New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-25
BRADY TOASTED
BY 1000 FRlARS
Theatrical Manager Roast
ed, Too, at Honor
Dinner at AStOr.
WANTS LEGISLATION
PROTECT THEATRE
Deplores Growth of Movies and
Lack of Stage Recruits as
National Menace.

The Friars took Bill Brady apart at
the Hotel Aston last night and this
morning. and then put him tocether
again better than ever. Early in the
speechmaking Mr.. Brady was forced TO
blush to the roots Of all the hair he
had. and for a while thereafter he was
consequently at disadvantage. But
he had read on the menu that the af-
fair WAS complimentary dinner" so
Re waited in patience Along toward
morning he was rewarded by hearing
a number OF pleasant things about him
self.
Exclusive of the reversible oratory,
however. Mr.. Brady had no cause for
complaint. The Friars. TO say moth
ing of the women in the boxes. turned
out nearly thousand strong 10 honor
Him. Those present constituted a. all
star cast that compared favorably with
some OF Mr. Brady's revivals There
we're actors. politicians, managers.
playwrights. stage directors. press
agents. motion picture magnetes. song
writers. cartoonists. dramatic critics
and the other Brady-"Diamond Jim"
Grace George Mrs. William A. Brady
took in the proceedings from a box.
George VI. Cohan. as abbot Of the
Friars, bossed the undertaking. He
paid tribute to Mr.. Brady as the man
who moved the theatrical centre from
Forty-second Street TO Forty-eighth
Street. and also had few words for
the honor guests recent coup in the
stock market.
After what has has done with war
stocks" said George. "he has to bust
right out laughing at the show bust
ness every time he looks at ticket
Wolf Tells Lion Tale.
Rennold Wolf, whose Business it is
at theatrical dinners to furnish few
facts" about the dlnee. took up the
task where Cohan left off. For the last
five years Messrs. Wolf and Brady have
gone their ways in silence when their
paths crossed-a fact which the for
mer referred 70 in his speech-but this
did not prevent the exchange of quips
and ouirks last night.
81 can say one thing for Mr.. Brady"
remarked Wolf, after he had already
said several. During his career as a
theatrical manager he has been consist
entity democratic-he has never believed
in royalty.
"On several occasions he has tried
+ to be an actor. Once he put on a
Roman drama in which lion figured,
but the lion quit after the first per-
Torrance. He alleged that Brady bit
him
After replying TO the Wolfan raillery
Mr.. Brady spoke n few serious words
on theatrical conditions. He paid trib-
ute to many oldtimers and to A. L.
Erlanger (his business rivaD, George
VI. Cohan and the late Charles Froh-
man. of the later school-and then con-
trasted the present status of things
theatrical with that of some years ago
and lamented the decadence of the
drama.
81 do not pretend to suggest a rem
edy," he said, "but believe that the
advance of motion pictures means the
Glrth of b q ana n ei
merely represent a rehashing of every
old situation that the theatre has al
ready produced. Pictures will kill the
Produce for the theatre will say: What
is the use? If write something dig
nified nobody will 90 to see IT? Why
ah % srft 81 h.
Fight" or "The Lure?
Wants Theatre Legislation.
"And then a motion picture man
comes along and offers him possibly
$4,000 10 write a scenario scenario
that he can perhaps write in few
hours. OF course, IL is not the author
who suffers, nor is it the manager who
suffers -Du. tie country suuc...
Mr.. Brady also lamented the shortage
Of young men eager to enter the theat-
rical game to-day, stating that the num-
Der was twenty times as grea: ten years
ago. As a suggestion for he improve
ment of conditions, he advocated the
presence in Congress and .r state and
city legislative bodies of representa-
tive Of the theatrical district
millions Of dollars are invested in
theatrical property IN this district he
said, "and those millions should be en-
titled 70 representation in our lew
making bodies. II is necessary that
there be rome method Of combating
foolish, inane, nonsensical legislation"
Eugene +. Kinkead, the fighting Srer-
if of Hudson County, spoke on the
world in general and Hudson County
in particular, and then Jim Corbett
told Of his early experience with Mr.
Brady. Brady was Corbett's manager
and guided the fighter TO the champion
ship of the world. JOB Hedges, Irwin
S. Cob and Augustus Thomas rounded
out the speaking programme.
At the speakers table, in addition -
those already mentioned, were HoI-
brook Blinn, Charles Burnham, Lee
Shubert, Dudley Field Malone, Judge
Edward Swami. John b. Stanchield
Irving Berlin, Sam II. Harris, Alfred
+. Smith, Fire Commissioner Adamson,
J. John 4 orll. jude Gary. Chaurcey
Olcott, Daniel Frohman and George
Tyler.
Irving Berlin was in charge Of a
vaudeville programme which lasted far
into the twenty-ffth of October.
ErCApTNn TaTUc on OpY-Yyo~,