The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-06-20
JOHN MAGUIRE.
Some Interesting Facts Regard
ing His Career.

ing His Career.
THEATRICAL WORK
What Manager Sargent Says of Hi
Past and Present Lsabors
and Prospects.
The life of theatrical manager of al
prominence is generally SO varied with tri
umphs, trials and reverses that an inside
history to such a career is always interest
ing. Very few managers, no matter how
worthy, ever die rich. Their life is made O
struggles generally in building up the for
tunes oftheir actors, OF which they rarely gel
their proportionate share. An actors
reputation once made, with prudent cart
OF money, is bound to become independent
Not SO with the manager. He must con
stantly make new successes, new reputar
tions, or fall to the rear. The greatest
managers are not the richest. It is, as a
rule, the reverse. The obscure manage,
who has no ambition for fame or a helping
hand for Others, but who is content to
plod along in an easy way, touching nothing
only when he has the best end of the bar
gain, unwilling to assist his brother or sis.
ter OF the profession; as a rule, he is the
man who dies rich.
The subject of this sketch, our own
worthy manager, John Mcguire, has met
with about as varied an experience as falls
to the lot OF most managers. Though he
has had many years of experience his fame
has not crossed to any great extent beyond
the Rockies, but the prominence he is fast
assuming will be greatly enhanced by the
opening of the new Opera House, and the
important position Butte City is taking
will place him prominently before the world
as n of the leading managers of America,
Mr.. Mcguire has been on the coast a little
over twenty-five years. He was a member
for a long time of the Metropolitan Theater,
San Francisco, and best known as an actor
OF eccentric comedy. He made a trip in the
early days to Australia and Travelled there
with Charles Matthews and Lady Don; also
with the Howsons. He was manager for
awhile OF the Theater Royal, New South
Wales, with Joey G~ongainhaim. He opened
the first theater in Oakland, California, in
1871, which first introduced Sam Percy to
the public. He also opened the first theater
in Phoebe, Nevada, in '72 and '73, and had
a fine stock company, with F. NJ. Bates and
Virginia City, in the flush times OF that
place. He managed in Portland, Oregon,
for three seasons with considerable success,
and was the first manager to introduce
stars into hat city. Among these stars
were Ada Cavendish, the celebrated English
actress; Frank Mayo and Lawrence
Barrett. At one time he had there the best
stock company ever on the coast. 1t in
Guided such members as George D.. Chaplin,
Walter Lemon and Barton Hill.
MONOLOGUE ENTERTAINER.
Mr.. Mcguire is best known in the lesser
mining camps as a Monologue Entertainer
and as such gave the first entertainment
ever given in Butte City, in 1875, in the
building now known as King & Lowry's
saloon. Mr.. Mcguire has met and played
with nearly every actor of any prominence
in America, and to-day. with the exception
of Mr.. Piper, of Virginia City, the oldest
manager on the coast.
many trips, into Montana and finally de-
termined to abandon Portland entirely, and
make Butte City his home. Two years and
a half ago he established the northern cir
cult, receiving companies from the coast at
Missoula, and from the east at Bozeman.
Mr.. Mcguire is SO well known here person.
ally that to say that he is well liked and
heartily wished well would only be to echo
the voice of the people.
Mr.. Harry Sargent, manager of Janau-
schek, is probably the most prominent
theatrical manager who has ever visited
Butte City. In speaking of Mr.. Mcguire
md 1Sc ocro h. ~4;J. g o-3A 1-,--,
which is the most fortunate, Butte City to
have Mcguire, or Mcguire to have Butte
City. A well conducted theater is one of
the most important institutions that a
city can have. ], on two occasions have
been offered guarantees against loss if l
would only take q theater in certain cities,
SO much did the business men realize the
of a properly conducted thea
ter, and now that the system Of combina-
tions is in vogue there is no better adver-
tisement for a growing city than these same
combinations. Mr.. Mcguire has
FINE FIELD
and he knows how to work it.. He is a
genial, pleasant gentleman, and in all my
| cannot remember OF meeting one
who is better fitted for this post
than he" Mr.. Sargent Was fairly
wound up on the subject and con-
MY engagement with Mr.. Ma
guire commenced at the eastern end of his
Bozeman, and ends at Missoula,
western end. l have a great dread of
circuit managers and would have avoided
Mcguire if l could, but he controlled the
here l am very glad 1 could not avoid
him. Standing OF the observation plat
of Janauschek's car going into Boze-
man the first personI met was Mr.. Ma
suire. This was a very pleasant surprise to
for l expected to be left to the mercies
OF the bill poster or some inexperienced
agent, who would have no authority to do
anything. Mr.. Mcguire had met me and
me in a most liberal manner. He
has done everythingto make our tour easy,
and profitable. A nan who acts
is bound to treat his public in
the same way, and such treatment
must win respect and success. His Grand
Opera House we were to nave opened. That
IS no fault Of his or ours, only | regret that
we did not, for, great a success as Janau-
schek is, you have not seen her at her best.
The house, when completed, will be one OF
the
BEST APPOINTED ON TIL COAST
He has shown me a list OF his attractions,
md they are among the best. One word
more and I'm through. The public often
complain and justly SO of bad entertain
nents. The manager is rarely to blame, for
the engagements are now made far in adj
vance and companies as now organized,
good enough at the outset, reach the
manager in a crippled condition, and then
again tastes differ. What is considered
good in one place is thought very bad in
but Mr.. Mcguire will do his best.
He is a thorough business man, and the fact
that he is an actor, is greatly in his favoras
manager. He is thoroughly posted on
he merits OF every combination before the
American public to-day"
A list of Mr.. Maguire's bookings for this
season appears elsewhere.