Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-11
BLAMES SHUBERTS
FOR THEATER WAR
Marc KIaW Arrives in Los Angeles
and Discusses Conditions
in PIayhouseS
LOCAL SITUATION SATISFIES
Syndicate Plans to Secure More
Leases in Cities on the
Pacific Coast
LOCAL SITUATION SATISFIES

Mare Klaw, perhaps the most COM
manding figure in the Legitimate
theatrical world today, arrived in Los
Angeles last night for friendly visit
to Southern California, as he expressed
it. He set at rest all rumors which
have been circulated recently that the
Klaw and Erlanger booking agency in
tends making any change in it's local
representative, who happens now to
be w. r. Wyatt, or in its present Los
Angeles theater arrangement.
Mr. Wyatt will continue to be our
Los Angeles representative and we
shall continue to book the Mason
opera house as long as Mr.. Wyatt and
those who control the Mason desire us
to act in the capacity" said Mr.. Klaw.
I'VE are satisfied with local condi-
tions and as we never break a con-
tract with anyone our Los Angeles ar
rangements will stand"
OF the present theatrical situation
Mr.. Klaw talked freely at the Alexan-
dria. He gave brief resume of the his
tory which led up to the so-called
theatrical war now being waged by the
Independents, headed by the Shuberts,
John Cort and others of the National
Theater Managers association. He re-
fused to dignity the fight as a war"
declaring that he and his associates
would continue to book attractions
and not pay any attention to the fight
being made by others.
SAYS sHUBERTs BROKE FAITH
1.-TWO years ago." said Mr.. Klaw,
1--WE attempted to get together. We
wanted to stop the foolhardy con-
struction Of theaters all over the land.
1t seemed for a time that the Vaude-
vile powers, the popular-priced man
ayers and those in control Of the bur-
lesque wheels would effect an ar
rangement by which this craze for
building theaters would be ended 1t
was the Shuberts who broke faith first.
Since then Klaw g. Erlanger have been
getting farther and farther away from
the Shuberts and those allied with the
Shuberts. There is absolutely no hope
whatever of there ever being a recon-
ciliation, no matter what terms are
offered us. We are utterly done with
the Shuberts.
1.-THE report has been freely circulat-
ed that Klaw & Erlanger met their
Waterloo in the northwest and that
John Cort was the wellington. AS a
matter of fact, Klaw & Erlanger re-
ceived just exactly $3.50 each year for
several years for booking the Cort
houses up there. The booking fee was
$3.50 a year for each of three houses.
The loss OF that amount seems hardly
a telling blow to any concern. We
used to turn our bookings over to MIR.
Cort for period of say six weeks. He
made the booking arrangements for the
smaller houses in his so-called circuit.
He received per cent of the gross re-
ceipts from each house so booked by
him. We received not one single
penny from that per cent.
1--WE shall send none of our 1853 at
fractions to the northwest this sea-
son. But by next spring we shall have
houses of our own, leased or owned
l. ID,,kA UnNN
couver, Victoria, Spokane, Portland
and Tacoma. Ground is being broken
for new theaters in some of these
places. In others We have leased
theaters directly away from Mr.. Nc
Cort. His strength in the northwest
is based upon one-night stands, and
he is welcome to all the one-night
stands in the United States.
"Gottloeb & Max and Charles
Frohman are interested with Klaw &
Erlanger in our new northwest circuit,
which will be one of the strongest of
it's kind anywhere. We shall be able
to get all the one-night stands we
want, so we are not worrying.
1.-The so-called independents have not
made good on their promises. They
have not been able to send 20 per cent
of their attractions promised the small
theaters a few months ago One-night
stand managers will not permit that
SORT or InlDR very IOUBI yOu IIltty Nle-
pend upon it, They have to pay rent,
and they have to have attractions to
make money Since the so-called in
dependents are not able to furnish
attractions, we shall have to do 1t,
and that means the end Of opposition.
1--WE have 1853 attractions. Produc-
ing managers sell their wares where
they get the most money for them. The
Shuberts have produced just three sue
cesses this season. Our associates have
produced twenty. Among our sue
cesses are "Our Miss Gibbs" 'The
Echo" "Rebecca of Sunnybrook
Farm" "The Country Boy" Get Rich
Quick Wallingford." Lillian Russell in
''In Search of a Sinner" John Drew
in Smith," David Warfield in "The
Concert" Marie Doro's new play "Elec-
tricity," "The Speckled Band" Deco
rating Clemintine," alma, Where Do
You Live?" 1.-THE Slim Princess" "The
Girl in the Train" and others. All of
these will be seen in Los Angeles be-
fore the season is over. And, by the
way, San Francisco is soon to be q
producing center, like Chicago, New
York and Boston.
One of the charges maGe against
Klaw & Erlanger is that they have
caused the dismissal of several New
York newspaper critics because of ad-
verse reviews of syndicate attractions.
Also it has been said that the syndi-
cate associates have barred several
critics from their theaters. Here is
Mr. Klaw's answer to these assertions:
"Klaw & Erlanger have never caused
the dismissal of q critic of any news
paper, never have closed their doors
to dramatic critic and never have
cut down their advertising in any
paper because of an adverse review.
We had absolutely nothing whatever
to do with William Winters dismissal
from the Tribune. We personally Of
fered him the courtesies of our theaters
after he left the Tribune"
Mr.. Klaw will remain in Los angeles