Variety (December 1912)

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VARIETY DISCOURAGING PRODUCERS READJUSTMENT IMPERATIVE "1 don't know who it was that first used the catch phrase, 'He's a bear.' But I sus- pect it was a vaudeville producer trying to characterize the attitude of the vaudeville manager toward new material. When he's a pessimist, he's the most thoroughly whole-hearted and sincere pessimists in the world. But when he's an optimist he's as weak-kneed and uncertain an op- timist as could be imagined." A successful vaudeville producer makes this point in a discussion of the difficulties that confront the man of ideas who deals in productions for the two-aday. "The production forces in vaudeville," he continues, "have narrowed down until there are now only four recognized per- sons engaged exclusively in supplying new features. They are Jos. Hart, Arthur Hopkins, Jesse Lasky and B. A. Rolfe. The others have become discouraged. "The icason is briefly this: there is no centre of broad control of vaudeville. There is no single man who is responsible for the well being of the variety form of entertainment as a whole in this country. The authority that controls the destiny of vaudeville is scattered among a group of managers, each of whom controls but a few theatres. If his wants in the booking of these few houses are satisfied, he is content and the advancement of the in- dustry as a whole concerns him not in the least. "He will not go out of his way to give the encouragement to the producer which is essential to his best efforts. * On the contrary he not infrequently puts all sorts of obstacles in the way of success for new ventures. Instead of putting a premium on enterprise, he is a bear in the amuse- ment market. "Suppose a producer floats a new act. Every influence is against him. With every encouragement in his favor, the or- dinary hazards make up weight enough against a success. A thousand and one details may go wrong and the offering may, in spite of the utmost care, fail on presentation to please the public. This should be risk enough, but to it are added the difficulty of pleasing the managers, who have another thousand and one likes and dislikes, tastes and prejudices, lean- ings and eccentricities. "If the act 'gets over' and is booked by a majority of managers, the failure to please a relatively small minority in the total number of the booking authorities, automatically marks the act a 'dead one.' A dissenting minority is the most enthusi- astic adverse opinion maker. Half a dozen managers who do not like an act make a body of men entirely surrounded by unanimous consent, while twice that number of managers who like the act and are willing to play it, are to be won over to a lukewaun, listless attitude by the most trifling argument against the act. "Even after the successful act has been booked and played around for some weeks, an adverse report will shake the fa- vorable opinion of those who have given it their approval. The managers, even those with the longest experience and the best judgment, are as nervous and weak- kneed over their favorable opinions as an amateur race-track bettor. "Each man is concerned only with his own one or two theatres. He is not con- cerned about the others, and he will not use new material if he finds the smallest fault with it. It seems to me that he might overlook minor defects in an offer- ing that in general is worthy and inter- esting, on the principle that the originator deserves encouragement The difficulties of the producer will not be cleared away until the progress and betterment of vaudeville as an entity is made the busi- ness of one central authority. "It has been said that the retirement of Percy G. Williams from vaudeville has made the way of the originator more dif- ficult, but I do not agree with this view. I believe that if comparison of the book- ing sheets were made, it would be found that more new material has had a show- ing in the Williams houses since Mr. Wil- liams' retirement than before, Mr. Wil- liams was always willing to give the pro- ducer a look-in, however, and his good opinion was generally looked up to and respected among the other booking men. A success in the Williams houses was a valuable asset. "Managers do not seem willing to al- low a producer an adequate return on his investment of brains, capital and labor. If he produces an act involving a consid- erable number of people, the manager counts the number in the cast, estimates the payroll and appears to think the pro- ducer should be satisfied if he is paid a reasonable sum calculated on that pay- roll. This is a curious mental bias. The manager does not consider the payroll when he hires a single act for the same amount he would pay for a number using a dozen people. What has the value of a vaudeville offering to do with the amount it represents in the payroll of the com- pany? The single act draws dividends in direct proportion to the talent of the play- er. Why should not the producer be re- warded for his cleverness and ingenuity. The excellence of the act is what the manager should pay for, not the amount of money it cost to put on and operate. "I should like to see put in operation a rule requiring every man, in the United Booking Offices, say, whose business it is to book a theatre, to produce an act at least once a year. Such a course would open the eyes of the bookers to the diffi- culties that confront the producer. They would learn for one thing that absolute perfection is nearly impossible. They would learn an immense amount of in- formation about the conflicting tastes and prejudice of the American managers and prevalent idea that the lot of the pro- ducer is an easy one. "Another thing, the annual production by booking men would bring about. It would give them some breadth of mind. It is the habit of some managers to extract from offerings submitted to them some inconsequential detail that does not suit them, and to condemn the whole thing on account of a single defect It may be one bit done unsatisfactorily by a $50 actor, in a part that calls* for the talents of a $250 player. The manager would not pay the difference, but he bases killing criti- cism on one minor defect. "However, I do not despair of the fu- ture of vaudeville production. The basic laws of supply and demand will take care for new material, the man of original ideas will find a market for his wares. And certainly there never was a more cry- ing need for the producer's services in vaudeville than there js at this moment." By O. L. HALL. Dramatic Editor, Chicago Journal. Chicago, Dec. 10. When the overlords of the theatre are heard in earnest outcry, giving warning of disaster, the business they direct must, indeed, be in a perilous state. Men no less important in the theatrical world than Joseph Brooks and David Belasco, both frank and unevasive, have given, within recent days, diagnoses of the cur- rent dire ailment, just as many managers of smaller calibre have been doing, accu- rately and inaccurately, for two seasons or longer. Both Mr. Brooks and Mr. Belasco see no other finish than bankruptcy to the mad speculation that has been and still is multiplying everywhere the number of playhouses. The voice of Mr. Brooks may be taken as the voice of the theat- rical syndicate; the words of Mr. Belasco may be considered to represent the fears of all the saner producers and owners of representative playhouses. What they say outdoor entertainment, too many good plays, too many bad plays, a dearth of good actors, a superfluity of good actors, playwrights, press agents, critics, labor unions and reckless over-building all have been blamed. Now it is not difficult to see that the enormous increase in the cost of living, the automobile mania, the com- petition of other kinds of entertainment, and the multiplication of playhouses all have had a direct and decisive effect on theatrical prosperity. The growth in the public's ordinary expenses has compelled a big section of it to seek cheaper enter- tainment; the delights of the automobile keep its devotees out of the theatre in good weather, trade expositions, opera and the concerts attract their tens of thou- sands, while the multiplication of theatres has resulted in a division of the support of the established houses. There should, of course, be a gradual and healthy growth in the number of ELSE ALDER The Young Viennese Soubret Now taking the principal soubret role at the Monti Operetten theatre. Berlin. Frauleln Alder received the promotion to this Important role after but three years of stage experience. Bhe Is a sensation In Berlin, and may shortly be seen on Broadway. is rooted in a thorough knowledge of con- ditions, not only in New York City, but in all places to which their numerous at- tractions travel. To the observant outsider their diag- noses would appear to be entirely trust- worthy and their outcry reasonable and necessary. There has long been need of official warning, and there will continue to be need of it if a business that directly affects and is directly affected by every urban community in this country is to be saved from black days. During recent seasons the gradually growing unrest in the theatrical world has been frequently and variously studied and explained. The high cost of living, the allurement and the expense of the automobile, the wave of all-round extrav- agance that has been sweeping over the country, the competition of film shows, travel lectures, cabarets, grand opera, playhouses, but this growth, were it ideal- ly adjusted, would be in ratio to the growth of the theatre-going public. If that public be not increased, every new theatre must secure its audience by dim- inishing the audiences in the older houses. In every important city in this country the theatre capacity has been increased from 100 to 200 per cent., and more, while the entire population—not the number of theatre-goers—has increased say, at a lib- eral estimate, twenty-five per cent. The multiplication of theatres necessi- tates a multiplication of attractions to fill them. This has resulted in insane hurry, sorry confusion and astonishingly fre- quent failure. And no business in the world can long endure such terrific waste Radical readjustment is necessary, and if it be not wrought by some hand with a genius for organization, it will come of itself, and through trouble.