In a brazen move that will become a trademark throughout his professional career, he secured an ad in red ink on the first page of the Cincinnati Enquirer announcing the coming of Effie Ellsler in Hazel Kirke.

[1] Out of a job, he moved to New York City and quickly started working for the likes of Charles Frohman, Klaw & Erlanger and other theatrical producers.

J.J. Rosenthal subsequently worked for A.H. Woods and is credited with bringing George Broadhurst to prominence and catapulting Julian Eltinge to stardom.

According to reports, in January 1914, he arranged for Marie Dressler tocome to the Gaiety when a contract had been signed for the showing of white-slave films (a popular genre in early cinema) at the house at the same time.

[6] In 1915, citing that he was tired of being on the road, he accepted Cohan & Harris' offer to manage the Bronx Opera House.