TOPICS OF THE DAY

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21221, 18 September 1940, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY

Art and the Box Office “ In the entertainment world, where people pay money for admission. the value of the one who entertains cannot be gauged by his deserts, by his brain-power, or even by his ability; it is bound to depend on how much money he draws to the box-office. Whatever the cause—it may be a woman's charm or a man’s unusual personality or five babies all born together—but whatever it is, if it draws money to the box-office, competition arises between managers and the salary is bound to go up. But my opinion is (and I offer it as consolation to the managers) that there is only one sure asset in the world of the theatre and that is the actor. The play is a gamble, the settings may mean little, but the one known quantity is the ability or the popularity of the actor. No actor or combination of actors can save a really bad play from failure, but actors of distinction can frequently save a mediocre play from being a dead loss at the box-office.—George Arlibo, in his autobiography.