Harrison Grey Fiske (July 30, 1861 – September 2, 1942) was an American journalist, playwright and Broadway producer who fought against the monopoly of the
Theatrical Syndicate
Starting in 1896, the Theatrical Syndicate was an organisation that in the United States that controlled the majority of bookings in the country's leading theatrical attractions. The six-man group was in charge of theatres and bookings.
Beginnin ...
, a management company that dominated American stage bookings around the turn of the twentieth century.
Life and career
Fiske was born in
Harrison, New York
Harrison is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States, northeast of Manhattan. The population was 28,218 at the 2020 census.
History
Harrison was established in 1696 by a patent granted by the British government to John Harrison a ...
, an affluent suburb in
Westchester County
Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...
just thirty minutes from New York City. The second of three sons of the wealthy hotel owner Lyman Fiske and his wife Jennie Maria (Durfee) Fiske, both of seventeenth-century Massachusetts descent,
Fiske was still a young boy when his family moved into New York City, and he maintained a strong identity as a New Yorker for much of his life. As a young boy, Fiske was educated by private tutors and showed a strong interest in the arts. He recalled being taken to see his first play at
Barnum's Museum at an early age and afterwards receiving the gift of a puppet theatre from his father. Later, whilst attending Mrs. Vanderhoff's School he became exposed to
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
through dramatic readings given by the headmistress's husband. Likewise, he had also been giving a small printing press and, as a boy, he had begun printing his own monthly paper. Fiske next enrolled at
Dr. Chapin's Collegiate School for Boys, a college preparatory school on Madison Avenue where he continued to pursue writing. Upon finishing there, he traveled for a summer in Europe and then entered
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
in 1878.
There he was asked to sign a pledge to forsake dens of iniquity like theaters, taverns, dance halls, and billiard rooms. Fiske subsequently admitted that he and his friends kept their fingers crossed when it came to attending theaters.
[The New York Times September 4, 1942]
At college, Fiske often wrote short stories and sketches for magazines and soon became an editorial writer and dramatic critic for the daily newspaper the ''Jersey City Argus''. He later served in a similar capacity for the ''
New York Star,'' which set the stage in 1879 for what would turn out to be a 32-year affiliation with the popular trade magazine the ''
New York Dramatic Mirror
The ''New York Dramatic Mirror'' (1879–1922) was a prominent theatrical trade newspaper.
History
The paper was founded in January 1879 by Ernest Harvier as the ''New York Mirror''. In stating its purpose to cover the theater, it proclaimed t ...
''. After achieving success as a contributor to the ''Dramatic Mirror'', Fiske decided to leave college after his freshman year with hopes of becoming a journalist. At his behest, Fiske's father bought an interest in the ''Dramatic Mirror'', and made his son (then eighteen) the editor. In 1883 Fiske assumed a controlling interest in the ''Mirror'' and by 1888 was sole owner of the Mirror Newspaper Company.
With an inside look into the theatrical profession, Fiske's view of the arts changed dramatically. He was continually distressed by the plight of out-of-work actors and by the "laissez-faire practices of the American stage."
Fiske determined to turn the ''Dramatic Mirror'' into a sort of artistic and professional conscience for the American theater, writing editorials on not only the aesthetic merits of theatrical productions, but also the improvement of working conditions and the regulation of health hazards in theaters. Though he disapproved of industry efforts to organize an actors' union, Fiske did help to secure the passage of the Cummings Act of 1896 and subsequent laws to protect playwrights against literary piracy. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the
Actors' Fund of America
The Entertainment Community Fund, formerly The Actors Fund, is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that supports performers and behind-the-scenes workers in performing arts and entertainment, helping more than 17,000 people directly each year. S ...
. With the help of his wife, the celebrated actress
Minnie Maddern, as well as the likes of
David Belasco
David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright. He was the first writer to adapt the short story ''Madame Butterfly'' for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of m ...
,
Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 or 23 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including '' La Dame Aux Camel ...
and the
Shubert family
The Shubert family was responsible for the establishment of the Broadway district, in New York City, as the hub of the theater industry in the United States. They dominated the legitimate theater and vaudeville in the first half of the 20th cen ...
staged a coup on the
Theatrical Syndicate
Starting in 1896, the Theatrical Syndicate was an organisation that in the United States that controlled the majority of bookings in the country's leading theatrical attractions. The six-man group was in charge of theatres and bookings.
Beginnin ...
, helping to break the stranglehold they had maintained on theater bookings from coast to coast.
In 1901 Fiske leased the
Manhattan Theatre
The Manhattan Theatre was located at 102 West 33rd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, directly across from Greeley Square at Sixth Avenue and 33rd Street. The 1,100-seat theatre opened in 1875 as the Eagle Theatre, and was renamed the ...
on Thirty-Third Street as a showcase for his wife and as a venue for other artists. The theater became home to the "Manhattan Company" whose players included the well-known actors
Tyrone Power Sr.
Frederick Tyrone Edmond Power Sr. (2 May 1869 – 23 December 1931) was an English-born American stage and screen actor, known professionally as Tyrone Power. He is now usually referred to as Tyrone Power Sr. to differentiate him from his son ...
,
George Arliss
George Arliss (born Augustus George Andrews; 10 April 1868 – 5 February 1946) was an English actor, author, playwright, and filmmaker who found success in the United States. He was the first British actor to win an Academy Award – which he ...
and
John B. Mason.
Over the course of his career, Fiske produced more than 140 plays, many of which he wrote or directed including ''Hester Crewe'' (1893), ''The Privateer'' (1903), and ''The Queen of Liars'' (1896) adapted from a play by
Alphonse Daudet
Alphonse Daudet (; 13 May 184016 December 1897) was a French novelist. He was the husband of Julia Daudet and father of Edmée, Léon and Lucien Daudet.
Early life
Daudet was born in Nîmes, France. His family, on both sides, belonged to the ''bo ...
and Léon Hennique. He is perhaps best known for his 1911 production of
Edward Knoblauch’s ''
Kismet'' starring
Otis Skinner.
Marriage
On March 19, 1890, Harrison Fiske married actress
Minnie Maddern at
Larchmont Manor. He first saw her when at the age of twelve he attended a local production of ''King John'' in which his eight-year-old future bride played a boy’s part. Their paths crossed once again a few years later, but were not formally introduced until she was nearly twenty. Mrs. Fiske, as she was often professionally known, appeared in a number of plays directed by her husband, including ''
Tess of the d'Urbervilles'', ''Salvation Neil'', ''
Becky Sharp
Rebecca "Becky" Sharp, later describing herself as Rebecca, Lady Crawley, is the main protagonist of William Makepeace Thackeray's 1847–48 novel ''Vanity Fair''. She is presented as a cynical social climber who uses her charms to fascinate an ...
'' and ''Mary of Magdala''. The two remained together until her death in 1932.
[The New York Times March 20, 1890]
Death
Fiske died at the age of 81, as a result of a heart attack suffered at his New York apartment on West Sixty-Six Street. He had retired around the time of his wife's death and was working on his memoirs at the time of his passing.
References
External links
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NYPL Digital Portrait Gallery - Harrison Grey Fiske
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiske, Harrison Grey
1861 births
1942 deaths
19th-century American dramatists and playwrights
American male journalists
New York University alumni
People from Harrison, New York
Journalists from New York City
American male dramatists and playwrights
19th-century American male writers