Standing and straightening her skirt, she ushered Emmett into a second waiting room, one that was smaller but with better chairs, a water cooler, and no other people. Ten minutes later, Emmett was shown into Mr. McGinley’s office, where he was greeted with the warmth of an old acquaintance and offered a drink.
—So, said Mr. McGinley, resuming his seat behind his desk, Alice tells me you’re looking for a man for your rodeo!
Emmett had been skeptical when Mr. Morton observed that the hunt for a Shakespearean actor to cast in a rodeo was even better. When he explained himself to Mr. McGinley, he did so with some hesitation. But as soon as he was finished speaking, Mr. McGinley slapped his hands together in satisfaction.
—A nice twist, if I do say so myself! There’s no shortage of performers complaining that they’ve been pigeonholed into this, or pigeonholed into that. But time and again, the mistake that producers actually make is not pigeonholing their actors; it’s pigeonholing their audiences. This group only wants this, they’ll tell you, while that group only wants that. When, in all likelihood, what your theatrical devotee is hungry for is a little more horseplay, while what your fan of the rodeo craves is a little more savoir faire!
Mr. McGinley broke into a wide grin. Then suddenly serious, he put a hand on a pile of files that were stacked on his desk.
—Rest assured, Mr. Watson, that your troubles are behind you. For not only do I have an army of fine Shakespearean actors at my disposal, four of them can ride horses and two of them can shoot!
—Thank you, Mr. McGinley. But I am looking for a particular Shakespearean.
Mr. McGinley leaned forward with enthusiasm.
—Particular in what way? British? Classically trained? A tragedian?
—I’m looking for a monologist whom my father saw perform some years ago and has never forgotten. A monologist by the name of Harrison Hewett.
Mr. McGinley patted his desk three times, quietly.
—Hewett?
—That’s right.
Patting the desk one last time, Mr. McGinley pressed the button on his intercom.
—Alice? Bring me the file on . . . Harrison Hewett.
A few moments later Alice entered and handed a folder to Mr. McGinley that could not have held more than a single sheet of paper. After taking a quick look inside, Mr. McGinley laid it on his desk.
—Harrison Hewett is an excellent choice, Mr. Watson. I can see why your father has never forgotten him. And he’s a man who thrives on artistic challenges, so I am certain he would leap at the chance to perform in your revue. But by way of clarification, I should note that we represent Mr. Hewett on a cooperative basis. . . .
By Mr. Morton’s estimation, the chances were better than fifty percent that Mr. McGinley would say exactly this.
—If an agent states that he represents a performer on a cooperative basis, explained Mr. Morton, this means that he does not represent the performer at all. But not to worry. The agents in the Statler Building are in universal agreement that to get a bird in the hand, they would happily pay ten percent to the bush. As a result, they all maintain active lists of the performers who work with their competitors, so that, for the appropriate commission, they can send an interested party up or down the stairs.
In Emmett’s case, it was a trip up to a Mr. Cohen on the eleventh floor. As Mr. McGinley had called in advance, Emmett was greeted at the door and whisked straight into another interior waiting room. Ten minutes later, he was shown into Mr. Cohen’s office, where he was greeted warmly and offered another drink. Again, the idea of introducing a Shakespearean actor into a rodeo was celebrated for its ingenuity. But this time, when the button on the intercom was pressed and a folder brought in, it was almost two inches thick—stuffed with yellowed news clippings and playbills and a stack of outdated headshots, one of which was given to Emmett.
Once Mr. Cohen had assured Emmett that Mr. Hewett （who was a close personal friend of Will Rogers） would be thrilled by this opportunity, he asked how Emmett might be reached.
Following Mr. Morton’s instructions, Emmett explained that since he was leaving the city on the following morning, he needed to hammer out any details right then and there. This sent the office into a flurry of activity as terms were agreed to and contracts written up.
—If they actually prepare contracts, Emmett had asked Mr. Morton, should I agree to sign them?
—Sign anything they put in front of you, my boy! Make sure the agent signs them too. Then insist upon receiving two executed copies for your files. For once an agent has your signature, he would give you the keys to his own mother’s house.