

E-text prepared by Robert Cicconetti, Chuck Greif, and the Project
Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)



Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
      file which includes the original illustrations.
      See 26146-h.htm or 26146-h.zip:
      (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/2/6/1/4/26146/26146-h/26146-h.htm)
      or
      (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/2/6/1/4/26146/26146-h.zip)





CHARLES FROHMAN: MANAGER AND MAN

by

ISAAC F. MARCOSSON and DANIEL FROHMAN

With an Appreciation by James M. Barrie

Illustrated with Portraits







New York and London
Harper & Brothers
M.C.M.X.V.I

Charles Frohman: Manager and Man
Copyright, 1916, by Harper & Brothers
Copyright, 1915, 1916, by
International Magazine Company (Cosmopolitan Magazine)
Printed in the United States of America
Published October, 1916



_To

The Theater

That Charles Frohman

Loved and Served_

_Nought I did in hate but all in honor!_

HAMLET




Contents


       CHARLES FROHMAN: AN APPRECIATION

    I. A CHILD AMID THE THEATER

   II. EARLY HARDSHIPS ON THE ROAD

  III. PICTURESQUE DAYS AS MINSTREL MANAGER

   IV. IN THE NEW YORK THEATRICAL WHIRLPOOL

    V. BOOKING-AGENT AND BROADWAY PRODUCER

   VI. "SHENANDOAH" AND THE FIRST STOCK COMPANY

  VII. JOHN DREW AND THE EMPIRE THEATER

 VIII. MAUDE ADAMS AS STAR

   IX. THE BIRTH OF THE SYNDICATE

    X. THE RISE OF ETHEL BARRYMORE

   XI. THE CONQUEST OF THE LONDON STAGE

  XII. BARRIE AND THE ENGLISH FRIENDSHIPS

 XIII. A GALAXY OF STARS

  XIV. STAR-MAKING AND AUDIENCES

   XV. PLAYS AND PLAYERS

  XVI. "C. F." AT REHEARSALS

 XVII. HUMOR AND ANECDOTE

XVIII. THE MAN FROHMAN

  XIX. "WHY FEAR DEATH?"

       APPENDIX A--THE LETTERS OF CHARLES

       APPENDIX B--COMPLETE CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF THE FROHMAN
       PRODUCTIONS






Illustrations


CHARLES FROHMAN--Frontispiece

VIOLA ALLEN

WILLIAM GILLETTE

JOHN DREW

CLYDE FITCH

HENRY ARTHUR JONES

W. LESTOCQ

CHARLES DILLINGHAM

MAUDE ADAMS

MAUDE ADAMS

FRANCIS WILSON

WILLIAM COLLIER

MARGARET ANGLIN

ANNIE RUSSELL

WILLIAM FAVERSHAM

HENRY MILLER

WILLIAM H. CRANE

AUGUSTUS THOMAS

SIR ARTHUR WING PINERO

ETHEL BARRYMORE

JULIA MARLOWE

E. H. SOTHERN

ELSIE FERGUSON

EDNA MAY

BILLIE BURKE

PAULINE CHASE

JAMES M. BARRIE

PAUL POTTER

HADDON CHAMBERS

OTIS SKINNER

MARIE DORO

JULIA SANDERSON

ANN MURDOCK

CHARLES FROHMAN AND DAVID BELASCO

MARIE TEMPEST

MME. NAZIMOVA

CHARLES FROHMAN'S OFFICE IN THE EMPIRE THEATER

CHARLES FROHMAN ON BOARD SHIP




Charles Frohman: an Appreciation

By James M. Barrie


The man who never broke his word. There was a great deal more to him,
but every one in any land who has had dealings with Charles Frohman will
sign that.

I would rather say a word of the qualities that to his friends were his
great adornment than about his colossal enterprises or the energy with
which he heaved them into being; his energy that was like a force of
nature, so that if he had ever "retired" from the work he loved (a thing
incredible) companies might have been formed, in the land so skilful at
turning energy to practical account, for exploiting the vitality of this
Niagara of a man. They could have lit a city with it.

He loved his schemes. They were a succession of many- romances to
him, and were issued to the world not without the accompaniment of the
drum, but you would never find him saying anything of himself. He pushed
them in front of him, always taking care that they were big enough to
hide him. When they were able to stand alone he stole out in the dark to
have a look at them, and then if unobserved his bosom swelled. I have
never known any one more modest and no one quite so shy. Many actors
have played for him for years and never spoken to him, have perhaps seen
him dart up a side street because they were approaching. They may not
have known that it was sheer shyness, but it was. I have seen him
ordered out of his own theater by subordinates who did not know him, and
he went cheerfully away. "Good men, these; they know their business,"
was all his comment. Afterward he was shy of going back lest they should
apologize.

At one time he had several theaters here and was renting others, the
while he had I know not how many in America; he was not always sure how
many himself. Latterly the great competition at home left him no time to
look after more than one in London. But only one anywhere seemed a
little absurd to him. He once contemplated having a few theaters in
Paris, but on discovering that French law forbids your having more than
one he gave up the scheme in disgust.

A sense of humor sat with him through every vicissitude like a faithful
consort.

"How is it going?" a French author cabled to him on the first night of a
new play.

"It has gone," he genially cabled back.

Of a Scotch play of my own that he was about to produce in New York, I
asked him what the Scotch would be like.

"You wouldn't know it was Scotch," he replied, "but the