San Francisco dramatic review (1899)

.May 15. 1909 THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW 3 each other in the natural progress of a traveling company. Then there are other books arranged in the same way for cities of smaller size, which are played to fill in the time between the big cities, as it is not always convenient to go, for example, direct from Philadelphia to Pittsburg. This minimizes the cost of railroad fares, which, in view of the growing size of companies and the high rates under Interstate Commerce regulations, is a very important item of expense. Let us assume, for the purpose of a concrete illustration, that Manager Tohn Jones of Oshkosh comes into our offices to have a certain number of weeks booked at his house. We simply ask him when he wants to begin his season. If he says September 1, we say to him : "All right, your time will be filled." We know from our books just what companies will be going West, and since we make the time ourselves we know just when to put these companies into Mr. Jones' house. It is important not to put too many companies playing the same kind of plays in the same territory at the same time. You must follow comedy with serious plays and then bring in a musical piece. Since the theatrical business is so precarious, it follows that companies fail, new attractions spring up, theatres sometimes close, and there must inevitably be changes in a program set so far ahead. The result is that we are constantly shifting attractions around. Every Monday morning we go over our books to see what time is open. We might find that Charleston, Savannah and adjacent cities will need attractions for a few weeks, several months hence. We find from our booking that there have been few musical shows down there ; so we book them in. If the star or leading woman in a company falls suddenly sick, and the time must be canceled, it takes swift movement to substitute a good piece in a hurry. H * * * * * * When a traveling manager comes in to have a tour booked the plan is also simple. We ask him when he wants to begin and in what section he wants to travel. If he should select the West we book his tour, first selecting the large cities, but not in consecutive order. Then we fill in the weeks between these cities with one-night stands in the smaller towns, always keeping in mind that there must be no conflict with similar attractions in the same territory at the same time. In a word, the syndicate managers move theatrical companies like pawns, with the country as a chess board. I Presiding faithfully and relentlessly over these books at all times is my partner, Mr. A. L. Erlanger, who combines with a natural head for mathematics the most marvelous memory I ever knew. Many times at luncheon with his other associates and myself, when some question was asked about an attraction that was going on the road, I have heard him tell the exact whereabouts of fifty or sixty companies scattered all over the United States, and, I believe, he could do this for a whole year ahead. Here is an example of the way his memory works : Shortly after the opening of Miss Mabel Taliaferro's New York season in Polly of the Circus, her husband. Mr. Frederic Thompson, joined us at luncheon one day. It was his opinion that Miss Taliaferro would have to go on tour shortly after Washington's Birthday. Mr. Erlanger. without a moment's hesitation, and between soup and fish, writing with a lead pencil on the back of the menu card, gave him a tour beginning with the week of February 22 and ending sonic time in May. When we got back to the office and looked into the time book we found that, in every instance, Mr. Erlanger was correct in the dates he had selected, and, in every instance but two, he had properly quoted the opposition attractions in every house of the cities in which Aliss Taliaferro would play. A conspicuous example of the advantages of our organization in a crisis was evidenced during the last yellow fever epidemic in New Orleans, when many companies scattered throughout various parts of the South were all making New Orleans and Texas their objective points. We quickly rearranged the time of these companies, sending them East and West. Then we made up a company of the actors and actresses quarantined in New Orleans, transforming them temporarily into a big stock company, and kept them there for weeks, thus enabling them to make a living and at the same time lightening the gloom of the stricken city. For this we received the grateful thanks of the most prominent citizens of the community. Without our organization in such a crisis hundreds of actors would have been thrown out of employment and many places would have been deprived of theatrical amusement. After the great earthquake at San Francisco and before that, following the floods of the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys, we have given illustrations of the advantages of our system of booking attractions. Previous to the organization, these emergencies and disasters would have entailed incalculable loss to the managers and playhouses and actors. The traditional idea that the disbanded actor walks the railroad ties has been eliminated by the introduction of business methods into theatrical, and we have never had a company that did not retreat in good order if its season was unsuccessful. In brief, the Syndicate is a clearing-house for the theatre manager and the play producer. It is the medium through which they do business with each other. Confining itself strictly to the matter of bookings, its influence upon stage productions has, of necessity, been neutral, beyond the fact that it has insisted upon reputable plays. There has been a great deal of discussion this year, especially in New York, about vicious plays. Unfortunately we cannot have a pure food law for the drama that will label every play good or bad (incidentally, I should not want to be the Dr. Wiley of this task), but those performances which are clearly catering to pernicious tastes and instincts and whose advertisements clearly indicate the intent should be frowned upon. Speak WIGS ALL MAKES, GREASE PAINTS, POWDERS, ROUGE Largest Line on Pacific Coast. MAKE-UP BOXES, PLAY BOOKS Parent's Stationery Co.'£££IS. The Ellef ord Company For 1908-09 PALS, by Edmund Day ALL DOE TO DIANA, DORIS FROM FARM TO FACTORY A WOMAN'S SECRET ■ All Royalty Flays UNDER THE GASLIGHT. DR. BILL THE OTHER FELLOW THE NEW CINDERELLA And Several Others. Pacific Coast Representative for Brady and Grismer's MAN OF THE HOUR and WAY DOWN EAST Managers, please note that I control exclusive Coast rights to these plays. W. J. ELLEFORD, Sole Proprietor and Director FRANK WTMAN, Manager WILLIS BASS, Business Manager Permanent Address, Francis-Valentine Co., 285-287 13th St., S. P. Home Office B'JRBANK THEATRE BUILDING LOS ANGELES, CAL. Oliver Morosco's Plays Ready for Stock The Judge rni the Jury The Halfbreed The Empress and the Soldier In South Car'liney Is the New Majestic a winner? Well, we guess yes MOROSCO'S BURBANK THEATRE Los Angeles, Cal. "The Best in the West" The Leading Stock House. Hamburger's MAJESTIC Theatre The Handsomest in the West Co 300,000.00 Oliver Morosco. Lessee & Mgr For time address John Cokt The Garrick Theatre San Diego, Cal. MOROSCO & WY ATT, Lessees and Mgrs. ing for the Syndicate, we will not book such plays in the theatres we own, control or represent. Plays and actors continue to be good or bad, as they always have been and always will be. It is true that some of the members of the Syndicate are play producers, but they are individually responsible for the merits and demerits of their productions, just as other managers are. The performance in the theatre may be artistic or it may be allied to art, but the business conduct of the theatre is, and must be, commercial. The theatre in the United States is still a private enterprise, without subsidies of any kind, and so long as it is so its business conduct must be carefully guarded and guided as in other commercial enterprises. The erection of a so-called New Theatre in New York may demonstrate advantages of an endowed theatre, but that remains to be seen. The hue and cry that has been raised about the alleged "commercialization of the drama" is as illogical as it is ridiculous. The theatre to be successful must be conducted on a business basis. Even poets must be fed. So with all artistic enterprises. The greatest magazine, with a purpose so lofty and aesthetic as to be a real inspiration, must have a counting-room and business offices, just as the paintings of a Sargent or a Whistler must, at some time find their sale through the medium of an art dealer who is a business man. There will always be a conflict of opinion between the business and artistic sides of the theatre, just as there must often be between the editorial department and the counting-room of a newspaper. The other night I picked up a magazine of the forties, and read an arraignment by a well-known writer of the time of the managers of New York and of England because they were giving too many performances of Shakespeare. It was claimed by the critic that penuriousness inspired this, and that they were simply producing the Great Bard's plays because there was no royalty to pay on them. According to this writer, the English stage of that day had become debauched by a lot of purse-proud indi Continued on page 4. New Oxnard Opera House OXNARD, CAL. MANAGERS TAKE NOTICE NO More Bum Stage Here Can Stage Anything Write for Open Dates GEO. P. AUSTIN .... Manager GONZALES OPERA HOUSE GONZALES, CAE. New, well appointed theatre, electric lighted. full stock of new scenery. M. C. CLARK, Mgr. NEW CONCORD THEATRE Just completed and ready for traveling troupes. For information inquire of P. EE FREITAS, Concord Hotel, Concord, Cal. Phone Main 353. WOODLAND Opera House WOODLAND, CAE. Greatest show town for good shows In the West. A few good dates open In September and October. Stage big enough for any production. Booked by Great Western Theatrical Circuit. NEW DIAMOND THEATRE BLACK DIAMOND, CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CAL. C. CIPOEEA, Manager The coal mining town; good stage; seats 500 people; rental, or will play first-class companies on percentage. For information apply to 411 Momgomery Ave., City. Hill Opera House PETALUMA, CAL. JOHN R. ROCHE, Lessee and Manager The finest theatrical town outside of the big cities in the West. Magnificent new theatre, with stage large enough for any attraction, playing regularly from $500 to $700 a night. Booked by Great Western Theatrical Circuit. 287 Thirteenth St., S. F. BARCROFT Opera House, Merced Entirely remodeled. New stage, big enough for any production. Stage equipped with new scenery. Merced has 4,000 population. For time write F. R. BARCROFT, Manager. Santa Cruz SS^ Santa Cruz, Cal. E. A. KNIGHT, Manager Rental or will play first-class companies on percentage H. Lewln GORDAN H. Oppenheim TAILORING CO. (Formerly 1124 Market St.) 1539 Fillmore St. Bet. O'Farrell and Geary San Franclaco. Cal Slightly Worn Wardrobe FOR STAGE PURPOSES Ladles' Handsome Evening Gowns and Opera Coats; good as new; in latest styles. Men's Full Dress and Tuxedo Suits. MRS. H. JACOBS, 1050 Golden Gate Avenue, formerly of Sixth Street. Phone Park 707.