The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-05-28
GuStave FTohman Defends 1t, Yet
Praises Mrs. FiSke.
ADMITS BELASCO'S GENIUS
NEW THEATRE MUST BE BUILT
HERE FOR LATTER'S STARS.

TiCal syndicate JhaJ MIS- + leNe
is the greatest actress and Da-
vid WarfeId the greatest actor in the
United States today. both independ-
ents were the admissions made Dy
Gustave Frohman. brother of Charles
and Daniel F'rohman, and manager OF
John Drew. syndicate star at the
Salt Lake theatre yesterday morning
The admission in regard to Mr.. Piper
came in response to this question,
The trusts ability to control at
fractions and TO book them makes the
local managers Of trust theatres mere
" janitOTs. does it nOt?'
Yes. that is the condition" replied
Mr.. FrOhman-
Then if Manager Piper, who has
always the interest of the salt Lake
public at heart. who is anxious to give
us Mrs. Fiskc David Wartieid. Mrs.
Garter and Blanche Bates, should at
tempt to do so. the syndicate would
cancel all of its attractions
The answer was a cold, uncompro-
missing Yes"
Then Mr. Piper must take syndi-
cate attractions or be satisfied with
the attractions the Independents can
supply. which may mean four against
forty
Again the reply was a frank Yes
Does Not Reply Directly.
Mr.. Frohmau was asked what he
thought of the lecture Mrs. F'lske IS
to deliver in Barratt hall tomorrow
evening on The Theatrical Trust and
Its Effect on salt Lake City" Instead
of replying directly. he said
Tt is a great pity that Mrs. Fiske
and the syndicate should he at outs.
Great credit is due Mrs. Fiske for the
har
gotten up and also for her highly
artistic performances. Why. I can re
member when Daniel and Charles
FrohmaH had her under their manage
mCut. some tweuty-odd years ago
Daniel came home one night and said
that Mrs. F'iske'S TehearSaiS were 81
7 tremendously great that they brought
him to tears
why were these relations inter
rupted ."
Mrs. Fiske. who was then Minnie
Madden" said Mr. FrohWau- was inn
mensely popular with both managers
and public. Her father was fine old
theatrical manager The plays that
Minnie Madden had at that time, for
some UHaCcOuHtable reason. did not
pay. although they gave the greatest
satisfaction. So Miss Madden re-
. tired from the stage and II. was given
out that she would rot return.
Warmly Admired.
However. she devoted herself with
her husband Harrison Grey Fiske. To
watching all the New York produc-
I tons She was always interested and
always worked hard. During this pc
Rod she was slowly but surely devel-
Oping. Occasionally she would appear
at some benefit performance. and her
work there created many sensations
She was warmly admired by the better
classes of New York's theatTe-gOers-
Finally Mrs. Fiske produced Tess
of the DUrbcrviiIeS.' and the next
morning an of the critics i'm New York
pronounced her the greatest American
actress
You viii pardon the interruption.
Mr.. F'rOhmau.' said the interviewer.
hut this has very little to 90 with
the syndicate We all know that Mrs
F'iSke stands IT the head of the list
of American actresses
4 am coming to what you call the
syndicate was the reply At the
timc Mrs. Fiske produced Tess ueEo-
tiations were pending between her and
Al Hayman- These negotiations did
not result i'm the signing of "a cor
tract There was q difference about
terms. as I understand it. Mr. Hay
man had organized a booking agency
through which he had the exclusive
booking Of the California coast the
aires No attractions could be put on
out there except through arrangement
with him. This was the germ of the
/ theatrical trust
u recall very well that many of the
theatrical managers were disappointed
when Mrs Fiske failed to- close with
Mr. Hayman- You see. they had played
her at d loss to themselves and when
she got hold of a very valuable prop
erty they hoped 10 have chance TO
recoUp. Mind you I don't pretend To
know all the particulars. but I do
know that it was a question Of terms
/ between Mrs Fiske and Mr.. Hay
naR--
Origin of the Syndicate.
And how did this syndicate. which
mas waxed so fat and so domineering
! come into existence"
Let me explain. Before the DAYS
| Of the syndicate the managers were IN
constant competition with one an
other for stars and combinations. They
} bid against one another until the re-
! suit was that none Of them made any
money the theatrical business up tC
/ u few years ago, as you must reInem-
I Der. was rather a shiftleSs business
/ The firm of klaw & Granger was the
r
! general theatrical exchange
/ ''Messrs. Klaw and ErIanger esta b.
/ lished fair terms between the stars
! combinations and theatres. Their bust
neSs-like methods of booking put the
| entire theatrical business on a higher
! plane and gradually the 'shoe-strine
managers as We call them. could ne
! longer organize companies without
money and then force managers {,
/ carry them through from town [,
/ town"
SO the first result of the formation
| OF the syndicate was the crushing o.
| the managers with only it'll,
| money!
| Yes. that was the natural result
| The syndicate. as it grew in power
| found it advisable to book only attrac
! lions that played in theatres it con
! trOiled- Today the trust will not Der
NIT the Salt Lake theatre, for instance
/ to play an attraction that does not DIar
| in theatres controlled by the trust il
other cities
Why Local Managers Are Helpless
1t was at this point that the ute
! heIpIessness Of local managers of trus
theatres was brought out The tall
| drifted to remedies and it was sug
| gested that the government might in
| stitute proceedings against the syndi
cate. Mr.. FrOhman laughed at tn
| idea.
Why" said he "theatricals are no
oil, or coal. or meat, or any neoessit,
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