Evening journal., 1911-05-23
new NEWS OF YESTERDAY
Three Famous Stage Folk
Who Had Business Sense
By "HOlland."

No dramatic manager of his time
had a more intimate knowledge of the
personal characteristics. the business
capacity and the earnings of American
actors, as well as the use to which
those earnings were put, than the late
A NJ. Palmer. in many respects the
ablest dramatic manager the United
States has ever had.
"In my opinion" said Mr. Palmer
one afternoon as he sat in the business
Office of Palmer's Theatre. New York
IA room which had formerly been the
drawing room of one Of the magnih-
cent brown stone houses Of New York,
but which at the time of Mr.. Palmer's
management of the theatre which bore
his name was connected with the rear
end OF that theatre by means of dark
and curiously winding assages-"the
distinction of earning three of the
largest fortunes ever gained by an
American actor or actress belongs to-
Joe Jefferson Edwin Forrest and Lot
tt hliOW lndl IL ID lht OVlAi-
ion to-day that the earnings of Edwin
Booth as an actor were in the aggre-
gate greater than those Of any other
American, but ] am persuaded that
this statement is not true. And yet,
had Booth possessed business ability
that would compare with the business
ability of Joe Jefferson, Lotta or Ed
win Forrest, l think il is safe to say
that his fortune would have been in
comparably greater than that of any
other American actor. Booth sunk con-
siderably over half million dollars IN
his theatre In New York city. If he had
been as shrewd as Jefferson he would
not have invested a cent in a theatre
designed for his own productions.
Il have Jefferson's word for It that
his earnings from Rip Van Wrinkle
were so large the first few years it was
played that ever since he has been able
to limit his appearances upon the stage
TO two or three months in the fall
and two or three months in the spring
asked him what he did with his earn
ings and he told me he kept a pretty
careful eye upon the stock market,
that he had some intimate friends who
we're good business men, and that lie
flattered himself that he was a very
good judge of real estate values |
know that he has made some very good
investments and | am sure that If the
truth were known it would be found
that Joe Jefferson is probably worth in
excess of million dollars-a fortune
due quite as much 10 shrewd invest |
ments as TO his earnings from Rip
Van Winkle'
"I have often heard It said" con-
Mr n,I. h,t ,tt-
her great fortune to the business |
shrewdness of her mother Well, her
mother is a very shrewd woman. but
she has a very capable scholar in her
little daughter, Charlotte Crabtree.
Lotta understands the art of economy
and of saving better than any profess
sional woman | ever saw. She knows
the value of dollar and she knows
the value Of a cent, and makes every
penny count Moreover, II was into her
own little head that there came the
realization that for a woman land and
buildings upon Il are the best invest
ment, provided the investor knows
when and how to buy She has invested
great amounts Of money in real estate
in Boston and in New York, and the
clever little woman who used to have
every one crying when she played Lit
tie Nell and unroariusly laughing
when in the next act Of the play she
played the Marchioness was accustom- |
ed in every city she visited before she
retired two years ago to spend some
portion OF her morning hours looking
around to see if she could not make
a good investment Of some of her
money in real estate.
Like Jefferson and Lotta of today,
Forrest was a shrewd business man.
increasing his stage earnings material
ly by his business sagacity; and the
career Of these three stage folk as
fortune getters leads me to say this 10
you: If any one ever says to you that
this or that American actor or actress
made a million dollars from profess
sional work, you may safely deny It.
And you can add with equal safety
that not one of what may relatively be
called the great fortunes that have
come TO American stagefolk from time
20 time would have been more than
moderately large had it not been for
shrewd investment Of stage earnings
on the part of their possessor.
| Copyright, 1911. by f. j. Edwards. All
rights reserved)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards win tell Of
@Fate aud On Irish Playwright"