The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-01-27
FORTUNES IN DISGUISE.
Some Plays Supposed to be Worthless
Realizing large Fortunes.
lCopniqhted 1ss9D


copyrighted 1881
NEW YORK, Jan. 26.-One Of the most
successful theatrical managers in the coun-
try said the other day that he had no doubt
but that many play had been consigned to
the fire which, had it been produced, would
have made fortune for its owner He also
said it was doubtful if any theatrical man.
ager could tell successful play when he
saw one. Considering the number OF the
remarkably successful plays that the
shrewdest managers in the country pre-
dicted would be failures this is undoubtedly
true.
OF the recent plays that in an eminent
degree proves the truth Of this statement
is, mir. Barnes Of New York" Every one
prominent in the theatrical world knows
the author, Mr.. A. G. Gunther, hawked this
play about the city and was unable 10 find
manager who would touch it. At last,
in despair, he offered to sell it to Manager
T. Henry French for $500.
~ don't want it at any price" said Mr..
French.
"Well, said Mr.. Gunther, 81 need small
amount for few days and l wish you
would let mo have 500 on tho play"
81 would not give you s. on it, but if you
want 500 I will let you have it on your
own account
Convinced that there was merit in the
piece, but that he could not have it pro-
duced unless he produced it himself, which
he could not do at the time he decided to
work the material into a novel. A few
months later a book, entitled "Mr. Barnes
of New York appeared upon the news
stands and met with an excellent sale. In
side of a wear the book made Mr. Gunther
about 800, 900. After this, whom he wished
to produce the play he had no difficulty in
finding a manager Among the most eager
and generous of them was I. Henry French.
The terms Of Mr. French being the most
literal, his offer was the one accepted. 1t
was 20 per cent. Of the receipts. The piece
is at present having very successful run,
and there is every prospect that the play
will make as much as the book.
One of the most successful of recent plays
is "Jim the Penman." After being hawked
about the city it fell into the hands of
Charles Overton, who offered it to A. M.
Palmer, the manager Of the Madison Square
theater, and whose judgment as to the value
Of play is second to no one. While Mr..
Palmer admitted that the piece possessed
many elements of success, he did
not think it was a piece destined
to have a long run. However, he
agreed to run the risk of it being a success
provided Mr. Overton would permit him to
produce the piece at the Madison Square
theater without having to pay any royalty.
After that, if successful, Mr.. Palmer
agreed to send the play out on the road and
from the road companies Mr.. Overt0n was
TO receive "a handsome royalty. Of course
every one familiar with theatrical affairs
knows that Jim the Penman' is one of the
strongest plays on the road to-day, and will
also remember the phenomenal run it had
at the Mad son Square theater. 1t is esti-
mated that Mr.. Overton and the Madison
Square Thester Company together have
made over 5000 900 out Of it.
Mr.. Palmer was also the first manager to
whom Gillette offered his great play Held
By the Enemy" The play has alrea iy
made over 100000 for its owner, and still
one OF the best money makers in the couu-
try.
1T is no doubt a clever piece of WORK, 4"
said Manager Palmer, after reading it, but
it won't appeal to popular favor 1t is too
soon after our civil war for a play founded
upon that great strife 10 meet with success.
The public may be ready for such play in
ten years or 50, but for immediate prOduc-
ton l really would not give you 500 for
it,
Even this, coming from one of the most
sagacious managers, did not shake the
authors confidence in his play, and he
boldly rented Mr.. Palmer's theater out
right and produced the play himself II
had a great run there, and for two years it
has had most successful run both in this
country and England. Now Mr.. Palmer
selects the very play that he rejected with
which to open his new theater.
Mr.. Charles II. Hoyts first play was not
a success, but this did not discourage him,
and he wrote the Rag Baby" The man
ayers were not eager to produce this play
for the ambitious young playwright, and
he concluded that he would risk some
money on it himself. He found one person
who shared his confidence in the merit of
the play. This person was young man EN-
ployed on the staff of the same paper
as Mr.. Hoyt, named Charles Thomas, who
is an equal partner in all of Hoyt's
productions The fathers of both
these young men were well-to-do, and they
drew on them for few thousand dollars.
The play was produced in a small Massa-
chusetts city and then made the circuit of
New England. The piece steadily lost
money, but the young men had lots of cour-
age, and they drew upon their fathers to
make good their losses. Finally the elder
Hoyt cried enough and refused to advance
any more money, feeling sure it would only
go the way the other had gone The elder
Thomas also began to feel that he had
wasted about all the money he cared to, but
his son after much persuasion managed to
get him to advance a final $1,000 Very
little of it was needed, however, for the
play began to make money, and before the
end Of the season it became a genuine sue
cess. understand Hoyt and Thomas have
made over 500 900 out of it.
Although denied now, it is, to say the
least, singular that Mrs Ho1gson Burnett
went to London to have her play Of Little
Lord Fauntleroyn produced. 1t was not
until after it had met with a London sue
cess that the piece was purchased by an
American manager.
When "Adonis' was produced in Chicago
for the first time, in 1884, it proved a most
dismal failure. When it was put on shortly
after this in New York it was not intended
to run but a short time. All the same it
ran two years. Mr.. Dixey has made sew
eral fortunes ont of 1t, and is now making
another out Of it. HARRY WALKER.
Be should Know Him.
From EeJord's Mdgd-iae.
Some time after the war Chief Justice Chase
a..