Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1910-01-25
VAUDEVILLE MEN
IN CONFERENCE
THEATRICAL MAGNATES HOLD
SECRET MEETING HERE
WEsTERNERs RECOGNIZED BY
EASTERN RIVALS
Peace or War Among Variety Thea-
tiers Throughout Country Rests
with orpheum Managers and
John w. considine

Whether there will be war between
the vaudeville interests of the west,
comprising the vaudeville theaters and
territory controlled by the orpheum
circuit and the Sullivan &c Considine
houses, under the direction of Martin
Beck and John w. Considine, respee-
lively and the eastern vaudeville in
terests, practically controlled by
Keith & Proctor, Percy V. Williams
and William Morris. for the vaudeville
supremacy of the country, or whether
there will be a mammoth combination
formed which will practically settle
the vaudeville situation in America and
put q stop to any clash between these
various interests which have been SO
frequent, probably will be decided on
right here in Los Angeles. Martin
Beck, general manager of the Orpheum
circuit, and NJ. Meyerfeld, jr., slipped
quietly into town yesterday afternoon
and Immediately went into conference
with John w. Considine, who arrived
in Los Angeles Saturday. This con-
ference follows the one between these
prominent vaudeville magnates held IN
San Francisco last week, and Whleh
was attended by the independent man
ager William Morris.
The conference held yesterday be-
tween the heads of the western vau-
deville interests will unquestionably
settle the question as to whether they
will throw down the gauntlet and hght
the eastern interests, or form COM
bination, and will determine their at
titude before the general conference OF
the vaudeville magnates of America
which is scheduled to take place IN
Re nj
ton. Rapidly and surely these two
western Haen, Beck and Considine, have
perfected strong and powerful vaude-
willie organizations in the west and
practically and thoroughly covered
every bit of territory, while at the
same time they have been moving east
until it is now only a question of
little time before both circuits could
have a chain of theaters reaching from
coast to coast and touching every i'm
portant city in the United States. This
would give them control of the situa-
ton in many ways and also the con-
troll of the best acts in vaudeville, be-
cause of the reason of the long con-
tracts and almost unlimited time they
could offer the performer.
Eastern Magnates Alarmed
This attitude on the part of the
alarmed the eastern vaudeville inter
ests, and as a result this general con-
ference has been called to decide
whether or not there will be war be-
tween the eastern and western inter-
ests, whether there will be a gigantic
combination formed that will settle
this important question for many years
to come, or, perhaps, whether there
will result a war between the factions,
bq and
western connections. This important
question undoubtedly rests very much
with the western interests, and should
the result be war there is every evil
dence that William Morris, the indie
pendent, who already controls several
big vaudeville theaters in the east,
would swing all the power he controls
to Beck and Considine.
The present situation also shows a
new man. heretofore hardly considered
by the bigger vaudeville interests,
playing a very important part in the
situation, and who had not been
brought into these conferences, and
who, it was thought did not figure
very materially in the larger combina-
ton. Time and again these combina-
lions have been attempted, but never
settled, because the attitude of John
w. Considine, who evidently holds the
missing link in the chain. could not be
determined.
There is every likelihood, however,
that Beck and Considine will hang
very closely together and that the
question of vaudeville supremacy in
the east or practically the entire coun-
try rests very materially with the re-
suit of the conference held in Los An
geles yesterday afternoon between
Martin Beck. John w. Considine and
M. Meyerfield, jr.