The Billboard 1925-07-18: Vol 37 Iss 29 (1925-07-18)

zs Ang PAUL N.TURWER Counse/ ~ FRANK GILLMORE ete = 2 ——————<—————— " The Salvation of Tent and Rep. Shows HE precarious condition of the road, especially for gmail tent and repefe toire companies due to unfair competition both from within and without the profession, has been pointed out in a long letter to Equity’s executive secretary from Harry L, Dixson,—-ef Northfield, Minn. But Mr. Dixson has gone farther than most criti and has offered remedies which, he believes, will help restore that section of the theater to a healthy condition. “The last issue of The Billboard has arrived and I note that Equity is planning to organize the repertoire and tent shows for the benefit of the small end of the show business. There is no question that such an organization is sadly needed, for the repertoire and tent shows now stand in much the same position that the regular theater shows did some years ’ ago when the entire business on the road started to disintegrate. The show business of the old days had to be built up from the ‘barnstorming’ period, and while the condition of traveling shows is far above the hard«ships of the early days still the underlying principle is the same and we must Save the small shows by any means in our power. And to bring the theater into its own again we must begin at the bottom and work on up thru it. It is true that much can be done to clean the drama at the top and greatly improve it, but neither the big producers not the theater-going public of the larger cities care a rap about what the small town gets as to dramatic entertainment. Of course, we cannot altogether blame them for that, as they are not posing as reformers or philanthropists. We, of the small end of the game, have our own battle to fight, but when we have won the fight we must see to it that these big fellows do not jump in as they did : before and profit financially from what pea had been already created for them, name7 ly the theater-going habit of the small a towns. There is no objection to any iif first-class attraction coming in and playis ing the small town, but our great ov jection to this financial gain is due to the fact that in the old days it was obtained more thru deception and graft than merit, The public is somewhat ; wiser these days, but we still have the : enspectng among us, and when the small time is on its feet again we must see to it that all promoters keep off. It ‘ ’ is going to take time and hard work to get the business on a sound basis again, but when we get it there we must see to it that the profiteers are not allowed to operate. “But to get back to my subject. In my opening paragraph I said that the small-time show business stands today in i much the same position that it did just before things started to fall to pieces, And this similarity is just this—the show : business went out of the running for two reasons, The one was to be found in the h business itself. In fact, showmen were " their own worst enemy in that they ran wild in an attempt to get all the money out of the business that was possible to squeeze out of it, no matter what happened to the business or afMy one else, so 5 long as they got what they thought was easy money. They cheated not only the , public but everyone in the business as : well. Eventually their system put them ' out of the business. : “In time the business might have re covered from this pernicious onslaught, but the movies were on hand and they give us the other reason why the business fell. For when people became disgusted ; with the shows the movies offered the opportunity to see good entertainment at moderate prices and they could be ceri , tain of seeing an entertainment that had | something certain and definite about it. ‘ Of course, some of the pictures were be | none too good, but they were the real beY | pictures—no matter where they were run. One did not go to the theater to see a picture that had played in the larger Pt, cities and feel uncertain whether he 1 & would see the real thing or some suboe stitute. All the ‘fixins’ of the metro2 nolitan showing would not be used, but ihe picture was the same, “Now the parallel between the situation in the old days and the present lies in is that the small-time show business is beginning to feel the effects of the old-time ‘gyp’ methods. I can look back to the time when the tents were few i * between, and no one thought at that time that they would become so sf much in vogue as they are now. I remember one manager. told me that the } tent-show game would never be crowded, } for the reason that it took too much cold cash to open a tent show and the shoe-string manager could never break in. sut all that many men need is the light o show_them the way and they are all set ready to jump forward and profit by what the pioneer has opened up. The hundreds of tents on the road todav show us very plainly that once good money is in sight there is no difficulty : in raising the funds to promote a tent RE show. “With so many coming into the game it stands to reason that many of them are not real showmen and that promotion and graft creep in as well as ignoranee in running a really high-class show. In time these shows will ‘get theirs’ as the codert =~ ETHEL BARRYMORE, Vice Orsi & A ACTORS BOUITY ASSOCIATION CHICAGO OficeCapito! ag NEW YORK _ SANFRANCISCO Orfice-349Pine St KANSAS CITY Office -Ciayeny ThasterRitg ZS,WEST 47° STREET LOS ANGELES Office -64/7Abiywend! SSeS SS SOS The Billboard ot ~ BRUCE MIRAE | Secon tee Depaeet fee ve Seo mas ~ ~GRAINT STEWART, Doe Sen saying goes, but in the meantime the deserving managers suffer the loss of business which they have taken years to build up. And the paradox of it all 1s the fact that the ‘gyp’ show is able to weather the storm\for a longer time than the legitimate one. The public looks upon a show as a show, and is not quick to learn which has merit and which has not. As a result all shows suffer, but the little, cheap, grafting outfit can stand for considerable loss in business and still get by. “Only this morning I received a letter rom Aulger Bros.’ tent show and the following from this letter will call your attention more especially to this point. “We are heartily in sympathy with you in your efforts to bring the (tent) dramatic companies up to a higher standard. We have for the past 20 years had that idea in mind and we have learned thoroly what a poor show can do in the way of disgusting the general public with tented attractions. We are now experiencing that very thing, due to two other mediocre tent repertoire companies playing this territory.’ “It is a difficult matter to lay down rules of any kind that will govern this Situation within the business itself, But as I _wrote Mr. Hartmann of The Billboard some time ago I believe something can be done from the license end of the game. Each town requires a license for all tent shows, and I see no reason why certain things could not be made a part of the licenses granted. For instance, why could it not be stipulated that the show actually has so many people, what the prices shall be, ete. I am not a lawyer and I may be dreaming something, but it does look feasible to me. The idea of the license, of course, is to place the show in a responsible relationship to the community. It is also supposed to affurd the show police protection, etc.—sometimes. “This would be more to the point than the older system employed by local authorities and that is the passing of ordinances prohibiting traveling attractions appears in the community or raising the license to the point where none of them can afford to pay it and thus must keep out. It’s the bad reputation of these attractions that is often the cause of the ‘shut-out’ ordinance, But the ordinance hits the just as well as the unjust and it seems to me that an ordinance could be made that would keep the bum show out but give the zood show a fighting chance. “And every standard attraction should make it a part of its business to see that the mediocre show stays where it belongs —in the discard. Experienced showmen knew what was being done to the show business in the old days, but being unorganized they were practically helpless, and besides the spirit of professionalism Was so strong that few of them would raise a hand to stop the promoter in his depredations. This time there must be organization and let_us wake up and fight individually. Let there be no sentiment about the matter. The bad show does not care whether the good show is killed off or not. In fact, there is too often the hope that just such a thing will happen. The standard show is given no quarter by the bum show, so let the same tactics be applied in the reverse order. “At the present time the movies stand in a — different position from what they did in the first breakup of the show business. Then they simpiy accepted the theater patronage as it came to them. They were not seeking the control of theaters, but were content with storerooms and their own small theaters. Today that is all changed. Nearly every legitimate theater in the small town is under movie control and there is no intention of releasing that control to the drama. Further than that there is the persistent effort to even keep all amusements out of the towns, for the movie pocns. as a class, will not tolerate even egitimate competition. They hold tenaciously to the idea of monopoly and give little heed to true sportsmanship. A very few movie managers say that a change of amusement does them no harm ands really a good thing, but such managers are few and far between, “While the movie managers inthe small towns have no close working organization they are at no great disadvantage on that account, for the producers step in and help their cause when it comes to serious opposition. This may be done either by actual interference as in the passing of laws, etc., or it may be in the way of suggestions from those higher up or their traveling representatives. liigh licenses, shut-out ordinances and the like are often the result of this movie influence. And that is going to be harder and harder to fight as the seasons go by. “Tent-show managers have been most fortunate in the past in having Equity step in and hold affairs in check, but the time is coming when Equity cannot ficht things singlehanded and it’s time right now for the tent mayagers to bestir themselves. The ore “trouble has been that when the town authorities saw fit to work for local interests as opposed to the traveling attractions there was no one in court to act for the defense, These tent managers should take it upon themselves to make fast friends with newspaper people, the town authorities, etc., and let them know in an indirect way just how the matter stands. Then when something of this kind comes up there will be an opposition that will spell defeat for the ‘shut-out’ idea. The people want dramatic shows or they would not be patronized, but the public can only express that want by its patronage. It eannot act as a unit to see that it gets what it wants. That’s why a _ few shrewd men can connive together to keep the dramatic show out of the town. Summing it all up, every tent show should use plenty of personal propaganda in every town played. Make the frie ndship for the shows so yowerful that no one will dare to try to break it. I have seen this done a few times and there is no reason why it cannot become universal.” ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION. Chorus Equity Assn. 2VENTY-EIGHT new members joined G “the Chorus Equity in the past week. Anyone knowing the address of Beulah McFarland or Helen McDonald, formerly members of the Town ——~ Company, iil kindly notify this office. _ We are holding checks for Bonnie Murray, Elizabeth Huyler, Walter Twaroshk, Frank Shea, Carol Raffin and Percy chards. " The Chorus Equity has a contract which must be maintained—the responsibility of maintaining it must be on the shoulders of the members of the Chorus Equity. If, thru abuse, the contract gradually comes to be disregarded it would be necessary to have another strike in order to re-establish it. Those of you who lived thru the last strike are not anxious to see another, especially if it is brought on by the carelessness of Equity members. The Chorus Equity eontract allows four weeks of free rehearsal, for the fifth and sixth weeks half salary is paid and full salary thereafter. If you have rehearsed more than four weeks, it is your duty to report to Equity and to place a claim for salary for overtime rehearsal. It is a matter of business, not a personal matter. The fact that you like your manager has nothing whatever to do with it. He is a business man, in signirg Equity contracts he has undertaken a certain obligation— that obligat‘on he must observe. It is not a question of the half week’s salary for the fifth week. Maybe you don't particularly care whether you have it or not. The important thing is that the strike has established a certain period for free rehearsal—before the strike rehearsals sometimes lasted as long as 16 weeks without pay. Those Equity members who now allow their manager to slip over into the fifth and sixth week without reporting to the Equity are inviting a return of those old conditions—and they are inviting the Association to suspend them, in which case they will not be able to work. Members in 1925 cannot be allowed to destroy the work of the members of 1919. In line with this question is the fact that every Equity member has been told to report to Equity on the day he or she starts rehearsal. If all members would do this there would be less dispute about the length of time rehearsals have continued. The manager always says four weeks, the member of the chorus five. Had the chorus member obeyed instructions the Association would know definitely. Do you hold _a card paid to November, 1925? DOROTHY BRYANT, Ex. Secretary. Theatrical Notes (Continued from page 30) ture house, was set aside recently by the Supreme Court in Lincoln, Neb., because the verdict was not sustained by sufficient evidence, H. L. Johnson has resigned as manager of the Rialto Theater, Vissouri Valley, Ta., and H. F. Shorthey, of Sioux City, Keine ORIGINAL STYLES id, ack, Pink, Red, Tatest, Snappiest Styles, for Stage and Street, im all colors , ps a aoe and materials. Clogs and Jingles, Silk Opera Hose, Black Satin. Price, SOFT soo | 225 W. 42d St., New York | toe $3.75 By Mail, “pe re 25e° Extra. Ask for “B” Bargain Folder. Black or White July 18, 1925 Ia., has taken charge. Mr. Shorthey was formerly manager of the Princess Theater in Sioux City, and has had 15 years’ experience in the picture game. ir. Johnson, who has made a host of friends in Missouri Valley, has not announced his future plans. With imported silver-tinted draperies on which all colors of the rainbow can easily be reflected, costing several thousands of dollars, the stage at the Babcock Theater, Billings, Mont., is now claimed by experts to be the best in the Northwest, Phil Brady, of Tacoma, Wash., has been in Bill'ngs for a month superintending the renovation, and will continue his work there for at least two more weeks. Complete new stage oy co including drops and curtains, have been ordered. The Folly Theater, recently opened by Crown & Polemanakos in Houston, Tex., has been acquired by A, Silverberg, owner of the Crown Theater in that city. Reason for the sale of the Folly is that Crown & Polemanakos have acquired a string of theaters thruout the Western part of Texas and are enlarging their territory in that direction. Phe Folly Theater is one of the most modern of theaters and has an up-to-date cooling and veatitating, system. In a short time, according to Mr. Silverberg, the Crown Theater will be remodeled, and when this is done the Crown and the Folly will be two of thebest Western theaters in Texas. Gorman’s Theater, Roslindale, Boston, Mass., was recently purchased by the Roslindale Rialto Theater, Inc., from the Cc. J. Gorman’s Amusement Enterprises, Inc. The price paid was in excess of the total taxed value of $95,000. The new owners are to spend between $100,000 and $150,000 improving the property, and will make it one of the most modern of its kind in that city. It will be operated by the New England Theater Operatives Company, which already controls the Modern, the Beacon, New Jamaica and several other houses in and near Boston. The Rialto when completed. will have a seating capacity of 2,000, and will be complete in all appointments. Work on the house will be started immediately so as to have it completed in the early fall. The Hippodrome Theater, Los Angeles. Calit., is installing a $50,000 pi organ to be used in connection with tt presentation of feature pictures, After operating many years with a large orchestra to play for the vaudeville acts, and utilizing a combination piano and semtpipe organ for its feature pictures, the owners have gone to the expense of more than $50,000 to insthll an organ that will take its place among the best musical instruments of its kind-in the city. Manager Geo. M. Clayton, of the Hippodrome, has been fortunate in securing the services of Stanley Delmar, formerly of the California Theater, to the master of the console, @md Hipp. patrons have a real treat in store when this new organ is officially dedicated. The regular house orchestra, which is also a Hipp. feature, will continue to play for the vaudeville portion of the entertainment offered, Hundrede of others ate earning oun d fae essiona ° Dhy offers chance of « |ifetime! High salaried post. tion or your own business. $20 to $75 a week in Spare time! Learn At Home. No previous experience or apecial ability needed. 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