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Tie San JFranclsco Snnday CaJL SAN FRANCISCO'S EARLIEST THEATERS. By Horatio F. Sloll 1 W f HAT a flood of reminiscences \\ / *r» evoked by the ansormoe~ VV cient that the site of. the eld Grand Opera-house, on Mission near Third, is to be monopolised by commercialism: that the theater's eventful career Is ended; that its past glories have now passed into history ar.a can nevar again *>• revived. Old* timers delight . la recalling the tri umphs of Pattl and Center, Henry Irr- \u25a0 Ing and Ellen Terry, Jane Hading aad other world-famous celebrities, while the younger generation, whose treas ured theatrical experiences cover only, say, the past ten years, cling eqtMtlly fondly to the less distant performances of Bernhardt Coquelln, Richard Mans fleld. Minnie Madders Flike, and the op eratio appearances of Melba. Bembrloh, Eames, Nordica. Soaumann-Helnk. Gafiskl, Fremstad and Caruso, Van T>yck, Edouard de Zteaske* Planooa. Scottl and Burgstallen When I cay "old-timer** I refer more particularly to the pleasure-levin g Saa Franciscan, now iCver-headed. who at* tended everything of interest In the seventies and eighties. To him mod ern plays and players are llgntweigbt and he firmly believes that never be fore, and never since, the days of the old California Stock Company were sach finished performances seea here} that no ooloratsra stager has ever ap proached Pattl la the roles she sang here twenty years ago. These are his standards aad, no oaa *•»?* fl<™^ tftirff tostesv Aad yet there are a few survivors ef stm another class of Sas Francisco theater-goers— the pioneer, the forty niner, who, in turn, looks upon the old. timer with equal condescension. He has pursed not only through the golden era, but the primitive era of our theatrical history as well Bat It Is not of Ed vrtsx Booth sad Lawrence Barrett aad Pattl aad Oerster that he talksi It is the memories of his first favorites— Matilda Heron, Anna Bishop, Lolft ilontez, Laura SJecae, J. B. Booth, James E. Mardock aad Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Baker—that he cherishes most. 3a his youthful days, over fifty years ago* they were his Idols, aad to this 6ay he recalls distinctly their little rasTvnerlams, scraps of dialogues of lon g-f or gotten plays, aad unique bits of stage business or eccentrlo makeup and costume that appealed to his sense of humor. X wonder tf there are still living with us any of the audience that assembled, on Monday evening, June "2. ;549, In the little schoolroom on the southwest corner of Portsmouth Square to listen to the concert of vocal music given by Stephen C. Mansett, Unas sisted. This may properly be regarded as first among the regular amusements of San Francisco. The room was crowded to suffocation, the proceeds yielding: over $500. "Front seats" were reserved for ladles, of whom there were only four present The piano used upon the occasion was loaned by E. Harrison, Collector of the . Port, and 816 was paid for removing it from the Custom-house to the echoblhouse on the opposite side of Portsmouth Square. -.In October of 1849 Rowe's Olympic Circus opened in a tent to a numerous attendance of spectators.' The house held about 1500 people and the prices of admission were 83 for ordinary peats, J5 for box seats and 525 for a private box. Three. months later the first dra matic performances were glren in San Francleco. "The Wife" and "Charles II" were the bllL The theater was in the second story of -a building op. Wash ington street and was known as Wash ington Hall. It was not until the fall of 1650 that Ean Francisco was able to boast of a Vreal" theater. On October 4 the Jenny Lind, located on Kearny street, opposite Portsmouth Square, had a grand opening. There was a brave showing of beauty and fashion, and every one of the £000 seats was filled. A new era in theatricals had cow be gun, for 'never before had there r been so magnificent a : stage for theatrical performances. Mr. and Mrs. ; Lewis Baker appeared as Master Walter and Julia in "The Hunchback," and became great favorites. Later they, assumed the management of the Adelphi, a smaller theater, and in nine months closed their season 1 , after having cleared 930,000. Mr. Baker insisted upon strict discipline at rehearsals and paid considerable attention to the accessories of tha stage. ' The Jenny Lind did "not remain a theater loss. la 1811 it was purchased by the town for a City. Hall for the enormous sum of $200,000. , The exter nal stonewalls -were allowed to stand, but the whole interior was "removed and fitted up anew for the special pur poses to which It was meant to be applied. The next theater to open was: the American, a large wood eh and -brick structure ~on Sansome ' str At between California and Sacramento. . Mrs. Stark gave the opening address.* The walls sank nearly -two Inches on the opening night, when' the. house .was absolutely packed. The site formed a* portion of the ; bay which had . been . filled in, and the sand, which made the. foundation had* been' deposited* upon- the:- bed of soft yi «*!<*' n-r ml, .Considerable fears were entertained trader the ctrouta stances for the safety of the structure, but the sinking of the walls wa» regu lar, and after the first night ne ma terial change waa perceptible. * The American Theater gave one the Impression of height on entering. The dress circle was well raised above the parquet and waa reached by a flight of stairs near the entrance. Two bal conies rose above It .' In 1857 the theater was partly altered and pre sented a pretty appearanoe. The In terior decorations were In white and gold, and there were many side lights introduced besides tue central chande lier in the dome. 'The boxes were ua« usually large, seating six comfortably, in front and as many more behind. The American was not so constantly in use as some of the other theaters,, and In the sixties was regarded as a sort of •transient" house, for with every ex tended engagement there was a differ ent manager. Henry Coad was acting manager 'in 185 8; J. B. Booth in 1857, with Walter Leman as stage manager; John Wilson was the lessee, with James Stark^as acting manager, in 18-58; Lewis Baker in 1859. W. C. Forbes in I860,; and W. H. Ltlghton was ldfesee arid Sheridan Corbyn manager in 1862. The theater was later turned Into an office building- and was known as the Hal leck block. On December 24, 1851, the Metropolitan Theater, on Montgomery street, ; near Washington, . was opened with aj per formance of "The School for Scandal," followed by a. farce entitled "Little Toddleklns." In the ' former James 18. Murdock played the . part of • Charles Surface and Mrs. Catherine SC. Sinclair, the manager, essayea the role of Lady Teazle. The prices of admission were: Orchestra and private boxes, IS; -dress circle and parquet. $S; second and third balconies, $1. - The entrance to the Metropolitan was quite imposing. It had a S large foyer, with the box office opposite the entrance. Two doors on either .side of the office gave \u25a0' admittance ' to the parquette. " whioh » extended well under the dress ,': circle, ; - but : slightly \ raised above it, 1 and, as ]a - consequence, was dark \u25a0 and \u25a0% stuffy. 4 r Thel curtain : repre-* sented the - ruins lot tta.' ancient \u25a0; Qraek city . and the > whole house [, '' was upholstered in > red and \u25a0' lighted \u25a0. by 1 a large central . chandelier ,of gas Jet*. Only a;, few ' weeks * after, its :. opening the gas - lighting was : insUllad, and the ': management ; made * quite an t item Out \u25a0of this ' Innovation In Its advertis ing. John \u2666 T6rr«nce wai 'the .pro prietor * and manager In 1458, George Ryer ' being . his Stage: manager. Charles Tibbetts was lessee • and * man ager in 18?3. Mrs. James .Stark, and Mrs. Emily Jordan were Joint man agers : in 1 884,: and Charley Schults was the leader, of the orchestra during,' the earlier part of the sixties. In 1854 San Francisco - had its ' first ", operatic season at 'Z the x; Metropolitan, when English. French', and' Italian 9 versions ' of: most of the noted modern . operas were given creditable performances. Five prlma donnas successfully appeared. One of the most popular of the early theatrical ' favorites was Matilda' Heron. Sbe.left: Philadelphia* forithis i city \u25a0 with her manager, George iW. \ Lewis,' ; in ; the fall of IS S B. En route Mr. Lewis was taken \ sick aad died, :- leaving : his pro tege a stranger In a stranga land. % But she • possessed 7 grit and ceatlnued her ocean Journey, landing here unknown and, unkno wins;. Several .' gentlemea la terested themselves In her behalf, aad on V the \u25a0 > evening Sof % December. 26 i- She j appeared as ' Biaaoa. f .The". Metropolitan was 1; filled and the i- success S; of ' Miss Heron ' was ' unprecedented," her sim plicity and naturalness *» making K5 a strong i appeal jto * her : audience. Other. favorites at this, playhouse were Anna Bishop. Anna Thlllon. c | BHsaS Blsoadel antl.', Lola Hontes, Catherine P Hayes, Susan and Kate Den In, the Rousset sisters and Laura Keane.. • ; .'''•-:'. : : ; : The bUnion: Theater was in* Commer-; clal 1 street between Kaarny f and DU pont ' \u25a0* where % Edwin Booth f. first \u25a0\u25a0'. ap peared LlnP; 1856. as '". Little Toddlekins. The Peoples Theater, which was £b the same' block, was iin % September." 1154;' under the management ' of H. Hann ' aad Charles '.Wheatlelgh. ?Klt^wai '? tory- a short 3 time, four -; years Z* later, '\u25a0 leased and opened by Joha Wood, the English comedian, but \lt ? did I not * prove a ; suc cess. Another theater \ In ; that ' locality was • called \ the Adelphi and' afterward the ; Novelty."'? ~y^?~^vi.^-:~ :;-v'- r . p.^ r^r:-i ' One of the most popular theaters San Francisco ;\u25a0 has i ever^' known t~Lw > as f Ma gulra's Opera House which, in, the early % IIMI , % fifties, , was . ealjetf , San r Francisco Hall. \u25a0\u25a0 'It ; was 'ri a } dangero us * fir etrap, ' bu t .in , those happy-go-lucky , times people were : hot,S4l' : partioul4r as they > are today. flt iwas s then ? solely,' the ' homo sof I mla- ; t s trelsy and 1 always • crowded; V The the - ater ' was '. in a j one-story bunding on '\u25a0' 1: the i north • side of Washington ; street, ... between Kearny and Moatgomery, aad the •ulyentrande— and 'exit, -too— was by . one small' door %t»at ten feet \ wide* lp-JL J Steep k stairway sat j* the 4 sad \u25a0 nof a short -V foyer, len either side .of which were the doors to the parquette, w led %ia j-'-the * part lof the 5 house. js The passage : to ' • the % stage was I under « "\u25a0 the ; parque tte. "..' On the \ lower . floor; the? f h Seats 'were ji oa i a | dead ? level, • the I bs,l*l $ cony across < the > end \of 1 the ' 7. building : contained three or four rows ;of;seat«.^ In ;1857^he;th*a^*;wsji^tilars;ed'and' rebuilt Inside. A large horseshoe dress X circle was ; introduced in the .u pper; part ' i\ of t the j house j : ahd *f th« I parquette was '<, : ?, made '4 to ?> slope ;• gradually. .'.upwardEto ; ; they entrance "'doorVi'.The^uphblsteringS 7*wasjall^dohe|ini;red.;and;the|lightins;.3 ''came ; from ', A • Imxm* \u25a0' chandelier i In 1 the -j eenterPof the dome and clusters ef three lights X abont twenty- five i feet •part placed around' the balcony of , the dress i circle. There . were .two boxes ion either si 4a one on the stage.- the other on"* level! with- the dxeas circle. ; ? They were \ smalU"; 1 crudely ? built ; and ; ' .very uncomfortable, with \u25a0 : room \u25a0 for-.! only four, two In front and two in the back. • ; In \u25a0 those i / days," too,\ the ; city,? authorities * did \u25a0\u25a0 not | bothaf themselves . about | fire precautions. The " managers aceb rd i ngly had a custom of "filling: every, aisle- and [ passage v way „wl th extra ; stools, so [ that : a box party arriving Mate*. usually bad the satisfaction -of' feeling 'they "were disturbing Q the ".f whole -* house in 'their, progress ",to^thelr7seats."i* Many had to \ rise to , allow them to pasis, and > it 1 usu :' aliy,fe tooled some '{*. minutes > before "*;th'e • spectators iwere ': able Vto "• rivet ; their J atr J tentloh *t upon *r the 5 stage * again.' Toiia r Maguire^was * the""; enterprising 5' owner •' and manager and San Franciscans were Indsbtsd to Mm casnrr and ll%«rftllty for every attraction of importance that came hero for ' many years. The Lyceum Theater, opened la 185 X. was In the upper story of the building on . tha northwest corner of ; Montfom ery and "Washing; ton > a treat*. ' , It con sisted of a eallery. called tha dress cir cle, & parque tta which was divided into orchestra seats., parqueite and pit. and bad two Very small boxes, one on either side of. tha stag* on a level with the gallery. The stage was so shallow that not much scenic display was possible and' the seats were merely benches cov ered with red cloth. Tha Lyceum was the; first theater in San . Francisco to introduce : the Saturday matinee a* a regular eti* torn, and at nrst *aro prVzas \u25a0 were glv en at each, afternoon perform ; ance — one < to . a ; man or boy, : one to a .woman,- or -girl— the winning tickets being; > drawn from a , hat , at .the close 'Of the.; play. './..The, Lyceum -had but a brief ? existence,.' about two years, -and generally, catered, to. the elite .of the town. John Wilson was tha proprietor, but he had. a series of managers dur ing the short life of the house. Among them were J. A. Moro, J. E. Johnson, A-* R. Fhelps.' J. B. Booth. Lewis Baker, Booth and Ryer, Sam Wells and Harry Courtaln. The Eureka, .which waa opened ill 1863, was the smallest of all the thea ters;' It was first known as the Eureka Minstrel Hall, then as Wheatlelgh's Eureka and finally as the Eureka Theater. It was located in the. upper story of a building on Montgomery 'street, between California and Pine, and its fittings and furnishings were of the plainest. There were no boxes on the stage and but one on either side on a level with the dress 'circle, > more like holes in the wall than anything else. The Eureka's performances were confined : principally to variety and '\u25a0 minstrel shows. But despite all Its crudeness . and - drawbacks it was ex tremely/popular; in fact, it was tha fashionable* place of entertainment while ; Billy Birch and Ben Cotton held away there. The curtain was a dull red baize -and , the bench seats' were also covered in* red. .-'The prettiest,- coziest bijou of .a" ; theater that San . Francisco ever had was ' the 'Academy ' of ' Music on . Pine street, east' of Montgomery,', which opened in May, 1884. The size of the ' lot *on which it was > built I.waei" only : 60x100 feet, so not much of a foyer was possible. It was merely a vestibule about ten feet wide, with the 'box office «£ w« side and thm atairs leading to 1 the J- upper £ balconies at the other. One ' entered - the 4reas circle, almost directly from ; the V street. There i were three tiers of ; eeats besides the par quette — the dress - circle.' 'second - circle and ' th© gallery. H«d rand "white were the > predominating: colors of -\u25a0- the ' in teriordecorations. There wer» v four proscenium "boxes. 1 ; ': (The "drop ; curtain represented "Th« Age of Gold"' and tha dome was beautifully frescoed. .VA gilt chandelier with upward of -sixty " gas Jets depended from the. center and with the ' cou n 111 1 ess Q side i lights • made ' the house v brilliant It was popular';. from the ~ very/ first"* night and during, the 'few years : of Its-life was ,the>lscene;i'of >somerof ; ithe most Im portant*; engagements :j6t ;, the * period. The building was H sold and^.recon structed ;intof offices in ,1887. to ttheex l^ treme- regret", of every theatergoer In San Francisco SEBB Ths • satin r arrangements la all the early day "theaters were practically tb« isme. Bows of benches' ran around the house in horseshoa fashion. th« \u25a0eata were stuffed hard aad almost al ways covered with red plttsh or cloth. The backs were high enough to reach one's shoulder • blade* To these ad mittance was gained by aa aisle down the center, one on either • Ida and again one at each end next the stage. About tw«lva inches was allowed for «aoh seat, and in the days of the volumin ous hoop skirt ! the ladles wer» often uncomfortably crowded. In fact, when a small man entered between two women very little of him could be seen except his head and shoulders. Is one respect, however, tho arrangement w»s food— the seats were raised high enough in each tier to enable those behind to hare an uninterrupted Ttew of 'the stage ever the heads ef thos< in front. And in the early day*, whet the huge poke bonnet was the vogue, this was doubly appreciated, especially when, the bonnet was trimmed witi plumes or dancing feathers. ~£Bn| Bonnets were always worn at th* theaters. Aa uncovered head was neve^ seen, not even In the boxes, and th< usual dress for ladles was the ordiaar? street attire. A man in evening dreai was unknown: and If by chance h« was thus arrayed, he took good pain. to conceal It carefully with hia over coat, as 'if he,, were ashamed to b« caught "looking like a dandy." There was a great deal of visttlni between the acts. If the seats ocota pied by the ladies were accessible, thel: gentlemen friends came to exchange * few words at least, and ocoaslonall: escorts would leave • their seats to al low some other gallants to ocoup: them temporarily, while they paid thai respects to other belles in the house Those who had end seats ea aa aist eftea received a succession of "calls during the . evening, . The programmes, instead of th voitrmfnous booklets so much in us today, were simply s> sheet of coars white paper, eight or nine lnehes loni by four laches wide, oa whlaa wa prlated the name of the theater ;!: large letter*, the date la smsJlar typr aad taeo the cast of the play. Ther was Boi even the suspicion of aa ad rertlseaxent. An later eatla* pwsjxatnm before me reads! Aa Ancient Program IiMO.V THEATKIL Cammmtni ttpwst. &etw««a Kwra/ amt Dnpcait Ta« pc5H« ar» nmaetfaltr tetionaad o*6 \u25a0 Ik* Banofli of ICzsTX. B. Booth fTh« finrt In tw« yean) win take place on n«*Uj Bracing; M»y VTth, 1831. vtten t& mrfomaae* wfl} b*«fa wtta THB UTXLB TBHIsUBB. Km, WMnr „ ..... Mnu Tada Oertwge...; —....Mrs. 7. B. Boot I*<Jy Vioresee imtn Vy, Bon», Wilt*? l««M«abtaaa....^ MWfc ....wfraan» Ban Btr OtailM _.....*.. Jtft J. B. Boat Afss* VISA wtO b« prt««atrl t*t»" TOTgTflg. Intertnda. ZXTTLZ IODVUSKTX3. Jtoftwn Smith..... .Mr. Sffivai Bae% JLstsatMs. \u25a0\u25a0•.•.......,....,. „. ....Mr«. Ssn* •' . wm^^tf^ wWeb a Vtnr Local Sona, . "A History of Oe T&aes n , :> Ll '• ••••• By Dr. D. d. SoMbm T» ceselod* with t&« Twnttfr Dnma, entitle THB KXIOHT OF ARVJL BaniMM Boekrtmatera...... ..Xr«. Jad» FTtac«*«... .^.^^.^...Mrm. J. B. Boot; Connor fixe 85aa.. ............ .Mr. 1. B. Boo* Cb»b«3oes..... ..........Mr. Jl. B. Ph«U D«r&i« ill* vr«otas" «• Ata«rteaa Braa* Bal wm apswr (ant tlau») aad Olsceane doqami tactic. The audiences of the earty-<say p# rlod had their favorites. At first ,tb, popularity of an actress was show when she was greeted with a show* of coins, mostly gold, from th» minei who happened to be visiting "the bay as San Francisco was termed br the \u25a0 at that time. Bat by the middle fl£tt«i these demonstrations were chiefly con fined to places like the Bella Unias and other melodlons. When Charl« Kean, th« noted English actor, wet here in 1885 he declared that h« haj never played to iluch' chilly audtonc^ as he encountered in California. "Wh«j he did a particularly Kood bit of aci Ing or uttered a fine sentiment ) liked. to have It acknowledged by.' hand or. two." but the applause he was reserved until the end of.th* a "or more often until the end of tl play. Local favorites, ho^wever. wer» a waya certain to b<» welcomed by han< clapping when they made their a 1a 1 pearance. Mrs. Judah always came for a cordial welcome. So, too, d Sophie Edwin in a lesser degree. > well as Mrs. C. R. Saunders. Amor s the popular actors wero "Bill" Parr .the comedian; Charley Thorne, \u0084t leading m£n. and Billy Birch, the mi strel. who topped them all in pop lartty. * To tltosf vrho recall Mrs. Judah the old California Theater in compar tively recent years, it may surprt them to know that Mrs. Judah took "farewell of the stage" at the Metr politan Theater in 1536 as th© Wld< Green in "The Love Chase." Mrs. Jud was the wife of John Torrence. at th time lessee and. manager of the Metr politan. Meeting with serious bustne losses, ' however; she felt compelled return', to' the stage after a ,f months* absence and there she i mained .until the close of her life, ha or e<\ end beloved by all. \u25a0 "The first 'theater 'to * provide indivi ual . scats for its patrons was the c California, opened in 1839. but in t ; meantime -Congress Hall, on the not atdo of Bush street,, near Montgome •was transformed into the Tempi* Music by Leslie & Raynor for a ml ; strel hall. A.qtage was erected acre the * end of the hall, decorated ....w flowering plants. The curtain was red damask. tb« walls handsomely «i jered and the floor covered with a r carpet. Best of all. there were car .seated arm chairs. The- managers w« (enterprising . and up-to-date and .tr j several other innovations. No on*. example, was admitted unless there -w an unoccupied seat for him;, as soon th 9 tickets weri all sold the box off was closed, and between , aats glas of water, were passed" to the ladies. '-.\u25a0 TV'l th the ushering .in. of the B«y< ties came a complete transformation the. theatrical situation in San Fn cisco. The cable, the telegraph and 1 'transcontinental railway put us closer touch with th« Atlantic Sta and Europe. "I New plays, newplayt new scenic 'effects, and even new c toms came into vogue, and at the sa time new theaters were built. .cm beautiful. ' more' costly, more comfo able. The fire last April wiped .« every, theater of importance ta » Francisco and every landmarx ot ' early theatrical days. But it : did i , dim, the recollections of the oldest, t a ter-goers, who had lived to sen city 'completely changed and all I playhouses of their youth traosf brn Into business establishment* B«for«; - devastating flames la t«m redu • them to ashes and ruins. \ Gone are the early playhouses. fW, gotten are many of the play*. D« are most of the stellar lights of th ! golden days.* But green and Vivid tho. pioneer's memories' of these vj lahed places of the cot 'dies -and tragedies and musical p \u25a0 f ormances ' that brightened hia youn days, the cherished characterizations his 'favorite actors. They will last ' dimmed until he, too," passes over the silent majority— which will not \u25a0 many years henee—^and then,' there ing jno surviving eye-witnesses. ' iwillhave to rest content with pud ed reminiscences aad the : f ui:lUt» ; | atrieal stories , handed - down • la facaUtes of the Calirorofe \u25a0mini