Billboard advertising (Sept 1910)

20 Xtie O ill board SEPTEMBER 4,;J9ia' W.H.DONALDSON, '^-^^gi-^ PUBLISHER. ISSUED WEEKLY,' and entered as Second-Class Mail Matter at Post Offlce, Clnclonati. Ohio. Address all commuQlcatloiis for editorial or business department to THE BILIiBOARD PUBUSHIN6 COMPANY 416 Elm'Street, Cincinnati, O., U. S. A. Iioag; Distance Telepbone, Main 2789.. Cable Address (registered) "Billyboy/' NEW YORK. e. H(dland' BDlldlng.. - 1440: Broadway. Telephone 1630 Birant. CHICAGO. 12(S Scbiner Bufldlss. 103-109 Randolfih St.. TelepbOne Central iS834. . ^ SAN FRANCtSCO: 1 Westbank BnUdlns, 830 Market St.i ']nnetIon Market, Ellis and Stockton StB. <'Suite 421': PHILADELPHIA. - 501 Keith - Theatre BnUdlnr. ST. LOUIS. ' Room 803 Hiasonri Ttost Bnlldlne- LONDON, ENGLAND^ ; 170 TenpIe r Chamben, E. 0. PARIS. FRANCE. 170/.Temple. Cbanaiers,B.O.: . 121 Bne HontmaTtr& Subscription, $4 a year; 6 months, 3 nionth^' SI. ' Payable in advance. No; extra charge to Canadian or Foreign subscribers. ? ADVERTISING RATES.—^Twenty eeiits per lino, agate .-smeasurenient. : Whole page, $14Q; half page, S70; quarter page, $35. R No k advertisement measuring less than five lines accepted. Saturday, September S, 19*10. .^^.^II^OASB U an sale on all trains and newa^taada tltransliont the VBUad SUtea aad Cuada, wbidi are inppUed by tba Amerieu Hews Ca...:aBa ita Jnaaehes." It is also oa sale ^S^"*" *»«»n\«« l'«)li«ra, Paris, Francs. When not. ai Hae, ;pIeaM natifyvtIiis cffla«. .M.£2^™'"**^*"*"".P" .*°?£P \J post-oBce OP espiesi-:money''order, or: re^iiteiel letter ■ adTWs ed mr_m»de payable to .Th» :«lltoaid gnbliiMiir Compaiiy. - -' ' ^Xhe Mltor. . can ao^ undertake fa* n^tnni ^^^..■ .^ i^iHfl^^ .^^^1.1 EDITORIAL What Makes Plays Uve? __What dements are essential to tbe really successful'modem theatrical ' This is the question thai confronts every playwrighti sketch writer raa prodnclnff manager who seeks to reach the highest pinnacle of succes-s. vynat is there in one play that dUCerentiates It .from another in continued popularity; in Its ability to appeal to large nnmbers; : in short, to make iv live on and not perish Ingloriously by tb6 wayside? Is It possible to Sift down to this inherent Quality of their success and find - out- the basic and .nmdamental elements therein? In order to do this, we must subjecti all plays and productions to this one question: "WTiat, in them, invokes pitbllc approbation? In answer to this, we find four distinct reasons for attendance at theatres and,, conse-^ quently. for the survival of some plays and the desuetude of others. First, we, find that group :'Of/Individuals which attends the- theatre In order to enjoy the satisfaction'of having its-senses stimulated; especially to'have- the eye_and ear treated to something fantastical and VeUbbtate. whether unreal to life, or not. Secondly, there is that audlence^which requires humor, ac- companied or unaccompanied by spectacular devices, " orl a senseless Jingle of nonsense. TlUrdly, we find those- whose tastes lead them to the desire of having their feelings and emotions played upon. They may be fond of both tfae spectacalar and the humorous, .but first and foremost is the desire for stimulation of their emotions. This class is'exceedingly, large and has been estimated by Charles Caffin to include: as many persons as the first two: together. The fourth di-viaion of theatre-goeis is: compamU-vely'a small one. although its: tastes are the most praiseworthy.- Thls^Js'the-Clam'that Is Interested In real life problems, artistically treated.; Th^^' c^ the exposition of true conditions in all their simplicity. - no matter how . horri- ^ng, the essential function of the modem stage. The production that appeals to them mtist be one that treats of moral or ethical relations of. the actual conditions of i life and society; 'it must depict the status of the modem world, not as it should be, biit as It actually is; not crowned -with a halo of idealism and fictltiousness; but surrotinded ■with a naturalness that portrays every character and condltion.'«from- the most mundane t(} the most lofty. ..-This class is not democratic-in* Its tastM. but decidedly individual, .because it lias learned that, life must be 'Viewe^-^from ^a specific standpoint. These people are the ones that are Interested In the struggles, failures and successes of their fellow men pictured: realistically upon the stage. In short, they search for what Matthew Arnold calls "inev- ilableness;." Therefore, an offering wlUch satisfies them is assiired of sus- tained popularity. The tbeatre, to-day. is an amusement institution subservient to the will ; -uC. the people. : This being the case, we readily comprehend the great prob- lem that <M>nfronts those engaged in the production of any play. ■ Could any one play be composite enough to satisfy the wants of these four classes? We will have to answer that none at present meet these requirements. In fact, we find each class catered to separately. There are olCerlngs for those who enjoy the plotless form of entertainment, while, again, we find a. number of fantastic plays, appealing merely to the eye and ear. By looking further. we-'Steet the entertainment which excites the' emotions, while, lastly, we find., that.-form-'iwhich deals with the every day situations and-'temporal' qoestfons^which confront society and its individuals continually. ..Now It Is j>ertlnent to ask the question: Was this always the case? Iiet us, at this point, revert to the dramas of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries., at which tlm'e the master of -the penned English tongue dedicated his Immortal works. Does Shakespeare appeal to all classes of people within each single play? The answer is indubitably in the negative. 'Tis trae-that som&.of his .most highly-recognized plays have sectioBS in them that-appeal to the uneducated and to the low, but these were inserted with a specific aim. either for contrast .or relaxation. How would the modern audience feel after -vie-iving an evening's presen- tation of nothing but tragedy: without some interspell of levity, pro-vided the latter Is not extran^ns to the deyelcrjment and coherence of the plot? Is comedy not more appreciated when It has Interpolations: of pathos?: We readily see that the insertion of pathos in comedy and- ievity in .. tragedy serves an important oiBce, that of avoiding monotony. v Conaequently, while each class enjoys one distinct type of play, yet It Is necessary to relieve: the general tenor thereof by the dllterent lines of thought or action; This lestds us to assert that the successful sketch or play must have variety in it. . Not mere variety, however, that relieves dulness, while in itself it may be vapid, but that sort which bears the: stamp of originality, of inventiveness,: novelty, yet relevant to whatever is In'hand. The ^: many-sidedne^ ' of the theatre-going public;:. Us idiosyncracles,: and the subsequent demand for the general appeal in each form of entertain-' ment produced,, has increased the dlfflculties of the author. :■: He. must read the:mind8 of the general audience, for It is not to be considered "facllls red,V to' appease the- taste of those mentalities comprising the range from-'-thoae who appeciate the highest to tholse who find pleasure in the lowest. He must write In constant fear and dread of repetition and similarity. : Whether or not productions written in obedience to the Insatiable demand or the public possess in them th.e Inevltableness that Matthew Arnold and ail the more reserved critics of literature require, enters In as a sequential con. sideration. Compulsion is commonly believed to lead to carelessness and to remissness of artistic- form and real literary: merit. It is averred cby the censors of Sir Walter Scott that his literary contributions written; during the time when circumstances necessitated compulsion are:'3iot compatible with the high Standard of those written In the earlier periods of his life. Is this not also applicable -to the works intended for the stage? Is It not feasible to aamit that it: Is? : :Does not the playwright sacrifice art for commer- claltem? Could he not strengthen his play , if 'he devoted a longer time to it and subjected it to the: more rigid ' tests whichvdedde true art? We need but to look around and: discern::: the:: struc- tures that meet our eye on every hand, which lend willing evidence.;:; We see' on this comer a building, the completion of which was not ruished because of business considerations, awhile : on the: other,': corner:-we -,observe:':a larger edl&ce, built In half the time, although double thecslse; but without much attention to Its beauty and its general rounding out. The salient differ- ence between them is : that the former Is- more' pleasing oC/contonr, more -finished throughout and, ail in all. a more careful and admirable struaturo than the latter. •- Likewise do" we find works could have been rendered far more meritorious had there not been that air of rush and Impetuousness In their preparation. This is undoubtedly the case; though sorrowful we may be to admit It The discusston-::resoIveBHtseIf to thls^-^true art is 'grenius and can not . be coerced .'by any-:: but-:natural:'fnteans. However,;: when :;trae: art la reached, then do. we find a sort of everlasting: and Imperishable ^popularity. ' Bphemerallsmvcan not be charged'to any: ot.' the classics, to Shakespeare's great worics; nor to those of «;hls -WMtby- and '^deserving successors.: This is a > condition that :'prevallS : throughout life. It obtains in history as well—^the deeds and patriotism of Abraham ::^XiIncoln: will:, long be remembered, while those: of Andrews Johnson; his successor, have practically passed out of memory, and when recalled, are but contemptuously treated. - After reviewing the above, are >.we to xonclude that the modem; play: la undergoing gradual deterioration? WouldUt be fair to those writers who do: not yield to this public clamor, who pen their worlts with greater reserv- , edness.and aloofness-:from the nocuous current and the capricious; eddy .of human- tastes and -desires, to place them in the same - category: -with the playwrights who do- fall victims to this insatiable demand? :Obviously nob-: Fortunately, we do:' find a truly: artistic: production-appearing: from; time::itO; : time, and we linger contentedly at the thought that great ' works , are ^yet being>produced,:and 'ever will be. It resolves itself to the adamantine truth': that the good: is never entirely overshadowed by:ithe: badi : despite the tatter's numerical'preponderance'::and; further,: that-■Uiere.;:are, -rand-: ever -wlU v be*; authors' amongst::: lis- 'Who axe^:capab1e :i of j iising; deducted, into a' complete whole of permanent value. The:PassmK of Ragtime. It the'popolar or. ragtime song* passing? The several recent revlvals:?:at: standard,:'SemI-cIa8sic';and classical' Compositions that are now being iWhiatlsd . on :the streets of every ; city in America unequivocally; affirm that the, songs 'characterized asiiragtim'e are losing favor with the masses. .; ; Th'e clamor for the so-called popular: dance music Is becoming :less pro., noiinced; butt on the other hand, the'demand.foriVsongaithatmother sang^.!,;!* increasing day by day :among those who, siz'months ago;: would'have iscomed any-form of music other than ragtime. That this is tme; has been Irrefutably proved by a number of leading bandmasters, minstrels and singers. ^Outside of the classics, or, what ten years ago was considered a popular-song, not one of the ragUme hits: (that perhaps for; six : months or a year^rwere ,played. in every home that sheltered a piano) is now remembered or. played. : The first few ragtime selections ^written—^belng a radical departure from anything that had previously been heard—naturally created considerable: excitement among musicians^ as well. as the laity; and, as they really had some good musical qualities, the public placed upon them its stamp of approval. The effiiaions of the first writers of; the popular songs netted them snug fortunes, as the songs were new. catchy and tnnefuL But to-day. with the field overcrowded 'With song writers, many of whose literary abilities are not exceptionally remarkable, we find our music stores overflowing with mediocre compositions. Some Of the late songs are. to say the least, disgusting: the-words blatantly nonsensical, and :';the lyric carrylngf-ijuat enough of the true in their; strains, make the counterfeit all the more galling. Xiast season, more-than 3,000 songs were published, of which number less than fifty became popular. This fact alone would Indicate that ragtimeJi ' becoming less popular,: were there no other proota to substantiate the: Claim that-it Is tottering. Recently, a moving picture theatre singer rendered a song that Imme- diately drew forth a burst of - hand-clapping.: It was Marguerite. : The older persons went Into raptures as they listened to words and: music that had been dear to them so long ago, and the younger members- of the audience, In : one accord, joined in the applause. The number immediately : preceding the song that created so much:: enthusiasm was one of the most popular songs of 1910; but, although the slnger was more familiar with the former, little apprs* elation was shown. -Within the past quarter, not less than five classics have become popular, but while the original melody has been retained the time and score have been rearranged so that words could; be set' to the mti8lo;< :There couId-be-no abjee.i tion .to the popularization of classical melodies; until lately the . delights of the scholar only, were the words accompanying:them::in keeping; with the excel- lence of the music. :But is it not unfair: to-;marry sickening sentimentality or salacious and suggestive words to masterpieces that'for: centuries: have; been regarded as sacred? If the miislc publisher; realizes that;the regeneration of Imnortal themesi Will result in;"biggeir sales,^' let :them give more thought to" the ballads they link with the music. In this age of progress, it seems ridiculous that we should be without able composers.. The difficulty nowadays is that not enough time is taken in the preparation of verse or lyric. Let the music publishers of America devote greater effort to finishing their products and they will have more, suc- cesses and less failures. If ragtime must pass, some other form of music will take its place. Let the next bidder for popularity be better, and what is lacking In quantity be made-up lb-quality.