Evening Star Newspaper, June 21, 1931, Page 75

Lovely Bebe Daniels, another star who found out how to get rich in the real estate business. BY DAN THOMAS. HAT would our fair and hand- some movie stars do if the movies should suddenly be- come extinct? . That's a question you hear quite often in wandering around the film colony. Many of the celebrities themselves wonder just where: they would be and what they wculd be doing if it wasn't for the magic celluloid. Yet none of them has grown any gray hairs from pondering over the question, for the simple reason that nobody believes such a calamity to be even the re- motest possibility, the way things are. At the same time, however, it is interesting to speculate on just what would happen to them. Some, of course, would devote the rest of their lives to spending the huge fortunes they have saved. Others would go into some kind of business—and make good. . You see, some of celluloid’s celebrities have good business heads. A good many of them already have proved that. All of which brings yold down to the point of this story—movie- land’s business ventures outside of the movies. A survey of the business enterprises of film folk reveals some startling facts, namely, that more than a score of persons whose names and faces are familiar to film fans the world over are deriving comfortable incomes aside from the salary checks they get from the studios. -Outstanding among this group is. Ruth Roland, queen of =all serial stars a few years ago. . Ruth was well paid, even as movie salaries run, back in the days when no stunt was too difficult for her. Her bank balance mounted with startling rapidity, so she decided t6 invest some of the surplus cash in real estate. That was the starting of a business that today places her among the leading realty operators in Los Angeles—which is. saying something. ‘At first the real estate business was merely @ well paying sideline with Miss Roland. But business soon grew to such proportions that she decided to quit pictures and devote all of her time to selling plots of ground—and she coined money even faster than she had been doing ~before the grinding cinema cameras. She proved to be a smart business woman, too—at least smart enough to pile up a for- tune running into millions. ND now she has gone into the fish business, as an outgrowth of the miniature golf craze. When every one went “putt-putt” crazy last Summer, Ruth built a tricky golf course right in the center of the exclusive Wilshire residential - district. For a while the cash register rang merrily. Then, as every one knows, miniature golf took a terrific nose dive. Not liking the idea of having a bad invest- ment on her hinds, Miss Roland decided to turn her “putt-putt” course into a trout pond. The fairways were turned into an artificial brook which was stocked with trout. Now homeward-bound workers can stop and catch their ownt fresh trout for dinner—at so much per trout. _Another member of the- film colony who figured there was a good living in fishing was Noah Beery. A few years ago Beery opened his Paradise Trcut Club - in the mountains about 90 miles from Hollywood. A mnatural mountain stream running through his property was dammed in such a manner as to create -numerous pools in which trout of various sizes are segregated. At first the club was open to only a limited number of members, but when Beery found the public clamoring for a chance to catch his trout he decided to hold “open house” at all times. And the few hundred trout with which the stream was first stocked are now counted by the hundred thousand. Visitors at the club can catch as many as they want, at 35 cents 8 _trout. In addition, Beery- supplies trout to .hotels throughout Southern -California. As business increased he also erected a number of cabins, put in a swimming pool and some tennis courts and bought a number -of horses; So now his club offers a perfect vacation spot for a day of a month, whether or not one-likes to fish. ' JARY PICKFORD is reputed to be one of V1 the smartest business women in the celluloid hamlet, but listen to what she has to say: THE SUNDAY STAR,‘ WASHINGTON, D. C, JUNE- 21, 1931, ° Stars Who Go In Will Rogers should worry if the movies quit; he hds enough irons in the fire to make -himself wealthy. Douglas F airbanks controls many thea- ters and has ranching interests that help fill his purse. Movie Actors Aren’t Supposed to Need Many Brains, for “Thinking” Is Left to the Dire;tors——But the Favorites Whose Stories Are Told Here Are Smart Enoug/z to Have Made Fortunes Outside the Lot. “If I were such a smart business woman I never would have built my miniature golf course. I may get my money out of it some day, but I am in the red plenty right now.” Mary owns one of the finest and trickiest courses in Southern California, her only mis- take being that she built it too late. No theater premiere ever was more gala than the opening of her course. The opening night saw a parade of film celebrities trying to out- putt one another, while huge studio lights sent their beams high into the sky and an orchestra played snappy music. Thousands of spectators were on hand to watch the stars and play themselves—if they could get near the course. But, unfortunately, that not only was the first but the last time a big crowd invaded ‘“our Mary’s” putt-putt grounds. That hu not been Miss Pickford’s only busi- ness venture, however. For some years she Hoot who ‘takes part with her famous husband in the rodeo that brings the two of them plenty of coin. Sally Eilers, Gibson’s wife, has been a director in one of Hollywood’s leading banks. She has managed the affairs of her own motion picture company with a. shrewdness that would have carried her a long ways in any line of business or any profession. ND then there’s Douglas Fairbanks. Aside from being head of his own producing company, Doug, as one of the six owners of United Artisis, takes an active part in the con- trol of many theaters over the country. And in addition he has extensive ranching interests near San Diego, Calif. Doug now has more than 2,000 acres under cultivation, and a much larger area.for cattle ranging. Knowing that gold is the basis of all money, Esther Ralston has gone in for the yellow metal. A few years ago she bought a gold mine near Phoenix, Ariz. While there hasn't been a great deal of gold taken out so far, the actress expects to get quite a lot of % eventu- Esther Ralston, who expects her Aris zona property to support her in the style to which she's been accustomed. ally. But if that should fail, she still has her beauty parlor to fall back on in case she decides to retire from active work before the cameras. And it's a cinch women aren't going to stop getting - permanent waves, marcels, manicures and whatever else it is they get in beauty shops. Will Rogers, of course, was just about as well known before he went into pictures as he is now. In fact, despite his fame, he never succeeded in getting very far on the screen until the talkies came along a few years back., However, he doesn’t need the movies. He still could go along writing his funny pieces for the newspapers, indorsing gum and giving lectures, and make a far better living than most people. His oil interests aren’'t to be sneezed at either. Nobody seems to know Just how extensive they are, but they are sufficient to enable him to go places and see things from airplanes even if he should decide to stop working. i Another member of the film colony who derives quite an income from oil is Victor Fleming. A few years ago Vic was “hooked” into buying a large interest in some oil lands that. were then only in the prospective stage. Lady Luck smiled on him, though, by bringing in a few gushers. As a result, Fleming holds a prominent position in the oil industry, and is ranked as one of the wealthiest men in the entire moving picture industry today. EBE DANIELS is another who has found real estate investments rather lucrative. At present she is one of the largest individual land owners in Hollywood. A few years ago Bebe decided that there was considerable money to be made in beach property. So she started building and selling homes down’ there—at a good profit. She also owns a number of homes and strategic pieces of property around Hollywood. There isn't much of a market for them right now, but Bebe is confident that she can turn them at a good profit as socon as this much advertised depression period is over. As one drives down the Pacific Coast a large sign just outside of Laguna Beach announces the presence of Hal Cooley’s subdivision, Hal's chief pastime used to be speaking funny lines on the stage and screen, and he still parades before the movie cameras quite fre- quently. But there’s nothing humorous about his present favorite phrase—‘“sign on the dotted line, please.” The great open air “drive-in markets” seem to be popular with the stars who crave some " sort of a business as a protection against the time when motion pictures will become " extinct—at least in so far as they are concerned, Three of them, all owned by stars, now are flourishing in the cinema hamlet. And if yom think the proprietors, Corinne Griffith, ConraQ - Nagel and Raymond Griffith, don’t know all about the price of carrots, spinach, steaks and bread, you have another guess coming. They are thoroughly informed on all such things. .Hoot Gibson and his beautiful wife, Sally Eilers, are trying to do their bit toward the . health of the community by keeping people out of doors. One of the big events of the season here is the Hoot Gibson rodeo, with Sally giving her cowboy (on the screen) husband plenty of help in managing the affair. ‘William Haines, Jean Hersholt, Eddie Nugent and Vera Lewis all are advocates of filling a house full of junk—but they use the more dignified word “antiques.” Each of them is the owner of a thriving antique shop. Meat Selling Changes, A‘ NEW system of meat sclling has been - launched in New York which may spread until it becomes general throughout the country. U_flder the new system the gurchaser buys his cut of meat already prepared and wrapped in a transparent wrapper and stamped with Uncle Sam’s own grading as to quality. ! The system was hupched by a group of 85 i stores, which have reported sales fanging from 20 to 40 per cent higher than under the old sys'_iem of c_uttlnc meat when it is served. The sanitary nature and the mark of Federal ap- . proval of the new system has apparently taken a decided hold upon the public.