Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-28


DRoMULGATIoN of the plans for the
coming season of the old Hotch-
l. kiss theater last week caused nc
end of talk in theatrical circles. The
assertion, admittedly true, that IL
would get syndicate attractions-of a
minor class. certainly but still syndi'
cate shows. hitherto always booked al
one certain other house here-made all
the managers sit up and take notice.
For it has always been supposed
and the supposition has hitherto been
true-that the syndicate took care OF
its own; in other words. that it re-
spected the exclusive territory clause
of it's contracts, no matter how loose 1T
might be about other features thereof.
But here comes John Cort and Cal
Heilig, pair of invaders. outlanders,
unknowns, who pick up a hoodoo thea
ter, rebuild and rename it, and calmly
announce bookings which are made ex-
clusively by the New York tight
wads" some at least of which bookings
are already advertised as being the
property of the recognized syndicate
house of long standing!
verify DOmD III lne lHedtliC S1IhP
could not have created any more of a
sensation. And John Cort and Cal
Heilig, the new factors, are upsetting
things worse than did the proverbial
bull in the mythical china shop.
Colonel Harry Wyatt vows that he is
not in the least mentally perturbed by
the invasion of his territory by John
Cort and Cal Heilig, the northwestern
showmen. But people who are IN the
know lean to the opinion that the
manager of the local syndicate theater
does heap of thinking whenever he
gets back to his seaside home
The one thing that lends color to the
assertion that Klaw & Erlanger look
with favor on Cort and Heilig is the
fact that the heads of the big theatrl-
cal syndicate have actually booked a
list of admittedly good companies Tor
the Hotchkiss-beg pardon, the Los
Angeles theater.
1t is the first time in the history OF
the syndicate that any particular terri
tory has been split up with another
manager and even If, as Colonel wyatt
says, he has contracts with lot OF at
fractions that Cort and EIeilig claim
are to play in their own theatrical
back yard, the fact remains that even
If Mr.. Wyatt has such contracts-and
he certainly hasa mere wire or brief
note from Klaw & Erlanger to cancel
them will solve the problem for the
Los Angeles theater.
Brother Wyatt has had a contract
Cancelled before now at the dictation
of Klaw & Erlanger, for surely they
who book the shows have the power to
cancel when and whom they see f1t not
withstandfng managers personal
feelings and desires to the contrary.
AS pointed out above, the mere fact
that John Cort-who controls over a
hundred theaters himself and can book
a theatrical company all the way from
Duluth, Wis, to Los Angeles over the
Northern Pacific route and never miss
a town-has been admitted into the
sacred precincts of the Wyatts, pere ct
fills. is the strongest bit Of evidence
that there is something doing in the
local theatrical field and that Cort and
Heilig are hereafter to be considered
prime factors in the Los Angeles
theatrical life.
With theaters in Los Angeles San
Francisco-the American-Seattle, the
home of Cort and Portland, the abid-
ing place of Partner Heilig, not to
mention every other city in the big
northwest, and controlling as Cort does
a list of theatrical attractions that in
clude Florence Roberts, Max Figman,
Sarah Truax, Maude Fealy and the San
Francisco and Alaskan opera com
panies. 1t would seem that the new
comers are In good position to start
in as local amusement purveyors.
Now, after the entering wedge has
been secured in the hitherto unassail-'