Variety (February 1909)

VARIETY CHICAGO'S CENTRE FOR THE DISPOSAL OF "LIFTED STUFF" The "Chicago Manuscript Co." Through Alexander Byers, Proprietor, Will Sell Anything Yet Pro- duced; Says "Vaudeville Looks Good" and is Going Into It More Extensively—Some Advice on Copyrights by an Expert Prom the Wrong Side. Chicago, Feb. 4. A Vabjxty representative called upon Alexander Byers, dramatic pirate ex- traordinary under the innocent caption of "Chicago Manuscript Company" in his dingy offices at 144 La Salle Street. Mr. Byers, be it known, czn drive a cix cylin- der tonneau apparently through the crevices of the United States Copyright Laws without scraping the footboard. He can furnish the manuscript of any dra- matio production, musical, vaudeville, blackface act, monologue, or first part or afterpiece in captirity, for a consideration* which varies according to the accessibility of the objective point. In justice to Mr. Byers, he makes no bones about his busi- ness. His thievery is cheerfully brazen. "My business is piracy, pure and simple," explained Mr. Byers, in ready re- sponse to the first interrogation. "My catalogs explain themselves. Most of my trade is in the catalog on hand. I have in my possession the manuscripts of prac- tically every play or playlet which has achieved any success. How did I get them? Oh, there are various sources. For instance, an actor has a manuscript in his possession. He is broke. He comes to me, and I buy it from Mm. So you see it is a purely legitimate transaction." (Fagan did a legitimate" business in about the same way.) "There are many other sources," he continued. "Often' authors come to me with their manuscripts, even before they have been produced. There are a thousand and one ways in which I can gain pos- session of a manuscript. I am established and known, and as a general rule, I don't go after my stuff. It comes after me. There is always a leak somewhere, even in the best regulated shows. I deal chiefly in dramatic shows. I dont do much in vaudeville sketches; while musical shows are too difficult to handle. The music Is a nuisance." Byers said this with the honest candor of a second story man who regrets he cant cart away the cook stove because it's too heavy. "Suppose I should come to you, Mr. Byers, he was asked, "and asked for the manuscript of 'The Prince of To-night.' (A new musical comedy to open at the Prin- cess next week.) Could I get it?" "I guess so," he replied, "for a fifty dollar note or so: I might fall down on the attempt, but Fd make a good try at it, anyhow. But such orders are the ex- ception. Of course, we try to fill them and satisfy the wants of our patrons. "No," he went on, in response to a ques- tion, "I would hardly send a stenographer to the show and take it down in short- hand. That would be too impractical, or dangerous rather. I would find some bet- ter way. As I said before, there is al- ways a leak somewhere." . N "Trouble? Tes. I've been in a good number of law suits; some Fve won, some I've lost, but most have been draws." "Draw" was subsequently defined as continuances, in which event the merry "lifting" went on. "The profession doesn't understand my point of view," Byers continued. 'The copyright laws are to blame, not me. The copyright law, as it stands,-protects anything that is published. .But compo- sitions for the stage are seldom if ever published; the typewritten manuscript sent to Washington provides no protec- tion. If they took the trouble to have their stuff printed and coprighted, I wouldn't touch it. I believe that copy- rights are an injustice to the public. An author writes something; but whatever he writes, he is more or less inspired by what has been written before him; and furthermore the public is entitled to the benefits of his brain, in as much as the public, or society rather, inspired it. So I am doing the public a favor by placing at their disposal works which would other- wise be restricted." By the same logic a pickpocket is a public benefactor for stealing a purse and putting the money into circulation. "I notice you advertise Taid in Full."' "Not the same one," he confided. "We have a number of such titles, affixed to entirely different plays. Some entirely different and some partially so." "Did you ever handle "The Merry Widow?'" "Yes," he replied. "How about the vaudeville sketches you advertise? I notice one of Porter J. White's in the list: another of George Ade's? How did you procure them?" "We haven't some of them," he admit- ted, "but we can get them if necessary. We stick in a good many names of estab- lished vaudeville acts as an advertising dodge, when we haven't the 'scripts' on hand. Tou see our vaudeville trade isirt very well developed, but I expect to pay more attention to that class of business, as there's money in it." (This with the bland equanimity of a second story man who had discovered a new street without a cop on it.) "Of course, one trouble we have with vaudeville sketches, as far as well-known acts are concerned, is the trouble in play- ing them. For instance if a man bought a well-known author's sketch from me end tried to play it at the Majestic they would call him for it. But with dramatic shows it's different. They are more lax. And law is an expensive luxury. If you have a successful show in New York or Chicago and it's being produced by some- body in Seattle, it's pretty hard for you to stop him, isn't it? Speaking of New York, that's where I get most of my catalog. I am in touch with scores of people there who get me everything right off the press, figuratively speaking. Oh, yes, I have correspondents in other cities, too. "Returning to the idea of going out to get stuff, it's bad business policy. I wait for the stuff to come to me, and it all comes, sooner or later. If I went out after it, Fd have to pay their figure. When they come to me I buy it at mine. That'll business. But it's all legitimate. (Byers laid great stress on this point.) "I guess that about explains every- thing. Besides I've got a man waiting in the office"—(interview held in the hall- way) "and I see some ready money: so you'll have to excuse me. .Drop in again. Good day." Byers is an elderly man, approximately of the vintage of '40. He reminds one of Tom Lawson's description of Henry H. Rogers, the cleverest and shiftiest of the Standard Oil crowd. Byers' offices are small and dingy. Several stenographers are always at work, hammering out ab- stracted scripts and pilfered parts. The firm issues several catalogs, wherein are listed some of the latest dramatic and vaudeville successes. They sell at from $2 to $10. No failures are handled. Ap- pending each list is the naive (or knave) comment, "If you don't see what you want, ask for it." Or words to that ef- fect, which explains everything. Some of the sketches, advertised by Byers for $2, now playing in vaudeville ore "The Operator," "The Visitor," "A Tale of a Turkey," "Tho Girl From Yon- kers," "A French Marriage," "A New Year's Dream," "A Passing Fancy," "A Touch of Native," "Dropping a Hint" "His Wife's Hero," "Supper for Two," 'The Georgia Minstrels," "The Half Way House," "Adam, the Second," "The Chorus Lady," "Waterloo," "The Littlest Girl," "Marse Covington," "Number 073," 'Tat and the Genii." Fred J. Beaman, the author of "The Girl From Yonkers," at present played by Devlin and Ellwood, had his attention attracted to the Past Master of the Order of Grand Coppers by a team purchasing the manuscript of the sketch from him for $2. Another of Mr. Beaman's pieces, "Thomas and Tom" is also advertised at the Bureau of Lifts. OLYMPIC; ALL VAUDEVILLE. Chicago, Feb. 4. Commencing next Monday the Olympic Music Hall will revert to its former policy—vaudeville. The musical comedy idea has been abandoned by Manager Mur- dock. It is said that the scarcity of good material is the cause. Lew Sully's "Frenzied Frolics" Is the second piece staged by the company. "A Little Sister of the Rich," Irving B. Lee's satire, which was the first, will be given as a vaudeville act at the Majestic next week, with McKay and Cantwell, Gus Weinberg, Catherine Rowe Palmer and some of the other members of the Olympic company. The piece will then be sent over the circuit as a headline act under its present name. STOPS EVA TANGUAVS SUN. On Monday Eva Tanguay will top the Keith program at Boston instead of hold- ing over in that position at the Keith- Proctor's 125th Street Theatre. Tuesday Carl Lothrop, manager of Keith's, Boston, discovered the easiest way to fill up his program for next week was to grab off Miss Tanguay, which he accordingly did to the loudly expressed chagrin of the 125th Street manager. Since then the director of the uptown theatre has worked in another wrinkle from thinking. Miss Tanguay has been cleaning out the ticket racks in the box oftVe long be- fore the curtain has gone up on each show this week, and the lively one was sched- uled for a run uptown, but "opposition towns" like Boston have first call in emergencies. Tuesday evening a young man In th>» gallery started an argument with Eva, who stopped her performance long enough to pass back a suitable reply. Before leaving New York, Miss Tanguay finally rejected an offer of several thou- sands of dollars made her for the publish- ing rights to "A Hundred Loves," which the bubble in skirts has written, and it will be placed on sale in book form. Regardless of what anyone may think of Eva's novel after reading It, they will have to admit that if the book is written in the same vein the title was selected, the second edition will have to be run off In a hurry. ANOTHER TANGUAY WEST. Chicago, Feb. 4. At the Essex, a small place in the suburbs of Chicago, there is appearing this week Helen Tanguay, the only one of that name known on the stage besides Eva. But it's a long jump from the Essex to Broadway. LUBIN WANTS STATE STREET. Trenton, Feb. 4. Siegmund Lubin, the Philadelphia mov- ing picture operator, is understood to have made an attractive offer for a lease on the State Street Theatre here. He wants to turn it into a modern picture house, mod- eled on the policy of his big Twelfth Street Theatre in Philadelphia. The owners of the property have not decided whether or not to accept the Lubin offer. The house has been playing Stair & Havlin attrac- tions. OUT-"SALOMES" "SALOMERS." Chicago, Feb. 4. Paul Goudron says he discovered a "Salome" dancer who will revolutionize the "Salomers." He is offering her to out of town managers and expects to book her up for the balance of the season. This is the first time a "Salome" dancer has been booked in the provinces of the middle west in vaudeville theatres. She will be billed as "Joyce Grey," which Mr. Goudron says is her real name. Al Reeves is playing with his company at Hyde & Behman's Star and Garter, Chicago, this week. M. H. Rose, the attorney for the Pat Rooney Co., this week obtained a dismissal of an action brought against his client in the Municipal Court by Cal Dix for breach of contract in employment. Geo. P. Murphy has been engaged by the Leffler-Bratton Co. for a term of years to originate characters in the pro- ductions of the firm.