The Billboard 1924-01-05: Vol 36 Iss 1 (1924-01-05)

The Bi llboard JANUARY 65, 1924 on ~*-> , ss Conducted by Alfred Nelson (COMMUNICATIONS TO OUR NEW YORK OFFICES) CAN CHORUS GIRLS LIVE DECENTLY ON $25 A WEEK? Sam A. Scribner, General Manager of Columbia Burlesque, Says No—What Does I. H. Herk, General Manager of Mutual Burlesque, Say?—-Columbia Burlesque Pays Choristers a Minimum of $30—Mutual Burlesque Pays Choristers an Average of $25 New York, Dec. 28.—Having received information that several organizations seeking a minimum wage scale for women were about to make a survey into the working and living conditions of chorus girls in theatrical companies, jocal and traveling, we made inquiries relative to the salaries paid choristers. Sam A. S general manager of Columbia burlesque, says that the minimum salary for chorus girls in Columbia is $30 a week, and, in the event that a chorister produces the dan and ensembles, leads a number or tuhes part in a specialty or scene, the ealaries are higher, according to the individual talent, ability and the work of the girl. As I. H. lerk, general manager of Mutual burlesque, declines to give out any information relative to conditions in Mutual burlesque, we interviewed individual managers of companies, at the sane time assuring them that we would not divulge our source of information, and several of them informed us that Mutual burlesque chorus girls receive an average of $25 a week, and it’s an exceptional case where a producing manager of Mutual burlesque pays girls over $25. Five dollars a week may not seem much to Many people, but to a chorus girl it means the difference between good and bad living conditions. Five dollars extra a week spent on eating and sleeping means better health, mentally and plhysicially, for the girl who has to curtail on her eating and go to undesirable places for sleeping is more apt to become immoral than the girl who has sufficient to eat and a respectable place to sleep. Environment plays a great part in the lives of men and women alike, for good or evil. The average chorus girl who earns sufficient to live in respectable environments will live morally, while the girl who does not receive sufficient to live in respectable environments will seek less desirable with their attendant inducements to immorality. For several years past we have conducted a Hotel Directory in The Billboard for wo other purpose than to list hotels for the benefit of our theatrical readers, and we have appealed time and again to the managers of those hotels to make their rates sufficiently reasonable to enable chorus girls to live in their hotels instead of being forced to seek less desirable places. The high of living tbruout the country, with rooms ranging from $10 up single in the larger cities and meals from 50 cents up, makes it almost impossible for a girl to live on less than $20 a week. Add to that clothing, medi cine, ete., and it’s beyond the comprehension of man how they do it, and do it respectably, and yet they do it, but the sacrifices that they make are appalling. We have seen them at breakfast with only a cup of coffee and a coffee cake on which to do a matinee performance that ribner, purlesque ces places cost ealls.for as many as twelve changes on and off stage, that ofttimes calls for running up and down long flights of stairs in between their many dance ensembles, in which they are expected to put pep and personality. Imagine a girl putting pep and personality in twelve dance numbers op a cup of coffee and a coffee cake. If the gross receipts of Mutual shows did not warrant the payment of $30 a week to chorus girls there would be some logical excuse for holding their salaries down to $25 a week, but for weeks past the managers of Mutual burlesgue houses have been flooding us with com munications in which they boast of their gross receipts running upwards of $8,000 a week. We seldom touch on the receipts of houses on the theory that it is private business that scenery and costumes furnished by the Mutual Burlesque Association and that the principals in the various companies were to pay five per cent of their salaries as commission to the Engagement Bureau conducted by the Mutual Burlesque Association; further, that each show was to pay a booking fee weekly‘ into the Mutual Burlesque Association for the privilege of playing the houses booked by the Mutual Burlesque Association on what is known as the Mutual Circuit. That method of doing business continued until the I. H. Herk faction secured control of the Mutual Burlesque Association, and since then the franchise-holding producing managers have been induced to sign over their $1,000 held in escrow to the Mutual Burlesque Association to liquidate the claims of costume and scenery people, and yet they are forced to continue the weekly payment of $100 for scenery and costumes, supplemented by $25 weekly to the Engagement Bureau, for instead of the principals paying it as formerly, it is now up to the producing manager to pay it, for in many instaaces the principals in the cast have refused THELMA CARLTON A personally attractive blond, with a slender, symmetrical form, who graduated from a grand opera ballet to become an accomplished prima donna, ingenue and singing and dancing soubret in musical comedy, vaudeville and now in burlesque with Ed, E. Daley’s ‘‘Brevities of 1923’°, a Columbia burlesque attraction. AGENCIES’ ACTIVITIES New York, Dec, 28.—Producing managers in many branches of theatricals are Gependent on booking agents for performers, and when a manager seeks their assistance and accepts their service in negotiations with performers it speaks ill for the manager who turns down a prospective principal in the agent's office, for him independent of the agent and offers him the salary asked for, minus the agent's commission, Managers should bear in mind that an agent has overhead the maintenance of an office, ofitimes with the salary of an assistant, t-lephone mailing, to say nothing of his personal expenses, which of necessity must come out of the commissions paid him by the performers he places with managers of shows. then sends costs in and living We bave rceeived numerous complaints along these lines, and one during the past week of a manager of a burlesque show who is doing himself an injury by turning down the agent in ag underhand manner to save the agent's commission, and the performer who fell for bis underhand method is no better than the manager who engaged him. Nat Mortan Placements Nat Morthn has been doing his bit in getting new faces for for he is covering vaudeville and comedy performances seeking desirable talent for burlesque shows, and during the week secured Theda Ber nard, a vaudeartist, to replace Emily Earl in “Barney Gerard's Vanities’, and reports from Newark indicate that Miss Bernard, as an ingenue, is an Nat burlesque, musical past exceptionally good one. also secured Jack Coyle from a “Barney Google” company to replace Tom Phillips as straight ‘a “Hurtig & Seamon’s ‘‘Happy Days” Company at Pittsburg. Eddie Hammill, late on the Pap. rime as a singing, dancing, acrobatic juvenile for “Gayety Frolics to join at Toronto, The Seven Serenaders, late of “Barney Gerard’s Vanities’, for a Loew Time vaudeville act with Emily Nelson nad George Paige. Lilian Emmett, a prima, for the Metropole Hotel, Panama. Ike Weber's Engagements Ike has week been a placmg Mortan, Billy Rand the Strand Theater, Newark, burlesque stock: Veoletta, the firm at its press vandeville act busy man He and Mark during the past Placed Frances Thompson at N. J., playing a classic dancer, for and EmDale in a Rose Francis with “Smiles of 1924", a musical comedy performers, same Staute-Congress theaters in Chicago: George called ‘‘Mavourneen’’; Demar and Paul show Belle Rutland in Charge of Office New York, De« Belle Rutland, a former prima donna, well known in burlesque, who lost her voice some ficiently to take atricals as theatrical office, booking 2s time ago, has active recovered sufinterest in themanager of Nat Lewis’ comedy and vandeville. Belle is well known to all the clients and knows them sufficiently well to place them where they are most needed, ‘ an musical Everette and Bronson New York, Dee, Ben Holmes, husband of Flossie Everette, says that Flossie has ideals that make her aspire to become something more than a soubret in burlesque, and for that reason she has joined Percy Bronson in a vaudeville act that has had three weeks on the Fox Time, with extended bookings over the Vol Time. 26. does not concern our readers the chorus girl situation our in general, but it apropos that familiar with article, based on makes readers in become this general forth in given us by conditions as set information several franchise holding operating producing managers of Mutual shows, who claim that when the Mutual Burlesque Association was first organized that they were invited to take out franchises by the payment of $1,000, which they understood was to be held in escrow for the proper fulfillment of their contract in furnishing produetions and presentation n theaters booked by the Mutual Burlesque Association; further, that they were to pay $100 weekly for the rental of to pay it and the burden falls op the producing manager, In return for their production and presentation the producing manager receives a weekly guarantee of $1,275, out of which he pays the Mutual Burlesque Association $125, leaving bim $1,150, out of which he must pay repairs on equiment, properties used in show and salaries, which inclades a musical leader at $78; carpenter, $75; property man, $75; choristers at $2% each, $4003 principuls and managers at whatthey cun be had for. Is it any wonder that the producers can not see their way clear to pay chorus girls more than $257? Is it any wonder that franchise-holding pro ever ducing managers are disgruntled, especially in the face of the extra hundred dollars weekly promised them by General Manager Herk, an order that he canceled the very week it went into effect? Is it any wonder that the pro ducing managers of Mutual burlesque who are now facing a on their season's work of production and presente ‘ion now seek the establishment of a Columbir Junior Cireuit for next season? Is It any wonder that Mutual choristers are seeking engagements in Columbia burlesque, where the shows are presented clean and the girls get a minimum of $30 a week? If the Mutual Burlesque Association, as booking (Continued op page 104) lose | ’ L ;