The Washington herald., 1921-10-30
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NEW YORK. Oct ss.-Ths name
Keith instantly means In nearly
every city Of America vaudeville"
and yet very few know the man
who IL responsible for making that
name. He IL a tall. dignified
gentleman. . sort OF human an
achronism in these days Of buster
ing. nst-pounding business men.
To call on him 10 somewhat like .
social call on some kindly philos-
opher. You want to remain and
you feel that he wants you to stay
a little longer.
Yet e. F. Albee. the gentleman In
question. IL perhaps Americas
busiest Snowman. He symboiises
the name Keith" He has never
sought any personal honors. / be-
iieve there are one or two theaters
named after him, bust mostly he
hides his lights behind the name
he has built up-"Keith."
Albee~ was born In Machias.
Maine. some fifty years ago. He
was with the greatest Snowman Of
all times. P. T. Barnum. until he
was twenty-eight. 1t was in 1883
that he Joined forces with Keith
and he Is now half owner In all of
the various Keith interests and the
acting chief executive.
When Keith opened his FIRST show
there was no polite vaudeville a.
we know II today. there was only
variety" and smugiy respectable
folk never thought of going to
variety show.
Keith and Albee were from New
England farms and yet they set
about to make the cities appreciate
and respect vaudeville. In their
first ventures their slogan was
Nothing too good for Keithia"
The old Union Square was the
first to give vaudeville q refined
impetus. 1t 10 now being torn
down, but in 1898 the Keith people
ers they secured In the two-a-day
were Robert Hilliard, Clara Morris,
Virginia Harmed. Rose Coglan. Bes-
sic Abbott. Blanche Ring. Mont
gomery and Stone. John Mason and
Eme Shannon.
New York mothers took their
daughters to the Union Square In
their broubhams, but just q bit
he al stxyor lat xrst
was still clinging to the new state
of things.
The debutante of today simply
cannot conceive of what an occa-
sion It was when her mother made
her first trip to the new vaudeville.
To the modern debbie a box party
at the Palace Is just as proper as
a box party to see Ethel Barry
more. Where loungers and shabby
men used to haunt the entrance of
the old varieties, a long line Of
purring limousines walt to dis
charge their laughing cargoes.
All of this was brought about
largely by E. F. Albee, the farmer
boy from Maine. Just now the
Keith people are planning a nation.
wide Third of a Century" ami
versary. President Harding sent
his note of congratulations along
with such social lights as Mrs.
Oliver Hartman, Mrs. w. X. Van
derbilt and Miss Ann Morgan.
Bankers. members of the Cabinet,
literary lions, playwrights, the most
famous stars have all Joined in
flooding the Keith ONCE with let
tiers and kilograms of good wishes.
After all 1t Is a personal tribute
to E. F. Albee. He Is the man in
cidentally who Is responsible for
the N. v. A. clubhouse-the New
York home of. vaudeville people. 1t
has done more to promote friendly
relations among the vaudevillians
and the managers than any other
agency. 1t is one of the finest club
houses in New York and one Of the
| most interesting to visit.
Albee Is deeply sentimental.
Keith gave him his big opportun-
ity. He has become a millionaire
and one of the biggest factors in
the theatrical world. He might
| II he wishes-have his name on
theaters from coast to coast. Yet
he prefers to remain in the rather
| inconspicuous niche he has pro-
vided for himself and do the big
things that he plans,