundred and thirty thousand per annum. And him a good director, too? A young lady-star was offered $3500 a week for a vaudeville engagement—lengthy if preferred, A hundred and eighty thousand or thereabouts a year; that begins to sound like real money. Another, and almost equally $scco a week to go on the “ste thousand per. Not so bad And that all at one studio, within one fortnight The only regrettable thing seems to be that no figures are available on gent-stars. Considering the car-loads of note-paper sold annually to flappers, it’s possible that gent-stars would really be offered somet hing handsome. It’s too bad, too, that no one has compiled figures showing what the late kings, emperors, czars, etc good old Yurrup used to draw down by the week or month There’s a close analogy be- tween picture people and potentates.. They don’t ither of them draw salaries Het Lecoyee——Beaide thes on a basis of what they"re moving picture of the actu con- ng, lady-star was offered Two hundred and sixty by NOW, Wauwen ‘““Value Received”? A Breacu or Promise Action we letter proposal taken throurh really worth as much as because they just naturally happen to be what they are. Your good old Yurropean king, I judge, conde- scendled accept. the money with becoming modesty, when his people without exactly esti mating his true value on a competitive basis crowded around and practically forced it on him because there wasn’t anybody else sitting on the big chair in the throne-room, And with movie high-lights it’s much the same; without bragging quite so loudly about the modesty part of it, they condescend to ac cept the coin respectfully tendered on about the same basi because there doesn’t seem to be much of anybody else inside the charmed circle to offer it to. Theoretically, of course, the movie Great Ones earn the moncy—kings, too, likely. I understand that perfectly; I had a studio job myself, once. Salary just like those emperors and directors and things. Almost makes me choke to think of it. ‘They paid me seventy-five dollars a week to read Sloppy Stories four hours a day. I figure | earned the money. Oh, well. But persiflage aside, do the Moshun Pitcher Magnets that pay salaries like that really get value received for their money In fairness to picture-folk, it must be admitted that in one class—that of movie stars, male and female, maid and self made, they do. At least, from a certain angle they do—abso lutely. They can afford to pay two or ten or fifty thousand dollars to a gent- or lady-star for a single picture, because that same gent- or lady-star’s name and mug will bring that much in through the box ‘¢, owing to the characteristically American trend of — picture-develop- ment that has resulted from playing favorites in the ab sence of anything else that might be played—tirm or brand or trade-mark worth mentioning—in the carly film-days. It all can be fig ured out on a business basis Flapper Fans will pay, col lective Jet's say eighty thousand dollars to sce their particular favorite matinee film idol—eighty thousand more, that is, than they would pay, under present onditions, to see that same picture sans filmidol; know- ing this, exhibitors will pay interesting let’s say fifty or sixty thou key hole (Continued on page 33% ENSO we have th comicbooks.com