John Frederick Zimmerman Sr. (1843–1925) was an American theatre magnate. He was one of the members 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 ...

, which monopolized theatrical bookings in the United States for several years.

Early years

Zimmerman was born in 1843, and began work in 1863 as an usher at the Chestnut Street Theater in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. He became an advance agent for booking shows in theaters. Zimmerman and Samuel F. Nixon became partners in the Nixon & Zimmerman theatrical firm. The two started as lessees of theaters, and later became owners.

Theater operations

Nixon and Zimmerman acquired the lease of the

Walnut Street Theatre The Walnut Street Theatre, founded in 1809 at 825 Walnut Street, on the corner of S. 9th Street in the Washington Square West neighborhood of Philadelphia, is the oldest operating theatre in the United States. The venue is operated by the Walnu ...

from the widow of George K. Goodwin, who died in the summer of 1881. Soon after she sold them the lease on the Chestnut Street Opera House. They already owned Haverly's, later called the Chestnut Street Theatre, and they now dominated the theater business in Philadelphia. By the mid-1890s Nixon and Zimmerman controlled the Broad, the Park, the Chestnut and the Chestnut Street Opera House, the four most important theaters in Philadelphia. They also owned first-class theaters in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio.

Theatrical syndicate

In 1896 Zimmerman, Nixon,

Al Hayman Al Hayman, also known as Raphael Hayman, (1847 – February 10, 1917) was the business partner of the better-known Charles Frohman who together with others established the Theatrical Syndicate. In addition to the financial backing, ownership an ...

of San Francisco,

Marcus Klaw Marc Klaw, (born Marcus Alonzo Klaw, May 29, 1858 – June 14, 1936) was an American lawyer, theatrical producer, theater owner, and a leading figure of the Theatrical Syndicate. Life and work Referred to as both Mark and Marc, he was born in ...

, A. L. Erlanger, and

Charles Frohman Charles Frohman (July 15, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American theater manager and producer, who discovered and promoted many stars of the American stage. Notably, he produced ''Peter Pan'', both in London and the US, the latter production ...

of New York joined to form the

. This gave them an effective monopoly in the United States of bookings of travelling theatrical companies. The syndicate was organized as an informal pool rather than as a modern corporation, a relatively fragile structure that relied on trust and cooperation. Eventually the

Shubert brothers 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 ...

broke the monopoly. The syndicate could not compete effectively with the more efficient corporate structure of

the Shubert Organization The Shubert Organization is a theatrical producing organization and a major owner of theatres based in Manhattan, New York City. It was founded by the three Shubert brothers in the late 19th century. They steadily expanded, owning many theaters ...

. New competition also came from movies, an increasingly popular alternative to live shows. Zimmerman's first wife was Vesta Howard Sawtelle (1868 - 1918). His second wife was Emma A Wetherell (1850 - 1903). He died in 1925 and was buried in the family crypt on "Millionaire's Row" at

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is ...

in Philadelphia. His son J. Fred Zimmerman Jr. continued in the family business.

Productions

Zimmerman ran an opera company, mostly producing musicals, but also producing revivals of '' Erminie'' (1896) and ''The Lyons Mail'' (1906). In 1906 he produced ''Mauricette'', ''Markheim'' and ''Paolo and Francesca''. Productions by Zimmerman included: *

The Monks of Malabar ''The Monks of Malabar'' is a "comic opera" or operetta in 3 acts composed by Ludwig Englander with lyrics by J. Cheever Goodwin and book by Francis Wilson (uncredited) and Goodwin. It opened at the Knickerbocker Theatre on 13 September 1900 a ...

(Musical, Comedy, Opera ) Sep 14, 1900 – Oct 20, 1900 *''The Strollers'' (Musical, Comedy ) Jun 24, 1901 – Aug 31, 1901 *''The Messenger Boy'' (Musical, Comedy ) Sep 16, 1901 – Jan 04, 1902 *''The Toreador'' (Musical ) Jan 06, 1902 – May 3, 1902 *''A Chinese Honeymoon'' (Musical, Comedy, Vaudeville ) Jun 02, 1902 – Apr 25, 1903 *''The Runaways'' (Musical, Comedy, Extravaganza ) May 11, 1903 – Oct 17, 1903 *''Erminie'' (Musical, Operetta, Revival) Oct 19, 1903 – Nov 28, 1903 *''The Girl from Dixie'' (Musical, Comedy ) Dec 14, 1903 – Jan 02, 1904 *''Winsome Winnie'' (Musical, Comedy ) Dec 01, 1903 – Jan 16, 1904 *''Simple Simon Simple'' (Musical, Extravaganza ) Oct 30, 1905 – Nov 04, 1905 *''Charles I'' (Play, Revival) *''King Rene's Daughter'' (Play, Revival) *''Markheim'' (Play ) *''Mauricette'' (Play ) *''Paolo and Francesca'' (Play ) *''The Lyons Mail'' (Play, Revival)

References

Citations Sources * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zimmerman, John Frederick Sr. 1843 births 1925 deaths 19th-century theatre managers American theatre managers and producers Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Businesspeople from Philadelphia