Fortune in Fun–Salary of a “Star”–Prosperityin “A Parlor Match”–A Pianist Who Got $2,500 a Night–How to Get a Start on the Stage–A New Field for the Amusement Artist–Humor and Hard Cash in Shadowgraphs–What Max O’Rell Earned on the Lecture Platform–Fortune within the Traveling Show–The Greatest Fortune Burning within the United States–Fortunes in Fireworks.
People who cater to public amusements are so many, their entertainments so numerous and their abilities so unequal, that no normal assertion will be made in regards to the remuneration for this sort of work. There are “stars” on the high who obtain from $200 to $1,000 per evening, and there are “mediocres,” or worse, on the backside who barely eke out a residing at $7 per week. No one ought to enter this subject until his expertise is the same as his ambition. Here are just a few of the prizes taken earlier than the footlights:
867. THE FARCE COMEDYEvans and Hoey bought a comedy entitled “A Parlor Match.” Mr. Evans says: “We played it over 3,000 times, and at a rough estimate I think we must have cleared from $300,000 to $400,000.”
868. INSTRUMENTAL CONCERTSThe prospects of {dollars} in instrumental music are seemingly limitless. Celebrated pianists have obtained nearly fabulous sums. Rubinstein’s six months’ tour in America is alleged to have netted a revenue of $60,000, and a second engagement was made for him on the fee of $2,500 per evening.
869. STAGE STARSThe stage, like each different career, is crowded on the backside, however has room on the high. Beginners seldom get greater than $15 per week and generally they obtain a lot much less. Leading individuals in highway corporations get $50 per week. Stars obtain from $100 to $500 per evening. Madame Celeste made $50,000 on this nation. Edwin Forrest by no means obtained lower than $200 per evening. Edwin Booth generally performed for $500 per evening.
870. POPULAR LECTURERSThese are richly rewarded for his or her hour or two of leisure of an viewers. John B. Gough’s worth was $200 per evening. Henry Ward Beecher, Wendell Phillips, and Bayard Taylor averaged the identical figures. The receipts for Professor Tyndall’s thirty-five lectures on this nation have been $23,100; and Max O’Rell earned $5,290 by his lectures throughout a single week in Johannesburg, South Africa. Says {a magazine} observe: “Fortune-making’s most promising field is that of a popular lecturer.”
871. HAND SHADOWSHere is one thing new: Some amusement artists in England have conceived the thought of entertaining audiences with hand shadows. A candle, an oil lamp, or an arc mild is used, and the beam of sunshine passes via a small round opening upon a sheet of ticket-writer’s holland. Sometimes a pipe or a chunk of cardboard is used to intensify the impact, however for essentially the most half the artist employs his fingers solely. With diligent observe essentially the most comical results, corresponding to “Dressing for a Party,” “The Dog Fight,” and so forth., will be produced. Mr. Devant, the originator of the shadowgraph, convulses his audiences and reaps massive income for himself. America, the place the humorous is shortly and keenly appreciated, affords a big subject for this new form of leisure.
872. MUSEUM AND CIRCUSThe vocation of the favored showman is a highly paying one. It appeals to 2 of essentially the most highly effective motives of human nature–the want to be amused and amazed. P. T. Barnum made and misplaced two or three fortunes; Bailey, the successor of Barnum, and Dan Rice have additionally performed extremely profitable exhibits. Dime museums in massive cities usually pay huge sums for curiosities and monstrosities, and nonetheless conduct a really profitable business.
873. GYMNASTSAthletes want to start early in life as a way to purchase suppleness of muscle. There is not any career that calls for a severer coaching or routine. An enormous variety of performers are always touring via the nation. Engagements with corporations are made on exhibition of talent. Managers are at all times on the alert for one thing new. Some equestrians obtain as excessive as $500 per week for self and horses; clowns usually obtain $100; rope walkers, $50.
874. OPERA SINGERSVoice, gesture, grace, and beauty are the 4 qualities of success within the opera artist. Those who succeed obtain princely sums for his or her providers. Mario received $400 an evening in Philadelphia. Tamberlik each time he sung a excessive observe demanded $500. Piccolomini value her supervisor over $5,000 a month. Madame Perer obtained $14,000 for the season. Genius and onerous work are nowhere higher paid than within the opera.
875. MIMIC BATTLESPain’s fireworks at Manhattan Beach, reproducing the “Capture of Manila” and “The Fall of Santiago,” have been immensely widespread, generally drawing crowds numbering 10,000. A thousand {dollars}’ price of fireworks and _papier maché_ are burned in a single evening in the course of the season, however monumental as are the bills we’re knowledgeable that the proprietor seldom makes lower than $500 an evening. There is not any patent on these exhibitions, they usually could also be repeated or imitated anyplace. A person who dares “burn money” on this approach, or a inventory firm the place the person threat can be comparatively small, exhibiting these fireworks in all our nice cities, would definitely reap good-looking features. Especially right now, whereas the fervor of patriotism and the glow of enthusiasm over our current victories are nonetheless at white warmth, the enterprise couldn’t fail to be paying. We would nearly assure that an organization which may arrange as good an exhibition as Pain’s in fifty main cities would understand twenty-five per cent. on the funding.
876. THEATRICAL ENTERPRISESRunning a theater is dangerous enterprise; it has its ups and downs, and the downs are as swift because the ups. Oscar Hammerstein, who has simply misplaced all by an unsuccessful enterprise, says that after in the course of the quick interval of 4 weeks he made $60,000. Daly, Frohman, Lester Wallack, and plenty of others, have grown wealthy within the theatrical enterprise.
877. DANCERSMembers of the vaudeville aren’t so nicely paid as in lots of different arts for amusing the general public, however particular dancing “artists” generally obtain nearly fabulous sums. Famous dancers have obtained as excessive as $10,000 in the midst of a season. Freda Maloff, the Turkish dancer, has simply returned from the Klondike, the place in the midst of just a few months she has made $62,000 in her career, the miners actually showering her with nuggets.
878. MOVING PICTURESThis newest and hottest type of amusement is coining money for the owners of the cinematograph, biograph, vitascope, or by no matter different identify the instrument is named which causes the scenes portrayed on canvas to be intuition with shifting life. The cost for a night’s service is often $50.
879. BAND PLAYERSBand gamers get from $1,000 to $5,000 a 12 months, in keeping with proficiency. Sousa, the chief of the celebrated band by his identify, obtained $6,000 a 12 months. There are at all times openings for good band gamers.
880. IMPERSONATORSDickens will in all probability at all times be the good resort for this class of entertainers. Of seven main impersonators now on the platform, 4 painting his characters nearly completely. It is a advantageous subject for the elocutionist who has abilities for mimicry. The common cost is $25 per evening.
881. ANCIENT BURLESQUESThere are not less than three types of this amusement that are having nice success. They are “The Village Choir,” “The Old Folks’ Concert,” and “Aunt Polly Bassett’s Singing School.” The final named has usually cleared $100 in a single night.
882. RECITERSReciters and readers, from Dickens to Hall Caine, have at all times been widespread. The highest paid are well-known authors, who learn from their very own writings. Charles Dickens seldom obtained lower than $200 a night. But the bulk are glad to get engagements at from $10 to $25 an evening.
883. BELL RINGERSThe discovery that many objects in nature may very well be made to present forth musical sounds has vastly widened the sector of leisure. Rocks, steam pipes, tumblers, and dinner bells have been drafted into service, the final named with notable success. In one firm 4 younger girls have charmed the general public ear with the melody of a rating of hand bells. They have reaped wealthy harvests everywhere in the nation.
884. MAGICIANSThis subject has been considerably overworked of late years, however the phenomenal success of such males as Blitz, the ventriloquist, and Hermann, the prestidigitator, present the probabilities on this line. Both these males bewitched the general public for an entire era, and made nice fortunes.
885. STORY TELLERSThis is a late revival of a type of amusement as outdated because the occasions of Homer. Those succeed greatest who’re authors in addition to elocutionists, making their very own story and telling it recent from the center. We predict that this sort of leisure goes to have an awesome run, and individuals who’ve expertise on this line will do nicely to furbish up their weapons.
886. CARTOONISTSCartoonists and crayonists obtain excessive figures for his or her work, as this sort of expertise is uncommon. The chief of this class of artists obtained from $50 to $150 per evening. Since his dying, no worthy successor has been discovered, however there are various younger fingers which can be intelligent with chalk, and there may be room for extra. It is a really inviting subject for individuals who’ve the best items.
