The Billboard 1913-03-22: Vol 25 Iss 12 (1913-03-22)

; 24-6 The Billboard MARCH 22, 1913. Will Burlesque Always Prosper? By Sydney Wire A few more weeks and another burlesque sea son will have passed into history. A few more jumps, a few more pack-up nightS and a few more of the monotous “two-a-day” and the season of 1912-'13 will have gone down into oblivion. It has been an eventful as well as a memorable season for both of the mighty circuits, and many changes and modifications have been made in both shows and itinerary. Both circuits opened the season with a new route, inasmuch, that several exchanges of territory were made, all of which were wisely considered, and the results have been favorable to both circuits. With the Columbia Amusement Co., or Eastern Wheel, there has been little to chronicle, beyond the acquisition of two new and splendid theaters at Montreal and Detroit, both of which houses are prosperous beyond even the fondest dreams of the promoters; the markt improvement in the standard of the attractions in general, the passing of several old titles and the running out of the leases of one or two of the rented franchises. The shows have improved in many ways, and a good deal more money has been spent on equipment and salaries, while a general effort has been made to mold the shows as much as possible to the public inclination. With the Empire Circuit, or Western Wheel, an avalanche of progress has been made and a material improvement has been wrought in both shows and route. Pad stands have been dropt or improved, new and profitable houses have been acquired, and the shows have been pushed up to a higher, brighter and cleaner standara. A governing body, to which a world of praise is due, was appointed, and with I. H. Herk, Eddie Miner and Barney Gerard, as its guiding spirits. wonders have been worked, and a forlorn hope has been warmed into new life and vigor. Business on both of the circuits has been good, altho there have been some trying periods, and when the erratic weather conditions are taken into consideration, it seems appropriate to heave a sigh of satisfaction over the general conclusion of what has been a really remarkable crisis for burlesque. It is true that at certain houses business has been deplorably bad, and in many eases, has shown a marked decrease over that of the season of 1911-'12, which might be registered as the most prosperous burlesque season ever known, altho this has principally been noiceable with certain of the theaters in the East, ‘the West for the better part having kept up wonderfully under the most adverse of weather and other derogatory conditions. The enmity and rivalry which once existed between the two circuits have, in a great measure, disappeared, and it would seem that there is some undercurrent of understanding between the guiding spirits of the two wheels, which, if, as many believe it will, grows stronger, it will net be surprising to see a closer and warmer relationship between the two circuits, and it is even possible that some sort of an amicable agreement, if not an amalgation of the two wheels will be arranged in the near future This would mean, cither, a more suitable disposition of territory and theaters or perhaps a classification of shows, and the formation of a Class A and Class B circuit, with the better shows playing the more profitable houses and the lower gerade, taking the thea.ers where business is insufficient to hold up the bigger and more expensively-equipped attractions. The fact that the prices of admission to burlesque theaters have remained at a specific basis while the salaries of performers and the cost of equipment has continually increast, has become more than a simple problem, and that some steps will have to be taken to meet this issue is apparent to all connected with the business. The managers that have been able to operate their shows at a profit have little to complain about, altho those who are operating under a leased franchise and under the many other dis advantages that the present conditions present are far from satisfied, and there is little question as to the intentions of those higher up to exploit plans and ideas that will bring profit to their respective interests. Managers Must Keep Awake. Burlesque has had a prosperous run and is still prospering, but this fact will not allow burlesque managers to rest on their oars and to rely upon the perpetual patronage of a fickle and ever-changing theatergoing public. Melodrama came and went. Musical comedy of the higher as well as of the po»ular-priced variety came, conquered and vanisht, and there is no telling just when burlesque may lose its popularity in a brief moment of public caprice. Every detail must be watched and theatres, attractions and general conditions must be kept up to the standard of public taste and appetite. Good shows, good performers, good music, good scenery and comfortable theaters must be insisted upon and the search for novelty and originality must be kept up continuously, hence we see wherever an Opportunity offers itself for an improvement here or there it must be graspt and in its entirety. The goods is the answer, and the goods is the demand of the public that pays its money to make profitable burlesque possible The Burlesque Principal. The actor who has long since realized the possibilities of burlesque, and who has long ago lost his prejudice for what was once termed a lower class of entertainment, is now enjoying the benefits and sharing its prosperity with the managers and owners and some of our best-known vaudevil and musical comedy stars are now enjoying high salaries and long season of comfort and contentment. New faces, new people, are now the rule instead of the exception, and the salaries of the principal men and women in burlesque has steadily jumpt until the managers are almost distracted. The vaudevil performer who takes to the burlesque field, soon realizes the advantages offered, and with every season we meet with a new influx into the Elysium field offered by the burlesque circuits. A season in burlesque, in spite of its hard work of two shows a day and its action and constant grind, has many advantages, and it must come as a welcome relief to the constant trips to the agencies, the difficulty of securing routes, the long jumps, the bother of arranging for transportation and excess baggage, the arguments regarding positions on bills, and the tension of opening shows and the anxiety of an act’s reception The actor in burlesque knows just where he will be on Thanksgiving Day or New Year’s week, and, if he is competent, he is sure of a long season’s employment at a sure and certain salary. He is busy for at least nine months of the year, and when his season closes he is usually able to afford a pleasant and needed vacation in the mountains or at the seashore. The shows, closing in May, or during the first week in June, make it possible for the performer to hie himself to his summer home, if he possesses one, and to otherwise enjoy himself until rehearsal time, usually about the first week in August. The Burlesque Actor in Summer. There are few principals who have been long in burlesque, who are not fairly comfortably independent, and many of them own their own palatial homes at Freeport, Fairhaven, or in some other Long Island or New Jersey suburb of Greater New York. A number of the highersalaried comedians o~ . their own touring cars or motor boats, and the vacation season is made enjoyable by long trips and water voyages thru lakes and rivers. tion to farming, and more than one industrious actor spends his leisure moments on the One Western Wheel comedian is the owner of a large tract of gold mining property in the vicinity f Butte, Mont. and it is stated that this prop Some have turned their atten land. erty is both productive and valuable. Again, we have the burlesque principal, male or female, who prefers to work thru the summer, and these usually secure a few weeks of vaudevil time that keeps them busy during the lay-off season. Every season we learn of parties of burlesque principals and managers who brave the ocean and spend a few hundred dollars of their savings in a trip to Europe, and whoever they are or wherever they happen to be, you will usually find them with money to spend. For the actor who is competent and able to make good, burlesque is indeed a mecca, and it may be truthfully said that there are more big-time stars today who got their start in burlesque than in any other branch of the busi ness The Chorus Girl. The chorus girl is another serlous problem to the manager, and when we consider that $0 per cent of the burlesque audiences go to burlesque theaters to see the girls, we may consider her as no small item in the success of the production To complete the efficiency of the burlesque chorus it should be made up of suitable material, and this means good-looking and shapely girls, as well as girls who can and will dance and sing. With such a complement of show girls, ponies and mediums, and with a really competent stage manager to keep the girls up to a working pitch, we have what might be termed a top-notch chorus, The work of the producer must also be up to an up-to-date burlesque standard, and this means numbers and ensembles of a gingery and lively nature, with a liberal dash of ragtime and popular dance steps. A good chorus generally means a good show, and with a good chorus and comedians who are able to entertain an audience while the girls are changing from one set of the wardrobe to thé other, and with a couple of good women to lead numbers, we have a show that will bring home the money. The good chorus girl is hard to recruit, and the situation appears to be growing more alarming with each succeeding season. The girls who have been in the business 4 season or so are becoming wise to the various tricks of the trade and are shirking rehearsals, so that when the time comes for the shows (to rehearse there is always a scarcity of girls. The old-timers are wily enough to wait until the season is open and started, and then, and then only, do they come from their summer hiding-places and fill in the vacant places in the shows playing in and around New York. In this way, they avoid the several tiresome weeks of disagreeable rehearsals as well as the cost of their transportation to the opening point. Again they are better able to select a show where the wardrobe bill Its low and there are a hundred and one advantages, of all of which the experienct chorus gir! '}s aware. The managers may sign up as many of their old girls as they will, but when the first day of rehearsals comes there will usually be from one to a dozen missing. It is this that makes it necessary for the managers to sign up more girls than they really need and in this manner to place themselves on the safe side. The girls have complained again and again of this unfair system, but as matters stand at present there is no alternative for the managers, and until the manager can trust the chorus girl and the chorus girl is sure of the manager's good faith, we see no solution to the present unsatisfactory condition now existing in this branch of the burlesque business. The chorus girl is well paid and averages a salary from $18 to $22 weekly. Out (Continued on gage 160.)