The San Francisco call., 1909-04-18
WAR TO KNIFE IN
THEATRICAL CIRCLES
Shuberts May Smash Trust
That Was Formed by
the Managers
Newspaper Story Concerning
Singer and Her Angel
Cause of Trouble
By c. c. Carlton
[SpeeiaI Di.pateh 10 The Can


NEW YORK, April 17.-What a great
fire a little spark sometimes kindles.
AS the result of report printed in
The Call two months ago connecting
the name of a fair opera singer
with that of a young New York
millionaire, there have been two rough
and tumble fights between theater
and newspaper men. few days
ago reporter was assaulted by the
head of the theater trust, and there
are indications that theater managers
viii soon be plunged into war to the
knife.
There has long been bitter feeling
against the so called trust" by theater
managers who objected TO its alleged
dictatorial policies. 1t has been known
for months that the Shuberts, already
controlling 15 theaters in New York
city, and with powerful backing, were
picking up houses here and there
throughout the United States, leasing
some of them and purchasing others
outright, and it has been shrewdly sur
missed that when the time was ripe
the Shuberts, who have become prac-
tically independent of the trust, would
declare absolute independence and that
they would be joined by David Belasco.
his brother Fred, and others.
The publication of The Call article
anent the millionaire and the fair
singer was responsible for the Ham
merstein- New York Press fight in
Broadway. and again at Jefferson Mar
ket police court when Hammerstein
attacked reporters who sought to
question him concerning the identity
of the millionaire who was sponsor. or,
in theatrical parlance, angel for Miss
Lima Cayalieri.
AS a sequence of this Sunday morn
ing fist fight, Hammerstein prevailed
upon the New York thea er managers
association TO withdraw their patron
age from the New York Press. All ad-
vertisements were Withdrawn Re-
Gently the Shuberts. who had long been
incensed against the Morning Tele-
graph, on account of its partiality to-
ward syndicate plays and criticism of
the Shubert productions. attempted
also to invoke the theater mana gers
association, but failed to gain its sup
port.
Harrison Grey Fiske, who was re-
Gently expelled from the managers
association as a result of the contro-
versy with Henry ". Savage con-
cerning the right to produce The
Devil" a play that has created a fu-
rore wherever ii has been seen. and
which has been a veritable mint to
Fiske, has fully confirmed the report
that a rival association of New York
theater managers is soon TO be formed.
He said to The Call correspondent:
"A rival association to the theater
managers of New York is to be formed
soon. The fuss in the theatrical man
ayers association began when Oscar
Hammerstein got into trouble with
some reporters. Hammerstein is a
member of the association and he laid
his grievance before that organization,
with the result that it ruled that no
member should advertise in that paper
1T was not long after that the Shu-
berts had what they considered a much
more justifiable grievance against the
Morning Telegraph, and they took a
page out of Hammerstein's book and
asked the association to help them as
they did Hammerstein. But it ap-
peared that the syndicate element In
the association was particularly inter
ested in that paper, and so the Shu-
berts' request proved to be a horse of
another color.
LAS I understand it, the association
kept the matter on the table so long
that the Shuberts became convinced
that no action would be taken. The
Shuberts left the association on the
ground that they had not been fairly
treated.
Il do not see anything in the forma-
ton of the new association to start a
war. but If it should come the Shu-
berts would be well able to take care
of themselves
Under plans which the Messrs. shu-
bert have made, Charles Cherry and
his associate players in The Bachelor"
now at Maxine Elliott's theater. will
start on tour round the world, in
cluding San Francisco, early next sea-
son. ''The Bachelor" will take no
scenery, as two simple sets" are all
that are needed, and will carry only
their costumes and wearing apparel.
Their first performance will be given
in London, and from that city they will
go to Cairo. Bombay, Colombo, Madras,
Calcutta, Rangoon, Singapore. Hong
kong. Shanghai. Peking. Yokohama,
Honolulu and San Francisco.
Like Oscar Hammerstein, A. L. Err
langer, head of the theater trust, takes
considerable pride in his muscular de-
velopment He and Hammerstein once
had a setto in a room on Broadway
that created quite a sensation on the
y
weight (short but stockily buil), has
several times had the more or less
distinguished honor of standing up nn-
der a few welts from Jeffries, Corbett
and Fitzsimmons. 1t is therefore quite
difficult to understand whey he should
have attacked a slightly built, mild
hammered youthful reporter of the
New York city news association, as /
told a few days ago.
Colonel Matt Winn. who is associated
with Thomas II. Williams, Jack Fol-
lansbee and others IN the new Mexican
racing circuit, is back in Broadway
again. L asked him today about the
prospects in Mexico and he replied:
Mexico as a racing prospect looks
mighty good TO me. The country and
climate are ideal for racing and in my
opinion the people will take to 1t.
They're about ready to throw out bull
lighting down there. but they have
nothing to take its place as yet and
racing will surely be popular with
them.
"California Night" was observed at
the Garden theater on Tuseday when
almost every native of the state at
tended the performance of Maurice V.
Samuels' new drama ".The Conflict"
Samuels is a native son and a grad
uate of the University of California.