Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-06-26

NkAR(hU VIII not even nave remembered
CO. the annversary-and surely no
one else will. for Judging by appearances.
he might be anything between forty-five
and sixty. No spinster on the shady side
Of the half-century mark baks harder at
talking about her age than this short. ro-
tund dynamo OF executive energy who. be-
ginning without bank account twenty
two years ago, has made himself a con-
trolling factor not only in America but In
English theatricals.
Few people in Sanduskv. O.. whore Mr.
Frohman was born on June Il, 1850. will re-
member the little boy who left the home
town when only IL years old to make his
own way in the world He chose New
York because his brother. Daniel. had gone
there six years before and had prospered
sufficiently to become a reporter on the
STAFF OF the New York Tribune Through
his brothers Influence he secured po-
sition as night >clerk in the business Of
flee and attended school during the day.
The age of Il found him an ADVERTISING
clerk in the office of the Daily Graphic by
day and ticket seller In the box office
Of Hooley's theater, Brooklyn, by night
At IL years young Frohman marked out
theatrical career for himself by quitting
the newspapers and taking a company pre-
senting Our Boys" to Chicago At
twenty he organized Haverley's Mastodon
Minstrels and took them to Europe. 1t has
been said that he played cornet in the
minstrel band. This is untrue, for Charles
Frohman is not musical.
The little theatrical agency in Broadway
near Thirtieth street, which was the real
foundation of Mr.. Frohman's success, was
opened in 1884, when he was q years old
at.I
and when the latter's Shenandoah" failed
at the Boston museum in 1885, young Froh-
man detected its faults and persuaded Mr.
Howard to rewrite 1t. The change having
been made, he secured the American rights.
But he had no money with which to pro-
duce it. Finally he persuaded AL Haylnan
of San Francisco, and w. r. Hoolcy of
Brooklyn, to risk 1880 each and in three
succeeding years made the play earn $780,
900, paying $4,000 to the author. From that
day Mr., Frohman has financed his own
enterprises
AT 30 he organized his first stock COM
pany. AT 80 he moved into the New Empire
theater and began to make productions on
a large scale, At 3S he obtained his first
foothold in London by leasing the duke of
York's theater.
Today finds Mr. Frohman the manager of
four theaters in New York and three in
London. He has other indirect interests in |
thirteen houses here and a half dozen in /
the English capital. He also controls forty
American travelling companies and supplies !
for about 100 houses scattered
throughout the country.
In the United States alone Mr. Frohman
controls 1900 players. His salary list in
England shows 800 more. Among them are
sixteen leading American stars and about
half that number abroad. During each
year he makes about sixty dramatic pro-
auctions in both countries and at the height |
Of the season moves 1900 players over the
railroads weekly. He has, besides twelve
skilled stage directors, thirty master car
penters, engaged in the mechanical work OF
his productions, fifteen master electricians,
not employed in his theaters. but engaged
IN experimental work, and four costume de-
'igners, whom he keeps travelling constantly
abroad. He divides his own time evenly
between New York and London.
John Corbin, formerly literary director
1f the New theater, caused a good deal of
surprise a few months ago when he said
hat the experience of two years had con-
'inced him that there are 1000 people in
his country engaged in writing unactabIe
nent. In an interview recently he said:
"As the question Of reading plays seems
10 be one of great interest i want to say
hat, in period covering fifteen or sixteen
'ears OF play reading and with play read
RS, there has not been one play sent in
which has ever been selected for produc-
ion. This may possibly show what little
skill both l and my play readers possess in
Judging submitted manuscripts. The aver
'ge number of plays sent in, l should say
$ about twenty-five week, and the
amount have paid for play readers during
ny career is about $4,000. l feel certain.
however, that the right play or one we
hink is the right play. will come in some
lay and give us back the money with in
crest. ,
Il may also say that as far as my man.
cement is concerned there will be no
mango In the system of reading plays.
lays will be read without any agreement
nth authors as to the responsibility of the
There is often a similarity /
7 plays up to a certain point-there is mol S
question about that. A play and the r
lateral In play is like drawing a straight
ne running one way, while another play
another straight line crossing it some (