Writing for Vaudeville Part 41

(c) _The playlet_ varies in returns amazingly. While one small-time producer pays no advance royalty and a flat weekly royalty of from ten dollars to fifteen dollars a week--making his stand on the fact that he gives a longer playing season than his average compet.i.tor--many a big-time producer pays a good round advance and as high as $100 a week royalty.

Edgar Allan Woolf has said: "The desire for the one-act comedy is so great that even an unknown writer can secure an advance royalty as great as is paid to the author of a three-act play, if he has written a playlet which seems to possess novelty of story and cleverness of dialogue."

George V. Hobart is reported to have had a variously-quoted number of playlets playing at the same time, each one of which returned him a weekly royalty of $100 a week. And half a dozen other one-act playwrights might be named who have had nearly equal success.

On the other hand, Porter Emerson Brown is quoted as saying: "The work of writing a playlet is nearly as great as writing a three-act play, and the returns cannot be compared."

One of the collaborators on a famous big-time success received forty dollars a week for three seasons as his share. Another playlet writer was paid one hundred dollars a week for one act, and only twenty dollars a week for another. And a third was content with a ten-dollars-a-week royalty on one act, at the same time that another act of his was bringing him in fifty dollars a week.

These examples I have cited to demonstrate that the return from the playlet is a most variable quant.i.ty. The small-time pays less than the big-time, and each individual act on both small- and big-time pays a different royalty.

When a playlet--either comedy or straight dramatic--is accepted for production, it is customary, although not an invariable rule, that an advance royalty be paid "down." When the act proves successful, one or more of three propositions may be offered the writer: outright sale at a price previously agreed upon; outright sale to be paid in weekly royalties until an agreed upon figure is reached, when owners.h.i.+p pa.s.ses from the author to the producer; the more customary weekly royalty. As I have said before, what price you receive for your act finally depends upon your keenness in driving a bargain.

In nearly every case, outright sale has its advantage in the fact that the author need not then worry about collecting his royalty.

Of course, when a recognized producer puts out the act there need be no concern about the royalty, so in such instances a royalty is preferable. But in some cases, as when the performer is making long jumps and has a hard time making railroad connections, a weekly royalty has its disadvantages in causing worry to the author.

(d) _The one-act musical comedy_ is usually bought outright--after the act "gets over." While many a "book" is contracted for in advance at a small figure, to be doubled or trebled on success, it is also true that royalties are paid. In this case, the custom is to divide the royalty equally between the writer of the book and lyrics, and the composer of the music. When a third person writes the verses of the songs and ensemble numbers, the royalty is usually split three ways. It would be misleading to quote any figures on the musical comedy, for the reason that circ.u.mstances vary so greatly with each that there are no standards.

(e) _The burlesque tab_ pays about the same rates as the one-act musical comedy, its kindred form.

(f) _The popular song_, unlike the other material treated in this volume, has a well established royalty price: one cent a copy is the standard. Of this, half a cent goes to the writer of the lyric, and half a cent to the composer of the music.

As a popular song, to be considered successful, must sell anywhere from half a million to a million copies, it is easy to estimate the song-writer's return. If the same man writes both the words and the music he will receive from five to ten thousand dollars--or twenty-five hundred to five thousand dollars if he divides with another--for being able to make the nation whistle. Of course, many song-writers have two successful songs selling in a year-- therefore you may double the figures above to estimate some successful song-writers' incomes. But it may safely be said that the song-writer who has an income of twelve thousand dollars a year is doing very well indeed! There are many more professional song-writers who work year after year for the salary of the average business man in every other line of endeavor. Don't count your royalty-chickens too soon.

6. Important Lists of Addresses

SOME OF THE MORE PROMINENT PLAY BROKERS

AMERICAN PLAY COMPANY, 33 W. 42d St., New York MARY ASQUITH, 145 W. 45th St, New York ALICE KAUSER, 1402 Broadway, New York DARCY AND WOLFORD, 114 W. 39th St., New York KIRKPATRICK, LTD., 101 Park Ave., New York MODERN PLAY CO., Columbus Circle, New York LAURA D. WILK, 1476 Broadway, New York GEORGE W. WINNIETT, 1402 Broadway, New York PAUL SCOTT, 1402 Broadway, New York SANGER AND JORDAN, 1430 Broadway, New York MRS. M. A. LEMBECK, 220 W. 42nd St., New York

A LIST OF WELL KNOWN VAUDEVILLE PRODUCERS

The producers given here offer a market which varies so widely in each instance that no attempt has been made to list their needs.

Some are interested in other lines of the amus.e.m.e.nt business as well; and their activities elsewhere must be taken into consideration as determining factors in their special market needs. No division of these producers into big-time and small-time producers is made, because such a distinction would be likely to be misleading rather than helpful.

ARTHUR HOPKINS, 1493 Broadway, New York JOSEPH HART, 1520 Broadway, New York JESSE L. LASKY, 120 W. 41St St., New York PLAYLET PRODUCING COMPANY, 1564 Broadway, New York B. A. ROLFE, 1493 Broadway, New York JOE MAXWELL, INC., 360 W. 125th St., New York ROLAND WEST PRODUCING COMPANY, 260 W. 42d St., New York HARRY RAPF, 1564 Broadway, New York PAT CASEY, 1499 Broadway, New York BILLIE BURKE, 1495 Broadway, New York JOE PAIGE SMITH, 1493 Broadway, New York ALF. T. WILTON, 1564 Broadway, New York JOHN C. PEEBLES, 1564 Broadway, New York JAMES PLUNKETT, 1564 Broadway, New York C. M. BLANCHARD, 1579 Broadway, New York LEWIS AND GORDON, Columbia Theatre Building, 7th Ave. at 47th St., New York MAX HART, 1564 Broadway, New York JAMES J. ARMSTRONG, Columbia Theatre Building, 7th Ave. at 47th St., New York WILLIAM A. BRADY, The Playhouse, 137 W. 48th St., New York BART McHUGH, Land t.i.tle Building, Philadelphia MENLO E. MOORE, 22 W. Monroe St., Chicago MINNIE PALMER, 35 Dearborn St., Chicago

THE LARGER CIRCUITS AND BOOKING OFFICES

The following vaudeville circuits, while they may not maintain regular producing departments, produce acts every now and then.

THE UNITED BOOKING OFFICES OF AMERICA, 1564 Broadway, New York. This organization books the B. F. Keith Theatres and allied small- and big-time houses ORPHEUM CIRUIT COMPANY, 1564 Broadway, New York LOEW'S THEATRICAL ENTERPRISES, 1493 Broadway, New York POLI'S CIRCUIT, 1493 Broadway, New York THE WESTERN VAUDEVILLE MANAGERS' a.s.sOCIATION, Majestic Theatre Building, Chicago GUS SUN CIRCUIT, New Sun Theatre Building, Springfield, Ohio BERT LEVEY CIRCUIT, Alcazar Theatre Building, San Francisco PANTAGE'S CIRCUIT, Seattle SULLIVAN AND CONSIDINE, Seattle

To these markets nearly every booking agent and manager in the vaudeville business might be added. Each one has a list of acts he handles that need new material from time to time. And often the agent or manager will add to his list of clients by producing an exceptionally fine act himself.

The reason such a list is not given here is that it would require a small volume merely for the names and addresses. Consultation of "The Clipper Red Book"--a handy directory of theatrical agents, sold at ten cents--will supply this information. A knowledge of the special kinds of acts handled by each agent or manager, and the producers previously given as well, may be gathered by a careful reading of the various theatrical specialized journals. This knowledge can only be acquired a bit here and a little there through persistent attention to the notices of new acts and announcements of plans.

PUBLISHERS OF VAUDEVILLE MATERIAL

SAMUEL FRENCH, 28 W. 38th St., New York T. S. DENNISON, Chicago

PROMINENT THEATRICAL PAPERS

VARIETY, 1536 Broadway, New York THE DRAMATIC MIRROR, 1493 Broadway, New York THE NEW YORK MORNING TELEGRAPH, 50th St. & 8th Ave., New York THE NEW YORK STAR, 1499 Broadway, New York THE CLIPPER, 47 W. 28th St., New York THE BILLBOARD, 1465 Broadway, New York THE DRAMATIC NEWS, 17 W. 42d St., New York THE NEW YORK REVIEW, 121 W. 39th St., New York THE THEATRE MAGAZINE, 8 W. 38th St., New York THE GREEN BOOK MAGAZINE, North American Building, Chicago.

CHAPTER XXV

HOW A VAUDEVILLE ACT IS BOOKED

While an understanding of how a vaudeville act is transformed from a ma.n.u.script into a commercial success may not be necessary to the writing of a good act, such a knowledge is absolutely necessary to the writer who hopes to make money by his work. For this reason I shall devote this final chapter to a brief discussion of the subject.

Permit me, therefore, to take the ma.n.u.script of an act, a.s.suming for my purpose that it represents a monologue or a two-act, a playlet or a musical comedy, and trace its commercial career from the author's hands, into a producer's, through a booking office, to success. Anyone of the famous examples printed in this volume could be so taken and its history told, but no one would combine in its experience all the points that should be given. So I shall ask you to imagine that the act whose commercial story I am about to tell represents in itself every kind of act to be seen in vaudeville. I shall call this act by the name of "Success."

When Mr. Author, the writer of "Success," received a letter from Mr. Producer accepting the act and requesting him to call at his office to discuss terms, Mr. Author was delighted and hurried there as fast as he could go.

The office boy ushered him into Mr. Producer's private office, and before the caller could get his breath Mr. Producer had made him an offer. He accepted the offer without haggling over the terms, which seemed to Mr. Author very satisfactory. To tell the truth, he would have accepted almost anything, so eager was he to get his first act on the stage, so it was lucky for him that the terms were really fair.

He had hardly folded up the contract and stowed it, with the advance royalty check, in his bosom pocket, before Mr. Producer plunged into business. He pressed a b.u.t.ton for the office boy and told him to tell Mr. Scenic Artist to come in. Now Mr. Scenic Artist was the representative of a great scenic studio, and he sketched a design for a special set in a jiffy; then he thought of another, and then of a third. And Mr. Producer and he were so interested in combining all their good ideas into one admirable set that Mr.

Author was startled when they shoved a sketch under his nose and asked for suggestions. He made two that were pertinent to the atmosphere he had imagined for his room, and when they were incorporated in the sketch, Mr. Producer O. K'd it and Mr. Scenic Artist bowed himself out, promising to have a model ready the next day.

Mr. Producer then rang for Miss Secretary, and told her to have Mr. Star, Miss Leading Lady and other performers in the office next morning at eleven o'clock, gave her a list of the characters he wished to cast, and handed her the ma.n.u.script with an order to get out parts, and to have them out that night. He turned to Mr.

Author with a request for the incidental music for the act. Mr.

Author told him he had none. Then Mr. Producer reached for the telephone, with the remark that the music could wait, and called up the United Booking Offices of America.

After a few minutes wait, Mr. Producer got the special Mr. Booking Manager for whom he had inquired, told him he had an act for which he wanted a break-in week, and as he hesitated and named a date three weeks later, Mr. Author was sure the act had been booked.

Mr. Author marveled that the act should be contracted to appear when it was not even yet out of ma.n.u.script form, but when he mentioned this with a smile, Mr. Producer wanted to know how he ever would get "time" for an act if he didn't engage it ahead.

He explained that he had a regular arrangement with Mr. House Manager to play new acts in his house at a small "break-in" salary.

It was an arrangement convenient to him and gave Mr. House Manager fine acts at small cost.

After this, Mr. Producer rose from his desk and Mr. Author went out, promising to be on hand that evening at eight to go over the ma.n.u.script and make some changes that Mr. Producer promised to prove were necessary to the success of the act. And as he pa.s.sed through the outer office, Mr. Author heard Miss Secretary explain over the telephone that Mr. Producer wished a hall at eleven o'clock two days later to rehea.r.s.e a new act.

Promptly at eight o'clock that night Mr. Author presented himself at the office again, and found Mr. Producer busily engaged in reading the ma.n.u.script. A tiny paper model of the mimic room in which the act was to be played stood upon the desk. When he stooped he saw that the walls were roughly colored after the sketch they had discussed and that the whole scene bore an amazing likeness to the place of his imagination. Mr. Producer explained that he had had the model rushed through to make it possible for them to "get down to bra.s.s tacks" at once. The act needed so many little changes that they would have to get busy to have it ready for the morning.

When Mr. Producer began discussing various points about the act, Mr. Author could not for the life of him imagine what all these changes could be. But when Mr. Producer pointed out the first, Mr. Author wondered how he ever had imagined that the heroine could do the little thing he had made her do--it was physically impossible.

Point after point Mr. Producer questioned, and point after point they changed, but there was only the one glaring error. A motive was added here, a bit of business was changed there, and as they worked they both grew so excited that they forget the time, forgot everything but that act. And when the ma.n.u.script at last dropped from their exhausted hands, it looked as if an army had invaded it.

Mr. Author glanced at the pile of nicely bound parts and sighed.

All that work would have to be done over! "Only another one of my mistakes," smiled Mr. Producer as he scribbled an order to Miss Secretary, attached it to the ma.n.u.script, together with these now useless parts, and laid them on her desk, as he and Mr. Author went out into the cool night air. "See you tomorrow at eleven,"

said Mr. Producer as they parted. And Mr. Author looking at his watch wondered why he should take the trouble to go home at all.