Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-04
LOS ANGELES TO
SEE THEATER WAR
announcement has been

III
n made that the new Majestic theater,
a now being built for Oliver Morosco,
will be conducted as a vaudeville house,
the attractions to be furnished by Klaw
Erlanger Rumors to this effect have
been current for some time, but were met
with denials until last week. when mat
ters were finally arranged, the Schubert
bookings that had been made for the
Majestic being transferred to the Mason.
The significance Of the move is plain.
1t means that Los Angeles is to witness a
vaudeville war of the first magnitude be-
tween the so-called syndicate forces and
the Orpheum. That 1t will be battle
royal is assured. The Orpheum people
for years have had things all their own
way west of Chicago, and they will not
resign their prlmacy easily. They are
firmly entrenched, their houses have an
established clientele and all of them are
paying
On the other hand they have already
suffered a loss in the desertion of big
Tim" Sullivan to the syndicate forces. 1t
Is fact not generally known that Sulli-
van Is himself heavily interested in the
syndicate His is the money back of
Abe Erlanger, and once the syndicate
decided to fight the Orpheum 1t did not
take the astute Erlanger long to per-
suade his backer that 1t would be we'll
If the friendliness heretofore existing be-
tween the Sullivan and Considine houses
and the Orpheum interests were allowed
to cool.
The preliminary skrmish gun in the
local field was fired some time ago when
the Peoples theater was opened here as
a Sullivan and Considne house, the rela.
tionship to the syndicate being clearly
established through managerial affllia-
tions with the Mason.
All this looks rather dark for the
Orpheum. However 1t is only one side
of the picture. The reverse is highly in
teresting.
Martin Beck, manager of the Orpheum
circuit, has not been caught Mapping. He
Is an adept in the art Of fighting fire with
fire and he dearly loves a good shindig.
Consequently, when he discovered that
the trust was out to wipe the Orpheum
houses off the map he decided to organize
a trust of his own. This, 1t is said, has
now been accomplished.
Seeks Aid In Europe
First Beck formed an offensive and de-
fensive alliance with Proctor & Keith.
Then he secured the adherence of the
Williams combination. Next he went
abroad.
Now it is we'll known fact that the
biggest vaudeville acts on the American
stage in recent years have been importa-
tions from abroad. Beck knew this.
Also, through long continued dealings
with foreign managers and booking agen-
cies he knew just what interests were
strongest entrenched and just how to
reach them.
Last week a conference was held at the
Hotel Continental in Paris. When 1t broke
up the International Booking syndicate
had been organized. And then Martin
Beck leaned back in his chair and cried:
"Checkmate."
According to press dispatches the deal
embraces the Keith G. Proctor, Orpheum
and Williams houses in America, thirty
eight of the best known theaters of the
continent and large number in England.
The names of those in England are guard
ed from the public at present.
The theatrica. managers present at the
conference were f. Steiner of the Berlin
Wintergarter. Percy G. Williams and
Martin Beck, general manager of the Or
pheum circuit; NJ. Ruez, who controls the
four leading variety theaters in Paris;
H. B. Marinelli. who manages the book-
ing of attractions for the Continental
four. and w. Passpart. European repre-
sentative of Beck, and Mr.. Meyerheld,
working on English combination. The
continental theaters which 1t Is under-
stood Will De OpeTdlSu ullhSi tiiS " oN'''1%
ton include in Paris the Folies Bergeres'
the Olvmpia. the Parisana and the Prin-
tania
The vaudeville fight. however, will not
he the only interesting feature OF the
season about to open. John Corts lnVa-
sion of Southern California is move of
much Importance. Cort, as already an
nounced. has secured the old Hotchklss'
has remodeled it and will operate the
with his chain of
one hundred and forty-one theaters In
the northwest and along the coast. He
will play the cheaper priced syndicate at
fractions that have in the past gone to
the Mason The house has been renamed
the Los Angeles theater and already is
booked solidly. the bookings showing
large number of plays that were expected
to be on the Mason list
Cort is one of the few men who do not
have to truckle to the syndicate. With
his big chain of houses and booking ar
rangements in Canada he is something OF
a trust himself. However he Is on very |
friendly terms with the heads of the New
York organization. as is shown by MS
ability to come into Los Angeles, lease
hoodooed theater and take bookings away
from the Mason.
He gained his first foothold in Califor-
mia through booking arrangements with
Chico theater and with the American
theater at San Francisco Los Angeles
came next and there are still other towns
in the state that will be added to Cort
territory later on.
The Cort attractions will come here
from San Francisco and will return east
over the Salt Lake route, playing the
Cort houses in Salt Lake City, Ogden
Boise. Pocatello and Denver. Before
reaching San Francisco they will play
west over the northwest circuit, including
theaters at Great Falls Helena, Butte,
Spokane, Tacoma. Seattle, Vancouver,
Victoria, Portland, Salem and so on.
1t is freely predicted that Cort's inva-
sion of Los Angeles will lead ultimately |
to struggle between himself and Wyatt |
though that is detail for the future.