New-York tribune., 1896-10-04
ADVERTISING THE PLAYS.
THE X.DDLEMAN WHOM THE MANAGER
HAS TO CONSULT.
HE is THE BILLPOsTER WHO LEASES DEAD
WALLS AND OTHER PLACES WHERE FLAM-
ING DODGERS MAY BE DISPLAYED
TO THE BEST ADVANTAGE

ING DODGERS MAY BE DISPLAYED
TO THE BEST ADVANTAGE
II there is any who believes more than
another in the value OF advertising IL Is the the
atrical manager. And he ought to know for he
has much experience in bringing his wares to the
notice of the public anybody who treads the face
OF the green earth. Long ago the various lodges
by which the manager might focus the public eye
upon his attractions seemed to have been utterly
exhausted for the brightest brains and the shrewd
es, minds have long received good salaries for this
distinct purpose. But within the old fields there v
still much competition, and 1t Is likely that such
there will be long the theatres are open and
people &C those OF which they hear the most
OF course the newspaper holds first place In the
esteem of the manager. but no one manager can
hope to gain any great advantage over any o'her IN
this field of eplightening the public since no one
manager can we'll buy whole paper The wiles OF
the press agent still held In high
esteem and the one who can invent the most inter-
esting and plausible yarns about the plays ne Is en
gagged to boom is of the biggest saiary-ano
that is pretty big. The stories need not De so ex-
tremey plausible. either, so long as 'he paper" 'H
be persuaded 10 print them
Perhaps In no department OF theatricai aoVer-
,sinr does the competition continue so Keen as IN
that OF thograph display. 1t Is regarded as OF tne
utmost Importance that the names OF pays aoou'
10 lie produced the present time on the ooaIos
all III
citv in letters as large possible Any place. from
., ash barrel TO a dead wall. has its value TO tho
manager and he is willing to pay for II ana pay
we'll And pay we'll ne has to nowadays ine,e
was a time when the manager hao 40 o"e our '
brother manager contend with IN MS eiio'.
adorn the architecture OF the city WIN Soe -
Tho Road 70 Ruin" or Fourteen BLOCKS anu
,1I, from, tho BATTERY" Those days are practcai'y
-ana no,y and gone forever. The manager mas 70
dea, with a niddeman.
As soon as 1t became known 'ha' ue"' 49,. 80,
roofs in the city had Vaiue apai' i'm 80
mated by the tax assessors thefe spans
hodv ~ men who made 1t their business 10 CON-
all such desra bic spots as soon do p's,' 49,.
-, -, for a rise in the market Io-daS 'ie'"
~ - of mon whose sole occupation 10 "
cur. rhe advertising rights to all the ueau 80 the
saloon corners In the city lhese "a, - nhs at 10
,,rarors for the display OF tner h'noe'p ~ 100.
much a month. Some of 'he'e
grown wealthy in the business
THE RIILPOsTER's WAYS.
The manager. IT will be seem mgh' ~ .rars nj.
49,, o,rc,,n,vent the wes of the oillpos'e' ar,od
tent c'rcuiiI,e"' ~ With so many and such varieo
-, p,,, the bposter gives no ~.
- arvthine else but getting cohtio % ,v ona
,ar,age ponts And when man NY .,,r nall
,' 20 o,rb, 10 be able to dc mat 'hi.s
rha b,IInoster does IL well AT any io - .
ne ui'i .ocor His method is TO keep
-, ,ooLou, for all announcements oi n''p
ar,s IN real estate, for wherever 'ueie - >.
movements IN rial estate 'he'e . ,oa erected
ha =, dead wall or two or temporary i."o ..o,,.
~ ,oo tho nublic from falling into 'he i'''p.o'
10 Mp ~ ,,., tho builder These precautions
,. - ha ,aken against the unscrupuious p
rhe b,lInoster is often at the ONCE Oh t''e ~.
before the plans are drawn. lie npp.x snards and
odvertising rights OF the prospective D' q,
walls The builder usually reeatus ' 49, %,
,ho rgb. of 4 clear GAIN and THINKS ne na' %
-, no rents the boards to him for ABOUT o"'
hid or one-half OF what they are worth " '"'
manager. ,,s IN the city
In This way almost all the dead walls 10 ,,e ~.
come into the hands OF the prolesslo"a, D'.'' 49,.
,,n,u II has become next TO impossioie lof i"a"
"''' - ,,,, ~, n,av without calling to his aid the
7,.oa, and having him roundy for MS SER
vices . .,,,s sizes ac.
Theatrical printing is done IN various - ~
cordinr To the dimensions OF the ooarus ~ .'
arad The largest display Is called sta''u Nn~
Is 4 board frame capable OF dlspids '''s ' Guy ~
/ -, o,rr.aen TO forty-two sheets OF printing e"0
since, being abou. 2is by 4 feet Most OF 'ne @ s,a
7 accommodate about twenty-eiSht sneets' Inc -.
al, exac,ed for them by the oillpos.eiS 'a..
@.s accordine 70 the location. Probably tne
s'e"''s 49,. ores NOW being used for the display
' ,..,o, ,os,ars are those al broadway
J. ard Tb,-tv-seyenth. 81. 1t was not iohs aso
that one of the large managers pdio 'uS"y
bill-poster so a week for the use oi o"e
lo,
i,s vain. rises Another manager. VINO hau pee"
,,or, enough for once to anticipate the greedy
htInos,er the other day showed a Tribune re-
norer a contract h. had made with the ouiide' VI
a large business building now gong up !" SIM
ave for the rental of the board fence 10 oe eieo'
around the excavation. The price hameu "a' CIV
a month. and the manager cohs'ue'eu '''' ~ ~
made a bargain. a.
besides the stand the bi!lposters secure from the
fortunate and aristocratc owners OF corner ss-
looms and cafes the privilege OF erecting ou's'os
,be,r doors a smaller board designed TO accom-
modate a three-sheet poster. For the use OF 'his'
too the manager is mulcted. and be gives UP very
gracefully He often prefers TO do this rather tna
deal directly with the owners OF Jhr he %indSws
full his pos'er5b ror ,hi for
yery eS Is poster that eccupies week Thes:
thograph tickets admit 70 the theatre aha ,hs
purpose some theatres issue every week as many many
as % 60 R0SFffRn frame Of rap Of
scenes from his play M COSTS n 'To is from
fhese sources that most OF the scalpers secure
their tickets.
THE WINDOW TICKETS
A veteran manager told Tribune reporter ~
Gently that probably 1900 every week was taken
out OF the pockets Of the managers Of New-York
theatres in this way alone. In season OF thirty.
five weeks, which is good average. this meani
| | about $4,000
posters for the most valuable advertising place.
resulted In contests that were exceedingly amusing
o the public, but which were stern struggles With
the professionals. One OF the most interesting ol
these fights took place at the time the Broadway
cable was being constructed At night the exca
; vations marked by long lines OF barrels. con.
: nected by rails with red lanterns placed upon
every barrel. il did take long to convince tn,
i blllposters that here was chance not TO be lost
SO one man started his employees out one night q
, cover the barrels with the little dodgers called
> 'snpes." which advised the great American
public not DO thing until they had seer
, 'Unce WHY'S Zinc Teeth"
> The did his work well, and after covering
. every barrel in sight with his wholesome advice
E returned to see how the things locked, What wal
brush laying his 'snpes" before they wert
even dry another series. which adjured the peop.
Of the metropolis Hear Tottie Cumdrop Sins
Pally Round the Rum Punch" There were word