The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-04
MARK kLAW

verse with men. cold of intellect and
trenchant of speech. he has studied to
advantage. not self1shly personal. the
art Of SAVIOR vivre. In his view all
human experience Is valuable and so
Is the converse of all men. even fools.
Perhaps a remark made by himself
will give the measure of his cleverness
in knowing how to live, as well as his
wide charity. which Is a part OF all
true knowledge Of life. better than any
description.
A Klaw Philosophy.
folly is a necessary part Of our
human make up. 1t is older than our
comic papers and will survive them.
What should we do without our pleas
ant fools?"
In any catalogue Of collaborators
these two men must be remarked.
The wonder is not that they Joined
their labors but that each has borne
the yoke SO long. Collaborators in any
/ field are seldom so constant.
They began then as simple booking
agents, cultivating the field which had
fallen to their share with the Taylor
fixtures. This. happened to be the
South. At the first stand, later at 25
West Thirtieth street, around the cor
ner from wallack's Theatre, later still
in the Holland Building. 144o Broad
way, they conducted their business
after the methods then in vogue. and
| crude enough these methods were.
Always both partners were looking for
new and better ways to supply their
clients, the managers of the theatres
in the small cities and towns of the
country. with the needed attractions.
Klaw, It is said. and It Is reasonable
to suppose, kept his alert mind on pos
sible means Of improving theatrical
distribution. He was bred as a lawyer
and had practsed but seven or eight
months in his native Louisville when
Gus" Frohman, brother of Daniel and
Charles. put in his way the prosecu-
ton on behalf Of the Mallorys OF the
pirates about the country who were
producing and playing Hazel Krke'
| and other popular pieces OF the
Madison Square Theatre repertory
without the formality Of paying roy.
allies. Always interested in the the
atre, this taste Of activity in it deter
mined his career.
| Erlanger Is a natural mathematician
and possessed of O remarkable men,
ory. He presided faithfully and tire
lessly over the books Of the young
firm and exerted his strength OF will
to hold within reasonable or maths
NAUTICAL limits his moro visionary COM
panion.
With Fanny Davenport In the Sar-
dou plays the Arm had a pawn which
they played successfully and their in
fiuence quickly extended. They were
the first to take the celebrated
Augustin Daily Company, with Ada
Rehan and John Drew, over the South
ern route. and to the French populA-
ton of New Orleans they boldly and
successfully presented German opera
with Walter Damrosch as conductor.
and singers Of the calibre OF Gadski
and Ternina- Their enterprise took
rival managers Of New York and
local managers throughout the coun-
try by sprprise. An instance Of It
was shown during a period OF yellow
fever in New Orleans, when many
companies throughout various parts
OF the South were all making New
Orleans and Texas their objective
points. This situation might have
spelled ruin for them. but they handled
It In a mastery way. Quickly re-
arranging the time Of these companies
they sent them East and West and
combining the actors quarantined in
New Orleans into a great stock COM
pany Klaw & Erlanger kept It there
for weeks, Offering employment to the
troupe and helping to dissipate the
gloom OF the stricken city.
The firm first brought Forbes Rob-
ertson to this country and in the years
leading up to the erection OF the New
Amsterdam Theatre building In 1902
their enterprises, while not so i'm
portant as the introduction Of the
last Hamlet" to an American audi
ence, showed constant growth, espe-
clally In the line OF taking chances
Which ono OF the partners first set
his mind on producing BEN Hur'
isn't known even to themselves for
at the time II was produced the idea