[Ads-l] Cattle call (show business)

[mr_peter_morris@outlook.com]

Possible 1952 cite. Usual caveats about google dating.

"Cattle Call " is the actors ' name for the weekly assemblage of actors 
and actresses that one of the tele- vision studios holds to see who is 
avail- able for parts ..."

https://tinyurl.com/48fj9v73


Not able to get the page to load right now.  Not sure if it's a fault on 
Google
or on my computer.



------ Original Message ------
From "Steven Losie" <stevenlosie at GMAIL.COM>
To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Date 07/06/2024 18:06:00
Subject Cattle call (show business)

>The show business term "cattle call", referring to an open audition for
>actors/performers, has no entry in the OED. Here is the earliest instance I
>was able to find where "cattle call" was used in this sense:
>
>[begin quote]
>Frank considers his "open auditions" of tremendous importance both to
>actors and performers of all kinds[...]
>
>[..]
>
>For these reasons, he insists on handling them carefully and without the
>often distressing and embarrassing lineups, referred to by actors as
>"cattle calls," which they are, in a sense.
>[end quote]
>
>Source: The Gazette and Daily (York, Penn.), 29 Mar 1954, p.18, col.2 (
>newspapers.com)
>Article title: Radio and Television
>Author: John Lester
>
>https://www.newspapers.com/image/65863674/?match=1&terms=%22cattle%20call%22%20audition
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org