“Studio Economy and Efficiency at Highest Peak, Lasky Says”

Headline: “Studio Economy and Efficiency at Highest Peak, Lasky Says”

Pictures now are being made with an efficiency and economy never before attained by the industry, as a direct result of the economy program which has aroused the “economic conscience” of Hollywood, Jesse L. Lasky, first vice president of Paramount, stated yesterday on his return from the coast. He will remain in New York a month, and then attend the company’s fall convention at Chicago.

“Policies which we adopted last winter are beginning to bear fruit,” he said. “These policies, which were already in force, were enunciated at our convention last May when I served notice on stars, directors and studio personnel that the Paramount organization was an institution that stood for certain standards of entertainment, that this institution was bigger than any single member or group of members in it, and that if an artist or director could not do things the wav we wanted them done lie could seek employment elsewhere.

“Since then greater progress has been made by our studio executives in carrying out these policies. Incmmpetents have heen weeded out. Players whose box-office drawing power was largely in their own imagination or in our theater advertising have been replaced by fresh, eager personalities that fit better into our plans for the continuing growth of an institution. Directors who had lost freshness and brilliance in their treatment of stories have been dropjied. and in their places are young men who have the new. modern manner of screen story telling which the public wants. But. above all. we have built a producing organization at the studio which is young, resourceful, new in its viewpoint and keen in its showmanship.

“The campaign against incompetence and extravagance reached a focus early in the summer when the producers in Hollywood announced a reduction in salaries. Although this salary cut was abandoned, it had its effect in the creation of a new state of mind throughout the studios.

“All this is extremely gratifying to me, because the reaction of the studio forces to this common-sense operation of picture production justifies the faith I have always had in Hollywood. I am proud of Hollywood. I am proud of its studio workers. Their loyalty to this business can never be questioned in the face of the progress we have made this summer toward sane, sensible operation. Today the production of motion pictures rests upon as efficient and sensible a foundation as that of any other business you can name. And not aniy has this lieen accompli bed but quality has been improvefi. Never before have the theaters of this country lieen receiving such fine productions as the/ have shown this fall, and plans for future oictures make it obvious that this high stai.dard will lie raised even higher.”