The Billboard 1924-03-22: Vol 36 Iss 12 (1924-03-22)

ODA we MARCH 22, 1924 under bona-fide formulas. ‘Taking swhscriptions for periodicals, which include seme of the most popular home-enjoyed tnagazines, farm papers; manufacturers and jobbers, automobile, radio and other special publications, also ‘mes unéer the accepted head of itinerant salesmen (some of the best-known farm paper firms owe a great deal of their respective enormous circulations to these subscriptionists). Each of these special-branch salesmen is practically an individual firm in himself. He or locates in some city as the notion takes him, he methods to his own likinz, he makes his demonstrations and sales where and when he wishes, and as pertains to all others in his sume line of endeavor it is “‘none of their business”, hence the referred to “self-independence”. They are numbered in this country in the thousands—that is, ill lines. Many of them have beautiful and cozy —<some costly—homes. The large majority of them educate their children, morally and educationally, the same as any other respectable persons. Exceytions? Yes, but far less than deduced by laymen. The large majority of these workers are itinerant salesmen, usually traveling summers, returning to their homes or other abodes winters. The wives or families of some of them travel with them, which is vacational, educational and, in a way, quite domestical, especially so since in numerous instances they have veritable “homes on wheels” in these days of automobile transportation facilities. True it is that some actually live “from hand to mouth”, 3ut is it not so with hundreds of other business men, tradesmen, etc.? Do-not the latter spend practically all their financial proceeds on luxurious fineries which they could well do without in order to “hold up” their own and their family’s local “‘social’’ standing? The “uninitiated” reader might gather an impression that the writer is devoting a great deal of this narrative to “comparisons” or to so-called “press-agenting” pitchmen and demonstrators beyond their due. Not at all. Any comparisons made are but to acquaint those of the public who have not taken the pains to enlighten themselves with facts. And the writer, after some thirty years of intermingling among them and the past six years as editor of a department of this publication exclusively devoted to them (“Pipes for travels HE sun is shining so burningly on the back of my neck: <And the dust is shifting so merrily down the front of my neck: And the cheery old wind is trying to blow me off the band-stand deck; while I'm trying to play music for the Fairs, By Heck! That might be poetry. But it isn’t. Tho perhaps one is allowed to tell the truth in poetry. Just as we mixed up with The Storm Scene in “Tell”, a couple of wild pacers came down the track and tried to enter the band stand over the rail, That wasn’t poetry either. One of the boys stepped on his fine trumpet and there was work for the instrument factory. The bass drummer went off the stand still hooked on to the drum and when he came up out of the mud he didn’t recite the printable kind of poetry! We found most of the music by the afternoon of the next day. And again: How we suffered with the heat and dust all afternoon on Labor Day as we sat out there across the track on the “work band” stand, which had only two electric light wires for a cover. I drank so much ice-cold pop that every time I removed my own cap it sounded like Fzz, or pulling a cork off a warm one! That night we took ’em all off—left ‘em of: We weren't going to roast the next day And we didn’t. By night there was a norther shrieking ‘and screaming down upon us as we shivered and froze and tried to play sweet music with numbed lips and stiff fingers. Funny thing how “Fair” weather is not always Fair, not always. And when it is soft and warm, how merrily the dust from the racing horses doth flow in one’s ear, nose, mouth! Yea, verily, how sweetly sings the poet! At some fairs the band actually sits over in the grand stand. This {s not so bad, for then the boys can be heard without splitting their buttons off. Usually tho the band sits on an open platform over acrogs the track so as to be handy to play the free acts. And very seldom at the smaller fairs do these stands have any tops or sides he larger fairs are now putting in band shells, ‘which are quite the thing, and these rightly belong over the track. If these stands are raised several feet—say ten—off the ground, : ser The Billboard Pitchmen’”), thru all of which he has had a wonderful opportunity to study them, believes he péssesses the ability to either speak or write authentically regarding them. This is a conscientious, unbiased effort. Is the reader’s interest increasing? Very well, let us now pass on to Puffs The variety of entertainment provided the citizenry of the towns in which they stop over and make sales—these itinerant salesmen—is in a class by itself. It is enjoyed by many thousands yearly, many of whom, including whole families, cannot afford to visit theaters but once in a while —even for those who can afford to it is an interesting change. About eighty per cent of the demonstrators and pitchmen are past masters in the art of entertaining crowds of people along with demonstrating and selling their wares. Some of them rely wholly on their ready wit and spur-ofthe-moment repartee with which to assemble and retain their “crowds’’—these usually work singlehanded. Others, with salaried comedians, etc., present monologs, dancing, gymnastics, instrumental and yoval music, sketches, ventriloquism, ete. If the reader be a citizen of some locality (any profession) can he (or she) conscientiously say that he (or she) has not stopped, even if but a few moments, and enjoyed it—and does not do so at every “conventional” opportunity? Can he (or she) truthfully state that it was not being, and is still being appreciated by virtually all those standing about these street entertainer salesmen? Let's take a limited “look” at the medicine shows, as they are termed: These have rosters vary:ng in number of their personnels from several to thirty, or even thirty-five professional arwith programs ranging from but music and jokes, to a repertory of six to twelve popular dramatic and farce-comedy stock releases. Some of the latter give their performances under large tents, with both free and reserved seats, are provided with well-proportioned§ stages, special scenery; have combination bands and orchestras, and no small number of tl.em transport their paraphernalia and people on costly motorized equipment. Also there are the portable platformstage free shows on vacant lots and street corners. During performances skilled lecturers (many with tistes, By Ed Chenette the quantity of dust is greatly eliminated, which of course means better music. And the shell acting as an amplifier carries the sound of the band across the track to the grand stand. HE duties of a “Fair Band’, are many. It has to play concerts. Thus it must be a concert band. It has to play the acts. Thus it is a work band. And it has to play novelty vaudeville numbers of its own. Thus it is a show band. All of this requires versatility on the part of the leader and his men. The concert work requires thoro musicians: The free act work requires good sitht readers plus the experience necessary of following an act. And the actual presentation of its own “act” numbers requires stage showmanship of the best kind. All of this work should call for a band of at least thirty men. But it is so seldom that one can get money enough to have a number of consecutive weeks for such an organization. If a Darin’ Demon can stand on his eye-brow and flirt with the propeller of an airplane for five minutes he is worth several thousand a week; but a thirty-piece ct working five hours a day is expensive at two thousand dollars a week. The actual road band salary is $60 a week ind carfare. A band is paid for a week even tho it works but four days. This ts as it should be, for the men are out on the road and have no other means of making money during this layoff. If a road band gets a contract of ten weeks out of a possible eleven it is doing well. Some get more, or say they do, but some actually play less, even tho they talk about their long season. By far the great majority of the smaller fairs, and we might as well add, the larger ones too, use their local bands. We haven't anything to say about the habit Just as long as we do not have to Usten to the bands. Then what we do have to say is not for print. But I suppose it ils 7 medical degrees) give talks on health-producing exercises, breathing, daily practices, etc., in addition to detailing what aids to health their remedies possess. Contrary to a brand of oppressive rropaganda put forth by “opposing” interests, they far from all claim their medicines to be ‘cure-alls”. The properly schooled medicine lecturer (same as any schooled drug-store clerk) will say they “are aids” to recovering from this or that (this pertains to all drug stores or any reputable medicine show—in the way of liniments, tonics, corn remedies and practically all other “patent medicines’). In fact, the med.c.ne show tha: counts on building up prestige and slaying the same territory over and over (many of them have been covering the same States and towns for years) relies on the all-important issue of merit of stock in trade, along with popular entertainment. It might be enlightening to the layman reader to here state that the originator of one of the most widely known present-day “patent medicines” started between twenty and thirty years ago on a free and open-air platform medicine show in the vicinity of Cincinnati, and for a number of years sold his stock in this manner— today the medicine is on the shelves of drug stores thruout the nation, and the one referred to is but one of the same origin caliber. They also, usually, sell soaps and toilet preparations. Some of them manufacture their own stock, while the entire outputs of the majority of them are secured from large manufacturing concerns. Quite often these manufacturing firms send out combined entertainment-sales shows to advertise their products—because of the strict attention to impre.sive demonstration paid to each product, this is one of the very best of advertisements, and additional purchases may be made at local drug stores. Near the beginning of this “review” mention was made as to the merit of thoro demonstrations of each trade article, and that pitchmen are exceptionally skilled in presenting them, also that their profession is a foundation toward making sales. Let's go further than this and state (undoubtedly truthfully) that there is no better way in which to get new items universally into the hands of the people than directly thru these street salesmen. A “broad assertion”? (Wook at this (Continued on page 8860) all right. Let them get their share of the sun and dust. It is pathetic tho to , hear them muss up a free act; and there is more fireworks in the band than a fireworks company puts on over across the way when the boys try to play the music for that spectacle. It is good practice—if the audience can stand it. They pay these local bands as high as three dollars a man sometimes; and again a free admission ticket is enough— some of us would add, TOO much. But we have our day when we see those boys in their nice new duck pants and shiny green coats following the stock parade down the track, for we know every dry cleaner in town will work overtime next day—and with gas masks on at that. ‘The big fairs are employing some fine concert bands for real entertainment purposes; while they use a good union organization to do the WORK, be the work band, as we say. And around at the stock pavilions and machinery halls and exhibition booths one will hear the various country bands from all over the State which came in with their local clubs for the day. These latter bands do not play in the main grand stand and are not hired by the fair associations. They have a good time for the day and go home full of pop, peanuts anid pride at having played at the State fair. The fact that no or hears them doesn’t matter; they played at the State fair anyway, and proceed to mark the day off with red ink. HE matter of uniforms for the combination T bands—those that play concerts, free acts, possible parades, and their own vaudeville stunts—is a matter of some concern. Such a un!tform should be flashy. This doesn’t make the music any better, but it presents such an interesting background of picturesqueness for the organization that music equally well rendered takes better. Folks appreciate the “flash” and pay for it accordingly. Our many Kiltte bands, and the various white, red and black Hussars, present some very fine {nstances of catchy, striking uniforms. This is showmanship and makes the bands look like a million dollars. And appear ances COUNT at the fair, don’t forget that. A (Continued on page 38%) i a en Ema + ears. 2 3 sw