The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-10-02
ADJUSTMENTS
The Cort.Zinn Family.

Some 10 years ago John Cort was
losing money through about 700 diff
fent holes while remaining outside of
the vaudeville syndicate and running
the Imperial theater on North Clark
street in Chicago. He was putting
on crackerjack shows. He had such
people as "Troja," then at her zenith
as a direct Roster & Bial attraction;
made more famous when John Ring
ling of Ringing Brothers, the circus
men, took a shot at her in the Ire
mont hotel. Others of the higher
class were there; but "bucking the
syndicate" resulted in the sheriff at
taching a large paddock to the pretty
little playhouse one day-and Coru
came west.
In the Imperial was a piano player
to whom little attention was paid at
the time. Also there was a waiter who
couldn't speak much more English
than to say 1.-TWO up" Besides there
was a small man who has the record
of being John Cort's oldest employee.
The day the sheriff started to run
the house it looked blue for the Cort
people. But things have changed.
Cort is now a remarkable power in
the theatrical world and the same
men who sought to put him out of
business are falling over themselves
in efforts to make terms"
The Dutch waiter is actually going
to the head of the big Orpheum cir
cult, the piano player is a composer
and musical director fast becoming
Cort's most lucrative investment and
the little lad who took tickets and
did about everything except sweep
out is ticking out the coin each night
to his superior in piles which bring
joy to the 'big fellow"
Two of these are here. One is linn
himself, at the head of Zinn's Trav
esty company; the other is F. G. Tai
iaferro, treasurer of the company.
How that Cort family sticks to-
gether is demonstrated also by the
people linn has with him. Six years
dancers and choruses in vaudeville.
With him was Herbert Mann and his
charming wife. Cad Franks. Another
was Florence Grey, in private life,
Mrs. linn.
The quartette have climbed the lad
der of the stage together. There were
times when the rungs broke out ana
different stunts separated them tenn
porarily But they always gathered at
the fireside.
Last night linn signaled to the same
old faces he had with him before
John Cort again was able to place
him prominently before the public. In
"a Telephone Exchange" they sang,
danced, talked and joked to the same
cadaverous bespectacled directors
countenance that had stared, or
frowned. at them over the footlights
for half a dozen years. 1t is that old,
rigid, but friendly, discipline which
makes the linn Travesty company a
greater success with the public than
some of the heavier operate organi-
cations.
Last nights performance was no
departure from the high class travesty
work. The comedy of Cad Frank and
Andy Budd, the dancing of phenome-
nal Jessie Brown, the great French
work of Florence Grey and the humor
of others of the company fairly shook
the audience into applause.
Horace Manns descriptive song
and recitation was another good feat
ure.
But with all its attractiveness, "The
Telephone Exchange" is not near to
the production of "A Japanese Court
ship" which will be put on tonight to
a crowded house.