13 THE MORNING OREGONIAN, TUESDAY, JANUARY 1, 1907. If:. 7i a ? Of If XT u'f .f-...Sk :. -- fit t A i r PORTLAND is favored with many fine theaters, whose management is in the hands of enterprising and pro gressive men. The amusement-loving public is liberal in its patronage, and the theatrical managers are quick to give them the attractions that meet the pop liar fancy. Heilis a Prominent Figure. Samuel Calvin Helllg, president of the Worthwestern Theatrical Association, la line of the most prominent figures in the atrical affairs on the Pacific Coast. The association controls 63 theaters in the FiUil ''W ..,1,, States of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana and British Columbia, making It the largest syndicate of Us kind in the country, wtfn the single exception of the Klaw & Brlanger concern. As lessee and manager of- the Marquam and Helllg theaters for the past 12 years, Mr. Helllg is one of the best-known and most successful business men In the city. He has made a thorough study of amuse ment matters, and has consequently made few mistakes In catering to the theater going public For years he has been offering the very best companies which vlelt the West, and his name has become a guarantee of ex cellence. Owing to his extensive Inter ests, Mr. Helllg has been absent from the city much of the time during the past year or two, and most of the man agement of his local business has de P5 i4 3 Lai 5 , f x 1 V 4 V volved upon William T. Pangle, his local manager. The Heilig lias enjoyed a very prosper ous year, and Its prospects for 1307 are even more promising. George Ii. Baker In Front Rank. George I. Baker stands In the very front rank of Western stock managers, and his company and the splendid offer ings of high-class plays are doing much to advertise Portland as a theatrical cen ter. During the past year Mr. Baker successfully managed a road tour of bis company. playing "The Christian" throughout the Northwest with most sat isfactory artlstlo and financial results. At the close of the tour he brought the company backs to Portland for a Summer engagement, and re-established the Baker as a stock theater. The regular seaBon opened September 2, and. ha been the Hint most brilliant and profitable In the his tory of the city. He is also "manager of 1 the Empire, devoted to the Stair & Hav lin attractions. Mr. Baker has been connected with the theatrical business In various capacities since the early 'SO's. His experiences have been many and varied, but as a result he knows the business thoroughly. In his early years he was connected with the mechanical staff of San. Francisco theaters. For a time he appeared as an actor In the support of Rose Wood, a famous star of the period. As he ex presses it, he soon made up his mind that, 'while acting may be art, the man agement department of the business gets the most vegetables, bread, butter and other luxuries of life, so he gave up try ing to pose in the spotlight and devoted himself to the business end. is 4 till " K x He came to Portland about 13 years ago, and shortly afterward became as sistant manager of the Marquam, under Calvin Heilig, with whom he has always been closely associated since. Becoming ambitious on his own account, he se cured the old Metropolitan Theater, now the Baker. He managed It for a year or two with varying success, until he con ceived the idea of making It the house of a permanent stock company, since which time, with the exception of the, season o,f 1906-6. when, he devoted the' house to burlesque, he has been Identified with stock productions. He has built himself up to a point where he Is a commanding figure In the atricals In this section, and the future has even better things in store for him. His spacious and elegant suite of offices ln the Mohawk building are the most ex- 4 J( t4 Jv i. ft 5 V 1 "3 tensive and elaborate theatrical offices In the country outside of New York. His present company Is the best he has ever recruited, and his plans for the future contemplate more ambitious efforts than he has" ever made before. Portland's most successful vaudeville manager is James IL Errlckson, who came here two years ago to take charge of the Grand and Star Theaters for Sullivan & Consldlne. During bis management of the Grand he has raised the standard of vaudeville here far above anything we had enjoyed be fore. During most of his stay here the Star lias been devoted to popular " fiif IHUIKC TK- VtK FL r diesM-5 - -jf . priced stock which has proved highly popular and lucrative. Mr. Errlckson is - pre-eminently a stmt's i.t Si Sin business man, having had a wide range of experience in other fields tlian the theatrical. Although but S3 years of age he has engaged extensively In mining and other lines of business ac tivities quite foreign to the theater. From the time he was ten years old. however, he has been associated . at various times with, theatrical work. His uncle, Francis Penn Steel, was president of the Academy of Music corporation In Philadelphia, and when Sullivan & Consldine's present chief lieutenant was but ten years old he was given a position at the Academy, one of Philadelphia's chief places of i S A TiAmirSt'f, ' , , - - . amusement. He early developed a taste and ability for the work upon which most of his subsequent efforts have BO been centered. From 1895 to 1898 he temporarily abandoned the business, however, to engage In mining In Arlt zona. He returned to his first love, however, and later successfully con ducted theaters of his own In Seattle and British Columbia. He has been here more than two' years, and has built up the business of Consldlne & Sullivan far beyond all expectations. He always keeps faith with his pa trons and demands the best that can be secured for- their entertainment, and it is by such methods that he has made the names of the Grand and Star synonymous with excellence. Star's Fine Stock Company. P. Tl. Allen, owner of the Allen Stock Company, which makes the Star its permanent home, brought his fine organization to Portland about six months ago. During this time he has been offering a fine line of plays and has made the Star one of the most popular theaters In the city. Mr. Al len has been In the theatrical business about 15 years as an actor and man ager, most of the time in the latter capacity. He has brought travelling companies to Portland a number of times, but has only recently cast in his lot permanently with the Rose City. His company, headed by Verna Felton, is a well-balanced and capable one. ,1 iff,, -jr"T j and the tremendous patronage it has received here Is the- best proof that It Is a favorite with the public J