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Show I CONFESSIONS OF THE QUEEN OF PKESS AGENTS I I Ffl A JV WTzr'cz Mss Nellie Revell Undergoes the n Iff iShI Novel Experience of Granting an Interview gp If 1 a TVfe iifo Sze Keeps Eight Theatres in the QJP If &l Gare of Publicity, Exploits 2 MO Vaudeville &j at- l -4cfc Every Season and Supplies Stories to I8SH I IBig ,500 Newspapers & -fr crf 5 "'P. T. Barnum Was the ' ' "" JK3By 1 Best Friend I Ever Had vm KSkn S Jl C A TEN WORD SER.MON. 5 r Intuition, system, sense of humor and loyally I ' f make for success Nellie Revell. ; ,,, , ,,,,,, fir -- I.. f BY GARNET WARREN. K , Coprrtchl. 1011. hj the Ncn YorL Herald Co AH rifbts rtMsrTrd 1 b p a week aco -ome inqiiirlnp poron had nsked me A 1 whnt wa" Hip euiP'-t interview. I would lndunitnl.lv I have nnswerod. "One with a press ;ipqnt." P-ut that W I -would have Lmmi a week no. .That Vojild Miavo been before T interviewed liss Neljie Revell. press '-H accnt par excellence, possibly the best known press I agent on earth, as Mr. Barnum might have said. I flon't know. I only know that Miss Hevoll is a much better press agent than a subject for an interview; be-tause be-tause she, being a press agent. Is primarily a press r ' agent; andshe doesn't want an interview as you want It. She wants an Interview as she watitb it. Which, of course, is au Interview about all n Mr. Percy Williams' theatres with which Miss Rovoll has anything to do nine of 'em; Miss Revell will most cheerfully count 'em and enumerate 'em for you occupy the placid foreground, after which will come in b their due order any of Mr Williams' attractions whose ilghts Miss Revell considers should not be hid. But an Interview with Miss Ttcvcll as you want it. If you're looking for the easiest interview Oh. lor', . as Mrs. Cluppins used to say. n Miss Nellie "Revell. press agent! Has not the name C I in so short a space of time blazoned Us gentle fame s ' among us? If it be a question of emphasizing the ni' particular degree 'of ugliness possessed by Mile. k- Polaire, have we not found Miss Nellie Revell readv at the call of dnty? Have we not found her at the f, customs docks, measure in hand, ready to toll off the H fourteen Inches of that lady's waist, thp unlmagi- V. ' nablo length of her feet, the tabulating area of her l . extraordinary mouth? Have we not found Miss , Revell still In full pursuit of her particular blue bird engineering for young couples matrimony In -5 i balloons, In -whatever particular summer resort MIs I , Revell happens to be taking care of? Have we not J , pen her, when the stress of her Palisades enthu- t I -jiasm comes upon her, fomenting "red headed days." ii'i ; upon -which those with the hair of fabled Helen may I . pass the glamorous turnstiles free? If we haven't. 'Jf ' friends, let ua weep for ourselves. It's our own fault. rg ' - Miss Rcvell's done her best I If you want to see Miss Revell busy you may do so 'HI t the Colonial Theatre Building, in New York city, al- t most any day There Is a mlmoograph doing Its work In the far distance, several gentlemen ticking away at typewriters In the middle distance minions of Miss Itcvcll while Miss Revell herself occupies an alort foreground, behind a flat dpsk, with a lot of yellow jsapcr In front of her and a typewriter not far off. You knock, and Miss Revell's two large, keen, blue, interrogative eyes arc fixed on you, and you are Taguely conscious of blondencss, a complexion of six- fleen, the manner or. assurer mascuuniry una a con-rcntrated con-rcntrated tearcblng regard which indicates Miss Revell's unspoken suspicion that there Is another ap-!'- plication for one of Mr. Williams' free passes about to J, e thrust upon her. & "Yes," said Miss Revell; "what Is Jt?" I I afterward came to docket It as her masculine, steel I Hlged, now-don't-waste-my-tlme-rm -a- busy- woman E lone of voice. I hesitantly commenced to explain. It tvas the slight matter of an interview. j The typewriters of Miss Revell's mlnion3 clicked ii iway, turning out doubtless columns of publicity for Mr. WUHamH' attractions; the mimeograph in the distance dis-tance operated tirelessly and probably produced reams of it. It may have been this, It may have been that re-v re-v Hef that it wasn't the matter of a free puss, but Miss Revell seemed soothed. At all events, she favored me with a glance that might be set down as the cau-; cau-; Uously interrogative. "An iutervlew with?" kTho question seemed to imply, nfiy star Mr. Will-lams Will-lams might have possessed. I indicated that she was, colloqulully, It. Miss Revell's self-containment became be-came warmed into a slowly duwnlug smile. "Now, I'll tell you a much better iutervlew," replied re-plied Miss Revell, with all her publicity instincts unfolded. un-folded. "Mr. Williams! Why don't you interview him? He's got inexhaustible anecdote and has made a million dollars in the show business" I nodded an apologetic negative. I Indicated that tuy only purpose then was the press agent from the S 'inside looking out. Specifically, the woman press oigcnt. &-- - me trained.') ml repeated the wouJ. "IIpw do you ' uial and the A.lbunibra and the Bronx and the Orphe- ' suppose we could leiiiumuor ihciu all? No." iJhe uut-(Iiow will her heart glow when she reads those waved a triumphant and illustrative hand at the let- names') and all the rest of her Interests, not forget- teied file behind her. "Hvei vaudeville act's In there, ting, Of course, Mr. Shenck's Palisades all glowing In J Words, scenery everything.," An additional trium- the eye of popular notice. ( phant hand bridged the chasm between the words "And your press agent beginnings?" "scenery" and "everything." "And" "Liquor has been blamed for many things," replied She paused "A press agent? You must have the Miss Revell. "It may even be blamed for the woman , ingenuity of a niuzlo editor, the perseverance of a .Tap- press agent. 1 was the first, and the result of ancsc Ambassacor, the persistence ol a valorous m'c drink" and the outer covering of a tortohe. All that. I looked a little stupefied. "A woman press agent? Well, to be a publicity "My predecessor," Miss Revell hastily exclaimed, seeker Is one of the inherent traits In woman. To lc "He was sick and I was sent ahead. I filled In, and in a publicity placer, however, Is quite another mtitci two weeks they told me to keep on filling. I said, 'I , It is the one condition where the swish jf a sill: petti- can't write. I can only ride a horse or tame a lion.' coat doesn't get results. It is the ne condition where, But it was no use. They changed me from real lions if she would succeed, a woman mustn't tie her sex to far more ferocious beasts dramatic editors." around her like a pink ribbon, but must rather put Miss Revell's eyes gained the accession of a twinkle. It away in au old trunk somewhere. It is the one "So I. was a press agent before I knew 1L P. T. rvi Irion where results at once count for the most Barnum never bargained for his protGgfi being a preBs "There's a bully story on how one man builds and manages so many theatres," continued Miss Revell, unyielding still in the very shadow of my gentle negative. nega-tive. I shook with a soft discouragement. "Perhaps some other time," I said propitlativcly. "Then how about a bully story about some of Percy' Williams' attrac" l 1 shook, gently shook. '' Her Theatrical Charges. "" "Fancy the Colonial, the Alhambra, the Bronx, the Orpheum" I continued my rhythmic disagreement. "The Grcenpoint. the Ciescent. the Gotham." poured . on MLss Revell. whose press agent heart was apparently appar-ently set on leaving no theatre unturned for proper exploitation. But this time my negative was uncompromising, un-compromising, and Miss Revell's shrug indicated reluctant re-luctant capitulation. In the meantime, however, 'ue typewriter had sjtoppe.d writing and the industrious gentleman that operated it had made Inquiry, aud Miss Revell was understood to say that Miss Zara Somethingorothor's photograph had to go to some Mr. Davies. and thai t lie photograph of some red headed girl had lo go to some other lucky gentleman, and that the something some-thing news stuff had to go to-night, and not to forget the something Gazette stun, and asked If so-and-so's bills had been received, and If some one's photographs had come In. All in a breath. Upon which she briskly crossed both legs and arms, set herself with decision back in her chair and rendered ren-dered herself up to an Interviewer that I'm perfectly sure she considered didn't understand his business ' In the least "Well, then," she said, "do 11 your own way: only I think you are rather serious to write about me. 1 ouly ask you to remember one thing. Remember, I'm not an Hmorson nsay. Only thin people enn be Tjiiicrsortt essays. And or don't make mc preach, will you? The public llkps snappy stuff." I promised to take It all Into account, aud, for thorough thor-ough .safety, put to her one of the old ones. I was' afr.ild to try a new one on Miss Revell for fear sheV' nwrrlil t.nl1 l- ., n . n .. U1 .1. r . ... ""hi- iiuiu i. m i'j DLuiii ui iiuiiruiu ior my want nri appreciation in the matter of the "attractions." So1, I asked her the old 'un; asked her to what she at- ' trlbuted her success. "To the quality of being able lo choose good bosses," answered Miss Revell. bouud to get Mr. Williams in somcwheie. "P. T. Barnum, R. R. Murdoek and Percy Wlllia" But I Incontinently burst In. I was beginning to fear Miss Revell by now and. her insidious press agenting arte. "But the qualities which succeed In keeping the bosses?" I asked. "Intuition, By fete in, sense of hainor and loyalty," answered Miss Revell, going the trinity one bettor. "System?" I repeated. "But I thought press agent-lug agent-lug was all Imagination and thinking up stunts to warm the polar hearts of news editors?" "It's all of that." agreed Mhs Revell, melting Into a sort of companionly diminuendo from the crisp masculinity of the businesslike; "It's ail of thut and a' lot of other things besides. It's psychology aud returns" re-turns" t "Returns?" I repeated, at a los. $ '"They say you don't eome back," observed MIsrH Revell explanatorily. "If you're a press ngciiLyou'vej got to. And keep on coming back, loo, or yoif won't be a press agent, but only somebody looking for a Job. Why, how, do you suppose, when there are so many uel in the" "Percy Williams Hrcu'lM-" T'lJuiidly volunteered. Miss Revell viewed mc alertly for a moment (lp ru-onder"Jf "sue suspected rue or concluded that she had: The Persistent Phone ' va3 The Precious Sa:apbcx5Ji 'and the least. I!usiilj Results! Results! They haunc you as, I'm sure, crimes never do, and when they're attained they last exactly tilKbo next edition of the paper goes to press. A Classic Press Agent. "Let mo see. Who was that classic gentleman who was nlways rolling stones up the hill, only to have them roll down again? Tie, I think, was the original press agent. lie got results, and they lasted Just as long as it took a stone to get to the bottom of the hill again. "It Is the most disappointing porfcsslon I know of," went on Miss Revell. "We never know when we send out a story whether it will land or not. Often what one believes a corking good story Is turned down, while another one, which has been sent out almost In desperation, commands position oi first pages and creates a hurrah never anticipated Then, again, some stories don't find their way Into print uutll after the attraction will have finished and the story has $ lost Us value from a box ofilec standpoint. Mauy i managers arc quick to forget to congratulate their k press departments when an attraction has been par- 5?tlcularly well exploited. I am particularly lucky in 'that." There came a queer little, half humorous twLst Into her mouth that seemed a strange contrast from the fine forehead and steady pyes. It seemed like vaudo- ' ville aud high drama collaborating on n production; .. aud one peeped at. as In some suggestive crystal, glimpses of her formor career. You glimpsed the vaudpvlllp actress. Journnllst. uress niont for Din f'olo- ngent, did ho? God bless him! He gave me my education. educa-tion. Ho was the best friend I ever had." Miss Revell's eyes looked out of the window now. I hale to be sentimental; but tho softened fingers of moniory were at Miss Revell now, so why not? "The best friend I ever had" and what was that? Something Some-thing low and soft in her voice? The Interrogative eye had folded whatever tents It metaphorically might possess and departed. A little shyly. I asked Miss Revell if she systematized systema-tized all her work how she managed it "I supply twenty-three dallies. 350 suburban lists and about fifteen hundred malllug lists of press matter mat-ter from the theatres," she said. "Monday morning I usually occupy myself by looking over the Sunday papers and marking our own stuff In them. Monday Mon-day afternoon is devoted to watching the Colonial Khow. because most of our new acu open there. Monday Mon-day night I usually attend tho Orpheum. especially If there Is something new on the bill, aud while I am there run across the street to the Crescent, which Is Mr. Williams' slock house. "Tuesday morning I call at the office of Mr. Williams. Will-iams. In the Putnam Building, to confirm my bills for the followlug week, and then set to work getting our Sunday's advance stuff, and In order to do this authentically authen-tically one must have a thorough knowledge of vaudo-vllle vaudo-vllle personages. We must know who the agents are who book the act, so that wc can find out where to get the photographs from for our Sunday display. We must know what kind of an act they do and how many people arc In the act. so thawn .caniacura'tely.de. HtM-lhp It hi our advance matcrial'and Drocramme no- SkjWOMAN IN J I ft'THE BUOADERW I ffl FIELDS Of 1 I I THE , II IgOELB'S WORKS II Q l ticos. After the advance notices are written they an lull mimeographed and sent out to what I call my local an( V IHfl suburban lista, also all dramatic papers. Then I dls- flfffl tribute photographs, after writing plainly on the back ful of each one who they are, which one of our theatre sRl they arc appearing at and the date they open. ' llfil "The first thing I do every morning is to loot f HI over the newspapers to sec what kind of a showing H we have. With a well regulated system, every- U thing done at the same time every day, the work Wm isn't particularly hard and has usually enough pig novelty to offset monotony. I exploit about two thousand acts every season. My big special stories Hi go to a mailing list of 1,500, which Include news- 1B papers all the way from Boston to San Francisco. fw "I hate to talk like an encyclopaedia," resumed Miss I Revell. "I told you before that I wasn't an Emerson 111 essay, but we are the creatures of our environment jRj and if one Is wocth anything n.s a press agent one fS must be adaptable. Look at the training when you ifl go ahead of the show. First you meet the invariable fl Mayor, then the inexorable existence of the general fl passenger agent comes upon you. Then you meet ul those unchangeable newspaper men and then the H police. Make a composite of those and view your tU typical representative citizen. As a press agent you tH must adapt yourself to him. fiH "And personality to the successful press agent Is bH almost as Important as imagination or the ability to fljl write a story. Many of these young gentlemen in this Vl office can write a story better than I can. I kno-v jH that's so, because they admit it themselves. Vk "I spoke of intuition. That's the quality that tells ijH you how long to stop In a newspaper office. Anothc 1 rule Is you must make friends and keep them. Thai's Jk good for successful press agenting or successful any- Jfl thing else. LH "How's that good, eh? All these people you must KsH come to understand and must make lo understand you, for lo a press agent popularity is the river of life. H You can't be successful and be personally unpopular. An author can; a press ageut cau't. The man who said '11 'a knock's a boost' can "never have been a press agent. 11 He was crazy. A knock is not a boost; a knock's a JfH knock and It's likely to get you. too. when you lca- jkl expect It. And another thing you sec that little MS m card?" M I looked up apprehensively, not unexpectant that thp H guiding footsteps of my mind were to be led to ?ome H oasis on the desert of the wnll. It was only a notice M "Enter without knocking remain on the same terms." "That's also one of the things that make press M agents successful," remarked Miss Revell, "and any H press agent will find it good for nutrition. Be loyal M I never allow myself even to think a knock about an jfl attraction in which I'm interested. I think that usu- jIH ally any people who continue to get money for long H periods for anything are usually worth the money ' they are getting, Somebody's paying that money for 'jH it, and people who hire labor aro not always fbote. dH Knockers are usually good things to drown." Jfl Miss Revell paused, gaining refreshment doubtless 1H from the mellifluous mimeograph and the tireless type- jfl writers creating their admirable streams. H "To be a good press agent," she went on, "you must M be a good re-press agent You mustn't strain truth ! beyond the point of credulity. Many a good story's M been spoilt like that" lul Press Agenting More Difficult. 1 H "And does press agenting come easier than it did I H yearn ago?" 1 asked. feU' I "Press agenting." replied Miss Revell emphatically, m H "Ib much harder than It was. The public is getting 111 wiser than it was. What has been termed yellow 1 Journalism has educated It Press. agents themselves .ill have spoiled it7 too, by never looking further than their M noses and by 'putting over' stories which, however 1 M picturesque, were obviously implausible. Newspapers I (H arc more conservative, too, and and so many press 3 agents have become editors, and they haven't got a I bit of a Rcntiment about their past profession. And 3 you wouldn't believe how brutal an ex-press agent la j'J I with a present one." H "And some ot the things you've 'put over?'" -j "But you're asking me to talk about myself," said the practical Miss Revell. "That never looks well "- fl There was Mile. Polaire! She was the one, you I H know, that was supposed to be the ugliest woman in ! B tho world. Now, sbo wasn't really so ugly. She was Jf B also supposed to have the smallest waist. Miss Revell 7 , wrote across to her, you see, and told her to pinch her- jfc H self in as much as powlble and to put on as big boots J H as she could get and to make her mouth up so that lr H it would look as large ns possible. Well when sue nr- rived the ship news reporters wcre,all down at the R H wharf and one of them looked at her and said: "I J ,M don't believe her waist's fourteen Inches. It looks j3jr M more than that lo me. Has any one got a tape roeas- Jl H ure?" "I have," said Mls.s Rpvell. She brought it cut, VH measured her waist and there It was fourteen inches H All the papers puhlished It next morning. But listen. JJ H Miss Revell had the tape measure made to order It m was elastic! tii , . . f Tk H Miss Revell has become a smilingly reminiscent II m Miss Revell now. and not untrlumphant of the I M gentle arts of inducing publicity that she bad re- I H vomited In the midst of this gentle glamour I in- IfH quired about marriage and love. I didn t Know H how thov went with female Inducers of publicity. MM Upon which Miss Revell's voice, changing an bcr expressions. Immediately took on the subdued H monotone of introspection. 11 "There have been more women killed by loe cnan JH by lions," said she. "I would sooner get a story H about one of my attractions on the front page s of a iM metropolitan newspaper than have alt the men In fJH the world making love to me. I've never been In lM 10 ? looked atVr with wide opened eyes of wob- JjH der. There was a knock at the door nijd Mh K Revell's expression changed. I'm suro 1 don't know JM M severity was brought about by the amazed HH pwi..n of inj own or wnether It was nr , un- HI cniv premonition of another example of applica- tUH SSiarr human ty for the inevitable free pass. H - S? I driftedaVay. the' melody of the typewriter iH anii Uiej harmony ot ffiefeiulmepgraph sounding in |