The sun., 1903-09-13
l. RRORS MADE Bl MANAGERS
Some Rejected Plays That subsequently
became Great successes.

Theatrical managers sometimes grow
rich in spite of themselves, or il might be
more exact to say that they make money
in spite of themselves; for few managers
ever retire with fortunes, whatever they
may earn while they are in harness.
The play that established for while
manager who was all but down and out
was the dramatization 4 novel that made
sensational success in this country and
England, but it was as much as the eloquent
author Of the play could do to persuade the
manager that there was money in 1t. The
manager ultimately came to the opinion OF the
playwright, but he did it without enthusiasm
and would have been ready to say, the
morning after the first performance OF the
play, / told you SO, if il had failed instead
OF being an enormous success
MY Partner the best play that the
late Bartley Campbell ever wrote, lay for
more than six months in the desk of A. NJ
Palmer, then manager of the Union Square
Theatre. Mr.. Palmer was in the habit of
producing only dramatizations from the
French, and he was perfectly willing at the
end Of the six months to let Louis Aldrioh
have the play. 1t made a fortune for him.
DtlOlt Inc ctCoiil .uiS' iuhNuVluy
was acted in England, Daniel Frohman
| had the drama, jlst as he at that time had
the refusal of the Pinero dramas Pinero
did not allow the play to be acted in Eng
| land for year, because he could not find
woman to play the leading roe. Then he
| came across Mrs. Pat Campbell, who fitted
| his ideal.
| Mr.. Frohmam returned the drama without
| producing IL for quite another reason, It's
moral tone was not, in his opinion, suited
to the clientele of the Lyceun Theatre.
But what such play would have done to
awaken interest in the performances OF the
| company which had already begun to lose
its hold on the public!
| The most successful play of last season
was THE Earl of Pawtucket." It was
written by Augustus Thomas to tit the actor
who plays the leading o.e, lie was then
in the employ of the manager who ordered
| the comedy. 1t was returned to the author,
| with the comment that while 1t might be
| amusing enough il did not suit the actor
| for whom il was ordered.
| Another manager accepted the play
| and borrowed the services of the actor 1t
had been written to fit. He made all enor
| nous success, ana the fortune that the
drama will earn Tor its producer and its
author has just begun 10 accumulate
"Ihe Christian, which is still earning
large sums every week made Viola Allen
rich woman and put on its feet a
new managerial firm But the dramatic
version Of Hal, Caine's novel was refused
by every manager in New York.
| After its great success here, one man
| ager who had rejected the American rights
bought the rights for England, where it
might most have been taken AZ a foregone
! conclusion that any drama with SO much
| religion IL modern and realistic dressing
would not be accepted. 1t fell down at
tn" end Of week there.
This season one of the younger stars
has just appeared in what seems like
Nat failure. Last spring his managers
refused play written for him, on the
ground that they preferred another that
| had been submitted and was to he had on
better financial terms. They took the
second play, ard it is rot believed that it
| will last through the season.
The FIST play was submitted to a man
| ag"r, who returned il with the comment
that the piece was all right, but that he had
| to send it lack as he had nobody in his
employ at the time that could act the lead
ing Ole. Then the play wright decided 10
| produce the play himself and engaged a
young actor who had just the day before
retired from the employ Of the manager
who liked the play, but had nobody TO
| act il.
The comedy was produced, and both il
| and the yonnB actor in the leading part
| were second in success to no play of the
year, save THE Earl of Pawucket' Ard
| the manager who refused both pieces met
| only misfortune in his own predictions Of
| comedy. But the same mistakes of pIdg-
| ment haI pen to 40 many theat riCal man
| ayers that they never feel like gloatng
| over their rivalt' failures.
| Such experiences ar" as old as The modern