Part VII: The Decline of the Road
In 1900, according to one report, there were about 339 shows on tour across the United States. In 1925, there were 75. What happened?
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There are plenty of explanations and theories as to this decline, but before we get into them, let's take a closer look at the numbers.
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If we summarize the early 1900s in five-years averages, we see the following:
(Source: Bernstein, The Business of the Theatre.)
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1900-04 308 shows
1905-09 295 shows
1910-14 198 shows
1915-19 72 shows
1920-24 64 shows
1924-28 72 shows
The same thing was happening to theaters. According to Billboard, in 1910 there were 1,520 theaters open for booking. In 1925 there were 634 theaters available, although it noted, not totally available. In 1925 there were 886 theaters not available or closed altogether.
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Even if these studies were inexact, the trend lines were unmistakable. One thing is certain, the one-night stands were wiped out.
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But why?
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Some of the blame was put on the war between the Syndicate and the Shuberts. Their efforts to support and grow their circuits led to over building of theaters, and the production of lesser quality shows needed to fill those houses. Audiences were not dumb, "even in small towns," and knew the shows sent to them were not very good.
Another reason was a changing society, with increased mobility due to the development of the automobile. Whereas horse and buggy limited the distances people would travel to see a show, with a car, even in its primitive state, people were more likely to travel a few more miles to a bigger town or city, and therein see a better show in a better theater.
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And radios came on the scene. Now people could be entertained in the comfort of their own homes, for free. No need to go out on a cold or rainy night.
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But perhaps the biggest reason for the decline, and certainly the one given the most blame, were movies.
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Motion pictures were invented in the 1890s, and the commercial movie industry grew explosively in the first years of the twentieth century. Soon there were thousands of nickelodeons and movie theaters all over the country.
Jerry Stagg, in his book The Brothers Shubert, described it this way:
... no one paid any attention to a strange phenomenon that had been occurring. In little stores, in penny arcades, in upstairs lofts, moving shadow pictures were being shown, and people were finding them exciting. They cost a nickel, and quickly they got the name "nickelodeon." It was so insignificant that it attracted no attention. But it had suddenly moved into the entertainment world, and it was going to revolutionize it.
It did. By 1909 there were 7,000 movie theaters around the country. By 1913 the number was 10,000, and by the early 1930s there were some 20,000 movie theaters.
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For all these reasons, the day of the road show and the circuits that managed them was over.
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That is, before they revived in the latter part of the twentieth century. But that is a topic for another day.