New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-06-28
THE POOR PRESS AGENT.
HE HAS HIS SORROWS, LIKE OTHER
PEOPLE.


OF late about the theatrical press agent. The pad
theatrical season has driven him to adopt extreme
measures to get a living for himself ana MS man
aver lust as frogs in dry time are driven 10
leave their usual pond and seek larger and iuiier
one perhaps miles of. So he has told bigger lies
than usual. and more OF them and II mas become
necessary. once twice, to expose him The encrt
has always been made, in TIE Tribune at least
TO do this gently, while 1t was necessary 10 90 IL
firmly
Stories about actors have been told TO newspaper
men in confidence which were so ingenious 'hat
they positively demanded recognition yet so I'M
probable that it was impossible to print them with
a straight face, and the only thing to be done was
TO credi, them the press agent and let the reader
decide for himself about believing them. The press
agent is an annoyance sometimes lie mas way
of telling his most brilliant thoughts just at MD
night when there is scanty time TO write them
down In an orderly way or TO put them In type 1or
the mornings paper, yet 1t is Inevitably iet tnat
they are too precious TO be kept from the public
for another day Then, too, he will let loose his
most fascinating invention the night OF a great
political convention when 1t Is hard TO ma space
in the paper for the marriages and deaths yet MS
story cannot be left out because 1t Is undoubtedly
1nst what the readers OF the paper need Again
the press agent will put forward three thrilling
stories about the same theatre in the same week.
lust because 1t happens to be the theatre that EN-
plovs him when the papers would much rather
show their impartiality by printing stories about
different theatres.
These things have caused some hasty persons
to speak unkindy OF the press agent. ana 10 lhsn-
uate that he IA not always above saying Things
which are not altogether true. and that exagger-
alton Is even hab,tual with him. 1t Is time that
something was said on the press agents side OF
this question. It Is not always realized even by
those who know him well, that he il not always
free agent in what he does The fact Is that the
press agent is the worst-nagged person about a
theatre except tho ticketseller, and That Is say
Ing a good deal
BETWEEN THE MANAGER AND THE PAPERS.
At the beginning the press agent may know az
rttIe about newspapers as the manager, but he Is
sure to know something about them before he gets
through, and 1t is more than likely that the man
aeer will never know anything. So the manager
thinks that press agent Is one who Is aDe' OF
ought to be able TO secure the insertion OF JUST az
much matter about the play or the actor IN the
newspapers az he chooses. Unfortunately for TINS
theory It is not shared by the men who actually
make the newspapers. and they often prefer 10
make up their columns Of such matter as they be-
love will interest their readers than of such as
manager thinks Will interest himself the press
agent stands between the manager ana the news
paper and between the two his position Is not al
ways one of comfort
The manager thinks that his theatre ought to be
noticed to the extent Of. say. quarter OF column
a dav on an average, in every newspaper in New
York and the dramatic editor thinks that six lines
a week is the mark The simple task OF the
press agent Is to reconcile these estimates An
abundance OF matter must appear in the papers
or the manager will discharge him, and the papers
will print no matter Al unless what they regard
as valuable news is forthcoming Should the press
agent be blamed severely, then, If he Is now and
then tempted 10 invent?
4 few years ago there was a poor press agent
who was engaged TO make the local fame OF an
actor who was thus far entirely unknown He
wrote about his glowing virtues as well as he
could and sent his thoughts TO the papers. At the
end of the first week he went to the manager and
asked for his pay. 81 won't pay YOU" said the
manager Look here; this is all the matter that
YOU have got into the papers In the whole week.
and there IS Edwin Booth playing around the
corner and they have printed ten times as much
about him. Why don't you get stuff like that into
the papers, II you want pay?' And he never did
pay.
THINGS THAT NO AGENT CAN DO.
But there is much more serious and dlsrredit
able mistake than this that some managers make.
They think that a good press agent ought TO have
such friends among newspaper men as TO be able
to insure his employer favorable notices whether
they are deserved or not 1t is scarcely necessary
TO say that If any press agent represents TO a
manager with whom he seeks an engagement That
he can do this, he Is a swinder. 1t Is not to be
supposed that any agent in New-York would be so
infatuated az to do so, but now and then man
sger from out OF town. and also from out OF the
world. 1t would appear. expects IT,
feminine Of decidedly minor magnitude
visited this city for the first time not long and
her manager at once employed a New-fork press
agent He did his duty in the way OF sending pre-
liminary announcements TO the papers and some OF
them were printed. But when the performance
I n be "A "a
the papers said so frankly. Then the manager came
TO his unhappy agent and reproached him with
not securing favorable notices Il never promised
to do anything of the kind" the agent answered.
IF | could guarantee favorable newspaper notices
for bad performances. could make $4,000 a week
without the slightest trouble" And so he could,
without the slightest doubt.
OF course everybody has good luck sometimes. and
SO the press agent does. There was another star
who was to appear In NeW,iork Tor the first time
got hold OF press agent who was "A remarkably
candid man oE a press IS, a be cc snppose e
and l want you to go and see them and get them
morning after the first performance
Il can't promise you anything OF the Kind. sid
they viii make up their minds what they think
OF 1t and write their notices accordingly. should
would not do II and | should only make enemies of
So the agent sent his preliminary announcements
TO the papers usual and did not go near critic.
Still ne knew that the manager half expected him
10 do so, even after he had said that he would
not As the wholly unknown. he had no
very sanguine expectations as TO her ability and
he looked forward to the first night and the next
morning 10 certainty Of losing his job But.
strangely enough tie new star proved 10 be rather
attractive person, the critics pleased with
her they said so. and the manager was delighted.
Stranger still. he gave the press agent credit for
IT, just he would have given him the blame II
IL had been the other way, and he at once made
long contract with him. The agent thought that
having assured the manager once that he lad
influence with the critics. II necessary
do so again, and he meeky accepted the renewal OF
his contract and said nothing
LUCKY PIECE OF BARGAIN-MAKING.
There is other occasion record on which
the press agent gained point the manager
The manager supposed 10 be a clever man. too
He about 10 Start A new enterprise. and he