New-York tribune., 1911-09-17
Graft i'm Theatres
Continued from third page.

several automobiles and gives himself and
family yearly trips TO Europe. His pride
Is that he promotes business assiduously'
'If a play has a chance in the world" he
says, 'it will succeed at my house!"
When the house manager passes the
buck" TO the producer that open-eyed in
dividual is not idle. He cannot defeat the
house manager, for the latter controls the
box Office and has not possession ever
been nine points OF the law? So the pro-
ducer takes stock, so TO speak, and starts
out to dispose of rights" Along come
two young chaps with few thousand dol
lars to invest and ambition to shine as
managers.
II can let you have The Queen OF the
Bull-Ring,'" he remarks pleasantly, for
the territory west of the Mississippi Texas
has bumper cotton crop, they tell me.
and as for the Rocky Mountain country,
they're just yelling for the musical stuff
out there and can't get &C. You can clean
up in the Prairie States-except in St
Louis and Kansas City, which the big
company plays-while California and the
Pacific Northwest are a regular Eldorado
How much do / want for it? Well,
guess 5000 cash will do, though I've had
offers as high as $4,000 on royalty. Book
music, scenery, exclusive rights-everything
gees with It. You see," he adds in a faith
erly tone, Il like to encourage the young
men in this business and I'm going 10 let
You fellows in on big thing"
The manager has nicely adjusted his
price to the known size of the embryo
managers bankroll. They accept the offer,
pay him the money, hire actors, obtain a
liHe OF credit at the printers. purchase
steamship tickets to New Orleans and
start across the continent.
For the first few weeks all goes well.
Neither Louisiana nor Arkansas is obliv-
ious to the charms of the Bull-Ring Queen.
The printer receives his weekly draft, the
ghost walks for the actors, and the mana
gers are jubllant over a goodly little
Chunk of velvet" they have put by. But
Texas and Oklahoma spell a different tale
chapter Of unexpected, appalling drouth,
Of financial stagnation and plnched pock-
etbooks. The company barely meets it's
expenses, and when it travels farther
North. worse follows. Missouri, Kansas,
Iowa and Nebraska are suffering not from
drouth, but from that malady technically
known as "over- booking" II seems as IL
thousand shows" are abroad in the
land. They stumble on one another's heels,
they play rival "opry houses in little
hamlets, they surfeit the patrons of "dra-
ma and musical comedy" till only the 5
and 10 cent picture houses" have patron
age worth mentioning
And then our young hopefuls. in their
turn. ObtiFad ~ spoc "a hyy0k - Tiref
TO the printer. Remittances to the source
Of advertising supplies lag. grow inter-
mittent and finally cease. Printing arrives,
II at all, C. o. D.. and is taken up by
favor OF local managers The actors
shost-much desired visltant-fits rarely
across the scene. At last, at their wits
end the managers call meeting OF their
company and the buck" is passed for
keeps.
We can't do anything for you" they
explain. THE Jig is up. II you want TO
30 on on the commonwealth plan, take the
production and pay us a royalty in case
you strike lucky streak Go back 10 New
York? Not We! Wen just stay along and
zee that every one gets his equal share"
such is the melancholy finish OF "The
queen OF the Bull-Ring'' Company--West-
ern. The defeated managers, despite their
shb assurances, vanish overnight The
actors soon find there is nothing TO divide
ehd are saved from becoming objects OF
sharity by striking larger town, where
.nelr services are enlisted at bread-and-
putter wages In the local stock" organi-
zation.
Unloading ones troubles on actors, print.
sm and other creditors is a resource OF
'ahure while, on the other hand, the man.
ser 'eomforted OF an "angeI' is in the
ZEE neyday of success. Proper adjustment
y income and outgo has ever been a worry
sure 3he. world began; the "angel" dis.
s'es the problem and enables the man