East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1913-05-01
HORRORS! PRESS
AGENT TO WORK?
.PURVEYORS OF INSTRUMENTATION
THREATENED WITH CALAMITY
\ Few Seasons More and the Star
Members of the Ananias Club Win
be Forced to Secure Regular Jobs
Days of the Travelling Press Agent
are Numbered.
(By Beau Rialto.)


New York, May 1.-One part gloom
to one part trepidation; add dash
OF plque. mix with agitation and take
an air of bewilierment. There you
have the barkeeps analysis at the
Friars Club these days. for be it known
the treveling theatrical press agent
, is threatened with having to go to
work. With hushed voices and tear
dimmed eyes a group of nationally
famous purveyors of misinformation
about theatrical attractions sat in a
corner of the club grill room the other
night and discussed the lugubrious
prospect.
Boys" said a particularly we'll
known advance agent who has grown
gray in the business and whose pro-
fessional mendacity has often made
Ananias blush for his own piking lit
tie attempts, Il tell you it's all up with
us. The stuff is cold. Give us a few
seasons more and we will have to look
for regular jobs. The days of the
/ travelling press agent are numbered.
and take it from me the number is too
small for comfort" There was a
chorus of sorrowful assent and the
speaker continued i've been in the
business seven years. can remember
when l used to do all the booking and
railroading for attractions and travel
anywhere from two to eight weeks
ahead. They couldn't do without US
! in those days. But they've got us on
/ the run now. The system or organi-
! zation-boOking from the New York
office and mailing advance press mat
ter from the office has narrowed our
field of activity until the most We car
do is drift around the country, four
flushing and stalling to our offices
about how much we are doing for the
show when we know in our hearts thai
we are not earning our salary-no
nor one-fifth of it.
'All the good we do is to plant 9
lot of freak and fake special storie!
and pictures in the newspapers an(
make pests of ourselves among the
newspapers. And this game is fas
losing whatever potency it ever had
The public has been bunked so Ions
by the line of dope handed out b!
advance agents about their attrac
tions that a full page layout with siy
pictures and a three-column rave
about the star doesn't draw a nicke
to the box office. You know as wei
as 1 do that great shows make grea
Iagents and if you haven't got the
show to make good back of you, al
the newspaper feature stuff in the
world won't make business. It's al
bunk and how long do you think thu
managers are going to fall for it?'
Here was emitted a chorus of groans
and a plaintive voice urged the waiter
to make more speed. Look at thi:
season." continued the veteran of tn,
road. 1--WE worked just twelve weeks
and had four shows at that-all fliv
vers. And though I tried my bes
there wasn't a town l visited where
could possibly put in more than two
hours work a day. The rest of the
time I had to hang around the the
ater doing little odd jobs that any of
flee boy could have attended to. Dr.
you think the managers are going tC
keep on paying me my salary for such
work? Already you see what half {
dozen managers did this season. They
used one agent for two or three show!
playing the same territory and in sew,
eral instances made the manager bach
with the show double up and do the
advance work by mail. What is go
ing to happen in this--some enterpris
ing firm will start the funeral marcf
for us by having all the advance worn