TheFrohman Brothers

Charles, Daniel and Gustave Frohman, of Sandusky, Ohio, were three of the most financially and artistically successful managers of the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century. Daniel was the oldest, Gustave the second and Charles the third. Closely associated with the monopolistic power grab known as "The Theatrical Syndicate," the Frohman brothers nonetheless produced a great deal of memorable theatre and set the stage for many of the modern business practices still in use--for better or worse--today.

All three brothers got their start in the legitimate theatre at the famous Madison Square Theatre. Growing up near Twenty-third Street and Sixth Avenue, they witnessed, as boys, the construction of the Booth Theatre, then the most technically advanced and lavish theatre ever built. Hard working and ambitious, each carved out his own niche in the theatre of his time.

Daniel was born in 1853. In 1865 Daniel Frohman went to New York where he became a messenger for Albert D. Richardson of the Tribune editorial staff. Later he became a reporter on the Tribune and then private secretary to Horace Greeley. When John R. Young founded The Standard young Frohman became business manager and later when the newspaper suspended publication, two and a halt years after, Mr. Frohman became an advertising agent for The Graphic, the first daily illustrated newspaper published in the United States. Ill health forced him to abandon this business and he became advance man for Callender's Minstrels. In 1871 he became identified with J. H. Haverly, the first manager to evolve the idea of combining the business of a number of theatres under one management. He managed the Fifth Avenue Theatre for Mr. Haverly, but in 1879, when the Mallory brothers got control of the Madison Square Theatre, he accepted an offer to manage that house. He remained there until 1885, "Hazel Kirke," "Esmeralda," "The Rajah," and "May Blossom" (in which Georgia Cayvan made her first appearance) being produced there under his management. In 1886, when A. M. Palmer took the Madison Square Theatre, Mr. Frohman obtained control of the Lyceum Theatre in Fourth avenue, and organized a stock company with Miss Cayvan as leading woman and Herbert Kelcey as leading man. Others in the company were Effie Shannon, Katherine Florence, Mrs. Walcott, Mrs. Whiffen, Henry Miller, W. J. Le Moyne, Nelson Wheatcroft, Eugene Ormond and William Faversham. "The Wife," the first play presented by the company, ran for a season and the theatre leaped from obscurity to prominence, where it stayed until its final closing-about fifteen years. In the meantime Mr. Frohman had starred E. H. Sothern and brought the Kendals to this country. "The Wife," "Sweet Lavender," "The Charity Ball," "The Idler " a revival of "Old Heads and Young Hearts," "Lady Bountiful," "Squire Kate," "Merry Gotham," "The Gray Mare," " Americans Abroad," "Trelawney" and "Rebellious Susan" were some of his most successful plays at the Lyceum. After the old Lyceum had disappeared, the new Lyceum was constructed by Mr. Frohman. There its chief successes were E. H. Sothern in "The Proud Prince," William Gillette in "The Admirable Crichton," Mrs. G. H. Gilbert in "Granny," Ethel Barrymore in "The Doll's House," Sir Charles Wyndham and Mary Moore in their London plays, Mr. Klein's play, "The Lion and the Mouse," the military comedy, "The Boys of Company B," and in September, 1907, the debut as a star of Miss Margaret Illington in "Dr. Wake's Patient," an English comedy. Mr. Frohman is also the manager of Daly's Theatre, which he leased upon the death of Augustin Daly. In 1904 Mr. Frohman married Margaret Illington, the well-known actress.

Charles Frohman was born June 17, 1860. When Charles was twelve years old he went to New York and, through the influence of Daniel, who was by then a reporter on the New York Tribune, became night clerk in the business office of that newspaper. He attended school during the day and at nine o'clock at night began his work, remaining in the Tribune office until four o'clock in the morning and then trudging to his home, two and a half miles away. When he was fourteen he left school and was employed with his brother in the advertising department of the New York Daily Graphic. There he worked all day. At night he sold tickets in the box office of Hooley's Theatre, Brooklyn. To reach his home after the performance he was obliged to ride six miles. In 1877 he went West to take charge of the Chicago Comedy Company, which produced "Our Boys" and similar plays with John Dillon as the star. A year or two later he joined William Haverly, and with him organized the Haverly Mastodon Minstrels which opened at the Howard Athenaeum, Boston. He took the minstrels to London and toured with them successfully in the English provinces for nine months. At the end of 1879 he again joined his brother Daniel, who was then managing the Madison Square Theatre, New York. When Daniel retired from the management of this theatre Charles Frohman managed the tours of several companies sent out with the Wallack successes. Then he returned to New York and established himself as a dramatic agent in a little office on Broad way. There fortune began to smile upon him. On November 18, 1888, Bronson Howard's "Shenandoah" was produced at the Boston Museum. Mr. Frohman was the agent of the author. The play was nota success as produced, but Mr. Frohman saw great possibilities in it, and Mr. Howard agreed to make the changes desired by his agent. Then Mr. Frohman obtained the entire American rights to the play, except for Boston, and induced Al. Hayman, a California manager, and W. R. Hooley to join him. Each of these advanced one thousand five hundred dollars, while Mr. Frohman, with no money to contribute, undertook the management. The play was then produced at the old Star Theatre, New York. It was a tremendous success, and three years later the partners divided among them a profit of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, having paid the author in royalties fifty thousand dollars more. From that time on Mr. Frohman was in the ascendant. In 1890 he organized a stock company in what was then Proctor's Theatre, in West Twenty-third street, New York. This finally developed into the Empire Theatre Stock Company. In the meantime Mr. Frohman had been planning a combination of theatrical interests which would control the United States field. He obtained the aid of Al Hayman, Rich & Harris, of Boston; Nixon & Zimmerman, of Philadelphia, and other leading and wealthy managers, and launched what they called the Theatrical Trust, better known as the Theatrical Syndicate. In a few years this organization was in control of a large number of the best theatres from New York to San Francisco and from Boston to the Gulf. Then leading stars began to appear under the management of Mr. Frohman. Mr. Frohman next extended his field across the Atlantic by leasing and managing the Aldych and Duke of York's theatres in London and becoming jointly interested with the Gattis in the Vaudeville, and with Arthur Chudleigh in the Comedy. He pursued the same policy in England that had been so successful in the United States, producing at his London theatres all his American successes and organizing companies to play them in the provinces. He divided his time between the United States and Great Britain, going to London every February and remaining until July. He died on the Lusitania when it was sunk by a German U-boat, heralding the advent of WWI. ``````````````````````````````````````Charles Frohman aboard the Lusitania.