The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-09-17
NO TRUST SHOWS
Klaw Il Erlanger Cut Topeka
Off Their List.
/. MI. Crawford Declares for
the Open Door,
WOULDN'T BE BOSSED
Was Ordered to Cancel Anti
Trust Attractions.
May Bring Suit to Force Syndi-
cate to Time.
WOULDN'T BE BOSSED

The Grand theater management has
adopted the open door policy, which
means that any show, whether a trust
production or not, will be allowed the
Topeka theater goers will have the
privilege of seeing not only the trust
shows-those that are booked by the
klaw & Erlanger interests-but also
those that are booked by the Shuberts,
who handle all the productions indie
pendent of the trusts.
This is the outgrowth of the big
theatrical war which has been brew
ing for several months between the
klaw & Granger and the Shubert in
terests. In past seasons, the trust
which is headed by the Klaw & Err
LANCER company, had secured the
booking privileges of a majority of the
larger theaters in the United States.
However, as there were not enough at
fractions to fill the demands, the trust
last year countenanced the booking of
the Shubert productions in their
houses, truce having been patched
Up between the two rivals in the theat-
rical world. Last spring, however, the
war which had been postponed broke
out afresh. The Klaw & Erlanger
people refused to permit the use of
their theaters for the Shubert produc-
tons.
Last season after the war broke out
between the two theatrical iterests,
1.-THE Blue Mouse and Mrs. Fiske in
Salvation Nell two Shubert attrac-
lions, were scheduled for Topeka.
Klaw & Erlanger wired L. M. Craw-
ford not to allow these productions to
show in the Grand under penalty of
being blacklisted by the trust. AS is
Cancelled by the Crawfords. Both en-
gagements were played here to good
houses. But it put the Crawfords in
bad odor with the trust
Cancels All Trust Shows.
The result was that the Klaw &
engagements which had been contract
ed in Topeka for this season. A num-
her of contracts had previously been
signed for this season, and Mr.. CraW-
ford now has the contracts. He will
make all legal efforts to secure the
fulfllment of the contracts, and in case
they are not fulfilled, to secure dam
ages. In other words he will test the
attractions, '"The Third Degree is
booked for the Grand the latter part
of September, but Klaw & Erlanger
have sent rd4hat- the show will not
be here.
By an stopen. door, policy is meant
the use of the tfeater for all produce
tions irrespective of booking agencies.
It does not mean that anly Shubert
Klaw & Erlanger productions, but
both. This season it will likely mean
that mostly Shubert productions will
be seen, for the K1aw & Er1anger pro-
auctions which have already been con-
tracted won't come unless they are
forced to legally.
The Shuberts are fully as strong as
the Klaw & Erlanger trust This COM
pany is booking over one hundred
Jority of these are their own enter
prises, but added to these are a num- |
cdr of other big attractions. Among
Weber, David Belasco, Harrison Grey
Fiske, Ray Comstock and William
Faversham, as well as the long list of
Liebler & Co.
The local booking from these Shu-
bert productions contains some of the
Lest attractions in the theatrical his
tory of the city. Within the next six
weeks the booking for Topeka COM |
Bertha Kalich, Marie Cahill, Jefferson
de Angels, John Mason, Henrietta
Crosman, Eddie Foy and number of
other stars. There has never been
such a list of attractions offered to
Topeka within a given space of time |
in the city's history. The bookings for |
the remainder of the season are fully |
up to this standard
See Real stars Now.
1--WE do not wish to appear to be
discriminating against the Klaw &
Erlanger people, said L. M. Crawford
this morning, "but we have our pat
rcns to protect. The Shuberts have al
ways delivered the goods for us. For
example, take the cases of The Lion
and the Mouse a Shubert production, |
and The Great John Canton at the
Grand last night. These plays are SINH
lar in their plots. both dealing with
the great industrial problems of trust
and consumer. Toe Lion and the
Mouse has been here two or three
times, never with more than a second
rate cast. The Great John Canton
came here with George Fawcett, one
of the Shubert stars. The K. & E.
people do not send their stars very
far from New York. We have tried
for years TIC get Nat Goodwin here, try
ing sometimes to book him as much as
a year ahead. but we have always been
turned down. On the other hand, we
have yet to be stung on Shubert at
trs ction.'s
Other Open Door Towns.
The Grand is not alone in the open
COR policy in the west. At a meeting |
held in Chicago last week of the
Association OF Western Theater Man
ayers, the association went on record
as favoring an open door policy for all
the theaters under the association's |