Variety (April 1911)

VARIETY V. M. P. A. ISSUES A STATEMENT ON STRIK ES" AND "UNIONISM" Vaudevllh Managers Protective Association Makes an Official Announcement Regarding Itself and Current Rumors The lately fornv «t Vaudeville Mana- gers' Protective Association Issued an official announcement IlIs week, when organizers of (he Association were usked by a Vak-kty rt^resentat.ve for a statement. The V. :i. J*. A. includes within its ranks vaudeville, L risque and circus mana? ^ three 'Msicr.s em- ploying the most vaudev'.r.t acts. It has been accepte *f the Asso- ciation was formed to bring together In a solid body the managerial forces which might be affected were the re- ported rumors of a pending "strike" by actors to become a fact. Following is the announcement made: • While we, the members of this body, are in no wise opposed to organ- ization, we are tpjiosed to such organ- ization when it is declared to be for the purpose of curtailing our control of the business in which our own money is invested,and is at stake. "The vaudeville managers have not banded together for the purpose of taking any directly aggressive action to injure any individual, but It stands ready to defend and protect the man- ager with his large investment, and, incidentally, the capable artist who is prepared to att'.ld strictly to his busi- ness, which s'tould consist chiefly of keeping his act up to a required stan- dard and getting for it as much money as he cau and as ong a route as he can; while we aU c :id to our business of operating the theatres and trylug to satisfy the public and make the best bargain with the utlst, as '* the custom of every business riau. "Unions are w*»U enough In their way, where the principles i>i Zionism are applicable to the reg' i •*' n of the relations of einpli'ver and - ' »y- ed, but our contention is thai i'.^ are not applicable ,to the relations be- tween the vaudeville managei and the vaudeville player. Each artist must, of necessity, be the individual to judge of the character and value of his artistic work and such a question cannot be left to any body of his as- sociates; he cannot nor will he con- sent that any artist body to which he may belong should fli a value on his work, and in reality his salary Is act- ually fixed by the public demand there may be for his act, a demand that is caused by Its quality. "The vaudevllla manager must al- M-ays live up to the demand for new things and new acts mutt be provided. Often acts or artists are, brought for- ward from another field of entertain- ment as a result of some unexpected quality or through some Incident that Interests the public. ganlzation will be of no aid whatever to him In securing engagements with us. "We prefer to do .business with the level headed artist who is guided by his business sense, and who has the success of his act and the theatre first In mind; and is,not influenced by those who, by harmful agitation, are endeav- oring to upset the cordial relations that have existed between manager and player since the inception of the vaude- ville business, .relations that were dis- turbed but once, when the regrettable and unsuccessful White Rat strike threatened for a week or two to work serious and permanent harm to the cause of the artists. VAUDEVHiUE MANAGERS* PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION. 1493 BROADWAY, NEW YORK CITY. EDWARD F. ALBBE, President MARCUS LOEW, Pint Vlce-Preildent PERCY O. WILLIAMS, Treasurer MARTIN BECK, Chairman Board of Directors JOHN W. CONSIDINE, Second Vice-President MAURICE GOODMAN, Secretary BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Edward 7. Albee George Cattle William Fox William Morris John Rlngllng Martin Beck Joan W. Consldlne William Hammersteln John J. Murdock Samuel Scrlbner Harry Da via Benjamin F. Keith Alexander Pantagea Gus. Sun Herman Fehr Marcus Loew Sylvester Z. Poll Walter Vincent Harry Felber Morris Meyerfeld, Jr. Frederick F. Proctor Percy G. Williams Charles E. Bray Clark Brown Chris. O. Brown New York, April 1, 1911. Dear Sir:— As a mrnager engaging vaudeville acts, you must be vitally concerned In the plan announced by an organisation of actors, that some time In the near future they intend to demand that actors on every bill shall be members of their organisation, and that any manager refusing to comply with such demand, will be boycotted. In other words, they expect you to exclusively engage members of their organization, and upon your failure to do so, to cause any member of their organisation engaged by you to "walk out" of your theatre. While their printed announcements Indicate the calling of a strike In June, this will probably not occur when most theatres are closed. Their threat may not be sincere, but whether it is or not It is Important that managers be prepared for any emergency. The managers In this association have given notice that they will book whom they please regardless of the actors affiliations, and it is no vain boast to state that they are prepared to keep their theatres open, if every actor in the organization referred to were to quit If any member of this association Is singled out for attack, whether he oper- ates a single moving picture theatre or a circuit of vaudeville theatres, this association Intends to stand back of him and co-operate In keeping his theatre or theatres open, and maintaining his right to employ whom he pleases. In fact, this association was formed to protect the manager of the smaller theatres.—the one who needs protection,—rather than the owners of the larger cir- cuits, who are able to cope with the threatened situation without assistance. The burlesque and the circus Interests have been admitted to membership so that practically every Important Interest booking vaudeville acts has been gathered for the strength of t5e association. The managers of the so-called "small time" or popular price vaudeville theatres and moving picture theatres are lArgely represented In the membership and directorate. This association Is lined ui< for battle, If battle there Is to be. If you would have the protection of this association and its affiliations, It Is necessary that you be a member o' the association. If you think it worth while having the strength of this association back of you, %'n the enclosed card of application and return to the undersigned, who will present the same for action thereon at the next meeting of the board of directors. Any further Information will be cheerfully furnished by the uni>rslgoed or by any one of t>io members or directors of this association, whose names are printed above. Very truly yours, MAURICE GOODMAN. Secretary. all the present agitating is being done by tho unemployed. Those are out of employment for tho very good rea- son that Instead of occupying their minds and time In getting up an act that will create a demand for their services, spend their time working out remedies for imaginary gmvanccs^ "Those thinking they can secure engagements by agitating and the em- ployed artist who thinks he can im- prove his own condition and salary by quitting work to fight for the cor- rection of some unknown or imaginary grievance or to give moral support to somebody out of work will surely learn a lesson that will be a lasting one. "It will be wise for the player upon whom prosperity smiles and to whom enforced Idleness would mean the loss not only of present and future time, but the loss of what he may possibly have saved, to stop and ask himself what good is accomplished by such agitation as he sees and hears around him. It is not necessary to point out to the level headed^artlst what would be the result of the closing of a large number of theatres voluntarily and for some time, a condition which could be done with much less comparative loss to the manager than to the performer. "We intend to have more to say to the artists from time to time. It would be wisdom on their part to take their thoughts to themselves and regu- late their own action in a way that will best serve their own business In- terests." Walter Rosenberg will not open his new Savoy theatre, Asbury Park, on May 1, as expected. It will probably be June 1 before the house will be ready for occupancy. Copy of circular letter sent to managers by the V. M. P. A "The managers certainly will not consent that they be deprived of their full right to employ such an act be- cause the artist has no Union card, or because some body of actors takes it upon itself to say that we must not ex- ploit such an act nor offer it to our patrons. "We wish all who are Interested to distinctly .understand—once and for all—that we will employ artists solely because of what they have to offer in the line of good entertainment. Merit alone will count and the fact that he la a,member of the Union or any or- "That unfortunate flr6t break be- tween manager and actor, like the first quarrel between close friends, left its mark, and many who before that time had been .prominent as features and headllners of the vaudeville stage, have dropped out of sight, as they had made themselves undesirables. There Is grave danger that should anything come of the present foolish agitation, the same fate will befall many who are now enjoying such prosperity as they never knew before. "A careful study of the situation convinces the managers that practically IVKLLK MKYKKS A y<i'iriK K''l wln> his mii'l" Imi;' IT vi-ry pi»|>ul;ii i'i tin- '.\ ■ *t <■ ' ' ' • -> i ".vl >■ !.;!•■ tt.-t." Miss Mi'Vi'iB is 'tt prviniit in '!.■ ■ m', >iri• I^r the direction of H. A. MYKHS