No publication is complete today without its financial department in
which some thirty-five-dollar-a-week expert advises you how to get rich
on stocks and bonds. The guff is written principally for purposes of
draping around the ads of brokers who will give any sheet their money if
it will start an investment page.
So this is our page. We have everything but the advertising. And our
hopes are slim.
* * * * *
_The Fan Film Corporation_ is offering stock in a million-dollar company
to back Louise Du Pre, “Mary Pickford’s former understudy.” Charles
Giegerich is “vice-president and general manager.” The four-page
prospectus read interestingly until we came across a column and a half
of praise for Miss Du Pre reprinted from _Motion Picture Classic_ and
credited, “By Chas. G. Rich.” We hesitated. We pondered. “Charles G.
Rich”—“Charles Giegerich.” Why they must be one and the same! And so
they are.
Our “flynancial” expert hereby advises Fan Film that no matter how good
a proposition may appear otherwise, there’s a touch of the foolish when
you quote the press agent flub-dubbery of your own vice-president.
_The Cortland Pictures Corporation_, of Indianapolis, has an
honest-to-goodness picture director for president and some fine local
names on the board. They modestly hint that five thousand theaters are
going to set aside one or two days a week to show their pictures—with
net results at the end of the year of $1,497,500 in profits.
Wonder if someone has thought to tell the five thousand theaters what is
expected of them?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Guilty”
Score one for “FILM TRUTH!” A bull’s-eye zipped right to the center of
the dot! A ten-strike down the middle of Swindler Alley!
Way, way back in its May issue—six months ago—“FILM TRUTH” turned its
trusty spear in the direction of one George A. Strader who was
victimizing would-be scenario writers on the strength of stationery
which proclaimed him “Formerly with the Famous Players-Lasky Company,”
and “a member of the National Association of the Motion Picture
Industry.”
George found the high muck-a-mucks of the magazine field willing to
carry his ads telling amateurs in glowing terms of the wonderful
opportunities in photoplay writing, and of his own intimate inside
opportunities to sell scenarios. After the sucker forwarded a story
Strader would counter with a letter suggesting that a few expert touches
were needed—price $10—and a sale would be certain. Of course a little
typing would be charged for too, perhaps. But the “touch,” the $10 was
the main thing necessary for the sale.
“Expert touch” was right—for nothing ever happened after George got the
ten dolderinos.
“FILM TRUTH” told the truth—way back in May, and regardless of possible
laceration of Strader’s feelings, his protests, wails or threats.
That was in May. The mills of the gods grind slowly, but October rolls
around, and, one bright Indian summer morning, we pick up our newspaper
to read: “George A. Strader was convicted yesterday in the Federal
District Court on an indictment charging him with using the mails in the
operation of a scheme to defraud.”
One down!
------------------------------------------------------------------------