Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-05-17

company arrived at the theater Friday
morning, and thus the secret was
solved.
Now for the Los Angeles:
The Los Angeles In Rumor
The Los Angeles will be remodeled and
a gallery added. 1t will reopen in the
fall under Cort and Heilig manage
ment playing the Stair and Havlin at
fractions.
The Los Angeles will not be re-
modelled. for the very good reason that
the building ordinance prohibits any
thing of the kind.
The Los Angeles will play cheap
stock, probably melodrama, giving two
performances daily.
The Los Angeles will play the wheel
bUrlesQues, a western wheel circuit De-
ing now upon the point of completion.
The Los Angeles will be rented to
Herr E. A. Fischer. who will install
first class musical comedy stock or
ganization.
The Los Angeles will be rented to
Sullivan and Considine (present lesseeS
of the Peoples theater which now is
closed).
For further information regarding
the future of this house address John
Cort at Seattle, Wash. and inclose re-
turn postage. Then. if you don't hear,
wire, answer prepaid. If that fails
give ii up.
The rumor rollers, moreover. have not
confined their activities entirely TO
these two houses | was told the other
day that the Burbank, would close this
summer, ostensibly for alterations, but
really because business was bad. Now
business at the Burbank isn't bad. III
Is good. But there was reason Tor
this report-more reason than l could
discover for most of them.
The Birth of Rumor
Last week oliver Morosco let a con-
tract for a new stage floor. He also
ordered new carpets and certain otner
fixtures. When this became known
some one jumped at the conclusion that
1t would be necessary to close the
house. At once Dame Rumor was IN
travail and the usual ridiculous mouse
soon blinked blear-eyed at the Main
street lights.
There have been, too, many stories
regarding the Orpheum 1t is said that
nlans for the new Orpheum have been
abandoned and that the present struc-
tire will be made to do duty for an
other wear at least. One man even
told me tn, Orpheum would be closed
for repairs during the summer
Clarence Drown is in the east. He
arrived in New York several days AFTER
John Cort had left that city for seat
tie: but that didn't prevent Mr. Cort
and Mr.. Drown getting together ac-
cordng to the white light chronclers'
and settling several vexatious problems
regarding the Los Angeles SITUATION
If would require many columns TO re-
late Just THAT didn't happen, but what
was said to have happened at that
Hz-bioh never came OF.
Through some curious oversight me
mana cement of the Belasco theater ana
the Mason opera house have graclousiy
been accorded the privilege OF CONDUCT
ing their own business as they see nt'
The rumor rollers have passed them n.y.
The Grand opera house, long the
home of sensational melodrama IN Los
Angeles. will abandon that style Oh
entertainment Saturday night, VIII D1
closed for a few weeks, and then VIII
he reopened by Murray and Mack with
their own company in a series OF mu-
steal comedies and burlesques. the sea-
son to continue for sixteen weeks.
This change in policy is significant
There was a time-not long ago.
either-when the Grand was regarded
as a mint There the Theodore kre-
ner Hal Reid and Owen Davis mellow
drammer fourished amazingly II Is
even on record that one employe OF the
house acquired curvature of the spine
from carving the box office receipts
to the bank. But all that was in the
good old DAYS. Times changed and the
small change which had been wont to
swell the Grand Golfers went else
where.
Curiously the same thing was hap
pening i'm other cities at about the
same time. The popularity of mellow
drammer seemed to have fallen upon
evil days So marked was this deVel-
onment in the east that the big mellow
drammer managers called a meeting IN
New York city to discuss the matter
They decided that they had gone TOO
far: that they must call halt upon
sensationalism: eliminate the penny
dreadful features from their plays ana
compel at least an approach to plausi-
bility in the stage stories concocted by
their playwrights.
This OF course, was little short Of a
revolution, but it came too late Mel
lowdrammer had already seen its finish.
Playgoers have been educated away
from 1t and in this education the stock
companies presenting sensible plays in
a sane manner and at melloWdran-
mer prices have had large part.
When MIR. Drown leleBIdpheu rom
New York orders to close the Grand
next Saturday night he wired also the
dismissal of every employe connected
with the house from box office to stage
door. This at once led to the belief
that the Grand would remain dark for
a considerable period of time, II not
permanently. Later developments
however, corrected the misapprehen-
sion.
Drown is a canny manager. When
venture fails to pay he promptly pock-
cts a small loss and calls all deals off.
There is no such thing In the Drown
program as reducing expenses and
waiting for better days. When 1t rains
Clarence Drown does not hoist an UNI
brella. He promptly goes indoors and
If il be cold outside, seats himself COM
fortably before his own fire. The first
month of his FL Paso stock venture
failed to pay expenses. There was no
second month. Drown is not good
loser. He is not a loser at all. He
doesn't believe in 1t.
There is much matter for regret in