As David Hunt continues to be part of Thomas G. Moses story, it is time to recap the life of this interesting character. David H. Hunt was born during September 1869 in Detroit, Michigan. His parents were Patrick (b. 1851) and Anna (b. 1849), both Irish immigrants. Hunt was one of three children born to the couple in America, with his brothers being James (b. 1871) and Frances (b. 1886). To date, I have found no indication of how Hunt became involved in the theatre business, but by the age of 24 yrs. old he was both working for Sosman & Landis and working independently as a stage manager.
In 1893, Hunt was working in both Chicago and Detroit. On June 4, 1893, the “Detroit Free Press,” reported that Hunt was managing the benefit performance, “Caste, “for the St. Boniface and Jesuit churches new auditorium (page 15). The new Jesuit hall boasted a seating capacity of 650 with new stock scenery (“Detroit Free Press, June 20, 1893, page 5). The production featured Harry C. Barton of the Warde-James combination, Una Abel of the Rhea Company, Henry Wilkinson, Mrs. T Kennedy and W. H. Powers Jr. of the Nora Machree Company, and both Adelaide Cushman and John P. Barrett of the Glen-da-Lough Company. The article reported, “Manager David H. Hunt has returned from Chicago where he made arrangements for special scenery to be used throughout, and promises excellent staging.”
Hunt also worked for Sosman & Landis at this time. In 1894 Hunt convinced both Sosman & Landis to establish the theatrical management company of Sosman, Landis & Hunt in 1894. It is obvious that Hunt had been with the company for a while, but I have yet to discover when he actually started with the firm.
The mid 1890s were a time of transition for Sosman & Landis; they were expanding and diversifying their interests. As Chicago theatrical scenic outfitters, they took the next step in securing a few opera houses and establishing a stock company. Sosman & Landis first tried their hand at theatrical management in Chicago, producing and managing the two electric scenic theatres on the rooftop of the Masonic Temple. In addition to Sosman, Landis & Hunt, they invested in the American Reflector & Lighting Company, with Landis being one of the company founders. Previously they had founded a panorama company.
Sosman, Landis & Hunt’s first theatrical out-of-state management opportunity was in Cincinnati at the Pike Theatre. By 1897, Hunt was in the process of remodeling and redecorating the Pike Theater hiring the Chicago theatrical architect Sidney R. Lovell. In 1899, the “Chicago Inter Ocean” reported “David H. Hunt of Cincinnati, a member of the firm of Sosman, Landis & Hunt, the well-known theatrical managers, says: “Chicago can’t compare with New York as a theatrical town” (16 July 1899, page 14). An 1899 article in the “Los Angeles Herald” provided a little more insight into Hunt’s roll in the Sosman, Landis & Hunt theatrical management venture. It was an interview with Hunt titled “How the Stock System Pays.” Hunt was interviewed and explained the stock company:
“The growth of the stock company idea in the west would surprise you easterners,” said David H. Hunt, of Sosman, Landis & Hunt, the other day. “I have charge of the Pike opera house In Cincinnati, and we are making more money with a stock company than we did when the house was given over to vaudeville and variety was the society fad. A haphazard stock venture will not succeed, but properly managed the scheme is a huge success, and the companies are now so plentiful that it has become a matter of difficulty to obtain players who are not only willing but capable of doing leading stock work. The lesser people are not hard to get hold of, for there will always be an excess of players, but to get good names to head the company is constantly becoming more difficult because of the advance of the idea. We have a big company, and not only get good plays, but we try to give for seventy-five cents as good a production as is provided by a visiting company for double the money. We have two scene painters and two assistants always at work, and we never use a rag of scenery for more than one play. [The scenic artists in Cincinnati at the Pike Theater for Sosman, Landis & Hunt were Thomas G. Moses and Fred McGreer. McGreer is covered in installments #301-304.].”
Hunt continued, “We give the property man money enough to hire really good furniture and we have as good a stage manager as we can get, for we very early awoke to the fact that we could save money on this department of the work. A competent man will get all there is that is good in an actor, while an incompetent one will spoil a good player. Then we have found that we must spend a little money in royalties. It is a nice thing to have the old plays to fall back on, but a season which lists a succession of ‘East Lynne’ and ‘A Celebrated Case,’ with ‘Leah’ and similar plays to follow, will not be a remunerative one in the west, and we find that by laying out four or five hundred dollars for the use for one week of a play like ‘The Prisoner of Zenda,’ we cannot only get back the money we pay out, but enough more to make it worth our while to get the best. Of course, there is the constant study to be urged against the stock system, but to offset this, there is the avoidance of the discomforts of travel and to be able to settle down in a flat for a season instead of alternating between the one night stands and the sleeping cars, is a sufficient attraction to many to offset the fact that they will have to get up a new play each week instead of one or two for the season.”
Unfortunately, a series of lawsuits were filed against Sosman, Landis & Hunt around this time. They didn’t quite follow the rules laid out in various contracts. Both actors and authors contended that the firm violated agreements and took their cases to court. Sosman, Landis, & Hunt slowly loses steam around this time and Hunt began to flail around, starting to manage his own shows again. The 1900 census still listed Hunt as a stage manager and living with his parents in Detroit, at 151 Eighteen St in Detroit Ward 10, Michigan. Yet Hunt continued to work as a stock manager for the next decade before founding New York Studios, the eastern affiliate of Sosman & Landis.
In 1901, the “Detroit Free Press” made an interesting observation about Hunt on 15 April 1901 (page 4). An article about the Pike Theatre Company’s production of “Charity Ball” at the Lyceum reported, “The organizer and manager of this enterprise is David H. Hunt, a young man whose ideals are high and whose mental attitude toward the theater is not merely sordid. By this it is not meant that his work is entirely altruistic. There is a necessary commercial side of art, and Mr. Hunt knows that in order to continue along the lines he has followed since the beginning of his managerial career the support that comes only through the box office is essential. But he also knows that while he is a frankly confessed merchant of theatrical wares, it behooves him to offer the best, and to present them in an attractive manner. The public is well enough acquainted with his way of doing business to feel justified in expecting another season of honorable achievement on his part. It is quite within the limits of conservatism to say that the re-advent of his company is a distinct public gain, for it may fairly be assured that what is known as the popular-price theater can boast no better balanced combination of players than the cast that Mr. Hunt gave us last evening.”
In 1902, the “Evening Star” reported, “Stock was a new thing when Mr. David H. Hunt decided that vaudeville was not a success at his Cincinnati theater, and installed the first stock company there since the famous old days when Davenport, McCullough and other old-time stars had appeared with the ante-bellum stock companies in the smoky city. Mr. Hunt was a young man, his company contained players who were themselves little known, and with the development that followed hard work and success the organization was brought to a standard of perfection. Mr. Hunt early decided that pecuniary success would only result from artistic success. He set about obtaining good plays and good players, with the result that people in Cincinnati accord the Pike Theater Company both consideration and affection. For several years the company played entirely in Cincinnati, then tried Minneapolis and St. Paul for spring engagements, next added Detroit to their list of cities and now adds Washington, New York and Baltimore” (Washington, D.C., 13 Sept. 1902, page 22).
By 1903, Hunt married Angela Delores, an actress with the Pike Theatre Company. Their romance sprung up while she was under his management, with her forte being dramatic roles. The groom was described in the newspaper as “a Detroit man and widely known for his theatrical profession of the middle west as a hustling manager” (“Detroit Free Press,” 21 May 1903, page 12). In 1905, the couple celebrated the birth of their daughter, Anna.
By 1906, Hunt is managing the stock company for the Chicago Opera House. Of this endeavor, a newspaper article reported, “David H. Hunt who has considerable experience in this particular branch of amusement business, will assume active management, and he has made definite arrangements with important Eastern managers whereby he will offer their successes at popular prices” (“Inter Ocean,” 19 August 1906, page 26). However, in 1908 Hunt has returned to solely managing his wife’s touring production with William Duvre and Harry English (Cincinnati Enquirer 30 August 1908, page 26). This Newspapers report that her tour remained under the personal direction of Hunt and who promoted her as the “best known stock leading lady” (Fort Wayne Daily News, 16 Feb 1911, page 5). Between 1908 and 1910, Hunt transitions from management to founder of a scenic studio. His major investors for New York Studios include scenic artists and Adelaide A. Hunt, who becomes president of the firm. I have uncovered precious little about Adelaide as there were quite a few Adelaide A. Hunts at the turn of the century. At first I thought that Adelaide may have been a matronly relative with money.
However, 1925 US census records list David H. Hunt is living with his wife Adelaide A. Hunt and their daughter Patricia (age 4) in New York. Hmmm. Adelaide A. Hunt was still the President of New York Studios in 1919. Interestingly, the 1920 census listed Hunt as a commercial salesman for the scenic studio industry, still married to Angela, living at 1920 Oakwood Blvd. in Chicago, Illinois. His daughter with Angela was 15 years old by this time.
To be continued…
