Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-04-23
BOOM IN VAUDEVILLE:
MONEY IN 1T FOR SOME


There are at the present time no
less than forty-five theatres in the
United States devoted to so-called
straight vaudeville. New houses.
which are now building. will be open
ed in several cities. 50 that by next
season the number will be close to
fifty.
The number of recognized vaude-
vile actors of all kinds is about 1000
which makes an allowance of forty to
each theatre. Nor does this make
any allowance for the large number of
theatres which play stock companies
and other attractions with vaudeville
specialtieS sandwiched in between the
acts. I'm the sm inner months also
there are almost innumerable parks
and out of door amusement enter
prises which offer many chances of
employment for people who can do
clever turns. Never in the history of
the stage have there been so many
opportunities for variety actors.
That the business is on the up grade
is well shown by the character of the
new vaudeville houses under CON
struction. The new vaudeville thea
tire in Philadelphia. for instance-it
will make the third in that city-is
to cost nearly $1,000. 900. and will he
quite the finest building of its kind i'm
the world.
In nearly all cities the attendance
at vaudeville shows IS rapidly in
crcasing. with corresponding in
creases in the profits of managers and
in opportunities for actors. In Chi
cago for instance. the net profits
from the three theatres in the Kohl
q Castle circuit is estimated at 100000
a year.
Strangely enough. for no apparent
reason, vaudeville. 50 popular else
where does not seem 10 be Il go in
such cities as Milwaukee. ST. Paul,
Minneapolis. and Denver Denver
has given vaudeville trial. but it
was "a failure. Nor are there any
vaudeville houses between Kansas
City and Omaha and the Pacific coast,
making tremendous jump between
the city on the Kaw and San Fran
cisco. This far western circuit is
controlled by the Orpheum company,
Martin Beck being its Chicago mana
ger. This company books actors for
gagements i'm its theatres at Oma-
ha. Kansas City. San Francisco. Los
Angeles. and New Orleans. II has no
difficulty i'm getting good attractions.
because in the first place the trip is
looked upon as pleasant one. and be-
cause il pays the round trip railroad
fares of the artists il engages. In this
respect il * almost unique. As a rule
the vaudeville actor is paid a certain
salary. out of which he pays all his
own expenses. including railroad fare
and board. He also furnishes his
own tools of trade and carries with
him his own special scenery.
Salaries on the vaudeville stage
vary widely. from $1,000 week for
an occasional star during Il short en-
gagement to S2j II week for Il begin
ner. The biggest salaries rule
go to actors and singers who have
made large reputation in the legiti-
mate and require a liberal applica-
ton of golden salve to lessen the
pain of what they profess To feel as
descent to the vaudeville stage.
OFTEN these high-priced birds of pass
age put on little dramatic sketch,
and sometimes they do it i'm way to
leave the vaudeville audiences won
dering how in the world they ever ac
uuired their big regulations as actors.
The regular professional vaudeville
actor looks upon them as interlopers.
and it is said that managers generally
are beginning to fight shy of them.
When an actor feels that he is de-
grading himself by appearing in
vaudeville the probability is strong
that he will slight his work to "A GER
tain extent. feeling perhaps that
..anything is good enough for vaude-'
Vile audience" He is not likely TO
make "A mistake more than once. how
ever. for, as "A matter of fact. an
audience of regular vaudeville goers
is the most critical in the world. Its
attention is riveted on the per-
Torrance. and il always contains
great many people who have seen
everything worth seeing in almost
every branch of amusements, and who
attend vaudeville shows because
they prefer them
Among the real. genuine. blown-in-
the-bottle vaudeville people the two
who probably command the biggest
money are George Fuller Golden and
Ezra Kendall. Both of these men are
said TO get $500 week. They get
large salaries because their mono
logues are funny and because they
are versatile enough To collect and
prepare new material for their talks.
Kendall. for instance, never uses the