Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-26
PIONEER THEATER
MANAGER IS DEAD
\. C. Wyatt, Manager of Mason
Opera House, III but a
Few Days
HAD LIVED HERE 25 YEARS
Made Large Fortune with Play
houSe-Latter Is to Remain
Under Family Control
HAD LIVED HERE rs YEARS

lessee and manager of the Mason
opera house, passed away at his resi-
dence, 500 South Burlington avenue,
early yesterday morning. The imme-
date cause of Mr.. Wyatts death was
acute diabetes and general nervous
and physical collapse. The funeral VIII
be held from the residence wednesday
afternoon at o'clock, and will be in
charge Of the Elks, of which lodge Mr
Wyatt was a pioneer member. Inter
ment will be in Rosedale. Mr.. Wyatt
Is survived by one daughter, Mrs
e. Salmon, a resident of Richmond,
Va, and one son, w. T. Wyatt; his
wife and two grandchildren children
of w. r. Wyatt.
Harry c. Wyatt or Governor"
Wyatt as he was more Familiarity
known was born in Richmond, Va,
sixty-one years ago. He entered the
Confederate army as a drummer boy
and served until he lost his left arm
in an engagement. Soon after that Mr..
Wyatt began his theatrical career,
which has redounded credit and wealth
to him.
In the days when Mr.. Wyatt made
his debut In the amusement world
minstrelsy was in it's height. Being
possessed of a lyric tenor voice of
marvellous sweetness, Mr.. Wyatt had
no difficulty In securing plenty of en-
gagements. In 1882 or thereabouts Mr..
Wyatt was the tenor of the Billy Emer-
son minstrels Having made consider
able money and having been told of
the golden opportunities which awaited
a flrst-class minstrel troupe on the
Pacific coast, Mr.. Wyatt and AL Hay
man, now president of the Theatrical
syndicate, better known as Klaw &c
Erlanger, formed the Wyatt, Arlington
e. Girard minstrels and opened for
short season in San Francisco. In
eto of GtaUfUU a fpw weeks. mad
been planned originally, the venture
proved so successful that the Wyatt
minstrels continued to appear in the
Golden Gate city for something like
eighty-two weeks.
IAIMORTALIZED SONG
Mr.. Hayman, who was even then
beginning to be looked upon as more
or less of q theatrical magnate, desired
to extend his operations to Los An
geles. o. w. Childs had just built the
Grand opera house at First and Main
streets and as Hayman had Madam
Rhea under contract, he came to Los
Angeles to arrange for her appearance.
On his return to San Francisco Mr..
Hayman advised Mr.. Wyatt to take
his minstrel troupe to Los Angeles. On
March 70, 1885. the Wyatt Arlington
& Girard minstrels of forty-two mem
bers opened at the Grand opera house
Wyatt has continued to reside here
since that day. 1t was at this time
that Mr. Wyatt sang "Wait Till the
Clouds Roll BY, Jennie" making T.
world famous.
After the engagement at the Grand
was at an end Mr.. Wyatt took the
management of the old Mozart hall,
on Spring street, between Second and
Third streets. He opened his minstrel
show there, but was met with opposi-
tion from the Grand management.
When Mr.. Wyatt asked that he be
taken in as partner Of the Grand and
be given the management of the the
ater, he was ordered out of the office.
A small theatrical war followed. Old
residents of the city will remember how
a brass band used to play in front of
the Grand to attract patronage, and
how Harry Wyatt with larger band
would play on an opposite corner. Mr..
WYATT used to invite the crowds which
gathered to walk two blocks down the
street to his theater, So successful
was he in his warfare that he was
soon given the management of the
Grand and an interest in it besides.
When Mr. Wyatt took the manage
ment of the Grand Los Angeles had a
incubation of 26000. He had an eX-
tremely difficult time of it before he
put the theater on a paying basis. He
did his own bill posting and lithograph-
ing He had to pawn his jewelry to
pay salaries, and many time lived on
a single meal day and slept on
stage mat with property curtains for
covering.
BROUGHT FAMOUS ACTORS
The greatest drawback Mr.. Wyatt
experienced was in getting attractions
to come to Los Angeles. In sheer
desperatlon he offered Booth and Bar
rett $4,000 cash if they would appear in
the Grand for a single week. Mr..
Childs. owner of the playhouse, said
Mr.. Wyatt was crazy. The famous
tragedians played the week, and when
the returns were made up Saturday
night it was shown that the gross bust
ness amounted to $26,0S0. From that
day until this Los Angeles has been
on the theatrical map all the notable
stars having appeared here under Mr..
Wyatt'S management.
For four years Mr.. Wyatt managed
the Grand. Then Mr.. Childs died and
the house was taken from Mr.. Wyatt S
charge The old Los Angeles theater
(now the Orpheum) was open for a
lease at that time. With the courage
which has made him a theatrical
power, Mr.. Wyatt took the Los An
geles Though the management of the
Grand had a fine theater and many or
the best attractions, Mr.. Wyatt was
not QdulIltu. TIC NOIh1u INT a lOJetiis
secured attractions direct from New
York and routed his rivals. The Grand
remained closed for two years, after
which it was opened as the Orpheum,
vaudeville being the attractions Of
fered. Later Mr.. Wyatt gave up the
lease on the Los Angeles theater. The
Orpheum management leased the
house and changed the name to the
Orpheum switching the vaudeville at
fractions from the Grand to the new
theater. The old Orpheum was re-
named the Grand opera house. Musical
productions and melodrama were placed
in the house and have continued there
ever since.
In 1908 John Mason built the Mason
opera house at the suggestion of Mr.,
WYATT f.. II. Sothern opened the
Mason opera house June 1S, 1904. The
Mason has always been operated by
MIR. Wyatt, and it is through this
theater he built up his fortune, vari-
ously estimated at from $5OO,OO0 to
$1,500,00O
tions which existed between Al Hay
man and Mr. Wyatt, as well as the
latter's ability as a theater manager,
that the theatrical syndicate formed
such close alliances with the Wyatt
interests. There probably is no other
manager of a theater in the United