The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-07-14
Henry w. Savage Now Out OF
H. g. E. Fold.
Claims Syndicate Couldn't Of.
fer Him the Houses.
MOVE is IMPORTANT.
He Controls Many of the Big
Productions.
Loss of One Night Stand Ter.
ritOry Sorely Felt.

New York, July 14.-In the with
drawal of Henry w. Savage from the
folds of Klaw & Erlanger, the theatre
cal syndicate has lost one OF the
strongest spokes in its wheel and the
| Shuberts have gained one of the most
| formidable allies. Klaw & Erlanger
| might have worried along without
Liebler & Co., William A. Brady. Lew
Fields and Daniel v. Arthur, but Saw
age was a force that Klaw & Err
| LANCER, by soft diplomacy and numer-
| Gus overtures, have been holding to
grimly ever since the Independent
1 movement started about five years
ago.
| Klaw & Erlanger say that Savage
was elected: Savage says that he quit
of his own vo1ition because of klaW
| & Erlanger's inability to fulfill their
contracts with him.
/ In dispatches from New York Col
| onel Savage says his contracts prov1d-
| ed that his attractions should play
syndicate towns wherever tney hao
theaters, and where the syndicate had
no theaters Savage was to play the
| independent houses. Now, with klaw
& Erlanger fighting the independents
it is apparent that the syndicate could
not enter into such an agreement
were unwilling or unable to fulfill con-
/ tracts, but the independence of Savage
is demonstrated in the offering of such
a contract to the syndicate. No other
/ producer in the theatrical trust would
attempt it.
Syndicate Loses Territory.
The secret of Savage's break with
Klaw & Erlanger probably ie this: The
syndicate has lost about all the good
one-night stand territory in the coun-
try. 1t has lost John Cort's territory
in the west and northwest, which al
ages productions. Out there. the
name of Savage is a trademark that
guarantees capacity houses. The rea-
son is that he has invariably sent the
west and northwest good attractions
ever since he has been in the show
i business.
/ This is no truer Of John Cort's ter
ritory than it is of all other one
night stand territory, and having es-
tablished an enormous prestige by
sending these towns good shows, 1t
is proba BILE that Savage doesn't intend
to lose it and if Klaw & Erlanger can't
book him in these cities Savage will
Il go to the firm that can.
II Klaw & Erlanger never have had
any love for Savage. They have been
friendly with him because they had
to be. In the first place, Savage had
too much money. He has no partners
and no board of directors. He directs
his work and never has to borrow
money with which to make his pro-
ductions. His fortune is estimated at
about 25 million dollars, which is sew
eral million more dollars than the
theatrical syndicate and its allied COM
panies are incorporated for.
Savage has been the one man able
to make the syndicate jump through
hoops. 1t dictated no contracts or
fn him ni01xod
towns he desired to play and designat-
ed the terms on which he would play
them and he got what he desired. If
a contract were sent to him and he
didn't like it he sent it back with the
desired changes interlined.
| Savage has undertaken some big
things and in order to secure his own
investment he had to get most of the
money. He produced the Wagnerian
festival opera, "Parsifal," and desig-
to be players in theaters as IS per cent
of the gross receipts for his share and
Is per cent for the theater. Klaw &
Erfanger did the booking and Savage
got what he asked for, with the ex-
ception of cities like Chicago and st.
Louis, where the terms were 80 per
cent for Savage and 20 per cent for
the theaters.
He produced Puccini's Madam But
terfly'' on the same elaborate scale
& Erlander hated to do it, but they
did. Madam Butterfly played in
Klaw & Erlanger's own theater, the
Tulane, in New Orleans, and took 20
per cent for their share. The ouch
that came out of the syndicate's gen.
eral offices in Forty-second street was
heard by the excavators down on the
Isthmus of Panama.
Savage Has Big Shows.
Savage will have about a dozen of
the biggest productions on the road
next season. One of these is the 'Mer-
ry Widow the profits from which
lalready have yielded Savage more than
a million dollars. Another is Mad
|, anne X" sensational melodrama
from the French which. it is predict
ed, will run continuously in New York
for two years. There will be three
Madam x" companies on the road
next season.
An elaborate revival of 1.-The Prince
of Pilsen," another production which
made more than a million dollars in
profits for Savage and which will be
is another big attraction which will go
on tour. Then there is THE Love
Cure a musical operetta rivalins
: The Merry Widow" 'The Gay Hus-
! sars," a musical adaptation from the
German; Miss Patsy" with Cert
rude Quinlan; Theodore and Com
! pany.' farce; Sweet Gillette" an
English musical comedy; THE Great
Name" Viennese comedy; 1.-THE Lit
> tie Damosel,' an importation from
: Wynndams theater in London; Lady
Mortimer" London comedy and z
: musical version of THE Florist Shop
81 BY the terms of the Klaw & Err
: dependents are to get all of these
1 shows.