The Cairo bulletin., 1907-05-06
TO
BUCKSHOWTRUST
MEN OF WEALTH TO AID IN
FIGHT ON NEW THEATRE
CAL MERGER.
INDEPENDENT BOOKING
To Be Maintained Despite Recent
Agreement Says Fiske--Thirty
Houses in Combine-War to
the Knife Promised.

tne kntfe PROMISED.
New York, May ga war that will
shake the theatrical world to its very
foundation is about TO be declared
and only needs the settlement of the
formal details to become a reality.
According to he latest news along
Broadway il is to be a battle to a
finish against what Is now known as
the theatrical trust, which took its
latest form several days ago when the
4 Shuherts formed an alliance with
| Klaw 4 Erangar for The purpose Of
invading the vaudeville field
i This caused sensation In stage
tercles and in thefew days that have
elapsed since that time there has
! been a new alignment of forces that
control the theatrical destnies OF this
country, with even hand in the Ion
don amusement world.
| Under the newest alliance II IL said
that Charles Frohman, for many
| years the king Of the producing man
ayers in this country, will join with
Keith and Proctor. Percy Williams
and Oscar Hammerstein and that,
Iaided by the prestige OF Frohman, the
four great vaudeville managers will
invade the field Of the legitimate just
as klaw & Erlanger and the Shu
berts invade the vaudeville field.
Gates. Schwag and Schiff.
Associated with the newest combi
nation will be David Belasco and Har
rison Gray Fiske, the leading spirits
Of the independent managers in the
legitimate fell, who for years have
been fighting the trust
1t was rumoted tonight that the
financial hackers of the new combina-I
ton will be John w. Gates and
Charles NJ. Schwab and Jacob Schiff.
Of the great banking house of Kuhn
Loeb & Co.
Sehwab is understood to be one OF
The hackers of Hammerste.n in his
grand opera enterprise and Scfff has
always been known as liberal
patron of theatrical and musical art
While tcannot be verified that these
millionaires will form the financial
backing of the new combination. 1t is
believed that ii is more than prob
able.
Keith and Proctor have long been
the leading vaudeville managers of
New York and their chain of theatres
with its connections through Cole and
Castle of Chicago, and theorpheum
circuit in the west reaches from
coast to coast.
Seek Control of 80 Houses.
They. have been practically in con
iroi of the vaudeville of this country
and when the announcement was
made some time ago that Klaw & En-
LANCER proposed to emit their field
with advanced vaudeville" there was
a great deal of speculation as to what |
action would be taken by Keith & |
Proctor and their allies 10 fight the
invasion.
1t is evident that the coalition be |
tween the Shuberts and Klaw & Err.
LANCER brought hostilities TO climax
and the reported entry of the Keith
& Proctor forces into the legitimate
is a measure of reprisaL
Charles Frohman has heretofore
been reckoned one OF the pillars of
what formerly was known as the
trust and against which Belasco.
Fiske and their associates have
waged such valiant warfare. Under
the new arrangement. however, Froh-
man becomes an ally of the anti trust
forces and will be placed in the posi-
ton of fighting Klaw & Granger as a
member of the independents.
The new alliance of Independents
seeks control of thirty theatres and,
cen mhmhhmmhmhhhm
according to the report tonight, fif-
teen of these are al: eady in their pos.
session.