John Frederick Zimmerman Sr. (1843–1925) was an American theatre magnate. He was one of the members of the Theatrical Syndicate, 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 ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. 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 Walnut Street Theatre, founded in 1808 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 Walnut Str ...

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 of San Francisco, Marcus Klaw, 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. Frohman produced over 700 shows, and among his biggest hits was '' Peter Pan'', both ...

of New York joined to form the Theatrical Syndicate. 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 Broadway theaters in New York City's Theater District, as the hub of the theatre industry in the United States. Through the Shubert Organization, founded by brothers Lee, Sam, and Jac ...

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 — Lee, Sam, and Jacob J. Shubert — in the late 19th century. T ...

. 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, also called Laurel Hill East to distinguish it from the affiliated West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, Bala Cynwyd, is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls, Philadelphia, East Falls neighborhood ...

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 (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 American theatre managers Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Businesspeople from Philadelphia