The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-01-12
BY MARGUERITE YOUNG
NEA Staff Correspondent

NEA StaH Correspondent
New York, Jan. IL - The theater
ticket scalping racket is hitting new
highs along wartime Broadway.
Today, out-of -towners and New
Workers alike stand in line at the
boXoffices in vain. They cannot buy
tickets for any performance of our
top hits during the next four to
twelve weeks. The boxofflce politely
tells the public it is sold out
But people in the know, and will
ing to pay premium of from SIS to
$50 a ticket, can and do get seats
for those same hits for any time
including tonight's performance.
The public also may find that a
particular performance of another
one of the 33 shows now running is
sold OUT at the boxoffice-yet the
scalper will have seats at his price
for that, too. Broadway calls 1t
ice" and winkS.
Checking the boXofflces, you will
find there are no tickets for sale to
the public today for the next four
weeks of Winged Victory" or "One
Touch of Venus; none for five
weeks for THE Voice of the Turtle
none for twelve weeks to okla
home"
TOP LEGAL CHARGE
SO CENTS
BY open agreement among the
aters, as many as three-fourths of
all seats for any show may be kept
from the boxoffice and sold through
outside brokers at added charges.
These charges range up to 83 cents.
That's legal. There are about 40 lie
ensed brokers. They have big CEN
trail distributing Offices along the
rialto. and branches in all big ho-
tells, private clubs, financial district
skyscrapers. That way, says Broad
way, the tickets are readily avail
able and the customer is saved go
ing to the boXoffice.
What Broadway doesn't say is
that brokers do not have tick
cts for the public at the legal fee.
One Of the large central Offices,
LEBLANC Gray has nothing at all
for Turtle" when asked for them
at the counter. Nor for Winged
Victory Orchestra seats for Car
men Jones" are sold out for five
weeks. The brokers don't know
when they'll have anything for
Venus" and as for okla
homa'', they just aren't taking any
orders for that one.
In short, the scalpers have the
tickets.
The scalper has no official name
or address-he just operates in a
lot of places which do business
legally. Producer Gilbert Miller says
THE chief scalper is the dishonest
broker" Broadway has a saying for
it: Lock two brokers in a room
and they'll make living swapping
hats"
Most colorful character in the
racket is the digger" He extracts
tickets from the boXcffice and ex-
tortS what he can on them, from
the brokers or his own customers
The digger" may stand in line, or
send telegraph messenger or rela-
tive, to get tickets the moment
they're actually offered to the box
Office public. Or the digger may
write in to the boxoff1ce for tick
cts. This practice is said to be part
ly responsible for the fact that the
mail orders in today's hit boxfiice
look like Sears Roebucks.
SUCKERS DETERMINE PRICES
Nick Holde, manager of lone
Touch of Venus, admits that
Scalpers get hold of his tickets, in
directly, because very often the
gyp broker has his little connection
with somebody in the legit brokers
Office Nick explains: 1T don't
make any difference what price
print on the ticket; it's gonna sell
for what it's worth. What it's worth
depends on how foolish Mr.. Pub
lie is"
Holde says he may send ~ tick
cts to legitimate broker, Mr.. A,
then Mr.. A may pass them around
to Mr.. B and G.
Nov. Mr.. Millionaire sits down
to dinner and in the middle of the
soup somebody says. Let's see Ven-
u.s." and Mr.. Millionaire calls his
club and says, Joe get six for
Venus, whatever you have to pay,