MSS 117 Gus Sun Booking Agency Records

              ( 34 cartons, 9 volr,, 6 drawers of card fife&, 1926- 19401
Gus Sun, Sr., ( IBS6- 1359) the f i f t h child of a Gemn i d g r e n t , was
brrrn Gwtave Ferdinand Iflotz, Oakober 7, 1868, in Toledo, Ohio ( for addi-tional
biogzaphical infomation epee Collier's Viegipaine, Sept, 28, 19501.
Alth- h Bun's Lutheratni wtlter f e l t show business was sinful, Gustave
learaw2 juwIing f r m Professor Otto, one of the " at- liberty'" entertainers
who ( Lived in his raother's hatel in the early 18' 90' er, Sun jagsled, worked
An a n s t r e l o , aircuscs, anb other foma of entestaiment until & aut
1954 when he b- n operating a theater in SpringfleId, Ohlo. This devel-oped
into the b00kiw agenay for the& erfi which later braadeaed into ra
faf r Imeking agenoy. Whea sonnd blovdes replaced vaude~ iklea 5 ptapdtar
enteztaimaat, 9un baDked the old iraudeville acts in fairs, aawivfnls,
'
a& parka. ( Sun Agency fees sfere 5-. 3,@ 7l for booking n o n m e d theater@;
Up t o 5% on 9un Agenay t b a t e r ~ ; o r a f l a t gnatranter;.,)
IZy l9Z&, & n had tarnid the operation af the ? mraiaesa we&- t~ Robe& Shaw,
gwerahal ~ 3aaacje1~ a & & is Sun, Sr. Pron then until his death in 1559,
he worked when he pkwcsd and genc3xral1y enjwe! hlmself.
The Sun Age~ ay, * mse gmem2 offiae PB in Swingfield, DlRLa, had braeh
affiaasi at varienrs times in Pdew Yeirk, Cfllwgoa BuffaLa, Detroit, i;; anaas
City, 1STMhwh. St, b i a , Dm Eaines, C a L e s , Hi&, Berlin, and
Toro% ta. Sun aga& s = re f&& scattered all over the FI. 5. Most of the
branoh gas aer8 agent8 were at the time or htnd beel& show peap; te
t h e e l v e s just as Sun had be, 8r.
& p% ayees of Eua Sun sew ko & vw be= satisfled if their office tenuze
mema anything. Robert Shaw, El J. and & s, Yiyb1e Dayle %$ ark&
in tlz* Spr~ ngffelc? o ffiae for the v: ho. Lo s-& n af Z0 year& covered by this
c a l l d i a r n . bknqars of the branch ef- ficea, Ernie Cmah, Irviag @ mama%,
Jack Dickstein, 4 GZem J a c h also r a i n e d with the camparry for a
W e r of yecira.
K m t of the mrresWenue iRdimtm Gat tk~ aes erved by tthe Sun & enw
were mZ1 pleased with the service they reaeiveri, ( For s cmp. Le of ex-mpIea
to the ~ aretraryra~ a e aorraaipandease scitli Glsrian, Pa., baz 2, and
Barxy Frakwess, box 12.)
That f a i r omanimtions were s~ etisfiecal u ~ t w a r so f the 9wa Agency is
attested to in indiviaal l e t t e r s anc? also in the repeated me of the
aervictrer of the agency, For emm. ple, c i t i e s of - MwrenceIxzw, Tenn.,
C i n c i w t i , Dtny'tctn, W a n Hertea& tiapakon~ ta, 3u0, Spriwfieln, Ill,.,
a& @ mZea'pshqr 9. Car all were clients of the Suo Agenay fex 15- 18
eoaxwmtive gears.
a t b u g h % he Bun & ency boked swh weZ%- hcm peraomZities as & he West,
a l l y Ban&, EkSrt Repe, the Hazx Brothers, and lew- rm& erec? orche~ jtras
ins bwenee WeXk, Ouy I&, and k i n Amtrtsng, very Zitt5e carre*-
OBI0 BISTORICAL SOCIETY
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