The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-09


dock John Drew, William Gillette, Otis
Skinner. Donald Brian and Joseph Cav
thorne and with his successful New York
theatres, was in effect much more of
Napoleon than he was in some of his eff
forts to swing the far more extensive
enterprises OF former years.
$4,000 n Week Salaries.
One season-and II was by no means
his most active--he made twenty-five
stage productions. employed 792 actors
and actresses during a period OF from
thirty to forty weeks and was liable
for salaries amounting TO more than
$4,000 week. Up to the close OF
the season three years ago he had
produced more than 600 plays altogether.
II may be- roughly estimated that since
that time he has produced here and in
London at least sixty more. so there has
been after all something Napoleonic in
his career. even II its later years were
less notable for the extent Of his enter
prises.
Much more than that Charles Froh-
man did for the pruft son 10 which IT,
vas so mu-h attached. lie established
It's reputation for the highest business
rec:.tude. Like all men WHO operate
on such a scale. Mr.. Frohmau had his fe I
and his lean years. But It could never
w 0t'i' ttllt IA 4hls'u 10 meet every
business responsibility in the most hon
orable way. The theatrical business
when he entered ii was q fly by night
unre sulated. speculative auC more or
less vagabond occupation, which paid
when tie money came in--nCt always
then-and had no other resources But
Charles Frohman and the men who
were associated with him put the profess
sion for the first time on business
In ais NJ harl-.r ,prt1l D..
prouder OF his commercial honor than
Charles Frohman.
But there was no feeling in his life
so strong as his devotion to theatrical
management for its own sake. He gloried
In his work He found few pleasures not
associated with II. He never took va
cation which carried him far from the
theatre. When he was not seeing plays
he was reading them or talking about
them. For plays were always the ne.
cessity Of his life. with stars to sup
ply and theatres to nj he had to have
the kind which would please the public.
He lost thousands of dollars in the
RApertory Theatre he founded I'm Lon
don merely in the hope that such an
institution would develop new play
Wfights. He was negotiating with actors
or watching them from the back OF a
box or directing them at a rehearsal all
tho time. What he might earn out %
this production or that never occurred
to him particularly except ms means
Of continuing his enterprises. OF his
importance as a manager he thought
constantly. But OF what he might earn
Al n theatre manager was something
TO which he gave little attention.
In Newspaper Once.
n was his meteoric beginning whlsh
-. .g.l
fession he had entered. Born ia 1860
at Sandusky. Ohio, he came 10 New
York and obtained employment in the
publication Office Of the New York Tri-
bune. His older brother. Daniel wns al.
ready In the Tribune office. The entir
family was soon established here and
Charles worked ut night IN the ONO" and
attended In the day the Firth street
school. This continued until 1874 One
OF the memories OF that day Is tho
minstrel company which he formed on
the East Side, acting as manager, ticket
seller, head usher and stage manager
This was his first expatcnae IN II CON.
mercial theatre. since he CHARGED a cent
to come IN. Those who were not con
tent 70 he mere spectators and wanted a
chance to act We're compelled to pay
3 cents
Later tho Youthful Frohr'an went n
the office Of the Grnuhic. where Daniel
had again preceded him Tho work was
not sufficiently absorbing and he found
time 20 sc~ve rs usher at NoclP''s Two
ntra In Rrooh,vn A. night. Eyldcntly
,Nls taste Of the professional theatre dc
c'ded his career. COZ IN 1850 he left 'h'
ONO Of the Granite and went to Min,
rrsoto 10 take n place with the Chicago
Dramatic Comnanv OF which John I'll
lon wos the star. He remained with mi
orgar'1qtion fo~ two seasons and was
ther welt enough knn-yn to got 'of
With Cal'rnder's .Mlnstrcls as trayellin'
mara"er
Already his sbll had 'ntorost''
Vavorlv who AZ that time had = large
mlne'~'' oomnanv. This with tho aiC
OF F~Onrar was converted into Hay
orlv's Npe'odons "For'v, Count 'cm
Fortv" TIVE organization TRAVELLED
witt suocnss in this country and then IL
ENGLAND One ~ the Fr"hmaN Ma
rpleo0'c r6ats or those carly DAYS wt'
ACCOMPLISHED when the company arrived
In New York from It's Euroroan trip "a
'--' rset srd appeared t'iat Eight II
'Srooklvn less than an hour later.
Dani"' Frohman had BECOME thea
Ire manager in n rather more distn
guished class than Charles He had ho
come associated with tho MaIlor'
brothers when they decided 10 inVcs
some OF the profits OF the ChurChw"i
IN the Madison Square Theatre. Their
Charles went 70 aid in scttl!nG tho hnOl,
Ing nf the compan MES that acted "IIaZe
Kirke" and other PLAYS from this thca
tire on the road. This was the perio,
IN which the so-called Combination sys