The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-06-17
BIRTHDAY OF CHAS. FROHMAN

It is rarely that three brothers achieve fame in the same occupation, but the Frohmans, Gustave, Daniel and Charles, are a noteworthy excep- ton to the rule that lightning sell dom strikes twice, or thrice, in the same place. Ut is true that the amusement world has produced many brother acts,'' and one readily re- calls such examples of fraternaI CO., operau on as have been afforded by the Rfnglings, the Shuberts, and the Sells brothers, among many others. SandUsky. Ohio, was the native habi- tat of the F'rohmans. and it was there, hfty-four years ago to-day, that the most distinguished and the youngest of the trio, Charles Frohman, was born. "C. F.'' as he is known along Broadway, is perhaps the ablest and most influential theatrical rnagnate of this or any other country, and he is almost as we'll known and as pow erful tn London and Paris as on this side of the Atlantic.
 The beginning of the Frof1mans was humble enough. When Charles was a youngster the family removed to New York. There Gustave was employed as Horace Gree1ey's office boy, and attained international noto- riety as the only person who could read the handwriting of the great ed- itor of the Tribune without ever Inak- ing a mistake. When the printers were unable to decipher Horace's ob- scure hieroglyphicss the office boy was sent for, and the mystery was quickly solved. Daniel Frohman, seven years the senior of Charles, found his first employment as a clerk in the business office of the Tribune, and later became 9 reporter. Charles Frohman, after leaving school, secured a situation in the circulation department of the New York Daily Graphic, and at night actr ed as ticket-seller at Hooley's Theatre in Brooklyn.
 Gustave was the first of the broth CTS to become a theatrical manager. He was in charge of a minstrel com pany, and initiated his two brothers into the amusement business. When Charles was only seventeen he was placed in charge of a company sent West to play "Our Boys" Two years later he was appointed treasurer of Haverly's' ssMastodon Minstrels,'' and toured America and Europe. Among his duties were to march in the pa rade, wearing the high hat and other insignia. of minstrelsy-
 His first managerial success was scored in 1882, when he organized a company to produce ''Shenand oa1l. !" He made a great success of that and succeeding ventr ress and in the course of time became the manager of many of the leading playhouses of New York, Boston, Chicago, London, Paris, and other cities and the 1oTe- most theatrical producer of the world.
 George Bernard Shaw has sought to explain Charles Frohman's career in the following words:
 Charles Frohman is the most wild ly romantic and adventurous person of my acquaintance. As Charles XII became a famous soldier, through his passion for putting himself in the way of being killed, so MT. F'rohman has become a famous manager through his passion for putting himself in the way of being ruined.' ''
 "G. B. s. may be correct in his estimate of "C. F.'' but the latter as suredly. does not have the appear ance of one who is wildly romantic not to the nude eye of the casual observer. Some of his admirers have professed to see in 70. F.' 8 resem- bIance to Napoleon. The unpreju- diced eye sees the eminent theatrical man as a brief and somewhat pudgy individual, smiling, optimistic, good humored, looking like fairly pros porous business man in a small way. At that, he may resemble the mighty man who signed himself ssN.' who, clad in citizens clothing, would prob ably have been unable to convince anybody that he was a demi-god.