199
AUTOMATIC AGE
November, 1936
A Rock-Ola Playlet
In One Act
Entitled
“LET’S GO ALONG TOGETHER”
By T om H a n l o n , Advertising Manager
Rock-Ola Mfg. Corporation
Scene: A Phonograph Location
CAST OF CHARACTERS
•
W ILL B. SQUARE — A “ REGULAR” OPERATOR — THE HERO
I. M. A. CHISELER— A “ RACK ET” OPERATOR— THE VILLAIN
CU R T A IN
R ISES
TO T H E
TUNE
Square — (meeting other operator
on location) — “ Hello, young fellow.
I’ve heard that you recently started
in this territory and I have been
mighty anxious to meet you.”
Chiseler—“ Oh, hullo, fella; what’re
you doin’ around here? I just knocked
off your phonograph and put mine
in here.”
Square—“ Yes, young man, that’s
what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Chiseler—“ Whaddya’ mean?”
Square—“ Well, you see — a few
years ago operators used to ‘fight’
each other under cover, but now— all
regular operators come right out in
the open and, through a new spirit
o f ‘live and let live,’ they have gradu
ally established a spirit of friendly
co-operation.”
Chiseler — “ Whaddaya’ mean by
that— friendly spirit of cooperation?”
Square— “ Well, for example, you
have taken a few locations from me,
only because you have offered the
location man what you and he con
sider a better proposition than I have
been offering him.”
Chiseler—“ That’s right.”
Square—“ Well, is it right? Let’s
see— for example, in Chicago, there
is a. standard basis on which operators
are supposed to install phonographs
on locations.” -
Chiseler—“ You don’t say so— what
is that standard?”
Square—“ Well, the operator charges
a weekly fee of $5.00, not necessarily
for the installation of the machine,
but for the ‘ SERVICING OF THE
m a c h i n e .’ ”
Chiseler — “ Lemme understan’ you
right — the operator takes the first
$5.00 which comes in the machine—
is that right?”
OF
“W E ’RE
ALL
PALS
TOGETHER”
Square—“ Yes, that is correct— in
Chicago.”
Chiseler—“ Well, everything taken
in by the machine each week— above
the original $5.00, is split on a 50-50
basis, the operator receiving half and
the location man receiving half of
everything above $5.00.”
Chiseler— “ Yes, but I have a better
proposition than that.”
Square—“ Wait, Old Man— you only
TH IN K you have a better proposi
tion. You COULDN’T have a better
proposition, and properly service the
machine.”
Chiseler — “ Whaddya’ mean by
that?”
.
Square— “ Well, in the first place,
almost anyone can install a machine
in a location— but—the main thing in
this business is giving the location
first-class service— after the phono
graph is installed.”
Chiseler—“ Well, I can give good
service.”
Square—“ Let’s see if you can. In
the first place, you must allow a cer
tain amount for the purchase of rec
ords, and unless you change these
records every now and then, within
a reasonable length of time, you are
not, in the true sense, giving service
to your locations— and not only that
— you are only hurting your own
pocketbook by not occasionally chang
ing the records—for—steady patrons
tire of the same records night after
night, and they, naturally, do not put
very much money in the phonograph,
whereas if the operator rendered
first-class service, as he should, even
the regular and steady patrons will
not tire of the records and, as a con
sequence, they continue to put money
in the phonograph.”
© International Arcade Museum
Chiseler — “ Say, fella — maybe
you’re right.”
Square— “ You bet I’m right, be
cause ‘Experience is a Good Teacher,’
and it is taught me that the installa
tion of a phonograph on a location is
only about twenty-five per cent of my
job, the other seventy-five per cent
is giving high-grade personalized
service.”
Chiseler— “ Tell me more about that.”
Square— “ All right— here’s another
thought— you have been offering the
location men what you thought was
a better proposition and which, on
the surface of things, he felt the
same way about. Instead o f the
usual “ first” $5.00, you have been
content to accept $3.00— or, if neces
sary, even $2.00, to shove the other
fellow’s phonograph out and get
yours in.”
Chiseler — “ Well, Buddy, you’re
right— so what?”
Square—“ Just this, my friend, you
are only ‘Robbing Peter to Pay Paul,’
for you can’t really operate a phono
graph without an assurance o f at
least $5.00 per week, and still come
out ahead on the deal.”
Chiseler—“ How da’ ya’ figure that
out?”
Square— “Just simple arithmetic—
considering your down payment on
a phonograph, your monthly pay
ments average approximately $20.00.
You can quickly figure— that means
about $5.00 per week so, in order to
protect your investment by being able
to make your monthly payments on
your phonograph, without going to
the old ‘sock’ for outside money, you
can see that $5.00 per week is the
minimum your machine will take in,
and safeguard your investment.”
Chiseler—“ Gee! I never thought of
it in that way.”
Square — “ All right, old man—
shake! Get all the locations you can
— then if you steal my location, I ’ll
have to consider the fact that you
must be giving better service to that
location than I have been giving.”
Chiseler— “ All right, Pal, I ’m will
ing to try it out, and I promise I
won’t cut under the standard proposi
tion. Come to think of it, this is a
deal where even if I lose, I win, for
I ’m protecting my investment with
my guaranteed weekly income.”
Square— “ Attaboy! Have a drink.
What’ll you have?”
Chiseler—“ Same thing as you, my
friend. I’m not taking any less, or
any more, in any o f my dealings
hereafter, with operators.”
CURTAIN
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