| Show Drastic Salary Cuts Faced By Stars Drawing Big Money By LEICESTER WAGNER United Press S Staff ff Correspondent I HOLLYWOOD May 21 Fabulous 21 Fabulous and just plain salaries apparently apparently are due for a judicious pruning In the film Urn colony Executives of the industry and many stars are firmly firm firmly firmly ly agreed upon this point The salary problem always a sort spot flared up recently and young James Cagney found himself In the limelight Cagney balked at his 1450 a week salary and demanded a stipend commensurate commensurate com com- with his popularity at the box office Recent audience polls showed Cagney to be second as a favorite only to Maurice Chevalier His demands refused by Warner Bros Cagney walked out He then drew a suspension from the thc studio until he recants On the other hand Richard Barthelmess Barthelmess Barthelmess Barthel- Barthel mess voluntarily took a 33 3 1 per cent cut In his yearly early salary S He will make three pictures a year for tor forthe forthe the same price instead of two Maurico Maurica Chevalier also Is reported to have agreed to accept a cut without without with with- out a temperamental tl Motion picture executives this week have turned an attentive ear to remarks remarks remarks re re- re- re marks of M M. A. A LIghtman president of ot the Theater Owners' Owners Association of America a Hollywood visitor LIghtman warned them that a major operation was necessary to save the industry He prescribed bleeding bleeding- through the bank rolL The public in times like these Is sick and tired of hearing motion picture picture pic plc- ture stars yelp because they are underpaid underpaid un un- un- un at 1500 a week he said I 1 suggest est good stiff cuts all around are necessary accessory to save you all from collapse col col- collapse lapse S. S R. R Kent new president of ot Fox Films agreed with LIghtman High High- priced stars he said should be the first to face ace the operation I fully believe that during the next four months the industry faces the severest test it has ever met Kent said The downward trend of ot the box office of of- fice flee has been too fast for economic adjustment to keep up with it Every Everyone one of ot us from the mightiest est star and greatest executive down downto to the least paid property boy must know that this is his problem We must adjust our financial house or orthe orthe orthe the ship will sink with all aboard That old miracle man who always alway turned up with the pot of ot gold has at last been caught up with so the time has come ome for all of us to lie down downin in the same bed and like it Competing companies and competing ing lag individuals have no place in the industry today Another producer J. J L. L Warner head of Warner Bros was more out out- spoken In the boom days we took look a million mil ml- lion llon dollars a year out of Germany and the S same out of France he said Last year we wc spent half halt a million just to keep our offices open Now weve we've quit that We built swell theaters like the rest We have a fine tine one on Hollywood Holly wood boulevard that anyone can have for the asking asking if If he will assume Its obligations And a l couple in Philadelphia Philadelphia Phila Phila- delphia too that are filled with fresh 3 air I Ive tried to explain our serious situa situation tion to our stars but a lot of I Ithem them want to hold us to our contracts contracts made when prosperity was at its peak Im I'm telling them very frankly that 1 If we cant can't reduce costs I 75 per cent the Warner studio faces b bankruptcy and that if we go Into the h hands of a receiver their contracts contracts con con- tracts wont won't be worth a Q darn I It was Warner Bros studio which raided the Paramount lot a year or orso orso orso so ago and enticed away a group of stars headed by William Powell and Ruth Chatterton Then Constance Bennett under Warner direction was reputed to get a week The public seized upon this fabulous salary to point out that Hollywood had gone money mad Lightman said The public however did not learn leam until the damage had been done that Miss Bennett only got a week weck for a year ear on the basis of five weeks work during that particular year year year- which made her salary average slightly slight slight- ly under a week week Just just tenth one-tenth her reputed ted earnings |
