Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-11
NO SUPERSTITION AMONG
LOS ANGELES RESIDENTS
THEATER GoERS DO NOT BE-
LlEVE IN SIGNS
"Sold Out" Announced at orpheum
Has NO Effect on Persons Who
Demand Seats After They Are All
Disposed of Early in Evening

"It is a wonderful thing how opti-
mistic people can be in face of a Sold
out sign" says Henry Sonnenburg,
| treasurer Of the Orpheum theater.
Now ever since the road show
opened on Monday night We have hung
out the sign every night, usually as
early IS o'clock and some etimes earlier.
The reason we hang it out is to give
us a chance to count up the cash, and
one would naturally suppose that any
person seeing that sign would take it
to mean what it says. 1t would be fine
business hanging out q Sold out sign
If we had any seats left to sell.
But people in Los Angeles don't
seem to believe in signs, and the stream
keeps on coming just as if there was no
sign up. ! don't believe a dozen people
in an evening turn back from the WIN
dow of the box office on account of the
Sold Out sign"
This is a fact, and it is amusing to
watch the crowds go up against that
sign like the light brigade charging into
the valley of death at the battle of
Balaklava in fact with less chances of
success. Here is a sample of what
goes on.
a man comes up to the window, takes
look at the sign, ignores it's state
ment, and laying a dollar down on the
window says:
Two seats as close to the front as
you've got, and on the aisle"
Sonnenburg smiles and says sold
out
Well then give ME two in the bal
cony."
sold out"
Got any in the boxes or loges?"
sold out"
We'll then I'll take standing ROOM
Sold out"
Haven't you got anything left at
all?"
Wipes OF Smile
sold out but by this time Sonnen-
burg is not smiling, and the man goes
away, making room for another who
was right behind him and who heard
the whole conversation. This man is a
great believer in the value of a smile,
and he has a grin from ear to ear as he
conf lently leans against the window
of the box office and says:
GIVE me anything you've got laying
around loose that's not working
sold out'-Sonnenburg is getting
out of breath but he is still in the ring.
The smiler passes up his smile and
goes on, but is Immediately replaced by
another man-very tall, who does not
even look at the sign. but looks over it.
Whats the best you've got?' he de-
mands.
The ticket seller is speechless. and
simply moves the sold Out sign up
so that it comes into the tall mans line
Of vision. The long individual regards
it as a game of 'peek-a-book and
looking underneath the sign says:
Haven't you got anything at all?"
mo" Sonnenburg has recovered his
breath and shouts the answer.
The attenuated human goes on his
way, and next in line is the most Won
derfully constituted person of all. and
the hardest to deal with-a pretty
woman.
"Win you please let me have two
aisle seats close to the front, but not
too close. You see my mother is with
me and she can't hear very well, but
still we don't want to be right in the
front row. l guess about the fifth or
sixth or seventh would do. OF course
the fourth would be all right but
don't like to be quite so near as that
If you can do any better" All this in
one breath,
1t takes quite three minutes to get
rid of this charming creature, and by
that time the line is formed again.
And so ii goes on by the hour, while the
side door is besieged by personal friends
of everyone who is employed at the
Orpheum, was employed there or ever
lad anything to do with the theatrical
business in any place in the world from
Hongkong to Santa Ana. all trying to
use their personal influence to have Il
miracle worked in their behalf,
Clearly Los Angeles people do not
believe in signs.