Page:Truth About The Movies, The (1924).djvu/23



OLLYWOOD, as far as I can see, will always be the home of the motion picture producing industry.

It has been my pleasure to experiment and definitely decide whether pictures can be made in other parts of the United States and abroad as effectively from a financial standpoint as well as from an artistic standpoint. My answer is "No."

The much mooted question, "Will New York or Hollywood be supreme for movie production?" has been settled as far as I am concerned and my experiences are similar to those voiced by others. New York is too big for motion picture producing.

Just as automobiles can be manufactured easier and better in Detroit, than in any other place. Just as shoes can best be made in Lowell, so can motion pictures best be made in Hollywood.

Speaking from a business standpoint, Hollywood is more efficient for us. New York—and when I say New York I mean every other city—is entirely unadaptable to our purpose.

In Hollywood the community understands this. It does not expect anyone in the industry that has made it famous to do things as any other business man would.

If you want a thousand people in Hollywood you can depend on getting them and also know that they will report punctually on location. In New York the weather is always an uncertainty and often it is necessary to wait until the very morning of the day's work before ordering the crowd to report. If they are instructed to appear the day before, it generally happens that the weather changes and the conditions are such that they have to be sent away, the producer paying salary and expenses.

It took years to establish the subsidiary industries and facilities important to motion picture production in Hollywood. It would take years to do the same in any other community. There is no reason why the business should go through all this pioneering again nor is there any time for it. Hence, Hollywood will always remain the film producing center of the country.