Alexander Pantages

Alexander Pantages (actually Greek Περικλῆς Ἀλέξανδρος Πανταζής Periklis Alexandros Padazis * probably 1867 on the island of Andros (Greece) ; † 17th February 1936 ) was an American vaudeville - impresario . Allegedly, Pantages spoke half a dozen languages ​​but could not write. Even so, he created a major theater chain in the western United States and Canada .

biography

At the age of 9, Pantages ran away from home and worked on merchant ships for several years. He helped with the work on the Panama Canal until he fell ill with malaria . He then made his way in San Francisco as a waiter and at times also as a boxer.

In 1897 he went to Canada to look for gold on the Yukon . In Dawson he became a partner and lover of the saloon operator "Klondike Kate" Rockwell . A small but successful vaudeville theater was part of the business.

In 1902 Pantages moved to Seattle , where he opened the "Crystal Theater". He married the musician Lois Mendenhall (approx. 1870–1941). In the mid-1920s he owned over 30 vaudeville theaters and had contracts with several others. This chain was known as the "Pantages Circuit". All Pantages tours started in the "Pantages Playhouse" in Winnipeg and - if successful - went through the whole circuit.

Around 1920, Pantages moved to Los Angeles . He signed a contract with a film distributor and showed films in his theaters in addition to live shows. In the 1920s he dominated the vaudeville and movie theater market west of the Mississippi .

At the end of the 1920s, Pantages received an offer to buy his chain from Joseph P. Kennedy , which he rejected. In 1929 he was charged with rape and sentenced to 50 years in prison. As a result, he had to accept the original offer, which has now been reduced to less than half. He obtained a retrial and successfully argued that he was the victim of an intrigue by his competitors.

Despite this triumph, Pantages was financially and physically ruined. He had to sell his chain well below value. He retired and bred racehorses. His attempts to return to the theater world failed. Alexander Pantages died in 1936 and was buried in Glendale, California .

The film producer John W. Considine Jr. was his son-in-law.

Web links

• Alexander Pantages (Stanford University).
• Biography on The Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History (English)
• Biography on Tacoma Public Library ( Memento from December 1, 2008 in the Internet Archive )