Central to the FBO identity were Westerns and the studio's major cowboy star, Fred Thomson. In both 1926 and 1927, he ranked number two in the "Exhibitors' Herald" survey of the "Top Stars of the Year," right behind Tom Mix. With Thomson's personal contract with Kennedy due to expire in mid-1927, Kennedy—sending that Thomson had reached the peak of his popularity and seeing a financial opportunity for FBO—arranged a four-picture deal with Paramount Pictures, one of the major Hollywood studios. The deal essentially ceded Thomson to the rival studio. For FBO's guarantee of $75,000 in financing per picture, Thomson would star in Paramount productions. In return, Paramount would return the $75,000 in financing plus an additional $100,000 to FBO and pay Thomson's $15,000 a week salary.