The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 23, 1901, Page 2

THE SUNDAY. CALL figures Wert its smail Alhambre made a remarkably he Metropolitan bare: and reasonable price fine showing, w ched §16500. It held its ow the winter months came wvhile there was a significant drop at California, and the company went 0B yoad in twe sections Canterbury Hall, on Kearny street, be- tween Weashington and Jackson, i)pened March 7 under the management of Charles 5 well-knewn character, Who ea~ Brooks. fered to & less desirable patronage than was in evidence at the Olympie or the Pa- cific. A terrfble mining catastrophe at Gold HN1, Nev., early in April susgested bene- fits for the sufferers and the 1 s :‘{ a performance at the Alhambra on the 14th, D eacred concert Sunday, the 18th, at the Galfornia, and benefits almost simul- s at the Opera-house and Bar- aggregated a fine sum e miners and their fam- ilies. o > grst rocord of a movement in favor e found in 1869, when e Metropolitan on place of clerks of the retail ; s given at ber w re ¥ forth frequently was rish-American Hall on Howard een Fourth and Fifth smbered, and Maguire's Operz Washington street was also de: 1y destruction in order to sat- and for more room and great- er con jence for traffic 1 the vicinity of the City Hall, for the erection of which the Jenny Lind had been torn down most 1w rs previousiy. A project for the opening of Montgom- ery aven from Washington and Mon street to the North Beach s being pushed through by men in the that locality, and it be- came evident that the theatrical interests ps triet wealt must move. : Proceedings-had already commenced for the condemnation of property, and it was known that another theater would be built on Bush street, opposite the Alhambra. This, with Pacific Hall, & large and well- appointed place of entertainment, the en- trance to which was on Bush street, near the stage door of the California, and Mer- centile JAbrary Hall, between Montgom- ery and Bansome streots, with Platt's Hall on Montgomery strect, o few doors from Bush, mpde that locality the theatrical center of the eity, There had been nothing of real interest {n the dramatic line at the Metropolitan for jong time until Nell Warner, the iragedian, epened an engagement there on June 19, 1865, Although other more or less gistinguished artists appearcd at this [4 house from time to time, it was used for the most part for combinations, operatic entertainments and other transient at- tractio iish opera company Q14 fairly well ruary, 1870, and then anybody with m gerial aspirations and ready money for the remt took a chance at the Metro- politan if he felt dispused to gamble on the capricious fancy of the theater-going pubiic, Lotta, the Zavistowskis, Charles Wheatlelgh, Maggle Mitchell, Joe Murphy, Ada Gray, E. T. Stetson, Son- ’s opera and the Hazard Dramatic son came in the order named in '72, Bert was see in the early March 3, and the last performance pre- ous to demolishing the old theater oc- urred April 28, a few months short of twenty years from the date of the grand opening night of the original Metropoli- tan by Mrs. C. Sinclair. The history of the Washington-street Opera-house during the last three or four years of its existence is a trifle more eventful. Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Florence were the only strong dramatic attractions in 69, opera and minstrels having filled in all the time previous to their opening on October 4. Madame Methua Scheller played a short season before the year closed. The Bonfantis, C. R. Thorne Jr., Frank Mayo, the Lingrds, the British Blondes, de Phillips, Opera Company and Price made the list of attractions d Herr Bandmann was the only ic star in '71. Until Maguire got of the Alhambra, which was ed for renovation in January, 1874, and reopened as Maguire’s New Theater May 4, the onera-house on Washington street was rented gr leased promiscuously. On the 30th of June, 1873, Shiels’ Opera- house on Bush street, near Montgomery, was opened to the public. Frank Roche, as Julian St. Pierre, in “The Wife,” was the first attraction. The name of {his theater was changed to Gray's Opera- house on the 19th of September following. e three-hundredth performance at the fornia Theater was made the occasion of grand jubilee and the treasurer's sfatement up to that time showed total receipts to the amount of $278,000. There was no necessity for the engage- ment of stars or traveling combinations with such a large company of competent people, but the management continued to present star attractions, utilizing as far as possible the great stock company and giving expensive productions at all times. It is a fact that luring the first two or three years of its history the California Theater stock frequently overshadowed people who brought new plays to that House. Imagine such players as Oliver Doud Byron, J. K. Emmett and others of the same caliber suported by artists like Harry Edwards, Jokn T. Raymond, W. H. Sedley Bmith, E. J. Buckley and the bal- ance of the old California talent. It was the custom of the theater-goers of thirty years ago to take unto them- [ Jonn GILBERT selves favorites among the player-folk, and to make more of the actors who abided with them than they did of thuse who were transient visitors. At the regu- lar: benefits which have been mentloned heretofore ft was not an UNCOMMON 0CCU-~ rence for the beneficiary to receive vaiu- able presents. Marle Gordon, who was then Mrs. John T. Raymond, was particu- larly fortunate in this respect, and the fashion for making gifts was set during her connection with the house. 1t was during the very first days of the old California Theater that Ellie Wilton, who subsequently became a great favorits at that house, was making her first ap- pearance at the Metropolitan under Ma- guire’s management, and her, theatrical experience on this coast, previous to her advancement to the position of leading lady of a first class company, would make a most interesting history. There was no Oregon line railroad in ths early seventies and when the trip to Port« land, Puget Sound towns and British Cu« lumbia was made it was customary to stop at Astoria for a week or so. The town had been one of the trading posts of the great Hudson Bay Company, as its name suggests, and its location just above the great Columbia bar made it a great salmon fishery as well. The fishor- men, who, to the number vt & thousand or more, made Astoria their headquarters at that time received pay for their catch by the month and salmon became regular currency at fifty cents each for the real article, called “Chinook,” but the *‘steel head,” now a very desirable fish, had a commercial value of about three cents. Half a dollar, whether ' the salmon weighed five pounds or fifty, was the rate given at the canneries in checks or tickets which were cashed at stated intervals, and as money was scarce, it was the cus- tom for the managers who played Astoria to have a barrel at the door in which a * fisherman might throw a salmon and In return receive a ticket of admission. Frank Wilton, the husband of the tal- ented little woman who subsequently be- came a very successful leading lady, was barnstorming the great Northwest with & company of about seven people all tofll, and one of his most remunerative stands was the town of Astoria. He advertised a brass band which consisted of a cornet, a tupa, bass drum and cymbals, and every member of the company, regardless of age or sex, appeared on the balcony ‘out- side of the house while the band was playing, the leading lady beating the big drum on occasions when the regular beater was engaged in looking out for the fellows who surreptitiously threw ‘‘steel- heads” instead of ‘‘Chinooks” into the barrel. Qur ancient friend John Jack, who made many a golden eagle in Astoria in early days, and is best remembered now in con- nection with Minnie Maddern’s great pro- duction of “Tess of the D'Urbervilles,” was a ‘“sight reader” on salmon. He could tell the difference between the real and the spurious equivalént for half a dollar at a glance, Join Jack and Annle Firmin, wilh many old-timers who de- MRS, FRID FRANK) o L% veloped theatricals in the Northwest, will vouch for the truth of the old saying that a manager must be a geod judge of fl‘sh if he expected to make good in Asto- ria. Ellle Wilton, who won spectal favor in the Northern country, and was presented with Larreis of salmon, was one of the fortunates who received even greater ap: preciation in California. When ong of San Francisco's trusted city and county officials went wrong and *‘took the short way out of it,” it was reported that he had insured his life for the benefit of the little actress, who was then a general fa< vorite. The similarity of names hetween the stage manager of'the California in its earliest history, W. H. Sedley Smith, and that of W. H. Smith, the minstrel mana- ger, one of the lessees of the Alhambra, has been the occasion of considerable con- fusion in the annals of the stage. W. H. Sedley Smith was an actor of rare versa- tility, experience and executive ability, and a gentleman of the old theatrical school. It was a source of deep annoyance to this estimable artist to be mistaken in public for the minstrel manager, for whom, by the way, he had a warm, friend- ly feeling, but he rebelled against being constantly importuned by black-face com- edians for cmployment at the theater, and he took pgrticular pains to avold advances from peofle who were looking for minstrel engagements. Something like the same cenfuslon man- ifested itself in the case of John Wilson, the old-time eircus manager, and John ‘Wilson, the heavy man of the California stock company, With this exception, that the Wilson of the California, who was a notable practical joker, enjoyed nothing better than posing as the well-known showman wko waz always looking for new speclaltics for Wilson's cireus, As the miesion of writing the theatrical history of Ban Franclsco's first quarter of ) 4 > AbA{ ISAACS MENKEN a century has already been accomplished. it s perhaps superfiuous to make any rec- ord of the places which opened as com- petitors for respectable patronage in the varietv line. The theatrical center remained on Bush street for many years, and while the Call- fornia had the call on the principal at- tracticns, there were many slde issues which put money in the purses of the minor speculators; It was about this timethat Frederick W. Bert, a son of the ploneer manager and father of the bright young attorney, Eu- gene Pert of this city, conceived a scheme for providing San Francisco with a hand- some opera-house. With commendable judgment and forethought young Bert se- cured the confldence and flanancial back- ing of Dr. Wade, a well-known dentist, and immediately began preparations for the incorporation of a company in which everbody connected In any way with the. atricals should be Induced to take stock, It is related in proof of the yqung man. ager's superior business qualifications that he carried the project to a suecessful conclusion and bullt the magnificent Wade's Opera-house without the invests ment of a dollar of his own. The auctlon sale of seats began on the 12th of January, 1876, and the premium sale with that of regular reserved seats in ad« vance for the first performance footed up about $8000. The opening attraction was the spectacular drama, ‘‘Snowflake,”. in which the noted beauty, Winetta Menta- gue, appeared as the falry queen and Ane nle Pixley ay Snowflake, Fred Bert officlated as managor of tis Grand, as the houss was subsequontly named, for many years, and until a long while after it had passed into the posses- sion of the Nevada Bank, Ha is now and has beeft for many years ths majordems of W, A, Brady's forcos and has chargs of the New York offices of that progres- slve and successful manager, Peen tha thaa guFsenas not 3 e ADELAIDE PHILLIPS NN rem | 2 F2e history sf (10 Grasd Opsrw-iow from the date of it§ opening _r.." MRS ° & LEIGATON ¢ < LB aurprising condition of affairs theatrical, —who since that time have formed a notably nted two stand- one evenir offered for and was being formulated and | finish the Napo- w0t been idle, but on d out for furth s announced @ ntly asserted b m Maguire’s busi- men, in fact, who : accounts, that at indred thousand most of which he had ulations, b he made after > show busines: rme sole owner of theatrical em- hward, and a by E. J. new hotel Powell ished in magnificent € having been given gement to eclipse anything and there was a stand- 5000 prize for any curtain unced a finer work il creation In oil act drop. lemy, which also pass- re’s control soom after its ypened March 6, 1576, with edian, Barry Sullivan, Mag in “Richard me a brisk com- £ fashionabla Ralston, the prin- company owning cccurred in Aug- us blow to the the stanch Barréett and Mec- business took on a mx gers who were opposition by San not the wri asematis ciements having Dech Siven jikie atteation te detail, The mins s fo¥ whiea Cail ents itself fos theis histery iq and {ha b funity pr be written