Variety (December 1912)

VARIETY 21 RUNNING THE THEATRE Surrounded by theatres and a the- atrical atmosphere, with theatre-goers running over the pavements below him in taxi cabs, even the light of an elec- tric sign for the Maxine Elliott theatre streaming into his window in the suite of offices on the fourth floor, south- west corner, of the Shubert Building at Broadway and 39th street, Charles A. Bird, a showman who knows as much about the theatre in all its scope and phases as any man in the line, sat at his desk at 8 o'clock the other evening, and told a Variety representative there wasn't much to talk about on theatricals. "Charlie" Bird is single, born at Hor- nellsville, N. Y. He is of the theatre, and has no office hours. While the Variety* man sat near Mr. Bird's desk, people came running in, the phone rang repeatedly, and as the hour approached for the playhouses along Broadway to disgorge their crowds, a caller at Mr. Bird's office might have guessed business was just about to start in the morning, were it not that the absence of his two stenographers denoted the day's work was over. Urged to delve into the technical side of the show business, the stage and its output, the theatre and its working staff, Mr. Bird told it all in about two minutes. Pressed for detail, he turned to the window and drew on his vast knowledge for a few facts. The Shuberts appear to have a solid pillar in "Charlie" Bird. If there is trouble about/a theatre, you see Bird; if a new house is building, you sec Bird there, with the dust from the plaster on his clothes; if a show is starring out, they go to Bird, it there's something the matter with the technical side of the circuit, it's up to Bird. On the purely mechanical end of the theatre, it is all Bird. He ar- ranges for the show to go out, for the scenery to be there, for the stage crew, for the house crew, for the resi- dent manager, treasurer and staff, for the operation of the theatre and the stage. The show passes in review, and the maanger, stage manager, "stager" or "producer" is acclaimed by the pro- gram and the press, if they are not berated by the latter. But as one might say if there were no theatre there could be no play, so it could be re- marked that if it weren't for the man behind, the show wouldn't go on or go out. "You know about what there is to building a show," remarked Mr. Bird. "The chorus has to be call for rehear- sal some weeks ahead of the proposed date of the public showing, and the principals a week or so later. The mod- els of the settings are supplied and go to the shops. There are the scenery shop and the carpenter shop, with the painters and property men all doing their work also. We aim to have the production built seven days ahead of time. The wardrobe is generally de- signed by Melville Ellis and the dress- making shop takes care of that. Some- times we have some of the costumes made outside. Boots, shoes and wigs must be gotten ready as well. "When the show is opening out of New York we have the cars placed at 10 o'clock on the morning of the dress rehearsal. There is seldom any con- fusion. Only once in eight years have we fallen down and that was unavoid- able, while on the other hand we have built a production in five days that would have ordinarily taken eleven. We worked night and day on that, the men staying on the job eighteen hours daily until it was completed. We made it just on time, but we did it. "In selecting the crews, we know the men best fitted for big production and small. We have some corkers with us. The crew with the Gilbert & Sullivan All-Star Opera Co. I would gamble on, with Harry McDargby, Luke Southern Dave Doran and John Munger in charge. They know each other and Bird in answer to a question. "We uncover them by a process of reports and experience. We don't care what the people come in here and say or write to us about a house manager. We know them, and a 'knock' doesn't go here unless there are good grounds to back it up. At the Belasco, Washing- ton, is L. S. Taylor, Earl Steward, at the Shubert, Kansas City, is another star. Asher Levy at the Garrick, Chi- cago, worked up from the post of as- sistant treasurer, while Melville Stoltz, who represents us at St. Louis, is an in- stitution. Then there is John Oishei, of the Teck, Buffalo, and H. E. Judge, an Englishman, at the Princess, Mon- treal, and John Garrity, of Louisville, John Reynolds, Pittsburgh; Eddie Smith, Boston; A. G. Bainbridge, Minneapolis; Frank Phelps, Omaha; R. H. Lawrence, Detroit; F. J. Dailey, Indianapolis; all in the class of ideal managers. I might go right down the list of our THE ALTOGETHER DIFFERENT "BIBTEK ACT." The first season THE MELNOTTE8, who are well known to first class vaudeville all over the country, have attempted an act entirely on their own. The central verdict has been the Twins have done nothing to equal their present worn Possessed of good looks with a natural taste for dressing, their charm of manner and en- gaging- personalities all blend Into the maklr.g of one of the clasHleat "sister acts" vaudeville has known. work nicely together. Another prize crew is with "The Blue Bird," with Harry J. Welts, Charles Lang and Charles Lamonte. For the 'Pinafore' production there are Sclby Tapsfield, Con Valentine and O. G. Hook with the crew. "Then we have the best stage car- penter in the world, bar none, at the Hippodrome, New York. He is Geo. Williams, and has 72 grips under him. You wouldn't think George could win a 100-yard race to look at him or he wouldn't stop a typewriter when he talks, but he's a wonder at getting a thing done on schedule. You can bank on him every time. Joe Eisner, whom we shifted over from the Herald Square to the Hip, has twelve electricians under him in that house, and Louis Bowers, the property man, has 40 clearers. "Resident managers are a proposi- tion all to themselves," remarked Mr. managers and name them all, for that matter, for all are in the first rank. "A local manager has a lot to con- tend with, and we support him, if he is right. If he isn't we tell him. We want managers with backbone, and I believe that when praise is due them they should have it, even if one day t'iey get a roast from headquarters and the next a friendly pat on the shoulder. They are a part of us and we work together. "The house managers are in charm 1 locally. It must be a serious mat- ter before they call upon us for advice. We have found the other kind of man- agers, too, and gotten rid of them. I walked into a house in the northwest cne day. In the cellar was a lot of old papers, probably thrown there by the cleaning women for weeks. I called the manager downs f airs, attracted his attention to it and told him that wasn't right: what chance would an audience have in case of a fire start- ing among those papers down there? "Then I went out of town. Coming back a couple of days after I stopped in the theatre again, and the papers were still there. I just told the man- ager to come over to my hotel that evening, and left without saying any- thing more. After the show that night, with my door locked, I told that fel- low what I thought of him from the ground up. I had locked the door be- cause I believed there would be a riot and I didn't want outside interference. He left though without attempting anything and quit his job at the same time. I have never been able to make up my mind why he didn't order that room cleared. Yet he came to us highly recommended from twenty dif- ferent sources. Now he's a street car conductor. "We get reports from advance men and managers with the shows, who cover every town. The show managers stay a week or two at a time, and have plenty of opportunity to observe. When we receive a bad report about a house we verify it in several ways before reaching any decision. "The treasurers are mostly local men and bonded, and we have some crackerjacks among them, men who know their business, take care of the box office properly (and that's no cinch either) and arc a credit to us and the towns they are in. "I suppose there's a lot of detail aft- er all," concluded Mr. Bird, in answer to another question, "but you haven't time to notice it around here. There's lots of things that send a man up in the air, for everything is on the move all t he t ime. I get red hot sometimes over the impositions we cncountei, which are enpugh to 'wake up the Sphinx, but it's all in the day's work and passes along. The public won't pay two dollars for fifty cents' worth of show. BOBBY HEATH. The effervescent song writer and llvs wire Discoverer of "perpetual motion In vaudeville.' or "The art of always keeping busy." Now touring the Orpheum circuit with BOBBY HEATH and RUBY RAYMOND. In their oddity hit In "one." Mr. Heath Is under the peraonal direction of NORMAN JEFFERIEB.