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F.F.
Proctor
(1851-1929)
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"Dean
of Vaudeville" |
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Proctor,
Frederick Freeman or Francis [Fred
Levantine] (1851-1929) American
Vaudeville manager (‘Dean of
Vaudeville’) and theatre owner. Born
in Dexter, Maine he began his
theatrical career as part of an
acrobat act traveling the United
States and Europe as Fred Levantine. A
frugal teetotaler, he used his savings
to buy an interest in a small theatre
in Albany, NY in 1886 where he
discontinued the practice of serving
drinks, cleaned up the acts and
offered wholesome family vaudeville. In 1889 he opened the 23rd
St Theatre in New York City as a
legitimate house. By 1890 with his
partner Henry Jacobs he owned a dozen
cut-rate vaudeville houses. When the
partnership went sour in that same
year he moved to New York. Beginning
with New York’s Proctor Pleasure
Palace in 1894 he devoted his interest
exclusively to vaudeville
entertainment establishing the first
vaudeville circuit and ultimately
owning 25 theatres up and down the
east coast. In 1906 he joined his
arch-rival B.F. Keith as head of the
United Booking Office, a large chain
of first-class vaudeville theatre. He sold out
his theatrical holding shortly before
his death to the Radio-Keith-Orpheum
circuit.. In 1912, Proctor built his
estate, Proctoria, on 1142 acres of
land in Central Valley, NY. He
constructed five large homes, various
barns, and "The Gatehouse"
which marked the impressive entrance
to the estate. Following Proctor's
death in 1929, the estate was put up
for sale, finally being acquired by
the United States Military Academy
(West Point). All the buildings,
except the Gatehouse and small
Carriage House directly behind, were
destroyed so the lands could be used
for military and parachute maneuvers. |
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(click
on photo to enlarge) |
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at
age 18 |
at
age 21 |
Fred
Levantine 1870's |
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Interior
of Proctor's Theatre in
Schenectady, NY |
An
audience at Proctor's Pleasure Palace
1899 |
Proctor's
Newark Theatre 1906 |
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The
Gate House on the Proctor Estate in
Central Valley, NY |
Proctor's
Coat of Arms |
Mr.
& Mrs. Proctor on their 1200 acres
estate "Proctoria" in
Central Valley, NY |
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in
1905 |
25th
Anniversary Jubilee Program Cover |
Last
photo taken when he retired from
active control of his theatres |
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Joseph
Haworth & F.F. Proctor |
Insert
Haworth text here |
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