Historic Photo Gallery: 1900 to 1920
1913
At age 28 Louis B. Mayer (pictured here) and his partner, Ben Stern, purchased the Walnut.
Their plan was to produce touring shows and use the theatre as a starting point
for their productions. When they purchased the lease in 1913, however, they
discovered the Walnut needed extensive repairs, and there was a rumor it might
be demolished. Mayer and Stern eventually spent $6,000 in repairs and the season
opened in August 1913 with
The Firefly. Their method of one and two week
bookings of plays that had previously debuted on Broadway was successful, although
after one year their partnership ended and Mayer went on to Hollywood where he
formed the production company that would ultimately become Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
(Photograph courtesy of Hulton Archive, Getty Images.)
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