Key Takeaways
- The local stagehands union in Spokane was not causing entertainment acts to skip the city, despite promoters’ claims of overpaid workers and nonprofessional work standards.
- A city report found that stagehands’ wages were not higher than those in Seattle, and there was little evidence of abuse or nonprofessional work standards.
- A conflict of interest was identified between the stage managers of the Opera House and the Coliseum, who were brothers and sons of the former Coliseum stage manager.
- During Prohibition, buying booze in Spokane was relatively easy, with some bars serving moonshine without being asked for it.
- A reformer conducted an experiment in downtown Spokane, ordering drinks without specifying the contents and receiving moonshine at two different bars.
Introduction to the Stagehands Union Controversy
The city of Spokane has a rich history of entertainment, with various acts and performances taking place at venues such as the Opera House and the Coliseum. However, in 1976, promoters began to complain that the local stagehands union was causing entertainment acts to skip the city. They claimed that the stagehands were overpaid and that the local union sometimes used more men than needed for setting up a show. This led to a report being prepared by city staff to investigate these allegations and determine the truth behind the claims.
The City Report’s Findings
The report found that the stagehands’ wages had increased by 10% recently, but this was not out of line with wages in other cities, such as Seattle. In fact, the report concluded that there was little to support any allegations of nonprofessional work standards within the stagehands’ union. This suggests that the promoters’ claims were unfounded and that the stagehands were not the reason why entertainment acts were skipping Spokane. The report did, however, identify a potential conflict of interest between the stage managers of the Opera House and the Coliseum, who were brothers and sons of the former Coliseum stage manager.
The Conflict of Interest
The stage manager of the Opera House and the stage manager of the Coliseum were brothers, and their father was the former Coliseum stage manager who now worked as the business manager of the firm that handled stagehand and projectionist bookings. While the report found no evidence of abuse of this dual role, it did acknowledge that the situation was undesirable from the point of view of the city’s image. This conflict of interest could have potentially led to favoritism or unfair treatment of certain acts or promoters, which could have contributed to the perception that the stagehands union was causing problems.
Prohibition-Era Spokane
In a separate but interesting historical note, Spokane during the Prohibition era was a city where buying booze was relatively easy. A reformer conducted an experiment in downtown Spokane, walking into the Oregon Bar on West Main Avenue and ordering two drinks without specifying the contents. He tasted them and found that they were moonshine whisky. He repeated the experiment at the nearby Garni Bar, slapping $1 on the counter without saying a word and receiving a glass of moonshine. This anecdote suggests that Prohibition was not being strictly enforced in Spokane, and that bars were willing to serve liquor to customers without being asked for it.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the claims made by promoters in 1976 that the local stagehands union was causing entertainment acts to skip Spokane were unfounded. The city report found that the stagehands’ wages were not out of line with those in other cities, and there was little evidence of nonprofessional work standards. While a conflict of interest was identified, it did not appear to be causing significant problems. Meanwhile, the story of Prohibition-era Spokane serves as a reminder of the city’s colorful history and the ways in which laws and regulations can be circumvented. By examining these historical events, we can gain a better understanding of the complexities and challenges faced by cities like Spokane and the ways in which they have evolved over time.