Evening journal., 1912-07-11
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
A Story Of the Stage
By Holland
By Holland

Shortly after the death of Lester
Wallack, one of Americas most ia
nous actor-managers, in September,
1888, his longtime friend, the late
A. M. Palmer, himself one of the abb
lest of the dramatic managers of his
time, told me some facts that had
come under his knowledge which ex-
planned why Mr.. Wallack, although
brilliantly successful as an actor. met
with complete financial failure as a
manager.
After Edwin Booth had met with
severe financial losses in 1873, be-
coming practically a bankrupt, he
met Mr. Wallack one day and told
him that he had been taught bitter
experience that there was no money
in the ownership and management OF
a theatre He said to Mr.. Wallack
that he had invested practically all OF
his savings I'm the building of Booths
/ Theatre at Twenty-third street and
Sixth avenue. New York; in addition
to that, he had undertaken the risks
of a manager, and the result had
been disastrous.
Now said Mr. Booth, having
learned my lesson, ! am going to try
to regain a fortune simply by acting
Booth strongly advised Mr.. Wal
lack to sell his theatre. give up man
agement and confine himself to act
ing. He assured Mr.. Wallack that in
the course of eight or ten years he
could gain in that way a handsome
fortune
but Lester Wallack was of differ
ont temperament from Edwin Booth,
and for that reason he was not per-
suaded by nything Booth said to
him He thought Booth had made a
mistake in building his theatre on
the west side of New York city. He
felt certain that If he built a new
Wallacks Theatre on upper Broad
way and managed It as successfully
as he did the old Wallack'c Theatre,
near Union Squire, he would make a
large fortune.
'He built his new theatre at Broad
way and Thirtieth street He had
many brilliant performances in IT,
but he saw week after week the bal
ances upon the wrong side of his
book, and at lst he had to confess
failure He lost his theatre. His
life. he felt, was a failure. He griev-
ed greatly because he feared that he
would be a dependent upon charity
He was practically penniless.
"A few of Mr.. Wallack's friends de-
cided last spring that they would ar
range a benefit performance Almost
all of those who had acted in Mr.
Wallack's companies gladly offered
10 appear. When we spoke to HIM
about it he was still Respondent say
ing that the public had forgotten him
We assured him that we would pack
the house and that we were confident
that more money would be taken IN
than was ever received for a single
performance In any theatre or Opera
House in New York.
"If you are able to do that he
said to me I shall feel that Lester
Wallack has not been forgotten oi
ignored .--
"We gave the beneht performance
The public never knew how much We
took in. But I am willing 20 tell yoI
that we were able to hand 10 Mr.
Wallack nearly thirty thousand dol
lars. And he said to me that while
I the money was welcome-for II wal
much needed-yet the chief gratifca
ton which il furnished him was the
certsinty that he still had man,
friends. He then said to me, Mr.
Palmer, never be both an actor an'
a manager as well as the owner OF
theatre. AS look back over th'
past. do not recall single instance
when a combination of this kind wa
not financial failure
"WallaclS only lived TO enjoy IN
money and his sense of gratihcauol
about four months" continued MI
Palmer. "But 1t was a source OF re
ioicing to all of us that we we're aol
TO give some comfort to him In IN
closing days of his career, which ma
lasted nearly fifty years.
Copyright, 1912, by e, }. Edward'
All rights reserved)
rro,,o--orx Mr. Edwards will fell q