The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-07-08
OPEN DOOR POLICY
!. WAS FAKE AFFAIR
National Theatre Owners Asso-
citation Does Not Keep
Faith With Wells.
SHUBERTS ARE ROUTED
Klaw and Erlanger Have Won
Their Point and Will Con
tinue to Book Shows.

NEW YORK, July 8.--After long,
drawn out fight fort fe-aepefi- deer
policy" Jake Wells has been thrown
down by his henchmen and still faces
q problem. probably one more COM
plex than the one he thought he had
Just solved. An open break between
Mr.. Wells and his allied theaters and
the National Theater owners Asso-
citation Is now imminent.
For two weeks it has been known
that the members of that association
have been warning among themselves
and that they have complained bitter
~ of promises unfulflled, and now
that MIR. Wells has holdly thrown
down the gantlet the house of cards
which the SnuGerts caused to be
erected will tumble in short order.
Before the season is well under way
normal and Dusinesslike conditions
will prevail again in the theatrical
world
The producing managers VINO nave
placed their interests in the hands OF
klaw & Erlanger have won their point
and completely routed the Shuberts
and their henchmen. Hereafter they
will. as in previous years, be booked
by Mr.. Wells through that firm.
Mr.. Wells and his allied interests
represent Richmond. Norfolk, Lynch
burg, Roanoke, Atlanta, Montgomery,
Augusta, Chattanooga and Evansville,
and he was forced to take this step
when he learned, exactly as many 9TH
er local managers will learn4 the sort
Of short-card game he was up against.
To Mr.. Wells credit it should be
said that he has battled persistently
and honestly for what he believed
to be a prinetple--that the one-night
stand" managers should book attrac-
tons from all available sources.
Some weeks ago a. l.. Granger,
knowing that Mr.. Wells was the leader
in this movement for genuine open
door policy, sent for him and said.
You have been speaking for an open
door for some time. Now we are
going to give you a real open door.
We are willing to book such OF the
attractions we represent as you desire
without regard To what you are book
ing elsewhere. New. there is the real
open door Tor you, but III wager you
when you GO back to the National
Theatre owners Association you VIII
find that you are not going TO get
what you expected
Wells was elafed 10 think that the
problem for which he had struggled
so long had been solved, but was
amazed when he returned 10 the Ma
donal Theatre owners Association
,ffices and met John Cort. Lee Shu-
bert and others TO find that they
souid not permit such bookings. They
declared they had passed q resolution
that no man could represent more
than two interests, which, of course,
would have made it impracticable for
klaw & Erlanger to book the long
list Of shows entrusted TO their hands
BY Charles Frohman. Henry T. Har-
rsR Ltralarig Tktys4 Charles Iltii-
tngham. Henry w. Savage, Cohan x
Harris. A. II. Woods. Joseph Brooks
Joseph Nj. Gates, Augustus Ptou, f.
glegfeld, Jr.. Daniel Frohman. Henry
Miller, Mittenthai Brothers. A S.
Stern a. Company Maurice Campbell
George w I.ederer, Joe Weber, the
Kirke La Sheile Company, Wagon
aals Il kemper, William Harris and
Jesse l.. Lasky.
In other words. the National Thea
ire owners Association, which Is the
shuhert booking agency and nothing
else claimed the right to represent
an unlimited number of theatres on
their side. but denied the right To any
one else to represent more than two
producing managers.
The scales then fell from Mr..
Wells' eyes. and he promptly deter
mined thnt he was going to have an
open aoeFs III No. anu hot a's IneiS
hot air. He called n meeting of hiss
associates in Richmond on Tuesday
afternoon. and they promptly passed
a resolution opening their doors wide
10 all the attractions represented by
Klaw & Granger, and TO be booked
direct with KIaw Il Granger.
This is the story in a nutshell 1t
ia fine expose Of the fake open
door policy, and incidentally the be-
ginning of the end of that scheme.
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