Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-01-27
THE STAG.
HOW ATTRACTIONS OF ACTORS AND
PLAYS ARE MAGNIFTEp,
Schemes. as Shown by Confession
of Veteran Manager.

ocutiucS. dS ouOHu ny SOuleSsI VH
Of Veteran Manager.
A New York Times reporter has inter-
viewed Joe Tooker, the veteran theater
manager, so well and prominently known a
few years ago, and who now penitently
confesses to some of the artfnl methods by
which he attained his uniformly great sue
cess while engaged as a manager in the
theatrical field. 1t will be read with
interest by those who knew the Commo-
dore in the zenith of his career, and also
by those who, in many sections of the
world, are at the present day dupes of the
advertising schemes and tricks of lesser
lights but pupils of this former master.
After the introduction, in which the Times
| representative compares the business energy
and the advertising sagacity of Commodore
Tooker to that of Mr.. Barnum in his
palmy days, he enters upon his interview
as follows
Tooker was printer in his younger
! years. Then he went to managing theaters,
a business in which he was more consp.cu-
GUS than the head light of locomotive for
score of years. The opportunity OF
building up the old Metropolitan Job Print
ing Company presented itself, and back
again he went to his beloved types and
presses. There he was found by his Wis
itor, and asked to disclose some of his
many schemes of the past for the benefit
of that public which has always been up
permost in his thoughts. The proposition
threw him into penitent mood. 6 sup
pose | have been great sinner" he said.
''But if confession will do any good,
coupled with resolute determination to
stick to the printing business in future, l
am willing to
UNBURDEN MYsBLF
OF few of those sins which suggest them
selves to my mind just now. If think of
any more after you are gone I'll send 'em
over to the Times office. You will excuse
the deep state of gloom into which your
errand has threwn me. | hope the public
will forgive me. too, for l always thought
well of the public, and believe thoroughly
in reciprocity OF sentiment But there is
I'no use in talking the public is forgetful,
thoughtless, and unmindful of contempt
raneous events, unless-unless it's attention
is attracted in some particularly vivid and
novel manner You've got to hammer
away on subject continually in order to
impress it upon the public. Take, for in
stance, the play of Julius C@sar,' which
we produced at Booths some years ago.
No modern stage ever witnessed such mag.
nifcent surroundings given to any play.
1t was immense. 1t cost great Sums of
money to bring Julius before the Ameri.
can public in such splendor. Everything
was done to give it notoriety that human
ingenuity could suggest. One day we sd.
vertised that the school girls of Vassar Col.
lege were coming down in a body to witness
it. think some tickets had been distrib-
uted so that they might eventually reach
Vassar College. Now, of course, can't be
| expected to know everybody that comes
into theater, and can't give the exact
Number of Vassar girls who were at Booths
on that day. I've no doubt some of them
were there Then | invited the Faculty
of Yale College to see Julius. That was
genuine. They came down from New Ha-
ven in body, and I've no doubt were
much admired by the rest of the audience.
| But
THE CAP SHEAF
OF all these devices for keeping Julius )
before the public was the invitation given
to the Legislature and the State officers at
Albany. Governor Tilden. Senators and
Assemblymen, all came to New York on
special train. Governor Bedle and other
representatives of New jersey came over,
too. They marched in procession down
| Fifth. avenue there was slow fire and blue
music. and an immense hooraw. The the
alter was packed. The people who came
got their moneys worth of Julius Cesar
| and of modern legislators and Governors.
Those who didn't come that night had their
appetites whetted by the incident, and
afterward they, too, gave us visit. Vul-
gar parsons might speak of this as an adj
vertising dodge No6o1y ever claimed,
however, that the play itself did not war
rant any such means of advertising it.
"Then there was Charlotte Cushman's
farewell performance. will not say that
the actress herself gave il that name.
However, it was her farewell performance
so far as New York was concerned. 1t
took. a great deal Of time and money to ar
rance the details of that little event. No
body will deny that the occasion warranted
such memorable farewell scenes. All the
prominent admirers of the art which she
represented were induced to participate.
Governor Tilden, Baysrtl Taylor, and other
gentlemen of note loaned their presence
that night. A vast procession was gotten
up. As originally prepared, the pro-
gramme included in the procession the
members of the Arcadiau Club, Through
the kindness and generosity Of our distin-
guished fellow townsmaD, Algernon S. Sui
Ivan, / was enabled to bring this about.
At the last moment, however,
A HITCH OCCURRED.
They will occur in the best regulated thea
tiers. Meeting Mr. Sullivan one day, he
blandly informed me that the Arcsdian
Club would not be able TO participate in
the parade. l have always suspected that
Mr.. Sullivan smelled mouse; that he
thought he saw great advertising scheme
slowly blossoming. But the Arcadian
Club will surely parade I said to Mr.
Sullivan. 1t did. hired go 'supers at
25 cents apiece, and gave them each
fambeau-see your newspaper file for the
use that we made of that excellent word in
advertising this affair. l had an immense
Trans QafeUt1 maui Will hiiO hOlAo a.
cadian Club painted upon it. My club
was marshaled into line, and down Broad
way IL paraded behind Downings Nisth
Regiment Band. Some of the newspapers
did, believe, unkindly liken the club and
the parade to torchlight procession. But
remember one thing. Booths Theater
struck cut all over the newspaper pages
That was my objective point, and hope |
may be pardonea in my devotion to art for
being practical always. | never knew
what became OF the Arcadian Club. TIE
rascals stole my banner and my fambeaus,
and always considered them as my con-
tribution to the expenses of the following
political campaign. We had fireworks in
Madison.square after the performance that
night. Fifty Thousand persons assembled
TO see them. Cushmau made a speech
from the balcony of the Fifth Avenue Ho-
n