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| author | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-02-04 10:08:15 -0800 |
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| committer | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-02-04 10:08:15 -0800 |
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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8464f0f --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #63624 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63624) diff --git a/old/63624-0.txt b/old/63624-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index ffe2246..0000000 --- a/old/63624-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,17737 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Life of David Belasco; vol 2, by William -Winter - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this ebook. - -Title: The Life of David Belasco; vol 2 - -Author: William Winter - -Release Date: November 04, 2020 [EBook #63624] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at - http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - available at The Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIFE OF DAVID BELASCO; VOL -2 *** - - - - - THE LIFE OF - DAVID BELASCO - - VOLUME TWO - - [Illustration] - - “_I will not be slack to play_ - _my part in Fortune’s pageant!_” - --Shakespeare - -[Illustration: DAVID BELASCO - -“_The natural successor of Lester Wallack, Edwin Booth and Augustin -Daly, as the leading theatrical manager of America._”--W. W. - -From a portrait made for this Memoir -by Arnold Genthe, New York. -] - - - - - THE LIFE - OF - DAVID BELASCO - - BY - - WILLIAM WINTER - - (1836-1917) - - “He, being dead, yet speaketh.” - - - VOLUME TWO - - - NEW YORK - MOFFAT, YARD AND COMPANY - 1918 - - - COPYRIGHT, 1918, BY - JEFFERSON WINTER - - _All Rights Reserved_ - - - - -CONTENTS - -THE LIFE OF DAVID BELASCO--VOLUME TWO - - - PAGE - -“UNDER TWO FLAGS.”--BLANCHE BATES THE RISING -STAR 1 - -BELASCO AND DAVID WARFIELD:--THEIR FIRST -MEETING 6 - -WARFIELD AND “THE AUCTIONEER” 11 - -IN THE GRIP OF THE OCTOPUS.--ANCIENT METHODS -IN MODERN BUSINESS 16 - -TESTIMONY UNDER OATH.--BELASCO _VERSUS_ ERLANGER 20 - -LAW _VERSUS_ JUSTICE 23 - -A FAITHFUL FRIEND:--WARFIELD FOR BELASCO.--THE -END OF “THE AUCTIONEER” 24 - -TEMPERAMENTAL SYMPATHY.--EARLY READING: -“THE LOW SUN MAKES THE COLOR” 28 - -GENESIS OF BELASCO’S _DU BARRY_.--CHARACTER OF -THE HISTORIC ORIGINAL 31 - -A FANCIFUL FABRIC.--“DU BARRY” FIRST PRODUCED 34 - -RICHEPIN AND THE “DU BARRY” LAWSUIT 42 - -A GRACIOUS TRIBUTE.--“REMEMBER THAT WE -LOVED YOU” 45 - -THE THEATRIC _RICHMOND_ “LOOKS PROUDLY O’ER -THE CROWN” 47 - -A DANGEROUS ACCIDENT.--ALTERING THE REPUBLIC 52 - -THE FIRST BELASCO THEATRE 55 - -“AFTER THIRTY YEARS OF LABOR.”--BELASCO IN -HIS OWN THEATRE:--THE OPENING NIGHT 60 - -THE FIRST PROGRAMME 62 - -A STUPID DISPARAGEMENT.--INCEPTION OF “THE -DARLING OF THE GODS” 67 - -THE PLAY AND THE PERFORMANCE OF “THE DARLING -OF THE GODS” 73 - -THE CREATION OF DRAMATIC EFFECTS.--DIFFICULTIES -WITH THE RIVER OF SOULS 82 - -AN OPERATIC PROJECT.--PETTY PERSECUTIONS.--AN -ARREST FOR LIBEL 85 - -SECOND SEASON AT THE BELASCO.--A CONTEMPTIBLE -OUTRAGE 91 - -HENRIETTA CROSMAN AND “SWEET KITTY BELLAIRS” 94 - -SIDE-LIGHT AND COMMENTARY ON “SWEET KITTY” 103 - -A STRENUOUS YEAR 109 - -WARFIELD IN “THE MUSIC MASTER.”--AN ANIMATED -SPEECH 111 - -CONCERNING WARFIELD, JEFFERSON, THE ELDER -SOTHERN AND THE “ONE PART” CUSTOM.--AN -AMAZING RECORD 120 - -A SHEAF OF OLD LETTERS: IN THE MATTER OF THE -THEATRICAL SYNDICATE 126 - -METHODS OF COLLABORATION 132 - -MRS. CARTER AND THE TRAGEDY OF “ADREA” 136 - - -BELASCO AND THE THEATRICAL SYNDICATE - -JUSTICE AND THEATRICAL ACHIEVEMENT 150 - -BELASCO’S UNIQUE SERVICE TO THE THEATRE 151 - -WHAT ARE WE DISCUSSING? 153 - -THE SYNDICATE-INCUBUS DEFINED 154 - -SPECIOUS PRETENSIONS TO JUSTIFY THE INCUBUS 155 - -TENDENCY TO COMBINATION IN MODERN BUSINESS 157 - -CAUSES OF THEATRICAL PROGRESS 158 - -THE RIGHT PRINCIPLE 161 - -THE OBLIGATION OF INTELLECT 162 - -“THOSE SHALL TAKE WHO HAVE THE POWER” 167 - -DIVERGENT VIEWS OF THE SYNDICATE: GROUNDS -FOR REASONABLE BELIEF 170 - -CONVERTING CONVENTION HALL:--“ADREA” IN -WASHINGTON 177 - -EXIT MRS. CARTER 184 - -SIGNIFICANT MESSAGES 186 - -VARIOUS LETTERS AND INCIDENTS OF 1905 188 - -TRIBUTE TO IRVING 194 - -BLANCHE BATES AND “THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN -WEST” 195 - -A THRILLING STORY--AND A TRUE ONE 200 - -A MASTERPIECE OF STAGECRAFT: THE STORM IN -“THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST” 203 - -THE PARTING OF BLANCHE BATES AND BELASCO.--“THE -FIGHTING HOPE” AND “NOBODY’S WIDOW” 206 - -A GREAT NIGHT.--BELASCO AT THE METROPOLITAN.--A -GENEROUS ACKNOWLEDGMENT 211 - -BELASCO AND THE MESSRS. SHUBERT 216 - -THE ADVENT OF FRANCES STARR.--BELASCO’S “THE -ROSE OF THE RANCHO” 219 - -A NEW PROJECT:--THE SECOND BELASCO THEATRE 232 - -IN THE MATTER OF STAGE LIGHTING 242 - -OPENING OF BELASCO’S STUYVESANT THEATRE:--“A -GRAND ARMY MAN” 247 - -A DEFEATED PLAN: “THE PASSING OF THE THIRD -FLOOR BACK” 255 - -“THE WARRENS OF VIRGINIA” 258 - -“THE EASIEST WAY” 265 - -“WESTWARD, HO!”--THE SYNDICATE SURRENDERS.--INCIDENTS -OF 1909 269 - -THE SEASON OF 1909-’10: “IS MATRIMONY A FAILURE?”--“THE -LILY”--AND “JUST A WIFE” 279 - -A CHANGE OF NAMES.--THE FARCE OF “THE CONCERT” 287 - -LOSS AND GRIEF.--“NO MAN BEARS SORROW -BETTER” 293 - -A DRAMA OF SPIRITUALISM 298 - -BELASCO’S “THE RETURN OF PETER GRIMM” 299 - -CONCERNING THE EUNUCHS OF CRITICASTERISM 304 - -“THE WOMAN”--AND MR. ABRAHAM GOLDKNOPF 306 - - -BELASCO AND PLAGIARISM - -“FOLLY LOVES THE MARTYRDOM OF FAME” 310 - -“THE TRICK APPLIED” 312 - -AN ANCIENT USAGE 313 - -CHARLES READE ON PLAGIARISM 315 - -“FOR THE DEFENDANT” 318 - -CONCERNING BENEFITS--REMEMBERED AND FORGOT 324 - -THE DRAMATIC WORKS OF DAVID BELASCO - -JUVENILE EFFORTS 327 - -WRITTEN BEFORE 1882-’83 (BELASCO’S NEW -YORK CAREER BEGAN IN SEPTEMBER, 1882) 328 - -WRITTEN SUBSEQUENT TO 1882-’83 329 - -PLAYS AS YET UNACTED 332 - -BELASCO AS A DRAMATIST:--A FRAGMENT 332 - -THE GOLDKNOPF TRIAL--A UNIQUE DEMONSTRATION 336 - -A DRAMA OF PSYCHOLOGY:--“THE CASE OF BECKY” 343 - -“A GOOD LITTLE DEVIL” 348 - -“THE SECRET” 350 - -“MARIE-ODILE” 356 - -RECONCILIATION WITH CHARLES FROHMAN--AND -JOINT PRESENTMENT OF “A CELEBRATED -CASE” 361 - -LENORE ULRIC.--AND “THE HEART OF WETONA” 366 - - -VARIOUS PRODUCTIONS--MISCELLANEOUS RECORD: - -“WHAT’S WRONG.”--“THE VANISHING BRIDE.”--“THE -LOVE THOUGHT.”--“ALIAS.” 373 - -“THE GOVERNOR’S LADY” 377 - -“YEARS OF DISCRETION” 381 - -“THE TEMPERAMENTAL JOURNEY” 386 - -A REVIVAL OF THE “AUCTIONEER” 386 - -A MANIAC’S PLAY--“THE MAN INSIDE” 387 - -BELASCO IN CHINATOWN 394 - -AN ADMONITION TO STAGE ASPIRANTS 398 - -“THE PHANTOM RIVAL” 402 - -“THE BOOMERANG” 406 - -“SEVEN CHANCES” 411 - -“THE LITTLE LADY IN BLUE.”--THE LAST -PLAY EVER SEEN BY WILLIAM WINTER 413 - -“THE VERY MINUTE”--A MEMORANDUM 416 - -SUMMARY 418 - -A GREAT SHAKESPEAREAN PROJECT 441 - -CONCERNING SARAH BERNHARDT 448 - -BRIEF EXTRACTS FROM MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE 452 - - -APPENDIX (BY J. W.) - -“VAN DER DECKEN” 459 - -“POLLY WITH A PAST” 462 - -“TIGER ROSE” 465 - -CHRONOLOGY OF THE LIFE OF DAVID BELASCO -(W. W.) 473 - -INDEX 543 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS. - -VOLUME TWO. - - -_In Photogravure._ - -David Belasco Frontispiece - - PAGE - -David Belasco, About 1885 16 - -David Warfield 26 - -Mrs. Leslie Carter as _Du Barry_ 42 - -David Belasco 60 - -Blanche Bates as _Yo-San_, in “The Darling of the -Gods” 76 - -David Belasco, About 1889-’90 90 - -David Belasco 136 - -Frances Starr 224 - -Augusta Belasco, Mrs. William Elliott 298 - -Reina Belasco, Mrs. Morris Gest 300 - -David Belasco 320 - -David Belasco 336 - -David Belasco 418 - - -_In Halftone._ - -Blanche Bates as _Cigarette_, in “Under Two Flags” 2 - -A Scene from Belasco’s “Under Two Flags” 6 - -David Warfield as _Simon Levi_, in “The Auctioneer” 12 - -Mrs. Leslie Carter as _Du Barry_ 34 - -Charles A. Stevenson as _King Louis the Fifteenth_, in -Belasco’s “Du Barry” 40 - -Belasco, About 1902 46 - -Belasco’s “Studio” in the First Belasco Theatre 54 - -Belasco in His Studio at the First Belasco Theatre 58 - -A Scene from “The Darling of the Gods” 72 - -George Arliss as _Zakkuri, the Minister of War_, in -“The Darling of the Gods” 82 - -Henrietta Crosman as _Mistress Kitty Bellairs_, in -“Sweet Kitty Bellairs” 100 - -David Warfield as _Herr Anton von Barwig_, in “The -Music Master” 114 - -Scene in Front of the Belasco Theatre, Pittsburgh, Pa. 126 - -Belasco’s “Adrea” Curtains 150 - -The Members of the Theatrical Syndicate 168 - -The Crowning Room,--Belasco’s Production of “Adrea” 178 - -Mrs. Leslie Carter as _Adrea_, in the Tragedy of that -Name 186 - -Henry Irving in the Last Year of His Life--1904-’05 194 - -Blanche Bates as _The Girl_, in “The Girl of the -Golden West” 198 - -To David Belasco 212 - -In Remembrance 214 - -The Opera of “The Girl of the Golden West”--A -Souvenir, to Belasco 218 - -Frances Starr as _Jaunita_, in “The Rose of the -Rancho” 232 - -Belasco in His Workshop 238 - -Switchboard of the Second Belasco Theatre, New -York 246 - -David Warfield as _Wes’ Bigelow_, in “A Grand Army -Man” 254 - -Charlotte Walker as _Agatha Warren_, in “The Warrens -of Virginia” 264 - -David Belasco and His Father, Humphrey Abraham -Belasco, in San Francisco, February, 1909--Their -Last Meeting 272 - -Nance O’Neil as _Odette De Maigny_ and Julia Dean -(the Younger) as _Christine De Maigny_, in “The -Lily” 282 - -Belasco, About 1911 286 - -Leo Ditrichstein as _Gabor Arany_ and Janet Beecher -as _Helen, Mrs. Arany_, in “The Concert” 290 - -“Oft in the Still Night” 294 - -David Warfield as _Peter Grimm_, in “The Return of -Peter Grimm” 304 - -“The Student”--David Belasco 312 - -David Belasco 328 - -Frances Starr as _Becky_, in “The Case of Becky” 344 - -Belasco, About 1914 352 - -Frances Starr as _Marie-Odile_ 360 - -Lenore Ulric as _Wetona_, in “The Heart of Wetona” 372 - -Belasco at Orienta Point--Summer Home of His -Daughter, Mrs. Gest 428 - -Benjamin F. Roeder, Belasco’s General Business -Manager 438 - -Sarah Bernhardt 450 - -David Warfield as _Van Der Decken_ 456 - -Ina Claire as _Polly Shannon_, in “Polly With a Past” 460 - -Lenore Ulric as _Rose_, in “Tiger Rose” 466 - -David Belasco--His Latest Portrait, 1918 470 - -Belasco Leading the Parade of “The Lambs” up -Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D. C. 476 - - - “_To him the laurels and the lyre belong:_ - _He won them well, and may he wear them long!_” - - - - -THE LIFE OF DAVID BELASCO - - - - -“UNDER TWO FLAGS.”--BLANCHE BATES THE RISING STAR. - - -The London engagement of “Zaza” ended, Belasco, Mrs. Carter, and the -members of the “Zaza” company returned to America, sailing from -Southampton, on board the steamship New York, August 18, 1900. Mrs. -Carter’s tour in that play began at the Criterion Theatre, New York, on -October 1, and Belasco turned his attention to launching Blanche Bates -as a star. The histrionic vehicle which he selected for this purpose was -a revamped dramatization of Ouida’s “Under Two Flags.” He had hoped to -obtain a drama on a fresh subject for her use and he had asked Charles -Frohman to assist in finding such a one. But, after waiting a -considerable time without any suitable play coming to light and it being -essential to bring her forward in something, Belasco determined to turn -to an old subject and revivify it. “I decided, in desperation,” he -writes, “to revive ‘Under Two Flags,’ which I had long been familiar -with, of which I had made at least two versions, and which, in the old -days, I had directed for Lotta. Her version of it, however, seemed very -old-fashioned, and I employed Mr. Paul M. Potter to make a new -adaptation of the book. I introduced a novel effect in that production -in the sand-storm in the Fourth Act; it was simple in its mechanism, but -it required much work to perfect it: it has since come into general -use.” - -Ouida’s novel is so well known to the public of the Library and, in one -form or another, histrionic adaptations of it are so well known to the -public of the Theatre, that the subject is, in every point of view, -familiar, and minutely detailed consideration of it in this place would, -therefore, be superfluous. The new theatrical epitome of that novel was -made known, for the first time, at the Garden Theatre, New York, -February 5, 1901. It was, in every detail, supervised and made practical -by Belasco, and it owed its success to his ingenious and expert -manipulation and to the embodiment of _Cigarette_ given in it under his -direction by Miss Bates. The story of that ardent, picturesque, -adventurous girl is a story of amatory infatuation, brave exploits, and -pathetic self-sacrifice, under romantic circumstances. The -representative of _Cigarette_ must be handsome, passionate, expeditious, -magnanimous, resolute, full of resource, sparkling with energy, - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Sarony. Collection of Jefferson Winter. - -BLANCHE BATES AS _CIGARETTE_, IN “UNDER TWO FLAGS”] - -potent in fiery conflicts of feeling, and, above all, capable of -covering grief with a smile. That is the essence of her character. -Blanche Bates, possessing rare personal distinction and a temperament -equally attuned to the extreme moods of mirth and grief, was easily -proficient in the assumption of that personality and in the pictorial -and effective exposition of it. Without the presence of that actress the -play (if it had ever been produced at all) would have passed as a -populous, tumultuous stage pageant,--a spectacle of Moorish scenery and -military bustle. Animated by her power, sensibility, and spirited, -various, incessant action, it was lifted to dramatic importance and -Belasco’s “desperate” venture--as he calls it--proved brilliantly -successful. - -The employment of _Cigarette_ is the salvation from various dangers of -_Bertie Cecil_, a man whom she loves and whose love is bestowed on -another woman, and her diligence in that employment is attended by risk -and rewarded by ruin. Many persons appear to think that it is beatific -to be loved by other persons and grievous not to be loved, and, -accordingly, love-tales exemplary of the joy, on the one hand, and the -sorrow, on the other, that are sequent from those antipodal conditions -of experience are perennially popular. _Pygmalion_ worships a stone; -_Titania_ caresses the ears of an ass, and the populace is thrilled. -_Cigarette’s_ passion for _Bertie Cecil_ is of the old, familiar kind, -and, the scene being Algeria, her adventures are, theatrically, shown -across a background of singular beauty,--because that country is -remarkable for flowers, cedar forests, Oriental palms, Roman remains, -stony deserts contrasted with smiling villages, and luxuriant gardens -not distant from mountains covered with snow. - -Taste, thought, ingenuity, and sedulous care were expended on every -feature of the pageant by Belasco, and the result was a magnificent -spectacle,--one of the richest and most impressive ever seen on our -Stage. Had it been brought here by Henry Irving or Herbert -Beerbohm-Tree, it would have been hailed as a transcendent exploit in -stagecraft. Every scene was a picture, every picture was harmonious with -the phase of the story to be illustrated, and in the transitions from -the luxurious villa, with its prospect of the tranquil ocean faintly -rippling beneath the moon, to the desolate, rocky, weird, and ominous -mountain gorge a climax of solemn grandeur seemed to take shape, color, -and charm, slowly rising out of a dream of romantic beauty. The drift of -whirling mist over the darkening waves of sand on the bleak seacoast -would have seemed the most consummate of illusions had it not been -excelled by the blinding terrors of a mountain tempest. Those effects -were wrought by simple means, but they were not less splendid because of -the simplicity of their management. - -The _dramatic_ victory was not won, however, by either the pageantry or -the play. Mr. Potter’s variant version of “Under Two Flags” is hackneyed -in expedients, abrupt in movement, drastic in method, coarse in -character, shady in morals, florid in style, and it was made silly, in -some of the colloquies, by the infusion of contemporary slang and -reference. The listener heard of “rot” and also of “the -Klondike,”--unknown in the period of the story. But the old novel had -been made to yield telling situations, and the strong and splendid -acting of Miss Bates vitalized them, brilliantly animated the whole -structure, and vindicated Belasco’s faith in the ability of the actress. -The revelation of jealousy working in an unsophisticated, half-savage -nature, the elemental passion expressed in the fantastic dance, the -prayer of the breaking heart for her lover’s fidelity, the supplication -for his pardon, the agony when repulsed, the ecstasy when triumphant, -the tremendous conflict of emotions in the wild ride for rescue,--they -were all displayed with more of human nature and more of a competent -artist’s power to control feelings and to shape the effect of situation -than had been seen on our Stage for many a long day.--This was the -original cast of “Under Two Flags” at the Garden Theatre: - -_Bertie Cecil_ Francis Carlyle. -_John_ Maclyn Arbuckle. -_Rake_ Edward S. Abeles. -_Countess of Westminster_ Rose Snyder. -_Venetia Lyonnesse_ Margaret Robinson. -_Marquis of Chateauroy_ Campbell Gollan. -_Lord Constantia_ Arthur Bruce. -_Pierre Baroni_ Albert Bruning. -_Renée Baroni_ Grace Elliston. -_General Lamoricière_ Matt. Snyder. -_Paul Lamoricière_ Madge West. -_Captain de Chanrellon_ Beresford Webb. -_En-ta-Maboull_ Frank Leyden. -_Beau Bruno_ Tefft Johnson. -_Amineh_ Mrs. F. M. Bates. -_Cigarette_ Blanche Bates. - - - - -BELASCO AND DAVID WARFIELD:--THEIR FIRST MEETING. - - -“Under Two Flags” was acted at the Garden Theatre until June 3, 1901, -when that house was closed for the season and Belasco turned his -attention to preparations for the appearance of Mrs. Carter in a new -play and for the bringing forward of David Warfield as a star in the -legitimate - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Byron. Author’s Collection. - -A SCENE IN BELASCO’S “UNDER TWO FLAGS”] - -Theatre. That actor, then a popular variety hall performer and a member -of the burlesque and travesty company maintained by Messrs. Weber & -Fields at their theatre in New York,--in Broadway, between Twenty-ninth -and Thirtieth streets,--had negotiated with Belasco, about -August-September, 1900, relative to acting under his management and on -November 2, that year, they entered into a formal agreement whereby -Belasco undertook the direction of Warfield’s professional career. Their -contract was made to cover a first period of three years: it provided -that Warfield should be presented as a star, beginning about September -or October, 1901, and that he should be paid a weekly salary of $300 and -should receive, further, 20 per cent. of the net profits of his -professional exploitation during the first year, 25 per cent. during the -second year, 30 per cent. during the third year, and 50 per cent. -thereafter, if the contract should be renewed. This engagement also -expressly required Belasco “personally to supervise the performances to -be given” by Warfield as well as to provide a play for him to act in. -The professional alliance thus begun between Belasco and Warfield has -proved, for both parties to it, one of the most fortunate ever made in -the Theatre. The personal friendship between them began many years -earlier: Belasco has given the following glimpse of its beginning: - - “There was an usher at the Bush Street Theatre--a bright little - fellow with a most luminous smile. He is still small, and his smile - is still luminous. I did not then know his name, but I had heard - that among his family and friends he was quite an entertainer, - being able to sing, to mimic and to recite. One day I was at home, - in my front room on the top floor, when I heard a voice in the - street below. I leaned out, and there on the corner, standing on a - box which scarcely raised him above the gaping onlookers, was the - little usher from the Bush Street Theatre, reciting to a curious - crowd. I went down and stood near until he had finished. Then I - went up to him and asked him his name. ‘Dave Warfield,’ said he, - giving me the smile that lived long afterwards in _Herr von - Barwig_, during all the rehearsals of ‘The Music Master,’ and that - was our first meeting.” - -David Warfield was born in San Francisco on November 28, 1866. He began -theatrical life as a programme boy, in the Standard Theatre of that -city. Later he became an usher in the Bush Street Theatre there. His -first professional appearance was made as a member of a travelling -theatrical company at Napa, California, in 1888, as the specious, -rascally Jew, _Melter Moss_, in “The Ticket-of-Leave Man.” That company -was disbanded at the end of one week, and thereafter Warfield appeared -at several San Francisco variety halls, and in a piece called “About -Town,” and gave imitations of actors whom he had seen,--among them -Tommaso Salvini and Sarah Bernhardt,--and of “types” that he had -observed in the streets of his native city. In 1890 he removed to New -York and obtained professional employment, for a short time, in Paine’s -Concert Hall, in Eighth Avenue. His next engagement was to act _Hiram -Joskins_, in a play called “The Inspector,” produced by Mr. William A. -Brady: that employment lasted two months. In March, 1891, he performed -as _Honora_, in “O’Dowd’s Neighbors,” in a company led by Mark Murphy. -In the season of 1891-’92 he acted with Russell’s Comedians, under the -management of John H. Russell, appearing as _John Smith_, in “The City -Directory.” In 1892-’93 he was seen as _Washington Littlehales_, in “A -Nutmeg Match.” In September, 1895, he became associated with the New -York Casino Theatre, where he remained for three years, acting in “About -Town,” “The Merry Whirl,” “In Gay New York,” and “The Belle of New -York,”--pieces which are correctly described as medleys of tinkling -music and nonsense. In those “entertainments,” frivolous and often -vulgar, Warfield presented several variations of substantially the same -identity,--an expert semblance of the New York East Side Jew. In 1898 he -joined the company of Messrs. Weber & Fields, and at their theatre, -where he remained for three seasons, he appeared in various rough and -commonplace travesties of contemporary theatrical successes, generally -presenting, in different lights, his photographic copy of the -huckstering, acquisitive, pusillanimous Jew of low life. One notable -variation of that type was his assumption of _The Old Man_, in a -burlesque of the offensive play of “Catherine.” Among the salient -characteristics of his acting, in whatever parts he played, were -fidelity to minute detail of appearance and demeanor and consistent and -continuous preservation of the spirit of burlesque,--a spirit which -combines imperturbable gravity of aspect with apparently profound -sincerity in preposterous situations and while delivering extravagant, -ludicrous speeches. True burlesque acting is a fine art and admirable as -such, and Warfield was heartily approved in that field; but at the time -when Belasco undertook to make him a star in the regular Theatre nobody, -I believe, except the shrewd and prescient manager,--not even -Warfield,--foresaw that within a few years he would have become one of -the most popular serio-comic actors of the modern American Stage. - - - - -WARFIELD AND “THE AUCTIONEER.” - - -The play in which Belasco elected to launch Warfield was entitled “The -Auctioneer.” He had, at first, intended to write this play himself, -calling it “The Only Levi.” But his time and energy were so preoccupied -by labor in connection with the establishment of Miss Bates and the -direction of Mrs. Carter’s career that he was unable to do so. He, -therefore, employed a playwright known as Lee Arthur (Arthur Lee Kahn) -to take his ideas and suggestions and weld them into dramatic form. The -fabric which Arthur, in fulfilment of this employment, delivered to him -was so wholly unfit for use (“an impossible thing, unworthy of -production,” Belasco designated it) that he subsequently engaged the -late Charles Klein to rewrite it in collaboration with Arthur, and, -finally, was compelled himself to rehash and partly rectify it during -rehearsals and early performances. It was first acted at the Hyperion -Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut, September 9, 1901. Warfield, testifying -on the subject in court, several years later, made a statement,--which, -surely, may be accepted as authoritative,--regarding this piece, as -originally produced, which is terse and informing: “When we began to -rehearse,” he said, “we had a book filled with words. The play was a -frost. _It was the biggest failure you ever heard of_, the opening -night.... Mr. Belasco worked day and night upon the reconstruction of -that play, from the time that he started with the rehearsals the week -before we left New York [preliminary rehearsals had been conducted by -Messrs. Klein and Arthur] until we came to New York and played, three -weeks later.” The first performance of “The Auctioneer” in the -metropolis occurred September 23, at the old Bijou Theatre, in Broadway, -between Thirtieth and Thirty-first streets. The piece, as then made -known, is a superficial, insubstantial one, which, however, contrives to -illustrate some vicissitudes of fortune, and, in the main part, -exemplifies the idea of a right philosophy in bearing them. That main -part is a Jewish auctioneer, named _Simon Levi_, resident in Baxter -Street, New York, and conducting an auction-room in the Five Points -region. _Levi_, having inherited a modest but competent fortune, -purchases a residence in a fashionable part of the city and invests the -balance of his money in a Trust Company. Then, at a festival in -celebration of the betrothal of his adopted daughter, a girl named -_Helga_, he is apprized that his stock certificates in the Trust Company -are bogus and that _Richard Eagan_, the affianced husband of - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Pach. Belasco’s Collection. - -DAVID WARFIELD AS _SIMON LEVI_, IN “THE AUCTIONEER”] - -_Helga_, for whom he has bought a partnership in a Wall Street brokerage -firm, is to be arrested, charged with fraud in issuing them. Forced, -with his dearly loved and cherished wife, to leave his new home in -ignominious circumstances, _Levi_, though feeble in body and hurt in -spirit, bravely begins anew the strife of living,--peddling toys in the -streets. He discovers, ultimately, that the actual swindler who has -ruined him is one _Groode_, the partner of his prospective son-in-law, -from whom he recovers his wealth, delivering the culprit up to justice -and relieving the distress of his own loved ones. This story, -notwithstanding Belasco’s strenuous labor, lost little of its trite -conventionality in its histrionic relation; but his capital stage -management and the highly meritorious performance given by Warfield -under his direction made of a flimsy, trivial play a notable and -substantial success. - -It was a shrewd device, when inducting Warfield into the regular -Theatre, to do so not abruptly, but, as it were, by gentle -actuation,--to provide for his first essay a character which was little -more than an elaboration of his Jewish “specialty,” in which his early -success had been gained, with an element of pathetic experience and -feeling superadded to it. “I had been watching Warfield for years,” said -Belasco, “and I felt sure that, if he would only study, I could make a -great character [_sic_--meaning “eccentric”] actor of him; I told him -so, and when I thought he was ready I engaged him.” While I cannot -altogether agree with Belasco in his opinion, often and warmly declared, -that David Warfield is “a unique and great actor,”--not, that is, in the -same sense that, for example, Henry Placide, William Warren, Joseph -Jefferson and John Hare were great actors,--there is no question of his -rare and fine talent nor of his steady growth in artistic stature. He -has revealed in his acting an engaging personality, a genial -disposition, a gentle manner, quick sympathy with right ideals, and -capability of fervid emotion and simple pathos. Of all the many players, -male and female, whom Belasco has guided and helped to develop none, in -my judgment, owes more to his fostering care and assistance than -Warfield does: it is extremely probable that, without Belasco’s aid, he -would have remained to the end of his career a denizen of the -music-halls, instead of becoming, as he has become, one of the most -loved and admired actors of our Stage. As _Simon Levi_ he presented a -genuine, consistent impersonation in the vein of eccentric low comedy, -at places touched with tender feeling and momentarily irradiated with -pathos. His assumption of the physical attributes of this particular -Jew of low life,--the sallow complexion; the thin, wiry hair; the -splayfooted, shambling gait; the voluble gestures, the singular dialect; -the manner, now aggressive, now fawning,--was quite perfect; but his -significant achievement was his success in denoting a steadfast, -affectionate, patient nature beneath the mean outside of a petty -huckster subjected to cruel disappointment and hardship.--This was the -original cast of “The Auctioneer”: - -_Simon Levi_ David Warfield. -_Mrs. Levi._ Maria Davis. -_Mrs. Eagan._ Marie Bates. -_Callahan._ Odell Williams. -_Jacob Sampson._ Harry Rodgers. -_Richard Eagan._ Brandon Tynan. -_Mo Fininski._ Eugene Canfield. -_Minnie._ Nellie Lynch. -_Groode._ William Boag. -_Mrs. Sampson._ Helena Phillips. -_Helga._ Maude Winter. -_Dawkins._ Horace James. -_Critch._ H. S. Millward. -_Miss Manning._ Nina Lyn. -_Miss Crompton._ Elizabeth Berkeley. -_Miss Finch._ Corah Adams. -_Zeke._ Cyril Vezina. -_Mandy._ Ruth Dennis. -_Policeman._ Harry Rawlins. -_Chestnut Vender._ Richard Bevan. - - - - -IN THE GRIP OF THE OCTOPUS.--ANCIENT METHODS IN MODERN BUSINESS. - - -“The Auctioneer” played at the Bijou Theatre until December 21,--105 -consecutive performances being given there. On December 23 Warfield -began a “road tour” in that play which lasted for twenty weeks, ending -at the Illinois Theatre, Chicago, May 10, 1902. The net profit from this -tour was $80,000,--certainly an amazing sum to be gained by presentation -in the regular Theatre of an unknown star, fresh from the music halls, -who, all told, had appeared in perhaps a score of productions! But -Belasco’s actual profit from the fruits of his perspicacious judgment -and enterprise was far less than that great sum. The reason of this -seemingly strange fact is that in his professional exploitation of -Warfield he had fallen into the ruthless grip of an iniquitous -“booking-monopoly” which, practically, dominated for many years what are -known as “the first-class theatres” of America and which is still -perniciously active. Belasco’s conflict with that monopoly was long and -bitter; thousands of columns have been devoted to it in the newspaper -press of the country, and it has, at various times, occupied a prominent -place in public attention. That conflict grew directly out - -[Illustration: DAVID BELASCO - -About 1885 - -Photograph by Falk. -Belasco’s Collection. -] - -of his undertaking the management of Warfield. Several actions at law -have been incident to it. Testifying under oath in one of them, in 1905, -Belasco gave an account of his experience in relation to “The -Auctioneer” which I believe to be true in all essentials and of which I -make the following abstract and brief chronicle: - -After Belasco had undertaken to bring forward Warfield as a star he -applied to Mr. Abraham Lincoln Erlanger, junior member of the firm of -Klaw & Erlanger, theatrical managers and booking agents (i.e., “agents” -who arbitrarily arranged tours by theatrical companies through American -cities), for the purpose of making advantageous arrangements for -Warfield to appear in New York and other cities. He applied to Mr. -Erlanger because he was aware that it was, at the time, practically -speaking, impossible for him to make such arrangements, except through -the firm of Klaw & Erlanger, and that the junior member attended to such -business for that firm. He called on Mr. Erlanger at his residence, No. -262 West Seventieth Street, New York, on Sunday, December 9, 1900, and -stated his wish. Mr. Erlanger, in response, stated that “We [K. & E.] -are not in this business for our health” and inquired “Where do we [K. & -E.] come in?” Belasco replied that Klaw & Erlanger would receive their -customary commission, $300 to $400, for “booking” the play. To this Mr. -Erlanger rejoined “Hell, about that: we got to get something more.” -Belasco, after protesting that he was not, in any way, soliciting a -favor; that he assumed all risk and liability in the venture, and that -he felt it to be “a sort of blackmail” (and a very obvious sort, I -should say!) to exact from him a share in whatever gains might accrue to -him from presentation of Warfield, offered to surrender to Klaw & -Erlanger 20 per cent. of such gains, in return for “a route.” This -offer, swore Belasco, Mr. Erlanger rejected, demanding that, instead he -(his firm) should receive _50_ per cent. of any profits from the -exploitation of Warfield. To Belasco’s inquiry as to why he should -receive this unearned remuneration Mr. Erlanger rejoined “None of your -damn’ business; I want half, and _if I don’t get half_ out of Warfield -_you can’t have a route for him_. I will crush you out; sit upon you; -jump upon you, and push you out; _crush you out of this theatrical -business_!” He further admonished Belasco thus: “Understand me, Belasco; -hereafter, I want 50 per cent. of every damn’ thing you do!” Belasco, -after taking several days to consider this extortionate proposal, -decided that he could not avoid accepting it, if he was successfully to -present Warfield. He went, in company with his business manager, -Benjamin F. Roeder, to Mr. Erlanger’s office and there communicated his -decision to him, saying: “Mr. Erlanger, I can’t see any escape for me. I -want it understood that you are _compelling_ me to give up 50 per cent. -I don’t think it is right, but, if you insist, there is nothing else for -me to do.” The agreement was then made, the late Joseph Brooks, an -associate of Klaw & Erlanger, being put forward, according to Belasco’s -testimony, as a “dummy” in the written contract, in order that the -partnership of Klaw & Erlanger might be concealed from their partners in -the Theatrical Syndicate,--Messrs. Charles Frohman, Al. Hayman, Samuel -F. Nirdlinger (known as S. F. Nixon) and J. Fred. Zimmermann,--this -concealment being desired in order that Klaw & Erlanger, as booking -agents, might be able to exact more profitable terms from their -Syndicate partners than would be possible if that firm were generally -known to possess “an interest” in the presentation of Warfield in “The -Auctioneer.” Belasco, to substantiate his assertion that, actually, he -was in partnership with Klaw & Erlanger, not with Brooks, in the said -presentation, produced a number of paid cheques drawn to the order of -that firm, to a total amount of more than $30,000,--which, he swore, -represented its 50 per cent. of profits from “The Auctioneer” during -the period while that play was “booked” by Klaw & Erlanger,--a period -which, from the record, seems to have ended on January 31, 1902, at -Duluth, Minnesota. Brooks, by way of explaining those cheques, testified -that he had directed Belasco’s business agent, Roeder, to make them -payable to the order of Klaw & Erlanger because he, Brooks, was -frequently absent from New York! Brooks _admitted_ that he “made them -[Klaw & Erlanger] a present of” two-thirds of the half-interest in -presentation of “The Auctioneer” which he asserted was his. - - - - -TESTIMONY UNDER OATH:--BELASCO _VERSUS_ ERLANGER. - - -If we accept Belasco’s sworn testimony as true, then it must appear that -in the matter of arranging a tour for Warfield in “The Auctioneer” he -was the victim of as brazen and shameful an instance of blackmail as has -ever been perpetrated. It must, however, in justice be specified that -Mr. Erlanger, also testifying under oath, _flatly denied every material -statement_ made by Belasco bearing on this matter: the effect of Mr. -Erlanger’s sworn testimony, if it be accepted as true, must be to -exhibit Belasco as a villain and a liar. The eminent lawyer Samuel -Untermyer, Esq., who appeared for Belasco in the legal actions from the -records of which this conflictive testimony is cited, seems to have been -strongly impressed by its mutually exclusive nature: in reading certain -affidavits in the cases he remarked that they were “so contradictory -that they reveal a most flagrant and rank perjury on one side or the -other.” But every man’s testimony should receive the degree of respect -and credence to which his known character and reputation entitle it. I -have known Belasco for more than thirty years and, though he is (as I -know and in this Memoir have shown) often inaccurate and heedless in -regard to chronologic sequence, I know him to be trustworthy as to -substance in the statement of material facts; in short, _his_ known -character and reputation are good. Erlanger, on the contrary, is a -person whose public record, as known to me, is wholly consistent with -Belasco’s account of his conduct,--a cowardly, hectoring bully, of -violent temper and unsavory repute. Apart from this, since Erlanger has -testified relative to certain affidavits made by him “The things I -_swear_ to I only _look at casually_” (!!!) I see no reason to believe -that the things he “swears to,” derogatory of others, are worthy of any -respect or credence. It would be pleasant to me to avoid any mention of -this person, his character and proceedings; but it is impossible to do -so when writing an authentic account of the life of Belasco or of the -American Stage since about 1896. “He [Erlanger],” Belasco has declared, -“told me that if I refused his terms he would compel me to go into the -streets and blacken my face to earn a living. He said that I spoiled the -public instead of compelling them to take what the Trust chose to give, -and that a man with ideals in the theatrical business wound up with a -benefit within three years.” There is, therefore, I believe, ample -ground for the feeling toward and opinion about Erlanger which Belasco -expressed in his testimony: “I detest the man and his methods. I detest -him to-day. I think he is the most abhorred man in the country, because -he strikes hard bargains, and he makes people give up more than any -other man in the country.”--The suits at law referred to in the -foregoing passage (suits brought by Joseph Brooks against David Belasco -and David Belasco Company, and by David Belasco Company against Marc -Klaw, Abraham L. Erlanger and Joseph Brooks, the purposes of which were -to establish whether Belasco and Brooks or Belasco and Klaw & Erlanger -were partners in the presentation of David Warfield in “The Auctioneer” -and to secure an accounting under the partnership agreement) were tried -before the Hon. James J. Fitzgerald, J., sitting in equity, at Special -Session of Part V., Supreme Court, State of New York, April 6 to 26, -1905. The decision and judgment were against Belasco, and his case was -carried on appeal to the Appellate Division, First Department, of the -Supreme Court, April 20, 1906. - - - - -LAW _VERSUS_ JUSTICE. - - -That adverse decision and judgment were based on a technicality,--on a -point of law, not on a point of fact. The learned Justice who rendered -decision and pronounced judgment did not find that Belasco had failed to -prove his contention that, actually, he was in partnership with Klaw & -Erlanger, not with Brooks, in presentation of “The Auctioneer.” He found -that “parol evidence” could not be held to alter the effect of a written -and sealed instrument of engagement. “The rule,” he declared, “allowing -parol _proof_ of an undisclosed principal _is limited to simple -contracts_, for if the agreement be _a sealed_ one, _only the parties -thereto subscribing_ can be held bound.” The question of prime public -interest in this case (and it _is_ of prime public interest, because -the veracity, reputation and standing of one of the most eminent and -influential men in our Theatre are affected by it) is not whether -Belasco could, in law, under a strict rule of evidence, _enforce_ -against Klaw & Erlanger the contract actually signed by Brooks: the -question is whether or not that contract was, _in fact_, signed by -Brooks as “a man of straw” for Klaw & Erlanger, and by Belasco under -duress. I cannot conceive that any intelligent and judicious person -could read the testimony adduced and reach any other conclusion but that -Belasco had proved his allegations as to fact. And it seems clear to me -that the learned Justice must have felt satisfied that Belasco had -proved his case, _as to fact_,--otherwise he would not have been at such -pains to argue _in extenso_ the _incompetency_ of such _proof_ under the -rule. - - - - -A FAITHFUL FRIEND:--WARFIELD FOR BELASCO. THE END OF “THE AUCTIONEER.” - - -Warfield’s second season in “The Auctioneer” began, September 8, 1902, -at the Hollis Street Theatre, Boston, and lasted for 39 weeks,--closing -at the Victoria Theatre, New York, May 30, 1903. 315 performances were -given and the net profits were $70,000. His third season began at the -Harlem Opera House, New York, September 28. It was in December, 1903, -that Brooks applied to Judge David Leventritt for a receiver for “The -Auctioneer.” Warfield, then acting in New Orleans, being apprised of -this application, declared that he would “not play under the management -of Klaw & Erlanger’s representative, a receiver, or any one but David -Belasco.” That declaration, being published in the newspaper press, was -construed by Judge Leventritt as an attempt on the part of Warfield to -coerce the court in the matter of appointing a receiver and,--remarking -that if it had not been for what he deemed to be an attempt at coercion -he would have been inclined to appoint Belasco as the receiver,--he -named W. M. K. Olcott. Warfield thereupon refused to continue acting, -his tour was summarily closed, January 10, 1904,--two weeks’ salary -being paid by Belasco to the members of the company, in lieu of -notice,--and Warfield returned to New York. Before leaving New Orleans -he published this statement: - - “When I stated I would not play under the management of any one but - Mr. Belasco, I meant just what I said. It was not a threat--simply - expression of my honest conviction as to what was just and due to - the man who has made me a successful star. ‘The Auctioneer’ was Mr. - Belasco’s own investment, every penny of it. It was he who - conceived the idea of starring me in a play of this character. - From this man Brooks I have received nothing, nor have I from Klaw - & Erlanger, who are Mr. Belasco’s partners in ‘The Auctioneer.’ The - manner in which they became partners will be shown and proved when - this case comes into court for trial. They refused to give Mr. - Belasco bookings until he had surrendered 50 per cent. of the - concern. I was an unmade star then, and Mr. Belasco was not in the - position of power which he holds to-day. We had to divide. But of - the profits which Klaw & Erlanger have made from the managers with - whom they have booked the attraction, neither Mr. Belasco nor I - have received one penny from our partners. As for Brooks, he has - never had even carfare, unless Klaw & Erlanger have been more - liberal to him than to us. - - “The trouble and annoyance which this whole affair has caused me - have made me ill. But, sick or well, I absolutely refuse to play in - ‘The Auctioneer’ for any one but my own manager, Mr. David Belasco. - I defy Mr. Erlanger to deny that he and Mr. Klaw, and not Mr. - Brooks, are the real partners of Mr. Belasco in my tour. He told me - so with his own lips, when the New Amsterdam Theatre was building - last summer. He asked me to come and see how the foundations were - getting on. And when I funked, before crossing a rather rickety - looking plank, he said ‘I won’t let you get hurt, old man. - Remember, I own 50 per cent. of you.’ When Klaw & Erlanger hand - over our share of the profits they have made on the side, through - booking my play, I will go on with the tour, if my health permits.” - -After his arrival in New York, having read the remarks of the judge in -appointing a receiver, Warfield made this further statement: - -[Illustration: DAVID WARFIELD - - Photograph by White. - - Belasco’s Collection. -] - - “I must disclaim any intention of having attempted to coerce the - court into appointing the receiver I desired. Realizing as I did - the enormous amount of labor and energy expended by Mr. Belasco in - making the tours of ‘The Auctioneer’ a success, and appreciating as - I did that without me in the cast it was a grave question whether - the success of ‘The Auctioneer’ could continue, I thought it but - proper for me to inform the court that conscientiously I could not - continue to act unless Mr. Belasco was appointed receiver. I am - very sorry that my statement had the effect it did have, but it is - pleasing for me to learn that the charges made by Mr. Brooks - against Mr. Belasco were unfounded and not believed by the court, - because the court in its opinion says that were it not from a - desire to rebuke _me_ it might have felt inclined to have appointed - Mr. Belasco receiver. That is sufficient satisfaction to us who - know Mr. Belasco’s character, because it is certainly fair to - assume that the court would not have felt inclined to appoint Mr. - Belasco receiver if it believed the charges brought against him. - - “I am forced to continue the stand I originally took. I have closed - the season of ‘The Auctioneer,’ nor will I continue to act in that - play under the management of any person but Mr. Belasco.” - -Brooks applied for a mandatory injunction to compel Warfield to continue -acting in “The Auctioneer,” under the receivership direction of Mr. -Olcott, and arguments supporting and opposing that application were -heard before Justice Leventritt in the Supreme Court on January 26, -1904. Counsel for Warfield contended that while the court might enjoin -Warfield from acting for any persons outside of his contract, it had no -jurisdiction to compel him to act if he declined to do so. Justice -Leventritt agreed with that view of the matter and held that a mandatory -injunction as prayed for could not issue. Warfield did not act again for -eight months. - - - - -TEMPERAMENTAL SYMPATHY.--EARLY READING: “THE LOW SUN MAKES THE COLOR.” - - -In his youth Belasco was an omnivorous reader (as he continues to be), -but his favorite reading was that of History, and among historical -characters that specially enthralled his imagination was Mary, Queen o’ -Scots. Indeed, he has, in conversation, given me the impression that, -from an early age, his mind has been deeply interested in the study of -those famous women of history whose conduct of life is shown to have -been governed by their appetites and passions. That taste seems morbid, -but it is readily explicable. Such women have been, are, and always will -be a direct spring of tense, dramatic, romantic situations and tragic -events, and sometimes their experience involves incidents and culminates -in catastrophes which make a strong appeal to persons who possess, as -Belasco does, a highly emotional temperament. _Queen Guinevere_, in -Tennyson’s pathetic “Idyl,” remarks that “the low sun makes the color.” -Such women as Malcolm’s Queen Margaret of Scotland or Mme. Roland, -probably, would be viewed by Belasco with merely languid respect or -indifference. Such a woman as Navarre’s Marguerite de Valois, or Queen -Catherine the Second of Russia, or the irresistible siren Barbara -Villiers, or that all-conquering captivator Arabella Stuart,--whose -image lives, perpetual, in sculpture and, as Brittania, on the coins of -Great Britain,--would, on the contrary, provide for him an exceedingly -interesting study. It is not, therefore, altogether surprising that when -Belasco had established Mrs. Leslie Carter as a successful star it -pleased him to select for public illustration in a drama one of the most -depraved and dissolute feminine characters that hang on the fringes of -history,--the shameless hussy who, about 145 years ago, was picked out -of the streets of Paris, and under the auspices of the most notorious -titled blackguard of his time wedded to a complaisant degenerate, in -order that she might succeed Mme. Pompadour as the mistress of King -Louis the Fifteenth of France. Marie Jeanne Becu (1746-1793), who began -life in Paris as a milliner, became a courtesan, under the name of Mlle. -Lange, was later a lure for a gambling house, then, ennobled as the -“Countess du Barry,” was installed as the mistress of the corrupt King -Louis the Fifteenth,--whom practically she ruled for five years,--and -finally was slaughtered in the Reign of Terror, is the theme of one of -the most pictorial, popular, and successful of Belasco’s plays. His -selection of a story of that remarkable female’s adventures for dramatic -exploitation was not, however, wholly spontaneous. In 1899, aware that a -successor to the torrid termagant of the Paris music-halls would -presently be required for Mrs. Carter’s use, he began to cast about for -a play with a central character suited to her personality and method. -Not finding anything which he deemed satisfactory in the numerous -dramas, old as well as new, by many authors, which he examined, he -began, regretfully, to contemplate the necessity of writing one to fit -his star,--regretfully, because he was weary and would have been glad to -avoid adding the labor of authorship to that of business and stage -management. His election had practically fallen on Queen Elizabeth as -the central figure to be shown, when he abruptly determined to visit -England, partly in faint hope of finding there a drama which would serve -his end; more with intent to refresh his mind by change and travel and -to stimulate himself to his new task by visiting all the places -associated with the life and reign of Elizabeth. He sailed from New York -on June 14, 1899. Soon after he arrived in London an American -playbroker, Miss Elisabeth Marbury, communicated to him that “she had a -great idea for a part for Mrs. Carter.” Belasco, entertaining a high -opinion of Miss Marbury’s judgment and rejoiced at the sudden prospect -of escaping the labor of authorship, immediately went to see her, at -Versailles, in France, and there was informed that the French poet M. -Jean Richepin “proposed to write a play founded on the life of du -Barry.” The appended account of what followed has been written by -Belasco, and it provides explicit information on a subject that at one -time was disputed with acrimony in the newspaper press and occupied much -of the attention of the theatre-going public: - - - - -GENESIS OF BELASCO’S _DU BARRY_.--CHARACTER OF THE HISTORIC ORIGINAL. - - - “Miss Marbury outlined the plot as told to her by the dramatist, - and, as she repeated it to me, the story seemed to possess great - possibilities. I had produced Revolutionary plays with much success - and the period was dramatic. No manager in search of a woman’s play - could have resisted the fascinating little milliner of history! - Not long after our first interview I made arrangements with M. - Richepin. I smile at the recollection of my conversation with the - French author! He spoke very little English and I no French at all; - yet I seemed to know what he said, and he grew most enthusiastic - over my pantomime. The contracts were arranged, the advance - royalties paid, the costume plates begun, and before I left for - London the scene models were ordered from the scenic artist of the - Comédie Française. Carried away by the enthusiasm of M. Richepin, I - bought yards and yards of old du Barry velvets, antique silks, and - furniture of the period. When I left for home I had made all - arrangements to produce a play not a line of which was written. I - returned to New York elated, feeling certain that in a few weeks M. - Richepin would have the piece ready for rehearsals. When the - manuscript of ‘Du Barry’ arrived, I could scarcely wait to open the - package. Alas! I was doomed to disappointment. ‘Du Barry,’ in the - literary flesh, was episodic. It was poetic and beautifully - written, but deadly dull. It differed entirely from the story I had - heard in Versailles. My company was practically engaged, my models - done--and no play! I wrote to M. Richepin, and gave him my opinion - of the manuscript. I did not utterly condemn his first draft, for I - hoped that with some suggestions, he might be able to reshape his - material; but the longer he worked the more impossible the - manuscript became, until at last I lost all faith in it. It - possessed a certain charm, but--it was not a play. By this time I - had paid M. Richepin something like $3,000 in advance royalties, - and the properties and scenes were almost all delivered. I was so - deeply involved that I saw no way out of it. As du Barry was free - to any dramatist, I decided it was time to have a hand in - dramatizing the lady myself. I knew exactly what I wanted and what - was best suited to Mrs. Carter. Under the circumstances, it seemed - to me that I could save time and cablegrams by taking my own - suggestions instead of sending them to Paris. I arrived at this - decision only when I found that M. Richepin was a far greater poet - than playwright. So I threw out his play and set to work on my - own.” - -Speaking of the character of “the little French milliner,” Belasco has -said: “History paints du Barry as the most despised woman of her time. -She is said to have been the most evil creature antedating the French -Revolution. I had a vast number of books relating to du Barry, and -ransacked them all for one redeeming trait in her character: not one -kind word. Alas! Not _one_! For the first time in my life I found myself -in the hands of a really bad woman. I had never met one before (bad men -I _have_ met, but women,--never!). I felt a desire to rush to her -defence.... But--I need not have troubled myself to defend the lady, -for, good or bad, from the first night until the close of the play three -years later the public liked the French milliner and the houses were -sold out.” - -A little more careful ransacking of his vast du Barry library might have -revealed some of the kind words about “the lady” which Belasco sought. -Voltaire, in 1773, signified his appreciation of du Barry’s charms in -the following couplet, which certainly carries adulation to an extreme -limit: - - “C’est aux mortels d’adorer votre image; - L’original était fait pour les dieux.” - -The following description of this handsome female explains, at least -partially, the influence that she exerted. It was written by the Comte -de Belleval, one of her many admirers: - - “Madame du Barry was one of the prettiest women at the Court, where - there were so many, and assuredly the most bewitching, on account - of the perfections of her whole person. Her hair, which she often - wore without powder, was fair and of a most beautiful color, and - she had such a profusion that she was at a loss to know what to do - with it. Her blue eyes, widely open, had a kind and frank - expression, and she fixed them upon those persons to whom she spoke - and seemed to follow in their faces the effect of her words. She - had a tiny nose, a very small mouth, and a skin of dazzling - whiteness. In short, she quickly fascinated every one.” - - - - -A FANCIFUL FABRIC.--“DU BARRY” FIRST PRODUCED. - - -The play which Belasco fabricated and produced under the name of “Du -Barry” is radically fanciful: its uses historic names, but it is not, in -any sense, history. As in many precedent cases so in this one, - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Sarony. Belasco’s Collection. - -MRS. LESLIE CARTER AS _DU BARRY_] - -authentic records were ignored and an arbitrary, gilt-edged, rosy ideal -took the place of truth. _Nell Gwynn_, in the person of Miss Henrietta -Crosman, had worn the halo but a little time before (Bijou Theatre, New -York, October 9, 1900), and if _Nell Gwynn_ could wear it, why not -_Marie Jeanne_? This burnishing process, to be sure, is diffusive of -vast and general misinformation, but for most persons that seems to be -quite as useful as accurate knowledge, and, after all, if the Stage is -to present imperial wantons in any fashion it may as well present them -in a decent one. The gay _du Barry_ as seen by the dramatist,--or, at -least, as shown by him,--was abundantly frail, but she was also fond, -and while she did not scruple to pick up the royal pocket-handkerchief -she nevertheless, in her woman’s heart, remained true to her first love: -that is the story of the play. The adventurous actual du Barry became -the paramour of Cossé-Brissac, after King Louis the Fifteenth had died -and after she had been exiled from the French Court. In the play the -lady hides that lover in her bed (he has been wounded, and she persuades -him to seek this retirement by pounding on his wounds with a heavy -candlestick, until he becomes insensible), so that the jealous _King_, -committing the blunder of Byron’s _Don Alfonso_, in “Don Juan,” cannot -find him: she also wields the convenient candlestick with which to -smash the sconce of an interloping relative who otherwise would betray -him; she defies, for his sake, the gracious Majesty of France and every -appurtenance thereunto belonging; and, at the last, she goes -pathetically to the guillotine, still loving him and still deploring her -innocent, youthful past, when they were happy lovers together, when all -was peace, joy, and hope,--because as the old poet Rogers prettily -phrases it, “Life was new and the heart promised what the fancy drew.” -As a matter of fact, the amiable countrymen of du Barry sent her to the -guillotine, in the winter of 1793, because they had ascertained that she -was too rich to be a patriot and also, probably, had entered on a secret -correspondence with their enemies in England. - -As an epigraph to his play the dramatist selected a remark by Oliver -Wendell Holmes, that “not the great historical events but the personal -incidents that call up sharp pictures of some human being in its pang or -struggle reach us more nearly.” That statement sounds well, but it -labors under the disadvantage of not being true. The play, however, -exemplifies it to the extent of showing its heroine chiefly in her -“pang”--a condition which, seemingly, ensues upon her being a -feather-brained fool, but which she loquaciously ascribes to Fate and a -ruthless appetite for “pretty things.” There is some lightness at the -start, when _Jeanne_ is a milliner, but the opening act proves to be -practically needless, since the play does not actually begin till after -the second curtain has been raised. Then the volatile girl is tempted by -the offer of the _King’s_ love, and in order that she may accept it her -honest lover is made to misunderstand her, in an incredible manner, such -as is possible only on the stage. In the Third Act she has become a -great personage, almost a queen, and that act, which is interesting, -various, and dramatic, terminates with a highly effective scene, -possible in a play, but impossible in life,--when _du Barry’s_ wounded -lover, falling insensible on that lady’s bed and being carelessly -covered with drapery, remains there, sufficiently visible to a crowd of -eager and suspicious pursuers who are searching for him--but do not find -him. The rest of the piece shows the _King’s_ efforts to capture the -fugitive and _du Barry’s_ schemes and pleadings to save him, and it -terminates with a pathetic farewell between the lovers as _Jeanne_, -deserted and forlorn, is being conveyed to the guillotine. - -Mrs. Carter, adept in coquetry, displayed, as _du Barry_, her abundant -physical fascination, but if she had refrained from removing her shoes -and showing her feet at brief intervals during the performance she -would have been considerably more pleasing in that easy vein of -bewitchment:--they were not even pretty feet. In serious business the -method of Mrs. Carter as _du Barry_ was to work herself into a state of -violent excitement, to weep, vociferate, shriek, rant, become hoarse -with passion, and finally to flop and beat the floor. That method has -many votaries and by them is thought to be “acting” and is much admired, -but to judicious observers it is merely the facile expedient of -transparent artifice and the ready resource of a febrile, unstable -nature. An actor who loses self-control can never really control an -audience. There were, nevertheless, executive force and skill in Mrs. -Carter’s performance, after it had been often repeated under the guiding -government of her sagacious and able manager. - -Belasco’s “Du Barry” was first produced at the New National Theatre, -Washington, D. C., December 12, 1901. The first performance of it in New -York occurred December 25, that year, at the Criterion Theatre, where it -was continuously acted till the close of the season, May 31, 1902, -receiving 165 consecutive performances. The play is comprehended in five -acts and eight scenes and it implicates fifty-five persons,--of whom -five are conspicuous characters by whom the burden of the action is -sustained,--and a host of supernumeraries. It was set on the stage in a -scenic investiture of extreme costliness and ostentation, being, indeed, -almost overwhelmed in the profusion of its accessories of spectacle. -Referring to this extreme opulence of environment and attire, Belasco -has said: “I offered Charles Frohman a half-interest in my ‘Du Barry,’ -but he declined to come in with me because of the immense expense. His -judgment was logical, too. ‘Du Barry’ might easily have ruined any -manager. The expenses of the production were such that there was little -profit to be made. When the curtain rose it afforded the public an -opportunity to see how a manager’s hands were forced by the very -prodigality of the subject he had chosen. My production was lavish -because the play was laid in a lavish time. The mere ‘suggestion’ of -luxury would not do,--or so I thought. Were I to do it again, it would -be from an entirely different standpoint.” I much doubt whether, if the -venture were to be made anew, Belasco would make it in a different way. -At any rate, the purpose he had in mind was fully accomplished: the -immense prodigality of his presentment profoundly impressed and greatly -delighted his audiences, and the Criterion was densely crowded at every -performance. The two most striking scenes were those of Act Three, -which showed a room in the Palace of Versailles, and the Last Scene of -Act Five, in front of a milliner’s shop. The latter portrayed a street -in Paris, shadowed by strange, “high-shouldered” houses, through which -the wretched _du Barry_, abject and terrified, was dragged to -execution,--huddled in a tumbril, attended only by a priest, the _Papal -Nuncio_, and followed by a fierce, hooting rabble, while other men and -women appeared at various house-windows, to jeer and curse her. It was -an afflictingly pathetic scene, conceived and executed with perfect -sense of dramatic effect and perfect mastery of the means of creating -it. - -This was the original cast of “Du Barry”: - -_King Louis the Fifteenth_ of France Charles A. Stevenson. -_Comte Jean du Barry_ Campbell Gollan. -_Comte Guillaume du Barry_ Beresford Webb. -_Duc de Brissac_ Henry Weaver, Sr. -_Cossé-Brissac_ Hamilton Revelle. -_The Papal Nuncio_ H. R. Roberts. -_Duc de Richelieu_ Frederick Perry. -_Terray, Minister of Finance_ C. P. Flockton. -_Maupeou, Lord Chancellor_ H. G. Carlton. -_Duc d’Aiguillon_ Leonard Cooper. -_Denys_ Claude Gillingwater. -_Lebel_ Herbert Millward. -_M. Labille_ Gilmore Scott. -_Vaubernier_ Walter Belasco. - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Byron. Belasco’s Collection. - -CHARLES A. STEVENSON AS _KING LOUIS THE FIFTEENTH_, IN BELASCO’S “DU -BARRY”] - -_Scario_ J. D. Jones. -_Zamore_ Master Sams. -_Jeweller_ B. L. Clinton. -_Perfumer_ Edward Redford. -_Glover_ Thomas Thorne. -_Flute Player_ A. Joly. -_A Turk_ Albert Sanford. -_Valroy_ Douglas Wood. -_D’Altaire_ Louis Myll. -_De Courcel_ Harold Howard. -_La Garde_ W. T. Bune. -_Fontenelle_ Warren Bevin. -_Renard_ Arthur Pearson. -_Citizen Grieve_ Gaston Mervale. -_Marac_ Walter Belasco. -_Benisot_ H. G. Carlton. -_Tavernier_ John Ingram. -_Gomard_ Charles Hayne. -_Hortense_ Eleanor Carey. -_Lolotte_ Nina Lyn. -_Manon_ Florence St. Leonard. -_Julie_ Corah Adams. -_Leonie_ Blanche Sherwood. -_Nichette_ Ann Archer. -_Juliette_ May Lyn. -_Marquise de Quesnoy_ Blanche Rice. -_Sophie Arnauld_ Helen Robertson. -_The Gypsy Hag_ C. P. Flockton. -_Mlle. Le Grand_ Ruth Dennis. -_Mlle. Guinard_ Eleanor Stuart. -_Mme. le Dauphine_ { _Marie Antoinette_ } Helen Hale. - { at sixteen } -_Marquise de Crenay_ Dora Goldthwaite. -_Duchesse d’Aiguillon_ Miss Lyn. -_Princesse Alixe_ Miss Leonard. -_Duchesse de Choisy_ Louise Morewin. -_Marquise de Langers_ May Montford. -_Comtesse de Marsen_ Edith Van Benthuysen. -_Sophia_ Irma Perry. -_Rosalie_ Helen Robertson. -_Cerisette_ Julie Lindsey. -_Jeannette Vaubernier_, { afterward } Mrs. Leslie Carter. - { “_La du Barry_” } - - - - -RICHEPIN AND THE “DU BARRY” LAWSUIT. - - -After Belasco had rejected Richepin’s play about du Barry, returned the -manuscript of it to him, and announced that he would produce a play -about that celebrated favorite of royalty, written by himself, there was -much pother in theatrical circles and much newspaper parade of warnings -and threats, by Richepin and various of his agents, of the dire -consequences which would fall upon him for so doing. The once widely -known firm of lawyers, Howe & Hummel, were the American representatives -of the French Authors’ Society, which supported Richepin, and Mr. A. -Hummel,--who, 1905, was convicted of subornation of perjury, imprisoned -for one year on Blackwells Island, and debarred,--who was the active -member of that firm, on January 25, 1902, brought suit against Belasco, - -[Illustration: MRS. LESLIE CARTER AS _DU BARRY_ - - Photograph by Sarony. -] - -on behalf of the French author, alleging, substantially, that Belasco’s -“Du Barry” was, in fact, Richepin’s drama of similar name (“La du -Barry”) and demanding an accounting for the receipts from -representations of it. Belasco’s reply to the complaint in that suit was -served on March 4, 1902, and it was explicit and conclusive. In that -answer he specifies that on July 22, 1899, he entered into a contract -with M. Richepin, which that author obtained “by false and fraudulent -representations,” wherein he agreed to write for Belasco a “new and -original” play about du Barry, which was to be “entirely satisfactory to -this defendant [Belasco],”--failing which he was at liberty to reject -the work and return it to Richepin. Belasco, “relying upon the said -representations, statements, and promises, and not otherwise, and -believing the same to be true, paid to the plaintiff, on the signing and -execution of the agreement, the sum of $1,000”; and, on or about July 1, -1901, upon receiving from Richepin (in London, during the run of “Zaza”) -the manuscript, in French, of “La du Barry,” he paid $1,500 more. Of his -own play, “Du Barry,” Belasco swore that it is “wholly composed and -originated by this defendant, without any aid or assistance whatever -from the play alleged to have been written by” Richepin. The latter’s -play, Belasco pointed out, was “not new and original,” as required by -the contract between them, but was “taken, plagiarized, pirated, and -copied, by the plaintiff, from public sources and publications, common -and open to the public, and that the said play was wholly unsatisfactory -to him [Belasco], of which fact he notified the plaintiff, and that the -said manuscript was thereafter returned to, and accepted by, the -plaintiff.” A motion on behalf of Richepin to strike out these damaging -clauses from Belasco’s answer was made and argued before Justice -Freeman, in the Supreme Court, March 13,--Mr. Hummel maintaining that -the allegations of fraud and plagiarism by Richepin were “irrelevant and -redundant.” The motion was peremptorily denied,--after which the legal -ardor of the French poet and his agents cooled and his suit languished: -Richepin never proceeded in the case (which appears to have been an -effort to extort money from Belasco), and it was formally discontinued -in January, 1908. - -Richepin’s play (called “Du Barri”) was produced by Mrs. Cora Urquhart -Potter, March 18, 1905, at the Savoy Theatre, London, and it was a -complete failure. “I had planned to take Mrs. Carter to London, in ‘Du -Barry,’” Belasco has told me, “but Mrs. Potter’s failure was so decisive -that I gave up all thought of attempting to do so.” Writing about the -“Du Barry” lawsuit, Belasco says: “Our quarrel was long and heated, but -eventually all was ‘forgotten and forgiven,’ and I could once more read -Richepin’s mellow poetry without tearing my hair, and Richepin said -publicly, ‘The rest is silence,’ or something as nearly like it as the -Frenchman _can_ say,”--which, truly, was most generous on the part of -“the Frenchman,” in view of the fact that, altogether, Belasco had paid -him $8,500 in a venture toward making which he had, at most, contributed -merely the suggestion of a subject. - - - - -A GRACIOUS TRIBUTE:--“REMEMBER THAT WE LOVED YOU.” - - -On the first day of the new year, 1902, Belasco was the recipient of a -gracious tribute which, as he feelingly said to me, is one of his most -cherished memories. The performance ended about half-past eleven on the -night of December 31, 1901, and a little before midnight all the members -of the company concerned in representation of his drama assembled on the -stage about Belasco, Mrs. Carter, and Charles A. Stevenson, ostensibly -to greet the new year. Just at midnight beautiful silver chimes slowly -rang out the hour, and as Belasco turned to wish the assembled company -a happy New Year Mr. Stevenson stepped forward before he could speak -and, uncovering a massive and beautiful loving-cup of silver set upon an -ebony pedestal, presented it to Belasco “as a token of the great esteem -and true affection with which, during the long and arduous preparation -of ‘Du Barry,’ every member of your organization has learned to regard -you.” Belasco, always warm-hearted and peculiarly susceptible to even -casual acts of courtesy and kindness, was so much affected by the -cordial feeling displayed by all about him in the conveyance of this -rich gift that for several moments he was unable to make any -acknowledgment. Then, speaking with difficulty and almost in a whisper, -he said: “I--I thank you, all--all--from my heart. It is very lovely. -You have worked so hard, with me and for me--all of you--so nobly and so -unselfishly that I feel it is _I_ who should give a loving-cup to -you--to every member of the company. In all my experience I have not -received a more generous, touching tribute--anything which I have -appreciated more. I am poor in words--I can only say to all of you thank -you, thank you, thank you--a thousand thousand times.” - -As Belasco ceased speaking the orchestra began to play the air of -“Maryland, My Maryland,” passing - -[Illustration: BELASCO, ABOUT 1902 - -Photograph by the Misses Selby. Belasco’s collection. -] - -from that into other melodies associated with his successful plays and -closing with a plaintive tune written specially for use in “Du Barry.” - -On the “Du Barry” loving-cup there are three inscriptions. The first is - -Washington, D. C. -December 12, 1901 -Mrs Leslie Carter in David Belasco’s Play “Du Barry” - -The second is - -Presented to -Mr. David Belasco by the Members of His Company -New Year’s, 1902 - -The third is a line from the play of “Du Barry”: - -“Remember that we loved you; we loved you -through it all” - - - - -THE THEATRIC _RICHMOND_ “LOOKS PROUDLY O’ER THE CROWN.” - - -The upward progress which Belasco made in the Theatre within a period of -six years is amazing. When the curtain was raised for the first -performance of his “The Heart of Maryland,” at the Herald Square, in -October, 1895, he possessed almost nothing except his reputation as one -of the most skilful of stage managers and a copious crop of debts. When -the curtain fell on the last performance in 1901 of “Du Barry,” at the -Criterion, he was, as dramatist, director, and theatrical manager, -known, esteemed, and recognized throughout the English-speaking world: -his debts were all discharged: he possessed a competent fortune, hosts -of admirers, troops of friends: within less than three years he had made -three memorably successful presentments in the British capital (where -American ventures are supposed always to fail!): three of the most -accomplished and popular actors of the American Stage, Mrs. Carter, -Blanche Bates, and David Warfield, were under his direction and closely -bound to him. The whirligig of Time had indeed brought striking changes. -Lester Wallack, Edwin Booth, Lawrence Barrett, John McCullough--they -were but names in theatrical management. Augustin Daly, the great -representative manager of the Theatre in America, was dead. Albert M. -Palmer, once Daly’s rival, was obscurely employed as a “business agent” -for Richard Mansfield, while Mansfield’s own ambitious but ill-fated -essay in theatre management (at the Garrick, New York, in 1895) was -completely forgotten; Mansfield was definitely committed to the policy -of a “travelling star,” and the Theatre in New York was Charles -Frohman’s much vaunted Department Store. Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Grey -Fiske, at the Manhattan, were indeed maintaining an admirable dramatic -company and making an earnest endeavor in authentic theatrical -management. But, in general, the mean spirit of the petty huckster and -the sordid, selfish policy of trade monopoly dominated the American -Stage; the chair of artistic managerial sovereignty was empty, “the -sword unswayed, the empire unpossessed,” and Belasco, ambitiously -emulative of great exemplars in his vocation, like a theatric -_Richmond_, looked “proudly o’er the crown.” He was, unquestionably, the -natural successor to Wallack, Booth, and Daly; but in order to seize -their pre-eminence, to win and wear their laurel crown of leadership, he -required to have what they had each possessed,--namely, a theatre of his -own in the capital. There seemed no chance of his obtaining one: yet, -without such a citadel, notwithstanding all his labor and achievement, -he might easily be crushed: the oppressive hand of the Theatrical -Syndicate (in his estimation veritably a “wretched, bloody, and usurping -boar”) had already been laid heavily on Belasco: a half-interest in his -presentment of Warfield in “The Auctioneer” had been extorted from him -and an equal share in his exploitations of Mrs. Carter and Miss Bates -had been demanded, though not yielded up. What if he should be denied -“routes” for those players? He had brought out Mrs. Carter in “Du Barry” -at the Criterion not because he wished to do so,--that house, which -accommodated only 932 persons, being far too small for an advantageous -season,--but because it was the only theatre in New York which he could -secure. Charles Frohman was its manager and Charles Frohman was a member -of the Syndicate: the Criterion might be closed to him at the end of his -current contract. If shut off from the “first class theatres” of the -leading cities “on the road” and shut out of New York he would -practically be ruined. These and similar considerations gave grounds for -grave uneasiness to Belasco. On the afternoon of January 7, 1902, he was -alone in his office, a little room in Carnegie Hall, as he had been -every afternoon for more than a week, seeking to devise some means of -obtaining control of a New York theatre for a term of years. Toward -evening he was disturbed by a knocking at the office door. His visitor, -when admitted, proved to be the theatrical manager Oscar Hammerstein, -between whom and himself there existed merely a casual acquaintance. -“Mr. Belasco,” said Hammerstein, without any preliminaries, “the -Theatrical Syndicate is trying to crush me out of business. Valuable -attractions have been prevented from patronizing my houses this season. -I must have attractions. You must have a New York theatre, or you will -find yourself helpless. I have one in Forty-second Street, the Republic, -which I am willing to turn over to you. I have come up here on an -impulse, on the chance that you may be willing to take over control of -the Republic.” Belasco instantly replied: “Mr. Hammerstein, I shall be -very glad to take over your theatre.” In less than a week all details of -agreement had been arranged between the two managers, and on January 14, -in the office of Judge A. J. Dittenhoefer, they signed a contract -whereby Belasco undertook the management of the Republic Theatre. That -contract was for a period of five years, with an option of renewal by -Belasco for another five years, and under it he assumed full government -of the theatre,--engaging himself to pay to Hammerstein a rental of -$30,000 a year and 10 per cent. of the gross receipts from all -performances given there. It was also stipulated that neither Mrs. -Carter, Blanche Bates, David Warfield, nor any other “star or -attraction” under Belasco’s management should play at any other New York -theatre, “except for one week each at the Harlem Opera House and the -Grand Opera House.” “That lease,” Belasco has declared to me, “was a -great thing for Hammerstein,--but it was a greater thing for me, and I -did not forget that afterward, when I was paying him from $60,000 to -$72,000 a year for his theatre. When some of my friends used to say to -me, ‘Don’t you realize that you are paying Hammerstein an _unheard-of_ -rent for his house?’ I used to answer, ‘And don’t _you_ realize how very -lucky I am _to be in a position_ to pay him an unheard-of rent?’” - - - - -A DANGEROUS ACCIDENT.--ALTERING THE REPUBLIC. - - -A few weeks subsequent to signing the lease of the Republic Theatre with -Hammerstein Belasco met with an accident which came near to putting an -end to all his projects by causing his death. On the night of March 16 -he witnessed a performance of his “Du Barry,” at the Criterion. While -the setting was being placed for the last scene--a cumbrous, intricate -setting, in which he took special interest--he left his box in the -auditorium and went upon the stage to direct the work. As he did so a -large and heavy cornice which was being swung into position high in air -broke and fell, striking him full upon the head. Another piece of -scenery, thrown out of balance by the falling cornice, collapsed, and -in a moment Belasco was buried beneath a mass of tangled wreckage. He -was with difficulty extricated, unconscious and profusely bleeding. A -physician was called, who, after a quarter of an hour, having stanched -the bleeding, succeeded in restoring the injured manager to -consciousness. It was at first feared that he had sustained a fracture -of the skull, but happily he was found to be suffering only from shock -and loss of blood due to a severe scalp wound. He was removed to his -home and within a few days he had regained his usual health. - -After carefully examining the interior of the Republic Theatre Belasco -became convinced that it required to be altered for his use. “The stage -was wrong, the house was wrong, and the colors set my teeth on edge,” he -has told me. Hammerstein was willing that he should make any changes he -desired. Belasco, accordingly, took possession of the theatre at about -the end of March and, on April 19, 1902, the work of altering it so as -to make it conform to his wishes was begun. He started that work -intending to spend from $15,000 to $20,000 on improvements. When it was -finished he had expended more than $150,000. The whole interior of the -building was torn out, leaving nothing but four walls and part of the -roof. Toward the front of the property a space was blasted out of solid -rock wherein, beneath the auditorium, were built a retiring-room for -women and a smoking-room for men. A sub-stage chamber, more than -twenty-five feet deep, was also blasted out of the rock,--incidental to -which excavation a perpetual spring of water was tapped. Talking with me -about his experience in remodelling the Republic Theatre, Belasco, in -his characteristically cheery and philosophical way, said: “I remember -your telling me about the trouble Edwin Booth got into, blasting out a -ledge of rock when he was building his theatre [Booth’s Theatre, -Twenty-third Street and Sixth Avenue, 1868-’69], but I don’t believe he -had half as bad a time as we did when that spring broke loose! I was so -crazy about having my own theatre I wanted to have a hand in everything -and I used to go down and fire some of the blasts, in spite of the -protests of my family and staff, who expected I’d blow myself to Kingdom -Come. And it was _I_ who fired the charge that started that spring! My -boys in the theatre used to call me ‘Moses’ after that, for that I did -smite the rock and there came water out of it. We _damned_ it, heartily, -I can tell you, but it was a long time before we could get it _dammed_, -and it cost me a small fortune to have the stage cavity cemented in.” - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Byron. Belasco’s Collection. - -BELASCO’S “STUDIO” IN THE FIRST BELASCO THEATRE] - -One day, during the work of alteration, a stranger presented himself to -Belasco, demanding that he be permitted to inspect the property and -explaining that he held a mortgage on it. “I had nothing to do with the -mortgage,” Belasco told me; “that was Mr. Hammerstein’s business; but I -let him come in. He surveyed the scene of devastation with horror, -standing on a scaffold, high up, and gazing into the black pit. ‘God -above me!’ he exclaimed, after a little while, ‘I’ve got a mortgage on -four walls and a hole in the ground!’--and he fled. I never saw him -again.” - - - - -THE FIRST BELASCO THEATRE. - - -The work of demolishing and rebuilding the Republic for Belasco was -performed in five months. When it was completed he possessed one of the -handsomest and best equipped playhouses in the world. “The theatre,” -Belasco has often said, “is, first of all, a place for the _acting of -plays_.” That simple statement might be deemed a platitude, were it not -for the striking fact that its maker is the _only_ theatrical manager of -the present day who practically recognizes its truth: to the majority of -other managers the theatre, it seems, is, primarily, a place for almost -anything rather than _acting_,--is, in fact, first of all, a place for -the exploitation of their tedious conceit and the making of money by any -means. The stage of the Belasco Theatre was designed and built with the -purpose of obviating the disadvantages of restricted space and of -affording every possible mechanical aid to the acting of plays. The -entire “acting surface” of that stage--the entire surface, that is, -which could be revealed to the view of the spectators,--was a mosaic of -close-fitting trapdoors, so that on occasion it might be opened at any -place desired. In the centre of the stage was “an elevator,”--that is, -in fact, a movable platform,--fifteen feet wide and thirty feet long. -Upon this platform, when it had been lowered into the cellar cavity, -were placed the paraphernalia required in the setting of the -scenes,--articles technically designated as “properties” (furniture, -etc.), and “set pieces” (solid, heavy parts of scenic rooms, houses, -etc.)--which were then raised to the stage level for use: when done -with, these paraphernalia were sunk again into the cellarage, where the -platform bearing them was shifted aside and another similar one, loaded -with material for the next setting, replaced it and was in turn raised -to the stage. - -The drops (painted cloths), ceilings, etc., were all arranged for -hoisting into the flies, as in most modern theatres; but Belasco had -the ropes by which these articles were raised from his stage so attached -to counterweights and cranks that one man could, with ease, raise pieces -which, in former times, it had required from three to six men to hoist. - -The footlights were so arranged that the light from them was diffused -upon the stage and players without the spectators, even those in the -upper stage boxes, being able to perceive whence it came. The electric -lamps in the footlights, borders, etc., were placed in small, individual -compartments, so that no unintentional blending of lights could occur: -but every necessary different color of lamp was provided and all the -lamps in the house, whether upon the stage or in the auditorium, were -connected “on resistance,”--that is, so connected with the electric -current feed wires that the lights could be (as invariably they were) -turned up or down, as required, gently, by degrees. In short, every -arrangement that knowledge, experience, and prevision could suggest as -necessary and that liberality, ingenuity, and care could devise was -provided. “I have an even better electrical equipment in my present -theatre than I had in my first house,” Belasco has said to me, “and I am -proud of it. But in my first house I had the very best there was in the -world at the time. I had a plant that would have lit a palace: in fact, -I very much doubt whether there was a palace anywhere in all the world -as well equipped in the matter of lighting.” - -Belasco’s first theatre contained seating accommodation for 950 -persons,--300 in the gallery, 200 in the balcony, and 450 on the -orchestra, or main, floor. No effort or expense was spared to make the -house in every way comfortable and delightful to all who visited it. -Outside, in front, a massive iron marquee-awning shadowed the main -entrance, overhanging the street-walk out to the curb. The doors of the -theatre were of heavy wrought iron and opened into a lobby which was, in -fact, a sort of reception hall. The walls and ceilings of this lobby -were sheathed in oak panelling of antique finish, and large, luxurious -seats of heavy oak, upholstered in leather, were placed at each end of -it. Across the rear of the auditorium, on the orchestra floor, close to -the hindermost row of seats, extended a massive screen built of -rosewood, with heavy crystal lights, to protect the audience within from -drafts of air and to exclude street sounds. The colors of the -decorations were reds, greens, and deep golden browns,--all used in -warm, subdued shades. The rear and side walls were hung with rich -tapestries, depicting an autumnal forest. The - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Byron. Author’s Collection. - -BELASCO IN HIS STUDIO AT THE FIRST BELASCO THEATRE] - -floors were covered with heavy, soft, dark-green velvet carpets. The -seats were upholstered in silk tapestry of a complementary shade of -silver-green color, and on the back of each of them was embroidered the -semblance of a bee,--fit emblem of Belasco’s energetic, ceaseless toil. -The ceiling and dome were handsomely decorated in dull gold, sparingly -used, with soft grays and rose. There were two drop curtains,--one of -heavy, rose-colored velvet; the other an old-fashioned one of plain -green baize. Every detail of the architecture and decorations was -delicate and harmonious, and the general effect was at once opulent and -restful. The architects employed by Belasco were Messrs. Bigelow, Wallis -& Cotton, of New York: the director was Mr. Rudolph Allen. But the -active inspiration of all this beauty and luxury provided for the public -enjoyment, the conglutinating and executive force which in the face of -manifold dissensions and difficulties held all the associate laborers -together and drove through to successful completion all the varied work -of invention and reconstruction, was Belasco himself. At last he had -carried bricks for himself to some lasting purpose! When he opened his -playhouse it was in every detail as well as in every essential a new -theatre, veritably the creation of _his_ mind and will, and he very -appropriately dropped the name of the Republic and called it The -Belasco Theatre. - - - - -“AFTER THIRTY YEARS OF LABOR.”--BELASCO IN HIS OWN THEATRE;--THE OPENING -NIGHT. - - -The first Belasco Theatre was opened on Monday night, September 29, -1902, with a revival of “Du Barry.” The night was sultry, but the house -was crowded, in every part, far beyond its normal capacity; the -performance was one of remarkable fluency, vigor, and intensity, and it -was received by the audience with well-nigh frantic manifestations of -enthusiasm. After the Third Act there were more than twenty curtain -calls, and finally, in response to vociferous crying for him by name, -Belasco came upon the stage, dishevelled, pale, and weary, but very -happy, and addressed the audience, saying: - - “Ladies and Gentlemen: It is so hard for me to speak to you as I - would wish. There is so much to say, yet so little that I can say. - It is your kind sympathy and approval that have made this little - playhouse possible. I owe you--the public--far, far more than I can - tell. You all know that it has been my life-work, my greatest - ambition, to give you the best I could. In this I can honestly say - I have not faltered since I first knocked at your door, - -[Illustration: DAVID BELASCO - -Photograph by the Misses Selby. -Author’s Collection. -] - - many years ago. And in that endeavor I stand firm to-night. I thank - the friends who have upheld me so loyally all these many years. I - thank the press for the encouragement I have received. There are - some very beautiful things in the lives of those I have followed, - and one of these is the fellowship of brother workers. I am always - inspired, I always shall be inspired, by the memory and example of - three inimitable comrades of the Theatre,--one the late Lester - Wallack, another the late, lamented Augustin Daly, and yet another - who is still with us, who has given the best years of his life to - advance the art which both you and I love so well: I refer to Mr. - A. M. Palmer. They fought the good fight, these three; they kept - the faith. They gave us glorious traditions to remember and live up - to. They gave all to advance the highest. This is something we must - never forget. - - “Ladies and gentlemen, there is another of whom I must make some - mention--one whose sympathy and help have contributed to my being - here to-night. I mean my friend and companion in work, Mrs. Leslie - Carter. Here and now I wish gratefully to acknowledge the debt of - her services, her unselfishness and loyalty in time of many - struggles. - - “I have many plans for this little theatre, ladies and gentlemen. - Let me say just a word to you about the managerial policy. I am - anxious to make my patrons feel at home when they honor me by - coming, and so I have tried to make your surroundings in front of - the curtain those of a comfortable, home-like drawing-room. I - intend that the productions and casts shall be the best that work - and care can provide. In all ways I desire to make this new - dramatic home of ours a dwelling of refinement, good taste, good - entertainment, and good art. No stone shall be left unturned, no - effort unmade, to accomplish that end. You cannot know what it - means to me to speak to you, at last, after thirty years of labor - in the dramatic calling, from the stage of my own theatre. Ladies - and gentlemen, I thank you--I thank you--I can say no more.” - - - - -THE FIRST PROGRAMME. - - -The following is the programme, in detail, of the first performance -given in Belasco’s Theatre on what was, in many ways, the happiest and -proudest night of all his life: - -BELASCO THEATRE - -_BROADWAY AND FORTY-SECOND STREET_ - -UNDER THE SOLE MANAGEMENT OF DAVID BELASCO - - * * * * * - -_Evenings at 8 precisely_ _Matinees Saturdays at 2_ - - * * * * * - -DAVID BELASCO - -_PRESENTS_ - -Mrs. Leslie Carter - -_IN HIS NEW PLAY_ - -“DU BARRY” - -“_Not the great historical events, but the personal incidents that call up -single, sharp pictures of some human being in its pang or struggle, reach -us more nearly._”--OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES. - - -CAST - -_King Louis the Fifteenth_ of France C. A. Stevenson. -_Comte Jean du Barry_, eventually brother-in-law - of _La du Barry_ Campbell Gollan. -_Comte Guillaume du Barry_, his brother Beresford Webb. -_Duc de Brissac_, Capt. of King’s Guard Henry Weaver, Sr. -_Cossé-Brissac_, his son (of the King’s Guard), - known as “_Cossé_” Hamilton Revelle. -_The Papal Nuncio_ H. R. Roberts. - } Under { -_Duc de Richelieu_, Marshal of France } _King Louis_ { Geo. Barnum. -_Maupeou_, Lord Chancellor } _the_ { C. P. Flockton. -_Terray_, Minister of Finance } _Fifteenth_ { H. G. Carlton. -_Duc D’Aiguillon_ Leonard Cooper. -_Denys_, porter at the milliner shop Claude Gillingwater. -_Lebel_, confidential valet to His Majesty Herbert Millward. -_M. Labille_, proprietor of the milliner shop Gilmore Scott. -_Vaubernier_, father of _Jeannette_ Charles Campbell. -_Scarlo_, one of “_La du Barry’s_” Nubian servants J. D. Jones. -_Zamore_, a plaything of “_La du Barry’s_” Master Sams. -_Flute Player_ A. Joly. -_Valroy_ } Of the { Douglas J. Wood. -_D’Allaire_ } _King’s_ Guard { Louis Myll. -_De Courcel_ } { Harold Howard. -_La Garde_ } Two Tavern { W. T. Bune. -_Fontenelle_ } Roysterers { Thomas Boone. -_Benard_, one of the “Hundred Swiss” Warren Deven. -_Citizen Grieve_, of the Committee of Public Safety Gaston Mervale. -_Marac_, one of the Sans-Culottes James Sargeant. -_Denisot_, Judge of the Revolutionary Court H. G. Carlton. -_Tavernier_, clerk of the court John Ingram. -_Gomard_ Charles Hayne. -_Hortense_, Manageress for _Labille_ the milliner Eleanor Carey. -_Lolotte_ } { Nina Lyn. -_Manon_ } Girls { Florence St. Leonard. -_Julie_ } at the { Corah Adams. -_Leonie_ } Milliner’s { Blanche Sherwood. -_Nichette_ } Shop { Ann Archer. -_Juliette_ } { May Lyn. -_Marquise du Quesnoy_, known as “_La Gourdan_,” - keeper of a gambling house Blanche Rice. -_Sophie Arnauld_, queen of the opera Miss Robertson. -_The Gypsy Hag_, a fortune-teller C. P. Flockton. -_Mlle. Le Grand_ } Dancers from the { Ruth Dennis. -_Mlle. Guimard_ } Grand Opera { Eleanor Stuart. -_Mme. La Dauphine_--_Marie Antoinette_ at sixteen Helen Hale. -_Marquise de Crenay_ } { Helen Robertson. -_Duchesse D’Aiguillon_ } Ladies { Miss Lyn. -_Princesse Alixe_ } of { Miss Leonard. -_Duchesse de Choisy_ } _King Louis_ { Louise Morewin. -_Marquise de Langers_ } Court { May Montford. -_Comtesse de Marsen_ } { Grace Van Benthuysen. -_Sophie_, a maid Irma Perry. -_Rosalie_, of the Concièrgerie Helen Robertson. -_Cerisette_ Julie Lindsey. - - AND - -_JEANNETTE VAUBERNIER_, afterwards _La du - Barry_ MRS. LESLIE CARTER. - - * * * * * - -Guests of the Fête, Dancers from the Opera, King’s Guardsmen, Monks, -Clowns, Pages, Milliners, Sentries, Lackeys, Footmen, King’s Secret -Police, Sans-Culottes, a Mock King, a Mock Herald, a Drunken Patriot, a -Cocoa Vender, Federals, National Guards, Tricoteuses. - - * * * * * - - -SYNOPSIS OF SCENES. - -Act I.--The Milliner’s Shop in the Rue St. Honoré, Paris. - _JEANNETTE_ TRIMS HATS. - -Act II.--(One month later.) _Jeannette’s_ Apartments, adjoining - the Gambling Rooms of the _Marquise de - Quesnoy_ (“La Gourdan”). - “THE GAME CALLED DESTINY.” - -Act III.--(A year later.) _Du Barry_ holds a Petit-Lever in - the Palace of Versailles--at noon. - “THE DOLL OF THE WORLD.” - -Act IV.--Scene 1. In the Royal Gardens. Before the dawn - of the following morning. - “FOLLY, QUEEN OF FRANCE.” - Scene 2. Within the Tent. - “THE HEART OF THE WOMAN.” - -Act V.--(A lapse of years.) During the Revolution. - Scene 1. The Retreat in the Woods of Louveciennes. - “FATE CREEPS IN AT THE DOOR.” - Scene 2. (Five days later.) In Paris again. - “A REED SHAKEN IN THE WIND.” - Scene 3. In Front of the Milliner’s Shop on the - same day. - - “Once more we pass this way again, - Once more! ’T is where at first we met.” - - * * * * * - - Time: Period of King Louis the Fifteenth and after the reign of his - Successor. - - Place: Paris, Versailles, and Louveciennes. - - * * * * * - -Mr. Belasco wishes to state that, as the traditional parting of Madame -du Barry and the King of France is impossible for dramatic use, he has -departed entirely from historical accuracy in this instance. He also -begs to acknowledge his indebtedness to M. Arsène Houssaye for his -sequence of scenes. (“Nouvelle à la main, sur la Comtesse du Barry.”) - - * * * * * - -Between Acts I, II, and III there will be intervals of 12 minutes; -between Acts IV and V an interval of 15 minutes. - - * * * * * - -The entire production under the personal supervision of Mr. Belasco. - - * * * * * - -Stage Manager H. S. MILLWARD. - - * * * * * - -Scenery by Mr. Ernest Gros. - - * * * * * - -Incidental Music by Mr. William Furst. - - * * * * * - -Stage decorations and accessories after designs by Mr. Wilfred Buckland. - - * * * * * - -General Manager for Mr. Belasco MR. B. F. ROEDER. - - * * * * * - -As an epigraph for the first performance given in his theatre, and also -for a souvenir book then distributed,--a richly printed volume called -“The Story of Du Barry,” written by James L. Ford and issued in a -limited edition,--Belasco used, under the caption “Before the Curtain,” -the appended fourteen lines from Francis Bret Harte’s versified address -written for the dedication of the California Theatre, San Francisco, -January 18, 1869, on which occasion (when Belasco was among the -spectators) it was read by Lawrence Barrett: - - “Brief words, when actions wait, are well; - The prompter’s hand is on his bell; - The coming heroes, lovers, kings, - Are idly lounging at the wings; - Behind the curtain’s mystic fold - The glowing future lies unrolled. - - * * * * * - - - “One moment more: if here we raise - The oft-sung hymn of local praise, - Before the curtain facts must sway; - Here waits the moral of your play. - Glassed in the poet’s thought, you view - What money can, yet can not do; - The faith that soars, the deeds that shine, - Above the gold that builds the shrine.” - - - - -A STUPID DISPARAGEMENT.--INCEPTION OF “THE DARLING OF THE GODS.” - - -Among the meanest and most stupid disparagements of Belasco which I have -chanced to notice in recent years is one made by Mr. Albert Bigelow -Paine, the adulatory biographer of Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain). In -recording a conversation which he says he had with Clemens Mr. Paine -writes: “‘I suppose,’ I said, ‘the literary man should have a -collaborator with a genius for stage mechanism. John Luther Long’s -_exquisite plays_ would hardly have been successful without David -Belasco to stage them. _Belasco cannot write a play himself_, but in the -matter of acting construction his genius is supreme.’” (The italics are -mine.--W. W.) Remembering that Belasco is, among many other things, the -author of “May Blossom,” “The Heart of Maryland,” “The Girl of the -Golden West,” “Peter Grimm,” and “Van der Decken,” it seems to me that -Mr. Paine has, in that sapient comment, provided for thoughtful persons -a useful measure of his intelligence. Furthermore, his disparagement of -Belasco as a writer of plays suggests that it is competent, in this -Memoir, to inquire as to what, precisely, are the “exquisite plays” of -John Luther Long, one of Belasco’s collaborators in authorship. Mr. Long -is a fiction writer of talent, which has been widely and generously -recognized. His name is associated with six plays and no more,--namely, -“Madame Butterfly,” “The Darling of the Gods,” “Dolce,” “Adrea,” “The -Dragon Fly,” and “Kassa.” “Madame Butterfly,” as a play, is, -exclusively, the work of Belasco: it was written and produced before he -and Long met. “Kassa” is a commonplace farrago of theatrical absurdity, -rant, and miscellaneous trash, tangled into a mesh of sacerdotal -trappings and fantastic, complex, and dubious Hungarian embellishments -and is as devoid of literary merit as it is of dramatic vitality. It was -produced by Mrs. Leslie Carter, in 1909, after she had ceased to act -under the direction of Belasco, and it was a failure. “The Dragon Fly” -was written by Long in association with Mr. E. C. Carpenter, was -produced in Philadelphia, in 1905, and was a failure. “Dolce” has not -been acted or published and I know nothing about it. As to “The Darling -of the Gods” and “Adrea,”--not only did Belasco “stage” those plays -(that is, produce them), but he is at least as much _their author_ as -Mr. Long is; a fact which I venture to assume that Mr. Long would be the -last to deny. - -“The Darling of the Gods” owes its existence wholly to Belasco. When he -had leased the Republic Theatre and while he was preparing to undertake -its renovation he also began to plan his managerial campaign there. In a -letter he writes: - - - (_David Belasco to William Winter._) - - “...It was a strenuous, anxious time for me. I had so many things - to think of and so much to do that sometimes I felt like that man - in Dickens who tries to lift himself out of his difficulties by his - own hair! I saw that I was to be forced to fight for my - professional life--and I wasn’t ready. The public had been taught, - season by season, to expect always more and more from the actor, - the author, and, especially, the producer. The standard of - production was so high that the theatre-goer looked not only for - great acting but also for artistic perfection and beauty in the - stage settings. The progressive manager was forced to invest - immense sums in his stars and productions, and it was because I did - this without hesitation that I was so unpopular with some of my - contemporaries. According to them I “spoiled the public” because I - looked _first_ to the artistic instead of to the commercial - result.” - -Belasco had for several years prior to 1902 desired to present Mrs. -Carter in a series of Shakespearean and classical plays which, as he -wrote to me in that year, “have long been in her repertory but in which -I have never yet had the opportunity of bringing her out.” Mrs. Carter -was then the principal player under his management: it was both justice -to her and sound business judgment for him to open his new theatre with -a performance in which she was the star. It would indeed have been a -brilliant achievement for him to have opened it with a superb revival of -one of Shakespeare’s great plays. But, on the other hand, theatrical -management,--although, rightly understood, it entails, first of all, a -moral and intellectual obligation to the public,--is a venturesome -business, not an altruistic amusement: Belasco had invested more than -$98,000 in making his presentment of “Du Barry”: it, plainly, was -necessary to earn with that drama at least the cost of producing it -before he could bring forth Mrs. Carter in another play. And it was -obvious that while he could impressively open his new theatre with a -sumptuous revival of that popular success it could not advantageously -hold the stage there for more than a month or two and that he must have -another striking dramatic novelty ready in hand with which to follow the -revival. Among the many plays which Belasco wrote and rewrote during the -strolling days of his youth is a melodrama entitled “Il Carabiniere,” -which he called “The Carbineer.” The scenes and characters of that old -play are Italian. Belasco resolved to refashion it for the use of -Blanche Bates. But the multifarious demands on his time and strength -made it necessary for him to have assistance in performing this task, -and remembering the success of Miss Bates in his Japanese tragedy of -“Madame Butterfly” he altered his purpose and determined to base on the -old Italian tale a romance of Japan, and he proposed to John Luther -Long,--well versed in Japanese customs,--that he should help him in the -work. This proposal was accepted; the manuscript of “The Carbineer” was -turned over to Long, and, about February, 1902, the collaborators began -their work on the play which afterward became famous under the name of -“The Darling of the Gods.” That play is practically a new one, not an -adaptation: the labor of writing it was finished in June, and it was -produced for the first time anywhere, November 17, 1902, at the New -National Theatre, Washington, D. C.: on December 3, following, it was -acted for the first time in New York, at the Belasco Theatre, where it -succeeded “Du Barry,” which had been acted there for the last time on -November 29. This was the original cast of “The Darling of the Gods”: - -_Prince Saigon_ Charles Walcot. -_Zakkuri_, Minister of War George Arliss. -_Kara_ Robert T. Haines. -_Tonda-Tanji_ Albert Bruning. -_Sir Yuke-Yume_ James W. Shaw. -_Lord Chi-Chi_ Edward Talford. -_Admiral Tano_ Cooper Leonard. -_Hassebe Soyemon_ Warren Milford. -_Kato_ J. Harry Benrimo. -_Shusshoo_ F. Andrews. -_Inu_, a Corean Giant Harrison Armstrong. -_Yoban_ Carleton Webster. -_Crier of the Night Hours_ Charles Ingram. -_Kugo_ } { Maurice Pike. -_Shiba_ } { E. P. Wilks. -_Migaku_ } The seven spies { Rankin Duvall. -_Kojin_ } of _Zakkuri_ { Arthur Garnell. -_Ato_ } { Joseph Tuohy. -_Tcho_ } { Winthrop Chamberlain. -_Taro_ } { John Dunton. -_Man in the Lantern_ Westropp Saunders. -_The Imperial Messenger_ F. A. Thomson. -_First Secretary_ Legrand Howland. -_Second Secretary_ A. D. Richards. -_Banza_ } { Gaston Mervale. -_Nagoya_ } { Albert Bruning. -_Tori_ } { Fred’k A. Thomson. -_Korin_ } { Rankin Duvall. -_Bento_ } _Kara’s_ “Two-sword { J. Harry Benrimo. -_Kosa_ } Men” { Richard Warner. -_Takoro_ } { John Dunton. -_Kaye_ } { Arthur Garnell. -_Nagoji_ } { A. D. Richards. -_Jutso_ } { Dexter Smith. - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Byron. Belasco’s Collection. - -A SCENE FROM “THE DARLING OF THE GODS” - -“_The Feast of a Thousand Welcomes_”] - -_Little Sano_ Madge West. -_Chidori_ Mrs. Charles Walcot. -_Rosy Sky_ Eleanor Moretti. -_Setsu_ Ada Lewis. -_Kaede_ Dorothy Revell. -_Madame Asani_ France Hamilton. -_The Fox Woman_ Mrs. F. M. Bates. -_Isamu_ May Montford. -_Niji-Onna_ Helen Russell. -_Nu_ Madeleine Livingston. -_Princess Yo-San_ Blanche Bates. - -_Gentlemen of Rank_, Messrs. Redmund, Stevens, Dunton, Smith, Meehan, -Richards, Shaw, Chamberlain and Shaw. - -_Geisha Girls_, Misses Winard, Karle, Vista, Mardell, Coleman and Ellis. - -_Singing Girls_, Misses Livingston, Mirien and Earle. - -Heralds from the Emperor, maids-in-waiting to the Princess, screen -bearers, Kago men, coolies, retainers, runners, servants, geisha, -musume, priests, lantern bearers, banner bearers, incense bearers, gong -bearers, jugglers, acrobats, torturers, carp flyers, Imperial soldiers -and _Zakkuri’s_ musket-men. - - - - -THE PLAY AND THE PERFORMANCE OF “THE DARLING OF THE GODS.” - - -The tragic drama of “The Darling of the Gods” is an excellent play, one -of exceptional power and ethical significance. It is a unique fabric of -fancy, wildly romantic, rich and strange with unusual characters, lively -with incident, occasionally mystical with implication of Japanese -customs and religious beliefs, opulent with an Oriental splendor of -atmosphere and detail, like that of Beckford’s romance of -“Vathek,”--fragrant with sweetness,--like Moore’s “Lalla Rookh,”--busy -with movement, effective by reason of situation, and communicative of a -love story of enchaining interest and melancholy beauty. That story is -told in continuous, cumulative action,--each successive dramatic event -being stronger than its predecessors in the element of suspense; and at -the climax there is a weird picture of supernatural environment, a -thrilling suggestion of the eternity of spiritual life and personal -identity,--a poetic symbolism, at once pathetic and sublime, of the -glory and ecstasy, the supreme triumph, of faithful love. - -The story of _Yo-San_, the heroine of that play, who is designated “the -darling of the gods,” separated from all adjuncts and accessories, is -simple. She is a princess in Japan, betrothed to a Japanese courtier -whom she does not wish to wed. She has stipulated, as a preliminary -condition of their marriage, that the courtier must prove his valor by -capturing a certain formidable outlaw, _Prince Kara_, who, on being -captured, will be put to death. She has been saved from fatal dishonor -through the expeditious courage and promptitude of that outlaw -(unrecognized by her as such), and on seeing each other they become -lovers. _Kara_ pledges himself to appear at the palace of her father, at -a “feast of a thousand welcomes” to be held in his honor, there to -receive that parent’s thanks. Thither he comes, passing through the -guards of _Zakkuri_, the dreaded _War Minister of Japan_, but sustaining -a desperate hurt in doing so. _Yo-San_, when her lover, wounded and -almost dying, has failed to make his escape from the precincts of the -palace through a cordon of enemies, conceals him in her dwelling, and -for many days she tends him, till his wounds are healed, and then, for a -time, those lovers are happy in their secret love. The girl is, however, -compromised by this indiscretion, and when presently her father, _Prince -Saigon_, discovers her secret,--and, as he thinks, her dishonor,--she is -declared an outcast; and her lover (taken prisoner while attempting to -fight his way to freedom) is doomed to torture and death. She is -compelled to gaze upon him as, stupefied with opium, he is led down into -a chamber of infernal torment. Then she is apprised that she can secure -his life and liberty by betraying the hiding place of her lover’s outlaw -followers, and in desperate agony she does betray them: but she gains -nothing by that action except an access of misery. _Prince Kara_, -surprised with his band by soldiers of the _War Minister_, having, with -a few of his followers, fought his way through the lines of his enemies -and discovered that the secret of their hiding place, confided by him to -_Yo-San_, has been by her revealed, commits suicide in the honorable -Japanese manner, and she is left alone, with only his forgiveness as a -comfort, and with the hope that,--after a thousand years of loneliness -and grief, in the underworld of shadows,--she will be again united with -him in the eternal happiness of heaven. The play shows _Yo-San_ as an -innocent, confiding, pathetic figure, a child-woman, passing amid stormy -vicissitude, cruel temptation, and afflicting trials to a forlorn and -agonized death by suicide, and leaves her at the last, redeemed and -transfigured, on the verge of Paradise, where _Kara_ stretches out his -arms to embrace her, and where there is neither trouble nor parting nor -sorrow any more. - -The experience of this Japanese girl is the old ordeal over again, of -woman’s sacrifice and anguish, when giving all for love. Something of -Shakespeare’s _Juliet_ is in that heroine, something of Goethe’s -_Margaret_, something of the many passionate, wayward, mournfully -beautiful ideals of woman’s sacrifice that are immortal in story and -song. She is a loving and sorrowing woman, true, tender, faithful -forever, and celestial alike in her - -[Illustration: BLANCHE BATES AS THE _PRINCESS YO-SAN_, IN “THE DARLING -OF THE GODS” - - Photograph by Livingston Platt. - - Belasco’s Collection. -] - -love, her temptation, and her grief. The character of _Yo-San_ combines -some of the finest components of womanhood and, indeed, exemplifies -virtues such as redeem the frailty of human nature--purity of heart and -life, true love, endurance, heroism of conduct, and devoted integrity of -spiritual faith. Blanche Bates gained the greatest success of her -professional career by her impersonation of _Yo-San_. She was an -entirely lovely image of ardent, innocent, ingenuous, noble -womanhood--such an image as irresistibly allured by piquant simplicity, -thrilled the imagination by an impartment of passionate vitality, and by -its exemplification of eternal constancy in love,--the immortal fidelity -of the spirit,--captured the heart. Her facility of action and fluency -of expression were continuously spontaneous, and she was delightful both -to see and to hear. Indeed, the acting of Miss Bates, which, from the -first of her performances on the New York Stage, had shown a charming -wildness and freedom, was, in the character of _Yo-San_, more -unconventional than ever. Her appearance was beautiful, her action -graceful, alert, vigorous, and free from all restraint of -self-consciousness and finical prudery. The clear, keen, healthful north -wind was suggested by it, the reckless dash of a mid-ocean wave, the -happy sea-bird’s flight. There was no ostentation about it, no parade, -no assumption of the moral mentor. Her personation of Belasco’s _Juliet_ -of Japan came in a time of dreary “problems,” “sermons,” “lessons,” -“arguments,” “symbols,” and the flatulent nonsense of siccorized novels -and dirty farces, and it came as a relief and a blessing--the authentic -representative of youth, health, strength, love, and hope. - -There is one moment in “The Darling of the Gods” when suspense is -wrought to a point of intense tension, and when the inherent, essential -faculty of an actor, the power to reveal almost in a flash the feeling -of the heart and the working of the mind, is imperatively required. It -is when _Kara_, wounded, exhausted, desperate, has sought refuge in the -dwelling of the _Princess Yo-San_ and, by her, has been succored and -concealed. _Migaku_, _the Shadow_, a spy of the terrible _War Minister_, -_Zakkuri_, has traced him to that refuge, but a devoted guardian of -_Yo-San_, _Inu_, a Corean giant, has detected the presence of the spy, -has seized and slain him, and has hidden the body in a stream. _Zakkuri_ -and the father of _Yo-San_ follow the spy, and come to the dwelling of -_Yo-San_. _Zakkuri_ wishes that it be searched, but he agrees to accept -her oath, if she will give it, that she knows nothing of the whereabouts -of _Kara_. The _Princess_ is summoned and, denying the presence of -_Kara_, is required by her father to swear that she has spoken the -truth. Words can faintly indicate the beauty of the picture and action -which follow, as the girl seeks to protect her lover. The time is night. -The scene is a strange, fantastic, fairy-like garden of old Japan, a -bower of flowers with twining wistaria wreathing the trees and houses, -and, far, far off, visible in the silver moonlight, a great snow-capped -volcano, the peak of which is touched with ruddy light. The father and -the dreaded _Minister of War_ stand before the door. Miss Bates, as -_Yo-San_, stood a little above them, dressed in soft, flowing white -garments, open at the throat, her black hair loose about her face and -shoulders, her beautiful dark eyes suffused with a fascinating -expression of innocence, tranquillity, and tenderness. Without a moment -of hesitation, on being required to take the most solemn of oaths, she, -with sweetly reverential dignity, raised a bowl of burning incense and, -holding it before her, spoke, in a voice of perfect music: “Before -Shaka, God of Life and Death,--to whom my word goes up on this -incense,--I swear, hanging my life on the answer, I have not seen this -Kara!” Then, as the discomfited searchers withdrew, she stood a moment, -in the soft light streaming upon her from within the house, and, gazing -after them, added, looking upward, “It is better to lie a little than to -be unhappy much!” If she had done nothing else,--though the remainder of -her professional life should be barren,--that single moment stamped her -as a great actress. - -It is, in any time, a noble achievement--one too much praised in words, -too little sought in deeds--to bring home and make vital to the human -heart the sanctity and beauty of love. The actor who does this can do no -more. Pictorial art upon the stage attains to a marvellous height when -it presents such a scene as that of the River of Souls and the reunion -of long-sundered souls, in this romantic, imaginative, and beautiful -play. Such an achievement in the dramatic art as the setting before the -public of such a play and such a performance as Blanche Bates gave of -its heroine vindicate the beneficent utility of the Theatre, because it -cheers and ennobles, and thus practically helps society, through the -ministration of beauty. This is a hard world. Almost everybody in it -struggles beneath burdens of care and sorrow. Multitudes of human beings -dwell in trouble and suffering. An imperative need of our race is the -strength of patience and the light of hope. Dramatic art, or any art, -which satisfies that need, or even remotely helps to satisfy it, is a -blessing. The rest is little, if at all, better than a curse. - -There was fine acting in “The Darling of the Gods” besides that of Miss -Bates. The part of _Zakkuri_, the _War Minister_,--a callous, -remorseless, cold villain, of the Duke of Alva type,--is the main source -of action in the drama, and it is elaborately and vividly drawn. It was -played by George Arliss, who gave in it a thrilling incarnation of -dangerous force and inveterate wickedness, almost humorous in its icy -depravity: he had an exceptional success, even for an actor who always -acts well. - -And there are many splendid imaginative and dramatic passages in this -play besides those which have been particularly examined. As set upon -the stage by Belasco it was a spectacle of superb opulence, surpassing -all its predecessors in wealth of color and beauty of detail. In the -Scene of the Night Watch at the gates; in that of the stealthy, -nocturnal search for _Kara_, outside the lodge of the _Princess_, and in -that of _Yo-San’s_ supplication for her lover’s life there is the very -poetry of terror. Some of the expedients employed had been used in -earlier dramas,--such as “Patrie” and “Tosca,”--but they were so freshly -handled that they were made newly terrible with an atmosphere of grisly -dread. Belasco, in short, offered to his public in this production a -true dramatic work of novelty, variety, and scenic splendor, -extraordinarily rich in the element of histrionic art; an offering that -was symmetrical and magnificent, prompting a memory of the old days of -“Pizarro,” “The Ganges,” and “The Bronze Horse,” but proving that his -day also was golden and that Aladdin’s Lamp had not been lost. - - - - -THE CREATION OF DRAMATIC EFFECTS.--DIFFICULTIES WITH THE RIVER OF SOULS. - - -Supreme dramatic effects are, as a rule, produced in the Theatre as -results of patient, prescient labor, using known, definite means to -definite foreordained ends,--as, for example, in such perfect histrionic -epitomes as _Shylock’s_ return through the lonely midnight streets to -his deserted dwelling, as arranged by Irving; the momentary shuddering -horror of Mansfield’s _King Richard the Third_, when, alone, in the -dusk, seated upon the throne to which he has made his way by murder, he -sees his hand bathed blood-red in a seemingly chance-thrown beam of -light; the exquisitely poetic and lovely scene of the serenade, in -“Twelfth Night,” invented by Daly, in which the theme of the comedy is -pictured without a word; or the long, dreary vigil of _Madame -Butterfly_, waiting - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Livingston Platt. Belasco’s Collection. - -GEORGE ARLISS AS _ZAKKURI_, _THE MINISTER OF WAR_, IN “THE DARLING OF -THE GODS”] - -through the night for her recreant lover, devised by Belasco. Sometimes, -however, even the most resourceful of stage managers, though possessed -of perfectly clear purpose, find themselves baffled and balked in every -endeavor to embody a picture in action and create a designed effect: it -is with them as it is with a painter who, while knowing exactly what he -desires to depict and, theoretically, exactly how to paint it, -nevertheless fails again and again in his attempts to do so, until, as -sometimes happens, chance seems to point a way to achievement. Such an -experience came to Belasco, in his execution of the imaginative and -lovely scene of the River of Souls, in this Oriental tragedy. Writing of -it, he records the following interesting recollection: - - “There was one scene in ‘The Darling of the Gods,’ called the River - of Souls, which drove me almost mad and very nearly beat me. It was - a sort of purgatory between the Japanese Heaven and the Japanese - Hell. I engaged twenty young girls who were supposed to represent - the floating bodies of the dead, but they wouldn’t float. No matter - how hard I tried, the twenty souls looked like twenty chorus girls. - Night after night, I kept the young ladies and a number of - carpenters at work, but the illusion could not be carried out. The - play was produced in Washington, and during the last rehearsal the - River of Souls was the blot on the production; in fact, I had - postponed the opening for three nights because of this scene. At - last I made up my mind to give it one more trial and if it could - not be improved to cut it out. Dawn found Miss Bates asleep in a - stage-box, the company curled up on properties, the carpenters and - electricians ready to drop, and the River of Souls as bad as ever. - So I threw up my hands. ‘Thank you, ladies and gentlemen,’ I said, - ‘out goes the River of Souls.’ I gave the order to strike [to clear - the stage of scenery]. At that moment all set-pieces were pulled - apart, the gauze curtain was down, and two calcium lights were at - the back of the stage. As the scene-shifters drew up the back drop - a carpenter walked across. His shadow was thrown several times on - the shifting gauze in a most spectral fashion. ‘Stop!’ I called - out. ‘Stop where you are! Don’t move! Don’t move!’ The poor - carpenter halted in his tracks: he must have thought me mad. ‘We’ve - got it!’ I exclaimed. I sent out for coffee and rolls, and called - another rehearsal at six in the morning. I must say everyone - rejoiced with me. When we finished breakfast I had the gauze so - arranged as to catch the shadows of the young ladies whose souls - were supposed to be floating between heaven and hell. I threw away - the expensive paraphernalia, and instead of permitting the young - women to be suspended in the air they walked behind the gauze, - stretching out their arms as though floating through the strong - rays of light. I have shown many different scenes, but none so - baffling as this and none more impressively effective.... When I - met Sir Herbert Beerbohm-Tree, who produced ‘The Darling of the - Gods’ in London, he said that as he read the description of this - effect in the manuscript he had not believed it could be carried - out.” - -“The Darling of the Gods” was one of the most costly and least -profitable of all Belasco’s many lavish productions: the original -investment exceeded $78,000 and the expenses of presentment were so -great that, notwithstanding it was acted to immense audiences, at the -end of two years he had gained with it only $5,000. - - - - -AN OPERATIC PROJECT.--PETTY PERSECUTIONS.--AN ARREST FOR LIBEL. - - -While demolition of the Republic Theatre and construction of its -successor were in progress Belasco made an unsuccessful attempt to -fulfil a purpose which he had cherished for several years,--the purpose, -namely, to cause the writing of, and to produce, a series of true comic -operas, American in theme but similar in character to the brilliant and -delightful combinations of satire, melody, and fun which made famous the -names of Gilbert and Sullivan. “I hoped,” he said, “to find a pair of -American authors that could be developed into at least something like -such a team as Gilbert and Sullivan, and for a while I thought I should -succeed,--but it was too much to hope for.” As part of his plan for this -operatic enterprise Belasco engaged the well-known singer Miss Lillian -Russell, for whose talents he entertained high respect: “I _know_,” he -has said to me, “that Lillian Russell could have done far finer things -than ever she has done--and I wanted her to do them under my -management.” Inability to obtain any musical play for Miss Russell’s use -which was satisfactory to him finally compelled Belasco to release her -from engagement and to abandon a project which, adequately performed, -would have been of great benefit to our Stage. - -From the time when it became publicly known that Belasco had assumed the -management of a theatre of his own, in New York, until 1909, when -self-interest at last reopened to him the long closed theatres dominated -by the Theatrical Syndicate, he was made the object of an almost -continuous series of attacks, annoyances, and persecutions, often merely -petty, sometimes extremely serious, the origin of which is not always -demonstrable but the motive of which, unmistakably, was to defame, -hamper, and injure him in his professional vocation. Thus, a few days -before the opening of his new theatre he was accused in several -newspaper diatribes of having “stolen” the services of three prominent -actors,--namely Lillian Russell, Blanche Bates, and David -Warfield,--then under engagement to him, from other theatrical managers, -regardless of prior contracts. The dispute on this subject has been -top-loftically described as a tempest in a teapot, but as the accusation -is, in fact, one of most dishonorable and illegal conduct the entire -refutation of it should be recorded. Miss Russell wrote about the matter -as follows: - - “I am very proud to have it known that Mr. Belasco is to be my - future manager, but it is doing him a great injustice to assert - that he tried to get me away from other managers with whom I was - under contract. He, emphatically, did nothing of the kind. - Everything was done in the most amiable spirit among all concerned, - and, as a matter of fact, he and I were brought together, in a - business relation, entirely by outside parties.” - -From Miss Bates came a letter in which she said: - - “I was entirely free from all contract obligations when Mr. Belasco - first made me an offer to come under his management. I left Liebler - & Company quite voluntarily, as I did not care to go to London with - ‘The Children of the Ghetto.’ I was therefore out of an engagement - when Mr. Belasco sent for me to create the leading part in a new - comedy.... I was given the greatest opportunity of my life in - ‘Madame Butterfly,’ and I have grown from leading woman to a star - under his management. And because I know that my artistic future is - safer in his hands than with anyone else I would not for a moment - consider an offer from another manager.” - -And Mr. Warfield sent to Belasco by telegraph from Boston this request -and statement: - - “Please deny for me that I had one more year [of service under - contract] at Weber & Fields’. I came to you having always had an - idea you could better my position.” - -A week before the first presentment of “The Darling of the Gods” in New -York an allegation even more injurious was made against Belasco when -several newspapers of the metropolis published affirmations by a female -author, known as Onoto Watanna, to the effect that characters and -incidents from two stories by her, “The Wooing of Wistaria” and “A -Japanese Nightingale,” had been appropriated by Belasco and incorporated -in “The Darling of the Gods” and that two acts of that play were pirated -from a dramatization of one of those stories. - -To these aspersions Belasco made prompt rejoinder by institution of a -suit against Mrs. Bertrand W. Babcock, asking $20,000 damages for -malicious libel. Mrs. Babcock was arrested, December 3, 1902, on a -warrant issued in this action and held in $500 bail. At the time of her -arrest Belasco made a statement as to his motives and feelings in -bringing suit in which he said: - - “My purpose in causing the arrest of Mrs. Babcock (Onoto Watanna) - is to stop, once and for all, the groundless persecution to which I - am subjected whenever I dare to present a new play. That my - productions are thorns in the sides of several managers I am - perfectly aware, but through Mrs. Babcock, who will now have to - give an account of her claims against me in court, I hope to reach - the real instigators of this attack against my integrity as a - manager and a man. I have never met Mrs. Babcock in my life nor - have I read either of her books, to one of which Klaw & Erlanger - have announced that they have purchased the dramatic rights. The - first I heard of Mrs. Babcock was about two months ago, at which - time my play had neither been put in rehearsal nor read to any one - who could possibly have told her of its plot, characters, or - incidents. At that time she informed a prominent morning newspaper - man that the firm of Klaw & Erlanger were very anxious to have her - bring a suit against me for plagiarism. I laughed at the whole - matter, for, knowing that ‘The Darling of the Gods’ was entirely - original with Mr. John Luther Long and myself, I could not conceive - of any person being foolish enough to make such a charge. But it - was the last shot in my enemies’ locker. From the day I started - work on this production I have been harassed in every direction. I - am almost as anxious to get this case into court and settled at - once and for all as I am to have the ‘Du Barry’ controversy - clinched. All I claim is the right of any citizen to pursue his - business unmolested. - - “This whole affair from start to finish is a conspiracy to throw a - nasty slur on my name as a playwright and manager on the eve of a - new production in which I have invested a great deal of money: and - with the courts to help me I intend to unmask a few of the real - culprits. Furthermore, I find now that Mrs. Babcock’s story ‘The - Wooing of Wistaria’ was not published until last September. Our - play was finished early in June. By causing the arrest of this - woman I hope, in addition to justifying myself, to establish a - precedent whereby other playwrights, when they happen to be - successful, may be able to take drastic means to protect themselves - against similar persecutions.” - -On February 6, 1903, at a hearing in this libel suit of Belasco’s, -before Justice Leventritt, of the Supreme Court, Mrs. Babcock, in -effect, withdrew the libel complained of (denying that she had made the -defamatory allegations ascribed to her), and the order of arrest -previously issued against her was, in consequence, vacated. The purpose -of the aspersions made was, undoubtedly, that stated by Belasco.--A -dramatization of Mrs. Babcock’s story of “A Japanese Nightingale” was -produced by Klaw & Erlanger, at Daly’s Theatre, New York, November 19, -1903, with Miss Margaret Illington as _Yuki_, its chief female -personage: the production of that play, it was generally understood in -theatrical circles at the time when it was made, was designed to exhibit -the authentic investiture and interpretation of a tragedy of Japan and -thus to display the artistic and managerial superiority of Messrs. Klaw -and Erlanger to Belasco: it was acted at Daly’s forty-four times and -then withdrawn. - -On May 30, 1903, the 186th performance of “The Darling of the Gods” -occurred at Belasco’s Theatre, which was then closed for the season. On -June 6, at Minneapolis, Minnesota, Belasco brought to an end a tour by -Mrs. Leslie Carter and a theatrical company of 147 other players, -presenting his “Du Barry,” which began at Brooklyn, New York, - -[Illustration: DAVID BELASCO - -About 1889-’90 - -Photograph by the Misses Selby. -Author’s Collection. -] - -December 2, 1902, which comprehended forty-two cities (extending as far -south as Galveston, Texas, and as far west as San Francisco), and which -involved travel of more than 10,000 miles, during most of which the -company was luxuriously transported on special trains. - - - - -SECOND SEASON AT THE BELASCO.--A CONTEMPTIBLE OUTRAGE. - - -The Belasco Theatre was reopened for its second season, that of -1903-’04, September 16, with a revival of “The Darling of the -Gods,”--acted by the original company,--which held the stage there until -November 14, sixty-four performances being given. On November 16 Mrs. -Carter emerged there in “Zaza,” which was acted for one week and was -followed, on the 23rd, by “Du Barry,” of which sixteen performances were -given. A peculiarly contemptible outrage, incidental to the protracted -campaign of persecution waged against Belasco, was perpetrated on the -first night of the “Zaza,” revival when a process server, employed and -instructed by the disreputable Abraham Hummel, leaped upon the stage -during the performance and served upon Mrs. Carter (who had nothing to -do with the matter) notice of an action at law brought by Miss Eugenie -Blair and Mr. Henry Gressit against Belasco, in which, alleging rights -of ownership in the play by Charles Frohman (who at the time was also -represented by Hummel), they prayed for an injunction to stop his -presenting “Zaza” in New York. “Few things,” Belasco has said, “could -have distressed me more than the thought that Charles Frohman could be -in any way a party to such conduct.” Among the many miscellaneous papers -which Belasco has permitted me to examine, in compiling material for -this Memoir, is a hurried note from Frohman which indeed reads strangely -in the light of this incident: - - -(_Charles Frohman To David Belasco._) - -“New York, Friday, -“(August 30?), 1899. - -“Dear Dave:-- - - “Don’t fail me on ‘Shenandoah.’ This is _my chance_, and you can do - much for me. _You know how I depend on you!_ After our engagement - the tour is arranged as you have asked it. 11 A.M., Tuesday, Star - Theatre. All details I have people to look after. - -“CHARLES.” - - - -The great success of “Shenandoah,” which made possible the career of -Charles Frohman, was in large part due to the sagacious and practical -help of Belasco, given in response to this appeal,--and the latter -manager, it seems to me, changing a single word, might well have -exclaimed with the betrayed monarch in Wills’s play about the Martyred -King, “Charles Murray, hast thou waited all these years to pay -me--_thus!_” Frohman, Belasco has informed me, assured him, long -afterward, when Gentle Peace had enfolded all their contentions, that he -was not priorly cognizant of Hummel’s outrageous instructions: -well,--perhaps he was not: but, if he was not, it is a pity he did not -so declare at the time of his quondam friend’s persecution and so shield -himself from contempt. Belasco’s lawyer, the Hon. A. J. Dittenhoefer, -commenting on this needless and shameful interruption of a public -performance, observed that “The case has remarkable features. As Mr. -[Charles] Frohman is half-owner of the play with Mr. Belasco, he is -really being served with papers by his own lawyers; moreover, Mrs. -Carter is not named in the papers, and it is against all precedent and -decency to serve them on her in such a way. They should have been served -on Mr. Belasco, or on the box-office, which stood open. There has been -plenty of time and ample opportunity for that.” Of course there had been -“plenty of time and ample opportunity”!--but such orderly and decent -service would not have annoyed and distressed a nervous, impulsive, -sensitive man, whom it was desired to harass and injure.--The injunction -asked for was denied by Justice Scott, December 11, 1903. - - - - -HENRIETTA CROSMAN AND “SWEET KITTY BELLAIRS.” - - -On June 15, 1900, Belasco entered into an agreement with the English -fiction writer Egerton Castle by which he obtained optional rights of -producing dramatizations of five novels by that author and his wife and -collaborator, Agnes Castle. He relinquished his rights in four of those -novels, “Young April,” “The Pride of Jennico,” “The Star Dreamer,” and -“The Secret Orchard,” but he exercised them with regard to a fifth, “The -Bath Comedy,” upon which he based a play. His purpose, originally, was -to bring forth Blanche Bates in its central character, when “The Darling -of the Gods” should have ceased to hold public interest. Many reasons, -however,--chief among them desire to please Mr. Castle by an early -production,--caused him to change his plan. He, accordingly, in January, -1903, engaged the accomplished actress Miss Henrietta Crosman to assume -the principal part in the play which he had founded on Mr. Castle’s -story, and, on November 23, of the same year, at the Lafayette Square -Opera House, Washington, D. C., he produced it for the first time, under -the title of “Sweet Kitty Bellairs.” Pursuant of what was, I am -convinced, a deliberate plan to harass Belasco and hinder him in his -managerial enterprises, the lawsuit instituted by Joseph Brooks -(incidents of which have already been recounted) was brought almost in -the moment of that first performance. Belasco, however, had grown -accustomed to persecution and remained unperturbed by it. On being -notified, November 24, of Brooks’s allegation in the matter and asked -for a statement, he dismissed the subject in two sentences: “It is,” he -said, “a pack of lies, and I am too busy with this production -[“Bellairs”] to make any answer to these persons [meaning Brooks and his -associates] now. When I am disengaged I will make a reply.” - -Belasco’s presentment of his “Sweet Kitty Bellairs,”--made for the first -time in New York, December 9, 1903, at the Belasco Theatre,--revealed a -comedy as well as a spectacle, because, while it satiated the vision -with luxuriance of ornament and color, it set a truthful and piquant -picture of manners in the jewelled framework of a story generally -credible and always romantic as well as at once humorous and tender, -merry and grave. The central purpose of it is the display of a study in -womanhood, an exceptional female character, a peculiar and fascinating -type; and the predominant attribute of it, accordingly, is sexuality. -The dashing coquette of old English fiction lives again in his _Kitty -Bellairs_,--not precisely _Lady Froth_, _Lady Bellaston_, _Mrs. Rackett_ -or _Mrs. Delmaine_, but a purified, glorified ideal of those gay, -tantalizing, roguish dames, a creature of sensuous beauty and reckless -behavior, whose whole occupation in life is the bewitchment of man; and, -in a silver fabric of gossamer comedy, this siren and all her associates -are engaged in adjusting their amatory relations. In other words, this -is a play of intrigue. - -“The Bath Comedy” is an extravagant and flimsy novel, and the dramatist -derived but little material from it,--that little, however, comprising -the jealous, peppery, belligerent, irrational husband; the silly, pretty -wife, with her saccharine endearments and ever-ready tears; the -ingenuous young nobleman, _Lord Verney_, so readily dazzled; and the -burly, genial, blundering ardent Irish soldier, _O’Hara_, so fond and -faithful, so rich in desert, and, at the last, so completely forlorn. -Expert use is made, likewise, of the diverted love-letter, inclosing the -tress of red hair. No spectacle, indeed, could, intrinsically, be -funnier than that presented by the enraged, suspicious, tumultuous -husband, intent on fighting with every red-haired man in Bath, in order -to be avenged on the unknown epistolary suitor of his absolutely -innocent wife. Taking this bull-headed mistake as a pretext for action, -and taking as a basis _Kitty’s_ wicked scheme for the relief of _Lady -Standish_,--who has temporarily wearied her husband by her dulness and -who will be taught to win and hold him by gay indifference and the -piquant allurement of coquetry,--Belasco built a structure of story and -action practically original and certainly brilliant. Writing on this -subject, he modestly says: “The dramatization was not easy: I was -obliged to add to the plot, but I used the atmosphere and characters of -the book,”--and, it may be added, contrived to fashion a charming and -effective comedy where, perhaps, any other dramatist of the time would -have failed. - -After an insipid Prologue, in crude rhyme, the old English city of Bath -is shown, in a beautiful picture, and therein is displayed a populous, -animated scene, constructed to exhibit as a background the raiment, -manners, morals, and pursuits of Bath society, in the butterfly days -that Smollett and Sheridan have made immortal. Then the story,--slender -and frail but amply adequate for its light purpose,--is rapidly -disclosed. _Kitty Bellairs_ will help _Lady Standish_ to bewitch her -indifferent husband by making him jealous; and when, through _Kitty’s_ -artful roguery, his dangerous wrath is directed against _Lord Verney_, -whom she would like to have for her own sweetheart, she will intervene -to prevent the impending duel and will implicate herself in a most -disastrous and distressing tangle of comic trouble. Two situations ensue -that are essentially dramatic and that also involve affecting and -enjoyable elements of pathos and humor. _Kitty_ and _Lady Standish_, -having proceeded to _Lord Verney’s_ lodging, in hope to avert a -catastrophe that their mischief has invoked, are in peril of -compromising discovery there, and at the climax _Kitty_ takes upon -herself the apparent disgrace and shame by coming forward to shield her -friend. Later, in the thronged assembly-room,--in a pageant of almost -unprecedented magnificence,--the brilliant _Bellairs_, ostracized by the -ladies of Bath, appeals to _Lady Standish_ for vindication and finds -that spineless comrade too weak and too timid to speak the truth. The -latter incident provides the supreme moment of the comedy, and, however -much its probability may be questioned, no spectator of it, adequately -acted, will for an instant doubt its theatrical effect. The preparations -for it are made with extraordinary skill. The scenic adjuncts to it -provided by Belasco were of royal opulence. It is fraught with -emotional suspense; it is a sharp surprise, and it has the decisive -potentiality of a dramatic act. Later the scene shifts to a Bristol -tavern, where _Lady Betty_ makes a tardy explanation, retrieving the -wrong, while _Verney_ and _O’Hara_ and the rest of the soldiers march -away,--in a storm, most deftly managed (as Belasco showed it), of wind -and pouring rain,--and _Sweet Kitty Bellairs_ is left in possession of -the field, a little rueful, perhaps, but rehabilitated and triumphant. -This close seemed somewhat tame, as a sequel to the ballroom effulgence, -but it was inevitable: after the clock has struck twelve it must -necessarily strike one. There is no thirteen. - -The antique moralist, while gazing on that gorgeous spectacle,--“the -teacup time of hood and hoop, or when the patch was worn,”--might, -perhaps, be moved to inquire whether women, in their traffic with the -impulses of love, the caprices of their own sex and the follies of the -other, do really think and act as they are made to think and act in this -play of Belasco’s: but, as the antique moralist knows nothing whatever -about women, he would only bewilder himself by such interrogatory. -Enough to know, in gazing on that spectacle, that it dazzles his vision -and that the story pleases his fancy. He sees a woman to whom humdrum -conventionality is intolerable; a woman who is fearless alike of -vindictive feminine spite and insolent masculine tolerance; a woman who -can be magnanimous; a woman who is nothing if not brilliant: and all -this ought to content even a cynic. The dramatist has made _Kitty -Bellairs_ much more of a woman and _Lord Verney_ much more of a man than -they were in the Castle novel,--where, indeed, _Bellairs_ is -unprincipled and heartless and _Verney_ foolish: a coarse flirt and a -callow milksop. Evil influence may be incarnate, without evil deed. In -the play this heroine is a thoroughly noble, gentle, and tender woman, -underneath her panoply of mirth and mischief, and she acts from a good -heart, and not from mere vanity and sensuous caprice. Miss Crosman -entered into this character with absolute sympathy, and, as to the -glittering side of it, so embodied it as to create a cogent effect of -nature. There is an appeal made by _Kitty_ to her Irish and other -military friends, when they behold her in apparent disgrace, that -strikes the true note of pathos, and, in the speaking of this, Miss -Crosman eloquently and nobly expressed the dignity of conscious virtue, -while in the denotement of tenderness she much exceeded -expectation,--because tenderness is not characteristic of her acting in -general, the drift of her temperament and style setting toward pert -assurance, skittish - -[Illustration: HENRIETTA CROSMAN AS _MISTRESS KITTY BELLAIRS_, IN “SWEET -KITTY BELLAIRS” - -Photograph -by Sarony. Belasco’s Collection. -] - -sport, sparkling raillery, and sprightly banter. _Kitty’s_ attitude, -during most of the comedy, is that of a maker of innocent -mischief,--with a spice of wickedness in it,--and she complicates -everything from pure love of drollery. This Miss Crosman made perfectly -and delightfully clear. The dilemma in Act Second, when _Kitty_ and -_Lady Betty_ are surprised in the bedroom at _Verney’s_, and the -exaction of an hysterical outburst at the end of Act Third a little -overtaxed the strength of the actress; but her impersonation of _Kitty -Bellairs_ lives in memory and is treasured for unity of purpose and -consistency of method, blithe spirit and buoyant action, sentiment -sweetly denoted beneath arch pleasantry and many winning graces of -manner, inflection, and playful prettiness. Belasco gained a new and -lasting laurel of success with this production, in which all points had -been well considered and nothing left to chance. The first performance -in New York was given in the presence of a brilliant and delighted -multitude. The final curtain did not fall till after midnight,--but - - “Noiseless falls the foot of Time - That only falls on flowers.” - -This is the original cast of “Sweet Kitty Bellairs”: - - “_They lived in that past Georgian day - When men were less inclined to say - That ‘Time is gold’ and overlay - With toil their pleasures._” - - * * * * * - - -_IN THE PROLOGUE._ - - * * * * * - -_Master of Ceremonies_ Mark Smith, Jr. -_The Prologue will be spoken by_ Antoinette Walker. - - * * * * * - - -_IN THE PLAY._ - -_Sir Jasper Standish_ John E. Kellerd. -_Col. the Hon. Henry Villiers_ Edwin Stevens. -_Captain Spicer_ } { Frank H. Westerton. -_Lord Verney, Lieut._ } Of the { Charles Hammond. -_Mr. Tom Stafford, Lieut._ } 51st { James Carew. -_Mr. Bob Chichester, Lieut._ } Regiment. { Clyde Fogel. -_Gandy, Private_ } { Addison Pitt. -_Fenwick, Private_ } { Shelley Hull. -_The Bishop of Bath and Wells_ H. Rees Davies. -_Col. Kimby McFiontan_ R. Peyton Carter. -_Capt. Denis O’Hara_ } { J. Malcolm Dunn. -_Major Owen MacTeague_ } Of the { Alfred Cahill. -_Mr. Lanty MacLusky, Lieut._ } “Inniskillings.” { Douglas Wood. -_Mr. Darby O’Donovan, Cornet._} { Emmet Lennon. -_Mallow_ Stanley Drewitt. -_The Innkeeper of the Bear Inn_ Harold Watts. -_First Courier_ Howard Hull. -_Second Courier_ S. K. Blair. -_Post Boy_ William Whitney. -_Mistress Kitty Bellairs_ Henrietta Crosman. -_Lady Standish (Julia)_ Katharine Florence. -_Lady Marie Prideaux_ Louise Moodie. -_Lady Bab Flyte_ Edith Crane. -_Mistress Bate-Coome_ Genevieve Reynolds. -_Hon. Mrs. Beaufort_ Charlotte Nicoll Weston. -_Miss Prue_ Bernice Golden. -_Miss Doll_ Sybil Klein. -_Miss Debby_ Jane Cowl. -_Miss Sally_ Lydia Winters. -_Selina_ Lillian Coffin. -_Lydie_ Estelle Coffin. -_Barmaid of the Bear Inn_ Mignon Hardt. -_Clorinde_ } { Mrs. Irvin Chapman. -_Dorothea_ } { Gertrude Dorrance. -_Arabella_ } _Mrs. Bate-Coome’s_ { Edith Rowland. -_Angela_ } daughters. { Helen Hale. -_Marjorie_ } { Edna Griffen. -_Mistress Tilney_ Sara Delaro. - - - - -SIDE-LIGHT AND COMMENTARY ON “SWEET KITTY.” - - -“Sweet Kitty Bellairs” was acted at the Belasco Theatre until June 4, -1904, when the season ended and that house was closed. It was revived -there in the fall, September 3, and, with Miss Crosman in its chief -part, was subsequently acted in many other cities. In the season of -1905-’06, Miss Crosman having retired from Belasco’s management, it was -again revived, with Miss Bertha Galland as _Kitty_, and on October 5, -1907, with Miss Eva Moore in that part, it was played at the Haymarket -Theatre, London. On February 3, 1904, while this comedy was in the full -tide of its first success, one of the many groundless suits against -Belasco, accusing him of plagiarism, was brought by Grace B. Hughes, -otherwise known as Mary Montagu, who asserted that Belasco’s play was an -infringement of one by her, entitled “Sweet Jasmine,” and applied for an -injunction to stop him from further presentment of it. Her application -was argued before Justice E. Henry Lacombe, March 18, and on March 26 -was denied. One of the most vicious propensities of newspaper journalism -was sharply illustrated in connection with Miss Montagu’s wanton -aspersion on Belasco’s honesty: when it was _made_, her charge of -plagiarism was generally and conspicuously published by the press; when -it was _disproved_, it ceased to be “live news” and merely curt and, in -general, obscure record was made of the issue. Minor “resemblances” -between the two plays, adduced by the complainant in this action by way -of substantiating her charge of literary theft, were such as the facts -that in both a military band played music; in both “green” is mentioned -as the color of grass, and in both a lover states the nature of his -feeling toward the woman he loves. Yet, without any possibility of -redress, Belasco was compelled to expend energy, time, and money on -making a serious defence against the preposterous accusations of -irresponsible frivolity! To oppose and defeat the suit of Miss Montagu -cost him a large sum. There is no reasonable doubt that, in the majority -of cases, such accusations of plagiarism as those which have been -brought against Belasco are made in hope that the person accused will -buy off the accuser as the quickest and cheapest way of ending -annoyance. Belasco, however, has never gratified such hope; and he -assured me: “I never will--for I prefer to lose a thousand dollars in -money and ten thousand in time and trouble rather than to submit to -blackmail.” In denying the writ applied for by this impudent defamer the -court declared that “No direct evidence of copying, either of language -or dramatic situation, is shown. A comparison of the two plays shows -that _they are wholly dissimilar in plot, in characters, in text, and in -dramatic situations_. The climax of one act in each piece was -principally relied upon in argument--where the unexpected discovery of -the leading character in a place where she should not be makes a -dramatic situation.... This is an old device; it was common property to -all playwrights since Sheridan used it in ‘The School for Scandal’ [And -since long before that time!--W. W.]. Analyzing the details of the -situations as presented in these two plays, the points of _essential -difference_ so far outnumber the points of similarity that it is -difficult to understand how anyone could persuade himself that one was -taken from the other.”--The following letters provide an interesting -side-light and commentary on the history of “Bellairs”: - - -(_David Belasco to Egerton Castle, in London._) - -“Cartwright Cottage, -“Manhanset Manor, New York, -“August 29, 1904. - -“My dear Mr. Castle:-- - - “You must pardon me for not replying to your letter. I am much run - down by overwork, and as I had to finish Mrs. Carter’s new play for - the coming season besides much other work my doctor ordered me to - the Adirondack Mountains, and before going I gave orders to my - secretary to keep all mail for me until my return. Thank you for - the story you sent. It is charming, but as it so closely follows - the line of ‘Sweet Kitty Bellairs,’ and as that play has made such - a success, I am afraid that another on the same subject and in the - same period would fall flat in this country. So if anyone applies - to you for the rights you will understand that I relinquish them. - - “Next week ‘Sweet Kitty’ opens at my theatre for a few weeks, then - it will be started off on tour. I need not tell you the condition - of things theatrical in America. The Syndicate has brought nothing - but disgrace and humiliation to the profession. Things artistic are - at their lowest ebb. Last season was the worst financially the - theatres ever experienced. Many fortunes were lost. Outside of - ‘Sweet Kitty Bellairs’ I don’t think any manager produced a - success. Of course I lost money on the production. A play of that - period is expensive, and as I make my productions perfect it - invariably takes me a year to get back the original cost. This - coming season is the year of the Presidential Election, which - always hurts the theatres, but I think we shall do well on tour - because of our New York success. I think it inadvisable to attempt - ‘Sweet Kitty’ in England until after its first tour in this - country. If by chance it should slip up over in London it would - hurt our prospects for the play here. While the papers attach very - little importance to a play successfully produced in England, they - cable over a failure with sensational particulars, and it hurts all - throughout the country. I think it would be wise to arrange for the - production of ‘Sweet Kitty’ in London later, making the - arrangements during the coming season, but, as I stated, I don’t - think it would be well to produce it yet. - - “Hope that you are meeting with every success. With best wishes to - Mrs. Castle and yourself, - -“Faithfully, -“DAVID BELASCO.” - - - (_David Belasco to Egerton Castle, in London._) - -“The Belasco Theatre, -“New York, March 3, 1905. - -“My dear Mr. Castle:-- - - “Your letter of February 5 received. I regret very much that ‘Sweet - Kitty Bellairs’ has not done better than it has. But I am - constrained to attribute this to the fact that, in order to please - you, I put it on during an unpropitious season, when there was - little or no interest in plays of the Georgian period, because the - country was surfeited with them--with comic operas of the - Eighteenth Century, and revivals of Sheridan. Again, I myself had - just finished the production of ‘Du Barry,’ which, while it is of a - more regal nature than ‘Bellairs,’ is still of the Eighteenth - Century, a costume play of manners and customs. All this tended to - take from ‘Kitty’ the charm of novelty, a detraction which could - not be overcome by the fact that I spent more than $65,000 on the - production and gave it a cast comprising some of the highest - salaried artists in America. - - “It was my intention to hold the play in reserve for Miss Bates, - and produce it this year, with her in the title rôle. She is one of - my own stars, and very popular. Had I done so, waiting for the - flood of plays of that period to cease, I am convinced the result - would have been far different. - - “Miss Crosman closes in April, and I shall then recall the company, - store the production and send it out when the road conditions in - this country are more favorable. I believe it to be a valuable - piece of property over here, and that it may yet make enough money - to enable me to get back at least my original outlay. My loss up to - date on the play is $50,000. - - “In regard to the English production, I deem it inadvisable to - commit myself at present, because I yet hope to have a theatre of - my own in London, and, in consequence, am saving all my material - for that time. Moreover, in ‘Kitty Bellairs’ I know so well the - things that made it a great artistic success in this country, and - there are so many details about the production to need my personal - supervision, that I should really be afraid to let it be put on - without me. To make the play ‘go’ at all, it must have a special - cast, without which its fate would be foredoomed, and I do not care - to trust the selection of this cast to another. In short, the - English production is a risk I do not wish to take, until I can - give it my own personal attention. - - “With kindest regards, I am - -“Faithfully, -“DAVID BELASCO.” - - - - - - -“THE DARLING” IN LONDON.--A HEARTY TRIBUTE. - - -On December 28, 1903, the English actor and manager Herbert -Beerbohm-Tree produced “The Darling of the Gods,” with notable success, -at His Majesty’s Theatre, London,--himself appearing in it as _Zakkuri_, -with Miss Marie Löhr as _Yo-San_ and George Relph as _Kara_. A -characteristic instance of journalistic meanness was then provided by -“The London Times,” which ascribed the beauty and perfection of Japanese -detail in the production to the influence of Mme. Sada Yaco,--a Japanese -eccentricity who had appeared on the stage in London and profoundly -agitated the esthetic circle of “souls” resident in that city. As Tree’s -presentment of the tragedy of Japan was made in faithful adherence to -Belasco’s prompt book thereof and as Belasco never saw the Japanese -actress, either on the stage or off, it would be interesting to learn in -what manner her “influence” was exerted on him or his work. It is -pleasant to turn from such paltry carping to read the hearty tribute -paid by Tree, speaking from the stage of his theatre, in grateful -acknowledgment of public approval: - - “Ladies and Gentlemen:--I thank you for this splendid, wonderful - reception of ‘The Darling of the Gods,’ but I must tell you that - all the credit for what you have seen here goes across the ocean to - that great idealist and genius of the Theatre, my comrade David - Belasco, whom I so much admire. Never in all my career have I - received from anybody [else] such a perfect ’script of a play. - Every detail, every bit of costume, every piece of business, every - light, is set down for us, and every note of music furnished, - making it all so easy to produce this play that we can only claim - credit for carrying out instructions! Concerning the genius and - imagination that created it all and is responsible for it all,--I - must say that, knowing him as I do, I can see that it is all - Belasco-Belasco-Belasco, from the rise to the fall of the curtain. - Words are inadequate to pay tribute to him; but I shall have the - pleasure of sending him a cable to-night, to tell him how - tremendously you have all enjoyed and applauded this wonderful play - and how grateful we all are to him as well as you! - - “Hereafter, it is my hope that Mr. Belasco and I shall do some work - in collaboration and that I may induce him to send us more of his - productions--perhaps, to bring them over himself and have them - acted for you under his own supervision....” - -“Tree was always most generous to me,” Belasco has said; “and his -‘Darling’ speech made me very happy. I like appreciation and -encouragement when I have worked hard and tried to deserve it. Always -after doing my ‘Darling’ Tree used to address me as ‘Sir David,’ and -several times in public speeches he said that if they had me in England -they would knight me--which was very kind and lovely, but plain ‘Mister -Dave’ is good enough for me!” - -[Just before leaving this country for the last time Tree read Belasco’s -striking play about the spiritual survival of man, “The Return of Peter -Grimm,” and arranged to produce it in London,--an arrangement which was -abrogated by his sudden and untimely death, July 2, 1917.--J. W.] - - - - -A STRENUOUS YEAR. - - -The year 1904 was one of peculiar perplexity and vexation for -Belasco--of incessant strenuous labor and (as I deem) of most malicious -harassment which might well have broken both his health and his spirit -had he not been sustained by vital enthusiasm and a steadfast, -invincible will. In that year he had not only to bear the heavy expense -of producing “Sweet Kitty Bellairs,” together with the loss and -anxieties incident to theatrical management amid generally disturbed -business conditions and the distraction and annoyance of Miss Montagu’s -monstrous lawsuit, but, also, he had to provide new plays and new -productions for Mrs. Carter and for Warfield, to make his plans for the -future of Blanche Bates, and to encounter at last the open and -unrestricted animosity of the Theatrical Syndicate. “I am,” Belasco has -truly said about himself (1903), “a patient and peaceful man: I don’t -want to fight with anybody. I want to attend to _my_ business in _my own -way_--to do my work unmolested and to interfere with nobody. But neither -will I permit anybody to interfere with _me_, or to dictate to me, if I -am able to resist.” And speaking of Belasco’s course in theatrical -management, his general representative, B. F. Roeder, publicly declared -at about the same time (June, 1903): “Mr. Belasco’s policy will remain -exactly what it has always been. He will be independent of all factions -and [will] place his companies wherever he can get the best terms and -time.” Such a policy, indisputably right as it is, was not one which the -Theatrical Syndicate would brook, and it soon brought that oppressive -monopoly into direct and open conflict with Belasco in the conduct of -his business. Foreseeing an immense popular interest in the World’s Fair -(Louisiana Purchase Exposition) at St. Louis, in 1904, Belasco resolved -that his superb production of “The Darling of the Gods” should -concurrently be presented there. He felt great and wholly natural and -frank pride in that production: he knew that he could not much longer -hold together the company acting in it, and he desired that as many -persons as possible should see his tragedy to the best advantage. When, -however, he applied to the Syndicate booking agency, presided over by -Mr. A. L. Erlanger, to arrange for an engagement in St. Louis, during -“the Fair,” he was informed that it could not be done. He thereupon -instructed his own booking agent, an experienced manager, William G. -Smyth, to arrange for presentment of “The Darling of the Gods” at an -independent theatre there, the Imperial, and his order was at once -obeyed. It is not worth while to relate in detail the story of the -attempt to coerce Belasco into cancelling that engagement: it is enough -to state that (as he told me at the time) when it had proved impossible -to intimidate him the uncouth Erlanger destroyed the contracts -previously executed through his agency, between Belasco and theatre -managers in various cities,--and, in profane and insulting language, -sent him notice that he could not thereafter present his productions in -_any_ Syndicate theatre. - - - - -WARFIELD IN “THE MUSIC MASTER.”--AN ANIMATED SPEECH. - - -Once committed to “open war” with the Trust and having got the St. Louis -engagement of Miss Bates securely arranged, Belasco turned to completion -of the plays for Warfield and Mrs. Carter. He had, at first, intended to -write the Warfield piece unaided, but the demands on his time and -strength had rendered that impossible and he had employed the late -Charles Klein (1867-1915) to work with him. “I had,” he said, “given -much thought to the subject of the play I needed for Warfield, but with -all my other responsibilities and cares I found that I must get somebody -else to do much of the actual writing. One night while having supper in -a restaurant with Roeder, after the play, I told him that I was going to -ask Klein to undertake it. ‘Well,’ Roeder said, ‘this is a good time to -ask him--here he comes,’ and Klein, who had just come in, walked over to -our table and told me he had been thinking for some time about writing a -play for Warfield! I told him what I had in mind, and before we -separated we had agreed to do the piece together.” - -The outcome of that agreement was the play of “The Music Master,” which -was produced for the - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Sarony. The Albert Davis Collection. - -DAVID WARFIELD AS _HERR ANTON VON BARWIG_, IN “THE MUSIC MASTER”] - -first time at the Young’s Pier Theatre, Atlantic City, New Jersey, on -September 12, 1904. “The Music Master” is not remarkable for either -originality of design or felicity of construction, but it is pure in -spirit, interesting in story, picturesque in setting, and healthful in -influence, and it was apparent from the first that it would have a long -and abundantly prosperous career. There has been on our Stage such -excessive exposition of vice and degradation, of the possible depravity -of human conduct and wickedness of human motive, that it was an active -benefaction to place such a play before the public, a positive blessing -to receive the privilege of mental contact with its pure and noble ideal -of humanity. It was announced, without qualification, as having been -written by Charles Klein: that was an injustice. It is, in fact, a -patchwork,--in the form in which Klein first shaped it being based to -some extent on a play by Felix Morris (1847-1900) called “The Old -Musician,” and then made over by Belasco, with a distinctively -perceptible interfusion of dramatic expedients from that fine old drama -“Belphégor; or, The Mountebank.” The central person, _Herr Anton von -Barwig_, the Music Master, is a German musician, of a familiar -type,--peculiar but attractive; impassioned but gentle; droll but -piteous; fervid but patient: an image of moral dignity and -self-sacrifice,--and the posture of situations and incidents that have -been utilized for his presentment shows him as a loving father, -occupied, under conditions of almost sordid adversity, in a quest for -his daughter, whom an unworthy wife and mother has taken from him, -flying, with a paramour, from Germany to the United States, whither he -has followed them. That daughter, at last, he finds and, in -circumstances cruel to himself, practically befriends by keeping the -secret of her paternity. The conspicuous attributes of this -person,--attributes blended and interwoven beneath a serio-comic surface -of foreign manner and broken English,--are, intrinsically (of course -with variant investiture), those that have long endeared such characters -as _Michonnet_, _Triplet_, _Mr. Peggotty_, _Caleb Plummer_, and _Doctor -Primrose_: attributes, namely, of love, charity, fidelity, fortitude, -patience, humor, simplicity, spontaneous goodness, and an unconscious -grace equally of conduct, manner, and thought. The purpose, manifestly, -was to place an eccentric, gentle, affectionate, humorous, and somewhat -forlorn elderly man in a predicament of sad circumstance, and in that -way to arouse pity and stimulate the promptings of charitable impulse. -That purpose was accomplished; and therefore, aside from all -consideration of its inspiration and while the play is neither novel -with invention, potent with strong dramatic effect, nor brilliant with -polished dialogue, it possesses the solid worth of fidelity to simple -life, the charm of diversified character, and the beauty of deep, -tender, human feeling. - -It was a wise choice to combine those attributes into a stage figure, -and David Warfield,--finding himself liberated, mind and heart, into a -congenial character,--gained in embodying it the most substantial -success of his professional career,--making of that figure a vital -emblem of heroism that is never flamboyant and virtue that is never -insipid; an image of paternal affection that typifies innate dignity of -character and the sweet, gentle, lovely patience of pure -self-abnegation. In earlier performances this comedian was almost -exclusively photographic; but time, thought, and practice,--the forces -that constitute experience,--gradually expanded and ripened his art, and -in his performance of this part (when repetition had eliminated -excessive nervous trepidation and made it “a property of easiness” to -him) he showed intuitive insight and was deeply pathetic. That is true -success; because the higher purpose of acting a play is not proclamation -of the talents of an actor, but liberation and enforcement of the utmost -of beneficial influence upon an audience that a play contains. Warfield -in “The Music Master” conquered by the two great virtues of simplicity -and sincerity. The principal artistic defects in the -personation--defects conspicuous in all Warfield’s acting and to the -elimination of which he seems to be curiously indifferent--were a hard, -metallic voice and a poor method of elocution. The best dramatic -expedient in the play is that by which the father’s dubious, inchoate -recognition of the daughter is confirmed. At that point and in the -sequent situation (“lifted” from “Belphégor”) the actor evinced -sympathetic delicacy and tempestuous fervor. The closing scenes of the -play are marred by episodes of irrelevant incident and by prolixity, -obscurity and artifice, in the long-drawn passage of parental and filial -recognition,--which, indeed, requires but a glance. - -Belasco has written the following reminiscence of the production of “The -Music Master,” in which he shows just appreciation of the destructive -result of those excessive expedients of stage “realism” which, in some -of his earlier productions, impaired precisely the _effect_ they were -designed to create: - - “We always spoke of _von Barwig_ as ‘the music teacher.’ Naturally - that became the name of the play; but as the character grew our - musician impressed us as a master, and our title was changed to - ‘The Music Master.’ - - “I think there were at least fourteen versions of this - comedy-drama. Even after the cast was engaged, we went over the - manuscript again. The entire Supper Scene in the First Act was - written while the company was assembled on the stage; so, too, was - the ending of the play. Such radical alterations were made at the - last rehearsal that one of the acts was almost entirely rewritten. - We had a scene, wherein _von Barwig_ dreamed of his past life in - Leipzig. While the stage was dark, a double took Warfield’s place - in the armchair and remained in view of the audience while Warfield - himself moved through the following scenes. He was shown as a young - man, writing the intermezzo which was to bring him fame and - fortune. Then he was seen directing the orchestra, then in his - home, where he came fresh from his triumph, to find a note from his - wife, telling of her departure, and on the floor a broken toy,--the - toy by which after many years he was to identify his daughter. - These scenes were mounted on movable platforms, easily set in place - without loss of time. They were shown with telling effect at - rehearsals, but I felt that the beauty of the actor’s art was - hampered by machinery. While Warfield was making quick changes, - hurrying on and off the stage, the beautiful simplicity of his work - was lost. The artist was of less importance than scenic changes and - effects. ‘This is not a spectacular play,’ I thought, ‘all these - external matters are carrying us too far from this man’s - performance.’ To the surprise of everyone, I ordered the scenes cut - out. Instead, I showed Warfield sitting in revery, and by means of - his changing expression and a few phrases dropped now and then the - story of his past was conveyed to the spectators. His simple acting - made it all as clear as though I had really used the various - scenes. At the same time attention was centred on the actor, not - on canvas.... The Last Act represented an attic with a skylight - with its cracked panes stuffed with cloths which fluttered - violently in the wind until some of them fell out and snow drifted - through the openings. I liked the snowstorm very much, as it - accentuated the misery of the characters grouped about a little - stove. Warfield did not like the storm, but he did not wish to say - so; so he took a novel way to be rid of it. ‘Brrr!’ he said as he - walked off the stage, ‘I’m cold! The snowstorm is so realistic it - has given me a chill!’ I ordered the weather changed at once....” - -“The Music Master,” when first acted in New York,--at the original -Belasco Theatre, September 26, 1904,--was cast as follows: - -_Herr Anton von Earwig_ David Warfield. - -_Signor Tagliafico_ } Musicians of the { W.G. Ricciardi. -_Mons. Louis Pinac_ } Liberty Café. { Louis P. Verande. -_Herr August Poons_ } { Leon Kohlmar. - -_Henry A. Stanton_ Campbell Gollan. -_Andrew Cruger_ William Boag. -_Beverly Cruger_ J. Carrington Yates. -_Mr. Schwarz_ Alfred Hudson. -_Mr. Ryan_ Tony Bevan. -_Al. Costello_ Louis Hendricks. -_Joles_ Harold Mead. -_Ditson_ H. G. Carlton. -_Danny_ Master Richard Kessler. -_A Collector_ Downing Clarke. -_Mrs. Andrew Cruger_ Isabel Waldron. -_Helen Stanton_ Minnie Dupree. -_Miss Houston_ Marie Bates. -_Jenny_ Antoinette Walker. -_Charlotte_ Sybil Klein. -_Octavie_ Jane Cowl. - -After the Second Act Belasco was many times called before the curtain -and finally, responding to insistent requests, addressed the audience in -an exceptionally animated way, saying: - - “I hope you will excuse me from making a formal speech; but I am - most happy to take this occasion to say that I am glad you like our - little play and glad that Mr. David Warfield has succeeded. And I - am happy, too, to take this occasion to say publicly how proud I am - of him and how very, very grateful I am for his loyalty to - me--loyalty that no persecution could shake and no malice - undermine! There have been lawsuits, plots, perjuries, and lies; - there have been vexations enough to weary the patience of a saint - (and I am not a saint, ladies and gentlemen!): but Mr. Warfield has - remained through it all unshaken and true to me--and I honor and - thank him: and, ladies and gentlemen, as long as I possess your - confidence and friendship no theatrical syndicates, with all their - money and outside influence, can crush me or dictate to me in what - way I shall conduct my business. I rejoice in Mr. Warfield’s - success, and since this play pleases you, I will only say that our - prosperity is just so much more ammunition with which to continue - the struggle for Justice and the triumph of Right in American - theatrical management!” - -The appended letter, written by Belasco during the toil and strain of -preparing his “Music Master” and “Adrea” productions, indicates his -strenuous labor to make the former a success and his almost diffident -estimate of his practically invaluable contributions to it as a -playwright: - - -(_David Belasco to Charles Klein, at Merriewold Park, N. Y._) - -“Shelter Island, Long Island, -“New York, July 10, 1904. - -“My dear Charles:-- - - “Act Second is now in the hands of Miss Edith. As you say you have - shipped the Third Act to me I am expecting it any hour. I shall - have Act One typed as soon as possible and fire it off to you. I - hope you will like the things I have done to it. I am so anxious - that your play shall be a sensational hit _that I am giving fifteen - hours a day to it_. Whatever I do I think will help the cause,--and - after all we are working for a big success. There is too much at - stake for us all not to take off our coats and work for life. You - have been bully, my dear Charles, from start to finish, and now - with good health and with God on our side you shall reap the - benefit of your patience and hard work.--I shall drop the acts - along to you as they leave Miss Edith, and as I said before, I hope - the work I have done on them will please you. - -“Faithfully -“DAVID BELASCO.” - - - - - - -CONCERNING WARFIELD, JEFFERSON, THE ELDER SOTHERN, AND THE “ONE-PART” -CUSTOM.--AN AMAZING RECORD. - - -In commenting on Warfield’s great, indeed phenomenal, success and -popularity in “The Music Master,” Belasco writes: “I have no doubt that -he could become _a one-part actor_ and appear as _von Barwig_ -perennially, just as Jefferson played _Rip Van Winkle_ and Sothern _Lord -Dundreary_. However, neither he nor I approve of this plan.” It is -singular, indeed, what a strange, delusive, ineradicable effect the -parrot-like repetition of words sometimes creates. Belasco,--like the -majority of other persons who mention the subject,--has got it firmly -established in his mind that Jefferson and Sothern were what he -designates as “one-part actors” (actors who, as he expressly states, -follow a professional course of which he does not approve), and he will, -I suppose, go to his grave serene in the conviction that such was the -case and unconscious of the injustice he does both those great actors. -Yet Sothern gave hundreds of performances in “Sam,” “David Garrick,” -“The Crushed Tragedian,” “Home,” and “An English Gentleman” after his -great success in “Lord Dundreary”; while Jefferson’s repertory embraced -well over 100 parts; for every five performances he gave of _Rip_ he -gave about three of _Bob Acres_, in “The Rivals,” and,--to the delight -of audiences throughout our country,--he acted, hundreds of times, as -_Dr. Pangloss_, in “The Heir-at-Law”; _Caleb Plummer_, in “The Cricket -on the Hearth”; _Mr. Golightly_, in “Lend Me Five Shillings” (which, by -the way, was the last part he ever played); _Dr. Ollapod_, in “The Poor -Gentleman”; _Hugh de Brass_, in “A Regular Fix,” and _Mr. Woodcock_, in -“Woodcock’s Little Game.” _Every_ exceptionally successful actor is -_more_ popular in some one part than he is in any other, and as it was -with Jefferson in _Rip Van Winkle_ and Sothern in _Dundreary_ so also is -it with Warfield in _von Barwig_. Yet Warfield certainly is not a -one-part actor,--though for every part he has played in the regular -Theatre, aside from that one (exactly four, that is), Jefferson and -Sothern each played anywhere from fifteen to twenty-five parts. -Warfield, since his initial triumph as _von Barwig_, thirteen years ago -[1917], has acted in a revival of “The Auctioneer,” and in “A Grand Army -Man,” “The Return of Peter Grimm,” and “Van Der Decken.” Yet, time and -again, wisely and rightly, Belasco has revived for him “The Music -Master,” and always the public,--whether in the greatest cities of the -country or the smallest “one-night stand” which he has visited,--has -hailed him in that piece with joy and flocked in crowds to witness his -touching and lovely performance. During the season of 1906-’07, when he -fulfilled engagements in that play, of four weeks each, at the Majestic -Theatre, Boston, and the Academy of Music, New York, the respective -managers of those houses caused to be prepared, attested under oath, -and delivered as souvenirs to Belasco statements which show that in -eight weeks $171,179.25 was paid for the privilege of seeing Warfield’s -impersonation of _von Barwig_. That is an amazing record, surpassing any -similar and fairly comparable one known to me, and, therefore, I here -transcribe the items of receipt: - - -_MAJESTIC THEATRE, BOSTON._ - -Week ending October 6, 1906 (seven performances), $16,443.50. -Week ending October 13, 1906 (seven performances), 16,227.75. -Week ending October 20, 1906 (eight performances), 18,676.50. -Week ending October 27, 1906 (eight performances), 20,864.00. - ------------ - $72,211.75. - - -_ACADEMY OF MUSIC, NEW YORK._ - -Week ending February 2, 1907, $21,857.25. - “ “ “ 9, “ 22,249.75. - “ “ “ 16, “ 25,149.25. - “ “ “ 23, “ 29,711.25. - ------------ - $98,967.50. - -During the engagement at the Academy of Music, in 1907, the highest -price charged for a seat was $1.50. - -[Perhaps nothing more conclusively manifests the unbreakable hold of -Warfield on the affections of the American public, in this play, than -the facts that in the present season (1917-’18), notwithstanding the -stress of war and that the character he portrays is a German, his -audiences everywhere have, seemingly, been limited only by the capacity -of the theatres in which he has appeared and that, as Mr. Belasco kindly -informs me, his average gross receipts have been well over $14,000 a -week.--J.W.] - -The first engagement of “The Music Master” at the Belasco Theatre lasted -until January 7, 1905, when it was withdrawn to make way for Mrs. Carter -in “Adrea.” On January 9 it was acted at the old Bijou Theatre, and -remained there until June 3. - -Belasco was subjected to a peculiarly impudent and contemptible -persecution when Joseph Brooks (the factotum of Klaw & Erlanger and, as -asserted by Belasco, a mere “dummy” for that firm) attempted to maintain -a claim of partnership with him in the production and presentment of -“The Music Master.” The contract signed by Brooks and by Belasco, in -1901, providing for professional exploitation of David Warfield, -assigned the contract made in November, 1900, between Belasco and -Warfield, to the Belasco-Brooks “partnership”; and - -[Illustration: - - Photograph in Belasco’s Collection. - -SCENE IN FRONT OF THE BELASCO THEATRE, PITTSBURGH, PA. - -Ten o’clock in the morning, December 6, 1906: Opening of the sale of -tickets for David Warfield’s engagement in “The Music Master”] - -the Belasco-Warfield contract, which covered the seasons of -1901-’02-’03, provided for a renewal at the end of that term. Brooks, -accordingly, after “The Music Master” had been written on Belasco’s -instigation and in large part by him and after it had been produced -solely at his expense and risk, claimed a one-half interest in that -prosperous venture and sought an injunction to prevent the play from -being presented except under management of “Brooks & Belasco.” His claim -was flatly disallowed in a decision of the New York Supreme Court, -rendered by Justice Leventritt on October 31, 1904, in the course of -which the court said: - - “...Undisputed proof by affidavit is offered that the [three] - theatrical seasons contemplated [in the Belasco-Warfield contract] - ended about the first of May or at all events before the first of - June. The _alleged_ renewal was made by the plaintiff Brooks - several weeks after this latter date.” Furthermore, held the court, - “Whether the option [of renewal] in fact passed to the firm [of - Belasco & Brooks]; whether, if it did, the plaintiff could exercise - it, are questions open to grave doubt; but, conceding the right of - the plaintiff Brooks, the papers show an exercise of the option - after the close of the third theatrical season and insufficient - proof of a custom that the right survived the termination of the - season.... To enjoin a successful actor’s lucrative performance of - a successful play under (_sic_) such circumstances, when in - addition no question of financial responsibility is presented, - would be to grant, in advance of trial, on insufficient proof, the - very relief which the action itself seeks. Motion denied, with ten - dollars costs.” - -Belasco’s feeling about “The Music Master” and his esteem of and loyalty -to his friend Warfield are pleasantly shown in a declaration which he -made about them several years ago: - - “From the time the play opened until the present day I have had - many offers for it. George Edwardes promised an enormous guarantee - if we would come to England. George Newnes, proprietor of ‘The - Strand Magazine,’ said: ‘I am not a theatrical manager, but I want - to bring your play and Mr. Warfield to England.’ Cyril Maude, - Arthur Bourchier, and Sir Herbert Beerbohm-Tree all applied for the - acting rights. Another great fortune could be made out of the piece - were I to allow it to be played in stock and moving pictures, but I - have turned a deaf ear to all inducements. ‘The Music Master’ is - for David Warfield; more than that, The Music Master _is_ David - Warfield.” - - - - -A SHEAF OF OLD LETTERS: IN THE MATTER OF THE THEATRICAL SYNDICATE. - - -All of the following letters by Belasco were written during the first -year of “The Music Master,” and they well characterize the purposes of -the Theatrical Syndicate and well indicate Belasco’s lively opposition -to that oppressive monopoly. The second of them is addressed to his -cousin, the son of the famous English actor David James, and it refers -to a proposal made by the younger actor so named that he should be -brought to America, to act in some of his father’s parts, under the -management of Belasco. - - -(_David Belasco to Blanche Bates._) - -“Belasco Theatre, New York, -“September 28, 1904. - -“My dear ‘St. Louis Pet’:-- - - “Thanks for your message. It was sweet of you and your dear mother - to think of me. Warfield and his little play hit them _hard_, and - we have struck another terrific blow in the _solar plexus_ of the - Syndicate. - - “Mrs. Carter’s new play [“Adrea”] is written and I am already at - work on yours [“The Girl of the Golden West”]. I am crazy to see - you and go over the story before I get at the dialogue. As soon as - Mrs. Carter’s play is produced I shall join ‘The Darling of the - Gods’ for a few weeks, as we must have a lot of talks together. I - am going to do something _bully_ for you,--a part that you will - love. Won’t you be happy when you are again playing in New York at - the home theatre! - - “Keep well. Love to your mother,--and remember I am - -“Always your friend, -“DAVID BELASCO.” - - - - -(_David Belasco to David James, Jr., in London._) - -“Belasco Theatre, -“New York, October 14, 1904. - -“My dear David James:-- - - “Yours of October the 1st received. Yes, I did answer your former - letter. No doubt it followed you about and was finally lost. - Things theatrical are in a very bad way over here just now, and I - am still in the midst of a big combat with what is known as the - Theatrical Syndicate--a combination of men who have got together to - disgrace the Stage and commercialize it, root and branch. It is - rule or ruin with them, and unless they can force a heavy tribute - from a man he is blacklisted forthwith. I am fortunate enough to be - on their blacklist, and consequently am obliged, for the present, - to move with cautious steps and to make no more productions than I - can safely place. But it is to be hoped that a season or two will - see the lifting of this dark cloud. When that time comes, I shall - be only too happy to introduce you in this country. I know your - work and I feel sure that you would make yourself heard over here - had you the opportunity. Will you not drop me a line now and then? - I am always pleased to hear from you. - -“Faithfully yours, -“DAVID BELASCO.” - - - - -(_David Belasco to Peter Robertson, San Francisco._) - - -RIGHT -“Belasco Theatre, New York, -“April 25, 1904. - -“Dear Peter:-- - - “[E. D.] Price and Fred [Belasco] have been ‘kicking’ about the - vile cigars in San Francisco, so I am sending you a few weeds that - ought to be better than the Barbary Coast perfectos. Sorry I can’t - deliver them in person, but I cannot get away this year; so when - you are smoking them think of your old - Four-o’clock-in-the-morning-pie-chum. Heavens, my dear Peter, I - often think of those dear old days! They were struggling days for - us, to be sure, but sometimes I feel that, at least as far as I am - concerned, they were the happiest ones of life. Ambition is a - hard, hard master, and from the moment when I left ’Frisco it has - been constant work-work-work with me, - morning-noon-and-night--winter and summer! I don’t think I have had - half-a-dozen hours to myself in all that time, and to make my lot - easier, away off here in the East, I am surrounded by that - inartistic, low-lived Theatrical Syndicate, which for some reason - or other,--certainly not justly for anything I have done,--has - waged a relentless war against me. And since I cannot with honor - play in Syndicate houses I am sending my stars and productions - anywhere that I can find a roof to cover them. So far they have not - crushed me, as they said they would, for the public and the press - throughout the country have stood by me, and as long as I continue - to deserve their sympathies and friendship I shall be victorious. - In this combine against me, my dear Peter, are Al. Hayman and the - Frohmans, to whom you know I have given the best years of my life, - helping to make fame and fortune for them. Of course, with Charles - Frohman it is jealousy: Daniel Frohman resents not being able to - get my plays for nothing: with the Syndicate it is because they - feared I was getting a little too strong for them. But you knew me - as a boy--in fact, we were boys together--and no one in the world - knows better than you how I can struggle with privation and - adversity. I shall never surrender to this crowd: _never_--not even - if I am obliged to return to ’Frisco and do chores about a theatre - as you saw me do in the long, long ago. - - “Well, I have written more than I intended to, telling you my - troubles, but I shall make it a rule to send you a line now and - then and let you know all the good and cheerful news of the East. I - would give a finger to be able to drop in on you at this moment - for a cup of coffee and a piece of pie in the little old - restaurant, if it is still in existence, and to have an old-time - heart-to-heart talk. But I hope it won’t be very long before I can - do this. Hurrah! God bless you! - -“Faithfully, -“DAVID BELASCO.” - - - - -(_Peter Robertson to David Belasco, in New York._) - -“Bohemian Club, San Francisco, Calif., -“May 9, 1904. - -“My dear Dave:-- - - “I shall smoke the cigars to your continued success. I was glad to - hear from you; but I don’t sympathize in the least with your - suffering from hard work. I did sympathize much more with you in - the days when you worked,--often quite as hard and got no - salary!--‘faking’ plays for Maguire, at the Baldwin. You would - never be happy, anyway, if you hadn’t your head full of schemes, - and were not constantly producing. Your work has achieved a great - success, and work that has success behind it and success before it - is life at its best. There is nothing so hard as work that has - failure to pull it backward and the prospect of failure to push it - back. - - “_I_, too, think of the old days of coffee and cake; they were - pleasant, after all; if I had lived much beyond them since they - would still be pleasant to recall. However, my life goes on in its - even tenor, and I make myself as comfortable as possible, though I - do feel something like an old, worn-out hack--so many years I have - gone the same old round. Still, I have not quite given up hope of - better fortune. - - “Go on and make your name and fortune greater than ever, and don’t - work yourself up over any Syndicates. They need you more than you - do them.--My regards to Mrs. Belasco and the family, and Fred and - Price. - - “Always yours, “PETER.” - -Belasco, I surmise, must have smiled a little grimly at this airy -admonition “not to work himself up” about the active antagonism of the -Syndicate: the cheery advice to the weaker party in a conflict, “Go in -and win,” is doubtless excellent, but often, unhappily, it is somewhat -more difficult to follow than it is to give. Viewed from the secluded -tranquillity of the old Bohemian Club--that genial harbor of congenial -spirits--a struggle with the Syndicate may have seemed like a fight with -a phantom. For Belasco it was, and for many years remained, a hard -reality, and had it not been for his wary vigilance and indomitable -resolution he would certainly have been defeated, overwhelmed, and -ruined.--Poor Robertson never realized his “hope of better fortune”: for -several years after 1904 he continued to be the dramatic critic of “The -San Francisco Chronicle”: then, the whole duty of the managing editor -(as defined by my old friend, the journalist William Seaver--“first, to -wring your brains dry; second, to throw you away”) having been -performed, he was dismissed from his employment and, after two or three -years of anxious, dispirited, lonely waiting, he died--and, save by a -few old friends, he is thought of no more. - - - - -METHOD OF COLLABORATION. - - -The tragedy of “Adrea,” begun in 1903, was completed before September, -1904, and it was put into rehearsal, at the Belasco Theatre, in October -of the latter year. The following letters which passed between Belasco -and his friend and associate John Luther Long afford an informing -glimpse of their methods of collaboration in authorship, which Belasco -has described in these words: “Before the actual writing of ‘Adrea’ we -had the story [worked out] to the smallest detail. He lived in -Philadelphia, but spent the latter part of each week with me. After the -plot was finished we adopted a new system of collaboration. Mr. Long and -I worked on the scenes apart, then met and joined them together. Then he -revised the result and then I revised the result, and so on, until the -sixth or seventh version found the scene in very good condition.” - - -(_John Luther Long, in Philadelphia, to David Belasco, in New York._) - -“------, (?) 1903. - - “I have now, my dear Goliath, been pretty well over the history of - Rome, once more, and I have found only two places where we MIGHT - possibly stick in our pin. One is the Augustan Era, and Livia and - Julia; the other is the reign of Claudius and Messalina. I don’t - think you would like either. I am sure _I_ don’t! Besides, both - have been done to death. There were NO woman rulers of Rome, and - only one--Messalina--who took much of a hand at politics. I think - we shall finally agree upon some island or mountain plateau--the - latter commends itself because the other has been so often done. I - think we could use either the island of Pandataria in the Adriatic, - or the little island of Ilva in the Mediterranean. We could have - all the Roman splendor there, without the handicap of being, - unhistorically, IN Rome. Here is the scheme which outlines itself - in my mind: - - “When Rome was finally subdued, in A.D. 476, Romulus was on the - throne. He was kicked out and sort of lost--though he is said by - some of the histories I have read to have gone to live privately in - the Campagna. He does not seem to have left any heirs. But let us - give him some. Or _one_. This one seeks out one of these islands - and takes with him some Romans to build anew the debased Roman - Empire with the blood of the old Patricians alone. It is this - kingdom, several hundred years later,--so that four or five of - Romulus’ descendants may intervene,--where we locate our play. And - now, there are no males of the pure Roman blood and the succession - falls to the two women. - - “I rather dislike the creation of a name, such as Romancia or - Ruritania or such like, and I think we could use the real name of - the island, if we adopt it. And both are pretty good names. - Pandataria. Ilva. Or we could, as you suggested, make some name out - of the real names: Pinda--Illus--Illa--and so on. All the histories - stop at that wonderful period of ours, 476 A.D., when our Odvokar - did the trick. (One of them goes on to say that he stops there - because the rest is too indecent for publication!) But I am on the - track of some good books treating of that period--though I don’t - expect to find a woman or a ruler in it all. For, in this period, - ALL the sovereigns, without exception, were elected by the soldiers - in the field and the corrupt pretorians at home--with, once in a - while, the people waking up and saying a word. After I have well - looked up this period, I will run over and we will talk--when you - can spare the time. - - “Don’t forget to tell your girl to send me the copies she makes. If - anything should happen, by fire or flood, you have all the stuff - over there. - -“Yours, -“J. L. L.” - - - - -(_David Belasco to John Luther Long, in Philadelphia._) - -“The Belasco Theatre, -“New York, April 2, 1904. - -“My dear Jonathan:-- - - “You are right about the bench. I had already noted it and called - Buckland’s and Gros’ attention to it, but outside of that - correction, when we make the model, both the scenes will be - corkers, full of the right sentiment and feeling--the atmosphere - perfect. I am running over to see Mrs. Carter to have a talk with - her about certain people for the cast - -[Illustration: DAVID BELASCO - -Inscription: - -“_God bless you, dear friend! -Faithfully, -David Belasco._” - -“_To William Winter, Esqre._” - - Photograph by the Misses Selby. - - Author’s Collection. -] - - and also a general chat as to the costumer. She is miles deep - planning them already. Before she goes to ’Frisco you and I - together will have a talk with her. - - “I am on the Fourth Act all the time. It is great--_great_--GREAT. - They can’t beat us--we are the top notches! Furst is going insane - with pleasure over his share of the work. He loves it and is so - infatuated that he is good for nothing else at present. In fact, - everybody who has anything to do with the play is wild over it. I - shall be back on Monday. What day after that can you come over? We - will get in some big licks with Buckland, as I want to start him on - the properties, etc., as soon as possible. God give us health and - strength to knock out the great play! - -“Faithfully, -“DAVID.” - - - - -(_John Luther Long to David Belasco._) - - “Gosh! but that letter is full of good news, Goliath dear! When the - scenery and costumes begin to materialize it looks as if the - brain-squeezing would really amount to something. I shall have the - Fourth ready for you by the middle of next week. Let me know a few - days in advance of the time you want it, so that it can be copied. - I am leaving a few little things to look up, but they are not - important: such as _drums_--whether they had them in the legions; - and, if so, what were their forms: and the Roman military salute. - But I am practically done with the act. I’d like to see the models - for the First. Perhaps I can, soon. I am feeling O.K. Equal to all - the work two hands and one head can do. Don’t bother about Frohman. - We’ve got him beaten! This Fourth Act, as I get into it, is - wonderful! Send on the Epilogue whenever you are ready with it. I - am doing nothing but the Fourth and shall not, till I send it on to - you. - -“Hail, Luna of Adrea!” - -“J. L. L.” - - - - - - -MRS. CARTER AND THE TRAGEDY OF “ADREA.” - - -The tragedy of “Adrea,” by Belasco and Long, is a composition of -exceptional imaginative scope and of great dramatic power. Its scene is -a royal court of a conjectural kingdom, situated on an imaginary island -in, perhaps, the Adriatic Sea. Its time is named as about the fifth -century of the Christian era,--a time well chosen for poetic and -romantic purposes; for the vast Roman Empire had then become -extinguished in Western Europe and was slowly crumbling to pieces in the -East, and minor monarchies can credibly be supposed to have flourished -in such an era of transition and a martial chieftain out of Noricum to -have dallied with the daughters of a Roman Prince. It is a play without -historic basis; an authentic creation of the inventive brain; a vigorous -and splendid work of art, moving freely in a broad field. It deals with -great themes,--great passions, crimes, and sorrows; great and terrible -punishments of sin, and the spectacle of great character made sublime by -grief. Much of its movement proceeds in the open air: some of it -beneath the vault of night; and its web involves the terrors of tempest -and the mystery and dread of spectres from the realm of death. The form -and color of it are modern,--a form and color of rosy amplitude and -voluptuous luxuriance; but the feeling that pervades it is the ominous -feeling of the old Greek tragedies of fate and doom. Its defect is -excess--an excess of persons, objects, pictures, emotions, and words; -the superflux that proceeds from intensely passionate feeling in the -conception of the story and especially in the conception and development -of its central character. An affluence of fancy is, however, more -grateful than the frigid sense of want. This is a synopsis of it: - -The action begins in a spacious scene, in front of the royal palace of -the monarchs of the island kingdom. The _Princess Adrea_ is the blind -daughter of _Menethus_, _King of the Adrean Isles_. She is older than -her sister, the _Princess Julia_, and on the death of her father she -would succeed to the throne, if she were not blind: for the law of -_Menethus_ has ordained that “No sovereign shall wear the crown who is -not, both in mind and body, sound.” The play opens on the hundredth day -after the death of _Menethus_. The _King_ is dead, and the hour has come -for the crowning of his successor. The _Princess Julia_, long known as -“the imperial wanton,” with a company of her kind, is holding a -festival. _Kaeso_, born a barbarian, but later a pretorian tribune, -having come to Adrea, with his troops, intent on usurping the throne of -_Menethus_, sees a readier way of conquest, in a marriage with the -_Princess Julia_, soon to be _Queen_. He has been made her favorite, and -marriage with him is to follow her coronation. - -In the course of the revel the blind princess, _Adrea_, passes, led by -an Egyptian named _Garda_, on her way to the temple, in which she is to -be secluded, so that her presence at court may not trouble her sister -_Julia_, whom the people of the kingdom detest. It is premised that in -Arcady, where _Adrea_ had dwelt with her father, she had known and loved -_Kaeso_, then one of the _King’s_ martial chieftains, and that he had -sworn to marry her, but had proved faithless. Now, at the _Princess -Julia’s_ festival, _Kaeso_ and _Adrea_ meet again, and _Kaeso_ kindly -greets the blind girl. This enrages the _Princess Julia_, who thereupon -commands him to declare to _Adrea_ that he does not love her, but loves -her sister _Julia_. This cruelty he must commit, as the price of the -kingdom. He submits; the imperious _Julia_ leads her train away; and he -is left alone with _Adrea_, to whom he discloses himself, and who -receives him with the deepest tenderness of faithful love. To her his -presence can mean only that he has come to keep his oath by marrying -her. _Kaeso_ forgets _Julia_, his ambitions--everything but the woman -who has come into his arms. The watchful _Princess Julia_, apprised by a -spy, the _Court Fool_,--_Mimus_, _the Echo_,--returns to see the lovers -in their ecstasy of reconciliation, and she at once determines on a -terrible revenge. _Kaeso_, seeing _Julia_, starts away from _Adrea_, and -_Mimus_, who madly loves the blind princess, takes his place. This -_Mimus_ happens to be in an armor like that of _Kaeso_, which he has put -on in a frolic; and when _Adrea_ reaches to find _Kaeso_ her hands touch -_Mimus_, and she eagerly claims him, believing him to be her plighted -lover. “And you shall marry him!” says the _Princess Julia_; grimly -adding, as a response to _Kaeso’s_ look of horror: “It is the price of -Adrea!” - -A lapse of five hours is supposed. The scene is the same. The time is -near dawn. Soldiers are on guard. Challenges pass. Rumors have been -heard of ill to the beloved _Princess Adrea_. _Kaeso’s_ lieutenant, -_Arkissus_, devoted to _Adrea_, has heard these rumors, and he demands -an explanation of them from the now drunken and frenzied _Kaeso_. They -quarrel, and are about to fight, when a fearful cry is heard and they -halt. Then, staggering down the palace steps, moaning in agony, comes -the _Princess Adrea_, alone. Her prayer, like that of Ajax, is for -light. She beseeches the gods to grant her one moment of sight, so that -she may see the man to whom she has been given. The _Fool_ enters, to -drag her away,--for the _Princess Julia_, now _Queen_, has decreed -banishment of _Adrea_ and the _Fool_, and they must leave her kingdom -before the dawn. There is an ominous roll of thunder. The _Fool_ seizes -_Adrea_. Suddenly the heavens seem to answer her agonized supplication. -A bolt of lightning shatters the statue of her father, to which she has -been clinging, and there is an instant of darkness. When the light is -restored, a chaos stands revealed, in which _Princess_ and _Fool_ are -prostrated. _Adrea_ revives, and, with a wild cry, realizes that she can -see. Soon she remembers, and gazing down upon a “painted, hideous, -gibbering thing, in red and white,” she knows him for the _Fool_, who -has been described to her. She lifts his limp body and stares at his -vacant eyes: then she drops it and whispers, in horror: “Gods! _You!_” - -The action now shifts to a structure called “The Tower of -Forgetfulness.” To this _Adrea_ goes, not thinking to take her throne, -but only wishing to die, and thus bury her shame. The Tower of -Forgetfulness is an obelisk of great antiquity, built half on the land -and half on the sea. Its door is never closed. Here the wretch who is -weary of life can drink “the cup of oblivion,” and, through “the door of -release,” sink into the sea, and be at rest. It is _Adrea’s_ purpose to -die. Then suddenly she hears the royal trumpets, the marriage song, and -_Kaeso’s_ song of battle. At the same moment her father’s ghost appears -and enjoins her to reign, for vengeance. Looking down upon the ocean, -she beholds _Kaeso_ and _Julia_, who are returning to the palace, after -their marriage. They are in her father’s royal galley, with his effigy -at the prow. “Stop them!” commands _Adrea_. “Bring my father’s galley -here! Say that _Queen Adrea_, rides to her coronation!” _Arkissus_ -appears with his legions, and executes her will. - -The coronation of _Adrea_ ensues. _Kaeso_ is brought before her, in -order that he may sue for pardon--which the heart of the injured _Queen_ -is ready to grant. But _Kaeso_ is haughty, and the _Queen_ dismisses her -court, that she may judge him alone. She is temperate, lenient, and -fond. She pours out all her heart; but it is only to be dazed by -_Kaeso’s_ declaration that his regret is solely for his lost ambition. -He tells her that he knew of her spoliation, and allowed it. The _Queen_ -recalls her court. “Set him upon a horse of state,” she says, “drest in -a robe of gold. Strew his way with roses! Let heralds go before him and -cry ‘Conqueror!’ ‘Imperator!’ Let maidens chant songs! And when he has -reached my gates, and his men and galleys are in sight,--_whip him!_ -Whip him to his empty camp, and hold him captive there till the manner -of his death is decided.” - -The scene changes to the _Queen’s_ Cabinet. _Kaeso_ is brought in on the -way to execution. It is the supreme moment of _Adrea’s_ life. The man -she loves is on the way to death. In spite of all her wrongs she will -look upon his face again, before it is mangled by wild horses’ hoofs. -Her heart still cries out for him. Even now she would save him, if she -could. But frenzied multitudes surround the palace, maddened with -knowledge of the outrages that the _Queen_ has suffered; and she is -powerless to save. _Queen Adrea_ must tell _Kaeso_ the manner of his -death. _Kaeso_ had thought to die as a soldier should--upon his sword, -but his death is to be that of a beast, trampled beneath the iron hoofs -of horses. This fate she proclaims, but, when the first shock of horror -is past, _Kaeso_ confesses that he deserves his doom, and declares that -he will die well: and then he says that he has always loved _Adrea_, but -has put his love aside, for the sake of his ambition. Again the _Queen_ -relents. She will, at least, save him from a death of ignominy. She -offers him the sword of _Menethus_, with which to kill himself. But his -hands are chained. “You!” he begs. The thought is unendurable. She turns -away. But suddenly, turning back, she cries out, “Yes!” and drives the -blade through her lover’s heart. - -The scene changes to Arcady. Eight years have passed. _Queen Adrea_ has -come to Arcady, and there she would remain at rest. But her people call -her back to Adrea. The stanch _Arkissus_,--who has always loved her, -whose one thought is of duty, and whose duty is to obey,--brings the -prayer of her subjects that she will return and rule over them. But here -are green fields, summer skies, and the shepherds and their pastoral -music: it is a halcyon place and time; and she would remain, and linger, -and die here, and rest beneath the sod that she and her first lover once -trod together. A trumpet sounds, and a captive youth is brought into her -presence. He is the son of _Kaeso_ and _Julia_, and he has sought the -throne of _Adrea_. He is vanquished, and his mother, _Julia_, has been -slain. But there are tears in _Queen Adrea’s_ eyes, as she looks upon -him, and her arms open to him--for he has the port and lineaments of -_Kaeso_. The _Queen_ and the captive play a game,--“the Game of Being -King.” _Adrea_ places the youth on her throne, sets her crown on his -head, puts her sceptre into his hands, throws her ermine on his -shoulders, and bids him “Reign in love.” “Open the casement,” cries the -captive boy, “Let in the sun, if you play fair and set no trap for me!” -“At the King’s command,” she answers; and in those words ordains her -fate, for _Adrea_ cannot again look upon the sun without loss of her -vision. She flings the casement wide open, and, in the sudden blaze of -light, goes blind: then, when the agony is past and night has come -again, she staggers to the throne and cries, “Long live the King!” For -still the law of succession is inexorable,--and so _Prince Vasha_ -reigns, and _Adrea_ is once more only _Adrea of Arcady_. - -No student of Roman history needs to be told that among the women of -Rome (and at one time all Italy was circumscribed within the capital) -there were females illustrious for almost celestial virtues and females -portentous for the monstrosity of their hideous crimes. The authors of -“Adrea” neither distorted nature nor exaggerated fact in their -portraiture of the two princesses, _Adrea_ and _Julia_, who are opposed -and contrasted in this remarkable drama of love, crime, frenzy, -retribution, atonement, and peace. _Adrea_ is not nobler or more -virtuous than Valentinian’s Eudoxia, nor is _Julia_ more malignant, -treacherous, and cruel than Justinian’s Theodora. In this tragedy the -purpose, obviously, was to present, amid regal accessories and in all -the paraphernalia of semi-barbaric splendor, a woman of lofty mind, -potent character, and impetuous passions, and, by making her the victim -not alone of blighted affection but of deadly outrage, to involve her in -a complex tangle of torment; to make her terrible in the delirium of -exasperated feeling; to display her emotional perturbation and fierce -and ferocious conduct in a vortex of tempestuous struggle; and, finally, -to depict her noble expiatory conquest of herself, and to leave her, in -her lonely majesty, a sublime image of triumphant virtue, gentle -fortitude, and patient grief. That purpose has been superbly -accomplished. To superficial observers, indeed, the presentment of -“Adrea” appealed chiefly by reason of its implication of theatrical -situation, its startling effects of climax, and its gorgeous scenic -investiture. To thoughtful minds it came home as an illuminative and -significant exposition of human nature, artfully made through the medium -of a wonderful picture of human life in the antique world,--and in that -it reached much further than merely to the fulfilment of any immediate -theatrical need. Like the more classic dramatists of the Garrick era, -its authors drew their inspiration from the great fountain of historic -antiquity--adjusting, rearranging, and emphasizing old types and old -examples to exhibit actually (and not by any dubious method of old -symbolism) what is in our own hearts and of what fibre we are all made. -Their play is an honor to them, and it is a rich and permanent addition -to the literature of the Stage. - -Mrs. Carter impersonated _Adrea_, and finding in it a part into which -she could entirely liberate all her emotional power, without losing -control of it, she rose to the occasion. She had hitherto acted in -comedy, “sensation,” or sentimental, drama. The character of _Adrea_ is -wholly tragic. Through the wide range of conflicting emotions implicated -in her experience--the misery of blindness and loss of royal -inheritance, the ignominy of desertion by her idolized lover and of -betrayal into the lewd embraces of an odious menial, the paroxysm of -anguish when, to save her lover from a death of horror and shame decreed -by herself, she strikes him dead, and the humility of surrender when, -after years of bleak remembrance, she invites again the black eclipse -and forlorn disablement of blindness and delivers her kingdom to the -rule of her slaughtered lover’s son--Mrs. Carter moved firmly, steadily, -triumphantly,--commanding every situation and rising to every climax. No -denotement in Mrs. Carter’s acting of _Du Barry_ had even remotely -indicated such depth of tragical feeling and such power of dramatic -expression as she revealed in the scenes of the tempest, in pronouncing -_Kaeso’s_ doom, and, above all, in the terrible, piteous, tragic -self-conflict through which the Woman became the incarnation of Fate and -the Minister of Death. Mrs. Carter had long been known for her -exceptional facility of feminine blandishment, her command of the -enticing wiles of coquetry and the soft allurement of sensuous -grace,--known, likewise, and rightly admired for the clarity and purity -of her English speech, always delightful to hear: but observers studious -to see and willing to be convinced had not supposed her to be an actor -of tragedy. It took a long time for Belasco to bring her to a really -great victory, but she gained it in _Adrea_. The impersonation possessed -many attributes of beauty: symmetry, for the eye; melody, for the ear; -unity, continuity, sincerity, and sustainment, for the critical sense; -poetic atmosphere, for the imagination; but it possessed one supreme -attribute of terror,--absolute knowledge of human misery. “Look into -your heart, and write,” is an old poetic precept. “Look into your heart, -and act” ought to be joined with it: but God pity the heart into which -the true poet and the true actor must sometimes look! - -“Adrea” was first performed in Washington, D. C., on December 26, 1904, -and in New York on January 11, 1905,--at the first Belasco Theatre. The -following is the original cast of that play: - -_Kaeso of Noricum_ Charles A. Stevenson. -_Arkissus of Frisia_ Tyrone Power. -_Marcus Lecca_ R. D. McLean. -_Holy Nagar_ H. R. Roberts. -_Mimus, the Echo_ J. H. Benrimo. -_Bevilaccas_ Claude Gillingwater. -_Caius Valgus_ Marshall Welch. -_Sylvestros_ Gilmore Scott. -_Dyaixes_ Louis Keller. -_Bram-Bora_ Edward Brigham. -_Marlak_ H. R. Pomeroy. -_Master of the Tower_ H. G. Carlton. -_Servant of the Tower_ Gerald Kelly. -_The Shade of Menethus_ Charles Hungerford. -_Thryssos_ Francis Powers. -_Idmondus_ Gordon West. -_A Mock Herald_ Arthur Maryatt. -_Crassus_ Edwin Hardin. -_Herald of the Senate_ Franklin Mills. -_Page of the Senate_ Harold Guernsey. -_A Bargeman_ Luther Barry. -_Zastus_ Teft Johnson. -_Galba_ Harry Sheldon. -_Sigrad_ Charles Wright. -_Var-Igon_ F. L. Evans. -_Slave of the Whips_ James H. George. -_Slave of the Queen’s Door_ Joseph Moxler. - -[Illustration: BELASCO’S “ADREA” CURTAINS - -Photograph by Byron. Belasco’s Collection. -] - -_The Child Vasha_ (in the epilogue) Louis Grimm. -_Julia Doma_ Edith Crane. -_Garda_ Maria Davis. -_Myris_ Corah Adams-Myll. -_Lefta_ Lura Osborn. -_Lelit_ Grace Noble. -_A Singing Bird_ Madeleine Livingston. -_Adrea_ Mrs. Leslie Carter. - -Coincident with his production of “Adrea” Belasco’s fight for freedom in -the conduct of his business reached a climax that attracted nation-wide -and wondering attention and enlisted the sympathetic assistance of -eminent members of the national legislature. Whenever possible, -subsequent to his successful presentment of “The Heart of Maryland” in -Washington (October, 1895), Belasco has elected to bring out his new -plays in that city. There he desired to launch what was in some ways the -most ambitious venture of his career,--and there, accordingly, after -overcoming every obstacle that could be thrown in his way, he first made -known the tragedy of “Adrea.” But before narrating the manner in which -that production was effected it is desirable here to make somewhat -particular exposition of the antagonism he was compelled to encounter -and to record the significance of his long and costly conflict with it. - - - - -BELASCO AND THE THEATRICAL SYNDICATE. - - - - -JUSTICE AND THEATRICAL ACHIEVEMENT. - - -David Belasco has served the Public and the Theatre, ably and -brilliantly, in several fields and for many years, but his achievements -as at once theatre manager, stage manager, playwriter, instructor, and -“producer,” splendid and admirable as incontestably they have been and -are, have been equalled by other American managers, of earlier date. In -writing Biography it is prudent to remember that “there were heroes -before Agamemnon.” Much was accomplished on the American Stage long -before the advent of either David Belasco or any other theatrical -administrator of recent times, and when we review the history of the -drama in America for more than a hundred years, and consider the -managers by whom it has been fostered, conserved, and directed, we -should recall and honor the names,--among others,--of William Dunlap, -the elder Warren, William Wood, Francis Courtney Wemyss, James H. -Caldwell, Noah Ludlow, Edmund Simpson, Charles Gilfert, the elder -Hackett, the elder Wallack, William Evans Burton, and Thomas -Barry,--each of whom, in his day, deserved theatrical eminence and -gained it, and all of whom seem now to be forgotten. Lester Wallack, who -long preceded Belasco, and who also was theatre manager, stage manager, -playwriter, and actor,--and as actor with no superior and scarce an -equal in his peculiar realm,--gained laurels which will long endure. -John T. Ford, Boucicault, Barrett, McCullough, Edwin Booth, and John S. -Clarke,--all were accomplished and highly successful and distinguished -in every branch of theatrical management; and, although Belasco has -written his name imperishably on the honorable scroll of dramatic -renown, he has not eclipsed those eminent predecessors. - - - - -BELASCO’S UNIQUE SERVICE TO THE THEATRE. - - -In one service, however, that Belasco has rendered to the Theatre and -the Public he is peculiarly a benefactor, and in doing that service he -has encountered an antagonism and prevailed in adverse circumstances -with which the elder theatrical managers never had to contend. It would -be difficult to over-estimate the value of his intrepid opposition to -the tyrannical monopoly known as “The Theatrical Syndicate.” His -conflict with that arrogant, oppressive, pernicious organization, -sustained through a period of about twelve years, and finally -victorious, required unfaltering courage, tenacious purpose, skilful and -prompt action, and tireless persistence. It exacted from him prodigious -labor; it entailed upon him great expense and loss, and it compelled an -expenditure of time and strength which, if he had been left free to -devote it to his artistic labor, would have been productive of lasting -benefit to the Drama. But the sacrifice was well made, because the -Theatre and the Public profited by it,--as, earlier, and concurrently, -they profited by the resolute contest against the Syndicate (a valiant -and gallant fight for freedom and justice) waged by Harrison Grey Fiske -and Minnie Maddern Fiske. It should be noted that Augustin Daly, -Belasco’s immediate predecessor in the primacy of theatrical management -in America,--who, also, was theatre manager, stage manager, playwriter, -and “producer,” and who was consummate as an executive,--being assailed -by the Syndicate (as he several times declared to me), became one of its -active opponents and resisted its aggressions: but Daly, who died before -its despotic power had become matured, had long been an established, -powerful manager before it was formed, so that it could not do him much -harm. Belasco, on the contrary, was constrained to fight his way to -independence and influence against its active, relentless opposition -and inveterate hostility, from almost the beginning of his career in -theatrical management. - - - - -WHAT ARE WE DISCUSSING? - - -In the period of about sixteen years preceding 1912 the newspaper press -of America published many thousands of columns, often critical, at times -strongly censorious, about the “Trust” or monopoly which commonly is -known as “The Theatrical Syndicate.” Bitter fights likewise have been -waged not only in the press but in the courts relative to that -organization. The public has, from time to time, manifested interest in -the subject,--as, for example, relative to Mrs. Fiske’s appearance in -all sorts of unsuitable places, because the Syndicate had “barred” her -from the regular and (as they are technically styled) “first-class” -theatres, and to Mme. Bernhardt’s enforced performances in a circus -tent, for the same reason, and, especially, to Belasco’s almost -preterhuman efforts to present his plays in Washington (from which city -strenuous efforts were made by the Syndicate to exclude him). Yet I -believe that the public knowledge of the Syndicate,--its origin, aims, -character, policy, conduct, and effect,--has never been more than -superficial. - - - - -THE SYNDICATE-INCUBUS DEFINED. - - -What _is_ “The Theatrical Syndicate,” and _why_ should it rightfully be -denounced and opposed as a pernicious institution? - -The Theatrical Syndicate, primarily, was a partnership of six men, all -speculative theatrical managers, formed for the purpose of dominating, -for the pecuniary profit, advantage, and personal aggrandizement of its -members, the theatrical business of America, and of doing this by -methods some of which, in their practical operation, are morally -iniquitous, and should be, if they are not, legally preventable, in the -public interest. - -Those six men were: Al. (Albert) Hayman (deceased 1916), Charles Frohman -(deceased 1915), Marc Klaw, and Abraham Lincoln Erlanger, all of New -York; and Samuel F. Nirdlinger (known as Nixon) and J. Frederick -Zimmermann, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The contract under which -those persons formed their copartnership and carried on their syndicate -business was made in August, 1896, and it was renewed, in substance, in -April, 1900. - - - - -SPECIOUS PRETENSIONS TO JUSTIFY THE INCUBUS. - - -The founders of the Theatrical Syndicate have, with much fulsome -commendation of themselves and their purposes, directly or by -implication, sought to justify the position they have assumed by -specious assurances substantially to this effect: - -That the theatrical business of America was disorganized, unstable, and, -in general, so conducted as to entail loss on many or most persons -engaged in it, by reason of _competition_, poor judgment, and lack of -discrimination in its transactions; that the prevalent administration of -it was not favorable to the development of actors and the promotion of -the art of the Theatre; that their combination was made to cure, and -that it did cure, the defects of theatrical business, stabilize it and -render it reputable and responsible,--placing it, in this respect, on a -level with other business; and that, incidentally, it would, and did, -tend to prosper the means whereby the Theatre must live--namely, Acting -and the exhibition of Acting. A. L. Erlanger, executive of the Booking -Department of this organization (that is, of the firm of Klaw & -Erlanger, the particular business of which was, and is, to “book,” -_i.e._, to arrange, the tours of theatrical companies), has thus stated -a part of his views relative to the character and doings of the -Syndicate: - - “The American [theatrical] manager of to-day is _unique_, - _contrasting_ him with the _managers of long ago_, and that still - exist in England, France, and elsewhere, in that _he_ is - _qualified_ and _experienced_ in staging _all kinds_ of theatrical - entertainments.... As for the question of Commercialism _versus_ - Art in Stage matters, I cannot see where the fact that financial - solvency, _making the business of the theatrical world comparable_ - in its _integrity_ with that found in other occupations, lessens - the artistic value of the question [_sic_]. No actor will act the - worse because he knows his salary will be paid promptly; and the - fact that the business of the theatres is conducted on _firm lines_ - is calculated to encourage, rather than dismay, the actor, the - dramatist, and everybody else whose interest in the Stage is - primarily artistic.” - -In support of those views and in advocacy of the Syndicate of which he -was an active member the late Charles Frohman wrote (“The New York -Herald,” March 13, 1910): “Several men united to systematize the conduct -of the Theatre, _put the actor’s profession on a self-respecting -footing_, guard the playwright against piracy, protect the managers of -theatrical companies against unfair competition [_i.e._, competition not -profitable to the members of the Syndicate.--W. W.], at the same time -obliging them _to keep faith_ with managers of theatres.” - -A third voucher for the exalted integrity and far-reaching beneficence -of the methods exemplified in the operations of the Syndicate was -furnished by Charles Burnham, at that time manager of Wallack’s Theatre, -not himself a member of the benign brotherhood, but obviously congenial -with it, and President of “The Theatrical Managers’ Association,” a -society which the Syndicate practically dominated: - - “The commercialism of the drama,” so said that manager, “_has - justified itself...._ The Theatre of to-day is no Chicago - University or Carnegie Library. If you look after the _financial - end_ of the Drama, _which is the main thing_, the public may be - trusted to maintain a high standard.” - - - - -TENDENCY TO COMBINATION IN MODERN BUSINESS. - - -An honest, just, equitable organization of business is always right, and -no one but a fool or a knave would ever question the legality or -propriety of it. The drift of the present age, in commercial affairs, -is, and for a considerable time has been, toward combination, -organization--in a word, _efficiency_. Business men of the United -States, little by little, have awakened to the imperative necessity of -conservation of energy and resources, systematic labor, economy; the -sensible use of every force that tends to the advancement of -civilization, the increase of public prosperity, and the diffusion of -intelligence. One of those forces is the Theatre, and it is one of -prodigious influence. No intelligent observer acquainted with its -history would maintain that its condition, particularly as a business -institution, has ever been perfect or is perfect now. It is certain, -however, that its commercial condition has, within the last -half-century, very considerably improved, because not only have the ban -of the Church and the stigma of Society been, to a large extent, removed -from it, but great wealth has been bestowed on its enhancement, and -expert executive talent has sometimes been enlisted in the management of -its affairs. - - - - -CAUSES OF THEATRICAL PROGRESS. - - -It was not a commercial manager of the Syndicate type who first urged -the efficient management of the Theatre; it was an idealistic critic and -a great poet. Many years ago that ripe scholar and accomplished -man-of-letters Matthew Arnold exclaimed, in one of his Essays, “The -Theatre is irresistible--_organize_ the Theatre!” Arnold, as a youth, -had been entranced by the acting of Mlle. Rachel, and as a man had -naturally been charmed by the acting and greatly influenced by the -propulsive reformatory and constructive theatrical administration of -that great actor and theatrical manager Henry Irving. It is from such -sources of thought and of intellectual energy as Arnold and Irving, in -England, and as Wallack, Booth, and Daly, in America,[1] that the -impulse properly to organize the Theatre has proceeded; not from the -mere money-grubbing schemes of monopolistic cliques or speculators in -public amusement. Members of such cliques,--of which the Theatrical -Syndicate is one,--are, at times, frank enough to admit that (as they -are fond of expressing it) they are not engaged in theatrical business -“for their health,” and undoubtedly they are within their rights when -they seek, _by fair means_, to make their business profitable. So much -is understood and conceded: who would deny it? Monopolies, however, -frequently pose as public benefactors, and such, as already shown, is -the pose assumed by the Theatrical Syndicate. Many persons have, in one -way or another, been deceived by it, or brought to approve it. In 1898, -beginning to be conscious, in my critical and editorial work on “The New -York Tribune,” of an oppugnant influence emanant, apparently, from that -source, I determined to have a clear understanding with the late Donald -G. Nicholson, then the editor of that paper, and I formally asked him -whether “The Tribune” favored or opposed the Syndicate. In reply I -received from him the assurance that “of course ‘The Tribune’ _opposed_ -it,” and also I received a printed list of newspapers which, Mr. -Nicholson informed me, had explicitly declared their opposition to the -Syndicate as being an unjust organization, hurtful to the Theatre and -adverse to the public interest. That list contained the names of most of -the leading journals of our country. But--“There are no birds in last -year’s nest.” Most of the opposers of the Syndicate seem, like the -_Witches_ in “Macbeth,” to have “made themselves air, into which they -vanished.” Active opposition to that incubus in the press is, at -present, conspicuous chiefly by its absence. - -The pretensions of the Syndicate are one thing: its proceedings are -quite another. Equitable conduct has not been the spring of its -prosperity. Not by fair means has it become rich and powerful. Aside -from having somewhat facilitated the making possible of economically -practical routes over the country for travelling companies and the -transaction of business between resident theatrical managers and -representatives of travelling companies, it has done, literally, nothing -for the good of the Theatre; but it has done everything for the good of -itself. It is not to be supposed, for example, that because the making -of economical routes is _feasible_ through the booking agency of the -Syndicate, once such routes have been booked they are inviolate. “Dates” -are cancelled and “routes” are changed, when such change is requisite to -the advantage of the Syndicate, with total disregard of any other -consideration. “Where,” exclaimed Gladstone, “can you lay a finger on -the map of Europe and say, ‘Here Austria did good’?” Where can you lay a -finger on the map of progress in the Theatre in America and truthfully -say, “Here the Syndicate did good”? - - - - -THE RIGHT PRINCIPLE. - - -That the Theatre, to exist, must be self-sustaining; that its -administration “must show a profit,” is a proposition so elementary in -its truth and so universally conceded that it would be folly to restate -it, if there were not so much stupidity in the generally attempted -exposition of Commercialism in Art. But as a matter of right and duty -(and this is what, apparently, the Syndicate and congenial managers -_cannot comprehend_), theatrical managers are under distinct obligation -to consider the public good _before_ they consider their individual -prosperity. In other words, when a man assumes to make use of one of the -fine arts as a means of “doing business,” he assumes to wield an -indirect educational power; he undertakes,--whether he knows it or not, -whether he means to do so or not,--to affect the public taste, the -public thought, and the public morals. Therein, accordingly, he assumes -a responsibility much broader and much more important than that which is -incurred in an ordinary “business” pursuit; and, as it happens, he -assumes it under less restriction, by law, as to the possible effect of -his conduct than is imposed on the speculator in almost any other -“business.” - - - - -THE OBLIGATION OF INTELLECT. - - -Obligation of honesty and honor rests with equal force on all workers in -all branches of industry: but it is one thing to sell boots or pickles, -and another thing to disseminate thoughts and emotions. The more a man -ascends in the scale of labor the more exacting becomes his duty to -Society. A writer of novels, for example,--a Scott, a Dickens, a -Thackeray, a Cooper, or a Collins,--might, perhaps, find the largest -amount of personal emolument in writing stories calculated to vitiate -taste, injure public thought and public morals, and thus debase the -community, but, if he wrote such books, he would be a criminal, and it -would be no defence for him to say that he made money by his crime, or -to allege that because he made money the public approved of his actions. -Intellectual men have _no right_ to make money by misusing their powers. -The same sense of rectitude,--but broader, higher, finer,--that bids an -honest tradesman sell nothing that will injure the buyer enjoins upon -the worker in the arts that he should consider not merely the payment he -is to receive for his work, but the effect of that work upon the lives -and destinies of the human beings to whom it is addressed and whom it is -likely to influence. Theatrical managers stand in that position toward -the public. Thoughts and feelings are the wares in which they deal, and, -much as they are bound to consider financial profit (because they have -heavy burdens of expense to carry), they are also solemnly bound, first -and most of all, to consider the taste, the morals, and the intellectual -advancement of the community. The manager who aims at monetary gain as -the first and dominant object of his ambition and endeavor, to the -exclusion of all higher purpose, is a disgrace to his profession and an -enemy to social welfare. To him, as to the _Weird Sisters_, “fair is -foul and foul is fair.” - -There are many vocations in which little is to be considered above the -till. No person is _compelled_ to assume the management of a theatre or -the direction,--invariably of potent force,--of an educational, -influential art. If he deliberately chooses such occupation and does -assume it, he assumes it with all its inherent responsibilities,--and -the greatest of these is moral and intellectual duty. No mistake more -foolish or more culpable could be made than to regard this standard of -conduct and responsibility as visionary, impracticable, or what this -deplorably slang-ridden community flippantly mentions as “highbrow -stuff.” No strenuosity of asseveration from theatrical janitors, “Great -Moguls,” “Napoleons of the Theatre,” bullies or gamblers, flatulent with -the wind of self-complacency and conceit, that conduct of the Theatre -justifies itself by mere financial gain can vindicate a theatrical -administration which benefits a few individuals at the expense of the -public good and by the oppression of honest competitors; and that, -practically, is the administration of the Theatre which is provided by -the Theatrical Syndicate. - -The covenant made by the six members of the Syndicate contains much of -that verbiage which customarily encumbers legal documents. Some facts, -however, as to the results of its operation are apparent. Under the -contract, covering “different cities of the United States and Canada,” -independent theatrical companies, seeking to compete for public favor -and support, “were not permitted to play against” “other companies of -the same or different class,” owned, operated, controlled, or directed, -by the Syndicate. According to that covenant, “No attraction [_i.e._, no -company presenting a theatrical entertainment or performance] shall be -booked in _any_ of the said theatres or places of amusement [_i.e._, -theatres or places of amusement owned or controlled by the Syndicate] -which will [_sic_] insist on playing _in opposition_ theatres or places -of amusement in any of the cities” named in the Syndicate agreement, -unless by written permission of a Syndicate member, controlling a -theatre or theatres in such or such specific places where an independent -manager desired to present his company in an independent theatre. By -this arrangement the Syndicate, in effect, could say, and has said, to -managers of theatres outside its ownership or direct control: If you -wish to “play” _any_ of our “attractions,” at any time, you must play -_all_ the attractions we book in your theatre when we book them and on -the terms which we specify,--otherwise you _cannot have any_ of the -attractions which we book. To persons, whether star actors or managers -directing theatrical companies on tours through the country, desirous to -secure “bookings” in certain cities in which first-class theatres are -controlled by the Syndicate that organization could say, and has said, -in effect: If you wish to play in _any_ theatre owned or controlled by -us, you must play in every theatre, whenever and wherever we choose to -direct you to play, on whatever terms we choose to make for you. If that -is not, in effect, blackmail and extortion, compelling the transaction -of business under duress, what is it? The theatres owned, leased, -controlled by members of the Syndicate _are_ their theatres, and they -assert the right to conduct those theatres to suit themselves. Owners of -property certainly _are_ entitled to use it for their advantage; but -would any well-informed and fair-minded person maintain that the members -of the Theatrical Syndicate, using their property in the way I have -described, use it according to the dictates of justice? When that -kindred beneficence the Standard Oil Company desires to drive a small, -independent dealer out of business how does it go about the task? It -sets up a contiguous, superbly managed competing oil shop and undersells -the independent dealer, till he, lacking money to maintain a hopeless -struggle for his - -[Illustration: THE MEMBERS OF THE THEATRICAL SYNDICATE - -Al. Hayman Charles Frohman - Copyright by Charles Frohman, Inc. - -Marc Klaw - -Abraham L. Erlanger -Copyright, Rockwood - -Samuel F. Nixon (Nirdlinger) J. Fred. Zimmermann, Sr. - - “It is often true, as old _King Duncan_ declares, that ‘There’s no - art to find the mind’s construction in the face.’ Nevertheless, - study of the faces of the men who compose that sacred institution - of beneficence, The Theatrical Syndicate, is worth making. Such - study renders it easier to understand the condition of the Theatre - in America to-day.”--W. W. -] - -livelihood, is forced to sell his business and desist from competition. -Then the benevolent national octopus gradually advances the price of oil -until at last the public in the neighborhood has paid the cost of -driving the small competitor out of business, the field is occupied -solely by the Standard Company, and it sells oil to the people for “all -the traffic will bear.” That method may be as _lawful_ in selling -“theatricals” as in selling oil, but--is it _right_? - -If Belasco desired to present one of his “attractions,” in thirty cities -under the Syndicate domination (acceding to the terms imposed upon him), -but could, in one other city, present that “attraction” for ten weeks, -at an independent theatre, receiving eighty per cent. of the gross -receipts, while in the same city the Syndicate would “book” his -“attraction” at one of its theatres and graciously exact fifty per cent, -of the gross receipts, then Belasco would be necessitated to submit to -that predatory dictation, or else lose his “bookings” in the thirty -other cities,--in _all_ other cities,--in which the Syndicate controlled -the “first-class” theatres. - - - - -“THOSE SHALL TAKE WHO HAVE THE POWER.” - - -Perhaps that may seem an extreme case. Yet that is exactly what happened -to him. In 1902 Belasco produced “The Darling of the Gods,” Miss -Blanche Bates appearing in it as a star, in association with an -exceptionally fine and expensive company. That was a very costly -production: after two years of presentation of it Belasco had gained a -net profit of only $5,000,--while, had he chosen to do so, he could have -gained that profit in a fortnight with many an inferior vehicle. He was, -naturally, proud of his achievement. He desired that the play should be -represented within reach of the multitude assembled to view the World’s -Exposition, which was opened at St. Louis, in 1904, and he arranged to -present “The Darling of the Gods” at the Imperial Theatre, in that city. -As soon as this fact became known he was notified by Mr. Erlanger, on -behalf of the Syndicate, that he would not be permitted to do so,--the -reason being that the Syndicate would not tolerate the presentment there -of Belasco’s play in any but a Syndicate house, though the Syndicate -could not, or would not, provide him a theatre there for as long a term -as he could secure the Imperial. Belasco’s reply was that he would -certainly produce “The Darling of the Gods” in St. Louis, whereupon Mr. -Erlanger, in the presence of Belasco’s representative, destroyed and -threw into a waste basket a number of contracts, signed and executed, -providing for the presentation of that and other Belasco “attractions” -in theatres under Syndicate control in various cities of the Union and -Canada. This peremptory repudiative action, accompanied by much violent -expletive, no doubt was one of Mr. Erlanger’s genial ways of -illustrating the conduct of business on those “firm lines” he had -prescribed as so essential to theatrical regeneration, and of -illuminating the Syndicate’s righteous purpose, as stated by the late -Mr. Charles Frohman, to compel the managers of theatrical companies “to -keep faith with managers of theatres.” It clearly was a conclusive -example of the Syndicate’s beneficent methods. - -“Thus bad begins and worse remains behind”: if the general policy which -I have specified is iniquitous, how shall certain other proceedings, -conducted by the executive of the Syndicate, in the development of the -business of the Theatre, be characterized? Let the reader assume that he -wishes to bring out a new star or a new play, in New York, and does so: -his venture is successful: he plays for a considerable term in the -capital: he wishes to “book” his “attraction” on the road. The charges -made for such booking service are, I understand, reasonable,--somewhere -from about $250 to $300 for a season’s tour. But does the reader suppose -he can get his play booked and his tour arranged as simply as by paying -an agent’s commission? Let him try: perhaps he will succeed: -“circumstances alter cases”: his play may have proved so popular in New -York that theatre managers throughout the country clamor to have it -exhibited in their theatres, in which case the Syndicate might become -placable; but such good fortune is dubious. It is far more probable -that, in order to obtain a desirable route through the first-class -theatres of the country, he will find it obligatory to make “a free -gift” of an interest of from one-third to one-half of his successful -venture (in which he has done all the original work and borne all the -expense and risk) to the benevolent and protective firm of Messrs. Klaw -& Erlanger,--as, for example, it appears from his sworn testimony (see -_ante_, pp. 18-19) that Belasco was forced to do when presenting David -Warfield in “The Auctioneer.” - - - - -DIVERGENT VIEWS OF THE SYNDICATE: GROUNDS FOR REASONABLE BELIEF. - - -It is not feasible to include in this Memoir a complete History of the -Theatrical Syndicate, examining every detail of its organization, -conduct, influence, and effect,--though such a history is a necessary -part of the annals of our Stage. In the absence of such exhaustive -record the partially informed reader may be confused, perhaps misled, by -dissentaneous views of the Syndicate--about which, be it observed, I -write as an uncompromising opponent. On the one side that Syndicate is -found portrayed by its advocates as an institution of light, leading, -and beneficence. On the other side, it is found represented as an -arrogant, ruthless, grasping monopoly,--exerting an actively injurious -influence on the Drama and the Art of Acting,--and as being composed of -ignorant, avaricious, vulgar men, unfit to dominate any art--and in -particular the _quasi_-educational art of the Theatre,--and regardless -not only of the public welfare as affected by the Stage but, at least in -some instances, regardless even of the public safety. The disparity of -sentiment is diametrical. But though a whole history of the Syndicate is -not here practical, is it not possible briefly to present essential -information bearing on the subject in such a way that the reader may -disregard the discordant and disputatious views of advocates and -opponents and form an independent opinion based merely on facts of -record? I think that it is. First, then, as to disregard of the public -safety by some members of the Theatrical Syndicate: - -Soon after the burning of the Iroquois Theatre, in Chicago, December -30, 1903, during a performance there of “Mr. Bluebeard,”--a disaster in -which 602 persons horribly perished,--the New York weekly journal “Life” -published a cartoon portraying the exit of a theatre, with the door -padlocked and with smoke streaming through it, while women and children -were shown struggling to force it open and escape. A symbolic figure of -Death was shown standing beside that portal, and beneath the picture was -a caption reading: “Messrs. Klaw & Erlanger Present Mr. Bluebeard.” The -implication of that cartoon was, unquestionably, an accusation of -wholesale manslaughter. Messrs. Klaw & Erlanger, claiming that the -publication of it was a libel upon them, instituted a suit against -“Life” for $100,000 damages. That suit was tried in the United States -Circuit Court, New York, January 3 to 6, 1905, before Justice William J. -Wallace and a jury. The publication complained of was, in fact, beyond -question a libel. Under the law publication of libellous matter is -justified if it be _true_ and if it be made without malice, in the way -of legitimate comment or criticism. The issue in this case, therefore, -was perfectly clear. The jury decided in favor of “Life” after -deliberating less than five minutes--thus, in effect, certifying to the -truth and legitimacy of comment which amounted to an accusation against -Klaw & Erlanger of wholesale manslaughter through negligence. - -Second, as to the characters and reputations of the men composing the -Syndicate and the question of their fitness to dominate the Theatre: - -“The New York Dramatic Mirror,” on October 30 and November 13, 1897, -published articles, written by its editor, then Harrison Grey Fiske, -which stigmatized the members of the Theatrical Syndicate as a “_band of -adventurers_, who imagined that they could manipulate the amusement -business _for their sole gain_”; as men actuated by “clannish greed and -selfishness”; as “mercenaries” who threatened “the welfare of the -Stage”; as persons who, in their business, were guilty of maintaining a -“_system of double-dealing_, of _false pretences_, and of -_misrepresentation_”; as “illiterate managers”; as an “insolent and -mischievous clique of theatrical middlemen”; as “insolent jobbers,” -“theatrical throttlers,” “crooked _entrepreneurs_” and “an un-American -and intolerable combination of greedy, narrow-minded tricksters.” - -The several members of the Syndicate, resentful of these explicit -strictures, instituted suit against Fiske, asserting that in making and -circulating the statements about them just quoted he had uttered a -“false, defamatory, scandalous, and malicious libel” which had “injured -the complainants in their good name, fame, and reputation,” and -otherwise damaged them, all in the sum total of $100,000. The complaint -in this action was filed on November 19, 1897. - -Fiske answered, in effect, that his charges against the Syndicate were -“made in behalf of the public and [of] those engaged in the theatrical -line or profession in the United States” and were set forth as “_a fair -and true statement_ of the object and purpose of the Syndicate”; that -his articles complained of were true and not malicious, denying that -they constitute a “false, defamatory, scandalous, and malicious libel”; -asserted that “Al. Hayman was not a person of good name, fame, and -reputation,” but “that he [Hayman] with his co-complainants did by a -system of double-dealing and false pretences and misrepresentations to -the public and those engaged in the theatrical business unite and band -together by wrongful and improper expedients” to mislead and defraud the -public; “that the said J. Fred Zimmermann is not a person of good name, -fame, and reputation”; that A. L. “Erlanger is not a person of good -name, fame, and reputation, but that, on the contrary, the said A. L. -Erlanger has been arrested and convicted of crime in the State of -Pennsylvania,” and that “the name, fame, and reputation” of the -plaintiffs had been “truly set forth in the said articles mentioned in -the plaintiffs’ complaint.” - -Of course, to _make_ such damaging accusations is not to _prove_ -them,--whether they be made in a newspaper or in a legal instrument: the -noblest and best men and women the world has ever seen, or ever will -see, all are liable to traduction and attack. But the members of the -Syndicate, after taking cognizance of these accusations, after declaring -under oath that they had been damaged by the making of them in the -amount of $100,000, and after the braggart spokesman for the group had -asserted in print that “we mean to make Mr. Fiske prove his allegations -or publicly acknowledge his mistake,” dallied and delayed in the case -for two and one-half years (during all of which time Mr. Fiske, as he -personally and repeatedly assured me, was not only willing but eager to -go to trial on the facts),--and then, April 18, 1900, _discontinued -their action_. Commenting on this proceeding, Fiske said, in “The -Mirror”: - - “No pretence of legal unreadiness and no motion for delay of this - case have ever proceeded from the defence.... ‘The Mirror’ has been - not only ready but eager at all times since the joining of issue in - this case to thoroughly thresh the matter out in open court.... The - case never has been pushed in court, and _it is evident that the - plaintiffs never had any intention to try it_.” - -Judicious readers will, I believe, agree that the course of the members -of the Syndicate amounts, practically, to a confession of the truth of -Fiske’s charges; and surely, in the circumstances, they can neither -wonder nor complain because those charges have been generally -believed.--As to the power exerted by A. L. Erlanger over Belasco and -the quality of the Theatrical Syndicate as a monopoly, I consider the -arraignment made by Samuel Untermyer, before the Appellate Division of -the Supreme Court, to be perhaps the best and most entirely just that I -have ever read: - - “...Of course Belasco went to Erlanger’s house and was a - suppliant to the tender mercy of Erlanger to permit him to hire - theatres in which to produce his play. He went there because the - Syndicate’s unholy and criminal alliance which controlled the - principal theatres throughout the country had made it impossible - for any man with a play, a company, scenery, costumes, and all the - requirements for a complete production to book his play (which - means to find a roof under which to produce it) except by the grace - of Klaw & Erlanger, who controlled the Syndicate and the theatres. - And they could ask just such proportion of the profits by way of - rent and impose such other conditions as they chose. Of course - Belasco went to Erlanger’s house, and when he confronted ‘the great - man’ he not only agreed to pay the rent, generally _fifty per cent. - or more of the gross receipts_ of every performance, for the - theatres, but he was also forced to agree to give secretly to Klaw - & Erlanger under cover of Brooks’ name fifty per cent. of all the - profits of that production. No wonder Erlanger did not want that - little arrangement known to his Syndicate - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Byron. Belasco’s Collection. - -THE CROWNING ROOM,--BELASCO’S PRODUCTION OF “ADREA”] - - partners! Why should not Belasco go to Erlanger and smilingly - consent to be fleeced? His venture was ruined unless Erlanger would - furnish ‘bookings’ on any terms Erlanger chose to extort. Should - the King go to the Beggar? Or was it meet that Belasco the Beggar - for a chance to pay for the use of theatres in which to produce his - own play with his own company, should go humbly to Erlanger, the - King of the Syndicate that controlled the theatres? - - “No such despotism has ever been known or dreamed of in this - country and none so fatal to the development of art as the evidence - discloses this Theatrical Syndicate. Every monopoly that has been - dragged into the court pales into insignificance and seems almost - harmless beside it. Every owner of a theatre contracted with - throughout the country was required to agree not to permit his - theatre to be used for any performance not under the direction [of] - or assented to by the Syndicate even during the times it was not in - use or being paid for by the Syndicate!...” - - - - -CONVERTING CONVENTION HALL:--“ADREA” IN WASHINGTON. - - -Using the despotory power alluded to by Mr. Untermyer, the Syndicate -closed all the theatres of Washington against Belasco when he attempted -to arrange for the presentment of his tragedy. “My _penchant_ for giving -the first performances of my plays before the Washington public, because -I got the real start of my independent career there,” Belasco remarked -to me, “may be, as some unfriendly critics have declared it, a -‘sentimental folly,’ but it pleases me to do so, and it seems to me to -be a matter for _me_ to decide. The less likely it became that I could -get into Washington with ‘Adrea’ the more determined I became to do so.” -The result of his determination was that Belasco suddenly and privately -hired Convention Hall, a vast, barn-like place in Washington, -inconvenient of access, situated over a market, with seating capacity -for more than 5,000 persons. It contained no stage and was in every way -unfit for theatrical use: in brief, what Belasco did was, first, to hire -a roofed space, and then build a theatre beneath it,--incidentally -complying with all the mysteriously sudden and preternaturally exacting -requirements of various administrative departments of the District of -Columbia. “In all my experience,” he remarked to me, “I never knew such -vigilance to be exercised about a theatrical performance, and I should -never have been able to meet the almost incessant and sometimes most -unreasonable demands upon me if it had not been for the kindly advice, -guidance, and assistance of Senator Gallinger and of Speaker Cannon, who -had been interested in my fight by a _protégé_ of his, Mr. Sidney -Bieber; but, one way or another, every demand was met.” About one-third -of the hall was partitioned from the rest of it by a temporary wall and -a proscenium arch. Behind this a commodious stage was erected,--all the -labor of building being performed by a company of mechanics brought by -Belasco from his New York theatre. The iron girders supporting the roof -and also the exposed parts of the ceiling were draped and covered with -fire-proof cloth and gauze, dark green in color. Several carloads of -rich hangings and furniture which Belasco had originally purchased for -use in “Du Barry” and “The Darling of the Gods” were taken to Washington -and used to decorate the interior of this improvised theatre. Seats were -arranged, the aisles were carpeted, “boxes” were built, a gallery was -erected at the rear; a chill and barren loft was converted into a -spacious, warm, and handsome playhouse, and on Christmas Eve all seemed -to be in readiness for the opening--and then the Fire Department -condemned the electric-lighting system. “For a little while,” said -Belasco, in relating the story of this enterprise, “I thought they had -me beaten, and after I had spent thousands of dollars. But I put my case -before the Edison Electric Company--and between Saturday and the -following Monday evening the Edison people tore out the condemned system -of wiring, put in a new one, laid a special main for the supply of -current, got it all inspected and passed, and we opened as advertised -on Monday night! _I_ wanted to get out on the footlights and crow! As to -safety--everything had been done and we had, for an audience of 1,400, -the spaces, exits, and stairways previously considered safe for crowds -of from 5,000 to 6,000.” - -Belasco’s conversion of Convention Hall into a theatre, for the -production of “Adrea,” and the difficulties encountered by him in doing -so caused much comment in the newspapers of the capital, and shortly -before the first performance he published the following letter in “The -Washington Post”: - - “The editorial in this morning’s ‘Post,’ under the title, ‘Theatre - Regulations in Washington,’ conveys several erroneous impressions, - and I ask this intrusion on your space to state certain facts with - which the Washington public has not hitherto been made familiar. - When I conceived the idea of using Convention Hall for Mrs. Leslie - Carter, my very first step was to come to Washington personally, to - learn directly from the heads of the building, fire, and electrical - engineering departments what changes or safeguards would be - required by each to enable me to use Convention Hall with their - entire approval and in conformity with the law. During a series of - subsequent conferences plans were made and submitted, embodying not - only all the requirements of each department, but several - additional improvements--such as wider aisles, more exits, broader - exit space, etc. These plans were fully approved by the necessary - officials of the District. - - “Having thus secured the proper indorsement, and having placed - myself right with the municipal departments, I proceeded at great - expense to make these extensive alterations, seeking, above all, in - the interest of the public, to fulfil not only the letter but also - the spirit of the law. I already have done more than I was asked to - do, and no obstacle was raised until after the work was completed. - The structural changes have been made in strict and ready - compliance with the requirements of the District officials, and - under their supervision. _My one thought, first, last, and all the - time, was to comply with the law and protect the public._ I fully - believe that I have done so.” - -The representation of “Adrea” was received with extraordinary enthusiasm -by a large and brilliant audience, not a single member of which left -before the close of the performance, long after midnight. During the -Fourth Act a violent rainfall, beating on the iron roof of the hall, -rendered much of the dialogue inaudible, and soon, the roof leaking in -many places, water poured down through the cloth and gauze hangings, -deluging the audience with green rain. “I saw Admiral Dewey, in one of -the boxes,” said Belasco, “holding an umbrella over a lady whose -beautiful white gown was ruined with green blotches; and in another -Secretary Morton and Admiral Schley with the green water splashing down -on them. But, even though they had to sit under umbrellas or be soaked, -_my audience stayed to the very end_! Is it any wonder I love the -Washington public?” - -In the local newspapers, on Christmas Day, Belasco published the -following notice “To the Washington Public”: - - “Mr. Belasco begs to state that his occupancy of Convention Hall - for Mrs. Leslie Carter’s initial performances of her new play is - because of the opposition of the Theatrical Trust, through whose - dictation no theatre in Washington is permitted to book his - attractions. Unwilling, however, to surrender his custom of making - his productions first in this city, he has rebuilt the interior of - Convention Hall, in strict observance of the legal requirements of - the District departments, and with every regard for the comfort and - safety of his patrons. He begs also to thank the people of - Washington for the friendship and most liberal support which - already assure the success of his independent enterprise.” - -When called upon the stage during the opening performance of “Adrea” -Belasco made a brief speech of thanks, the first sentence of which -brought an outburst of applause that lasted for more than two minutes: - - “Well, ladies and gentlemen, they did not prevent my opening in - Washington. And as long as this is a free country and I am able to - fight for independence in theatrical management, I will open my - companies in Washington, or in any other city that I elect to - visit. It is very late: I won’t detain you but a moment, just to - thank you in words that can’t convey my thanks for your approval, - your sympathy and support. Mrs. Carter, Mr. Long, all my company, - my staff--my loyal, splendid staff, carpenters and mechanics who - have worked here, ladies and gentlemen, for as much as forty-eight - hours at a stretch to make this opening possible--they all are - grateful to you, and I thank you, and thank them, again and again. - It would be strange indeed if we were not willing to fight for the - chance to play before you when you are all so kind to us and when - the man who fought the Battle of Manila Bay and the man who fought - the Battle of Santiago are willing to sit in a sort of green - shower-bath to watch us!” - -Belasco gave seven performances of “Adrea” during his week in -Washington, the gross receipts from which were more than $15,000. And -when that engagement was over and the accounts had all been made up and -paid he had suffered a loss of a little more than $25,000.--On the first -night in New York he made a significant speech in which he said: - - “...Nobody could ask--nobody could wish--for any more splendid - loyalty, support, and encouragement than I have received from you, - from the people of New York, from the people of every place in - America where I have presented my companies, and I am grateful, - very, very deeply and lastingly grateful, ladies and gentlemen. But - conditions in the American Theatre are bad, ladies and - gentlemen,--very bad indeed--and they ought to be remedied. The - institution we all love should not be left at the mercy of - high-handed, brow-beating, un-American hucksters. We are not afraid - of anyone, ladies and gentlemen: we--all of us; my associates, my - business staff, my splendid, loyal mechanical staffs, my - actors--have had a long, a hard and bitter struggle and have - suffered very serious annoyances and loss. I have just paid more - than $25,000 for the privilege of presenting this tragedy for one - week in the City of Washington. We do not ask or expect that life - should be made easy for us; we can fight, just as you can, for our - rights. But I say, ladies and gentlemen, that it is a crying - outrage and a burning shame that men and women who simply want to - go about their own business in their own way should be forced, in - this day and country, to undergo what we (all of us here behind the - curtain and in the offices of my theatre) have to undergo from week - to week. And, ladies and gentlemen, it is you, the public all over - this great country, who are most injured by it all--because we - cannot give you what you are entitled to get from us when you pay - your money to see our plays and what we want to give you,--that is, - the very best there is in us: we cannot give you that, ladies and - gentlemen, when we have to give so much of our time and strength - and energy and enterprise and courage to fighting a criminal - monopoly when we ought to be giving it and want to be giving it to - writing and producing plays and acting in them, for your - entertainment and pleasure.” - - - - -EXIT MRS. CARTER. - - -“Adrea” was the last new play in which Mrs. Leslie Carter appeared under -the direction of Belasco. Her first season in that tragedy closed at the -Belasco Theatre, May 4, 1905; the second (in the course of which she -acted _Du Barry_ and _Zaza_ - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Byron. Belasco’s Collection. - -MRS. LESLIE CARTER AS _ADREA_, IN THE TRAGEDY OF THAT NAME] - -as well as _Adrea_) began there, September 20, that year, and lasted -until June 23, 1906, when it was ended at Williamsport, Pennsylvania. -Differences of opinion and divergence of interests had been growing for -some time between the manager and the actress who owed so -much,--everything, in fact,--to his sagacity and guidance. On July 13, -1906, at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Mrs. Carter was married to William -Louis Payne, and withdrew from the direction of Belasco,--Mr. Payne -assuming the care of her affairs. In _Adrea_ she touched the highest -point of all her greatness and, thereafter, may fairly be said to have -hastened to her setting. At the time of her withdrawal from Belasco’s -management he was at work on a new play for her, dealing with the -experience of an Hungarian immigrant. It was to be called “Repka -Stroon”: although it has been finished it has not yet been acted. Mrs. -Carter has done nothing of lasting importance since her personation of -_Adrea_. Her acting, at its best, was far stronger in the emotions than -it was in the intellect; but, in _Adrea_, she met and endured the test -of tremendous situations involving conflict of various passions, and in -that respect she proved her possession of tragic power. In fact, the -defects of her performance of that part were wholly in the superficial -texture of the method, and it came home to the heart with an exceeding -effect of pathos because of the sad knowledge with which it was -freighted,--the knowledge of affliction and of grief. - - - - -SIGNIFICANT MESSAGES. - - -The following telegrams, sent by Belasco and his general manager, -Roeder, are significantly indicative of the consideration shown by the -former toward the players in his employ, as well as of the character of -his mind, and for that reason they are printed here: the actor referred -to, Mr. Benrimo, who played the _Fool_ in “Adrea,” might properly enough -have been transferred to Mrs. Carter’s company, without discussion: - - (_Telegram, David Belasco to Blanche Bates, in St. Louis._) - -“New York, October, 1904. - - “You know I would not do anything to imperil your cast or to - jeopardize our western tour. Always thought it unadvisable to - double _Prince_ and _Kato_ in San Francisco and always intended - sending another man to play _Prince_. - - “If it were not absolutely necessary for me to have Benrimo in my - new play, I would not ask for him. There happens to be no man - disengaged at present to suit this peculiar part, which means so - much to the success of the play. You may not quite understand why - it should be so, but so it really is. At the present moment I am - engaged in the greatest fight of my life and everything depends on - this new production. Its success will leave me free to give all my - attention to your new play for next season and will ensure the - working out of all my plans. It is only with our triumphs that I - can hope to beat the Syndicate. My dear girl, by this time I am - sure you have reconsidered your telegram and will help me out. - Please--please, do! There is nothing within my power that I will - not grant if you ask it, so I beg of you again, please help me out. - -“DAVID BELASCO.” - - - - (_Telegram, Benjamin F. Roeder to Blanche Bates in St. Louis._) - -“New York, October, 1904. - - “In making original cast ‘Darling’ Mr. Belasco requested other of - his stars, who gladly consented. Regret, as one of your best - friends, that you don’t follow dictates your own heart and accord - what is, after all, only a courtesy. Mr. Belasco has been kind and - generous to you always. Money has never stood in way when he could - do anything to make you happy. In consequence Chicago fire we are - still much money behind on original investment ‘Darling’ and Mr. - Belasco has more than fulfilled his contract with you. We paid out - thousands to secure your new play--have been obliged to forfeit all - and Mr. Belasco has been forced to write one himself to give you - ‘Blanche Bates part.’ I have not shown him your telegram and don’t - want to. This is the time he needs good soldiers. Be one like the - rest of us. You will lose nothing in the end. Anyway, Benrimo is - not ’Frisco favorite. Under no circumstances could we allow two - such important parts to be played by one man in ’Frisco. Mr. - Belasco is rehearsing the new men. They leave Wednesday and will - strengthen the cast. - -“B. F. ROEDER.” - - - - (_Telegram, David Belasco to Blanche Bates, in St. Louis._) - -“New York, November, 1904. - - “Thanks! Thanks! You’re a dear brick and some day I will do as much - to relieve you of anxiety. Buy the prettiest and finest rider’s - dress, with hat and cloak to match, and send the bill to me. I am - sending you two good actors, one for the _Prince_, the other for - the _Fisherman_. I am rehearsing them myself. After all, it would - have been dangerous for us to permit any one actor to double the - parts in ’Frisco. You must think so too, so instead of weakening - the cast I am strengthening it. - - “But never mind that, you have helped me out of a dilemma and - you’re a bully girl. As soon as the play is on I shall join the - company and spend some days with you to talk over your new piece - and the cast. It will be well to begin to get the eight people - under contract. If all goes well,--and it will,--you’ll be in New - York _all next year_! Love to your mother and yourself. - -“DAVID BELASCO.” - - - - - - -VARIOUS LETTERS AND INCIDENTS OF 1905. - - -In June, 1905, Belasco, accompanied by Mr. Roeder, sailed for England, -his purpose being to purchase, if possible, or else to arrange to build, -a theatre for his own use in London,--as Daly had done many years -before. This ambitious project, however, proved impracticable of -execution and, though he has never finally abandoned it, he found -himself forced by circumstances to set it aside and he soon returned to -America. While he was in England the subject of his fight against the -dominion of the Syndicate was discussed in various newspapers: in one of -them I find the following letter: - - (_David Belasco to “The London Referee.”_) - -“Hotel Russell, Russell Square, -“London, W. C., June 17, 1905. - -“To the Editor of ‘The Referee’: - - “Sir: - - “A sympathetic article in an evening paper, speaking of the methods - of the American Theatre Trust, and their efforts to crush me, also - stated: ‘Let there be no misunderstanding. Mr. [Charles] Frohman - may be entirely exempted from inclusion in this indictment. His - operations in London are in direct competition with those of the - Trust.’ - - “In order to prevent any ‘misunderstanding’ I would like to ask: - ‘_Why_ should Mr. Frohman be exempted from this indictment?’ In my - suit brought against Messrs. Klaw & Erlanger in New York, in April - last, among other things for the purpose of exposing the methods of - the Theatrical Trust, there was produced in court the original - Syndicate agreement, made in August, 1896, and renewed in August, - 1901. This agreement was signed by Charles Frohman, Klaw & - Erlanger, Al. Hayman and Nixon & Zimmermann, and according to the - evidence is still in operation. Further comment is, I think, - unnecessary. - -“I am, -“Faithfully yours, -“DAVID BELASCO.” - - - -Soon after his return to New York Belasco received a message from the -great singer Mme. Ernestine Schumann-Heink, who had been much impressed -by his presentment of Warfield in “The Music Master,” who desired to -adventure on the dramatic stage, and who proposed that Belasco should -undertake her management and write a play for her use. This he gladly -agreed to do, and the play, which was to have been a sort of sister -piece to “The Music Master” and was to have been called “The Opera -Singer,” was planned and in part written; but the demands on Belasco’s -energies and time were more than any one person could meet and he was -regretfully forced to relinquish that project. “It hurt me to let go,” -he said: “I had a good story. Mme. Schumann-Heink had great natural -talent for acting, and I believe that if I could have carried it -through, working in a tremendous scene for her, as a singer on the opera -stage, we should have set the country wild. But--there is a limit, and I -was pretty near to mine, so _that_ little scheme went up in smoke!” - -The following letters all are characteristic of Belasco in varying -moods: - - (_David Belasco to Blanche Bates._) - -“Belasco Theatre, New York, -“April 3, 1905. - -“My dear Blanche Bates:-- - - “I have received a note from Mr. William Courtleigh of the Actors’ - Society in which he asks if it is possible for you to appear with - Mr. Wm. Gillette at their benefit. I have promptly said ‘No.’ In - the first place, you are not going to support Mr. Gillette. You - would do all the hard work--yelling, shouting and running about - like a maniac,--while he sat calmly smoking his cigar, with a - calcium light upon him. Besides, this would be no novelty, as - Gillette did the same thing at the Holland Benefit and I saw the - poor little -------- girl disgrace herself. There is nothing at all - in these ‘benefits,’ and I hope you are pleased that I got you out - of this one. - -“With all good wishes, -“Faithfully yours, -“DAVID BELASCO.” - - (_David Belasco to John Luther Long, in Philadelphia._) - -“Belasco Theatre, New York, -“April 26, 1905. - -“My dear John:-- - - “I have just received the beautiful Tennysonian verses. I shall - _dramatize_ them, of course, and you were bully to send them to me. - - “But really, Jonathan, haven’t we given that gang of grafters a - shake-up? It cost me a lot of money,--but (thank Heaven!) I had it - to spend, and could unmask them. If I have done a wee bit of good - in helping to clear away the rubbish, I am more than rewarded. - - “Good luck to you, and my best affection! - -“Faithfully, -“DAVID BELASCO.” - - - - (_David Belasco to Mrs. F. M. Bates._) - -“Belasco Theatre, New York, -“July 13, 1905. - -“My dear, dear Mrs. Bates:-- - - “I am so sorry I did not see you the other morning when you called - at the theatre, but I have been nearly crazy with neuralgia for the - past week. - - “I am a little bit behind on Blanche’s play, and am hurrying off to - Shelter Island to take off my coat and go to work on it. Tell our - Blanche it is a _bully play_, and that the character of ‘_the - girl_’ is sky-high--fits her from her head to her feet! I expect to - have it in shape shortly now, and in her hands to study. I am - getting together a _bully_ cast for it. I really think the new play - _is my very best_, and I know she will be happy. Give her my love. - -“Faithfully, -“DAVID BELASCO.” - - - - (_David Belasco to Blanche Bates, in San Francisco._) - -“Belasco Theatre, New York, -“July 20, 1905. - -“My dear Blanche B.:-- - - “Your letter received. - - “I got a little behind on the play; you know I had to run off to - London to do big things for the future, and when I got back I went - under with my old attacks of neuralgia. You know how I suffer with - them, and really, this time the pain was excruciating. I’m glad to - say that I am all right again and I am working night and day, - hoping that it is the best play I ever wrote. Your part fits you - from your dear little feet up to your pretty head. It’s a _bully - part_, and I know you will like it. If you don’t,--well, you need - never kiss me again! I call the play ‘The Girl of the Golden - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by William Crooke, Edinburgh. Author’s Collection. - -HENRY IRVING IN THE LAST YEAR OF HIS LIFE--1904-’05] - - West.’ The characters call you ‘_The Girl_.’ The models of the play - are fine--the last scene of all, ‘In the Wilderness,’ is a gem. - There are some beautiful speeches in the play--very ‘Batesesque’; - the lines just _crackle_ and all the situations are human. - - “Yes, send along the photo, and I will have a poster made of you. - - “_Entre nous_, we open in Pittsburgh, before coming into New York, - playing there for two weeks at the new Belasco Theatre, as the - stockholders have named it. It will be a great night. - - “Just keep well, enjoy your summer, and the moment I have finished - the play,--which will be in about three weeks,--I will rush it into - your hands. - - “With love, hugs, kisses and things, - -“Faithfully, -“DAVID BELASCO.” - - - - (_David Belasco to Frederick F. Schrader, in Washington, D. C._) - -“Belasco Theatre, New York, -“July 22, 1905. - -“My dear Mr. Schrader:-- - - “Many thanks for your letter and for your kindly interest. I am so - glad that the press out West has taken up the question of the - Theatrical Trust so splendidly. It helps us in the big fight. There - is a hard year before us, and if we win I think we shall have - succeeded in breaking the tyrannous ring. The London press was - bully. I was interviewed extensively and succeeded in getting many - leading papers interested. They have taken up the Trust question - seriously over there. I hope you read ‘The Referee.’ They began a - series of Trust articles in the number before the last. The - article was written in a very forcible style. - - “Regarding the theatre in Washington, what you write is very - interesting and I shall be most happy to hear more about it. - - “Mr. [Fuller] Mellish called to see me, and there is an - understanding that at the first opportunity I shall gather him in. - Then,--he may remain with me for life, if he wants to. - - “With kindest regards to yourself and your wife, I am, - -“Faithfully, -“DAVID BELASCO.” - - - - - - -TRIBUTE TO IRVING. - - -While Belasco was in Washington, with his new play “The Girl of the -Golden West,” there befell one of the saddest bereavements and one of -the greatest losses the Stage has ever known,--the sudden, pathetic -death of that great actor and manager and even greater man Henry Irving, -which occurred at Bradford, England, October 13, 1905, immediately after -the close of his performance in “Becket.” Belasco, always one of his -disciples and most ardent admirers, when informed of his death, paid him -this tribute: - - “There are no more such masters! The English-speaking, the modern, - Stage has lost its greatest inspiration! The name of Henry Irving - stood for all that was artistic in the highest sense. He was the - loyalest servant of the public; the friend, the champion of the - Stage. He belonged to us almost as much as to England. And what is - saddest of all, he leaves no one behind him to take his place. He - was a great, a marvellous, actor, a dramatic genius; he was the - greatest stage director of modern times; he was the prince of - managers; and, what was best of all, he was the best and kindest of - men and the truest of friends. God rest his great soul! He has died - as he would have wished, but we shall not look upon his like - again.” - - - - -BLANCHE BATES AND “THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST.” - - -Belasco’s stirring play of “The Girl of the Golden West” was first -produced at the new Belasco Theatre, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on -October 3, 1905. It is a fabric of situations contrived for the -advantageous display of that old, familiar, everlasting, always -effective theatrical personage, the Rough Diamond. The Girl was -beautiful, intrepid, passionate, vivacious; the soul of innocence; the -incarnation of virtue; the blooming rose of vigorous health; and she -could swear fluently, play cards, and shoot to kill. She kept a drinking -shop, she was adored by all “the boys”; and the fame of her probity and -her many fascinations filled the countryside of California, in the -halycon days of ’49. That fortunate State, according to the testimony of -novelists and bards, was densely populated at that time by girls of this -enchanting order; but this particular _Girl_ seems to have transcended -all rivals. She was beloved by a picturesque and expeditious outlaw, -_Dick Johnson_, known as _Ramirez_, who had gained brilliant renown by -means of highway robbery, and likewise she was beloved by the local -_Sheriff_, _Jack Rance_, a grim, obnoxious officer, self-dedicated to -the wicked business of causing that outlaw’s arrest and death. Both -those lovers were ardent, and, between those two fires, her situation -was difficult; but she always rose to the occasion, and when her outlaw -was entrapped by his pursuer the ingenuity of her love and the dexterity -of her stratagem delivered him from bondage, and, upon his promise of -reformation and integrity, launched him upon a new and better career. -The most conspicuous display of her passionate devotion and adroit skill -occurred on a night when he was captured in her dwelling. The -circumstances were essentially dramatic,--because the _Girl_ and her -favored swain were storm-bound in a mountain cabin, whither the -_Sheriff_ had tracked his prey; and the robber had been shot and -wounded, so that there seemed to be no method of escape for him, till -the _Girl_ proposed a game of poker with his foe, staking herself -against the liberty of her sweetheart, and won it by successful -emulation of the _Heathen Chinee_,--substituting “an ace full” for an -empty hand, at the decisive moment. - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Otto Sarony. Collection of Jefferson Winter. - -BLANCHE BATES AS _THE GIRL_, IN “THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST”] - -There came a time, however, when even Love could do no more; but at that -crisis Fate interposed, in the shape of Public Opinion,--that is to say, -the friendship of “the boys,”--and the _Girl_ and her lover were united. - -The condition of California in 1849 was, to say the least of it, -turbulent. Some parts of that State are in a turbulent condition now. -Groups of “the boys” can still be discovered. They are not paragons, -though, and they never were. The existence of good impulses in uncouth -persons does not make them less uncouth. Fine qualities can, and do, -exist in beings who are unfamiliar with soap and the toothbrush; but it -would seem that the study of human nature can be pursued, more agreeably -than elsewhere, among saponaceous branches of the race. It is more -pleasant to read about “the boys” than it is to see them. But, broadly -speaking, in Belasco’s drama the _Girl_ is the play, and with Miss Bates -as the _Girl_ there was little more to be desired. Shorn of all -extraneous fringes--variously impious, improper, vulgar, and offensive -interjections of profanity and violent expletive--the play is the image -of a lovely, impetuous woman’s devotion to her lover,--a devotion that -is shown in a series of actions by her to save him from danger and ruin -and to make him happy. Feminine heroism is the theme, and the _Girl_ -selected to exemplify it is meant to be “a child of nature,” simple, -direct, and true--and Belasco was entirely accurate when he wrote that -the part fitted the actress for whom he made it from her head to her -feet. Given the specified ideal to interpret, Miss Bates placed her -reliance on Acting, and there were moments in her performance,--as, for -example, in the First Act, as the _Girl_ speaks of the protective -instinct in the heart of woman,--when the soul that showed itself in her -face was beatific. She gave, throughout, a personation of extraordinary -variety and strength. In the situations devised for the -heroine,--situations, which, while not radically new, are ingeniously -contrived and are fraught with the dominant spell of suspense,--the -actress had to express the growth of love; the blissful sense of being -loved; the bitter pangs of jealousy; the passionate resentment of a -heart that thinks itself betrayed and wronged by the object of its love; -the conflict of anger with affection; the apprehension of deadly peril, -and the nobility of self-conquest. The exaction of the part is -tremendous, equally upon physical resource and nervous vitality, but, at -every point, it was met and satisfied. The play exemplifies its author’s -remarkable faculty of continuation in the making of characteristic -dialogue, together with ample felicity of invention, and it is overlaid -with profusion of details. The midnight tryst of the _Girl_ and the -_Road Agent_ is not altogether a credible device, but, once assumed and -arranged, that situation,--comprehending the outlaw’s detection, as -such, by the _Girl_, the awakening of furious jealousy, her turning him -out into the storm, her subsequent harboring of him, and the game of -cards with the outlaw’s life and liberty staked against the _Girl’s_ -whole future,--is handled with consummate skill and moulded to splendid -results, and there the acting of Miss Bates rose to a magnificent climax -of emotion, fully expressed and yet artistically controlled and -directed,--a triumph of intellectual purpose. - -This was the original cast of “The Girl of the Golden West”: - -_The Girl_ Blanche Bates. -_Wowkle_, an Indian squaw Harriet Sterling. -_Dick Johnson_ Robert Hilliard. -_Jack Rance_ Frank Keenan. -_Sonora Slim_ John W. Cope. -_Trinidad Joe_ James Kirkwood. -_Nick_ Thomas J. McGrane. -_The Sidney Duck_ Horace James. -_Jim Larkens_ Fred. Maxwell. -_“Happy” Haliday_ Richard Hoyer. -_“Handsome” Charlie_ Clifford Hipple. -_Deputy Sheriff_ T. Hayes Hunter. -_Billy Jackrabbit_, an Indian J. H. Benrimo. -_Ashby_ J. Al. Sawtelle. -_José Castro_ Roberto Deshon. -_Rider of the Pony Express_ Lowell Sherman. -_Jake Wallace_, a travelling camp minstrel Ed. A. Tester. -_Bucking Billy_ A. M. Beattie. -_The Lookout_ Fred. Sidney. -_A Faro Dealer_ William Wild. -_The Ridge Boy_ Ira M. Flick. -_Joe_ H. L. Wilson. -_Concertina Player_ Ignazio Biondi. - -_Citizens of the Camp and Boys of the Ridge._ - - - - -A THRILLING STORY--AND A TRUE ONE. - - -One of the most tense and effective passages in contemporary drama is -that contrived by Belasco, in this play, when the _Sheriff_ detects the -concealment of the _Road Agent_, _Johnson_, in the _Girl’s_ home. -Through the swirling snow he has caught a glimpse of a man’s figure near -to the cabin of the _Girl_, has shot at it, and has, in fact, hit and -grievously wounded _Johnson_, who has then been given refuge in the -cabin and concealed by the _Girl_ in a low loft. _Rance_, having come to -the cabin and been assured that nobody is concealed there, is about to -leave. He goes toward the door, he is about to open it and step out, but -turns to speak to the _Girl_, holding a white handkerchief with which -he has wiped the snow from his face; as he does so, a drop of blood -falls from the helpless wounded man above him upon the handkerchief, -then another,--and _Rance_, watching the little crimson stain grow, -instantly comprehends. Belasco, referring to this device, which, -obviously, is as simple and as possible as it is effective but which was -somewhat censured by captious fault-finders, writes this interesting -account of its origin: - - “It was from my father that I first got the idea which afterwards - so well served me in ‘The Girl of the Golden West,’--the incident - of the Sheriff and the blood dripping on his handkerchief. The - experience occurred during the Cariboo mine period. My father and - his friend, Shannon, with several others, had a hut together. There - had been a heavy snow, so for awhile they had to give up all idea - of prospecting. Food was growing very scarce, until finally the - twenty-four huts that constituted the expedition could boast of but - three or four loaves of bread, one bottle of whisky, a scant supply - of bear meat, and some straggling fish. The miners were apt to be - careless, and the food supply became so low that it was necessary - to form a committee to guard the precious stores. A Sheriff and a - commission of deputies made a law that anyone taking more than was - handed to him should be shot without trial. Thus things went on for - a few weeks. A poor fellow from Philadelphia who was in camp had - had the blues for months before this, and had made every effort to - start for home. In the midst of the famine he was taken with the - hunger fever, and when the boys told him that he was very low he - cried out that he did not want to die. So one night he sneaked over - to the box, and stole a bit of bread and beef and some gold dust. - Then he fled from camp. The next day he was missed, and the loss in - the chest discovered. The Sheriff immediately went after him. - Instinctively the poor fellow must have felt that he was being - followed, for he doubled on his own tracks, and came back to the - hut. My father was playing poker at the time, and presently heard a - shot outside. The missing man staggered into the room and fell at - the feet of the players. ‘Humphrey,’ he gasped, ‘for the sake of my - wife, don’t let them do me up. Save me!’ My father told him to get - out or be plugged, and he pulled his gun from his belt. But at the - same time my father did not say anything when the fellow crawled - upstairs into the loft. Hot upon this came the Sheriff, asking all - sorts of questions, but never a guiding answer did he receive from - the players. Then he joined the game, just as he did in ‘The Girl - of the Golden West,’ my father living an eternity while the man was - above them. They let the Sheriff win so as to make him feel good, - and the game finally broke up. As he held his hand out to my father - for a good-night shake a drop of blood fell upon his arm. A - blanched face looked down through the rafters, a hand clutched - nervously at a shirt, now deep-stained in red. The Sheriff gazed at - the telltale spot on his arm, and smiled cynically as one can - afford to do who is master of such a situation. - - “‘Did you fellows know he was up there?’ he asked, taking his gun - from his pocket. - - “There was nothing to be said; the facts were against it. The - victim was caught. There was no staying the hand of the law; one - could see this very well as the Sheriff gripped his gun and drew - himself up to his full height. Standing there, his gaunt shadow - thrown against the wall, his white face etched deep with marks of - hardship and of toil, he poked the muzzle of his gun between the - rafters and fired. He had done his job, and so he left without - another word. - - “Now, the morning after ‘The Girl of the Golden West’ opened, one - or two critics declared that I did not know the times; they said - that my gambler, so distinctively played by Frank Keenan, was a - caricature, that he was taken from prints rather than from life. - Why, I know the period of ’Forty-nine as I know my alphabet, and - there are things in my ‘The Girl of the Golden West’ truer than - many of the incidents in Bret Harte!” - - - - -A MASTERPIECE OF STAGECRAFT: THE STORM IN “THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST.” - - -Considered technically, Belasco’s production of “The Girl of the Golden -West” was a genuine masterpiece of stagecraft, and it is specially -memorable for the perfect example it exhibited of the right use of -“realism” in the Theatre,--the use, in this instance, of an artfully -created and perfect semblance of Nature in one of her wildest, most -terrible moods as a background,--always felt, yet never obtruded,--for -dramatic action the effect of which it steadily augmented and enforced. -Nothing of the kind which I have ever seen in the Theatre has fully -equalled in verisimilitude the blizzard on Cloudy Mountain as depicted -by Belasco in the Second Act of this fine melodrama--such a bitter and -cruel storm of wind-driven snow and ice as he had often suffered under -in the strolling days of his nomadic youth. When the scene, the interior -of the _Girl’s_ log-cabin, was disclosed the spectators perceived, -dimly, through windows at the back, a far vista of rugged, snow-clad -mountains which gradually faded from vision as the fall of snow -increased and the casements became obscured by sleet. Then, throughout -the progress of the action, intensifying the sense of desolation, dread, -and terror, the audience heard the wild moaning and shrill whistle of -the gale, and at moments, as the tempest rose to a climax of fury, could -see the fine-powdered snow driven in tiny sprays and eddies through -every crevice of the walls and the very fabric of the cabin quiver and -rock beneath the impact of terrific blasts of wind,--long-shrieking down -the mountain sides before they struck,--while in every fitful pause was -audible the sharp click-click-click of freezing snow driving on wall and -window. - -The means by which this effect of storm was produced could easily be -specified and described; in themselves they are as simple as those -employed by Belasco to make the almost equally impressive tempest in -“Under Two Flags”: but it is a capital mistake to take the public behind -the scenes of the Theatre and thus uncover the very heart of the -players’ mystery and destroy illusion. In this instance it is enough to -say, as revealing Belasco’s liberality, thoroughness, and care in -placing his plays before the public, that operation of the necessary -mechanical contrivances required a force of thirty-two trained -artisans,--a sort of mechanical orchestra, directed by a centrally -placed conductor who was visible from the special station of every -worker. And it will, perhaps, be usefully suggestive to misguided -exponents of literal “spontaneity” in Acting to mention that the -perfectly harmonious _effect_ of this remarkable imitation of a storm -necessitated that at every performance exactly the same thing should be -done on the stage at, to the second, exactly the prearranged instant. - -A pleasing device utilized by Belasco in the investiture of this -melodrama was a variant of the long familiar panorama which, moving from -bottom to top of the stage, instead of across it from one side to the -other, showed, first, a beautiful and romantic view of Cloudy Mountain -and of the _Girl’s_ cabin, perched, like an eyrie, high upon a canyon’s -side; next, a winding mountain path leading down to a settlement and -ending outside her saloon, the Polka: then, in a fleeting instant of -darkness, the scene was changed to the interior of that saloon, where -the action of the play begins. In this production, also, Belasco -banished the usual orchestra and substituted for it a band of homely -instruments,--the concertina, the banjo, and “the bones” of the old-time -minstrels,--which discoursed such old, once familiar but now -long-forgotten, airs as “Coal Oil Tommy,” “Campdown Races,” “Rosalie, -the Prairie Flower,” “Pop Goes the Weasel,” and “Old Dog Tray.” - - - - -THE PARTING OF BLANCHE BATES AND BELASCO.--“THE FIGHTING HOPE” AND -“NOBODY’S WIDOW.” - - -“The Girl of the Golden West” proved to be as successful as its author -had expected: also, greatly to the disadvantage of the public, it proved -to be the last important production in which, down to the present day -(1917), Blanche Bates has appeared,--although she continued to act under -the management of Belasco for about seven years. Three of those years -were devoted to “The Girl,” which was presented throughout the country. -Then, September 7, 1908, at the Belasco Theatre, Washington, Miss Bates -was brought out in a new play by Mr. William J. Hurlbut, entitled “The -Fighting Hope,” which was acted in New York, September 22, at the -Stuyvesant Theatre. It held the stage there until January 16, 1909; was -transferred to the Belasco Theatre, January 18, and remained visible -there until April 10. This was the cast: - -_Burton Temple_ Charles Richman. -_Marshfield Craven_ John W. Cope. -_Robert Granger_ Howell Hansel. -_Anna_ Blanche Bates. -_Mrs. Mason_ Loretta Wells. - -“The Fighting Hope” served as a professional vehicle for Miss Bates -during two seasons. On October 24, 1910, at the Euclid Avenue Opera -House, Cleveland, Ohio, Belasco presented her in “Nobody’s Widow,” by -Mr. Avery Hopwood: that play was first acted in New York, November 14, -that year, at the Hudson Theatre, with the following cast: - -_Roxana Clayton_ Blanche Bates. -_Betty Jackson_ Adelaide Prince. -_Countess Manuela Valencia_ Edith Campbell. -_Fanny Owens_ Dorothy Shoemaker. -_Duke of Moreland_ Bruce McRae. -_Ned Stephens_ Rex McDougall. -_Baron Reuter_ Henry Schumann-Heink. -_Peter_ Westhrop Saunders. - -Both those plays, though they enjoyed profitable careers, were, in fact, -stop-gaps: they had never been produced but that “the strong necessity -of the times enforced”: “Blanche wanted to appear in ‘drawing-room’ -drama,” Belasco has said to me; “I was hard pressed and I took what I -could get.” Both those plays owed their profitable careers entirely to -Belasco,--to his unremitting and unacknowledged diligence in the labor -of revising them and making them feasible for stage use and to the -perfection of detail with which he invested their production and caused -them to be acted. A whimsical remark which he once made to me, in -conversation about another play, applies with force to both these -ventures: “I have,” he said, “first and last, paid many authors handsome -royalties for the privilege of working like a slave on their plays, -without credit and generally without thanks, and making them into -popular successes. Each time I have solemnly sworn I’ll never do it -again--yet, somehow, I do! But I live in hope that some day somebody -will bring me a _finished play_ that only needs production.” - -“The Fighting Hope,” even as rectified and notwithstanding its measure -of popular success, was but a flimsy fabric,--crude in construction and -improbable in plot, though at times theatrically effective. In it is -displayed an experience of a loyal wife, _Anna Granger_, who clings to -“the fighting hope” of vindicating her husband and rescuing him from -the consequences of crime. That husband, a peculiarly contemptible -scoundrel, has been detected in a forgery; has been tried, convicted, -and imprisoned. His wife, believing him to be innocent and the victim of -_Burton Temple_, president of a fiduciary institution, obtains -employment in the service of that person and becomes his confidential -secretary. In that capacity, after discovering and shamefully destroying -a letter which establishes the guilt of her husband, she discovers, -also, that she is beloved by _Temple_ and that a reciprocal sentiment is -developing in her own bosom. And then, having confessed her identity, -her wrong conduct, and her regard, she is relieved from a distressing -dilemma by the convenient taking off of her husband,--who, having -escaped from the State Prison at Sing Sing, is overtaken, shot, and -killed by officers of the law who pursue him. In the hands of any other -manager than Belasco, instead of enduring for two years, this piece--if -it had ever been produced at all--would have been relegated to the -regions of tall timber and high grass within a fortnight. - -“Nobody’s Widow” is an ephemeral farce, the central idea of which is -denial of an established relationship in circumstances which might cause -absurd perplexities and ridiculous consequences,--such, in general -character, as ensue when _Charles Courtly_, in “London Assurance,” on -being introduced to his father, _Sir Harcourt_, blandly greets him as a -new acquaintance. The chief female character, _Roxana_, acted by Miss -Bates, has, in Europe, met and married a “_Mr. Clayton_,” who, actually, -is an English nobleman, the _Duke of Moreland_; but having, on their -wedding-day, found him in the embrace of a former mistress, _Roxana_ has -repudiated and left him,--privately instituting proceedings for divorce, -and presently apprising her friends in America that her husband, of whom -they have heard, but only by his assumed name of _Clayton_, is dead, and -that she, accordingly, is a widow. Later she visits some of those -friends at Palm Beach, Florida, and there she is, by chance, confronted -by her husband, then a visitor to the same hostess, but bearing his -right name. _Roxana’s_ husband endeavors to reinstate himself in her -affections, but, persistently and with alternate pleasantry and sarcasm, -he is treated by her as an accidental acquaintance. _Roxana_ assures him -that, as “_Mr. Clayton_” he is “dead”; that she has never seen him -before; that to her he is, as the _Duke of Moreland_, nobody; that she -is nobody’s widow. That attitude she maintains until apprised of her -divorce, when she becomes conscious of a sudden access of tenderness for -him; - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Mishkin Studio. Belasco’s Collection. - -TO DAVID BELASCO - -A souvenir of the production of the opera, “The Girl of the Golden -West,” by Giacomo Puccini - -G. Gatti-Casazza David Belasco A. Toscanini Giacomo Puccini -] - -and, eventually,--though not until after various trips and stumbles on -the track of reconciliation,--she first allows herself to be again -married to him, and then allows herself to be convinced of his honest -intentions and the sincerity of his love. A farce is well enough in its -way: but to record industry of such a manager as Belasco and such an -actress as Blanche Bates in such stuff as “Nobody’s Widow” is only to -record wasted opportunity and disappointed expectation. In conversation -with me Belasco has once or twice intimated some thought of proposing -the resumption of Miss Bates’ management: it might be greatly to the -public gain if that actress should return to his direction; but, while I -earnestly hope it may come about, I do not believe it ever will: - - “The Bird of Time has but a little way - To flutter--and the Bird is on the Wing.” - - - - -A GREAT NIGHT.--BELASCO AT THE METROPOLITAN.--A GENEROUS ACKNOWLEDGMENT. - - -During the season of 1906-’07 Belasco’s friend the Italian musical -composer Puccini, who desired to write an opera on a characteristically -American subject, made a visit to our country for the purpose of -selecting one. While in New York, in January, 1907, he attended -performances by Miss Frances Starr in “The Rose of the Rancho” and by -Miss Bates in “The Girl,”--at the Academy of Music. After considerable -cogitation his choice fell upon the latter, and while travelling to his -home in Italy he wrote the following letter to Belasco: - - (_Giacomo Puccini to David Belasco._) - -Hôtel de Londres, Paris [France], -March 7, 1907. - -“Dear Mr. Belasco:-- - - “I was exceedingly sorry to have left New York without seeing you - once more. I have been thinking so much of your play, ‘The Girl of - the Golden West,’ and I cannot help thinking that with certain - modifications it might easily be adapted for the operatic stage. - Would you be good enough to send me a copy of the play, to Torre - del Lago, Pisa, Italia? I could then have it translated, study it - more carefully, and write to you my further impressions. - - “I cannot express to you all the admiration I feel for your great - talent, and how much impressed I was at the drama I saw at your - theatre. - - “With kindest regards, and hoping to hear from you soon, - -“Yours sincerely, -“GIACOMO PUCCINI.” - - - -Puccini’s wish was immediately complied with, and upon the basis of -Belasco’s melodrama he wrote his opera of “La Fanciulla del -West,”--which was sung, in Italian, “for the first time on any stage,” -December 10, 1910, at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York: the -libretto was “arranged” by - -[Illustration: - -IN REMEMBRANCE - -PUCCINI’S OPERA “THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST” - -Giacomo Puccini Arturo Toscanini -(P. by Dupont) (P. by Dupont) - -Belasco -(P. by Abbe) - -G. Gatti-Casazza Otto H. Kahn -(P. by Dupont) (P. by Pach) - -Emmy Destinn -(P. by White) - -Pasquale Amato Enrico Caruso -(P. by White) (P. by White) -] - -Signori G. Zangarini and C. Civinni: it is, substantially, a -translation, until the last act, when a scene is introduced showing the -imminent lynching of _Johnson_ by “the boys” in a convenient grove of -redwood trees and his rescue by the _Girl_. This scene, as I understand, -was originally planned by Belasco for use in his play but was by him -discarded. “La Fanciulla del West” was sung for the first time by an -extraordinary cast, which should be recorded. This is it: - -_Minnie_ Emmy Destinn. -_Dick Johnson_, (_Ramirez_, the road-agent) Enrico Caruso. -_Jack Rance_ Pasquale Amato. -_Nick_, Bartender at the “Polka” Albert Reiss. -_Ashby_, Wells-Fargo Agent Adamo Didur. -_Sonora_ } { Dinh Gilly. -_Trin_ } { Angelo Bada. -_Sid_ } { Giulio Rossi. -_Bello_ } Miners { Vincenzo Reschiglian. -_Harry_ } { Pietro Audisio. -_Joe_ } { Glenn Hall. -_Happy_ } { Antonio Pini-Corsi. -_Larkens_ } { Bernard Bégué. -_Billy_, an Indian Georges Bourgeois. -_Wowkle_, his Squaw Marie Mattfeld. -_Jake Wallace_, a Minstrel Andrea de Segurola. -_José Castro_ Edoardo Missiano. -_The Pony Express Rider_ Lamberto Belleri. - -_Men of the Camp and Boys of the Ridge._ - -CONDUCTOR ARTURO TOSCANINI. - -Belasco felt profound interest in the production of his friend’s opera -and directed many of the rehearsals, intent, as he has declared, “to -make the artists act as well as sing.” That, doubtless, was a laudable -ambition,--but, practically, it is, in the very nature of things, -impossible of fulfilment, whether by Belasco or another. Opera singers -may be, indeed, frequently are, dramatic in temperament: they are not -and can not simultaneously be excellent as actors and as singers. -Sometimes a comparatively poor singer becomes, in opera, a tolerably -good actor,--but that is the limit of achievement in this direction. -True _impersonation_, as made known on the dramatic stage,--in, for -example, Forrest’s _Othello_, Davenport’s _Macbeth_, Jefferson’s _Rip -Van Winkle_, Barrett’s _Cassius_, Irving’s _Mephistopheles_,--never has -been and never can be displayed on the operatic stage. - -Talking with me about the first performance of this opera, Belasco said: -“It was a great night for me, and I took unbounded pleasure in it and -felt much honored when I found myself taking curtain calls with the -author, Toscanini, Gatti-Casazza, Caruso, Miss Destinn, and the rest. -Puccini, as always, was simple and frankly demonstrative in his delight. -The singers were all wild with enthusiasm--I was never so much be-kissed -in my life!--but I think I was, perhaps, most interested in that -wonderful man Arturo Toscanini. He seemed to me one of those -self-contained fellows--calm on the surface but burning white-hot -inside. To me it was thrilling to watch him conduct, and he did so at -that first performance without a score, as though the work were a -classic long familiar to him and held in memory.” - -Belasco’s labor on the production of “La Fanciulla” was wholly one of -love, as he declined to accept any payment for all his arduous work at -rehearsals. In the programme of the first performance appeared a notice -saying: “The Metropolitan Opera Company desires to make public -acknowledgment of its indebtedness, and to express its cordial thanks, -to Mr. David Belasco for his most valuable and kind assistance in the -stage production of ‘The Girl of the Golden West.’” And among his most -cherished possessions is a sumptuous album containing signed portraits -of all the principal singers who participated in the opera, as well as -of Puccini, Toscanini, and Gatti-Casazza, together with an exquisitely -illuminated copy of the programme on vellum and an appreciative -inscription, also illuminated on vellum. This gracious token was taken -to Belasco’s studio and delivered to him by a committee, representing -the opera company, composed of Messrs. Otto Kahn, Henry Rogers -Winthrop, Robert Goelet, and John Brown. - - - - -BELASCO AND THE MESSRS. SHUBERT. - - -An incident of Belasco’s career in management which can conveniently be -recorded here is his alliance with the Messrs. Shubert. That alliance -was arranged in 1904-’05, when Belasco was in active conflict with the -Theatrical Syndicate, by the late S. S. Shubert, of whom and of their -business association he writes: “I found him an earnest young man, with -the power to make friends and possessed of an irrepressible enthusiasm.” -Shubert, with two brothers, began theatre management (or, rather, -correctly speaking, theatre control) in Syracuse, New York, where they -leased the Bastable Theatre. They subsequently obtained control of the -Herald Square Theatre in New York, and then, directly or indirectly, of -many other theatres in various cities of the country, especially in the -smaller places which are known as “the one-night stands.” “You have -attractions and a reputation,” urged Shubert, addressing Belasco, “but -no theatres out of New York: we have theatres but lack attractions and -reputation. Join us, and all our out-of-town houses shall be at your -disposal.” The arrangement - -[Illustration: THE OPERA OF “THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST”-- - -A Souvenir, to Belasco] - -thus proposed was made and it had mutual advantages, but it was more -valuable to the Shubert Brothers than to Belasco. Possessed of contracts -to “book” the latter’s “attractions” the Shuberts were strengthened in -their relations with theatre managers not dominated by the Trust who -desired to have those attractions presented in their houses,--and thus -they were, in turn, strengthened in dealings with managers of other -“attractions.” The Belasco-Shubert alliance lasted for about four years. -The time came when Mr. Lee Shubert (who had become the head of the -Shubert Company) condescendingly intimated in public that he did not -believe that anything could be accomplished by the methods of opposition -to theatrical despotism which were long employed by Belasco and by the -shrewd, indefatigable, vindictive H. G. Fiske and his intrepid, -brilliant, accomplished wife; nevertheless, if it had not been for their -opposition, the subjugation of the American Theatre to injurious -monopoly would, in all human probability, have been so complete that Mr. -Lee Shubert and his associates would never have found an opening through -which to break. - -S. S. Shubert died, May 12, 1905, in consequence of injuries sustained -in a train wreck on the Pennsylvania Railroad, near Lochiel, -Pennsylvania, on the 11th. Belasco considers his death “a hard blow” -and is “sure he would have occupied a great place in the history of the -American Theatre. He had keen business instincts, a lovable nature, and -was the soul of honor.” He would have required to possess a more -extensive equipment to entitle him to the eminence Belasco believes he -would have attained. I had no personal acquaintance with Mr. Shubert: he -never _did_ anything of notable importance as a theatrical manager, -properly so called. His brother, Mr. Lee Shubert, through the shifts and -chances of fortune, at one time almost held the destiny of our Theatre -in his hand,--but he is merely a commercial exploiter of the Stage and -consequently made nothing of his opportunity. - -Belasco was to have accompanied S. S. Shubert on the journey which -proved his last and, had he done so, might have perished with him. “I -have had three such ‘close calls,’” he has said to me: “Once, when I was -a lad, I gave up an excursion trip on the Sacramento River to please my -mother,--and the excursion boat was blown up soon after she left the -dock. The second was when, at the last minute, I cancelled a trip to -Cincinnati, with Charles Frohman. He took a secretary with him, the -train was wrecked, and the secretary, sitting beside him where I would -have been, was killed. The third was the trip with ‘Sam’ Shubert. We -were to have gone to Pittsburgh together, on business connected with the -Duquesne Theatre there, which, with the Shuberts, I took over and which -was renamed the Belasco. If I had gone I am sure that I should have been -killed in the wreck.” It is probable that he would have been: the train -on which Shubert travelled to his death “side-swiped” a freight train, -loaded with dynamite: many lives were lost. - - - - -THE ADVENT OF FRANCES STARR.--BELASCO’S “THE ROSE OF THE RANCHO.” - - -Frances Starr was born at Albany, New York, June 6, 1880, and made her -first appearance on the stage as _Lucy Dorrison_, in Robertson’s “Home,” -with a stock company, in that city, under the management of the late -Frederic Bond. During the next six years she gained experience in -various stock companies,--at the Murray Hill Theatre, New York; in San -Francisco, in Boston, and at Proctor’s 125th Street Theatre, New -York,--and, February 12, 1906, she appeared, in association with Charles -Richman, as _Nell Colfax_, in “Gallops,”--a weak echo of Boucicault’s -horse-racing plays of “The Flying Scud” and “The Jilt.” Belasco first -saw her when she was acting at the Murray Hill, and his attention was -again called to her by his brother Frederick, who, in 1905, wrote to him -from San Francisco, praising her in high terms. Writing about Miss -Starr, Belasco has given this account of her employment by -him--certainly the most fortunate event of her life: - - “When I first saw her play I watched her performance with the - closest attention. Her entrance was greeted by a spontaneous - outburst of applause. She was just a young girl then, a sweet-faced - girl, delicately formed, with a beautiful forehead and fine, - intelligent eyes. I was most favorably impressed by her - performance, but at the time I had no part for her.... Her - opportunity came during the second season of ‘The Music Master.’ - Miss Minnie Dupree was to leave the company before the close of the - season and I needed some one to take her place. I remembered Miss - Starr and, with my friend and stage manager, William Dean, I went - to the Garrick to see her in ‘Gallops.’...” In that play “the hero - staked his all on a horse race, and the future happiness of the - young lovers hung in the balance as the race took place. The - heroine and a coaching party were near the track, and Miss Starr - stood on the steps of the coach, facing the audience. As the race - was being described Miss Starr’s facial expression was so - remarkable that she held the audience for several minutes. The - various expressions of hope, despair, and joy came and went - according to the movements of the horse. The tumult of applause was - a tribute not to the play nor to the scene, but to the perfection - of Miss Starr’s art. And as an exhibition of pantomime I have seen - nothing to surpass it.... I decided that I must have her under my - management, and I gave instructions to Mr. Dean to send for her to - ask her to sign a contract as soon as possible. Just before the - final curtain fell the young actress looked at me, and as our eyes - met I fancied I read in them the question: ‘Have I pleased you?’ On - the way back to my theatre I was haunted by the pathetic appeal so - silently thrown across the footlights, and I determined to do what - I could to save one little girl the sleepless night I felt sure was - in store for her. ‘Dean,’ I said, ‘don’t wait until morning. - Telephone Miss Starr to-night and say I wish to see her to-morrow.’ - Mr. Dean advised me to wait. He thought it would be poor judgment - on my part to show any eagerness; that Miss Starr would be sure to - take advantage of it and raise her salary, but I insisted and he - telephoned to her. As I expected, she was in her room, anxious, - nervous, and wondering if my visit to the theatre would mean an - engagement for her. Later, she told me of her relief and happiness - when the telephone call came. It did not save her from a sleepless - night after all, but her wakefulness was the result of joyous - anticipation rather than anxiety. The appointment was made for - 10.30 in the morning. When I arrived at 9, Mr. Dean came to me, - smiling broadly. ‘Miss Starr is in my office,’ he said; ‘she has - been waiting since 8 o’clock.’ I found her even more attractive - than I had imagined. Her hair was soft and light, her eyes deep - blue, varying into gray, and the changing expressions of her - earnest face were delightful. She was pale and tearful. ‘It has - always been my wish to work for you,’ she said. I learned that her - manager at the Garrick Theatre intended to ‘star’ her in a play, - but she expressed a willingness to come with me if only in a ‘bit’ - five lines long. I offered her the leading part of _Helen_ in ‘The - Music Master,’ and she was delighted. I told her to go to Mr. Dean - and make business arrangements. ‘I don’t care what salary I get,’ - she exclaimed. ‘The only agreement I want is that you don’t change - your mind.’ I insisted, however, that a contract be signed, and - when Mr. Dean made it out she wanted to put her name to it at once, - but I advised her to take it home and read it over. She took it - away with her, but afterwards confessed that she stopped in a - telegraph office on the way to her hotel and signed it!...” - -The first play in which Belasco presented Miss Starr as a leading -performer, heading an important theatrical company--less than six months -after he had seen her in “Gallops”--was “The Rose of the Rancho.” This -piece is based on an earlier one, by Richard Walton Tully, called -“Juanita,” which had been produced in Los Angeles with the excellent -actor John H. Gilmour in the principal male part. Mr. Tully’s play was -verbose, diffuse, and coarse in texture. Belasco, after once rejecting -it, being in urgent need of a vehicle for Miss Starr, read it again and -agreed to “accept it, provided I might have the privilege of rewriting -it.” This “privilege” Belasco has exercised in many instances--to his -loss and the immense advantage of various inconsequential and ingrateful -amateurs of dramatic authorship. His stipulation was acceded to by Mr. -Tully, and Belasco, working as usual under the stress of haste and the -distraction of many projects, revised, curtailed, amended, and -reconstructed “Juanita,” which, in its final form as “The Rose - -[Illustration: FRANCES STARR - - Inscription: - -“_To him who made me what I am and inspired what I hope to be,--with -ever living love and gratitude._” - - Photograph by Strauss Payton. - - Belasco’s Collection. -] - -of the Rancho,” gained abundant success. It was first acted, under that -name, at the Majestic Theatre, Boston, November 12, 1906, and was -brought out in New York, at the Belasco Theatre, November 27: it held -the stage there until June 29, 1907. - -There is, in this play, a glance at a disgraceful episode in American -history,--the technically legal, but outrageously unjust and brutally -tyrannical, seizure of the estates of Spaniards in California, after the -Mexican War; but the purpose was not so much to relumine a remote and -half-forgotten rascality as to display the incidents of a romantic love -story associated with the nefarious proceedings of that distressful and -turbulent time and place. That purpose Belasco accomplished in pictorial -settings of uncommon beauty. The scenery of Southern California is -inexpressibly charming, because it combines tranquil loveliness with -awful grandeur and is everywhere invested with poetic mystery. The -stupendous and austere mountains, the boundless, lonely plains, the -balmy orange groves, the graceful palm trees, the fragrant magnolias, -the abundance of wild flowers, the glorious blue skies and the pure, -sweet air,--these and many other beauties unite to make that region a -paradise. It is in Southern California that the _Rose of the Rancho_ -blooms, and Belasco, who knows and loves that country well, made his -stage a garden of luxury and a dream of splendor to convey that -charm--presenting a series of pictures which have never been excelled -and seldom equalled. The investiture of this play, indeed, blending old -Spanish architecture with a semi-tropical wealth of natural beauty, was -literally magnificent and considerably excelled the worth of the play -itself. This is a synopsis[2] of that fabric,--from which it will be -seen that the theme is, to some extent, the same as that treated in -Helen Hunt Jackson’s prolix and tedious novel of “Ramona”: - -The scene is laid amid the sleepy, picturesque Spanish missions of -Southern California. The plot deals with the great tragedy that -underlies California history--the taking of the Spanish inhabitants’ -homes by land-jumping Americans. _The Rose of the Rancho_ is _Juanita_, -the youngest daughter of the _Castro_ family. Through pride and -indolence the _Castros_ have neglected to make their property secure to -them by filing an entry with the American land agent, and things have -come to a serious pass with them. One of the most notorious land-jumpers -in the state, _Kinkaid_, of Beaver, Neb., has come to San Juan, with his -outfit, to take the whole valley. At the same time another American has -appeared on the scene,--_Mr. Kearney_, of Washington,--a government -agent sent to investigate the land disputes. - -Previous to the rising of the curtain upon the beautiful mission garden -the latter has met and fallen in love with the fascinating _Juanita_. -Because of enmity toward all gringoes she refuses to treat him civilly, -but she meets him by accident every day, unknown to her mother, who -arranges (according to the custom) that _Juanita_ shall marry a young -Spanish spark, from Monterey--_Don Luis de la Torre_. The girl’s father -was an American, and there begins a struggle between her loyalty to her -mother, her Spanish relatives and friends, on the one side, and the -young American who comes with the offer of his love and aid, on the -other. _Juanita_, given her first kiss, lets the blood of her father -direct her actions. She gives the data necessary for a registration to -_Kearney_, who has no authority to interfere with _Kinkaid_, but who -sends his friend, _Lieutenant Larkin_, to Monterey to make the entry for -the _Castros_. _Kearney_ remains behind to delay _Kinkaid_ as long as he -can. _Larkin_ agrees to bring back the state militia for _Kearney’s_ -protection. Meanwhile, the mother has learned that her daughter has -tossed a geranium to a gringo (signifying, “I love you”), and _Juanita_ -is locked in her room. - -The Second Act takes place in the patio-court of the old _Castro_ ranch -house. In spite of the danger that threatens, the mother is giving the -engagement party she has planned. _Juanita’s_ friends are present. There -are Spanish dances and the throwing of cascarones, and _Don Luis_ -appears to claim his bride. _Juanita_ is defiant, and when they are -about to betroth her she declares herself to be a gringo and the -promised wife of a gringo. For this her mother disowns her, and is about -to turn her out of the house, when _Kinkaid_ and his men attack it and -break in, and _Juanita_ is thunderstruck to find the man she has trusted -among them. The crowd of riffraff insult the women, who are protected by -_Kearney_. He, however, must pretend that he is upon _Kinkaid’s_ side. -_Juanita_ appeals to him, and is rebuffed. _Kinkaid_ agrees to wait -until dawn before taking possession--thereby giving _Kearney_ the time -desired. The latter gets away from the land-jumper and finds _Juanita_ -to explain. She lashes him with her tongue for his betrayal of her -people, and when he tries to make her listen she strikes him. Nothing -daunted, he forces her to listen to his explanation. She tells him that -she thinks he is a liar, but--she will wait till morning to see if the -militia comes. - -The Third Act takes place upon the roof of the ranch house. Dawn is -coming, and no help has arrived. _Kearney_ makes _Kinkaid_ a prisoner as -a hostage to protect the women. Unfortunately, _Don Luis_, jealous of -the American lover of _Juanita_, in an effort to compel him to fight a -duel, lets _Kinkaid_ go. The latter joins his men and an attack is -imminent. The old Franciscan, _Father Antonio_, assembles “his children” -in prayer for delivery, the sunrise hymn of the Californians. This -delivery comes in the shape of the long-awaited militia from Monterey. -The rancho is saved, but the mother will not see her daughter go to an -American. She forces her daughter to choose, and this she does--in favor -of the gringo. - - * * * * * - -That is a simple, almost trite, story; but Belasco contrived to tell it -in _action_ more than in words, and his telling of it proceeds from one -sensation to another with cumulative effect. Divested of all outward -flourishes, it is seen to be the portrayal of a conflict between virtue, -animated by love, and villany, impelled by cupidity and brutal license. -The vulgarian would seize the estate of the old Spanish family. The -hero, who loves its young mistress, would save it for her; and in order -to accomplish that object he is compelled to pretend fraternity with -her oppressor,--for which reason she temporarily mistrusts him; but his -purpose is accomplished, his fidelity is proved, and his love is -rewarded. In all this, happily, there is no examination of the remote -causes of the universal passion; no philosophic essay on masculine -strength as opposed to feminine weakness; no treatise on elective -affinities. The play, in short, is an old-fashioned melodrama in a -new-fashioned dress; one of those plays that the spectator observes with -an interested desire to ascertain how it will turn out. No new type of -character is presented, nor is a special attempt made to variegate the -old types. _Kearney_, of Washington, is the handsome, gallant, -expeditious young cavalier who has loved and rescued the endangered -maiden in a hundred plays of the past. _Kinkaid_, of Beaver, is the same -old blackguard and bully who seems victorious for a moment, but is -always finally discomfited, in the chronic story of the Far West. _Don -Luis_ is the debonair but disappointed suitor, from whom the _Bride of -Netherby_ always rides away. _Father Antonio_ is the good and gentle -priest who cheers the drooping spirit and bestows ecclesiastical -benediction. The only persons who savor of exceptional quality are -_Señora Kenton_ and her daughter _Juanita_, _the Rose_,--the one a stern -and formidable woman, vital with Spanish hatred of the invading -American; the other, a passionate, capricious, wilful girl, who can be -sweet and tender, but who is customarily piquant, independent, and -resolute in her own course: characters strongly reminiscent of the -matron and the heroine in “Ramona.” But, all the same, the old tale of -strength protecting weakness, stratagem defeating duplicity, and love -triumphant over hate, pleased, as it always has pleased, and as it -always will continue to please--“till all the seas run dry.” Although, -intrinsically, not exceptional as a work of dramatic art, “The Rose of -the Rancho” has positive and abundant felicity of theatrical merit, -imparted by the skilful hand of Belasco, and the production of it was -worthy of his brightest fame. This was the original cast of it: - -_Kearney_, of Washington Charles Richman. -_Don Luis de la Torre_ A. Hamilton Revelle. -_Padre Antonio_ Frank Losee. -_Lieutenant Larkin_ William Elliott. -_Kinkaid_ John W. Cope. -_Rigsby_ Wayne Arey. -_Sunol_ J. Harry Benrimo. -_Tomaso_ Frank Westerton. -_Ortega_ Norbert Cills. -_Goya_ Candido Yllera. -_Pico_ Fermin Ruiz. -_Fra Mateo_ Frank de Felice. -_A Gardener_ Richard S. Conover. -_Salvador_ Gilmore Scott. -_Pascual_ Salvatore Zito. -_Benito_ Vincent de Pascale. -_Estudilla_ Julio Grau. -_Yorba_ Francesco Recchio. -_Cadet_ Regino Lopez. -_El Tecolero_ Virgilio Arriaza. -_Bruno_ C. A. Burnett. -_Manuel_ Leonardo Piza Lopez. -_Señora Dona Petrona Castro_ Marta Melean. -_Señora Kenton_ Grace Gayler Clark. -_Juanita_, called _La Rosa del Rancho_ Frances Starr. -_Trinidad_ Jane Cowl. -_Beatriz_ Catherine Tower. -_Carlota_ Atalanta Nicolaides. -_Guadalupe_ Maria Davis. -_Señora Alcantara_ Regina Weil. -_Agrada_ Louise Coleman. - -_Kinkaid’s Ranchmen_, _Caballeros_, _Vaqueros_, _Musicos_, -_Servants_, _Etc._ - -_Señoritas_, _Dueñas_, _the Child of the Dance_, _Etc._ - -Miss Starr, in her performance of _Juanita_, manifested impetuosity of -temperament combined with charm of personality, and by her arch behavior -as a coquette, together with the vigor and sparkle of her demeanor as a -wounded, doubting, resentful, and angry young woman, gained and merited -general admiration.--A significant thought as to expedition - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Byron. Belasco’s Collection. - -FRANCES STARR AS _JAUNITA_, IN “THE ROSE OF THE RANCHO”] and indolence -in the fibre of contrasted races is conveyed in two casual remarks in -this play: “Civilization,” says the “land-jumper,” _Kinkaid_, with -blatant vulgarity of manner, when announcing his purpose of legalized -robbery, “must progress”; and when it is found that certain muskets -which have been collected for use in defending the _Castro_ ranch are -useless because of lack of powder, the Spanish cavalier is heard to -murmur: “I meant to have got that powder _to-morrow_.” Charles Richman, -as the intrepid _Kearney_, and John W. Cope, as the sinister _Kinkaid_, -gave performances of sterling merit, because true to life and -symmetrical and fluent in expression,--the one presenting, in a notably -earnest spirit, a sonsy, healthful, interesting, thoroughly good fellow: -the other assuming, in a painfully natural way, the obnoxious -characteristics,--including a repulsive personal appearance,--commonly, -and correctly, ascribed to the Western breed of ruffian. - -Belasco has, in drama, made use of the element of natural -accessories,--meaning peculiarities of climate, cloud, sunshine, rain, -storm, calm, the sound of the sea, the ripple of leaves in the wind, the -swirl of dust, the gentle falling of flower petals, the incessant -variations of light according to place and time, whether morning or -evening, noonday or midnight, and so following,--with an unerring skill -akin to that of Wilkie Collins in the writing of fiction. In “The Rose -of the Rancho” he took almost unparalleled pains to render his effects -perfect. Writing of this work, he has recorded: - - “To get the strong sunlight of my beloved California and the - wonderful shades and tones of sunset, night, and dawn as they come - out there I had my electrician, Louis Hartman, carry our - experiments to the point of making our own colors for our lamps, as - we could find none on the market that would give me the desired - result. At the present time we mix all our own colors for the - lights used in my productions, but in those days this had not been - done. I took _twenty-five electricians_ with me to Boston, for the - opening of ‘The Rose’: usually, two or three are enough with any - company....” - - - - -A NEW PROJECT:--THE SECOND BELASCO THEATRE. - - -Although Belasco held the Belasco Theatre under a lease with an option -of renewal, he was at all times during the early years of his theatre -management conscious of a certain weakness in his position: an -unforeseen disaster--a fire, for instance,--might leave him with many -theatrical enterprises and no metropolitan theatre to present them in. -“Besides,” he writes to me: “not only was I always confronted by the -fact that the lease of my Forty-second Street house might not be -renewed, but also it was natural that I should desire to have a theatre -_all my own_, in the making of which I could carry out, fully, my ideas -of stage construction, lighting, and seating.” The result of this desire -and of his wary vigilance to maintain managerial freedom is the second -Belasco Theatre (which originally was named David Belasco’s Stuyvesant -Theatre), which was built by Meyer R. Bimberg (18--- 1908), on designs -made by Belasco and under his personal superintendence. The cornerstone -of that theatre was laid on December 5, 1906. David Warfield came from -Philadelphia, where he was acting, to participate; Miss Bates came from -Boston; Miss Starr was at the time filling her first engagement in New -York in “The Rose of the Rancho.” Belasco, those players, his business -associates, and a numerous company of friends gathered round the site of -the new theatre. Miss Starr deposited in a niche beneath the bed of the -cornerstone a copper casket containing various records and programmes of -Belasco’s productions, photographs of himself and of the chief players -then appearing under his direction, and a miscellaneous assortment of -souvenirs, cards, and “good luck pieces” contributed by various friends. -Miss Bates then spread the mortar upon which the stone was to be laid -and uttered this touching sentiment as she did so: “Here’s hoping that -Mr. Belasco will stick to all of us, and we and all his friends will -stick to Mr. Belasco, as this mortar will eternally stick to this -stone.” - -The cornerstone was then swung into place, settled, and declared to be -“well and truly laid,” whereupon Belasco’s daughters, Reina and Augusta, -each broke a bottle of champagne against it, saying, in unison, “David -Belasco’s Stuyvesant Theatre.” The dramatist Bronson Howard (who had -risen from a sick-bed to attend this ceremony) then spoke, saying: - - “My dear Public and Friends: This is one of the greatest pleasures - of my whole life--to be here to-day to dedicate the theatre that - David Belasco is building. He has always given of his best in the - past and you know what he is doing now. This theatre and the plays - that it will house will live in the Future even as Wallack’s, - Daly’s, and Palmer’s, of the Past, live now in the Present. Here, - where we stand to-day, will stand the future Temple of Dramatic Art - in America. David Belasco has played a great part in the - advancement of the drama in this country and he will play a greater - one. He has never disappointed us and he never will. His heart and - soul will be in every brick of this theatre and in every production - he makes on its stage. - - “Belasco and I have been friends and co-workers for many years. We - first met when the gods were favoring me most,--when, long, long - ago, he came, a young man out of the West, with black hair and - eager face, to begin his career here. I was fortunate enough to put - into his hands, in his first position as stage manager, at the - Madison Square Theatre, the manuscript of my play ‘Young Mrs. - Winthrop.’ I want to tell you an anecdote connected with that. I - expected, when I gave it to him, that I should be obliged to do a - lot of work on it; but after he had had it a few days he came to me - and told me of many beautiful things in my play that I did not know - were there! I decided, then, to keep away and did not see the play - until the dress rehearsal. I found I had done well to leave it all - to him. [Turning toward Mr. Belasco and stretching out his hand to - him.] Come here, David! I am proud to clasp your hand, to utter a - word of thanks for all you have done for us, for the workers in the - Theatre; to congratulate you and say ‘God bless you and give you - success!’” - -Writing of this occasion and of his new theatre, Belasco says: - - “With all my associates gathered round me I felt like the _Vicar of - Wakefield_ when he got out of gaol and once more assembled his - family round his hearth! - - “How quickly a theatre grows old-fashioned! Every summer I make - improvements in this house and have already spent enough money to - build another theatre. At the present time of writing I have just - installed a new lighting system, the result of years of - experimenting by Louis Hartman, my valued old friend and - electrician, who is to be found in the theatre from morning until - night, and whose only pleasure is in his work. I think we have - revolutionized stage lights, and I have no doubt that our - innovations will find their way to foreign countries.... As my - whole life is passed in my theatre, I have a studio there of - several rooms devoted to my work and collections. In the latter I - take great pride.... - - “I have picked up much interesting furniture for my workroom, but, - despite the joy I take in these things, I write with greatest - comfort on a little sewing-table covered with green baize,--a relic - of my attic days.... I really know of no other manager whose - delight in his playhouse is greater than mine.... Here I spend my - life and here I shall, I hope, end my days.” - -The second Belasco Theatre (originally called David Belasco’s Stuyvesant -Theatre, by which name it was known until the fall of 1910) stands on -the north side of West Forty-fourth Street, between Broadway and Sixth -Avenue, on lots Nos. 111 to 121, inclusive. The site has a front of 105 -feet and a depth of 100 feet. The building is of red brick and white -stone, simple and graceful, in the style of architecture denominated as -Colonial. It was, originally, three stories high, with a rectangular, -tower-like eminence at the southwest corner. The entrance from the -street is into a small lobby, at the right of which are large swinging -doors opening into a clear space which extends, behind the orchestra -seats, parallel with Forty-fourth Street, from side to side of the -auditorium. In this playhouse, - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Byron. Author’s Collection. - -BELASCO IN HIS WORKSHOP - - INSCRIPTION ON BACK: - - “Genius _doesn’t burn_ this morning, dear friend!--D. B.” -] - -as in the first Belasco Theatre, there is a handsome screen of carved -wood and crystal glass at the rear of the orchestra, which protects the -audience from drafts of air. The orchestra and balcony chairs are of -heavy wood, upholstered in rich, dark brown leather, the back of each -chair being embossed with the emblematic bee. The decoration of the -interior is opulent and dark in tone,--deep browns, blues, and greens -with dull amber and orange being the prevailing colors. There is a large -painting above the proscenium opening and on either side are several -mural paintings, of various sizes, with here and there a rich tapestry -hanging. The groups and figures in these paintings are -symbolical,--Music, Grief, Tranquillity, Allurement, Blind Love, Poetry, -and the like being depicted. The ceiling is raftered into twenty-two -panels, which are set with rich-colored stained glass and illumined from -above. Each panel contains two shields, with heraldic mantling,--among -the coats-of-arms displayed being those of Shakespeare, Goethe, -Schiller, Racine, Molière, Goldsmith, Sheridan, and Tennyson. The -seating capacity of the theatre is now (1917) about 1,000 persons,--430 -on the orchestra floor, 320 in the balcony, and 240 in the gallery. -There are no supporting pillars in the auditorium, the balcony and -gallery being constructed on cantilevers, so that an unobstructed view -of the stage is afforded from every part of it. - -The stage was carefully designed with the purpose of facilitating in -every possible way the setting and shifting of scenery. It is eighty -feet wide and twenty-seven feet from the curtain-line to the back-wall. -The proscenium opening is thirty-two feet wide and thirty feet high. The -“gridiron” is seventy-six feet above the stage; the fly galleries, of -which there are two, one on each side of the stage and thirty feet above -it, have forty-five feet of clear space between them. In recent years an -adjustable apron, five feet wide, has been constructed in front of the -curtain-line, covering the musicians’ pit. The stage can be opened at -any desired spot, and the centre of it is an elevator-trap, ten feet -from front to back and twenty feet long. Upon this trap the -paraphernalia of an entire scene can be lowered to, or raised from, the -level of a cellar floor, thirty feet below the stage. - -The original cost of this theatre, including the land upon which it -stands, was more than $750,000, and various alterations and improvements -made in it down to the present time (1917) have increased the total -investment to nearly $1,000,000. In the summer of 1909 a one-story and -mezzanine addition was built upon the roof of the Stuyvesant, in which -Belasco has made his studio,--a strange, romantic place in which he has -assembled priceless objects of art and antiquarianism. That studio (an -adequate description of which would necessitate weeks of examination and -would, alone, fill a large volume, and which, here, can be given only -passing notice) is entered by a narrow, low, heavy-latticed door from -the business offices of the Belasco Company. The first room is a small, -low-roofed one, in itself somewhat suggestive of an old cathedral crypt. -Along the walls are ranged shelved cases containing a wondrous -collection of specimens of precious glass, the most recently made piece -of which is more than eighty years old. A sort of alcove opens from this -room, at the right side, which is stored with scores of relics -associated with that arch-villain the great Napoleon,--a collection -which includes a lock of his hair, cut from his head after death, and in -which Belasco takes special pride and joy. Beyond the entrance room is a -larger one; beyond that are low, dim passages; a library with stairs to -a gallery; a dining-room; an odd little bedroom, exquisitely furnished -in Japanese style,--with a miniature Japanese garden built outside its -window,--and luxurious facilities for bathing. These passages, rooms, -and stairs,--ceilinged with multi-colored banners, carpeted with soft, -rich rugs, and almost everywhere lined with shelf on shelf of -books,--are somewhat maze-like to a stranger, and in them is gathered a -vast, confusing medley of collectors’ treasures: here, a sinister, -black-steel armor; there, a stand of French halberds; beneath that old -table, an unmatchable set of rapiers; upon this one, nearly twoscore -different styles of dagger; yonder, a huge carved wooden chest, -blackened with age and stuffed with antique velours; against it, a great -two-handed sword,--“such a blade as old Charles Martel might have -wielded, when he drove the Saracen from France”; across that opening, an -antique wooden window-lattice, with heavy shutters, taken from an -English house built more than 700 years ago; beside it, a chair once -used by England’s King Henry the Eighth; against this wall, a stone -mantel brought from Italy, with a hearth made of tiles stolen by slaves -from the Alhambra. In the walls are many odd nooks and hidden cupboards, -which open by the release of secret springs,--in which, when illumined -by small, concealed lamps, are revealed collections of jewelled -rosaries; or of crucifixes wrought in ivory, ebony, and iron; or of -specimens of the potter’s art; or of trinkets once worn or owned by -members of the gentle Borgia Family. The stranger, wandering through -this reclusive domain,--into which few strangers ever are permitted to -penetrate,--opening low Gothic doors, will blunder into angular hutches -or long, low tunnels filled with shelves and cases of rare pamphlets and -old books; will pause with awe before a superb window of purple stained -glass; or gaze with wonder on a massive globe suspended in a well over -which a translucent canopy is so arranged that it takes and intensifies -all the changing colors of the covering heavens; or will come with -startled delight upon a grot in which a small fountain of crystal water -flings its spray over a little pool half-filled with violets, sweetpeas, -and full-blown roses. - -Belasco, unlike many other collectors, has an intimate personal -knowledge of every article in his collection; can recall at once where, -when, and how each was acquired; and, notwithstanding the number and -seeming confusion of the different pieces, knows exactly where each one -is placed and instantly perceives and vituperatively denounces any -disarrangement of them such as occasionally is caused by members of that -pestiferous sisterhood which plies the duster and the brush without -sense of the sacredness of an antiquarian’s sweet disorder,--a -sisterhood which has stirred up consternation and wrath since long -before _Mr. Oldbuck’s_ time. His writing is done there among his -treasured collections, now in one corner, now in another, upon a small, -battered, baize-covered cutting-table, such as ladies use for sewing, -which he carries about from place to place as the fancy suits him. And -there, also, his principal recreation is found when, wearied by labor or -oppressed by care, he turns to contemplation and enjoyment of the -heaped-up beauty which he has gathered about him. - - - - -IN THE MATTER OF STAGE LIGHTING. - - -A much needed addition to the technical literature of the Theatre is a -comprehensive, authoritative, and just account of the origin and -development of modern stage mechanism and of the art of stage lighting. -The pioneer achievements of Edwin Booth, at Booth’s Theatre (opened, -February, 1869), and of James Steele Mackaye and Augustin Daly are, as a -rule, blandly ignored in writing on those subjects, and the movement for -“Stage Reform” which began in Austria in 1879-’80 is taken as the -starting-point. If ever such an account is written, laborious -experiments and fine achievements by David Belasco, especially in the -latter field, will, of necessity, occupy a conspicuous place in it. His -active practical interest in the problems of stage lighting began as -early as 1876 and it has not abated. The first attempt in America to -use electric light for stage illumination,--at least, the first attempt -of which I have found a record,--was made at the California Theatre, San -Francisco, February 21 to 28, 1879. Belasco was there at that time and -carefully observed the experiment, which was not notably successful.[3] -From 1879 to 1902 he closely studied all methods of lighting and -experimented much: since 1902, when he opened his first theatre and -obtained satisfactory facilities for the work, his experimentation in -that field has been incessant. The lighting system at the Stuyvesant -Theatre was designed by Belasco in collaboration with his chief -electrician, Mr. Louis Hartman, and was installed under their -supervision. When that theatre was opened, the lamps of the footlights -on the stage, and also those in each of the overhead “border light -strips,” were arranged in seven sections, each section connected upon -separate resistance, in order that any desired part of the stage or any -figure or group of figures might be illumined or shadowed as desired. -There were five sets of the border lights, with 270 lamps in each; there -were eighty-eight connection pockets in the fly galleries and upon the -stage through which large or small “bunch lights” could be connected as -required; the switchboard (one of the largest, if not the largest, then -in use in an American theatre) was equipped with seventy-five dimmers, -in order that the lights should be under perfect control. Since the -opening, in 1907, the lighting system has repeatedly been altered and -improved. The most radical change is one made about two years ago -[1917], whereby footlights are entirely dispensed with. The objection to -footlights is, of course, an upward thrown shadow: this, however, can be -satisfactorily dealt with, and, in my judgment, it is seldom if ever -advantageous wholly to discard them. Belasco, however, thinks otherwise: -his productions are the only ones made without footlights, which I have -seen, in which the absence of those lights is adequately compensated. In -his present theatre there is a contrivance, placed in the front of the -first balcony, which, while the curtain is down, appears to be an -ornamental glass panel about six feet long. When the curtain is raised, -however, shutters in the front of that panel are opened by an electrical -device operated at the switchboard on the stage, and a singular bright -light, which is transmitted without casting perceptible rays, is -diffused upon the stage, bringing the - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by White. Belasco’s Collection. - -SWITCHBOARD OF THE SECOND BELASCO THEATRE, NEW YORK] - -actors into clear vision.--It is not practicable to pursue this subject -further in this place; but readers will, perhaps, realize the importance -Belasco attaches to the art of lighting as an adjunct to acting and the -care he lavishes upon it when they are informed that the experimental -workshop in his theatre is operated all the year round and that in many -instances the expense of his _light rehearsals alone_ has exceeded the -total of all other costs of production. Perhaps the most perfect example -of stage lighting ever exhibited was provided in Belasco’s presentment -of “The Return of Peter Grimm,”--and that was the result of nine and a -half months of persistent experimentation. Dilating on this subject, -Belasco has said with justified wrath: - - “I think that we may fairly and without vanity claim to have - revolutionized stage lighting. I confess that I have at times felt - some annoyance when I have been informed by young writers in the - press,--who were not born until long after I had made great - improvement in lighting,--that in dispensing with footlights I have - ‘imitated’ Mr. Granville Barker, Mr. Max Reinhardt, and various - other so-called ‘innovators.’ Such statements are nonsensical. My - first regular production without ‘foots’ was made in 1879,[4] when - I staged Morse’s ‘Passion Play’ in San Francisco. And I did without - them in several other productions, at the Madison| Square Theatre, - in ‘The Darling of the Gods,’ and in ‘Adrea.’ When I produced - ‘Marie-Odile’ there was a lot of newspaper talk on this subject, - but the talkers were such poor observers that they didn’t know I - had been using the _same system of lighting_ I used in - ‘Marie-Odile’ for more than three months before, in ‘The Phantam - Rival’! A little of Mr. Barker’s work as a producer has been seen - in this country and he has had success in England. He seems to be a - very talented man and I always admire ability and so I admire him - and am glad to see him succeed. But without unkindness I must say - that I have no need to ‘borrow’ from Mr. Barker; and as he must - know that I never have done so I wonder a little that he has not - rebuked these writers who would push him up by pulling me down. - Many of the appliances we use in my theatre are invented and made - in my own shop; many others are made outside, to specifications we - provide. My new system is, I believe, a great step toward the - perfection of stage illumination. By means of it footlights, in my - opinion, are made unnecessary for any play, and they are no longer - a part of the illumination of my stage. All the light comes from - above, as in nature; but in order to accomplish this I built an - entirely new proscenium arch. A great iron hood, following the - lines of the stage, hangs behind the proscenium. The hood contains - lights of varying power, and by means of reflectors, invented and - manufactured in my own shop, the illumination is diffused without - casting shadows. The glare of the footlights is a thing of the past - so far as I am concerned. My stage was also reconstructed so as to - extend out into the auditorium over the orchestra pit. These - changes bring the audience into more intimate touch with the scene - on the stage.” - - - - -OPENING OF BELASCO’S STUYVESANT THEATRE:--“A GRAND ARMY MAN.” - - -Belasco opened his Stuyvesant Theatre, October 16, 1907, with a play -entitled “A Grand Army Man,” written by himself in collaboration with -Miss Pauline Phelps and Miss Marion Short,--that is, rewritten and made -practical by Belasco, working on the basis of an amateur essay in -dramatic authorship provided by those ladies. That play was first acted -on any stage at the Hyperion Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut, September -23, the same year. It presents neither surprising ingenuity of -construction nor uncommon felicity of style, but it tells a plain story -in a plain way. The chord that is struck in it is that of romantic, -almost paternal, altogether manly and beautiful affection. As a work of -dramatic art it appertains to the class of comedies represented by such -plays as “Grandfather Whitehead,” “The Porter’s Knot,” and “The Chimney -Corner,”--plays in which the theme involves unselfish love and the -sentiments and emotions that cling to the idea of Home. In that respect -it reverts to a style of drama once, fortunately, dominant--at a time -when the American Stage was illumined and adorned by such actors as -Henry Placide, John Gilbert, John Nickinson, Charles W. Couldock, -William Warren, and Mark Smith. The authors of it provided Warfield -with a vehicle of dramatic expression that exactly conformed to the bent -of his mind. The plot is simple, but by reason of being natural and -being fraught with true, as opposed to false, emotion, its simplicity -nowhere declines into insipid commonplace. The chief character, _Wes’ -Bigelow_, is a veteran of the Grand Army of the Republic. He has never -married. In youth he has loved a girl, but has not won her, and she has -become the wife of one of his comrades. Years have passed, and the -American Civil War has occurred. That comrade has been slain in battle. -The widow has died: but she has left a child, that comrade’s boy, and -_Bigelow_ has adopted and reared him. The substance of the play is his -experience with the fortunes of that ward. - -It happens sometimes that a man whom a girl has rejected, and who -remains unmarried because of his absorbing love for her, will fix his -affection on her child,--she having married a more favored suitor and -produced a family,--and will love that child as if it were his own. That -happens to _Bigelow_. The son of his loved and lost idol is the light of -his eyes and the joy of his heart. There is no labor that he will not do -and no sacrifice that he will not make for the lad, of whom he ardently -prophesies success and honor. The boy, _Robert_, has been intrusted -with money, the property of the Grand Army veterans, and, instead of -placing it in the bank, as directed to do, he has used it in -speculation, and lost it. When the knowledge of that fault comes to the -veteran he is, at first, stunned by it; then enraged; and then broken by -the conflict between the sense of shame and the struggle of affection. -He tries to thrash the boy with a horse-whip, but in that manifestation -of wrath he fails: his cherished pet cannot have done wrong; has only -erred through accident; can surely be redeemed; must, of course, make -amends,--and all will be well. The case comes to trial, before a judge -who, privately, is hostile to _Bigelow_, and measures are taken to -insure conviction. The veteran offers to replace the money that has been -taken by his ward,--supposing that the complaint will then be dismissed. -That money he has obtained by sale of his personal effects, and also by -means of a mortgage imposed on his farm. The old soldier makes an -impassioned, pathetic appeal to the court, but the hostile magistrate -cannot be appeased. _Robert_ is convicted and is sent to prison for one -year. A little time passes, and _Robert’s_ sweetheart, the daughter of -that malicious judge, leaves her father’s abode and seeks refuge with -_Bigelow_ and the kind old woman who keeps house for him. _Robert_ is -pardoned, at the intercession of the veteran’s military comrades, and he -comes back, to his guardian and his love, on New Year’s Day. - -Nothing could be more simple than that unpretentious idyl of Home. It is -in situations of simplicity, however, that an actor is subjected to the -most severe tests of his inherent power, his fibre of character, his -knowledge of the human heart, his store of experience, his resources of -feeling, and his artistic faculty of expression. Warfield endured that -test, allowing the torrent of feeling to precipitate itself without -apparent restraint, and, at the same time, controlling and guiding it. -Such artistic growth he had evinced in his impersonation of the _Music -Master_, and he evinced it even more effectively in his assumption of -the _Grand Army Man_,--going to Nature for his impulse and obeying a -right instinct of Art in his direction of it. In the portrayal of the -noble, sweet-tempered, yet fiery old soldier he aimed especially at -self-effacement, at abnegation of every motive or trait of selfishness. -On finding that his boy loves the daughter of his enemy, and is by her -beloved, the veteran is, almost at once, disposed to placate that enemy -and favor those young lovers. There is, to be sure, a little reluctance, -a little struggle in his mind; but that is soon over. The actor denoted -that struggle and that surrender in a lovely spirit. In the tempestuous -scene of _Bigelow’s_ horrified consternation, the agonized conflict -between anger and love, when the misconduct of the boy is exposed and -confessed, and the old man, after trying to beat him as a felon, clasps -him to his heart as only the victim of an unfortunate, venial error, the -anguish and the passionate affection of a strong, even splendid, nature -were expressed with cogent force. The appeal spoken in the -courtroom,--an outburst of honest, simple, rugged eloquence, all the -more fervid and poignant because unskilled and fettered,--had the -authentic note of heartfelt emotion. In circumstances those situations, -which are the pivotal points of the play, recall certain supreme effects -in “Olivia” and “The Heart of Mid-Lothian,” but Warfield’s histrionic -treatment of those situations was fresh and his achievement in them -displayed him as an actor to whom the realm of pathos is widely open and -who can move with a sure step in the labyrinth of the domestic -emotions,--one of the most perplexing fields with which dramatic art is -concerned. All observers know how easy it is, in treatment of themes of -the fireside, the family, the home, to lapse into tameness. An actor -must possess an ardent and beautiful spirit, and must be greatly in -earnest, who can sustain such themes and invest them with the glow of -passionate vitality. Some of the best of the managers and actors of an -earlier, and as I believe in many ways a more fortunate, generation -might well have been proud of placing before the public such a play and -such an impersonation as Belasco and Warfield provided in “A Grand Army -Man,”--a play and an impersonation instinct with fidelity to common life -and yet far removed from commonplace. Warfield, as a player, possesses -in a marked degree the charm ascribed to John Bannistere (one of the -greatest serio-comic actors in theatrical annals), that he wins you -immediately by seeming to care nothing about you. His identification -with the character of _Bigelow_ was absolute and he never, for even a -moment, lapsed out of it. It had been long since such complete -absorption, such living inside of a fancied identity, had been seen on -the stage. The blending of humor and pathos was exceedingly fine, and it -touched the heart even while it brought a smile to the lips.--“A Grand -Army Man,” together with “The Music Master,” was acted at the Stuyvesant -Theatre until May 2, 1908, when Warfield’s season closed. On the opening -night Belasco, called upon the stage by a brilliant and enthusiastic -audience, made a brief speech, saying: - -[Illustration: DAVID WARFIELD AS _WES’ BIGELOW_, IN “A GRAND ARMY MAN” - -Photograph by Byron. Belasco’s Collection. -] - - “I am very grateful, ladies and gentlemen, that you have given me - this opportunity to speak a few words of welcome to you--of welcome - warm as heart can make it, to each and every one of you, the - friends who have been kind enough to honor me by coming to this - little house-warming to-night in our new, and, I hope, our - permanent, home. It is a privilege to come before you; to see you - here; to see and recognize, as I do, so many of the faces of those - who have given me their support ever since I came here from that - dear, far-off city of the West where I was born. It gives me such - great happiness, ladies and gentlemen, to see you here; to know, as - I do know by your generous applause, that you like the play we have - produced for you and that you still love, as I am sure you do, that - splendid actor and loyal and dear friend of yours and mine, Mr. - David Warfield, who is playing here so beautifully to-night. Ladies - and gentlemen, I hardly am able to express myself to you. In one of - the great plays in which I myself used to act, many, many years - ago--and which, before I die, I hope to have the privilege of - placing before you, here, in New York--there is a speech that has - kept coming back into my mind all this evening, as I have listened - to your applause and tried to think what I could say to you: - - “‘You have bereft me of all words, - Only my blood speaks to you in my veins.’ - - “But I think that you must know what I wish to express, that you - must understand without any words what it means to me to have you - here to-night, and to know that all the lies and all the perjuries - that have been printed and spoken against us cannot shake your - approval and support. We need it! Remember, we are only a handful, - fighting against a mighty Trust: but, ladies and gentlemen, this - little theatre flies the flag of independence, and as long as we - have your approval and support and sympathy nobody can dictate to - us and nobody can ‘put us out of business.’ And I am sure that we - shall have you with us just as long as we deserve it, and we shall - strive to deserve it and to serve you and the beautiful Art we all - love just as long as we live. I thank you, again and again, for all - of us,--for Miss Phelps and Miss Short, and for Mr. Warfield and - for my company and all my associates as well as for myself,--and - again and again I bid you heartily welcome to this little new - theatre.” - -This is the original cast of “A Grand Army Man”: - -_Wes’ Bigelow_ } { David Warfield. -_Judge Andrews_ } { Howard Hall. -_Captain Bestor_ } { Reuben Fax. -_Jim Bishop_ } { George Woodward. -_Cory Kilbert_ } Of the { James Lackaye. -_Let’ Pettingill_ } G. A. R. { Stephen Maley. -_Comrade Potter_ } { Tony Bevan. -_Comrade Tucker_ } { Thomas Gilbert. -_Comrade Tate_ } { Henry F. Stone. -_Robert_, _Wes’ Bigelow’s_ adopted son William Elliot. -_Rogers Wellman_ Taylor Holmes. -_Hickman_ John V. Daly. -_The Drummer-Boy of the Rappahannock_ John Morris.[5] -_Hallie_ Antoinette Perry. -_Letitia_ Marie Bates. -_Mrs. Bestor_ Amy Stone. -_Alida Bestor_ Veda McEvers. -_Mrs. Pettingill_ Jane Cowl. -_Mrs. Kilbert_ Louise Coleman. - - - - -A DEFEATED PLAN: “THE PASSING OF THE THIRD FLOOR BACK.” - - -Belasco had planned to open his new theatre with a play by the eccentric -Jerome Klapka Jerome, entitled “The Passing of the Third Floor Back.” In -his “Story” he gives the following account of his plan and purposes and -of the way,--surely most unjust,--in which they were defeated. The -actual reason for Mr. Jerome’s “misunderstanding” undoubtedly was that -he preferred to have Forbes-Robertson, instead of Warfield, act the -principal part in his “idle fancy,” as he designated his monotonous but -amazingly popular fabric of insipid colloquy: - - “I was about to make a new version of ‘The Lone Pine,’ which I - wrote for Denman Thompson many years ago, when Mr. Jerome K. Jerome - came to see me. He and I had travelled from London on the same - ship, and I found him a most interesting companion. He was the - author of the charming little Christmas story, ‘The Passing of the - Third Floor Back,’ and suggested turning it into a play for - Warfield. I was delighted. The contract was signed and a payment - made in advance. ‘I shall sail for home at once,’ said Mr. Jerome, - ‘to go into the country, for I shall need the trees and flowers and - birds about me as I work. I am going to write it with David - Warfield in mind. He shall be the _Stranger_ and I shall dip my pen - into my heart as well as into the ink.’ Mr. Jerome suggested that - the action of the entire play take place in one scene. ‘But I wish - the actors could face the audience as though a wall of the room - were between them and the auditorium,’ he said. ‘You want the - fireplace in front of the footlights,’ I suggested. A sketch of the - scene was made then and there. - - “Our contract stated that the play was to be completed in time for - the opening of the present Belasco Theatre, which was being built. - ‘I’ll have your play finished,’ said Mr. Jerome; ‘I’ll bring it - over myself.’ With my mind at rest, I turned to other matters. It - was not long before Mr. Jerome wrote for an extension of time. I - readily agreed to this and shortly after Mr. Jerome wrote again to - ask for another postponement. The play depended largely upon the - mood in which it was written and moods are not to be summoned at - will; so once more I agreed to a delay. Mr. Jerome sent me a model - of the scene and costume sketches by Percy Anderson. They bore Mr. - Jerome’s ‘O. K.,’ and I cheerfully paid a fee of $500 for them. I - still have the sketches in my possession. The time for the opening - of the new theatre was drawing near and I engaged the company. Mr. - Warfield was eager to have the script, that he might begin to study - the part. Then came bad news from England. Mr. Jerome could not - finish the play in time. I saw that I could not depend upon it for - the opening of my new theatre and must find something else. I once - heard Mr. Warfield recite James Whitcomb Riley’s ‘The Old Man and - Jim,’ and I knew that a character like the _Old Man’s_ would be - delightful in his hands. I had in my possession a manuscript, - written by Pauline Phelps and Marion Short. It contained the very - idea for the character I wanted, so I made arrangements with the - ladies and rewrote parts of the play. By the time my work was done - and I had engaged a company I received a cable from Mr. Jerome: - ‘The manuscript is finished. Am bringing it to you.’ I had been - obliged to disband the company selected for ‘The Passing of the - Third Floor Back,’ and preparations for ‘A Grand Army Man’ were - completed. I doubted if the other play could possibly be made ready - for production in so short a period. When Mr. Jerome arrived, he - read his piece to Mr. Warfield, Mr. Roeder and me, and we found the - idea more and more to our liking. I felt, however, that the play - should be held over until the following season. Before I could - reach a decision Mr. Jerome left unexpectedly for London. It was my - moral, to say nothing of legal, right to postpone the production, - as it was no fault of mine that the script had not been delivered - sooner. I told Miss Marbury, Mr. Jerome’s representative in this - country, to cable to him to that effect. He showed some surprise in - his reply. But in a long communication I explained my dilemma. In - response to this he sent a very satisfactory answer, and I was - about to write another letter to him, enclosing an additional - advance on the contract--so anxious was I to have the piece--when - Miss Marbury abruptly inquired what steps I intended to take in the - matter. She insisted upon another large payment, which displeased - me, since I had so willingly complied with every request Mr. Jerome - had made, and I hastily scribbled an impatient note. To my - astonishment, I received a telegram from her saying: ‘The play is - sold to Forbes-Robertson.’ Three years after, when Mr. Jerome asked - me to read a new piece, we spoke of ‘The Passing of the Third Floor - Back.’ I explained the matter, and he said it was all the result - of a mistake. I was of course very sorry the mistake had occurred. - This mistake was most fortunate for Sir Johnson Forbes-Robertson, - who might have missed the greatest success of his career. The piece - could not add to his fame, but it certainly added to his fortune.” - - - - -“THE WARRENS OF VIRGINIA.” - - -Belasco opened the season of 1907-’08, at the Belasco Theatre, August -31, with a revival of “The Rose of the Rancho,” which he continued to -present there until November 9. On November 11 Miss Bates appeared at -that theatre, where she acted for three weeks, in “The Girl of the -Golden West.” On December 3 he there brought out, for the first time in -New York, a play called “The Warrens of Virginia,” written by William C. -De Mille, son of his old friend and early collaborator, Henry C. De -Mille, and retouched by himself. It had been acted at the Lyric Theatre, -Philadelphia, on November 18. In that play the interest is concentrated -on the character of a general in the service of the Southern -Confederacy, toward the close of the American Civil War, and on the -conduct of his daughter, in a well-contrived emergency, involving the -conflict,--perennial as a dramatic expedient,--between love and duty. -The story is interesting, and it illustrates, in a manner that is both -pictorial and pathetic, the contrasts of circumstances and the -vicissitudes of domestic experience that, necessarily, were incident to -the harrowing condition of fraternal strife then prevalent in this -country. The play, however, is not in any sense either political or -sectional. It has no didactic drift. It does not discuss the war. It -does not advocate either union or disunion. It tells a story, and, -necessarily therefore, it portrays characters. The predominant element -in it is picture, but it contains much incident, of a kind more notable -for utility than novelty, and some of its situations are fraught with -the dramatic element of suspense. Its special charm is a sweet and -gentle domestic atmosphere. - -The action is supposed to pass during the twenty-four hours immediately -preceding the surrender of the Confederate army, at Appomattox, April 9, -1865, and to close five years later. Act First occurs in a woodland -glade, near to the abode of the _Warrens_ of Virginia. Acts Second and -Third proceed in a room in that dwelling. Act Fourth, and last, is -placed in a rose garden adjacent to the _Warren_ home. _General Warren_, -a Confederate commander, is ill, broken by care and privation, and he -has been ordered from the field, for rest. _General Griffin_, a Union -commander, has acceded to the request of _General Lee_ that _Warren_ -should be passed through the Union lines to his home. _Warren’s_ -daughter, _Agatha_, trying to reach the Confederate forces, with such -little relief as the _Warren_ family could supply, has been stopped by -_Lieutenant Burton_, a Union officer,--known to her before the outbreak -of the war,--who loves her, and who is by her beloved, although she has -repulsed him. _Lieutenant Burton_, in turning _Agatha_ back to her home, -begs the privilege of visiting her, if he can obtain leave of absence, -but his request is denied. _General Warren_, however, on the way to his -dwelling, meets with _Burton_ and consents to the proposed visit. A -supply train is expected by the Confederates, and its arrival is vital -to them, while the stoppage of it is equally essential to the forces of -the Union. Stratagem is planned. A bogus despatch is prepared, ordering -the interception of the train at a certain point, and it is desired that -this despatch be captured by the Confederate commander, so that he will -be deceived by it and will send the train another way. The Union -commander utilizes _Lieutenant Burton’s_ wish to visit his sweetheart, -and compels him to carry the despatch,--having previously ascertained -that a movement of the Confederates is intended which will insure -_Burton’s_ capture at _General Warren’s_ home. Various reasons constrain -_Burton_ to carry the despatch,--although his expectation is that he -will be shot as a spy. When the scene shifts to the _Warren_ home -_Agatha_ and _Burton_ meet and they plight their faith as lovers. -_Burton_ is captured by the Confederates, but _Agatha_ has obtained the -despatch and has concealed it in her shoe. Her purpose is to shield her -lover; but _General Warren_, surmising that she knows where the document -is concealed, appeals to her in such a way that she breaks down and -surrenders it. The _General_ is deceived. The supply train is despatched -in a wrong direction and is captured by the Union forces. The conduct of -_Burton_ thereupon is stigmatized as grossly dishonorable; _Agatha_ -renounces him; and, making no defence, he is likely to be shot. The -surrender of the Confederate army terminates the war, and thus -_Burton’s_ life is saved. After the lapse of five years he once more -repairs to the _Warren_ home and renews his suit for the hand of -_Agatha_. At first his prayer is denied,--notwithstanding the girl still -loves him. The talk of the lovers is heard by _General Warren_, who -appears all the while to have been asleep, and presently the father -recalls the departing lover, and, for his daughter’s sake, consents to a -reconciliation and a marriage: and thus a pretty picture of happy love -and peace is made to close an ordeal of trouble and grief. It seems a -pity that some device could not have been found to make the young -soldier carry the despatch without being aware of the treachery that was -intended. He is forced to act in a dishonorable manner, and he forfeits -all sympathy in the action of the play. - -There is no limit to the pathos of conflicting emotions that can be -pictured, incident to war, and especially to a civil war. Some of that -pathos is indicated at moments in this drama. The little children, -concocting a letter to their soldier brother; the agonized lover, who -while waiting for the moment in which the trick to which he has lent -himself will be accomplished, is fondly treated by the girl whom he -loves, and toward whom he feels that he has been deceitful; the worn, -ill, suffering Confederate general, gleeful in his supposed triumph, -waiting for the safe arrival of the supplies that will relieve his -wretched troops, and sitting with his wife by his side and their two -young children at their knees; the blind, almost insane fury of that -deceived, resentful old man when he learns of the capture of those -supplies--those incidents and others like to them are exceedingly -effective. There is excess of dialogue and there is too much attention -to unimportant detail delaying the action. The incident of the father’s -kneeling to his daughter is copied from Wills’s splendid play of -“Charles I”--in - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Otto Sarony. Belasco’s Collection. - -CHARLOTTE WALKER AS _AGATHA WARREN_, IN “THE WARRENS OF VIRGINIA”] - -which the betrayed _King_, in a similar situation, begs _Lord Murray_ to -bring his forces to the rescue of the royal arms. The opening -incident--the meeting of the Union and the Confederate soldier--is -reminiscent of the opening of Boucicault’s “Belle Lamar.” The acting -was, in several instances, superb. Frank Keenan was, in appearance, true -to the indicated ideal of _General Warren_ and his performance was -instinct with the truth of Nature, shown with the delicate exaggeration -of proficient art. Power, dignity, authority, and blended humor and -pathos were its attributes, and it was especially admirable for its -repose. The finest moment in it was that of the outbreak when _Warren_ -is apprised of the loss of the supply train and cannot believe that his -son has obeyed orders. Miss Emma Dunn, who acted _Mrs. Warren_, gave a -touching and interesting, because carefully considered, well-planned, -and smoothly and fully executed, impersonation of an affectionate wife -and mother,--the result of close study informed by exact observation and -the intelligence and feeling native to the nature of the actress. Miss -Charlotte Walker as _Agatha Warren_ was extremely handsome and winning, -and, in the lighter moments of the play, acted with charming effect. The -stage dresses and pictures were, in every detail, historically correct -and characteristic of the period to which the play relates; in fact, -the production was a memorable example of taste and excellence in the -provision of harmonious and helpful stage environment.--“The Warrens of -Virginia” was acted at the Belasco Theatre until May 2, 1908; on May 4 -it was transferred to the Stuyvesant Theatre, where it was presented -until the 16th, when that house was closed for the season. This was the -cast: - -_General Warren_ Frank Keenan. -_Ruth Warren_ Emma Dunn. -_Agatha_ Charlotte Walker. -_Arthur_ Cecil de Mille. -_Bob_ Richard Story. -_Betty_ Mary Pickford. -_Miss Molly Hatton_ Blanche Yerka. -_Gen. Griffin_ } Of _Gen._ { William McVay. -_Gen. Harding_ } { DeWitt Jennings. -_Gen. Carr_ } _Grant’s_ Staff { E. Allen Martin. -_Lieutenant Burton_ C. D. Waldron. -_Blake_ Raymond L. Bond. -_Corporal DePeyster_ Stanhope Wheatcroft. -_Zack Biggs_ Frederick Watson. -_Billy Peavy_ Willard Robertson. -_Tom Dabney_ Ralph Kellerd. -_Sapho_ Mrs. Chas. G. Craig. - -Of the Mary Pickford who appeared in this cast as _Betty Warren_--and -who gave an agreeable performance--Belasco affords this reminiscence, -which it is specially pleasant to quote here because instances of -appreciation and gratitude among actors of the present day are not -frequent: - - “In ‘The Warrens of Virginia’ two children, a boy and a girl, had - very important parts. I could not find a little girl to suit me, - when one day my stage manager asked me if I would see a child named - Mary Pickford. Little Mary was then a vision of girlish - beauty--with long golden-brown curls. She said she had been hanging - about my stage door for a week, wanted the part and was in fact at - that very moment ready for it. I gave it to her at once, and the - next day she came to rehearsal letter-perfect. In the course of - time she became the ‘Queen of the Movies.’ After a few years I sent - for her to ask her to play in ‘A Good Little Devil.’ She was then - earning $500 a week, but she told me I might name my own price, as - she knew I could not afford to pay that sum. She said she was - willing to lose financially that she might gain artistically. I - regret that she is giving her time to the moving-pictures houses, - for she is a genius in her line.” - - - - -“THE EASIEST WAY.” - - -Mr. Eugene Walter’s play called “The Easiest Way” is one of the most -obnoxious specimens of theatrical trash that have been obtruded on the -modern Stage. It depicts a segment of experience in the life of a -shallow, weak, and vain prostitute, who makes a feeble attempt to reform -but who fails to do so. The significant impartment of that play--in so -far as it possesses any significant impartment--is an intimation that -“the easiest way” in which a woman can obtain and hold a position on the -stage and live in luxury off it is by the sale of her chastity; but that -“the easiest way” will, at last, prove to be the hardest, ending in -misery and a broken heart. The ethical platitude is supposed to -constitute a “moral lesson,” and this disgusting play was proclaimed as -instructive and admonitory in its purpose. The assumption of a right and -duty to “teach good moral lessons” in the Theatre by causing the public -mind to dwell with tolerant familiarity on wholly commonplace and sordid -proceedings and experiences of blackguards, rakes, pimps, and harlots, -as such, is as stupid as it is impudent, but it has been made by some of -the most eminent men and women of the Stage. Lester Wallack produced -Boucicault’s tainted drama of “Forbidden Fruit,” and trailed the banner -of the noble Wallack tradition in the gutter by doing so; Richard -Mansfield, to the end of his life, retained in his repertory the -feculent play of “A Parisian Romance” (produced by A. M. Palmer); Mme. -Modjeska introduced in our Theatre Mr. Sudermann’s radically pernicious -“Heimat” (“Magda”); William and Madge Kendal exploited the “Tanqueray” -scandal; that great manager and actor John Hare (one of the loveliest -artists that ever graced the Stage) sullied his fair fame by presenting, -and attempting to defend, “The Gay Lord Quex”; Belasco brought out “The -Easiest Way”--and so it goes. Dispute as to the propriety of presenting -such plays is unending. It is not, however, essential to continue that -dispute (of which I have long been sick almost to death) in this place: -my views on the whole subject of the drama of demirepdom have been -explicitly stated in the chapter of this work relating to the play of -“Zaza.” When “The Easiest Way” was first made known in New York I wrote -and published these words of comment: - -It is melancholy and deplorable that he should have lent his great -reputation to the support of the vicious play which now disgraces his -Stuyvesant Theatre.... No lover of Dramatic Art, no admirer of David -Belasco, can feel anything but regret that he should give the authority -of his great managerial reputation,--the greatest since Augustin Daly’s -death,--and the benefit of his genius and his rich professional -resources to the exposition of a drama that cannot do good.... We do not -want to see in the Theatre the vileness that should be shunned; we want -to see the beauty that should be emulated and loved! - -These words expressed my conviction then--and they express my conviction -now. And I am encouraged to believe that my old friend (whose -productions of “Zaza” and “The Easiest Way” I opposed by every means in -my power) has come to my way of thinking on this subject because in a -recently published newspaper article I find him declaring: “Art is not -confined to the gutter and the dregs of life. Rather, real art has more -to do with the beautiful. Perverted and degenerate ideas are the easiest -to treat of in literature, the drama, and the stage.” - -“The Easiest Way” was produced with vigilant attention to detail. -Nothing was forgotten: the rooms shown were reproductions of fact,--from -the rickety wardrobe, with doors that will not close and disordered -sheets of music and other truck piled on top of it, in the -boarding-house chamber, to the picturesque, discreetly arranged disorder -of the opulent apartments, the signs of a drunken orgy, and the artfully -disclosed and disordered bed. All that stage management could do to -create and deepen the impression of reality was done, and the result was -a deformity magnificently framed to look like nature,--another example -of a thing done perfectly that ought not to have been done at all and -one from which I gladly turn away. This was the cast of “The Easiest -Way”: - -_John Madison_ Edward H. Robins. -_Willard Brockton_ Joseph Kilgour. -_Jim Weston_ William Sampson. -_Laura Murdock_ Frances Starr. -_Elfie St. Clair_ Laura Nelson Hall. -_Annie_ Emma Dunn. - - - - -“WESTWARD, HO!”--THE SYNDICATE SURRENDERS.--INCIDENTS OF 1909. - - -Belasco, accompanied by several friends, left New York on February 7, -1909, for San Francisco, where he arrived on the 12th and where he -remained for nearly a month. He had been apprized that the health of his -father was failing and that, in the course of nature, his death was -likely to occur soon. His expedition was prompted by filial affection -and it was undertaken with a heavy heart. His visit, however, greatly -cheered and benefited his aged parent, and the sojourn in his native -city was made a time of festival and happiness. On February 24 a dinner -was given at the Bismarck Café by surviving pupils of the Lincoln -Grammar School, of the classes from 1865 to 1871, at which Belasco was -the principal guest; and on the 27th a supper was given in his honor at -the Bohemian Club. He has written for me this account of his visit: - - “...The only really sad time was when at last I had to say - ‘Good-bye’ and come away: that was a sorrow. But I would not have - missed the visit back home for all the world! The happiness of - seeing my old father and the pleasure my coming gave him are - priceless memories to me, and I like to think my visit helped him - to hold on: he lived nearly two years longer. I would have gone - back the next year, but I was warned against the agitation our - parting would bring to both of us.... I was so hospitably received - on every hand that I entirely forgot my enterprises in New York and - I felt like a boy again, without a worry. Although it was less than - three years after the earthquake-fire, prosperity was in evidence - everywhere; the spirit of the people was simply wonderful, and it - sent me home encouraged and inspired to attempt greater things. I - am proud that I was born in San Francisco, and I cannot say too - much for the hospitality and overwhelmingly friendly reception - accorded me.... The night at the Lincoln School Dinner was - wonderful. There were about seventy of the ‘boys’ there, and dear - old Professor Bernhard Marks, who had been the principal and who - was nearly eighty, presided and called the roll, just as he used to - do when we were all lads. Sometimes a silence followed a name; many - times there came the answer ‘Dead,’ and now and then somebody - responded ‘Present.’ I cried! Then the principal put us through our - paces again, at the old lessons, and dealt out cuts on the hand - with very little of the old-time vigor. After that there were - speeches, and so many lovely things were said about me that I was - too embarrassed to reply properly: I remember that I began by - saying it was the happiest night of my life--and then stood there - with tears running down my cheeks! But I managed to say a few words - that pleased them, and then there were many calls for me to recite - ‘The Madman’ and at last I got up to do it. I started in with - restraint, to - -[Illustration: - - Photograph in Belasco’s Collection. - -DAVID BELASCO AND HIS FATHER, HUMPHREY ABRAHAM BELASCO, IN SAN -FRANCISCO, FEBRUARY, 1909--THEIR LAST MEETING] - - give it properly, as I would now, but the ‘old boys’ wouldn’t have - it. They began to catcall and cry ‘Nix! Nix!’ ‘The old way! the - _old_ way!’ and they made me get up on one of the tables and begin - all over again and give it in the good old way, raving and - shrieking and tearing my hair, as I used to do when a boy, when the - audiences used to say I’d break a blood-vessel if I kept on! So I - went through with it, though it was pretty hard work, and they were - so delighted they made me give ‘The Vagabonds’ for an _encore_, but - I ‘stuck’ dead, halfway through that, and couldn’t go on to save my - soul, so they let me off.... - - “I didn’t know the names of all those who came, but by and by I - would recognize a glance of an eye or the turn of a head and recall - that I knew that fellow when he was a boy. They were so much - altered--one of the greatest scamps of the school was a staid, - respected banker, and another was a portly physician of the highest - standing, and so on. It was all very interesting to me--and at - times very pathetic and touching.... - - “My night at the Bohemian rather overwhelmed me--when I looked - about and saw many of the leading men of San Francisco and - remembered the days when I couldn’t even get into that club! They - gave a play in my honor, by Dr. Shiels, and there were many - charming speeches and I made my acknowledgments as well as I could, - and then they gave me a cartoon, painted by Neuhaus. It shows me - kneeling at the shrine of The Owl [the symbol of the Bohemian - Club], presenting my offering, ‘The Rose of the Rancho,’ to their - patron bird of Bohemia.” - -I have endeavored to obtain reports of the speeches at these festivals -but have been unable to do so. At the Lincoln Grammar School Dinner the -speakers were Professor Marks, Charles A. Miller, Joseph Greenberg, -James I. Taylor, Charles F. Gall, and J. J. McBride, all of San -Francisco, and Arthur L. Levinsky, of Stockton. Among the speakers at -the Bohemian Club supper were Dr. J. Wilson Shiels, Joseph D. Redding, -Charles J. Fields, Willis Polk, Waldemar Young, and Mackenzie -Gordon.--Belasco left San Francisco for New York on March 2 and arrived -there on the 7th. - -In the spring of 1909, soon after he returned from his visit to San -Francisco, the Theatrical Syndicate practically surrendered in its fight -to exclude Belasco from the theatres which it dominated. The reason for -this surrender was, of course, purely selfish. The Belasco theatrical -productions were not only the best that were being made in America but, -also, they were among the most profitable. He had long been firmly -established in public favor: he was managing two splendid theatres in -New York: he controlled, directly or indirectly, others in other cities: -each season he had grown more influential: it was a manifest -impossibility to crush him: many janitorial managers of theatres in -different parts of the country were bitterly dissatisfied because his -popular and remunerative productions were not “booked” in their -theatres: the obvious course of commercial expediency was to terminate a -losing conflict and utilize and prosper by the leading theatrical -manager in America: to the Syndicate, as to _Petruchio_ in _Grumio’s_ -description of him, “nothing comes amiss so money comes withal,” and the -greatest wonder is not that it forgave Belasco the heinous crime of -working for his own advantage but that, at heavy financial loss, it so -long debarred him from the “first-class territory.” The upshot of the -various considerations indicated was an understanding between the -parties in opposition (namely, the booking agency of the Messrs. Klaw & -Erlanger, representing the Syndicate, on the one side, and Mr. and Mrs. -Harrison Grey Fiske and Belasco, on the other), whereby,--as set forth -in a statement issued by Fiske,--it was arranged that “Klaw & Erlanger -and Fiske and Belasco will hereafter, _whenever mutually agreeable_, -play attractions in each other’s theatres.” Since that understanding was -reached, April 29, 1909, they have, as far as I know, done so. - -I am far from regarding _any_ association between Belasco and the -Theatrical Syndicate as being either for his best interest or for that -of the American Stage. Belasco, however, thinks differently, and in a -recent conversation with me he summed up his feeling about the Syndicate -in these words: “In the conferences initiated by our lawyer Mr. Gerber -[David Gerber was attorney for Belasco as well as for Klaw & Erlanger] -it was found that we could enter upon business relations for the -betterment of the American Stage without any sacrifice of principle or -integrity, and I think our arrangement has been beneficial for the -Stage. I am older than I used to be; I have no ill-feeling; our -relations are very friendly, and _I_ am satisfied to ‘let the dead past -bury its dead.’” That is very well--but, as it happens, all that was -truly urged by Fiske and Belasco (among others) in opposition to the -Theatrical Syndicate _before_ the business understanding above recorded -remained equally true _after_ it; newspaper files and many legal -instruments are accessible and anybody can consult them who wishes to do -so; the public record cannot be evaded. I am thoroughly familiar with -the annals of the Syndicate and I do not agree with Belasco in his -present friendly and favorable attitude. On the contrary, I am satisfied -that the influence of the Syndicate upon matters of dramatic art must, -in the nature of things, remain vulgar and degrading, and in matters of -business oppressive and sordid, to the end of the chapter. Public -opinion, however, and that of the newspaper press has long been -indifferent on this subject, and I am now convinced that it is only by -the passing away of the men who compose the Syndicate (in whom, -happily, “nature’s copy’s not eterne”) and the accession to theatrical -management of men of higher character and ideals and finer intellect -that the American Theatre will be measurably redeemed from its impaired -estate. - -Belasco’s course, meanwhile, in dealing with the Syndicate has been -incorrectly described as “a surrender” on his part and he has been much -misrepresented therein. From the first of difference and dispute he -maintained his right to _independence_ in the conduct of his managerial -business. In various conversations with me, many years before the -arrangement with his opponents was reached, he declared, in substance, -half-a-score of times or more: “I have no wish to try to interfere with -these people [meaning the Syndicate] in _their_ business. What _I_ am -fighting for is _my_ right to book _my_ productions with whatever -managers want to book them, for _my_ best advantage.” - -A newspaper intimation that Belasco, while booking through the Syndicate -agency, would “fear to offend the Trust” brought from him (1909) the -following specific disclaimer of subserviency: - - “Please deny for me, emphatically, the statement that I ‘hesitate - to give offence to the Theatrical Trust.’ My position regarding the - Theatrical Trust is too well known, I hope, for anyone to believe - that!” - -Mr. Lee Shubert, who controlled theatres competing with Syndicate houses -in which Belasco productions were presented for a long time after the -Syndicate agreed to book for him, made the following comment on the -understanding: - - “So far as myself and my associates are concerned we cannot - disapprove of a development which shows advancement of the policy - of the ‘open door,’ for which we have fought. It is gratifying to - us to note that the tendency toward a general letting down of the - bars, which were up so long and so unjustly against independent - producers, is so emphatically in evidence in the change of attitude - both on the part of Erlanger and Belasco and Fiske. We have - produced and procured our own attractions, and will continue to do - so with such measure of success as may be ours. _I have contended - always that the time would come when the bars must be let down and - successful producers welcomed wherever they were willing to play - their attractions...._ We are independents, and Messrs. Belasco and - Fiske are independents. Whatever steps they may take in an - independent way we cannot with consistency disapprove. It is really - of little moment to the public, which cares little about whose - attractions it may pay to see and in what theatre it may see them - so long as the attractions are worth the money.” - -One immediate result of the Fiske-Belasco arrangement with the Syndicate -was the settlement out of court of the lawsuits over “The Auctioneer,” -implicating Klaw & Erlanger, Belasco, and Joseph Brooks, and the -withdrawal of the appeal by Belasco, in that matter, which had been -filed April 13, 1906. - -A painful incident of this year (1909) was a bitter attack on Belasco -made by his former friend and professional associate Mrs. Leslie Carter. -That singular woman, having appeared in John Luther Long’s absurd play -of “Kassa” and made a failure, was pleased to ascribe that regrettable -result not to a bad play and a tiresome performance but to the malign -influence of Belasco! A long and silly “statement” was issued in her -behalf to the effect that there was a plan on foot to interfere with -“her career” in that play, and it was intimated that Belasco was the -instigator of this alleged nefarious scheme. Later Mrs. Carter gave out -another screed, which was circulated throughout the press of the -country, reflecting in the most gross and unwarranted way upon the man -who had made her theatrical career possible, and in which she declared: -“If I were going to die and could save my life by playing again for -David Belasco, I would not do it!” As nothing could ever have induced -him to resume the management of Mrs. Carter this declaration was a -trifle superfluous. Belasco’s only comment on this matter was explicit: -“It is,” he said, “absolutely false that I have sought, or desired, in -any way, to injure Mrs. Carter. It is monstrous that such a thing -should be said against me, and monstrous that anybody should dare to ask -me if it is true.” - -During the summer of 1909 Belasco proposed to his old friend Lotta that -she return to the stage under his management (she had retired from it -about 1890) and make a farewell tour of the country. “I urged her all I -could,” Belasco writes, “because I knew I could make her reappearance -and tour a sensational success and that the public would be delighted to -see the little Lotta of other days. At first I wouldn’t take ‘No’ for an -answer, and for a while Miss Lotta was inclined to accept my proposal. -But, finally, she declined, saying: ‘I’ve seen so many people make the -same mistake, when they’ve grown old and outlived their public, of -coming back to appear in the parts that were written for them in their -youth. “Other days, other ways.” It is better to let my old friends -remember me as they saw me many years ago. I shall never act again.’” -That was a wise decision. No doubt there would have been much friendly -interest in a formal farewell by Lotta; but the elfin charm of her youth -was gone and the venture would have inspired sadness: “Yesterday’s smile -and yesterday’s frown can never come over again!” - - - - -THE SEASON OF 1909-’10: “IS MATRIMONY A FAILURE?”--“THE LILY”--AND “JUST -A WIFE.” - - -Belasco produced three new plays in the season of 1909-’10,--“Is -Matrimony a Failure?”, “The Lily,” and “Just a Wife.” “Is Matrimony a -Failure?” is a clever farce, adapted by Leo Ditrichstein from a German -original, “Die Thür ins Freie,” by Oscar Blumenthal and Gustav -Kadelberg. It relates to the ancient, evergreen subject of conjugal -friction,--which, in this instance, seems intolerable but proves -indispensable,--and it implicates ten married couples and one pair of -prospective connubialists. The scene is a pleasant country town in New -York. A coterie of husbands has grown restive under what is deemed to be -an excessive exercise, by their wives, of matrimonial authority. A -lawyer named _Paul Barton_ visits the town to settle the estate of an -old Justice of the Peace, recently deceased, ascertains that the wedding -ceremonies of the various couples implicated were performed by that -official’s clerk, in the absence of his employer, and declares them to -be illegal. The husbands decline to validate their marriages unless -their wives agree to permit them greater freedom than they have enjoyed, -and, leaving their homes, establish themselves at a neighboring -inn,--where they soon find that, however irksome may have seemed the -dominion of their wives, it is immensely preferable to the total lack of -their society. More particular rehearsal of the complications, -cross-purposes, and conflicts woven about this posture of circumstance -would be superfluous: they were not less comic and amusing because the -legal quirk upon which the original play was based is inapplicable under -the law of the State of New York. The farce was exquisitely set and -admirably played,--especially by that excellent light-comedian and -lovable man, the late Frank Worthing,--and it enjoyed acceptance -bounteous and remunerative. “Is Matrimony a Failure?” was first acted at -Atlantic City, New Jersey, August 29, 1909, and, in New York, at the -Belasco Theatre, on the 23d of that month,--with the following cast: - - -THE HUSBANDS. - -_Skelton Perry_ Frank Worthing. -_Hugh Wheeler_ W. J. Ferguson. -_Frank Bolt_ James Bradbury. -_Albert Rand_ Edward Langford. -_Jasper Stark_ John F. Webber. -_David Meek_ F. Newton Lindo. -_Dr. Hoyt_ Robert Rogers. -_George Wilson_ Marshall Stuart. -_Lem Borden_ Gilmore Scott. -_Herman Ringler_ Frank Manning. - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by White. Belasco’s Collection. - -NANCE O’NEILL AS _ODETTE DE MAIGNY_ AND JULIA DEAN (THE YOUNGER) AS -_CHRISTIANE DE MAIGNY_, IN “THE LILY”] - - -THE WIVES. - -_Fanny Perry_ Jane Cowl. -_Kate Wheeler_ Louise Mackintosh. -_Madge Bolt_ Anne Sutherland. -_Alice Rand_ Louise Woods. -_Annie Stark_ Lou Ripley. -_Lucy Meek_ Gretta Vandell. -_Helen Hoyt_ Blanche Yurka. -_Julia Wilson_ Helen Braun. -_Natalie Borden_ Julia Reinhardt. -_Sadie Ringler_ Josie Morris Sullivan. - -_Paul Barton_ William Morris. -_Lulu Wheeler_ Jane Grey. -_Carrie_ Helen Ferguson. - -“Jane Cowl,” said Belasco, “had been with me for several years, -understudying many parts in different plays, acting ‘bits,’ and working -hard. I felt that she had earned her chance, and I gave it to her in -‘Matrimony.’ Her performance was splendid and she has been successful -ever since.” - -“The Lily” is a play in four acts, adapted by Belasco from a French -original, “Le Lys,” by MM. Pierre Wolff and Gaston Leroux. It was -produced for the first time, December 6, 1909, at the Belasco Theatre, -Washington, and was first acted in New York, at the Stuyvesant, December -23. The story of this play is one of domestic tyranny, possible in -France but impossible in America, and one which, accordingly, inspired -only tepid interest in the American public,--although the treatment and -presentation of it were in a high degree theatrically effective. This is -the substance of that story: The _Comte de Maigny_, a profligate -Frenchman who is also a father and a widower, tyrannizes over his -children. The eldest of those children, _Odette_, is “the lily,”--a -woman of thirty-five who, in girlhood, has been parted by her father -from the man she wished to marry and who has become a mere domestic -convenience, dwelling in lonely celibacy as her father’s housekeeper and -lavishing her affection upon her sister, who is ten years younger. That -sister, _Christiane_, is destined by their father for the same barren -existence, but she meets a strolling artist, who wins her love and with -whom, because he cannot wed her,--being already married to an -uncongenial woman who will not divorce him,--she enters into an illicit -relation. _De Maigny_ has contrived to arrange a loveless marriage -between his son and the young daughter of a man of great wealth,--being -intent thus to obtain money for libidinous self-indulgence. The relation -of _Christiane_ and her artist becoming known to that person, he breaks -off the marriage of his daughter with _Christiane’s_ brother, not -explicitly stating his reason but with ambiguous givings out which -intimate it. The chief scenes of the play then follow. The infuriated -licentiate badgers his unfortunate daughter, who, at first, lies to -protect herself, until, at last, he elicits from her a rebellious, -exultant declaration of the truth. Then, in the fury of his disappointed -cupidity, he is about to beat her, when the long-suppressed, -meek-seeming but actually passionate _Odette_, opening her valves under -an immense and rising pressure of emotional steam, intervenes, -denouncing the conventions of society in general and the iniquities of -_de Maigny_ in particular, certifying to the propriety of her sister’s -conduct in the wretched circumstances existing, and declaring her -purpose to protect that sister in her natural desire for “love and -happiness.” _Christiane_ then departs with her lover and the expectation -of deferred matrimony, and her disgruntled parent, practically ejected -from his home, goes off to Paris, whining that a waiter will probably -close his eyes in death,--a pious kindness which the spectator hopes may -be performed at an early date. - -The play, of course, was devised for the sake of the sudden, blistering -outburst by the elderly spinster--which in representation is undeniably -effective--and, in the French original, for the sake of emitting some -specious special pleading in extenuation and justification of illicit -conduct. As to the doctrine which _Odette_ declares in this play and -which _Christiane_ and her unhappily married swain exemplify,--the -doctrine, namely, that when two persons who love each other are held -asunder by cruel chance of social circumstance they are warranted in -setting aside convention in order to come together,--its utter fallacy -is too obvious for detection. Practical application of it, however, has -often provided variously dramatic results: pathetic exposition of some -of its possible consequences, to helpless, innocent persons, is made in -Collins’ great novel of “No Name.” Belasco, in presenting his modified -version of “Le Lys,” sought to evade the ethical issue, but he added one -more to his long list of plays perfectly environed and admirably acted. -Miss Nance O’Neil, who appeared in it as _Odette_, has been designated -as a “tragic actress” (which she is not) and has been extravagantly -extolled. She possesses rough natural ability, animal strength, vocal -capacity, some sensibility and considerable power of forceful -simulation. Most of her performances have been monotonous: in this one, -in which, practically, she had only one scene and in which, furthermore, -she had the advice and assistance of a consummate stage manager, she was -interesting and impressive,--uttering the verbal explosion - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by the Misses Selby. Author’s Collection. - -BELASCO, ABOUT 1911] - -of voluble vehemence addressed to _de Maigny_ with fine abandon, -passionate intensity, and powerful effect.--The cast of “The Lily” is -appended: - -_Comte de Maigny_ Charles Cartwright. -_Vicomte Maximilien de Maigny_ Alfred Hickman. -_Huzar_ Bruce McRae. -_Georges Arnaud_ Wm. J. Kelly. -_Bernard_ Leo Ditrichstein. -_Emile Plock_ Dodson Mitchell. -_Joseph_ Marshall Stuart. -_Jean_ Douglas Patterson. -_Michel_ Robert Robson. -_Odette_ } _De Maigny’s_ daughters { Nance O’Neil. -_Christiane_ } { Julia Dean. -_Lucie Plock_ Florence Nash. -_Suzanne_ Ethel Grey Terry. -_Alice_ Aileen Flaven. - -“Just a Wife” was written by Mr. E. Walter and was first acted at the -Colonial Theatre, Cleveland, Ohio, January 17, 1910, and at the Belasco -Theatre, New York, on the 31st of that month. As a playwright that -writer has exhibited a persistent, morbid preoccupation with the subject -of illicit sexual relations which suggests the possible utility of -vigorous open-air exercise, the cold sitz-bath and potassium bromide. In -this play a libertine named _John Emerson_, who has consorted with a -widow named _Lathrop_ until their relation has become a public scandal, -by way of “keeping up appearances” marries an impecunious vestal from -South Carolina, named _Mary Ashby_. As he immediately installs _Mrs. -Emerson_ in a luxurious rural habitation somewhere on Long Island and -practically deserts her, this expedient would hardly seem to be of much -social service. However, after neglecting his wife for about six years, -_Emerson_ grows weary of his mistress, quarrels with her and runs away -from her to visit his wife. The mistress, much incensed, follows him, -and a sort of three-cornered debate,--protracted, sophistical, and -indelicate,--on the sexual relation is held at _Mrs. Emerson’s_ country -residence, in the course of which that lady manifests a sweet temper and -admirable self-control. After it is over, _Mrs. Lathrop_ (to whom it has -been intimated that in men the ruling passion is sex impulse and that -she is growing somewhat elderly) goes away in a peaceful and much -chastened mood. _Mrs. Emerson_ then snubs her neglectful spouse and -signifies that he may not hope to possess her as his wife until he has -recognized the supremacy of Love, which it is implied he will soon do. -It is all very edifying, of course,--especially as the author of it, -apparently, knows as much about love, as distinguished from carnal -concupiscence, as a tomcat on the tiles does. This was the cast: - -_John Emerson_ Edmund Breese. -_Bobby Ashby_ Ernest Glendinning. -_Maxcy Steuer_ “Bobby” North. -_Wellesley_ Frederick Burton. -_Mary Ashby Emerson_ Charlotte Walker. -_Eleanor Lathrop_ Amelia Gardner. - - - - -A CHANGE OF NAMES.--THE FARCE OF “THE CONCERT.” - - -Belasco’s management of the theatre in West Forty-second Street which -was the first to bear his name extended over a period of twelve years. -In the spring of 1910 he began to feel dubious as to whether he -would,--perhaps as to whether he could,--renew his lease at the end of -its term, two years later. He therefore determined to restore to that -house its former name of the Republic, and thereafter to designate the -Stuyvesant as the Belasco Theatre. That change, accordingly, was made, -in July, 1910; and on August 22 the Republic Theatre was reopened under -that name with a performance of a play made by Mr. Winchell Smith, on -the basis of a clever and amusing story by Mr. George Randolph Chester, -called “Bobby Burnitt”: that play was produced by Cohan & Harris. On -October 10 the second Belasco Theatre was opened with a performance of -“The Concert,” adapted by Leo Ditrichstein from a German original by -Herman Bahr: it had been acted, for the first time, at the Nixon -Theatre, Pittsburgh, September 19. - -The theme of “The Concert” is an old one,--Woman’s infatuation relative -to the Musical Performer. The intention is to satirize that foolish -state of the female mind, and also to expose and ridicule a despicable -combination of febrile sensuousness, splenetic temper, and insensate -egotism, often, and unjustly, designated “the artistic temperament.” -That intention is accomplished in a manner certainly ludicrous, though -heavy-handed and cynical: it is characteristic that the Stage of the -Present, reflecting some aspects of life in the Present, while from time -to time it exhibits much that is clever, brilliant, hard, satirical, -exhibits little--whether of writing or of acting--that is amiable, -playful, engaging, pleasant, and therefore potent to make the spirit -gentle and happy. The chief postulate of “The Concert” and the -manipulation of it are strongly reminiscent of “Delicate Ground” and -“Divorçons.” The musician, _Gabor Arany_, having lied to his wife as to -a purposed excursion from his home, which he says is undertaken for the -purpose of “giving a concert,”--goes to a secluded retreat in the -mountains of New York with one of his pupils, the wife of another man, -intending an amorous intrigue with her. The other man, in - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by White. Belasco’s Collection. - -LEO DITRICHSTEIN AS _GABOR ARANY_ AND JANET BEECHER AS _HELEN_, _MRS. -ARANY_, IN “THE CONCERT”] - -company with the wife of the musician, pursues those fugitives, and, -when the two couples are confronted, the insulted husband, after the -manner of _Citizen Sangfroid_, blandly proposes that the complication of -domestic affairs shall be solved and adjusted by an exchange of wives, -sequent on the attainment of divorce. The silly woman who admires the -musician is rescued by exposure of his selfishness and her folly, the -musician is baffled and rebuked, and domestic peace is supposed to be -restored. - -Mr. Ditrichstein called his adaptation of Mr. Bahr’s play “a comedy.” -The terms applied to plays, by way of classification, are somewhat -indefinite at the best, but as to _Comedy_,--the general understanding -is that it should be a dramatic composition which, in delineating -character and manners, while piquant by virtue of delicate exaggeration -and amusing by virtue of clever equivoke, moves within the limits of -reason and probability. “The Concert” begins with farce and proceeds -with violent absurdity. The persons implicated would not, in real life, -act in a manner even approximate to that which is prescribed for them. -The note that is struck, considered at its best, is that of burlesque. -The play, in as far as it is a play,--the clash of character and the -exposition of conduct,--begins in the Second Act. Sixteen persons are -implicated in the action of the piece, but only seven of them are seen -after the first curtain has fallen. The tone of the Second and Third -acts, except at moments, is radically and extravagantly farcical. But -toward the end an opportunity occurs, and it is duly improved,--perhaps -in jest, perhaps in earnest,--of saying the magnanimous words that are -usually attributed to philosophical lovers: “If you love a woman, and -that woman happens to be your wife, you wish her to be _happy_, and if -you discover that she thinks she can be happier with another man than -she is with you your wish is that she should join him, if she can be -sure of her feelings”; and so forth. At the close of this piece the wife -of the genius affectionately assures him that she has all along -understood his conduct, but is willing to pardon him if he will be -faithful in future, and, by way of emphasizing her docile, charitable, -and eminently tolerant spirit, she produces bottles of hair-dye and -proceeds to rejuvenate his fading locks.--The scenic setting, the stage -management, and the acting by which this farce were commended to public -approbation were so appropriate, so resourceful and deft, so careful, -zealous, spirited, and effective, that it gained immense popularity. -This was the original cast of “The Concert”: - -_Gabor Arany_ Leo Ditrichstein. -_Dr. Dallas_ William Morris. -_McGinnis_ John W. Cope. -_Helen Arany_ Janet Beecher. -_Flora Dallas_ Jane Grey. -_Eva Wharton_ Alice Leal Pollock. -_Mrs. McGinnis_ Belle Theodore. -_Miss Merk_ Catherine Proctor. -_Fanny Martin_ Edith Cartwright. -_Claire Flower_ Margaret Bloodgood. -_Natalie Moncrieff_ Adelaide Barrett. -_Edith Gordon_ Cora Witherspoon. -_Georgine Roland_ Elsie Glynn. -_Laura Sage_ Edna Griffin. -_Mrs. Lennon-Roch_ Kathryn Tyndall. -_Mrs. Chatfield_ Mary Johnson. - - - - -LOSS AND GRIEF.--“NO MAN BEARS SORROW BETTER.” - - -“Thanks for your kind sympathy, dear William Winter,” Belasco wrote to -me, in July, 1911. “I have thought of you so often in my grief. I should -be glad to come over to your island to see you, but I am not able.... I -am trying to be resigned; and, though the pain is great, I must be. -Nothing can ever be the same again, and it is all very, very hard. Yet I -must go on, and I shall. There is nothing but our work....” He had, -within less than two months of each other, lost his father and his -dearly loved daughter Augusta,--Mrs. William Elliott. His father was -stricken on April 6th, and he died on the 11th, at his home, No. 1704 -Sutter Street, San Francisco. Belasco, however, was at that time in -almost distracted attendance on his daughter, at Asheville, North -Carolina, and could not leave her when he received news of his father’s -illness; nor was he able to attend his funeral. Humphrey Abraham Belasco -was buried beside his wife in Hills of Eternity Cemetery, San Mateo, -California, April 12th. - -The death of Belasco’s daughter,--“my little guardian,” as he has called -her in talk with me,--was a bereavement more than usually bitter. She -was a creature of extraordinary goodness and beauty, of exquisite -sensibility, gentle and lovely in nature, childlike in disposition, the -pitiful friend of all sorrowing and suffering persons, the special -comrade and comfort of her father, and her death came within less than -five months after her marriage--to the actor William Elliott. When -Belasco was informed of his child’s attachment to Elliott (whom she had -met when he was a member of the company supporting Miss Starr in “The -Rose of the Rancho”) he, at first, opposed their marriage,--“Not,” as he -has told me, “that I had any personal objection to ‘Billy,’--who is a -dear fellow - -[Illustration: - - “_Oft in the still night_ - _Ere Slumber’s chain has bound me_ - _Fond Memory brings the light_ - _Of Other Days around me._” - - From an original made for, and loaned by, Mrs. David Belasco. -] - -and whom I always liked,--but because I had hoped she would choose a -husband out of the theatrical profession, one who could live all his -life with her,--which the inevitable travelling of theatrical life makes -practically impossible. But when I saw that my little girl was pining -for him, that a great love had come to her and that she could never be -happy without him, I brushed all my own hopes and wishes away and urged -their immediate marriage. I thought to keep her always near her mother -and me, so as a wedding gift I had an apartment fitted up for them in -the Marie Antoinette, where we live, and we were all going to be -together and happy: but it was not to be.” - -William Elliott and Augusta Belasco were wedded, at the home of her -parents, January 27, 1911: as they were about to start on their -honeymoon, the bride, while bidding good-bye to her father, was stricken -with sudden illness and collapsed. At first it was believed that her -illness was merely a transient disorder, which would soon yield to -treatment. For a few weeks her condition fluctuated, but seemed, on the -whole, to improve: then, at the end of March, she began rapidly to -decline, and Belasco was informed that she was afflicted with an acute -form of tuberculosis, which must soon cause her death. That was an issue -which her father could not and would not accept without a bitter -struggle. “I had seen so many desperate cases of consumption saved, for -years,” he said, “that I _could not believe_ my little girl, who had -always seemed so strong and well, who was so young and lovely, on the -threshold of her new life, with everything to live for, must die. I -gathered her up, overnight, and fled with her to Asheville.” There -Belasco leased Witchwood, a fine residence,--the home of the late -Colonel Charles W. Woolsey,--and installed his daughter in it. Her fatal -malady could not, however, be stayed, though every expedient was tried -that love could prompt or wealth employ, and she grew rapidly worse. On -May 1, in a forlorn hope that the climate of Colorado might prove -beneficial, Belasco chartered a special train and removed her to -Broadmoor, a beautiful place in the environs of Colorado -Springs,--where, on the afternoon of June 5, after great suffering borne -with patience and fortitude, she died. Her body was taken to New York; -funeral services were held there, at the Temple Ahawath Chesed, on June -9, and late on that day she was laid in her grave in Ahawath Chesed -Cemetery, at Linden Hills, Long Island. - - “My little Augusta,” writes Belasco in a note made for me, “was the - gentlest creature I have ever known and the kindest. No one but - myself will ever know how many poor girls and young men have had - places _made_ for them in my companies because she came and asked - it, with her dear little arms about my neck. And she had good - judgment, too; I never have regretted employing any of the people - she interceded for. She was just a child to the very end. She had - caught some of my foolish little superstitions, and when she died - she was surrounded with pretty little painted butterflies that she - had pinned about her to help her to get well--‘and I know they - will,’ she told the doctor, ‘because my father believes in them and - says so!’ Each of my girls was my ‘favorite’ child, but the younger - was my special companion, who always took care of me. Though she - might have been up till all hours the night before, she never - missed getting up to see that I had my breakfast properly, and I - never got home too late for her to come pattering to my room to see - me safely tucked into bed. I think that, in her heart, the poor - child must have had some premonition that she was going to die - soon, because she was so fascinated by my play of ‘Peter Grimm.’ I - had no thought, when I was writing it, that she was to be taken - away from me; but I had long wanted to write something that might - show death in a beautiful way; something that would touch on - immortality as a vivid reality, just a flash beyond this life, and - so help to inspire hope. I used to talk to my little girl about it, - and she was the first to read my play when it was finished. I gave - it to her one evening and waited for her verdict far into the - night, and her approval meant much to me. She attended all the - rehearsals, and one night she told me that after seeing ‘Peter - Grimm’ no one should be afraid to die. It was the last play she - ever saw,--and it is my comfort to believe that its message entered - her soul.” - -Belasco’s elder daughter, Reina Victoria, was married to the theatrical -manager Morris Gest, of New York, at Sherry’s, in that city, on June 1, -1909. - - - - -A DRAMA OF SPIRITUALISM. - -(Fragmentary Notes, Not Revised.) - - -The extreme dissatisfaction of the _Ghost_, who, on returning from the -spirit world to this mundane sphere, ascertains that his, or her, -earthly sweetheart or husband has formed a nuptial alliance with -somebody else has been noticed by various poetical writers in deeply -affecting verse, dramatic, descriptive, and pathetic,... - -Belasco’s play “The Return of Peter Grimm” deals with the mysterious and -certainly important subject of Spiritualism,--a subject which deserves -all the thoughtful, studious inquiry which has, in recent years, been -bestowed on it by many persons of exceptional intellectual capacity and -power. It is, nevertheless, a subject which is generally treated with -pitying contempt or scornful antagonism, especially by those -persons,--the vast majority of humanity,--who are most comprehensively -ignorant of its history and its apparent phenomena. It was, accordingly, -a bold choice which selected that subject for exposition in a drama of -prosaic, contemporaneous - -[Illustration: AUGUSTA BELASCO, MRS. WILLIAM ELLIOTT - - Original made for, and loaned by, Mrs. David Belasco. -] - -setting, and it is a significant testimony at once to Belasco’s -managerial perspicacity and to his skill as a writer and a stage manager -that his play of “Grimm” achieved unusual success.... - -In the days of my youth, when I was a student at the Dane Law School of -Harvard College, it was my good fortune to gain the friendship of the -erudite lawyer Theophilus Parsons, who was a preceptor there, and to -listen to much interesting and instructive discourse by him on many -subjects--among them, the Swedenborgian faith, to which he was an -absolute and happy adherent. “Death,” he remarked, in expounding to me -the tenets of that faith, “is no more than walking from one room into -another.” The same thought (which has, of course, been cherished by many -persons) seems to have been predominant in the mind of Belasco when he -was writing “The Return of Peter Grimm.”... - - - - -BELASCO’S “THE RETURN OF PETER GRIMM.” - - -In drama, whether prose or verse, the device has frequently been used of -bringing back to our material world the spirits of persons who have -passed out of mortal life, and causing them to pervade the scenes with -which they were associated in the body. That device is employed in -Belasco’s “The Return of Peter Grimm,” in which David Warfield made his -first and, thus far, his only approach to the realm of Imagination -[since this passage was written Warfield has appeared, 1915-’16, as _Van -Der Decken_, in a drama by Belasco on the subject of “The Flying -Dutchman.”--J. W.]. _Peter Grimm_, a prosperous, self-willed, kind, good -old man, who in the government of his family and the arrangement of his -worldly affairs has made serious errors,--the most deplorable of them -being the separation of his ward, a docile, affectionate girl named -_Kathrien_, from a youth who loves her and whom she loves, and her -betrothal to his nephew, _Frederik Grimm_, a hypocrite and a -scoundrel,--is suddenly stricken dead, of heart disease, and, after a -little time his spirit returns to the place which was his earthly home, -intent on retrieving those errors, discomfiting the rascal by whom he -has been deceived, and making his foster-child happy. Warfield, -personating _Peter Grimm_, first presented him as a mortal, afterward as -a spirit. The character,--honest, sturdy, opinionated, worldly-wise, -somewhat rough and imperious, yet intrinsically genial,--was correctly -assumed and expressed, but the actor’s denotement of spiritual being was -neither - -[Illustration: REINA BELASCO. MRS. MORRIS GEST - - Photograph by White. Belasco Collection. -] - -imaginative nor sympathetic, and it did not create even the slightest -illusion. - -The purpose of the dramatist seems to have been to intimate a notion, -comfortable to the general mind, that spiritual existence of beings once -mundane is merely a continuation of their everyday condition in this -world. In the absence of knowledge on the subject that assumption is as -tenable as any other. Persons who are commonplace in what we call Time -may reasonably be held to remain commonplace in what we call Eternity. -No one knows. The Book of Destiny has not been opened. But the -rationality of assumption which makes of “that undiscovered country” -only a prolongation of this earthly scene at once dissipates, especially -for dramatic purpose and effect, all atmosphere of _spirituality_, all -glamour of the ideal, which happily might be superinduced by imaginative -treatment of a mysterious subject. However prosaic the quality of a -disembodied spirit may remain, it seems reasonable to assume that there -must be some essential difference between the material body and the -spiritual body, and the person undertaking to represent a spirit could -succeed, if at all, in denoting that difference not by stage tricks but -only by mental power and affluence of emotion, by weird strangeness of -individuality, by exquisite sensibility, by magnetism, and by the -artistic skill to liberate those forces and so elicit and control the -sympathy of his auditors. Warfield’s personation of _Grimm_ gave not the -faintest intimation of spirituality, and there was not one gleam of -imagination in his presentment of the spirit. - -Few actors have ever succeeded in conveying to an audience any really -convincing, absorbing sense of _spiritual presence_. The dramatist of -“Peter Grimm” probably did not intend that any such sense should be -conveyed. Warfield, apparently, did not attempt to convey it, and if, as -appears true, it was the actor’s purpose to present _Grimm_ as -essentially the same person after death as before, then his personation, -undoubtedly, was the rounded result of a definite plan, and was, as -such, entirely successful. - -The part of _Peter Grimm_ has been described as one of great difficulty. -It is, on the contrary, very easy. Its requirement is sincerity. -_Grimm_, as a spirit, clothed as in mortal life, must move among persons -who were his friends, unseen by them, unheard when he speaks, eagerly -desirous to influence their conduct, but practically helpless to do so, -except at moments when accession of extreme sensibility on the part of -one or another of them provides occasion, until, at last, force of -circumstances and the impelling guidance of the dead man achieve his -purpose. Acted in the spirit precisely as in the flesh, as a good old -man, the part makes no draft upon the resources of mind or feeling or -upon the faculty of expression that any good actor might not easily -satisfy. The situations wherein _Grimm_, ostensibly, is ignored by the -other persons on the stage in fact revolve around him and are dependent -on his presence; he engages the sympathy of the audience practically to -the exclusion of all the other characters, and the almost universal -interest--whether assenting or dissenting--in anything relating directly -to the theme of spiritual survival after death, together with the -novelty of a ghost displayed in the environment of every-day, centres -observation on _Grimm_ and his personator. - -Warfield’s performance, notwithstanding the prosaic atmosphere of it, -was interesting, and his excursion into the realm of the occult was, at -least, calculated to stimulate thought on a serious subject. In this, as -in many other matters, the degree of approval gained by the play and its -performance will ever be variably accordant to taste. To some persons, -no doubt, the ideal of a newly dead child being borne away on his -spirit-uncle’s shoulders, singing about “Uncle Rat has gone to town to -buy his niece a wedding gown,” and musically inquiring, “What shall the -wedding breakfast be? Hard-boiled eggs and a cup of tea?” will be -delightful. Others, equally without doubt, will fail to find it -impressive. - -“The Return of Peter Grimm” was acted for the first time, January 2, -1911, at the Hollis Street Theatre, Boston; and for the first time in -New York, October 18, the same year, at the present Belasco Theatre. -This was the original cast of that play: - -_Peter Grimm_ David Warfield. -_Frederik Grimm_ John Sainpolis. -_James Hartman_ Thomas Meighan. -_Andrew MacPherson_ Joseph Brennan. -_Rev. Henry Batholommey_ William Boag. -_Colonel Tom Lawton_ John F. Webber. -_Willem_ Percy Helton. -_Kathrien_ Janet Dunbar. -_Mrs. Batholommey_ Marie Bates. -_Marta_ Marie Reichardt. -_The Clown_ Tony Bevan. - - - - -CONCERNING THE EUNUCHS OF CRITICASTERISM. - - -The gentle Goldsmith, commenting on a meanness in human nature which -causes little minds to envy and disparage the achievements of large -ones, remarked that “There are a set of men called - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by White. Belasco’s Collection. - -DAVID WARFIELD AS _PETER GRIMM_, IN “THE RETURN OF PETER GRIMM”] - -answerers of books, who take upon themselves to watch the republic of -letters and distribute reputation by the sheet: they somewhat resemble -the eunuchs in a seraglio, who are incapable of giving pleasure -themselves and hinder those that would.” Such emasculated perverters of -the function of criticism,--scribblers bloated with envy engendered by -conscious intellectual impotence,--flourish more or less in all periods; -they are peculiarly prosperous in this one, and their envious malice is -employed with at least as much industry in the “answering” and defaming -of dramatists and actors as in the “answering” of books. Before Belasco -had produced “Peter Grimm” in New York and almost in the hour of his -personal bereavement, a representative specimen of that wretched -brotherhood, itching to detract from the achievement of an author whom -he could not hope ever to approach, published the false statement that -Belasco was only _part_ author of that play. Among the papers loaned to -me by Belasco is a copy of the following letter, which I print here -because the misrepresentation alluded to has been several times iterated -and the refutation of it should be placed on record: - - -(_Belasco to a Quidnunc._) - -“Belasco Theatre, New York, -“July 22, 1911. - - “In your article in the current ‘--------’ there is a misstatement - which I should be much obliged to you if you would rectify, as it - places both Mr. Cecil De Mille and myself in a false light. - - “Your article states that Mr. Cecil De Mille is my ‘_collaborator_’ - in Mr. Warfield’s new play, ‘The Return of Peter Grimm.’ I am not - aware whether you saw the play when it was presented in Boston, - Chicago and Pittsburg last season. If you did so, however, you must - remember that on the play bill I gave full credit to Mr. De Mille - _for an idea_--WHICH I PURCHASED FROM HIM AND PAID VERY HANDSOMELY - FOR. As for the play--in its construction, its dialogue, its plot - and its characterizations--the play is _mine_ and MINE ONLY. - - “Mr. De Mille, I know well, will be the first person to verify this - statement of mine, and in view of the fact that my play has not yet - been presented in New York--and may possibly prove a failure - there--I think it is only fair that _I_ should be held exclusively - responsible for _my own work_....” - - - - -“THE WOMAN”--AND MR. ABRAHAM GOLDKNOPF. - - -Belasco devoted most of the summer of 1911 to work on William C. De -Mille’s play entitled “The Woman,” which he produced for the first time -in New York, September 19, that year, at the Republic Theatre: a trial -production of that play had been effected, April 17 preceding, at the -New National Theatre, Washington, D. C. It is a highly effective -melodrama, of the “contemporaneous interest” type, and it implicates -twelve persons, nine of whom are germane to its action. It is neat in -construction; it skilfully utilizes the invaluable element of suspense, -and interest in its progress is cumulative to the dramatic climax. This, -in brief, is its story: - -A corrupt politician, the _Honorable “Jim” Blake_, a member of the -national legislature, is scheming to get a specious bill enacted into -law, whereby over-capitalization of railroad corporations and wholesale -swindling of the public can be perpetrated in the guise of legality. -Another member of the legislature, the _Honorable Matthew Standish_, -perceptive of the latent iniquity of that measure and of the predatory -intent of _Blake_, has so vigorously opposed the enactment of it and so -bitterly assailed its sponsors that _Blake_ and his associates fear to -force its passage. They determine, therefore, to divert attention of the -people from the opposition of _Standish_ to their corrupt measure and -purposed malfeasance by blasting his personal reputation with social -scandal. In their effort to do this they ascertain that several years -previous the _Honorable Matthew_, inflexible before Plutus, has -succumbed before Venus--has, in short, registered at an hotel with a -woman not his wife. The name of that woman is not known to their -informant, and it is the despicable task of _Blake_ and his adherents to -ascertain her identity in order to ruin his public career by convicting -him of private misconduct. That task they attempt to perform by -endeavoring to extort from a young woman, _Wanda Kelly_, the operator in -charge of a telephone exchange desk, a telephone number in New York -which _Standish_, in Washington, has called for, immediately after being -apprised of the dastardly purpose of _Blake_ and his associates. The -identity of the concealed and errant she as _Blake’s_ daughter, the wife -of one of his chief supporters, the _Honorable Mark Robertson_, is -deftly discovered to the audience by the device of a second telephone -message to her, by her husband, immediately after the close of the -warning of impending disclosure by _Standish_. The sympathetic _Miss -Kelly_ resolutely persists in her protective secrecy as to _The Woman_ -at the other end of the wire, and the climax is then attained when -_Standish_ refuses to be driven from his public duty by the threatened -assault on his private character and when _Mrs. Robertson_, having in an -agony of dread listened to the unsuccessful coaxing and badgering of -_Miss Kelly_, with sudden and desperate courage terminates the anxious -situation by avowal of her delinquency, thus providing her corrupt -parent and spouse with considerably more information than they desire -to publish as to the amatory weaknesses of the obdurate _Standish_. This -was the cast with which that play was first presented in New York: - -_The Hon. Jim Blake_ John W. Cope. -_Tom Blake_ Harold Vosburgh. -_The Hon. Mark Robertson_ Edwin Holt. -_Grace, Mrs. Robertson_ Jane Peyton. -_The Hon. Matthew Standish_ Cuyler Hastings. -_Ralph Van Dyke_ Carleton Macy. -_The Hon. Silas Gregg_ Stephen Fitzpatrick. -_The Hon. Tim Neligan_ William Holden. -_A Guest_ Langdon West. -_A Page_ George Van Blake. -_A Waiter_ José Rossi. -_Wanda Kelly_ Mary Nash. - -The exceptional success of Belasco’s production of “The Woman” prompted -a genius thitherto unknown to fame, a certain inspired and amiable -barber of New York, Mr. Abraham Goldknopf, to assert that it was stolen -from a sublime drama indited by himself in the intervals of tonsorial -exercise and entitled “Tainted Philanthropy.” Belasco, in defending -himself against this preposterous claim, resorted to a unique and costly -though conclusive expedient. But before describing the trial of Mr. -Goldknopf’s allegations, it is convenient here to examine with some -particularity the general subject of - - - - -BELASCO AND PLAGIARISM. - - - - -“FOLLY LOVES THE MARTYRDOM OF FAME.” - - -No person rises to eminence without exciting antagonism and incurring -detraction. Malice is quick to perceive any possibility, however -trivial, of tarnishing a distinguished character, and hatred is -ingenious in devising specious means of disparagement. The slightest -appearance of weakness in any talented person favorably conspicuous in -the public eye is eagerly seized as a ground of condemnation. Every -close student of biography must have observed, relative to almost every -eminent person commemorated, that there is always some one particular -form of reproach which, by diligent, persistent iteration, is made to -adhere to that person’s name, so that at last the one is seldom -mentioned without association with the other. Eminent actors of the Past -have been particularly singled out for defamation in this way. Barton -Booth, for example, scholar and poet as well as actor, is stigmatized, -on no competent authority, as a gross voluptuary; Garrick, because he -was prudent, especially while he was poor, is styled an avaricious -niggard; Kemble, an opium sot; Edwin Booth, a drunkard, which is a -specially contemptible slander. Henry Irving was one of the greatest of -actors, but, because he happened to be a person of many peculiarities, -perfectly natural to him, we are forever hearing that he had “affected -mannerisms”--which is distinctly untrue. Every department of biography -furnishes examples of this form of aspersion. In the case of Belasco the -customary disparagement takes the shape of an iterated charge of -_Plagiarism_. In this work an examination of that charge is essential. - - “It is an old trick of Detraction,” says Moore, in his “Life of - Sheridan,” “and one of which it never tires, to father the works of - eminent writers upon others; or, at least, while it kindly leaves - an author the credit for his worst performances, to find some one - in the background to ease him of the fame of his best.... Indeed, - if mankind were to be influenced by those _Qui tam_ critics... - Aristotle must refund to one Ocellus Lucanus, Virgil must make a - _cessio bonorum_ in favor of Pisander, the Metamorphoses of Ovid - must be credited to the account of Parthenius of Nicæa, and - Sheridan... must surrender the glory of having written ‘The School - for Scandal’ to a certain anonymous young lady who died of a - consumption in Thames Street.... Sheridan had, in addition to the - resources of his own wit, a quick apprehension of what suited his - purpose in the wit of others, and a power of enriching whatever he - adopted from them with such new graces as gave him a sort of claim - of paternity over it and made it all his own. ‘_C’est mon_ - _bien_,’ said Molière, when accused of borrowing, ‘_et je le - reprens partout où je le trouve_.’” - - - - -THE “TRICK” AS APPLIED. - - -“Plagiarism,” says The Dictionary, is “the act of appropriating _the -ideas_ or the language of another and passing them for one’s [_sic!_] -own; literary theft.” It would not be very difficult, testing Belasco’s -plays by that definition, and excluding all other considerations, to -invest the charge of plagiarism against him, in some instances, with -validity. The last part of “Hearts of Oak” is borrowed from Leslie’s -“The Mariner’s Compass”; “La Belle Russe” is based on situations taken -from “Forget Me Not” and “The New Magdalen”; the thrilling situation in -the Third Act of “The Girl I Left Behind Me” is based on a similar -situation in Boucicault’s “Jessie Brown; or, the Relief of Lucknow”; the -agonizing situation in the Third Act of “The Darling of the Gods,” in -which a military despot extorts information from a woman by forcing her -to gaze on her lover subjected to torture, is derived (and bettered) -from Sardou’s “La Tosca.” Other instances of similarity could be -specified. It would, however, be a manifest injustice to stigmatize -Belasco, _and only Belasco_, as a plagiarist on the - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Count Jean de Strelecki. Belasco’s Collection. - -“THE STUDENT”--DAVID BELASCO] - -ground of his indebtedness to plays earlier than his. He has done only -what all other dramatists have done since the beginning of the craft; -that is, he has based _some_ of his plays on dramatic expedients and -situations that have long been considered to be common property. - - - - -AN ANCIENT USAGE. - - -Several of Shakespeare’s plays were based by him on plays of earlier -date, by other authors. Dryden borrowed freely from Spanish plays and -sometimes from Corneille and Molière,--a fact which caused Scott to -remark (Preface to “The Assignation”) that “originality consists in the -mode of treating a subject more than in the subject itself.” English -dramatists, from Wycherly onward, have freely borrowed from Molière. -Fielding, there is reason to believe, derived an occasional hint from -the great Frenchman, as also from Thomas Murphy. Goldsmith was a little -indebted to Wycherly. Hoadley borrowed from Farquhar; Steele from -Bickerstaff; Colman from Murphy; Sheridan from both Wycherly and -Congreve, and perhaps from his mother’s play of “The Discovery” and her -novel of “Sydney Biddulph”; Boucicault from many French sources and some -English ones. I would not be understood as approving or defending that -practice in dramatic authorship: on the contrary, in the whole course -of my long service as a dramatic critic and historian I have condemned -it. These words, written by me many years ago, relative to Boucicault, -indicate my view of _the practice_: - - Dramatic authorship, indeed, seems to have been regarded by - him,--and by many other playwriters,--as a species by itself, - exempt from obligation to moral law. The bard who should “convey” - Milton’s “Lycidas” or Wordsworth’s great “Ode,” and, after making a - few changes in the text and introducing a few new lines, publish it - as a composition “original” with himself, would be deemed and - designated a literary thief. The dramatist, taking his plots from - any convenient source and rehashing incidents and speeches selected - from old plays, can publish the fabric thus constructed as an - “original drama,” and, so far from being discredited, can obtain - reputation and profit by that proceeding. [“Old Friends,” by W. W.: - 1909.] - -If the large majority of dramatic authors,--Sophocles, Shakespeare, -Racine, Molière, Sheridan, and the rest, down to the present day,--be -convicted of plagiarism on the ground that they have rehashed old -material, that charge will stand against Belasco. But the dramatist who, -with manifest truth, pleads, as Belasco can plead (and as I understand -that he does plead), “a well-known, universal, recognized custom” -cannot, justly, be singled out and stigmatized for plagiarism,--any more -than a respectable Turk, resident in Constantinople, with four wives, -can be singled out and stigmatized for bigamy. I no more approve the -custom of what I call “playwrighting” than I approve or advocate -polygamy,--but I speak for justice. Moreover, it is essential to be -remembered that the number of basic situations, in fiction as in fact, -is limited, and consideration of _the method_ of combining and treating -them must vitally affect the question of “originality.” To make an -avowed adaptation of the work of another, or, with credit, to base a -passage on suggestion derived from an incident in the work of another is -not plagiarism. - -The fair investigator of the charge of plagiarism against Belasco will -find that it is twofold: it accuses him of appropriation from the works -of other writers precedent to him, and of appropriation from other -writers contemporary with him to whose writings he has had, or, as -alleged, may have had, access. - - - - -CHARLES READE ON PLAGIARISM. - - -In considering the first part of the accusation I would recommend all -inquirers to read the masterly exposition of the subject of Plagiarism -made by Charles Reade (himself one of the successful writers frequently, -in his day, accused of the offence), which is printed, in his collected -Works, as an appendix to his capital story of “The Wandering Heir,”--a -story first made public in dramatic form. That exposition is too long to -be quoted here in full, but the appended extract from it, which deals -with what Reade calls “the mere intellectual detraction” involved in the -charge that he had stolen “The Wandering Heir” from Dean Swift’s “The -Journal of a Modern Lady,” is illuminative: - - “It [‘the mere intellectual detraction’] is founded on two - things--1. The sham-sample swindle, which I have defined. 2. On a - pardonable blunder. - - “The blunder is one into which many criticasters of my day have - fallen; but a critic knows there is a vital distinction between - taking ideas from a _homogeneous_ source and from a _heterogeneous_ - source, and that only the first mentioned of these two acts is - plagiarism; the latter is more like jewel-setting. Call it what you - will, it is not plagiarism. - - “I will take the fraud and the blunder in order and illustrate them - by a few examples, out of thousands. - - “By the identical process Pseudonymuncle has used to entrap your - readers into believing ‘The Wandering Heir’ a mere plagiarism from - Swift, one could juggle those who read quotations, not books, into - believing:-- - - “1. That the Old Testament is _full_ of indelicacy. - - “2. That the miracles of Jesus Christ are none of them the miracles - of a God, or even of a benevolent man--giving water intoxicating - qualities, when the guests had drunk enough, goodness knows; - cursing a fig-tree; driving pigs to a watery grave. This is how - Voltaire works the sham-sample swindle, and gulls Frenchmen that - let him read the Bible for them. - - “3. That Virgil never wrote a line he did not take from Lucretius - or somebody else. - - “4. That Milton the poet is _all_ Homer, Euripides, and an Italian - play called ‘Adam in Paradise.’ - - “5. That Molière is _all_ Plautus and Cyrano de Bergerac, ‘en prend - _tout_ son bien où il le trouve.’ - - “6. That the same Molière _never_ writes grammatical French. - - “7. That Shakespeare is _all_ Plautus, Horace, Holinshed, - Belleforest, and others. - - “8. That Corneille had not an idea he did not steal from Spain. - - “9. That Scott has not an original incident in all his works. - - “10. That five Italian operas are _all_ English and Irish music. - - “11. That the overture to ‘Guillaume Tell’ is _all_ composed by - Swiss shepherds. - - “12. That ‘Robinson Crusoe’ is a mere theft from Woodes, Rogers, - and Dampier. - - “Not one of these is a greater lie, and few of them are as great - lies, as to call ‘The Wandering Heir’ a plagiarism from Swift. - - “Now for the blunder. That will be best corrected by putting - examples of jewel-setting and examples of plagiarism cheek by jowl. - - “Corneille’s ‘Horace,’ a tragedy founded on a _heterogeneous_ - work,--viz., an historical narrative by Livy,--is not a plagiarism. - His ‘Cid,’ taken from a Spanish play, is plagiarism. Shakespeare’s - ‘Comedy of Errors’ and Molière’s ‘Avare’ are plagiarisms, both from - Plautus. Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth,’ taken from a _heterogeneous_ - work, a chronicle, is no plagiarism, though he uses a much larger - slice of Holinshed’s dialogue than I have taken from Swift, and - follows his original more closely. The same applies to his - ‘Coriolanus.’ This tragedy is not a plagiarism; for Plutarch’s Life - of Coriolanus is a _heterogeneous_ work, and the art with which the - great master uses and versifies _Volumnia’s_ speech, as he got it - from North’s translation of Plutarch, is jewel-setting, not - plagiarism. By the same rule, ‘Robinson Crusoe,’ though Defoe - sticks close to Woodes, Rogers, and Dampier in many particulars of - incident and reflection, is not a plagiarism, being romance founded - on books of fact. The distinction holds good as to single incidents - or short and telling speeches. Scott’s works are literally crammed - with diamonds of incident and rubies of dialogue culled from - _heterogeneous_ works, histories, chronicles, ballads, and oral - traditions. But this is not plagiarism; it is jewel-setting. - Byron’s famous line-- - - ‘The graves of those who cannot die,’ - - is a plagiarism from another poet, Crabbe; but _Wolsey’s_ famous - distich in Shakespeare’s ‘Henry the Eighth’ is not a plagiarism - from Wolsey; it is an historical jewel set in a _heterogeneous_ - work, and set as none but a great inventor ever yet set a - fact-jewel....” - - - - -“FOR THE DEFENDANT.” - - -Examination of Belasco’s plays will reveal that they are, for the -greater part, founded on what Reade designates “_heterogeneous -works_,”--that is, while he has in some instances borrowed or utilized -material long generally regarded as common property, he has gone, far -more, to history and record,--and that his plays contain more original -writing than ninety per cent. of the plays which are customarily acted -on the English-speaking Stage. - -Turning from the question of what Belasco may or may not have derived -from elder dramatists, we come to a field in which it is easy to move -with definite, assured steps. The first accusation against him of -plagiarism from a contemporary, as far as I have been able to ascertain, -was made by Albert M. Palmer, on information and belief, in regard to -the play of “The Millionaire’s Daughter,” first produced at the Baldwin -Theatre, San Francisco, May 19, 1879. Palmer had been given to -understand that Belasco, in this play, had infringed Bronson Howard’s -play of “The Banker’s Daughter,” first produced at the Union Square -Theatre, November 30, 1878, and which Maguire had endeavored to secure -for Baldwin’s. He sent his attorney, W. Barnes, to see Belasco’s play of -“The Millionaire’s Daughter,” accompanied by assistants, who took down -as much as possible of the dialogue. After the performance Belasco said -to Maguire: “It is not necessary for Mr. Barnes to try to take down my -dialogue: he has _seen_ the play: tell him he can have a copy of the -manuscript, if he wishes.” Barnes advised Palmer that there was _no -plagiarism_ by Belasco, and there the matter ended. - -The second accusation was that of Howard P. Taylor, alleging that -Belasco took material portions of “May Blossom” from “Caprice”: Taylor -would not bring that charge into court, though Belasco invited him to do -so; and Harrison Grey Fiske, the editor of “The Dramatic Mirror,” the -publication in which the false accusation had been repeatedly made, -publicly declared it to be unwarranted. - -Beyond these, I have been furnished by my friend Judge A. G. -Dittenhoefer (acting with Belasco’s permission) with a list showing that -six distinct, formal charges of plagiarism have been made against -Belasco and redress sought by legal action for injury thus alleged to -have been done by him. The plays as to which these charges have been -made are (1) “The Wife”; (2) “Du Barry”; (3) “Sweet Kitty Bellairs”; (4) -“The Woman”; (5) “The Case of Becky”; (6) “The Boomerang.” - -In the first of these cases suit was instituted, in 1888, by Fannie -Aymar Matthews, against David Belasco and Henry C. De Mille, praying for -an - -[Illustration: DAVID BELASCO - - Photograph by the Misses Selby. Author’s Collection. -] - -injunction to restrain the further presentation of their play of “The -Wife,” on the ground that it was a plagiarism of her play entitled -“Washington Life.” The action was tried before the Hon. Miles Beach, -Justice of the Supreme Court of New York. Judge Beach decided in favor -of Belasco and De Mille, finding that there was no infringement, _no -plagiarism_. - -The second case was an action brought by the French writer M. Richepin, -January 25, 1902, in which he demanded an accounting for the receipts -from representation of Belasco’s play of “Du Barry,” on the ground that -it was, in fact, a play written by the Plaintiff. M. Richepin would not -bring this case to trial, and it was finally discontinued, in January, -1908. - -In the third case Grace B. Hughes (otherwise known as Mary Montagu) -began an action, in the Circuit Court of the United States for the -Southern District of New York, February 3, 1904, against Belasco, -Maurice Campbell, and Henrietta Crosman. The action was brought to -restrain further representation of Belasco’s play of “Sweet Kitty -Bellairs,” on the ground that it was, in fact, an infringement of the -Plaintiff’s play of “Sweet Jasmine.” Motion for an injunction was argued -before Judge Lacombe, on March 18, 1904, and on March 26 it was denied, -Judge Lacombe holding that there was _no plagiarism_. The case was never -brought to trial, and it was stricken from the calendar, on March 3, -1913. - -The fourth case (which is dealt with in detail, page 336, _et seq._) was -the action brought against Belasco and William C. De Mille by Abraham -Goldknopf, in February, 1912, in the United States District Court for -the Southern District of New York, praying for an injunction to restrain -the further representation of their play of “The Woman” on the ground -that it was, in fact, an infringement of Goldknopf’s play of “Tainted -Philanthropy.” Judge Holt, before whom the case was tried, held that -there was no infringement by Belasco and De Mille, _no plagiarism_, and -on March 3, 1913, final judgment was entered dismissing the Plaintiff’s -complaint, upon the merits. - -In June, 1912, the fifth action against Belasco was brought by Amelia -Bachman and George L. McKay, seeking to restrain him from further -presentation of “The Case of Becky,” on the ground that it was, in fact, -a plagiarism of their play entitled “Etelle.” Trial of this action was -begun May 13, 1913, before Judge Julius M. Mayer, of the United States -District Court, and was concluded the next day. On July 9, 1913, Judge -Mayer rendered his decision, holding that there was _no plagiarism_ by -Belasco, and dismissed the Plaintiffs’ complaint, upon the merits. - -The sixth case was an action begun on January 14, 1916, by Lila Longson, -to restrain Belasco, Winchell Smith, and Victor Mapes from further -presentation of their play of “The Boomerang,” upon the ground that it -was an infringement of her play of “The Choice.” The case was tried in -the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New -York, on September 19-21, and, at the close of the trial, Judge W. B. -Sheppard held that there was no infringement and dismissed the -complaint. Final judgment, dismissing the complaint upon the merits, was -entered September 25, 1916. - -In all these cases only one judgment in favor of Belasco was -appealed,--that by Judge Mayer, in the action by Amelia Bachman and -George L. McKay, _in re_ “The Case of Becky.” Their appeal was taken to -the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and -was argued April 6, 1914. On May 12, following, the Circuit Court of -Appeals handed down its decision in favor of Belasco, affirming Judge -Mayer’s decision dismissing the complaint. The opinion of the Court was -written by Judge E. Henry Lacombe, and can be found in 224 Fed. Rep., -page 817. - -The significance of this summary of _facts_ is obvious. Belasco has -been, and is, freely accused of literary theft,--but on each and every -occasion when accusation has been made and investigated in Court he has -defeated his defamers and been completely vindicated. - - - - -CONCERNING BENEFITS--REMEMBERED AND FORGOT. - - -While Belasco, in common with the generality of dramatic authors, has -certainly profited by the example and sometimes by the labor of others -(a fact which he does not seek to conceal or deny, but which, on the -contrary, he has freely and fairly recognized and admitted), there is a -_per contra_ aspect of his relation to other play-writers which none of -his detractors,--and, for that matter, as far as I am aware, none of his -admirers and advocates except myself,--ever mentions,--namely, the -immense and direct advantage and profit derived by other play-writers -_from him_. Nor is that indebtedness confined to makers of plays: as -theatre manager, stage manager, mechanician, success for others if not -always for himself has walked with him, and for scores of persons -connected with the Theatre (many of them void of appreciation) his has -been the touch of a Midas, turning dross to gold and, incidentally, -establishing them in reputation. Among the makers of plays who, first -and last, have greatly profited by his sagacity, skill, and labor are -James A. Herne, Peter Robertson, Bronson Howard (who always handsomely -acknowledged the obligation), William Young, H. H. Boyesen, Henry C. De -Mille, A. C. Gunter, Clay M. Greene, P. M. Potter, Franklyn Fyles, -Charles Simon, Pierre Berton, Charles Klein, Lee Arthur, John Luther -Long, Richard Walton Tully, Miss Pauline Phelps, Miss Marion Short, -William C. De Mille, William J. Hurlbut, Eugene Walter, Avery Hopwood, -Edward J. Locke, Miss Alice Bradley, George Scarborough, and Winchell -Smith.[6] In all the mass of letters addressed to Belasco and examined -by me in preparing this Memoir I have found fitting acknowledgment of -benefits conferred by only two of those persons, aside from -Howard,--Franklyn Fyles and Mr. Scarborough. The latter wrote: - - -(_George Scarborough to David Belasco._) - -“150 Madison Avenue, Tompkinsville, -“Staten Island, February 28, 1916. - -“My dear Governor:-- - - “Just a brief line before the drop falls on poor little ‘Wetona’ - [“The Heart of Wetona”] to-morrow night: - - “It has been a great honor to sit at your feet the past few - months--to go to school to you. An infinite pleasure, also, to have - seen you work and known you. - - “If the play gets over, the great measure of the success will be - yours. If it fails, the fault will be with the material which came - to you. - - “Whatever the issue is, I want now to thank you for your many - personal courtesies, for your enthusiasm and your friendship. - Hereafter, when some would-be author ‘hits the ceiling’ at some - change you suggest in his ’script, please have him get me on the - telephone and I will cheerfully tell him how many kinds of a d---- - fool he is not to know a master touch and not to appreciate the - Master’s interest. - - “May you be preserved to the Theatre for a long, long time. - -“Affectionately, -“_George Scarborough._” - - - -The scope and variety of his labor as an author are impressively -signified in the following partial list of his writings: - - - - -THE DRAMATIC WORKS OF DAVID BELASCO. - - (Note.--The dates given in the following table refer to the years - in which the plays specified _were written_,--and, therefore, in - some instances, they differ from the dates given in Chronology, and - elsewhere, which refer to _presentation_ of the plays.) - - -JUVENILE EFFORTS. - - “Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.” - - “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp.” - - Angel in Hell,” “An - - Barmaid’s Revenge; or, The Fatal Corkscrew,” “The (burlesque). - - Bohemian Girl,” “The (with music). - - Bronze Statue,” “The. - - Butcher’s Revenge; or, The Seven Buckets of Blood,” “The - (burlesque). - - Death of Benedict Arnold,” “The. - - Dying Boy’s Last Christmas,” “The. - - “East Lynne” (burlesque). - - Hanging of Nathan Hale,” “The. - - “Jim Black; or, The Regulator’s Revenge” (_his first play_). - - Roll of the Drum,” “The (before 1869). - - Signing of the Declaration of Independence,” “The. - - “Spiritland.” - - Trovatore,” “Il (with music from the opera of that name). - - - - -WRITTEN BEFORE 1882-’83 (BELASCO’S NEW YORK CAREER BEGAN IN SEPTEMBER, -1882). - - - Ace of Spades,” “The (1877--or earlier). - - “American Born” (based on “British Born”: 1882). - - Assommoir,” “L’ (“Drink”: based on Zola’s novel: 1879). - - Belle Russe,” “La (1880-’81). - - “Bleak House” (from the novel--about July, 1875). - - “Capitola” (a version of “The Hidden Hand”: 187[6?]). - - “Cherry and Fair Star” (revision of the old spectacle so named: - 187--). - - “Chums” (1879--see “Hearts of Oak”). - - Christmas Night; or, The Convict’s Return,” “The (1877). - - Creole,” “The (based on Adolphe Belot’s story, “L’Article 47”: - 1879-’80). - - Cricket on the Hearth,” “The (from Dickens’ “Christmas Story”: - 1877-’78). - - Curse of Cain,” “The (with Peter Robertson: 1882). - - “David Copperfield” (from the novel--before 1878). - - Doll Master,” “The (1874-’75?). - - “Dombey & Son” (from the novel--before 1878). - - “Dora” (alteration of Charles Reade’s play: 1875). - - “Faust” (1877). - - Fast Family,” “A (adaptation of Sardou’s “La Famille Benoiton!”: - 1879). - - Haunted House,” “The (1877). - - “Hearts of Oak” (based on “The Mariner’s Compass,” originally - called “Chums”: with James A. Herne: 1879). - - Hidden Hand,” “The (from Mrs. Southworth’s book--at least three - different versions: before 1878). - - Lone Pine,” “The (187[5?]). - - Millionaire’s Daughter,” “The (1879). - - Moonlight Marriage,” “The (“The Marriage by Moonlight”: based on - Watts Phillips’ “Camilla’s Husband”: 1879). - - New Magdalen,” “The (from Collins’ novel--1874). - - “Nicholas Nickleby” (from the novel--before 1879). - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Count Jean de Strelecki. Belasco’s Collection. - -DAVID BELASCO] - - - “Not Guilty” (alteration of Watts Phillips’ play of that name: - 1878). - - Octoroon,” “The (“retouched and altered” version of Boucicault’s - play: 1878). - - “Oliver Twist” (version of, from earlier play and the novel--before - 1878). - - “Olivia” (dramatization of “The Vicar of Wakefield”: 1878). - - “Our Mysterious Boarding House” (1877). - - “Paul Arniff” (based in part on “The Black Doctor”: 1880). - - Persecuted Traveller,” “The (1877). - - Prodigal’s Return,” “The (1877). - - Scottish Chiefs,” “The (from the novel--before 1878). - - Storm of Thoughts,” “A (1877). - - Stranglers of Paris,” “The (based on Adolphe Belot’s story of that - name: 1881: re-written, 1883). - - “Struck Blind” (from a story: 1875). - - “Sylvia’s Lovers” (1874-’75?). - - “Thaddeus of Warsaw” (from the novel--before 1878). - - “True to the Core” (alteration of T. P. Cooke’s “prize drama”: - 1880). - - “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” (at least two dramatizations of the - novel--before 1878). - - “Wine, Women and Cards” (1877). - - “Within an Inch of His Life” (based on Gaboriau’s story: 1879). - - - - -WRITTEN SUBSEQUENT TO 1882-’83. - - - Auctioneer,” “The (rewritten from a play made at his direction by - Charles Klein and Lee Arthur: 1901: again, 1913). - - “Caught in a Corner” (revision of a play by Clay M. Greene--and - others: 1887). - - Charity Ball,” “The (with Henry C. De Mille: 1889). - - Darling of the Gods,” “The (with John Luther Long: 1901-’02). - - “Du Barry” (1900-’01). - - Girl I Left Behind Me,” “The (with Franklin Fyles: 1892). - - Girl of the Golden West,” “The (1904). - - Governor’s Lady,” “The (with Alice Bradley--1911-’12). - - Grand Army Man,” “A (with Misses Pauline Phelps and Marion Short: - 1906-’07). - - Heart of Maryland,” “The (1890-’95). - - Highest Bidder,” “The (based on “Trade”--which never was acted--by - Morton and Reese: 1887). - - Kaffir Diamond,” “The (revision of play by E. J. Schwartz: 1888). - - Lily,” “The (adaptation from “Le Lys” by Pierre Wolff and Gaston - Leroux: 1908-’09). - - “Lord Chumley” (with Henry C. De Mille: 1888). - - “Madame Butterfly” (based on a story of the same name by John - Luther Long: 1900). - - Marquis,” “The (version of Sardou’s “Ferréol”: 1886). - - “May Blossom” (based in part on his own play of “Sylvia’s Lovers”: - 1882-’83). - - “Men and Women” (with Henry C. De Mille: 1890). - - “Miss Helyett” (rewritten from the French of Maxime Boucheron: - 1891). - - Music Master,” “The (altered and revised from play by Charles - Klein: 1903-’04). - - “Naughty Anthony” (1899-1900). - - “Pawn Ticket 210” (with Clay M. Greene--based on an idea in - Baring-Gould’s novel of “Court Royal”: 1887). - - Prince and the Pauper,” “The (revision of a play by Mrs. Abby Sage - Richardson, based on Mark Twain’s novel: 1889-’90). - - Return of Peter Grimm,” “The (1908-’10). - - Rose of the Rancho,” “The (based on “Juanita,” by Richard Walton - Tully: 1905-’06). - - Secret,” “The (adaptation from French of Henri Bernstein: 1913). - - “She” (revision of William A. Gillette’s dramatization of Haggard’s - novel--1887). - - “Sweet Kitty Bellairs” (based on the novel of “The Bath Comedy,” by - Agnes and Egerton Castle: 1902-’03). - - Ugly Duckling,” “The (revision of a play by P. M. Potter: 1890). - - “Under the Polar Star” (with Clay M. Greene: 18--: revised, 1896). - - “Under Two Flags” (revision of play by P. M. Potter, based on - Ouida’s novel: 1901). - - “Van Der Decken” (1913-’15). - - “Valerie” (alteration of Sardou’s “Fernande”: 1885-’86). - - Wall Street Bandit,” “A (revision of a play by A. C. Gunter: 1886). - - Wanderer,” “The (revision of Maurice V. Samuels’ adaptation of - Wilhelm Schmidtbonn’s “Der Verlorene Sohn”: 1916-’17) - - “Wife,” “The (with Henry C. De Mille: 1887). - - “Younger Son,” “The (adapted from a German play named “Schlimme - Saat”: 1893). - - “Zaza” (based on a French play of that name by Pierre Berton and - Charles Simon: 1898). - - - - -PLAYS AS YET UNACTED. - - - “Bubbles.” - - “Jennie.” - - “Jimsie, the Newsboy.” - - Opera Singer,” “The. - - “Repka Stroon.” - - - - -BELASCO AS A DRAMATIST:--A FRAGMENT. - - -Careful study of the plays of Belasco has convinced me that, much as he -has accomplished, he has not yet fully developed his powers or fully -expressed himself as a dramatist. There is ample evidence in his -writings that he abundantly possesses the natural faculty of dramatic -expression. That faculty is born--not made. The dramatic mind -comprehends a story not in narrative but in action, sees the characters -which are involved, each as a distinctive individual, perceives their -relations to one another, notes their movements and hears them speak. To -the dramatic mind the spectacle of human life is, essentially, one of -_movement_. But that spectacle is vast, tumultuous, bewildering, not to -be comprehended at once, perhaps not ever to be comprehended fully, and -certainly not to be comprehended without the reinforcement of large -experience and a profound, peaceful meditation. The reader of -Shakespeare feels that the fully developed intellect of that great -dramatist calmly brooded on the world: but there is no Shakespeare now, -and there has been no such thing as tranquillity in the world for many -long years. - -Belasco, when he began to write, was a poor boy, imperfectly educated, -in a disorderly environment, subject to all sorts of distractions and -impediments, and throughout the whole of his career he has struggled -onward under the sharp spur of necessity, without leisure or peace. In -scarcely one of his many dramas is it possible to discern an _unforced_ -dramatic impulse, spontaneously creative of an exposition of diversified -characters, acting and reacting upon circumstances, in dramatic -situations, and constituting an authentic picture of human nature and -life. In many of those dramas the _existence_ of that impulse is -perceptible, but almost invariably the growth of it is checked and the -sway of it is impeded by the necessity of haste, or of conformity to the -demand of some arbitrary occasion or of deference to the requirement of -some individual actor, or to weariness and dejection. Fine bits of -characterization appear; flashes of fancy frequently irradiate dialogue; -imagination imparts a splendid glow to striking situations,--as in “The -Darling of the Gods” and “The Girl I Left Behind Me,”--and pathos is -often elicited by simple means; but sometimes probability is wrested -from its rightful place, and extravagance of embellishment mingles with -verbosity to cause prolixity and embarrass movement. In a word, a sense -of _effort_, a strenuous urgency for the attainment of violent _effect_, -is largely perceptible in Belasco’s plays,--as, indeed, it is in nearly -the entire bulk of modern American Drama. How could it be otherwise? - - “Like children bathing on the shore, - Buried a wave beneath, - Another wave succeeds before - We have had time to breathe.” - -Belasco, a good son, affectionate and faithful, ever solicitous to -contribute to the support of his parents and their family, began labor -in childhood, and he has never ceased to labor. At an early age he -married, assuming the duties and incurring the responsibilities of a -husband and a father in harsh surroundings. In about twenty-five years, -working as factotum, secretary, teacher, agent, mechanical inventor, -actor, stage manager, theatre manager, and playwriter, and battling -against a powerful, unscrupulous, malignantly hostile commercial -antagonism, he raised himself from poverty-ridden obscurity to -independence, general public esteem, and international celebrity as a -theatrical leader. Throughout the ensuing fifteen years he increased his -eminence, becoming at last the representative theatrical manager of our -day [meaning, here, about 1902 to the present, 1917] in America. He has -adapted or rewritten more than 200-odd plays, has collaborated with -other writers in making twenty-odd new ones, and is himself the sole -author of about thirty more, most of which have been acted but several -of which have not. The wonder is not that his writings exhibit some -defects, but that, at their best, they contain so much truthful -portrayal of character, pictorial reflection of life, fine dramatic -situation, and compelling power to thrill the imagination and touch the -heart. The time, it seems to me, has not yet come for attempting a -comprehensive and final estimate of his faculty and achievement as a -dramatist. Whether as an author or a character, he presents a singular, -elusive, and perplexing study. The constitution of his mind, I have -often thought, shows a striking resemblance to that of the romantic and -copiously inventive old English novelist William Harrison Ainsworth. The -same prodigal vitality, the same intensity of interest, the same -audacious recklessness of probability, the same facility of graphic -characterization, the same exuberance of detail, and above all the same -wild romanticism peculiar to Ainsworth’s novels are perceptible in -Belasco’s plays. The imagination that conceived “Adrea” might well have -conceived “The Lancashire Witches” or the first book of “Jack Sheppard.” -But Belasco is not merely an imitator. He has pursued a course natural -to himself, and he has created much in Drama that is both original and -beautiful. If he had written nothing but “The Girl of the Golden West” -and “The Return of Peter Grimm” his name would live as that of one of -the best dramatists who have arisen in America. - - [Written May 18, 1917. Given to me by my father with instruction to - mark it, when setting it for him: - - ADD, AND REVISE. - - The last phase of his illness began on May 24, and he never saw - this passage after he wrote it as it stands.--J. W.] - - - - -THE GOLDKNOPF TRIAL--A UNIQUE DEMONSTRATION. - - -The trial of the Goldknopf action against Belasco, based on the pretence -that “The Woman” was plagiarized from “Tainted Philanthropy; or, The -Spirit of the Time,” was begun, July 31, 1912, with a hearing before -Commissioner Gilchrist, at - -[Illustration: - -DAVID BELASCO - - From a photograph by Arnold Genthe. - - Author’s Collection. -] - -the Federal building, New York, and it proceeded, the Hon. George C. -Holt, Justice, presiding, in the United States Circuit Court, on August -5. It was established by sworn testimony that Goldknopf’s “play” was -submitted by him to the Belasco Play Bureau in May, 1910, and that under -date of July 10 Mr. Henry Stillman, the play reader of that bureau, -wrote to Goldknopf a letter in which he said: - - “Mr. Belasco has gone away for the summer. I sent your play to him, - two or three days after reading it myself. He returned it to me - to-day. While he was interested in reading it, it is not quite - adapted to his present requirements. Will you please call for the - manuscript?” - -Mr. William C. De Mille testified that after the production of “The -Warrens of Virginia,” in January, 1908, he had suggested to Belasco that -if they could “throw up a good heart story against the general -background of political ‘graft’ it would make a good play”; that Belasco -had been favorably impressed by the suggestion, and that a contract had -been entered into between them, in that year, for the writing of such a -play,--several drafts of which, bearing different titles (“The Princess -of the Wire,” “The Machine,” “1035, Plaza,” etc.), were made before the -final one was put into rehearsal. It also was established that Mr. De -Mille had read his play to friends,--among them Professor John Erskine, -of Columbia University,--in 1908. - -Belasco corroborated Mr. De Mille; specified that he had instructed Mr. -Stillman “to be kind to aspiring dramatists,” which fact he surmised -“might account for the courteous tone of his note to” Goldknopf; -testified that he had never seen the manuscript of “Tainted -Philanthrophy” prior to July 31, 1912, and had _not even heard of it_ -until the suit was started. Then, becoming exasperated, he exclaimed: “I -am heartily sick of being sued by nurserymaids, waiters, and barbers -every time I bring out a new piece, and I should like very much to give -a performance of both these plays before your Honor, in the fall.” To -this startling proposal Judge Holt assented, remarking that he could -doubtless have the merits of the case better placed before him by -witnessing both the plays in representation than by merely reading -them,--adding: “But it will be very expensive for you to have the case -decided in this way, will it not?” To this inquiry Belasco replied: -“Yes, sir; it will cost me about $5,000, but I want to show these -unknown authors, once and for all, that they cannot come into the courts -and attack every successful production I make without submitting their -plays to a comparison that will dispose of their claims very quickly.” -On Belasco engaging himself to provide as good a cast for “Tainted -Philanthropy” as that with which he was presenting “The Woman,” his -proposal was accepted by counsel for Goldknopf. - -The comparative performances were given, November 26, at the Belasco -Theatre, in the presence of Judge Holt and invited audiences--Belasco -desiring that as many journalists and members of his own profession as -possible might see for themselves the shameful injustice to which he was -subjected by the charge of plagiarism. “The Woman,” which was then -filling an engagement at the Grand Opera House, New York, was acted -first, beginning at eleven o’clock in the morning. After an interval of -an hour “Tainted Philanthropy” was presented, “exactly as -written,”--manuscript copies of both plays having been submitted to the -court in order to make impossible any dispute on grounds of alleged -changes during representation. The Goldknopf fabrication proved to be -the veriest farrago of impalliable trash,--and, as it was performed with -absolute sincerity by conscientious and capable actors, it became -ludicrous in the extreme. On November 29, Judge Holt rendered his -decision, finding, necessarily, that there is _no plagiarism_ from -“Tainted Philanthropy” in “The Woman.” The chief parts in the former -were cast thus: - -_Mrs. Elizabeth Dalton_ Teresa Maxwell-Conover. -_Grace Dalton_ Helen Freeman. -_Theodore Thompson_ Milton Sills. -_Jack Bud_ Joseph Kilgour. -_John Watts_ Albert Bruning. -_Harold Dalton_ Eugene O’Brien. -_A Bellevue Doctor_ Harry C. Browne. -_Attendants_ { James Grove. - { Mark Powers. -_Servant_ Judith Snaith. - -The following letter on the subject of the Goldknopf accusations gave -Belasco much satisfaction: - - -(_The Society of American Dramatists and Composers to David Belasco._) - -“New York, November 27, 1912. - -“Dear Mr. Belasco:-- - - “At a special meeting of the Board of Directors of The Society of - American Dramatists, held immediately after witnessing the - performances of ‘The Woman’ and ‘Tainted Philanthropy,’ a - resolution was passed congratulating and thanking you for your - splendid work in behalf of the dramatists of America in having - called the attention of the public and the press to the efforts of - irresponsible writers and lawyers against authors and producers of - successful plays. We are of the opinion that these ‘strike’ suits, - having no basis or ground for legal action, are a great hardship - to the professional dramatist, and [that] the attention of the Bar - Association should be called to this particular suit as an - aggravated instance of sharp practice and unwarranted attack on the - dramatist’s name and pocket. - -“Yours most sincerely, -“CHARLES KLEIN, -“Secretary.” - - - -In his decision Judge Holt said: - - “This suit is to restrain the [alleged] infringement of a - copyright.... Both pieces have been presented by experienced and - skilful actors, with excellent scenery and stage appointments. I - have carefully read the manuscripts of each play and have seen the - representations of them.... In my opinion the proof _wholly fails_ - to establish the charge. There is _nothing_ to prove, _or to - suggest_, such a comparison of the two plays--that ‘The Woman’ was - copied from ‘Tainted Philanthropy,’ or that any part of the one was - taken from any part of the other. There is _nothing_ to indicate - that either the words, the ideas, or the plot of the defendant’s - play were suggested by complainant’s play. The two plays, in my - opinion, are wholly dissimilar, and I see _no ground whatever_ for - the charge that one infringed the copyright of the other in any - particular. There should be a decree for the defendants, dismissing - the bill on the merits, with costs.” - -Final judgment to that effect was entered March 3, 1913. Belasco’s -unique demonstration of the shameful injustice of the Goldknopf charge, -however, cost him $5,700. Writing on the subject of this suit and of -the performances offered in evidence in it, he has said: - - “A lawsuit charging plagiarism is an expensive affair, even though - the accused manager may win. Because of this, a compromise is - frequently effected. There are many unscrupulous people who make a - business of submitting impossible manuscripts in order to bring - suits when a successful play is produced. Others keep long lists of - registered titles, with the same idea in mind. Thousands of dollars - have been paid by American authors and producers to end these - blackmail suits, because they are more cheaply settled out of - court. I have never yielded to this swindle,--and I never will.... - My actors played ‘Tainted Philanthropy’ beautifully, and I gave it - a dignified setting. It was a case of ‘Look here, upon this - picture, and on this!’ The audience laughed at ‘Tainted - Philanthropy’ until the theatre echoed.... I think it was the first - instance in the history of American jurisprudence when a judge - adjourned court to go to the theatre for the day, as a matter of - legal duty.... - - “As a result of this wretched, contemptible suit, and others like - it, I discontinued my Play Bureau, which I had established several - years previously to encourage young American dramatic authors. I - have produced more plays by such authors than any two other - managers, and I wanted to help them further. My Bureau cost me from - $15,000 to $20,000 a year to maintain and never paid me a cent, - though sometimes as many as 100 plays were received through it in a - single day. When I realized that instead of helping young authors - it was merely helping blackmailers to attack me as a plagiarist, I - closed it up.” - - - - -A DRAMA OF PSYCHOLOGY.--“THE CASE OF BECKY.” - - -Belasco produced “The Case of Becky” for the first time, October 30, -1911, at the New National Theatre, Washington, D. C., but it was not -until October 1, 1912, that, at the Belasco Theatre, the piece was first -made known in the metropolis. It is a psychological “study,” in dramatic -form, based on a play by Edward Locke, entitled “After Many Years.” -Locke (who entered Belasco’s employment to study stage management and -who for a time acted a small part in “The Music Master”) read his play -to Belasco,--who, perceiving in it possibilities of novel and striking -dramatic effect, at once accepted it, with the understanding that it -should be rewritten under his supervision. That stipulation was agreed -to and partially fulfilled,--the rewriting being (as in a great many -other similar instances) done largely by Belasco. The members of the -company which eventually acted in the drama could conclusively testify -to this fact, since much of that labor was performed in their presence, -at rehearsals. - -The name finally bestowed upon this piece is “The Case of Becky.” It is -in three acts, requires only two scenic settings, implicates seven -persons, and is an ingenious and interesting play on a painful but -important subject,--namely, disease or disorder affecting human -personality. The chief characters in it are _Dr. Emerson_, an eminent -physician who employs hypnotism in psychiatry; _Professor Balzamo_, an -itinerant and unscrupulous hypnotist of extraordinary power, and a girl -named _Dorothy_. This girl is the victim of a dreadful metempsychosis -and is often mysteriously changed from her normal, lovable -personality,--in which she is sweet-tempered, affectionate, gentle, and -refined,--into a common, mischievous, vindictive hoyden who is -designated as _Becky_. _Dr. Emerson_ is laboring to reëstablish her -permanently in her normal consciousness by means of hypnotism,--an -object which, ultimately, he attains. It is incidentally revealed that -many years earlier _Balzamo_, exercising his hypnotic faculty, has -compelled _Emerson’s_ wife to leave her husband and travel with him, as -a subject for use in brutal and degrading exhibitions of hypnotism. -While in that helpless bondage the daughter, _Dorothy_, has been born -(her psychic disorder being attributable to the prenatal effect of abuse -of her mother) and the miserable woman has died. Chance has installed -_Dorothy_ as a patient in the home of her father, who, while ministering -to her in affliction, does not know her - -[Illustration: FRANCES STARR AS _BECKY_, IN “THE CASE OF BECKY” - -Photograph by White. Belasco’s Collection. -] - -as his child. _Balzamo_, learning the whereabouts of the girl and -desirous of recovering custody of her, in order to utilize her as a -subject, visits _Emerson_ and seeks to reëstablish his control over -_Dorothy_, begun when she was a little child. The _Doctor_ is led to -suspect the originative facts in “the case of _Becky_” which are unknown -to him; a conflict of wits and powers ensues between him and _Balzamo_; -the latter is, by a trick, subdued and thrown into hypnosis,--in which -state he is compelled to confess the truth and is then deprived of his -hypnotic power. - -Belasco, writing about this singular play--in which he presented Miss -Frances Starr for more than two years--has recorded: - - “I had begun work on the manuscript of my play for Miss Starr - called ‘Jennie’ when I received a letter from Mr. Locke about - ‘After Many Years.’... It was rewritten and renamed ‘The Case of - Becky,’ and in the writing of it we were guided by Dr. Morton - Prince’s ‘The Dissociation of a Personality.’ I felt that in a - hypnotic study of this kind I must not resort to the broad - theatricalism of ‘Trilby’ or ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.’ I was - dealing with a dual personality, and I gave Miss Starr the arduous - task of slipping from innocence into viciousness, in the presence - of an audience, without resorting to any outward trickery. Those - hypnotic scenes were written while the company was rehearsing on - the stage.” - -It is interesting to note that the method prescribed for Miss Starr by -Belasco, in acting _Dorothy_ and _Becky_, is the same which Henry Irving -declared should be employed in acting _Jekyll_ and _Hyde_: Irving bought -the English dramatic rights to Stevenson’s story about that dual -character, intending to put his theory about impersonating it into -practice, but he never did so.--This was the cast of “The Case of -Becky”: - -_Dr. Emerson_ Albert Bruning. -_Dr. Peters_ Harry C. Browne. -_John Arnold_ Eugene O’Brien. -_Professor Balzamo_ Charles Dalton. -_Thomas_ John P. Brawn. -_Miss Pettingill_ Mary Lawton. -_Dorothy_ (“_Becky_”) Frances Starr. - -“I was as much surprised as I was delighted,” said Belasco, “by the -popular success of ‘The Case of Becky,’--which was entirely unexpected.” -His delight was considerably moderated by the prompt appearance of a -couple of discontented playwrighting amateurs, alleging plagiarism. -Their names were Amelia Bachman and George L. McKay; they asserted that -“The Case of Becky” was taken from a drama which they had written, -called “Etelle”; their suit was brought in June, 1912; it was tried, -May 13 and 14, 1913, before Judge Julius M. Mayer, in the United States -Circuit Court, and it was decided against them, “upon the merits,” on -July 9. That decision was appealed, the appeal was argued before the -United States Circuit Court of Appeals, April 6, 1914, and decision in -favor of Belasco was affirmed. In rendering the original decision Judge -Mayer said: - - “...The writing of the play by Mr. Locke was the natural outcome - of his interest in themes dealing with hypnotic influence and - multiple personality, and when he was attracted by ‘How One Girl - Lived Four Lives,’ by John Corbin, and [by] Dr. Prince’s book, he - was at work on ‘The Climax,’ a play in which hypnotism or mental - suggestion is the predominant feature. - - “I am also satisfied, beyond any doubt, that Mr. Belasco never saw, - read or heard of ‘Etelle’ prior to his acceptance of Locke’s play - and Miss Bachman testified that her play had its foundation in the - idea suggested by John Corbin’s article. That being so, and the - facts found by me being as stated, it follows that complainants - have no case. ‘The Case of Becky’ is, in substantial respects, - different from ‘Etelle.’... It is to be expected that two - playwrights, working independently from a common source, may - develop similarities in their plots, but ‘The Case of Becky’ - displays the skill of the experienced playwright in a number of - important particulars and details not found in ‘Etelle.’” - - - - -“A GOOD LITTLE DEVIL.” - - “_Children of an idle brain,_ - _Begot of nothing but vain fantasy._” - - -“A Good Little Devil” is a fairy fantasy, written in French by Mme. -Edmond Rostand (using the pen name of Rosamonde Gerard) and her son -Maurice Rostand. It was adapted to the American Stage by Austin Strong, -and Belasco produced it, for the first time in this country, December -10, 1912, at the Broad Street Theatre, Philadelphia: January 8, 1913, it -was acted in New York, at the Republic Theatre. An immense amount of -space, first and last, has been filled in the American newspaper press -with sentimental rhapsody about such fabrications as “Peter Pan,” “The -Blue Bird,” and “A Good Little Devil.” They are well enough in their -way, but they possess nothing of authentic importance, whether literary, -poetic, or dramatic, and the success gained by them is due solely to the -interest of children and of those who enjoy the amusements of their -children: “The sports of childhood satisfy the child.” - -In “A Good Little Devil” experiences are depicted of a Scotch orphan, a -lad named _Charles MacLance_, who is abused by his aunt, a witch, _Mrs. -MacMiche_; comforted and befriended by fairies; loved by a little blind -girl named _Juliet_, from whom he is separated; saved from evil beings -(_Old Nick, Sr._, and _Old Nick, Jr._); and raised to high social rank, -where he forgets the comrades of his boyhood and is about to wed -unworthily, when he returns to the home of his aunt. There he is visited -by the spirit of his youth; his better nature and his memory of olden -times and friends are awakened, and he returns to the arms of his early -love--whose sight has been restored by the fairies--declaring his -intention to live the life of the affections. - -The stage accoutrement in which Belasco presented this fabric of -whimsical extravagance was so beautiful, so full of the poetic feeling -and allurement conspicuously absent from the piece itself, that it -gained and for some time held, and deserved to hold, popular favor: it -was played at the Republic Theatre until May 3, 1913,--152 consecutive -performances being given. - -“A Good Little Devil” was presented with the following cast: - -_A Poet_ Ernest Lawford. -_Betsy_ Iva Merlin. -_Mrs. MacMiche_ William Norris. -_Charles MacLance_, a Good Little Devil Ernest Truex. -_Old Nick, Sr._ Edward Connelly. -_Old Nick, Jr._ Etienne Girardot. -_Juliet_ Mary Pickford. -_Marian_ Laura Grant. -_Queen Mab_ Wilda Bennett. -_Viviane_ Edna Griffin. -_Morganie_ Lillian Gish. -_Titania_ Claire Burke. -_Dewbright_ Reggie Wallace. -_Thought-From-Afar_ Georgia Mae Fursman. -_Jock_ Louis Esposit. -_Wally_ Gerard Gardner. -_Mac_ Adrian Morgan. -_Tam_ Jerome Fernandez. -_Sandy_ Edward Dolly. -_Allan_ Norman Taurog. -_Neil_ Harold Meyer. -_Jamie_ Carlton Riggs. -_Davie_ David Ross. -_Robert_ Roland Wallace. -_John_ Charles Castner. -_Angus_ Lauren Pullman. -_Huggermunk_ Pat Walshe. -_Muggerhunk_ Sam Goldstein. -_The Solicitor from London_ Dennis Cleugh. -_The Doctor from Inverary_ Joseph A. Wilkes. -_The Lawyer from Oban_ Robert Vivian. -_Rab, the dog_ Arthur Hill. - - - - -“THE SECRET.” - -“_A secret and villanous contriver._” - - -“When I produced ‘The Secret,’” writes Belasco, in a biographical note -made for me, “I was told by most of the writers for the [news]papers, -and by many friends, that the principal character in it, _Gabrielle_, is -untrue to life--is _impossible_! Well, all I have to say is:--It is -_not_ impossible. She is very exceptional, no doubt, and morbid; but she -is _true_ to life and I know it, because I have seen and known and had -to deal with exactly such women as _Gabrielle_. They are unpleasant, of -course,--but they are real, a part of the Comedy of Human Life that I -have aimed to show in the Theatre, and that is the reason I produced -‘The Secret,’ notwithstanding much advice against it. I did not expect -financial success.” - -When Belasco first heard of “The Secret,”--which, written in French by -Henri Bernstein, was originally produced, in March, 1913, at the Théâtre -Bouffes-Parisiens, in Paris, with Mme. Simone (Mme. Simone Le Bargy) in -the principal part,--Charles Frohman had just relinquished the right of -producing it in America. He was so much impressed by the published -accounts of the plot and of the performance that he went to Paris -(sailing, June 18, 1913, on the Campania, _via_ Fishguard) to see it, -and there, after witnessing several representations of the drama, he -personally arranged with its author for an American production. -“Bernstein,” he writes, “wanted me to have Mme. Simone act _Gabrielle_ -in America; but, although she is a fine actress and gave a good -performance, she did not, in my opinion, make the part credible. I could -see nobody for it but little Miss Starr--and Bernstein waived his wishes -and left everything to me. I knew from the first that it was impossible -to make money with the piece in America; but I was determined to do it, -and I did; and I am content, though it cost me $57,000 in order to show -the American public a perfect piece of modern play writing and (as I -think) acting.” - -The qualities in Bernstein’s “The Secret” which won Belasco’s profound -admiration are its technical constructive deftness and its cumulative -theatrical effectiveness. While repellent in subject, it is, for stage -purposes, extraordinarily well made. The principal character in it is -_Gabrielle Jannelot_, a wife, young, accomplished, beautiful, admired, -and loved,--apparently a paragon of feminine excellence; in fact, a -personification of malignant jealousy and malicious envy. This charming -female, blessed with everything that should make her contented, cannot -endure the sight of the happiness of others and, while cloaking her -wickedness with an assumption of generosity, gentleness, and goodness -which for years completely deceives her husband and her - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by the Misses Selby. Author’s Collection. - -BELASCO, ABOUT 1914] - -friends, she industriously spreads misery all about her. She has -contrived to establish bitter estrangement between her devoted husband -and a dearly loved and loving sister; and, ascertaining that another -sister-in-law, _Henriette Durand_,--who is her closest friend and who -has confided in her,--is beloved by a high-principled, jealous young -man, _Denis Le Guern_, she schemes to wreck their prospective happiness. -The fair _Henriette_ (whose amorous receptivity appears to be -comprehensive) has secretly been the mistress of a profligate man of -fashion, named _Charlie Ponta-Tulli_, to whom she would have been wedded -had not _Gabrielle_ surreptitiously suppressed missives passing between -them and thus caused their intrigue to be ended. Aware of _Guern’s_ -jealous disposition and strong preference for early vegetables, -_Gabrielle_ counsels _Henriette_, when he shall formally propose -marriage to her, to make a full confession to him of her relation to -_Ponta-Tulli_,--being confident that _Guern_ will then withdraw his -proposal. This advice _Henriette_ promises to act upon; but, through -fear, she fails to do so, and presently she and _Guern_ are wedded and -for a while dwell in bliss. _Gabrielle_, unable to endure the spectacle -of their felicity, plans to destroy it by contriving to have all the -persons implicated in the action assembled as guests in a country -residence, thus bringing the new-wedded couple into close contact with -the ardent though alienated _Ponta-Tulli_. There the former lover -protests to the distressed _Henriette_ his unchangeable passion, and -there they are surprised together by the suspicious _Guern_ in the -moment when _Tulli_ is demanding her reasons for having broken with him. -A violent wrangle ensues, during which _Gabrielle_, under pretence of -attempting reconciliation, neatly manages to make known the former -illicit relation of _Tulli_ and _Henriette_ to the latter’s husband. In -the passages of bitter recrimination which follow _Tulli_ at last -establishes the fact that he had not wilfully abandoned the charming -_Henriette_, and then (with remarkable dramatic dexterity) the spiteful -treachery of _Gabrielle_ is little by little elicited and “the secret” -of that vicious and contemptible little mischief-maker is finally -revealed when she is forced to confess to her wretched husband all her -years of wicked intrigue and perverse malice. There, dramatically, the -play ends,--where so much of human experience ends, in heartbroken -misery and despair. A superfluous “tag” is, however, provided in which -_Jannelot_ first induces _Guern_ to forgive _Henriette_ and then himself -casts the mantle of indulgence over the sins of _Gabrielle_--the fervid -_Ponta-Tulli_ being left to recede into the dim perspective of Paris, -there to comfort himself as best he may. - -The performance of this painful play was, in the main, excellent, Miss -Marguerite Leslie acting the errant _Henriette_ with deep and -sympathetic feeling, and Miss Starr, as _Gabrielle_, giving perhaps the -most completely finished and artistic performance of her -career,--because definite and intelligible in ideal, sustained, fluent, -precise in expression, and entirely plausible in effect. Mr. Frank -Reicher appeared as the excitable and jealous _Guern_ and provided a -significant exhibition of the radically artificial, insincere, and -finical method so common to the Continental European Stage and so much -admired and commended in America for the reason, apparently, that it is -European.--“The Secret” was exquisitely set upon the stage, in scenery -designed by Ernest Gros, and was presented by Belasco with the following -cast: - -_Constant Jannelot_ Basil Gill. -_Charlie Ponta-Tutti_ Robert Warwick. -_Denis Le Guern_ Frank Reicher. -_Joseph_ John P. Brawn. -_Gabrielle Jannelot_ Frances Starr. -_Henriette Durand_ Marguerite Leslie. -_Clotilde DeSavageat_ Harriet Otis Dellenbaugh. -_Marie_ Beatrice Reinhardt. - - - - -“MARIE-ODILE.” - - -[Of all the productions which he has made, excepting only that of -“Madame Butterfly,” Belasco feels most pride in that of Edward -Knoblauch’s play entitled “Marie-Odile,”--a work esteemed by him to be -one of great artistic excellence and beauty. It was brought out in -Washington, January 18, and at the Belasco Theatre, New York, January -26, 1915. Through a series of mischances it happened that neither my -father nor I saw that production. Therefore, as critical consideration -of it should not be omitted from this Memoir, I here copy, from “The New -York Evening Post,” the review of the representation written by my -father’s old friend and co-worker John Ranken Towse, now the most -experienced and authoritative writer on the drama connected with the New -York press.--J. W.] - - “The ‘Marie-Odile’ of Edward Knoblauch, which was presented for the - first time in the Belasco Theatre last evening, is in many respects - a remarkable play, which would have been still more noteworthy if - it did not slip now and then below the highest level of its ideal. - For the most part, it is sweet, idyllic romance, with an - undercurrent of satirical symbolism and a tincture of somewhat - perilous philosophy, and it is told with delicacy and imagination, - except for occasional touches of rougher realism, which are - unnecessary and inartistic, and have a harsh and jarring effect in - a rarefied and sentimental atmosphere. The object of them--one of - contrast--is obvious and legitimate, but it might have been - attained by less violent methods. - - “On the surface, at first, the tale is one for the nursery, but - beneath is deep and earnest purpose, the enforcement of the - distinction between the essential goodness of loving and unselfish - innocence, delighting in service, and the hard and cruel Pharisaism - of a narrow, egoistic bigotry. Presently the parable illustrates - the savagery which perfect innocence may experience at the hands of - arrogant and sophisticated virtue. But a brief outline will most - clearly show the motive of Mr. Knoblauch’s story. The scene is laid - in a convent in France, during the Franco-German conflict of 1870. - _Marie-Odile_, the embodiment of childish innocence, is virtually - the servant of the sisterhood. As an infant she had been found on - the door-step. Now she is serving her novitiate and doing the - domestic work, until ready for the final vows. She is a bright, - affectionate, devout, and indefatigable little creature, who has - never been outside the convent walls, has never seen a man--except - an old priest and a decrepit, half-witted gardener--and is - absolutely ignorant of the world and the ways of life. She has been - taught that babies are the rewards which kindly angels bring from - heaven to deserving mothers. By the _Mother Superior_, a martinet - and zealot, she is persistently bullied. Even her tenderness for - her pet pigeon is accounted a mortal sin, and, by way of spiritual - discipline, she is ordered to tell the gardener to kill it for the - _Mother Superior’s_ table. At this she revolts. Sooner than obey - she hides herself, and is not to be found when the terrible news - arrives that the French have been hopelessly beaten, and that the - _Uhlans_ are at the convent door. The priests and the nuns flee and - _Marie-Odile_ and the old gardener are left behind alone. Soon the - first German, a handsome young corporal, arrives, and - _Marie-Odile_, who has never seen a male figure of such splendor - before, concludes that he is Saint Michael--the convent’s patron - saint--and kneels to him in rapturous worship. Other soldiers come - in, led by a rough sergeant, and are disposed to take liberties, - but are promptly disarmed by her fearlessness, her simplicity, and - her transparent innocence. They even affect to respect the laws of - the _Mother Superior_, which she quotes as paramount. She feeds - them, presides at their table, and holds them in subjection--all - but one or two--by magic of the ignorance that knows no wrong. The - corporal champions her against the advances of his more brutal - fellows, and to him she appeals with the confidence of a child. - When the troops depart the sergeant, learning that the corporal has - never had a love affair of any kind, purposely leaves him behind, - bidding him take advantage of his manifest opportunity. - - The _Corporal_, who is not vicious, is so moved by _Marie-Odile’s_ - unsuspecting confidence that he resolves not to molest her, but she - begs him so earnestly to remain, and so willingly lets him kiss - her, that he yields to temptation, and the curtain falls upon the - second act as she reposes happily in his arms. The scene is natural - and charming, and the sentiment that of pure, youthful romance. In - the third and last act, after the lapse of a year, the convent has - another tenant. _Marie-Odile_ and the old gardener are no longer - alone. There is an infant, which _Marie-Odile_ accounts for as a - miraculous gift from Heaven. She is conscious of no ill, has - followed unhesitatingly the promptings of nature, and rejoices in - her new possession with boundless exultation. But now the war is - over and the nuns are returning. _Sister Louise_, the - personification of true Christian charity, is the first to enter, - and sorely afflicted is she as she listens to _Marie-Odile’s_ - grateful pæans, and thinks of what the _Mother Superior_ will say. - That austere judge is inflexible from the first. Straightway she - orders the amazed but unrepentant young mother from the sacred - precincts, in spite of the protests of _Sister Louise_, who - declares that the true responsibility lay with the sisterhood which - had failed to instruct or guard innocence. - - “Simple as the play is in external form, it deals with more than - one difficult and complex problem. Concerning the particular - instance of the heroine--who becomes in Mr. Knoblauch’s sketch a - fresh and delightful ideal of ignorant and untainted - innocence--there need be no question. Like _Haidée_, she flew to - her love like a young bird. She was guiltless, and her story--with - the exceptions hinted at--is told very prettily, with an unaffected - naturalism which is rare, and with many charming little poetic - interludes. Her love episode is handled with notable tact and - fancy, and is an eloquent plea for the sanctity of nature’s own - laws. But obviously it is less ingenuous than _Marie-Odile_ in its - wilful disregard of certain awkward and wholly incontrovertible - facts. The Pharisaism of the _Mother Superior_ is, of course, - utterly indefensible upon any count, but may be set down partly to - the credit of poetic license. Unfortunately, the innocence of love - is not, in the present state of this imperfect world, sufficient to - exempt it from the material penalties of unrestricted freedom. And - the instruction of ignorance is not altogether so simple a matter - as some of our younger social philosophers seem to suppose. - - “But in ‘Marie-Odile’ Mr. Knoblauch has produced a work of superior - calibre, and has acquitted himself of a difficult task with - ingenuity and tact. His first act is too much overladen with - (dramatically) trifling details, but the piece acquires strength - and impetus as it proceeds. _Marie-Odile_ is one of the most - credible examples of complete unsophistication that has been put - upon the stage for a long time, and she is admirably impersonated - by Miss Frances Starr. The part does not, it is true, present many - difficulties, but most actresses would have betrayed in it a - self-consciousness of the superfine quality of the innocence which - they were portraying, and this Miss Starr did not do. She did - really suggest the purity of a completely isolated maidenhood. Her - completely natural maternal exultation in the possession of a baby - was really excellent acting. Harriet Otis Dellenbaugh showed warm - womanly feeling as the kindly _Sister Louise_, Jerome Patrick did - very well as the _Corporal_, and Frank Reicher furnished a clever - character bit as the senile old gardener. The setting in the - convent was perfect--a notable specimen of Mr. Belasco’s - handiwork.” - -This was the cast of “Marie-Odile”: - -_Mother Saint Dominic_, Mother Superior - of the Convent Marie Wainwright. -_Sister Clotilde_ Ada C. Nevil. -_Sister Louise_ Harriet Otis Dellenbaugh. -_Sister Monica_ Alice Martin. -_Sister Anatole_ Sally Williams. -_Sister Angela_ Mildred Dean. -_Sister Cecilia_ Amy Fitzpatrick. -_Sister Joseph_ Mary Green. -_Sister Elizabeth_ Nona Murray. -_Sister Catherine_ Alice Carroll. -_Marie-Odile_, a novice Frances Starr. - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by White. Belasco’s Collection. - -FRANCES STARR AS _MARIE ODILE_] - -_Father Fisher_ Edward Donnelly. -_Peter_ Frank Reicher. -_Sergeant Otto Beck_ } { Henry Vogel. -_Corp. Philip Meissner_ } Uhlans { Jerome Patrick. -_Steinhauser_ } in a { Paul Stanley. -_Hartmann_ } Prussian { Alphonse Ethier. -_Horn_ } Regiment. { Edward Waldmann. -_Mittendorf_ } { Charles W. Kaufman. -_Schramm_ } { Robert Robson. - { Margaret Cadman. - { Edith King. -_Sisters_ { Dorothy Turner. - { Edythe Maynard. - { Madeleine Marshall. - { Gertrude Wagner. - { Hugo Schmedes. -_Soldiers_ { August Nelson. - { Albert Mack. - - - - -RECONCILIATION WITH CHARLES FROHMAN--AND JOINT PRESENTMENT OF “A -CELEBRATED CASE.” - - -The antagonism of Belasco and the Theatrical Syndicate, which he fought -for so many years, naturally led to friction between him and Charles -Frohman,--a person of extraordinary self-conceit, who loved to have -applied to himself the ridiculous designation of “the Napoleon of the -Theatre”; who aspired to be thought the greatest of theatrical managers, -and who, necessarily, felt himself rebuked under the superior talents of -the man with whom, in early years, he had been so closely associated -and who had done so much to make his career possible. In 1903 he had a -personal quarrel with Belasco (about what I do not know), and for twelve -years thereafter they were more or less actively at enmity and treated -each other as strangers. Frohman, however, appears to have possessed -engaging qualities, which endeared him to many of those who knew him -well. Belasco, for example, has assured me that through all the time of -their estrangement he “cherished a great affection for ‘Charlie,’” and -that he is “grateful beyond words that our misunderstanding was cleared -up and our friendship renewed before he sailed away to his death.” -Frohman left New York on board the steamship Lusitania, May 1, 1915, and -he lost his life, May 7, when, to the eternal infamy of the German -nation, that vessel was sunk off Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland. “I was -alone in my studio, one evening early in 1915,” Belasco has told me, -“and by chance I noticed a newspaper paragraph about Charles Frohman -being ill, at the Hotel Knickerbocker. It set me thinking about our -first meeting so long ago in San Francisco, and of all that followed; of -our first venture in Chicago and of all the years when we worked -together and had rooms side by side, when ‘Charlie’ used to consult me -about everything and I used to read my ‘May Blossom’ to him. As I sat -there thinking it all over I realized that the shadows were beginning -to slant toward the east--and suddenly I decided that if ‘Charlie’ -should die without our being reconciled it should not be my fault. I -started to write a little note to him but got no further than ‘Dear -Charlie’ when my telephone-bell rang. The caller was Roeder--and the -first thing he said was: ‘I’ve just had a telephone message from Charles -Frohman. He wants to see you’! We met that night, in his rooms, and -forgot that we ever had a disagreement.” - -Soon after that reconciliation Belasco held a little festival in honor -of Frohman, in his theatre-studio, and there, at first in jest, it was -proposed that they should make a joint revival of some notably -successful play of earlier days. This proposal led to a serious -discussion and eventually to an agreement whereby the two managers -covenanted to make a joint production every season during a term of -years. At Frohman’s request Belasco agreed to choose the first play to -be presented by them, and his election fell upon “A Celebrated Case.” - -That play (first produced in America at the Union Square Theatre, New -York, January 23, 1878) is a melodrama in six acts, translated, in rough -English, from the French of Adolphe D’Ennery (1811-1899) and Eugène -Cormon (18--- 18--). It presents the image of a murder which was done in -France, on the eve of the Battle of Fontenoy (May 11, 1745), and for -which an innocent man was made to suffer years of cruel punishment, -till, at last, in a mysterious and circuitous way, it was brought home -to its perpetrator. The circumstances of the crime are peculiarly -hideous and the circumstances of the belated retribution are peculiarly -complex. The innocent man, _Jean Renaud_, is condemned, for the murder -of his wife, on the testimony of their child. _Lazare_, the guilty man -(as in many other fictions on this antiquated pattern), assumes the -identity of another person connected with the crime, the _Count de -Mornay_, and, after various escapes from exposure and much suspense, he -is baffled in his maintenance of the assumed identity and is brought to -justice. The parting of the condemned father with his innocent, -prattling child, who has unconsciously convicted him of murder, and -their meeting in after years, he a wretched galley-slave and she a young -woman, afford a poignantly affecting contrast. Adroit use, likewise, is -made of a certain singular jewel as the instrument for discovery of the -actual criminal. Although there are no remarkable characters in the -piece and nothing extraordinary in its dialogue, it possesses -substantial dramatic merit in its occasional scenes of acute agony, -relieved by the violent action of natures taxed beyond endurance. Its -sentiment, moreover,--that of filial affection,--is pure; and in its -complication of the lives and the emotional troubles of two young girls -it deals skilfully and tenderly with difficult and lovely themes. Its -choice by Belasco (who had several times directed performances of it in -the days of his youth and in whom predilection for tense situation and -sharp effect is dominant) was a natural one. Affiliated with Frohman, he -presented it in a slightly revised form--some of its dialogue being a -little “modernized”--but substantially unaltered and in picturesque and -rich dress. It was well acted and kindly received. The first performance -of this Belasco-Frohman revival occurred at the Hollis Street Theatre, -Boston, March 28, 1915, and, April 7, they brought it out at the Empire -Theatre, New York. This was the cast: - -_Count d’Aubeterre_ Frederic de Belleville. -_Lazare_ } Robert Warwick. -_Count de Mornay_ } -_Chanoinesse_ Elita Proctor Otis. -_Viscount Raoul de Mornay_ Eugene O’Brien. -_Jean Renaud_ Otis Skinner. -_Dennis O’Rourke_ N. C. Goodwin. -_Corporal_ Walter F. Scott. -_Seneschal_ George Allison. -_Captain_ John Warnick. -_Duchess d’Aubeterre_ Minna Gale Haynes. -_Little Adrienne_ Mimi Yvonne. -_Martha_ Beverly Sitgreaves. -_Julia_ Ruth Farnum. -_Madeleine Renaud_ Helen Ware. -_Adrienne Renaud_ Ann Murdock. -_Annette_ Esther Cornell. -_Valentine de Mornay_ Florence Reed. -_Julie_ Marie Sasse. - - - - -LENORE ULRIC.--AND “THE HEART OF WETONA.” - - -Many players of talent and present eminence have been fostered and -developed under Belasco’s management--that being, indeed, one of his -most important services to our Stage. He is an inveterate -theatre-goer,--attending performances everywhere and, sooner or later, -seeing practically everything and everybody visible on the American -Stage. This customary vigilant observance of all activity within his -profession he facetiously describes as “my fishing trips,” and, -conversing with me on the subject, he has remarked: “It is often a long -time between ‘bites,’ but one of the delights of the sport is that you -never know, as the curtain goes up, how soon you may ‘hook a big one.’ -Among the biggest I have ever landed is, I believe, little Miss Ulric: I -think she will grow bigger every season she is before the public.” - -Miss Lenore Ulric, to whom Belasco thus referred, was born at New Ulm, -Minnesota, July 21, 189--. In childhood she knew the meaning of -hardship, and she has studied and learned in the often harsh school of -experience. Whether or not she will fulfil Belasco’s high expectation -time alone can tell, but one thing about her is certain: she belongs to -a class of which there is urgent need on our Stage,--she is “a born -actress.” She resorted to the dramatic calling not through mere vanity, -the impulse of personal exhibition, or the acquisitive hope of -profit,--motives which actuate a majority of the young women who go upon -the Stage,--but because her natural vocation is acting. As far as known, -no precedent member of her family was ever associated with the Theatre, -and for some time her choice of that calling met with severe paternal -disapproval. Her novitiate was served in various stock companies in -Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, Chicago, and Syracuse. In August, 1913, Miss -Ulric appeared as _Luana_, in “The Bird of Paradise,” under the -management of Mr. Oliver Morosco: she acted that part for two seasons. -In 1914, while playing at the Standard Theatre, New York, she wrote to -Belasco asking him to witness her performance of that part and -expressing the hope that after having done so he might find a place for -her in some one of his companies. “I have long made it a rule,” writes -Belasco, “to comply with such requests from young players whenever it is -possible for me to do so. I well remember how long _I_ pleaded with dear -John McCullough for a hearing before I got it and I know the -discouragement of ‘hope deferred.’ Besides--nobody can make a fairer -proposition than ‘watch my work and, if you think it is good, engage -me.’ But I was extremely busy when I received Miss Ulric’s request and -couldn’t give the time,--so I sent my secretary, Mr. Curry. His report -was so favorable that I felt I must see her at work--so, since I could -not go to her, I had Mr. Roeder bring her to me by making her a -tentative offer of an engagement to act in George Scarborough’s play of -‘The Girl.’ She accepted, of course (she has told me, since, that she -had set her heart on getting with me and would have accepted almost any -offer to do so), and I had my stage manager call a rehearsal. I was not -supposed to attend,--but I slipped into the gallery unknown to anybody -(a little trick I have) and watched her carefully. After twenty minutes -I knew I was watching a very talented and unusual young woman--one who -with opportunity and proper training might do great things. Before the -rehearsal was over I had told Roeder to close the arrangement with her -to play the leading part in ‘The Girl,’ which, afterward, became ‘The -Heart of Wetona.’” - -In its original form the scene of that play was “A Middle Western Town” -(Missouri), its five characters were Caucasian, and its story was one of -erring love, deceit, shame, and rescue set in a commonplace rural -environment,--a main purpose of its author being, presumably, to exhibit -a group of conventional persons impelled by violent passion yet -restrained by religious feeling. In that form it received a trial -presentment, June 28, 1915, at Atlantic City, New Jersey, with this -cast: - - -_In the Prologue._ - -_David Greer_ William H. Thompson. -_Elizabeth Greer_ Lenore Ulric. - - -_In the Play._ - -_Jonathan Wells, D.D_ Arthur Lewis. -_Anthony Wells_ Lowell Sherman. -_The Rev. Frederick Forbes_ John Miltern. -_Elizabeth Greer_ Lenore Ulric. -_David Greer_ William H. Thompson. - -“Although its material was undeniably good, I had felt strong doubts -about the piece, from the first, but I gave it a ‘try-out,’ anyway,” -said Belasco. “Then I saw that it would not do as it stood and took it -off, and, at my suggestion and under my supervision, with such -assistance as I could give, Mr. Scarborough rewrote ‘The Girl’ and -eventually we had a real success with it.” - -The rewritten play was first acted, January 20, 1916, at Stamford, -Connecticut, under the title of “Oklahoma”; soon after it was called -“The Heart of Wetona,” and under that name it was brought forth, -February 29, at the Lyceum Theatre, New York, where it held the stage -until May 20. - -In its definitive form the scene of “The Heart of Wetona” is an Indian -Reservation, in the torrid State of Oklahoma; several of its persons are -aborigines of the Comanche tribe, and,--though its action and incidents -are sometimes arbitrarily directed,--it is a remarkably good melodrama -of a long-familiar kind. Belasco’s purpose in directing the revision was -to provide an effective play for the exploitation of the young actress -whose talents had so favorably impressed him, and that purpose was well -accomplished,--the interest centring continuously in the principal -female part, a girl named _Wetona_, the child of a Comanche chieftain -and a white mother, deceased. This girl, who has been seduced under a -lying promise of marriage by _Anthony Wells_, a visitor to the Indian -Reservation, is chosen as a sort of vestal virgin in ceremonial rites of -the Comanches, and thereupon, in the Tribal House, before her father -and his assembled warriors, though concealing her lover’s identity, she -confesses her transgression. The girl is then subjected to a harrowing -inquisition by the Indians, who desire to find and slay her lover. At -last, unable to endure longer, she agrees to reveal his name on -condition that she first be permitted to warn him of his danger. She -seeks him in the home of his friend _John Hardin_, the Indian Agent on -the Reservation (who secretly loves the girl and desires to make her his -wife), and is followed by her father, _Chief Quannah_, who, finding her -in conference with _Hardin_, furiously accuses him of being the wronger -of his daughter and demands that he instantly marry her--as an -alternative to being instantly slain with her. To save the girl, -himself, and her to him unknown lover, _Hardin_ agrees to do so, -privately assuring _Wetona_ that the marriage shall be one in name but -not in fact, and, a clergyman being conveniently accessible, the wedding -is at once performed. Afterward _Wetona_, collapsing, calls upon the -name of her _Anthony_--thus discovering to her husband her resolutely -guarded secret. Later, _Wells_, ensconced in the home of _Hardin_ and -supposing himself unsuspected and secure, seeks to resume his relation -with _Wetona_, but is repulsed by her until a divorce (to which -_Hardin_ will connive) shall have been obtained and he shall have -fulfilled his promise of marriage. Then the perfidy of _Wells_ is -revealed to _Wetona_ and she revolts from him; _Quannah_ discovers the -truth; _Hardin_, though righteously wrathful against _Wells_, tries to -save him from the vengeance of the Indians (providing him with weapons -and a steed) but fails,--that rascal being shot and killed as he -attempts to ride away in the night,--and the injured, forlorn Indian -girl humbly and thankfully confesses to _Hardin_ her contrition, her -gratitude for his protective generosity, the affection with which he has -inspired her, and her glad willingness to remain with him as his wife. - -The ethics of all this will hardly bear scrutiny--but the dramatic -effect of it in representation was undeniable; and, perhaps, where -virtue is, presumably, intended it is to consider too curiously to -consider further. Miss Ulric presented with vigor, skill, simplicity, -sustained continuity of identity, and remarkable force a true, pathetic, -and alluring ideal of unsophisticated girlhood, confiding feminine ardor -and passionate distress, and she gained an auspicious success.--The cast -of “The Heart of Wetona,” as acted at the Lyceum under the management of -Belasco and a corporation called “Charles Frohman, Inc.,” is appended: - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Abbe. Belasco’s Collection. - -LENORE ULRIC AS _WETONNA_, IN “THE HEART OF WETONNA”] - -_Quannah_, Chief of the Comanches William Courtleigh. -_Wetona_ Lenore Ulric. -_John Hardin_ John Miltern. -_David Wells_ Edward L. Snader. -_Anthony Wells_ Lowell Sherman. -_Mary Greer_ Isabel O’Madigan. -_Comanche Jack_ Curtis Cooksey. -_Nauma_ Ethel Benton. -_Nipo_ H. G. Carleton. -_Pasequa_ Langdon West. -_Eagle_ Chief Deer. - - - - -VARIOUS PRODUCTIONS--MISCELLANEOUS RECORD: “WHAT’S WRONG.”--“THE -VANISHING BRIDE.”--“THE LOVE THOUGHT.”--“ALIAS.” - - -During the last five years [that is, the five years preceding April, -1917] Belasco has made productions of various plays which do not require -extended consideration, though they must be specified and briefly -described in this Memoir in order to complete the record of his labors. -Those plays are “The Governor’s Lady,” “Years of Discretion,” “The -Temperamental Journey,” “What’s Wrong,” “The Man Inside,” “The Vanishing -Bride,” “The Phantom Rival,” “The Boomerang,” “The Love Thought,” “Seven -Chances,” “Alias,” “The Little Lady in Blue,” and “The Very Minute.” - -Of these, “What’s Wrong,” by Frederick Ballard; “The Love Thought,” by -Henry Irving Dodge; “The Vanishing Bride,” adapted by Sydney Rosenfeld -from a German original called “Tantalus,” by Leo Kastner and Ralph -Tesmar; and “Alias” (based on a story by John A. Moroso and originally -called “The Treadmill”), by Willard Mack, are plays to which Belasco -gave trial productions, and all of which, except “The Vanishing Bride,” -he purposes to present in New York hereafter, when they have been -smoothed and polished and are deemed by him to be ready for metropolitan -presentment. “What’s Wrong” was brought out at the National Theatre, -Washington, D. C., May 4, 1914; “The Vanishing Bride” at Long Branch, -New Jersey, July 27, the same year; “The Love Thought,” at the Parsons -Theatre, Hartford, Connecticut, April 26, 1915; and “Alias,” first under -its original title, at the Apollo Theatre, Atlantic City, May 8, 1916, -then, February 5, 1917, at the Belasco Theatre, Washington. “The -Vanishing Bride” would have been produced in New York soon after its -trial had not Belasco found Mr. Rosenfeld (who is an industrious and -moderately clever writer but flatulent with self-conceit) excessively -fractious and troublesome to deal with. “I had spent $18,000 on that -play,” Belasco has told me, “and I know it could be made a success, -because it has excellent material in it. But life is too short for -disputes with Mr. Sydney Rosenfeld. I am always glad to do my best for -the men and women, writers or actors, who work with me, but I am not -willing to wrangle and fight with them for the privilege of doing so! -Therefore, I preferred to pocket my loss and let the piece go--with my -blessing and the hope that its adapter will find a more satisfactory -producer.” - -The casts of the trial productions enumerated are here appended: - - -CAST OF “WHAT’S WRONG.” - -_George H. Smith_ Frederick Burton. -_Perry Dodge_ Richie Ling. -_Eddie_ William Dixon. -_Woodrow_ Percy Helton. -_Heavy_ } { Henry Weaver. -_Bill_ } Farm hands { J. W. Kennedy. -_Red_ } { Russell Simpson. -_Jennie Brown_ Janet Beecher. -_Mrs. Perry Dodge_ Maidel Turner. -_Mrs. Lee-Hugh_, S.P.A.I.H. Louise Sylvester. -_Phoebe Snow_ Dorothy Walters. -_Flossie_ Susanne Willa. -_Agnes_ Grace Vernon. -_Tillie_ Jane Shore. - - -CAST OF “THE VANISHING BRIDE.” - -_Zachary Hollis_ Thomas A. Wise. -_Dick Hollis_ Howard Estabrook. -_Baron Von Berndorff_ Gustav Von Seyffertitz. -_Eric Von Berndorff_ Frank Gillmore. -_Phelim O’Hara_ Denman Maley. -_An Upholsterer_ Conrad Cantzen. -_A Postman_ Lee Metford. -_Letty Von Berndorff_ Janet Beecher. -_Eva_, the bride Ottola Nesmith. -_Eileen O’Hara_ Angela Keir. -_Mrs. Miller_ Margaret Seddon. -_Anna_ Edith Houston. - - -CAST OF “THE LOVE THOUGHT.” - -_Stephen Bennett_ Ramsey Wallace. -_Howard Johnson_ Lowell Sherman. -_Squire Miley_ George Gaston. -_Jake Means_ Hardee Kirkland. -_Dupley Reed_ Henry Forsman. -_George Culligan_ Daniel Moyles. -_Lew Bates_ George Berry. -_Billy_ Edwin Dupont, Jr. -_Anne Gardner_ Janet Beecher. -_Mary Miley_ Isabel O’Madigan. -_Frances Avery_ Katherine Proctor. -_Nellie Avery_ Antoinette Walker. -_Mrs. Means_ Harriet Ross. -_Mrs. Bates_ Lois Frances Clark. -_Mrs. Culligan_ Elizabeth Hunt. - - -CAST OF “THE TREADMILL”--“ALIAS.” - -_Herman Strauss_, “Old Dutch” Willard Mack. -_Warden John Healey_ Edwin Mordant. -_“Biff” Schulte_ Jay Wilson. -_Dan Davis_ E. J. Mack. -_Toby_ Jack Jevne. -_Mrs. John Weldon_ Margaret Moreland. -_Mrs. Franklyn Joyce_ Carmilla Crume. -_Amanda Joyce_ Constance Molineaux. -_Titheradge Joyce_ Francis Joyner. -_Jacob Fralinger_ Arthur Donaldson. -_John Weldon_ William Boyd. -_Oscar Spiegel_ Gus Weinberg. -_Mrs. Mary Gilligan_ Annie Mack Berlein. -_Dick_ Tammany Young. -_Harry_ Cornish Beck. -_Greta_ Ruth Collins. -_Bertha_ Jean Temple. -_Andrews_ Tex Charwate. - - - - -“THE GOVERNOR’S LADY.” - - -Belasco produced “The Governor’s Lady” for the first time, May 1, 1912, -at the Broad Street Theatre, Philadelphia, and, September 9, that year, -at the Republic, he brought it out in New York. It is a drama of -domestic dissension and tribulation sequent on the surrender to -selfishness and vanity of a wilful man who is indicated as being, -notwithstanding his faults and errors, innately kind and good. The name -of him is _Daniel S. Slade_. He has been a miner and poor. Having -acquired riches he has become ambitious and aspires to social and -political eminence; would, in fact, be Governor of the State of -Colorado, wherein he dwells. _Mrs. Slade_, his wife, is an exemplary but -homely and home-keeping person and she cannot adapt herself to the ways -of the rich and fashionable society in which _Slade_ desires to be a -leader. She is, at first, disposed to consider their newborn -incompatibility and her husband’s dissatisfaction as fanciful. But when -_Slade_ intimates that he regards her as a hindrance to his advancement -and signifies that there had better be a formal separation, or a -divorce, between them she is deeply wounded. She agrees, however, to -separate from him, while indignantly repelling his suggestion that he -obtain a divorce. Later she ascertains that he has chosen as her -successor a young, beautiful, and unscrupulous woman who he believes -will be useful in furthering his ambitions and who is willing to abandon -the youth she loves in order to make a better match. _Mrs. Slade_ then -rounds on her discontented spouse and, being thrice armed in the justice -of her quarrel, notwithstanding his wealth and influence, brings upon -him and his prospective consort public odium, confronts and defeats him -in court, and, bringing a counter suit, is granted a divorce from him. -She leaves Denver and goes to New York,--where, two years later, -_Slade_, who has meantime become Governor of Colorado, finds her in one -of Child’s restaurants. The _Governor_ makes known to her that he is -perceptive of the impropriety of his course; that in spite of his -conduct he has always loved the wife who has divorced him, and proposes -that they remarry. This _Mrs. Slade_ declines to do, not, however, -concealing the fact that she still cherishes affection for _Slade_, and -the play ends with his picking her up and carrying her off in his arms, -in quest of a parson, in order to establish her as the _Governor’s -Lady_. - -Belasco described this fabric as “a play in three acts and an epilogue -in Child’s,” and it was announced as having been written by Miss Alice -Bradley. During its first performance in New York Mr. Emmett Corrigan -(who impersonated the character of _Slade_) came before the curtain and, -in a brief speech on behalf of Miss Bradley, made known that she -disclaimed credit for anything more than “the central idea” of the play. -Neither that “central idea” (the idea, presumably, of showing the -patient acquiescence of _Mrs. Slade_ suddenly turned into resolute and -triumphant opposition by discovery of the full extent of her husband’s -baseness) nor anything else in the piece is dramatically precious or -extraordinary. Many other “collaborators” with Belasco might, however, -fairly emulate Miss Bradley’s frankness. The construction of “The -Governor’s Lady” is sometimes arbitrary and the characters in it are in -some respects extravagantly drawn--causing more the effect of rough -sketches than that of finished portraits. The dialogue possesses the -merit of suitability to the situations and, in general, of seeming to -arise spontaneously from them. The notable excellence of the production -was its exact fidelity to the surface details of everyday life and the -really remarkable smoothness, harmony, and sincerity with which it was -acted--imparting to much that was crude and improbable an aspect of -veracity.--The play was cast as follows: - -_Daniel S. Slade_ Emmett Corrigan. -_Senator Strickland_ William H. Tooker. -_Robert Hayes_ Milton Sills. -_Wesley Merritt_ S. K. Walker. -_Brigham Hunt_ Bert Hyde. -_Ex-Governor Hibbard_ John A. Dewey. -_Colonel George Smith_ Will H. Nicholson. -_John Hart_ Albert Lane. -_Charles Ingram_ Harry B. Wilson. -_William_ Jack Smith. -_Martin_ Frank Hand. -_Jake_ John N. Wheeler. -_A Passerby_ James Singer. -_A Bookworm_ Stuart Walker. -_Jake’s Friend_ Edward Horton. -_A Cashier_ George H. Shelton. -_A Man Behind the Pastry Counter_ Robert J. Lance. -_Waiter No. 7_ John H. McKenna. -_Waiter No. 2_ Harrison Fowler. -_Mary Slade_ Emma Dunn. -_Katherine Strickland_ Gladys Hanson. -_Mrs. Wesley Merritt_ Teresa Maxwell-Conover. -_Susan_ Jane Briggs. -_A Girl of the Streets_ Eloise Murray. -_A Scrubwoman_ Judith Snaith. - - - - -“YEARS OF DISCRETION.” - - -Satirical and amusing use has been made in various works of fiction of -the old, or elderly, parent who behaves in an inappropriately youthful -manner. Charles Mathews built the capital old farce (I wonder if anybody -else ever recalls it now?) of “My Awful Dad!” around that idea: Collins -utilized it when he sketched _Madame Pratolungo’s_ “Evergreen Papa.” It -is one of the expedients of comicality in “Years of Discretion,” a -farcical comedy by Frederick Hatton and Fanny Locke Hatton which Belasco -presented, November 4, 1912, at the Empire Theatre, Syracuse, New York, -and at the Belasco Theatre, New York, on December 12, following. In that -entertaining play a buxom widow of fifty, _Mrs. Farrell Howard_ by name, -growing intolerably weary of a humdrum life, leaves the little rural -town where she resides and repairs to New York,--where, with the aid of -hair dye, tight lacing and a fashionable dressmaker, she puts on the -semblance of a gay young woman and recklessly participates in frivolous -dissipations, fascinating many ardent males and scandalizing her -somewhat sedate and priggish son. At the last she consents to marry one -of her numerous admirers, to whom she is honestly attached. After a -little struggle with vanity and the fear of losing his regard she -confesses to him that, with her, things are not what they seem; that she -is not really a roguish young woman eager for social festivity, but -rather an elderly one who has grown tired of it, who is inclined to be -stout and is extremely uncomfortable by reason of restrictive stays and -tight shoes. She is surprised and delighted when he, in turn, confesses -to rheumatism, years equal to hers, and a strong preference for easy old -slippers instead of dancing pumps. They then agree to abandon a -projected honeymoon trip around the world, to which both of them have -looked forward with dread, and to take their ease sensibly, in the home -surroundings which they prefer.--This was the cast of “Years of -Discretion”: - -_Christopher Dallas_ Lyn Harding. -_Michael Doyle_ Bruce McRae. -_John Strong_ Herbert Kelcey. -_Amos Thomas_ Robert McWade, Jr. -_Farrell Howard, Jr._ Grant Mitchell. -_Metz_ E. M. Holland. -_Mrs. Farrell Howard_ Effie Shannon. -_Mrs. Margaret Brinton_ Alice Putnam. -_Anna Merkel_ Mabel Bunyea. -_Lilly Newton_ Ethel Pettit. -_Bessie Newton_ Myrtle Morrison. - - - - -“THE TEMPERAMENTAL JOURNEY.” - - -Leo Ditrichstein adapted “The Temperamental Journey” from a French -original called “Pour Vivre Heureux,” by André Rivoire and Yves Mirande, -and Belasco produced it, for the first time, at the Lyceum Theatre, -Rochester, New York, August 28, 1913, and, September 4, following, for -the first time in New York, at the Belasco Theatre. It is an unusually -clever, sometimes humorous, sometimes bitterly satirical, farce blent -with elements of comedy and constructed around the struggles and -tribulations of a sincere, capable, “temperamental,” and unappreciated -painter named _Jacques Dupont_,--a part that was admirably acted (with -discretion, humor, feeling, and even a touch of passion) by Mr. -Ditrichstein. Notwithstanding the merit of his art _Dupont_ is unable to -sell his paintings. In a moment of despair, having been meanly upbraided -for his ill-fortune by his wife,--a shallow, selfish -hypocrite,--_Dupont_ resolves to destroy himself. He writes a farewell -letter to his wife, which he leaves with his clothes on the shore and, -forgetful of the fact that he is a capital swimmer, flings himself into -the waters of Long Island Sound to drown. The immersion so much -refreshes him that he changes his mind about dying, swims lustily, and, -being hauled on board of a sailing craft, makes a voyage to Halifax. -Upon returning home a fortnight or so later he finds his hypocritical -wife and friends, indulging to the full in “the luxury of woe,” about to -hold funeral services over a dead body which they receive as his; and, -also, he finds that his paintings, previously the objects of contumely, -are selling for high prices,--public interest having been inspired by -the pathetic circumstances of his supposed suicide. After observing from -an unsuspected coign of vantage in their home his hypocritical “widow’s” -ready acceptance of the embraces of one of his “friends,” and after -witnessing with ironic contempt the funeral over what are supposed to be -his remains, _Dupont_ betakes himself to Paris, where he paints many -landscapes. After an interval of three years he returns to America, -representing himself to be a collector of pictures, named _Lenoir_, who -has gathered together a large number of paintings by the defunct -_Dupont_--whose works now sell for enormous sums. He finds his “widow” -married to his former “friend” and the mother of a child by him, and -also he finds that person to be industriously engaged in forging -paintings by _Dupont_. During an auction sale of his works _Dupont_, -stung by manifestations of injustice, sordid meanness, and duplicity, -declares his identity and rebukes those who have wronged and contemned -him. Then, for the sake of the child, he agrees to arrange for a divorce -from his unworthy wife,--signifying his purpose, in due course, to unite -himself in matrimony to a loving young girl who has befriended him in -his earlier afflictions and remained faithful to his memory while -supposing him to be dead. - -The opportunity for gibes and railings provided by the successive -postures of circumstance thus indicated are obvious and many. Yet, at -best, the comicality evoked by them is bitter and painful.--“The -Temperamental Journey,” which was much admired and exceptionally -successful, was cast as follows: - -_Jacques Dupont_ Leo Ditrichstein. -_Prof. Babcock Roland_ Henry Bergman. -_Vernon Neil_ Frank Connor. -_Billy Shepherd_ Richie Ling. -_Dorval_ Edouard Durand. -_Howard Locke_ Julian Little. -_Carrington McLiss_ Lee Millar. -_Tamburri_ M. Daniel Schatts. -_Roy_ } { Edwin R. Wolfe. -_Max_ } { Earle W. Grant. -_Edna_ } _Prof. Roland’s_ { Carree Clarke. -_Eleanor_ } Pupils. { Anna McNaughton. -_Marjorie_ } { Dorothy Ellis. -_Lina_ } { Annette Tyler. -_Messenger_ William Dixon. -_Delphine_ Isabel Irving. -_Maria_ Josephine Victor. -_Fanny Lamont_ Cora Witherspoon. -_Teresa_ Gertrud Morisini. -_Maid_ Alice Jones. - - - - -A REVIVAL OF “THE AUCTIONEER.” - - -An incident of the theatrical season of 1913-’14 which requires passing -record here is the revival by Belasco of “The Auctioneer,”--a play -which, in all essentials, was original with him and which for this -revival he again revised, making it somewhat more closely-knit and -effective than it was when first he brought forward David Warfield in -it. “The Auctioneer” was acted at the Knickerbocker Theatre, New York, -September 30, 1913, with the following cast: - -_Simon Levi_ David Warfield. -_Mrs. Levi_ Mrs. Jennie Moscowitz. -_Mrs. Eagan_ Marie Bates. -_Callahan_ Louis Hendricks. -_Isaac Leavitt_ Harry Lewellyn. -_Mrs. Leavitt_ Helena Philips. -_Meyer Cohen_ Harry Rogers. -_Mrs. Cohen_ Marie Reichardt. -_Mo Fininski_ Frank Nelson. -_Richard Eagan_ George LeGuere. -_Minnie_ Charlotte Leslay. -_Dawkins_ Horace James. -_Customer_ John A. Rice. -_Helga_ Janet Dunbar. -_Miss Manning_ Frances Street. -_Misses Crompton_ { Margaret Johnson. - { Maud Roland. -_Miss Finch_ Ethel Marie Sasse. -_Mrs. Smith_, a shopper Geraldine de Rohan. -_Policeman_ George Berliner. -_Chestnut Vendor_ Tony Bevan. -_Visitors_ { Watson White. - { Douglas Farne. - { Irving Laudeutscher. - { Frank L. Van Vlissingen. -_Man from Hester Street_ Michael Levine. -_Newsboys_ { Meyer Howard. - { Jess Kelly. - - - - -A MANIAC’S PLAY--“THE MAN INSIDE.” - - -A singular yet characteristic incident of Belasco’s career was his -production of a play called “The Man Inside,” written by a madman who -had been the central figure in one of the most notorious murder cases in -modern criminal annals,--Roland Burnham Molineux. That poor wretch is -the son of a much respected citizen, General Edward Leslie Molineux, who -gained rank and honorable distinction in the Union Army during the Civil -War. He was arrested, February 7, 1899, charged with the murder of Mrs. -Katherine J. Adams, who died, December 28, 1898, of poisoning by -cyanide of mercury, which she unwittingly swallowed mixed with a -medicine received through the mails and which it was alleged that -Molineux had prepared and sent. His trial began, November 14, 1899, -before Recorder (now Supreme Court Justice) John B. Goff and continued -for fifty-five days, ending, January 7, 1900, with his conviction of -murder in the first degree. On February 16 Recorder Goff sentenced -Molineux to death and he was then taken to the Sing Sing Prison, where, -for many months, he was incarcerated in the “Death House.” His case was -carried to the Court of Appeals and, October 15, 1901, he was granted a -new trial which began, before Justice Lambert, in Part--of the Supreme -Court, October 17, 1902, and ended, November 11, with his acquital,--an -issue which, at the time, was regarded by some persons as a miscarriage -of justice. The second jury which heard all the testimony, however, -found him not guilty and he therefore stands vindicated. Mrs. Adams, -meanwhile, certainly was murdered and the guilt of that crime has never -been legally placed. - -Throughout the ordeal of his trials, his condemnation, and his -imprisonment under sentence of death Roland Molineux was sustained by -the unwavering support of his devoted parents--his sturdy old father -resolutely maintaining the son’s innocence and laboring without -remission to establish it. The younger man’s health, however, was -hopelessly undermined by the dreadful strain to which he was subjected -and after his release he became ill and morose. In 1912 his parents -obtained an introduction to Belasco and appealed to him for help. “His -mother said to me,” writes the manager, “‘My boy’s life has been ruined. -His health is gone--he has never been the same since he was released -from prison. He has written a play which he believes will do great good -and he has set his heart on getting it acted. If he is disappointed in -this, on top of all the rest that he has suffered, we fear that he will -die. If his play should be a success it might open a new life to him. -Will you read it and help us, if you can?’ They told me other -things--dreadful and afflicting things some of them, that I need not -repeat. I had been tremendously impressed by General Molineux’s great -fight for his son; I felt a great sympathy and pity for them--and I -consented to read the young man’s play and to do it, if I found it -practicable. - -“When the manuscript came to me I found the piece long and crude, but I -saw possibilities in it and I told the parents I would produce it. Their -gratitude was very touching. Soon afterward, I met young Molineux, gave -him several interviews, and went to work to knock his play into shape. -At the beginning everything seemed all right and he accepted my first -cuts and suggestions in a proper spirit and worked hard. But toward the -end, along about August or September [1913], when I put the piece into -rehearsal and began to make extensive changes, he turned sullen and very -ugly. Sometimes, instead of working, he would sit and roll his eyes or -glare at me; and, what was very dreadful, he gave off a horrible, -sickening odor like that of a wild beast. I shall never forget the last -night I ever had him with me. He was furious because of the changes I -was making and I am sure he was going to attack me. Suddenly I stopped -arguing with him and, picking up a heavy walking stick, I said: ‘See -here, Molineux, stop looking at me like that; I’m not afraid of you. If -you had brought me a finished play instead of a lot of words I wouldn’t -have had to change your manuscript. Now, it’s hot and I’m tired, so -we’ll call the whole thing off for to-night and you can go home and -think it over.’ He pulled himself together then and tried to apologize -and say how much he appreciated all I was doing, but I wouldn’t have it -and just showed him out of my studio as quickly as I could--and I took -care _he_ should walk in front, all the way! There wasn’t another soul -in the place, except the night watchman, away down at the stagedoor. I -never let him come near me again.” - -When “The Man Inside” had been made ready for production Molineux was -permitted to attend the dress rehearsal in New York, during the first -act of which he was self-contained and quiet. But after the curtain had -been lowered he became so violently excited and created so much -disturbance that Belasco was constrained to order him to be taken out of -the theatre. “It was hard to do, but it had to be done,” he writes; “I -didn’t know whether to go on or drop the whole thing, and I really -expected the man would break out and kill somebody.” Molineux’s -unfortunate family and friends were, however, happily able to intervene -and restrain him and no act of violence was committed. On November 7, -1914, he was placed in the King’s Park State Hospital, Long Island, and -there he is still confined,--hopelessly insane. His brave, devoted old -father, worn out and heart broken, died, June 10, 1915: his mother, a -few months earlier. [Roland B. Molineux died, in the King’s Park State -Hospital for the Insane, on November 2, 1917, of paresis. There is no -doubt that he was a dangerous madman when first Belasco met him.--J. -W.] - -_The Man Inside_ of Molineux’s play is, symbolically, Conscience; and -the fundamental idea which it expounds is that Society errs in its -treatment of criminals, because crime cannot be prevented by punishment -but only by an effective appeal to the self-respecting moral nature and -“better self” of the criminal,--who must first be taught to “think -right” before he can be made to _do_ right. Sublime discovery! No -intimation is made as to what method Society ought to employ in -cases--unhappily numerous--of criminals who do not possess any “better -selves” and who cannot by any means, not even the threat of death, be -restrained from crimes which profit them or gratify their ruling -passions. There was, without doubt, an honest altruistic purpose in the -distempered, tortured mind of Molineux,--though, since he did not -possess the power to elucidate it, there is no need to dwell upon the -subject in this place. Belasco, having through kindness undertaken to -produce an ill-digested, “talky” and undramatic play, revised it as well -as possible in the circumstances, making of it a moderately effective -melodrama, dealing with crime and injustice. In that melodrama a -philanthropic young man, who is also an Assistant District Attorney of -the City of New York, resorts to the haunts of criminals in order to -ascertain, if possible, why they persist in crime in spite of efforts -to reclaim them. He there becomes deeply interested in a girl named -_Annie_, the daughter of a desperate forger known as _Red Mike_, and -also he becomes so incensed at the viciousness and cruelty of some -methods employed by the Police Department and officials from the -District Attorney’s Office to insure convictions of accused criminals -that he assists _Annie_ in the theft of a forged check, upon possession -of which the fate of her father depends,--thus himself becoming party to -a crime, and, later, participating in a general bath of “whitewash.” The -First Act of “The Man Inside” passes in an opium den of the New York -“Chinatown”; the Second, in the office of the District Attorney--with -the Tombs Prison visible through the window; the Third, in a squalid -tenement house. Belasco placed the play on the stage in a setting of -extraordinary verisimilitude and caused it to be acted in a well-nigh -perfect manner. It was first produced at the Euclid Avenue Opera House, -Cleveland, Ohio, October 27, 1913, and, November 11, was brought forward -in New York at the Criterion Theatre. Public interest in it, however, -was languid and it did not long survive. This was the original cast: - -_Mr. Trainer_ A. Byron Beasley. -_James Poor_ Charles Dalton. -_Richard Gordon_ Milton Sills. -_“Red” Mike_ A. E. Anson. -_“Big” Frank_ Edward H. Robins. -_“Pop” Olds_ John Cope. -_Josh Hayes_ John Miltern. -_Larry_ Joseph Byron Totten. -_“Whispering” Riley_ Lawrence Wood. -_Cafferty_ Erroll Dunbar. -_Clusky_ Jerome Kennedy. -_Wang Lee_ J. J. Chaille. -_Chong Fong_ H. H. McCollum. -_“The Major”_ Herbert Jones. -_Murphy_ Karl Ritter. -_Raleigh_ Charles B. Givan. -_“Frisco” George_ Joseph Barker. -_“Monk” Verdi_ J. A. Esposito. -_Annie_ Helen Freeman. -_Maggie_ Clare Weldon. -_Lizzie_ Gertrude Davis. - - - - -BELASCO IN CHINATOWN. - - -While Belasco was preparing “The Man Inside” for the stage he made -several expeditions into the “Chinatown” of New York, accompanied by -members of his staff and his theatrical company, in order that some of -the ways and denizens of that place--the very prose of the earth--might -be pictured with literal exactitude. On those occasions he and his -companions, including Mr. Gros, the scenic artist, were convoyed and -protected by an eccentric being once well known in the purlieus of vice -and crime, whose disreputable acquaintance he had made by chance and to -whom he had commended himself by kindness. Describing the last of those -insalubrious visits Belasco wrote the following characteristic letter to -the young woman who afterward played the principal female part in his -adaptation of the Molineux play: - - -(_Belasco to Miss Helen Freeman_.) - -“My dear Miss Helen:-- - - “We went on the postponed, and probably the last, trip into the - ‘underworld’ last night. It might have been useful to have had you - see it once more; but, on the whole, I think you have seen enough - for the purpose and am glad you weren’t along. Familiar as I am - with the sights of such places (and far worse, such as I used to - visit in old San Francisco) I found some of it last night rather - shocking. But as I promised to give you an account of this trip I - will write a little description of our adventures--which, perhaps, - you may find suggestive. - - “At half-past nine my boys [meaning some members of the technical - staff of the Belasco Theatre and two actors] and I met at the - stagedoor and left for Chinatown, where, by appointment, we met a - very ardent admirer of yours--Mr. ‘Chuck’ Conners, no less! Perhaps - one of the reasons why I like the man is because, in his - unpicturesque, rough, human fashion, he felt and expressed your - sweetness--the quality which will help you so much in this play, - and in all parts. I shall tell you more particularly what he said - about you presently, and if you will translate his primitive - speech into the finer shaded meanings of a cultivated man, I am - sure it will touch your heart as it did mine. But I must get to my - story.... - - “First we sat in the Chatham Club, and had a few ‘rounds,’--which I - had a hard time to avoid drinking. I don’t know what the others did - with theirs--I was too busy with my own troubles to watch! While - human beings put such stuff inside themselves I can’t wonder at - anything they do. While there, the girls came and did some - ‘ragtime’ for us. ‘Chuck,’ I must tell you, was dressed for the - occasion,--‘to kill,’--with a white ’kerchief about his neck and - _one_ shoe polished! The other was a characteristic contrast. We - listened to the same old stories and ‘our hero’ sang the same old - songs. Also, as aforetime, to punctuate his remarks he found it - necessary to _punch_ me in the ribs, and so to-day I find myself - more or less black and blue. The old pianola was set to the wildest - airs, and they had a new one, for our especial benefit, called ‘In - the Harem,’--which is so good that I am going to introduce it in - our play. Do you remember the big, tall girl, with the flat nose - and her poor teeth out? She was still sitting in her corner, more - forlorn than ever, and with her sad ‘lamps’ looking into my very - heart. I gave her another five dollars and told her that if I came - again I should expect to see her wearing a new pair of shoes,--for - her poor toes were peeping out of frayed stockings, through the - impossible boots, and it was all very sad. - - “Well, from there we went to the same old opium bungalows and the - same old ‘Chink’ ‘hit the pipe’ for us,--afterward, however, taking - us into a female ‘joint,’ where we saw several regular denizens of - the place. It is all part of the show; but I am glad Conners did - not take us to it when you and the other ladies were along.... One - of the women there had been a belle of Philadelphia: another, a - runaway wife. Gradually, they have slipped down the ladder of shame - and remorse, until their poor, wavering little hands could hold the - rungs no longer, and so they fell into that ‘Slough of Despond,’ - with the ‘pipe’ for their favorite companion. I was glad to get - away from it, for it made my heart ache. With infinite - understanding there would be infinite tolerance; and if we knew the - springs of action, the circumstances and environment, of these - poor, stray souls, perhaps we shouldn’t judge them very harshly. - - “But to return to my story: ‘Chuck’ was in his element. Never did I - know that such unmentionable slang, such mere depravity of phrase, - could come from human lips, although my experience has been a - varied one! The night you ladies were with us the ‘choicest gems’ - of his vernacular were bottled up: last night the cork was - drawn--with a vengeance! And yet, after all (though I’m glad you - did not hear him), it was only words. At heart, the man is kind and - generous, and he lives up to his code closer than many another who - has had every advantage. - - “Of course, he asked all about you. He said you were ‘Der real - t’ing,’ ‘der right stuff,’ ‘der whole cheese,’ etc. ‘Next day,’ - said he, ‘all der fleet wanted t’ know who der swell little skoit - was. “And,” I sez, “why dat’s der Princess Nicotine!” I sez.’ - - “He was anxious to know your opinion of him, and so I said that he - had made ‘a great hit’ with you. This pleased him mightily. I then - said that he ‘was tearing every skirt’s heart wide open!’ ‘Stop - dat--stop dat!’ he said; ‘Go ‘way back! She was kidding of yer!’ - - “We wound up by dining at the Chinese Delmonico’s on tea and rice - and chop suey. Of course, I ordered some, but not daring to eat it - I slipped my plate to ‘Chuck,’ whose chop-sticks soon made short - work of the concoction. He ordered _more_, afterward, and I wish - you could have seen his expression when he had at length reached a - stage of repletion and exclaimed ‘Hully gee! dis is goin’ some! I - wouldn’t change me feed-bag dis minute wif Rockefeller!’... - - “We parted with ‘Chuck’ about three in the morning. He escorted us - to the same old car, which was piloted by the same old chauffeur. - As we were leaving he blew me a kiss! ‘Hully gee!’ he said, ‘I - likes youse; an’ don’ yer ferget to tell de little skoit dat she’s - der _real t’ing_!’ We were about to start when he gave a yell that - frightened us and said he had forgotten something. He pulled the - enclosed book from his pocket and, using the chauffeur’s back as a - desk, wrote the inscription on the fly-leaf!... - - “The last act will soon be in final shape. Study hard, but don’t - over-do,--and everything will be all right. Good-night and good - luck. - -“Faithfully, -“DAVID BELASCO.” - - - - - - -AN ADMONITION TO STAGE ASPIRANTS. - -(_Belasco to a Recalcitrant Novice_.) - - -Another letter which Belasco wrote at about the same period as that -above quoted is characteristic and informative as to his views -concerning the Stage and stage aspirants and can conveniently be placed -here: - -“The Belasco Theatre. - -My dear Mrs. H.------:-- - - “It is not an easy task to write what I have to say, but it is time - that it should be written and understood. If I am to do for your - cousin, Miss V------, what I want to do and have hoped to do; if I - am to open the way for her to a career, she must be guided by me; - _my_ influence, not yours nor that of anybody else, must - predominate. The Stage is a harsh master. Real success on it does - not ‘happen’: it is _made_--made of striving and sacrifice and - self-denial and _hard work_. - - “What you do is, of course, no concern of mine and I have no wish - to meddle in anybody else’s business, having far more of my own - than I can properly look after. But I have every reason to think - that, if it were not for your influence, I might not have so many - causes to be dissatisfied with Miss V------. At present, my wishes - are not heeded by her. And so that we may all reach an - understanding, I want to say to you that I resent Miss V------‘s - recent conduct; that, in view of the fact that I have taken the - trouble to interest myself in her future as an actress, I resent it - _very much_, and will not any longer tolerate it. - - “If I am in some ways a strict master I am always a fair and - considerate one. But,--and please realize this,--in everything - connected with my theatre, from the waterboys in the smoking room - to the ‘star’ on the stage; from the carpets to be laid on the - floors to the plays that are produced, _I am the Master, and my - word is the absolute and final law_. - - “Miss V------ is a very young girl, who has seen very little of the - world. She is not only exceptionally talented but pretty, - attractive, and charming. Consequently she is admired by the idlers - who have time to kill in dangling after young women of the - Stage--and nothing better to do. Miss V------ is much sought after - by matrons who are ever on the look-out for pretty girls to attract - men to their dances and their ‘week-end’ visits. Such women care - nothing at all about a girl’s career or whether they ruin it or - not--and they will ruin it, every time, if the girl is weak or - foolish enough to be persuaded. Miss V------ likes this kind of - attention, which is natural, but it won’t do--not if she is to - remain with _me_. No big man or woman has time for frivolities; it - is either one thing or the other: we work and work and rise and - rise; or else we try to flutter through life on butterfly - wings--and then we fall by the wayside. - - “Miss V------ has, I am informed, been neglecting her duties at the - theatre. True, at present she has only the minor position of an - understudy; but she should at least be conscientious enough to - attend to its duties. She knows very well that she should keep Mr. - L------ informed of her whereabouts. She has no right, no excuse, - to go anywhere, or to be in any place, where he cannot reach her at - a moment’s notice, by telephone. An understudy is just a reserve - soldier, subject to instant call. If Mr. Dean had been well, of - course he would have attended to this matter of Miss V------‘s - neglect. But as it is, Mr. L------ has too many details to look - after. Her conduct is not fair to him, to say nothing of me, nor - does it show any proper respect for the theatre, for Miss V------ - so to ignore her obligations. Last evening, through an - indisposition, Miss------, whom she understudies, was nearly - obliged to remain away. If she had done so, the house would have - been dismissed, and Mr. L------ would have been discharged, through - her negligence. Have you any conception what it would mean to me to - disappoint an audience, _in my theatre_? - - “If Miss V------ is to remain under my guidance she must obey _my_ - wishes: not yours, or her own, or anybody else’s, but _mine_--at - all times and in everything. If she does not see fit to follow my - advice, I shall reluctantly leave her to her own resources. - Inasmuch as I have made myself responsible for her artistic - success, her mental and physical condition are matters of much - moment to me and I will not have them jeopardized as [they are] by - her present mode of life. Automobile rides, midnight suppers and - dances until daylight are all very well--but they are not conducive - to health. They are a sapping of the vitality which, if she wishes - to succeed, should be reserved for higher things.... - - “Do you realize that, for months past, I have given two nights a - week to Miss V------,--time and work that no money could buy and no - influence induce me to waste? _I_ realize it! I once refused a - fortune, a theatre in London and an endowment for life, in return - for which I was to give a popular actress what I have given Miss - V------ for nothing, simply because she has great talent and I have - believed in her. And I refused to direct that actress because I - knew she would never sacrifice her society life and pleasures for - her work. Understand, please; _I_ have a reputation to maintain, a - standard to live up to. Sickness, weariness, accident, trouble, - death--the Public does not want and will not take excuses. That is - not what they [it] comes into my theatre for. It comes to see the - best plays I can put on, acted by the best artists I can engage - and train. Miss V------ can be one of these, if she will pay the - price; if, like the women who have made a success of their lives - she can be strong enough to give up everything else, ‘for the love - of the working.’ Miss ------ did, and little Miss ------; otherwise, - they would not be where they are to-day.... - - If it is your intention for Miss V------ to make her _début_ in - society, with matrimony in view for her, then I suggest that you - and she be frank enough to let me know, so that I may make my plans - accordingly. Matrimony is a career with which _nothing else_ can - compete.... - - “I have been very lenient and have written at length and explained - myself, because Miss V------ is very young, and because I hold you - more to blame than I do her. But if I am to continue the moulding - of her artistic career it must be with the distinct understanding - that my wishes and my influence shall dominate, in everything. - - “If Miss V------ wishes to continue under my direction,--absolute - obedience, application, study, effort, and constant hard work are - the conditions. On the other hand, when you have read this letter - to her, she is at liberty to consider herself released from all - engagements to me if she so desires. - -“Yours faithfully, -“DAVID BELASCO.” - - - - - - -“THE PHANTOM RIVAL.” - - -“The Phantom Rival,” adapted by Leo Ditrichstein from an Austrian -original by Ferenc Molnar, postulates that a woman idealizes the man -whom she first loves and never forgets him; and, by presenting her -extravagant notions about him in a dream and then showing,--in an -individual case,--that he turns out to be a commonplace person, implies -that the ideals founded in youth and cherished by females in after life -are mistakes and absurd. It may be so. It probably is true that all -ideals of human perfection are unsound and even ridiculous. It certainly -is true that the longer we live and the more we see of human nature the -more disappointed we are, in ourselves as well as in others, till we -come at last to believe, as Lockhart wrote: - - “That nothing’s new and nothing’s true - And nothing signifies!” - -The “visible dream” is an old device of the theatre and a good one. It -was exceedingly well managed in this play--the only blemish, indeed, -being a certain effect of monotony which, being inherent in the dramatic -fabric, was ineradicable in the stage exhibition of it. The principal -persons in this drama, which centres around “the dream,” are an American -woman, _Mrs. Marshall_, and an Austrian, named _Sascha Taticheff_. In -youth they dwelt in the same Brooklyn boarding house. Propinquity had a -usual consequence. The girl, romantic, admired the youth and became fond -of him. The youth was flattered and reciprocated. Then, suddenly, he -went away, called back to his native land, taking a sentimental farewell -and writing a letter filled with ardent vaporings. Years have passed. -The girl has met and loved and married a successful American lawyer; -they dwell together; they would be happy, in a staid, conventional way, -were it not for the preposterous, boorish jealousy of the husband. He -suspects his wife of having had an earlier lover and he tortures himself -and her because of this suspicion, this paltry jealousy of “the phantom -rival” of a youthful attachment. And then, by chance, in a public -restaurant, _Taticheff_ and _Mrs. Marshall_, who is with her husband, -meet again. Scarce able to recall each other, they exchange formal bows. -Having returned to their home _Marshall_ badgers his wife about the -stranger in the restaurant until, exasperated, she admits that she once -knew _Taticheff_ and was fond of him; and, finally, she surrenders to -her husband, who reads it, the farewell letter of her youthful -sweetheart. The sentimental folly of that screed so amuses _Marshall_ -that he declares himself cured of his jealousy, speaks of the writer -with contempt, and, laughing heartily, goes out to a business -conference. The wife, incensed by this cavalier attitude toward the -object of her girlhood affection, rereads his perfervid protestations: -then, falling asleep, she has a dream in which her _Sascha_ returns to -her, at a fashionable ball, in, successively, the different characters -suggested by his letter:--first, as an all-conquering military hero; -then as a world-dominating statesman; next as a peerless singer, the -idol of two hemispheres; finally,--after she has been turned out of -doors by an indignant hostess because of the scandal of her conduct with -her multiform lover,--in the guise of a wretched, one-armed -street-beggar, upon whom her husband makes a furious assault, whereupon, -shrieking, she awakes. Then, her husband returning with the actual -_Sascha_ (who proves to be subordinately concerned with the business -which _Marshall_ has in hand), she is left alone with him. The interview -that then occurs between them is much the cleverest passage in the play. -The woman, rather forlornly, tries to discover in the man before her -some trace of the romantic glamour with which she had fancifully -invested him, but finds only a plebeian dullard, stupidly embarrassed, -inveterately selfish and petty, and much interested in her husband’s -brandy. At last, when she is relieved of his tiresome presence, she -drops his long-cherished letters into the fire and joins her husband in -his contemptuous amusement at her sentimental memories and the sorry -figure of his “phantom rival.”--Belasco’s preservation of an unreal, -dream-like atmosphere throughout the dream scenes of this play was -perfect. And, of the kind, nothing so good as the acting of Miss Laura -Hope Crews and Mr. Ditrichstein in the last scene of it has been visible -on our Stage for many years. “The Phantom Rival” was first produced, -September 28, 1914, at Ford’s Opera House, Baltimore: on October 6, it -was presented at the Belasco Theatre, New York. This was the original -cast: - -_Sascha Taticheff_ Leo Ditrichstein. -_Frank Marshall_ Malcolm Williams. -_Dover_ Frank Westerton. -_Earle_ Lee Millar. -_Farnald_ John Bedouin. -_Oscar_ John McNamee. -_Waiters_ { Louis Pioselli. - { Frank E. Morris. -_Louise, Mrs. Marshall_ Laura Hope Crews. -_Mrs. Van Ness_ Lila Barclay. -_Nurse_ Anna McNaughton. -_Maid_ Ethel Marie Sasse. - - - - -“THE BOOMERANG.” - - -It was an opinion of the philosophic Bacon that women “will sooner -follow you by slighting than by too much wooing.” That is an opinion -shared by many and one which observation perceives to be grounded on -fact: _some_ women _will_. It is the basic idea underlying the play by -Messrs. Winchell Smith and Victor Mapes, called “The Boomerang,” which -Belasco produced at his New York theatre, August 10, 1915,--and which, -slender as it is, has proved one of the most richly remunerative of all -his ventures. In that play a youth, _Budd Woodbridge_ by name, loves a -girl, _Grace Tyler_, so unreservedly that she finds him wearisome and is -inclined to repel his devotion and bestow her affections upon another -youth. Young _Woodbridge_ so peaks and pines under his mistress’ disdain -and the pangs of juvenile jealousy that his mother fears that he is -passing into a decline and insists on his consulting a physician. That -physician, _Dr. Gerald Sumner_, finds the young man depressed, -irritable, and in extreme nervous distress. He questions him shrewdly -and soon ascertains the nature of the distemper for which he is desired -to prescribe. He rather cynically undertakes to cure the youth and his -directions are obeyed. His patient is sent home and put to bed; a daily -hypodermic injection is ordered of a mysterious, vivifying serum (in -fact, water), and a young woman nurse, beautiful and peculiarly kind and -sympathetic, is employed to administer the injection and to amuse and -cheer the unhappy sufferer, who is obediently responsive to her angelic -ministration. The capricious _Miss Tyler_, seeing her adorer apparently -succumbing to the fascinations of the lovely nurse and finding herself -rather slighted off, discovers that she cannot live without him and -_Woodbridge’s_ amatory anguish is soon in a fair way to be assuaged. The -relevancy of the title of this farce, “The Boomerang,” is revealed in a -dictionary comment on that implement of Antipodal warfare which declares -that: “in inexperienced hands the boomerang recoils upon the thrower, -sometimes with very serious results.” This is illustrated by the fate of -_Dr. Sumner_, who, having been scornful on the subject of love and -jealousy, becomes violently enamoured of the charming nurse and for a -time suffers much because of her affectionate tendance upon his -patient,--until, at last, he learns that her regard is really fixed upon -himself. - -This play was designated as a “comedy,”--and, if Dr. Johnson’s -definition of a comedy as something to make people laugh be accepted, -that definition is plausible. The piece is, in fact, a farce and, in my -judgment, rather a slight one; but it was so exquisitely stage-managed -and so admirably acted that it passed for being something far more -substantial and worthy than, intrinsically, it is. With the view that it -is slight and merely ephemeral Belasco emphatically disagrees. “I -maintain,” he has declared to me, “that ‘The Boomerang’ has a vital -theme, of universal appeal, no matter how much you may ridicule it: I -mean Calf Love. Everybody has had it--and, while it lasts, it’s -terrible. No matter how much we may laugh at the boys and girls -suffering from juvenile love and jealousy, we sympathize with them, too. -That’s why everybody in the country wants to see our little play--why -men and women have stood in line all night (as they have done in many -places) to buy tickets for the performance. I believed in the little -piece from the very first. I wish I knew where to get another as good!” - -One of many scores of letters received by Belasco, commendatory of this -play and its exemplary presentment, came from perhaps the most generous -of contemporary patrons of the Theatre and it may appropriately be -quoted here: - - -(_Otto H. Kahn to David Belasco._) - -“52 William Street, New York, -“November 8, 1915. - -“Dear Mr. Belasco:-- - - “I need not tell you that I have frequently and greatly admired - your art and skill, but there are gradations of achievement even in - an acknowledged master and, having just seen your latest - production, ‘The Boomerang,’ I cannot refrain from sending you a - few lines of particularly warm appreciation and congratulation. - Nothing is more difficult in art than to produce great effects with - simple means, to do a simple thing superlatively well. Nothing is - more rare in art than restraint. Nothing is a greater test of the - art of the producer than to maintain throughout an entire evening - the atmosphere, the illusion and the effect of comedy, unaided as - he is by either the stirring incidents of drama or the broad appeal - of farce. Your wisdom in picking out one of the very best and most - genuine comedies that I have seen in many a day, your judgment in - providing an admirable cast, and your skill and art in producing, - have combined to bring about the most happy result, and I owe you - thanks for that rare treat, a wholly delightful evening at the - theatre, unmarred by any jarring note. - -“Believe me, -“Very faithfully yours, -“OTTO H. KAHN.” - - - -“The Boomerang” was originally produced at The Playhouse, Wilmington, -Delaware, April 5, 1915. This was the cast: - -_Dr. Gerald Sumner_ Arthur Byron. -_Budd Woodbridge_ Wallace Eddinger. -_Preston de Witt_ Gilbert Douglas. -_Heinrich_ Richard Malchien. -_Hartley_ John N. Wheeler. -_Mr. Stone_ John Clements. -_Virginia Xelva_ Martha Hedman. -_Grace Tyler_ Ruth Shepley. -_Marion Sumner_ Josephine Parks. -_Gertrude Ludlow_ Dorothy Megrew. -_Mrs. Creighton Woodbridge_ Ida Waterman. - - - - -“SEVEN CHANCES.” - - -“Odds life, sir! if you have the estate, you must take it with the live -stock on it, as it stands!” exclaims _Sir Anthony Absolute_, in “The -Rivals,” to his son, when mentioning that his proffer of “a noble -independence” is “saddled with a wife.” Such arbitrary bestowal of -wealth contingent on matrimony--frequent in actual experience--is one of -the best established and most respected expedients of comical stage -dilemmas, and it recurs, at intervals, in one form or another, with much -the inevitability of death and taxes. It is the basis of another -entertaining farce, called “Seven Chances,” which Belasco produced at -the George M. Cohan Theatre, New York, August 8, 1916, and which also -enjoyed a long and prosperous career. That farce was built on a -“suggestion” derived from a short story by Mr. Gouverneur Morris, -entitled “The Cradle Snatcher,” and, originally, it was called -“Shannon’s Millions.” It was several times rebuilt, under Belasco’s -supervision,--Mr. Roi Cooper Megrue being the last of his coadjutory -playwrights. It was produced, April 17, 1916, at the Apollo Theatre, -Atlantic City, New Jersey, under the name of “The Lucky Fellow.” Its -comical incidents revolve around _Jimmy Shannon_, an amiable young -bachelor with a vigorous antipathy to matrimony, whose sardonic -grandsire, dying, leaves to him by will a fortune of twelve million -dollars, conditional upon his being married by the time that he is -thirty years old. _Shannon_ is informed of that contingent bequest on -the eve of his attainment of the specified age. He is at a Country Club -where, also, there are seven young women. “The affair cries haste and -speed must answer it.” The impecunious _Shannon_ will propose marriage -to each one of those females, if necessary: thus he has “seven chances” -of obtaining the impendent fortune,--which, at last, he gets, along with -a bride so young and beauteous as to reconcile him to the imposed change -in his state. The opportunities for fun in all this are obvious; -critically to dilate upon them would be much like breaking a butterfly -on the wheel. They were utilized to the full under Belasco’s direction -by a good company,--the parts being cast as follows: - -_Jimmie Shannon_ Frank Craven. -_Billy Meekin_ John Butler. -_Earl Goddard_ Hayward Ginn. -_Ralph Denby_ Charles Brokate. -_Joe Spence_ Frank Morgan. -_Henry Garrison_ Harry Leighton. -_George_ Freeman Wood. -_Anne Windsor_ Carroll McComas. -_Mrs. Garrison_ Marion Abbott. -_Lilly Trevor_ Anne Meredith. -_Peggy Wood_ Emily Callaway. -_Irene Trevor_ Beverly West. -_Georgiana Garrison_ Gladys Knorr. -_Florence Jones_ Florence Deshon. -_Betty Brown_ Alice Carroll. - - - - -“THE LITTLE LADY IN BLUE”: THE LAST PLAY EVER SEEN BY WILLIAM WINTER. - - -[The last play ever seen by my father was “The Little Lady in Blue,” -which Belasco produced on October 16, 1916, in Washington, and, on -December 22, at the Belasco Theatre, in New York. It is a very agreeable -piece, with a somewhat trite but expertly handled story. The period of -it is 1820. The scene of it is England. The principal character in it is -named _Anne Churchill_. She is an impoverished little governess who sets -out to be an adventuress. She wins the affection of a wild young naval -officer named _Anthony Addenbrooke_., incidentally rescuing him from the -clutches of a much bepainted Circe of the Portsmouth waterfront. Next -she helps him to meet the conditions under which he will inherit -£60,000, intending to marry him for the sake of that money. Then she -discovers that she really loves him, she is ashamed of her conduct, and -she cannot go through with the part of a mercenary adventuress. She -confesses to _Addenbrooke_ the real origin of her interest in his -affairs and releases him from his engagement to marry her. Being -recognized as an earthly paragon she is not permitted to retire into -indigence but is wedded to her lover, who has gained a lieutenant’s -commission through her assistance and is about to sail away to fight for -King and country.--The piece was written by Messrs. Horace Hodges and T. -Wigney Percyval. - -My father was unable to attend the first New York performance of that -play, and his work on this Memoir prevented his seeing it until several -weeks later. In his “Journal” he wrote: - - [1917] “February 8. More damnable peace blather!--Belasco kindly - invited us to visit his Theatre and sent his automobile for us, and - ‘Willy’ and I went and saw performance of ‘The Little Lady in - Blue,’--a pleasing entertainment.” - -Two days afterward Mr. Winter wrote the following letter, which records -his critical views of the production. - ---J. W.] - - -(_William Winter to David Belasco._) - -“New Brighton, Staten Island, -“February 10, 1917. - -“Dear Belasco:-- - - “It was indeed a pleasure to see, at your theatre, the play of ‘The - Little Lady in Blue.’ It is long since I have so much enjoyed - anything. The rightly conducted Theatre still remains to me what it - always was--the home of that magic art which cheers the loneliness - of life and opens the portal into an ideal world. Alas, that it is - not more generally conducted for such a purpose! ‘The Little Lady’ - can hardly be considered _a play_; but, as you have presented it, - it is a charming entertainment--a whimsical, almost grotesque, - portrayal of eccentric characters and incredible incidents, which - are made to _seem_ real, for the moment by the glamour of the - Stage. Since the plot is so frail, I was all the more surprised and - delighted that so much interest could be excited and sustained and - so much pleasure diffused by the histrionic treatment of a theme so - slender. You have set the play on the stage in an exquisite manner, - and it is acted throughout with a scrupulous care and zeal that, in - recent years, I have seldom seen equalled. It is easy to ridicule - such quaint, fantastic, almost dream-like pieces. As Frederick - Locker wrote: - - ‘We love the rare old days and rich - That poetry has painted; - We mourn that sacred age with which - We never were acquainted!’ - - “But they have a potent charm, a sort of mignonette and wild-thyme - fragrance, a power to touch the gentler feelings and soothe the - mind, and so they are precious. - - “There is one blemish that should be removed--namely, the character - of _A Girl of Portsmouth Town_: it adds nothing to the situation, - and it is only a blot on the delicacy of the play. - - “I am glad to know the production is prosperous: it deserves to - be--and it ought to fill your theatre for months, and I hope it - will. - -“With kind regards, -“Faithfully yours, -“WILLIAM WINTER.” - - - -The cast of “The Little Lady in Blue appended: - -_Admiral Sir Anthony Addenbrooke_ A. G. Andrews. -_Anthony Addenbrooke_ Jerome Patrick. -_Captain Kent, R. N._ Frederick Graham. -_Joe Porten_ Horace Braham. -_Baron von Loewe_ Carl Sauerman. -_John Speedwell_ Charles Garry. -_Cobbledick_ George Giddens. -_A Waiter_ Adrian H. Rosley. -_A Process Server_ Harry Holiday. -_Landlord of the Portsmouth Inn_ Roland Rushton. -_Anne Churchill_ Frances Starr. -_Miss Quick_ Lucy Beaumont. -_A Girl of Portsmouth Town_ Eleanor Pendleton. - - - - -“THE VERY MINUTE”--A MEMORANDUM. - - -_Memo._--David produced a new play called “The Very Minute” last Monday -night [April 9, 1917], at his N. Y. theatre, with Mr. Arnold Daly in the -principal part. All about bad effects of drinking too much liquor, &c. -Novelty--striking! Good old Towse calls it “a shallow pretence of a -serious play” and says it is a “nightmare.” Commends D. B.’s “meticulous -attention to the material and manner of production.” Also commends A. D. -for “moments of _powerful_ acting.” Well--he was there and I was not; -but how A. D. must have changed! _I_ never saw any more “power” in him -than there is in a pennywhistle. Used to have a sort of _sonsy_ quality -that was pleasing. Competent in a commonplace way: unusual -assurance--great conceit. Knows his business--generally _definite_, -which is a merit. Disagreeable personality. Head turned with vanity. And -nothing really IN him--that ever _I_ could see. - -This play written by John Meehan. Young man, said to be related to me by -marriage. I never met him and do not know. Suppose I must see his play -and write about it. Don’t want to! “What, will the line stretch out to -the crack of doom?” Where do they [plays] all come from, I wonder? Hope -David has got another success, but surmise it’s an awful frost,--as -’twere “the very _last_ minute of the hour,” I fear. Wish he would stop -producing plays altogether until after I get through writing this -“Life”! - -[“The Very Minute” was first acted at The Playhouse, Wilmington, -Delaware, April 5, 1917: it was “an awful frost,” as my father surmised, -and it was withdrawn on May 7--the Belasco Theatre being then -closed.--J. W.] This was the cast: - -_Horace Cramner_ Forrest Robinson. -_Mrs. Cramner_ Marie Wainwright. -_Francis Cramner_ Arnold Daly. -_Kathleen_ Cathleen Nesbitt. -_Philip Cramner_ William Morris. -_Mr. Husner_ John W. Cope. -_Dr. Monticou_ Lester Lonergan. -_Robert_ Robert Vivian. -_Bennett_ Leon E. Brown. - - - - -SUMMARY. - -[The various passages in the following “Summary” of the character and -career of Belasco were written disjointedly. They are here gathered and -arranged in what appears to be their natural sequence,--as nearly as I -can judge in the order in which Mr. Winter would have placed them. In -two or three instances an unfinished sentence has been completed and -here and there an essential word or two has been inserted or added. -Otherwise the matter stands unrevised: I have not attempted to write -connecting passages.--J. W.] - - “_Not fearing death nor shrinking for distress,_ - _But always resolute in most extremes._” - --SHAKESPEARE. - - -The estimate that observation forms of a person still living cannot -always be deemed conclusive: the person can invalidate it, in an -instant, by some sudden action, some unexpected development, some -surprising decadence; and, as a general rule, it should be remembered -that no person is ever completely - -[Illustration: DAVID BELASCO - - Inscription: - - “_To my friend of many years, William Winter._” - - From a photograph not before published--by the Misses Selby. - - Author’s Collection. -] - -comprehended by anybody. We have glimpses of each other; but, -practically, each individual is _alone_. In the most favorable -circumstances, accordingly, no life can be more than approximately -summarized until the record is complete--perhaps not even then. It was -perception of this fact that caused the old grave-digger of Drumtochty -to declare that there is no real comfort in a marriage because nobody -knows how it will turn out; whereas there is no room for solicitude -about a funeral, because, at all events, the play is over. David -Belasco, although he begins to see the shadow of the Psalmist’s -threescore years and ten, is still in the full vigor of life; he is, -indeed, the most powerful, vital influence now [1917] operant in the -English-speaking Theatre,--Herbert Beerbohm-Tree, in London, being his -only competitor,--and (as I hope and believe) is approaching the highest -achievements of his long, varied, and brilliant career, which there is -reason to expect will continue for many years.... - -Actors, it has been noted, who are actors only, often are remarkably -long-lived. Men who attain eminence in theatrical management,--whether -they be also actors or not,--seldom are so: Sir William Davenant died at -sixty-two; Garrick at sixty-one; John Kemble at sixty-six; Thomas S. -Hamblin at fifty-one; Charles Kean at fifty-seven; Benedict De Bar at -sixty-three; John McCollough at fifty-three; Lester Wallack at -sixty-eight; Lawrence Barrett at fifty-two; Edwin Booth at sixty; John -T. Ford at sixty-five; Augustin Daly at sixty-one; A. M. Palmer at -sixty-seven. Garrick had been three years in retirement when he died; -Kemble, six; Kean, nearly one; Booth, more than two; Palmer, five. -Belasco’s career has already extended over a period of forty-six years -and, excepting Wallack, he is now older than any of those men were when -their professional labors ended,[7]--yet there is in him none of the -dejection of age; none of the despondency of fatigue; no abatement of -his ambitious purpose, resolute enterprise, and amazing energy; no sign -of that forlorn loneliness which often settles on the mind as friends -die, things alter and long familiar environment drifts away, the old -order changing and giving place to new. On the contrary, his health is -excellent, his mind virile, his courage high, his spirit cheerful, and -in every way he shows as indeed “strong in will to strive, to seek, to -find, and not to yield.” It is, therefore, a specially difficult and -dubious task to attempt to make at this time a summary of his character, -life, and labor. But if another of the abrupt and lamentable -bereavements of the Stage which it has so often been my task to -chronicle and estimate should befall at this time; if, suddenly, now, -while all around seems bright and full of life and hope, mortality’s -strong hand should close upon Belasco and I should be required to write -of him as of one whose work was finished and who had “bid the world -good-night,” I should write in these words: - -From the beginning and until the end David Belasco was an embodiment of -high ambition, zealous enterprise, resolute endeavor, and patient -endurance. He did not drift into his career--he selected it. His natural -proclivity for the Theatre was irresistible; in youth his aspiration was -to reach a dominant place in that institution; all his early life was -spent in arduous toil to equip himself for the eminence at which he -aimed; through long years, in which he became well acquainted with -bitter strife and grievous disappointment, he never lost hope or -faltered in the purpose which at last he achieved,--supremacy in the -American Theatre. He was a rare and vivid personality; an extraordinary -and many-sided man; the natural successor of Lester Wallack, Edwin -Booth, and Augustin Daly as the leading theatrical manager of America; -and, in the English-speaking world, he was absolutely the last of the -managers who, personally, were important and interesting. His place will -not be filled. It has been said of David Belasco that he was a “posing -and posturing charlatan.” That harsh censure is the tribute of envy to -merit and it is as unjust as it is mean. His nature was impetuous, his -temperament was intensely dramatic, his sensibility was extreme, the -tone of his mind was at times exuberant and florid, and, consequently, -his language and his conduct were sometimes extravagant. He, also, -understood the uses of advertising; he was occasionally over-solicitous -as to public opinion; he possessed a full share of very human, almost -childlike, vanity, and certainly he managed the public as well as the -Theatre. But his devotion to the dramatic calling was true, passionate, -and entire and to it he gave his life: he never desired retirement and -never thought of it. The secret of his success--if any secret there -be--was his inveterate determination, indefatigable labor, and profound -sincerity of purpose. If the public poured great wealth into his hands -(as it did), he never spared wealth, labor, and time--toilsome days and -sleepless, care-full nights--to give the public in return the very best -there was in him and to make that best as good as it could be made. He -was a master of every detail of his vocation and, alone among American -theatrical managers of the past twenty years, he understood and -practically recognized that Acting is a Fine Art and not merely a -business. The main result at which he aimed was always good plays, -correctly set and superbly acted. If that result was not always attained -by him, neither has it always been attained by any other worker of the -Stage,--not since “Roscius was an actor in Rome.” While judgment and -taste must deplore his production of “Zaza” and “The Easiest Way” -justice and candor must concede his right to be remembered by the best -and most influential of his works, which comprehend an amazing variety -of subjects and of merit, ranging, for example, from “May Blossom” to -“Peter Grimm,” from “Men and Women” to “Sweet Kitty Bellairs,” from “The -Heart of Maryland” to “The Music Master,” from “The Charity Ball” to -“The Girl of the Golden West,” from “The Girl I Left Behind Me” to -“Adrea,” from “Lord Chumley” to “Madame Butterfly,” from “The Darling of -the Gods” to “A Grand Army Man,” and which, first and last, deal with -most of the great elemental experiences of human life. - - * * * * * - -The sentiment of patriotism is a sublime and lovely sentiment, but it -cannot be nurtured by self-deception, by vainglorious boasting and -sycophantic adulation. There is far too much talk about our superiority -as a people and far too little thought about means of making that -alleged superiority actual. We are hearing much, and we shall hear more, -about the spiritual exaltation and the fine idealism which has recently -carried us into the Great War,--but such talk is not honest. We had as -much reason to enter the War in 1915 as we had in 1917. We have entered -it, primarily, from self-interest, for self-defence,--to fight now, in -Europe, in order that we need not fight, hereafter, in America. Let us -be honest and outspoken about our course. It is idle to seek, as some of -his “very articulate” political opponents and detractors do, to lay the -blame of our unworthy delay on Woodrow Wilson (one of the great men of -modern times) or on any other man or group of men. The blame rests -squarely on the people of the United States as a nation. The spirit of -our country is and long has been one of pagan Materialism, infecting all -branches of thought, and of unscrupulous Commercialism, infecting all -branches of action. Foreign elements, alien to our institutions and -ideals as to our language and our thought,--seditious elements, -ignorant, boisterous, treacherous, and dangerous,--have been introduced -into our population in immense quantities, interpenetrating and -contaminating it in many ways: in the face of self-evident peril and of -iterated warnings and protests, immigration into the United States has -been permitted during the last twenty years of about 15,000,000 -persons--including vast numbers of the most undesirable order. We call -ourselves a civilized nation--but civility is conspicuous in our country -chiefly by its absence. Gentleness is despised. Good manners are -practically extinct. Public decorum is almost unknown. We are -notoriously a law-contemning people. The murder rate--the _unpunished_ -murder rate--in our country has long been a world scandal. Mob outrage -is an incident of weekly occurrence among us. Our methods of business, -approved and practised, are not only unscrupulous but predatory. Every -public conveyance and place of resort bears witness to the general -uncouthness by innumerable signs enjoining the most elemental -decency--and by the almost universal disregard of the enjoinments! Slang -and thieves’ argot is the prevalent language of the people and there is -scarcely a periodical or a newspaper in the land which does not exhibit -and promote the corruption of good manners diffused by that evil -communication,--while the publicist who dares to record the facts and -censure the faults is generally stigmatized as a fool or ridiculed as a -pedant. The tone of the public mind is to a woful extent sordid, -selfish, greedy. In our great cities life is largely a semi-delirious -fever of vapid purpose and paltry strife, and in their public vehicles -of transportation the populace--men, women, and young girls--are herded -together without the remotest observance of common decency,--mauled and -jammed and packed one upon another in a manner which would not be -tolerated in shipment of the helpless steer or the long-suffering -swine.... - -If true civilization is to develop and live in our country, such -conditions, such a spirit, such ideals, manners, and customs as are -widely prevalent among us to-day, must utterly pass and cease. The one -rational hope that they will so disappear lies in disseminating -EDUCATION,--not merely schooling, imperative as that is; but, far more, -a truer and higher education imparted by the ministry of beauty; -education which recognizes that material prosperity and marvellous -discoveries of science are not ultimate goals of human pilgrimage but -mere instruments to be used in spiritual advancement; the inspiration -of noble ideals, gentleness, refinement, and the grace of manners; -cheerful courage, resolute patience, and the calm of hope. For that -education Society must look largely to the ministry of the arts and, in -particular, to the rightly conducted Theatre,--an institution -potentially of tremendous beneficence.... - -Few managers have been able to take or to understand that view of the -Stage. David Belasco was one of them. It is because his administration -of his “great office” has been, in the main, conducted in the spirit of -a zealous public servant; because for many years he maintained as a -public resort a beautiful theatre, diffusive of the atmosphere of a -pleasant, well-ordered home, placing before the public many fine plays, -superbly acted, and set upon the stage in a perfection of environment -never surpassed anywhere and equalled only by a few of an earlier race -of managers of which he was the last, that David Belasco has, directly -and indirectly, exerted an immense influence for good and is entitled to -appreciative recognition, enduring celebration, and ever grateful -remembrance. And, though on the two occasions when I differed with him I -vigorously opposed his course, it is a comfort to reflect that nothing -ever chilled our friendship and that all that could be done to sustain -and aid his great and worthy purpose and to cheer his mind was done -while he could benefit by it.... - - * * * * * - -Among American theatrical managers David Belasco was long unique,--the -sole survivor, exemplar, and transmitter of an earlier and better theory -and practice of theatrical management than is anywhere visible now. When -he came to New York, to the Madison Square Theatre, representative -theatre managers of our country were Lester Wallack, Augustin Daly, John -T. Ford, Samuel Colville, Dion Boucicault, J. H. McVicker, R. M. Hooley, -Henry E. Abbey, Montgomery Field, and A. M. Palmer, and our Stage was -dominated and swayed by the influence of those men and of such players -as John Gilbert, Joseph Jefferson, William Warren, Charles W. Couldock, -Edwin Booth, Lawrence Barrett, W. J. Florence, Tommaso Salvini, Fanny -Janauschek, Helena Modjeska, Ada Rehan, Mary Anderson, Henry Irving, and -Ellen Terry. When, in 1895, Belasco first successfully struck out for -himself, great changes had taken place and greater ones were impending. -When, in 1902, he at last succeeded in establishing himself -independently, in a theatre of his own, it was in almost a new world -that he did so! Colville, Wallack, Ford, Boucicault, - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by William S. Page. Belasco’s Collection. - -BELASCO AT ORIENTA POINT--SUMMER HOME OF HIS DAUGHTER, MRS. GEST] - -McVicker, Hooley, Abbey, Daly, Field, Gilbert, Barrett, Florence, -Booth,--all were dead. Mansfield had made his ambitious venture in -theatre management and had utterly failed in it: Irving had lost the -Lyceum in London and was nearing the end of his life: Salvini and Mary -Anderson had left the Stage: Jefferson retired within eighteen months -and soon after died: Modjeska and Ada Rehan were in broken health, their -careers practically closed. Fine actors were visible and, here and -there, splendid things were being done: the histrionic fires have never -yet been wholly extinguished. But actors and men truly comprehensive of, -and sympathetic with, actors no longer controlled the Theatre: that -institution had passed almost entirely into the hands of the so-called -“business man,”--the speculative huckster and the rampant -vulgarian,--and the prevalent ideal in its management was that of the -soap chandler and the corner-grocery. The men who chiefly dominated the -Theatre in the period of fifteen years since Belasco’s establishment in -the metropolis,--with many of whom he was long righteously and bitterly -at variance,--were Charles Frohman, Al. Hayman, A. L. Erlanger, Marc -Klaw, Samuel Nirdlinger, J. F. Zimmermann, William Harris, George C. -Tyler, William A. Brady, Henry B. Harris, Lee Shubert, J. J. Shubert, -George M. Cohan, and Al. H. Woods. - -There is not one of those men, his later contemporaries, with whom it is -possible properly to compare Belasco. _He_ was an artist, a dramatist, -an authentic manager actuated by a high purpose and one who exerted a -profound influence on the Theatre of his period. _The others_--though -several of them have manifested various talents--all belong in the -category of mere showmen,--speculators in theatrical business, and, save -for the bad influence fluent from some of them, they are of no more -interest or importance than so many “eminent brewers” or celebrated -purveyors of tallow and pork. - -One of the managers named, however, by reason of exceptional energy and -shrewdness and by dint of incessant self-advertising, became and long -continued to be the most conspicuous figure in the theatrical field. -That manager was Charles Frohman, and because Belasco and he were -personal friends and personal enemies, because they were professional -associates and, in a business sense, professional rivals during many -years, it is inevitable that the student of the theatrical period from -1885 to 1917 should attempt to make some comparison of them. That -renders an estimate of Frohman desirable here.... - -Charles Frohman was born at Sandusky, Ohio, June 17, 1860, and he lost -his life in the sinking of the Lusitania, May 7, 1915. He entered the -theatrical business, as an “advance agent,” in January, 1877, and he -remained in it until his death. He was honest in his dealings, amiable -in his domestic and social relations, benevolent toward the poor, highly -popular among his friends, able and energetic in business affairs, a -gambler by temperament, and of a self-poised, resolute character. His -management of the Theatre, however, was injurious, both to that -institution and to society. He assisted to commercialize and thus to -degrade the Stage. His policy was distinctly and unequivocally expressed -by himself, in these words: “I keep a Department Store.” That is -precisely what he did, and that is precisely what no manager has a right -to do,--while claiming _to exercise an intellectual power and foster a -great art_. The man to whom Oofty Gooft and Edwin Booth, “Shenandoah” -and “Hamlet,” “Hattie” Williams and Helena Modjeska, “The Girl from -Maxim’s” and “Alabama,” and so following, are all alike--mere theatrical -commodities of commerce to be exploited as such--may be “a man of his -word,” an honest tradesman, a genial companion, a dutiful son, an -affectionate brother, a loyal friend, generous in prosperity, -unperturbed in adversity and expeditious in transaction of -business,--but he is not and he never can be a true theatrical manager. - -In the “Life” of Charles Frohman--by his brother Daniel (a man of far -higher ability) and another writer--some informative utterances by him -are quoted,--utterances which reveal and establish the quality of his -mind more unmistakably than whole chapters of analysis could do. This is -one of them, imparting his view of the greatest poet and dramatist that -ever lived and of the consummate tragedy of youthful love, “Romeo and -Juliet”: - - “‘Nonsense!’ exclaimed Frohman. ‘Who’s Shakespeare? He was just a - man. He won’t hurt you. I don’t see any Shakespeare. Just imagine - you’re looking at a soldier, home from the Cuban war, making love - to a giggling schoolgirl on a balcony. That’s all I see, and that’s - the way I want it played. Dismiss all idea of costume. Be - modern.’”--The tragedy was acted in the manner he desired. - -Charles Frohman was simply a wholesale dealer in theatrical produce. He -“made” many “stars”--“stars” being a commodity requisite in his business -and for the manufacture of which he expressed a strong liking. He never -made an actor. There was nothing of importance accomplished in the -Theatre through his activity that would not have been accomplished -equally well if he had never been born. As far as the Art of the Theatre -is concerned he stands in about the same relation to such men as -Wallack, Daly, and Belasco as a maker of chromo-lithographs does to -Corot or Inness. - - * * * * * - -Belasco was a good fighter--resourceful, courageous, pertinacious. He -never forgot a kindness nor an injury,--yet bitter and, to a certain -point vindictive, as his resentment of injury unquestionably was, he -could easily be placated and he was instantly amenable to any appeal to -his kindness of heart. I well remember one occasion on which I chanced -to be with him and other friends (it was the last night of the run of -“The Darling of the Gods,” May 30, 1903) when he was called away by an -urgent appeal. He presently returned and, speaking aside with me, -informed me that the message had been from a person widely known among -journalists and actors as one of the vilest creatures that ever -scribbled slander about decent men and women for the blackguard section -of the press and one who had done him great wrong and injury. “And now,” -Belasco said, “he comes to _me_--appealing for help!” “What have you -done?” I asked. “What could I do?” he answered: “The man is in the -gutter--friendless--penniless--starving. I couldn’t refuse him--now, -could I? I gave him what he asked for.” That incident is significantly -characteristic.... - - * * * * * - -Upon David Belasco’s ability as an actor I can give no judgment, never -having seen him act: he seldom appeared on the stage after 1880, and he -did not come to New York until 1882. He played more than 170 parts -between 1871 and 1880, and it is obvious that his early, continuous, and -practical experience in acting and in observation of the dramatic -methods and the stage business of many actors, of all kinds, as well as -of the practice of some of the best stage managers ever known in -America, must have largely contributed to the brilliant efficiency in -direction for which he was remarkable. No more capable, resourceful -mechanician has appeared in the modern Theatre.... - -Belasco was a great stage manager because he possessed a comprehensive -knowledge of human nature and human experience and an equally -comprehensive knowledge alike of scenery (including stage lighting) and -of acting; a dramatic temperament; clear insight; almost inexhaustible -patience; ability to impart knowledge, and the rare and precious faculty -of eliciting and developing the best that was in the actors whom he -directed. It was the latter attribute that made him unique among stage -managers of the last twenty years or so: the general custom of that -pestiferous animal “the stage producer” is to thrust upon actors an -arbitrary ideal of character.... - -Belasco possessed, moreover, exceptional understanding of the traits of -actors: he knew their vanity and sometimes almost intolerable conceit, -their often paltry purposes and petty ways; likewise he knew and deeply -sympathized with their fine and lovable qualities,--the noble ambitions -by which sometimes they are actuated, their often forlorn hopefulness, -their courage under disappointment, their restless impulse toward -_expression_, their honest longing for opportunity and recognition, -their peculiarities, foibles, and sensibility, and he possessed and -exercised extraordinary judgment, consideration, and tact in the control -of them.... - - * * * * * - -Being human, Belasco possessed faults and made mistakes: being -successful, he never lacked for censurers to point out the one or, with -gleeful malice, to celebrate the other. He was weak by reason of an -inordinate craving for approbation and by reason of an excessive -amiability: rather than inflict the pain of immediate disappointment he -sometimes foolishly temporized in dealing with importunate persons, -thus, at last, incurring their bitter resentment and enmity because of -what they mistakenly though naturally deemed his insincerity. But, in -every respect, his virtues far exceeded his faults, his strength his -weakness, and his rectitude his errors: he was an extraordinary man, -worthy of public esteem and honor, and, in private, most loved by those -who knew him best. As the years speed away and the great place he filled -in the Theatre of his time, and the great void which his passing must -make, become rightly appreciated, those whose detraction followed David -Belasco may admit their injustice: - - “They that reviled him may mourn to recover him,-- - Knowing how gentle he was and how brave! - Nothing he’ll reck, where the wind blowing over him - Ripples the grasses that dream on his grave!” - - * * * * * - -Much has been written, first and last, about Belasco’s utter absorption -in artistic matters and his ignorance of business affairs. It is true -that, first of all, he was an artist and that in his theory of -theatrical business the keystone of the arch was the Art of Acting. But -it cannot be too strongly emphasized that he was one of the few managers -who united in himself a profound knowledge of the drama, all the -methods and expedients of histrionic art, the history of the Theatre and -entire familiarity with its contemporary conditions. He was, in short, -one of the most shrewd, sagacious, far-sighted, hard-headed managers -that ever lived. He early saw the futility of trying to attend, himself, -to every detail of a great and complex organization and so he employed -capable and vigorous men, able and willing to work under his direction -and to carry out his orders. But anybody who supposes that David Belasco -was not perfectly well and intimately aware of everything that was going -on around him and was not at all times the master of his own destiny in -the Theatre is cherishing a delusion! - -Most conspicuous among the men associated with Belasco throughout his -long career in management was Benjamin Franklin Roeder, his general -business representative and close personal friend, whose name is here -fittingly linked with commemoration of the chief whom he so long and -faithfully served. Mr. Roeder, originally, aspired to be a dramatist, -and during the early days of Belasco’s activity in New York, while -connected with the Sargent School of Acting, he obtained an introduction -to him from Franklin Sargent. Roeder had made a dramatization of the -novel of “St. Elmo” (a subject which was successfully introduced on the -stage many years later) and desired that Belasco should read his play -with a view to its possible production. Belasco, pleased by the manner -and address of the young writer, agreed to consider the matter and made -an appointment to meet him and discuss it at the School office at one -o’clock on the following Sunday afternoon. In the stress of business he -forgot that appointment, but an urgent errand taking him to his office -at eleven o’clock on the night of the specified day he found Roeder -seated on the doorstep, asleep. He had been waiting there ten hours. -“When I asked him why he had waited,” said Belasco, telling me of this -incident, “he answered, ‘You said you might be late--and to wait.’ I -made up my mind then that there was surely a place for a boy so -tenacious and that he was just the fellow for me. I took him on, at -first as my secretary, and he has been my business assistant, sometimes -my bulwark, always ‘my friend, faithful and just to me,’ ever since.” - -Members of the theatrical profession are almost without exception -indiscreet and garrulous; secrecy, which often would be invaluable in -that profession,--as in any calling in which success frequently depends -on priority in exploitation of ideas which cannot be protected from -imitation,--is almost unknown in it. Roeder unites in himself not only -fidelity to his - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by White. Belasco’s Collection. - -BENJAMIN F. ROEDER, BELASCO’S GENERAL BUSINESS MANAGER] - -employer, tenacity of purpose, familiarity with all the commercial -details of theatrical affairs, but also excellent executive faculties, -directness and celerity in the despatch of business and, on all -subjects, the restful reticence of the reclusive clam. His services were -often invaluable to Belasco. - - * * * * * - -In person David Belasco was singular. His height was only five feet, six -inches, and in later years he became rather stout, but in youth he was -slender and graceful. His raiment was, almost invariably, black and in -appearance much resembled that worn by Roman Catholic priests of the -present day. His hair, originally black (not, as most hair so designated -is, dark brown, but _jet black_), became first gray, then silver-white. -His eyebrows were remarkably heavy and black and so remained. His eyes -were extraordinarily fine--dark brown, large, and luminous--and his gaze -was attentive and direct. I have not observed a countenance more -singular, mobile, and expressive. When he chose he could make of it an -inscrutable mask. But when indifferent or unaware of observation the -changes of expression--shadows of his thoughts--would flit over his face -with astonishing variety and rapidity, so that I have watched him when -he would appear at one moment commonplace and dull--the next, -highly distinguished, then kind--gentle--thoughtful--dreamy-- -ruminant--pensive--mischievous--pugnacious--alert--hard--cold--at -moments, even malignant--boyish--playful--tender. On the rare occasions -when passion mastered him (or when he chose to have it seem to do -so--occasions always difficult to distinguish), his aspect became -positively Mephistophelian.... - - * * * * * - -One of the mental advantages possessed by Belasco,--a qualification as -precious as it is rare,--was the faculty of absorbing knowledge without -effort. He learned all things with amazing ease. When little more than -thirteen years old he had imbibed from an uncle, a visionary scholar, -sufficient knowledge of Hebrew to enable him to conduct a religious -service in that language, which he did, “without the punctuation,”--an -achievement the difficulty of which will be appreciated only by Hebrew -scholars. That faculty persisted in him always.... - -Belasco early recognized the wisdom contained in the old poet Prior’s -injunction as to the treatment of woman, - - “Be to her faults a little blind, - Be to her virtues very kind,” - -and he consistently obeyed it. He possessed, furthermore, an intuitive -knowledge of the nature of women, a compassionate sympathy with them, -and, whether professionally or personally, exceptional skill in pleasing -and managing them: he was, in turn, readily subservient to female -influence.... - -As a writer he manifested amazing vitality, persistent industry, lively -fancy, considerable faculty of imagination, keen observation, quick -perception of character but more of striking situation and effect, and -great knowledge of human nature. He possessed more the sense of humor -than the faculty of it.... - -Belasco all his life possessed the spirit of adventure. He was eagerly -interested in the life of to-day. His sensibility was extreme. He had -great goodness of heart. He was very generous, extremely kind. - - * * * * * - - - - -A GREAT SHAKESPEAREAN PROJECT. - - -[Not long before my father died he broached to Belasco the project of -making a remarkable series of Shakespearean productions. His suggestion -was eagerly adopted and, if he had lived, it would have been put into -effect during the theatrical season of 1918-’19. His death forced -postponement of the productions--but some preparatory work had been -accomplished and Belasco has not abandoned the project, which is -outlined in the following correspondence, and which will, I believe, -ultimately be fulfilled.--J. W.] - - -(_William Winter to David Belasco._) - -“New Brighton, Staten Island, -“February 23, 1917. - -“Dear David:-- - - “My work on your ‘Life,’ leading me into considerate examination of - what you have done and not done, the scope of your experience, the - difference between conditions, past and present, has, incidentally, - turned my mind toward the future and what you might do, and I - venture to make a suggestion, which I hope you will not deem - intrusive. It would be a great thing for our Stage, and I think for - you, if you were to make a splendid production of a Shakespeare - play--and I believe that you could, with profit, bring out ‘King - Henry IV.’ It has not been acted in New York since 1896, and then - only for a few nights and in a very inefficient way.[8] It had not - been acted previous to that for fifteen or twenty years. ‘On the - road’ it is, practically, as little known. The Second Part has not - been acted in our city (except two or three performances at the - Century [Theatre], by amateurs, signifying nothing) for more than - half-a-century. A production of the First Part might be made; or, - Daly’s original scheme of combining the two parts might be - fulfilled,--though I believe the former would be much the better - venture. - - “If the idea pleases you, I should be most happy to talk with you - about it, in detail; to make suggestions, and to assist in any - possible way. I hope you will consider this matter with care. If - you do not bring out the play, before long somebody else will--and, - if with proper care, gain reputation and money by it. - - “I have been very sick, but am improving and the work goes - on--though much slower than I would have it do. I hope to see you - before long. - -“With kind regards, -“Faithfully yours, -“WILLIAM WINTER.” - - - - -(_David Belasco to William Winter._) - -“Belasco Theatre, New York, -“March 2, 1917. - -“My dear Mr. Winter:-- - - “I received your letter and regret very much that you were so ill. - I am glad, indeed, to learn that you are better. I think the - weather is very depressing and debilitating. - - “I have long wanted to do a Shakespearean play, and your suggestion - gives me an idea. I think that ‘King Henry IV.,’ if well done and - produced with simple dignity, would be most timely. Thank you very - much for your suggestion. - - “As soon as this hateful season is over (the spring season is - always so hard on me--engaging actors, getting manuscripts - together, etc.) do let me come over and talk over ‘King Henry IV.’: - meanwhile, I must read it again, as parts of it are very faint in - my memory. I do not believe in combining the two parts. I had - thought of ‘Julius Cæsar,’ which I consider the greatest play in - the world; but it is so well known that it invites comparison. It - is much better to produce a Shakespearean play but little seen.... - - “With many thanks, all good wishes--and looking forward to seeing - you and talking over a Shakespearean production, I am, - -“Faithfully yours, -“DAVID BELASCO.” - - - - -(_William Winter to David Belasco._) - -“New Brighton, Staten Island, -“March 8, 1917. - -“Dear David:-- - - “Your letter of March 2 has reached me. - - “I was glad to hear from you, and I thank you for your kind wishes. - I improve but slowly: still--I improve. - - “The work goes on--but _not_ well. It goes slowly. But still--it - goes. I do not remember ever experiencing so much difficulty in - putting biographical matter in order.... - - “As soon as the weather settles, and the pressure of your business - will permit, I shall be glad to have you come to see me here. We - can then resume talks about your adventures; and we can confer - about ‘King Henry IV.’ The more I have reflected on the subject the - more I feel that you would do well to revive that play. It requires - editing, of course,--but it is a superb work. Besides _Falstaff_, - _King Henry the Fourth_, _Prince Henry_ and _Hotspur_ are all - splendid characters (_I_ prefer the _Prince_ to _Hotspur_: actors - usually do not), and several of the others are almost as good. - - “The plan of combining the two Parts has some merits: but (in my - judgment) to produce the First Part is the ‘eftest scheme.’ We will - talk of it when you come.... - -“Faithfully yours, -“WILLIAM WINTER.” - - - - -(_William Winter to David Belasco._) - -“46 Winter Avenue, New Brighton, -“Staten Island, New York, -“May 18, 1917. - -“My dear David:-- - - “In the course of my work on the ‘Life’ I have had occasion to - examine and consider several forms of censure and disparagement - which, first and last, have been a good deal circulated about you. - One of these is the statement (which I, personally, have heard made - by some who ought to have known better) that you have not ‘produced - Shakespeare’ because you have been afraid the public would then - ‘find you out.’ This has led me to make a very careful study of the - subject and an exposition of the quality of your early experience - and training as bearing upon competency to produce and direct - Shakespeare in revivals. This, in turn, has kept the suggestion I - ventured to make to you, some time ago, about ‘King Henry IV.,’ - much in my mind. And turning over that subject and looking at it - from many points, I have formulated a plan, fulfilment of which - would give you an absolutely unique position among producers of - Shakespeare, and I venture to lay it before you, in the hope that - perhaps it may be of use, and that, at least, you will not think me - presumptuous. - - “It is as follows: - - “‘King Henry IV.,’ both parts, is a sequel to ‘King Richard II.’ - The latter is one of the most eloquent and beautiful of all - Shakespeare’s plays. All three of the plays named could well and - conveniently be acted _by the same company_. The actual expense of - putting on all three of them would not be much more than that of - putting on one. You could make an IMMENSE impression by bringing - out those three plays as a ‘Shakespeare Trilogy.’ Thus: - - “Mondays and Thursdays; ‘King Richard II.’ - - “Tuesdays and Fridays; ‘King Henry IV., Part One.’ - - “Wednesdays and Saturdays; ‘King Henry IV., Part Two.’ - - “Thus, every week, you could give two full ‘cycles’ of the trilogy; - and, on matinée days, the ‘First Part of King Henry IV.,’ or a - modern play. - - “In presenting such a thing you would undertake and accomplish a - more distinctive, original, and impressive managerial enterprise - than any single venture of any of the representative Shakespearean - producers,--Garrick, Kemble, Macready, Phelps, Kean, Booth, Irving, - Daly, or Beerbohm-Tree. - - “_I_ feel confident that, in a _business_ way, it could be made - profitable. If you got through even at cost, or at a small loss, it - would (in _my_ view) be, in a _business_ way (wholly aside from the - immense and incontestable service to art and the public), a - profitable investment. And I _am sure_ it would ‘make money,’ too. - - “I would do anything and everything in my power to help so fine a - scheme,--would arrange the plays, write notes, etc., etc., if you - should desire it. - - “Please do not think me intrusive with my suggestions. And please - give this very careful consideration. - - “It would be a special satisfaction to me to see you crown your - career with such a wonderful, such an unparalleled, accomplishment. - However much honest difference of opinion there may be regarding - some of the productions you have made (as you know, you and I are - hopelessly at variance about some of the plays you have brought - out), there could be no room for cavil or honest censure of such a - venture as the production of three of Shakespeare’s greatest plays, - which, practically speaking, are unknown, are _new_, to the - American Stage, and which are peculiarly well suited to _your_ - purposes and treatment. And it would be all the more splendid that - such production should not be made at the high-tide of general - theatrical prosperity, but should be made when the whole world - seems shattered, and the rest of theatrical managers are running - about like ants that have been disturbed in their hill! - -“Faithfully yours, -“WILLIAM WINTER.” - - - - -(_Telegram, David Belasco to William Winter._) - -“New York, May 19, 1917. - - “Dear William Winter, I [have] just read your letter. You are - right, and I promise you and myself to do the plays as you suggest, - counting upon your generous assistance, without which I could not - do them. I shall come over as soon as I possibly can, to speak - further of this. Thank you for your enthusiasm and your faith. God - bless you! - -“DAVID BELASCO.” - - - - - - -CONCERNING SARAH BERNHARDT. - - -[It was part of my father’s purpose in making this Memoir to devote a -section in it to BELASCO’S CONTEMPORARIES. The notes which he made on -the subject were not extensive. For that reason and for others I have -decided not to attempt to supply the section. Before making the -decision, however, I addressed to Belasco some inquiries bearing on the -subject and especially one concerning his “favorite player.” His reply -to the latter embodies a notable tribute to a wonderful woman and is, I -think, of exceptional interest. Among other things, it strikingly -illustrates how radically doctors sometimes disagree. No person more -admired the resolute courage shown by Sarah Bernhardt than Winter did, -who wrote of her: “It is good to see upon the Stage--and everywhere -else--indomitable endurance, the aspiring mind that nothing can daunt -and the iron will that nothing can break.” And no writer more justly -appreciated than he did her artistic faculties, her supremacy as “an -histrionic executant.” His final estimate of her, however,--an estimate -as exact as a chemist’s analysis and one which will survive all -disparagement,--is, in some respects, in such sharp disagreement with -Belasco’s that readers of the latter will find the former specially -instructive. It is embodied, together with his studies of her acting, -in his book entitled “The Wallet of Time.”--J. W.] - - -(_David Belasco to Jefferson Winter._) - -“The Belasco Theatre, New York, -“May 31, 1918. - -“My dear Jefferson Winter:-- - - “You ask me to tell you who, of all the players I have ever seen, - is my favorite. My, but that is a hard question to answer! In fact, - I don’t think I _can_ answer with just a name. I have so many - favorites! It is a case of ‘Not that I love Cæsar less but Rome - more!’ And then, too, I have seen and known so many players of so - many different kinds--of _all_ kinds--and our moods vary. As I look - back into my memory and try to call up the actors and actresses of - the Past it seems to me that John McCullough was the most _lovable_ - as a man and, in the great, heroic parts, the most satisfying as an - actor. Barrett was the most _ambitious_; Booth was the most - _powerful_ and _interesting_; Owens was the _funniest_ man I ever - saw, and after him Raymond; Wallack was the most _polished_ and - _courtly_; Salvini was the most _imposing_; Irving the most - _intellectual_ and _dominating_; Mansfield the most _erratic_--and - all of them were great actors and each of them, I think, was my - special favorite! But if I could see only one more theatrical - performance and had to choose which one of those actors I would - see, I think I would choose Edwin Booth in _King Richard the - Third_. - - “Of the women--Adelaide Neilson was easily the most _winsome_ and - _passionate_. Modjeska was the most _romantic_. Mary Anderson was - the _stateliest_, Ellen Terry the most _pathetic_, Ada Rehan the - _greatest comedienne_, and Sarah Bernhardt--ah, what shall I say - of the Divine Sarah! - - “If I were to have the choice of one last performance by the _one - actress_ I admire the most I am afraid I should quarrel with Fate - and insist on choosing _two_--Adelaide Neilson in _Juliet_ and - Sarah Bernhardt in anything. To me, she is, in all seriousness, one - of the everlasting wonders of art. Her voice was like liquid gold; - her delivery was, and is, a supreme example for any man or woman - that ever stepped on a stage. She added a language to all the - others. French is beautiful; but - French-as-spoken-by-Sarah-Bernhardt is sublime! As an actress I - admired her most in the pre-Sardou plays; but she is great in - everything. She has always practised one of the great truths your - dear father taught--that the art of acting is the art of - _expression_ not _re_pression. I consider that she is the best - _listener_ I ever saw--and very few except stage managers know how - difficult it is to seem to listen for the first times to speeches - which have been heard over and over again, sometimes for many - years. She is always mistress of the scene. It is a dramatic - education just to watch her. She could play ‘quiet’ scenes as well - as anybody else--if not better. But when it came to the great - emotional outbursts Sarah Bernhardt could always make them and make - them so that she brought her audience right up on their feet. A - good deal of the so-called ‘repressed school’ of acting is not art - but artifice--mere trickery. Many players of that school ‘repress’ - because they haven’t got anything to give out--they make a virtue - of necessity and dodge what they cannot do. Sarah Bernhardt never - tried to dodge anything and she never needed to, because she never - undertook anything she could not do superbly. As to the secret of - her wonderful success and great career that you hear people talk so - much about, it is simply this: She loves her work. - -[Illustration: - -Photographed by Rochlitz Studio Belasco’s Collection. - -SARAH BERNHARDT] - - When man, woman, or child _loves_ what they are doing, the doing of - it is to them like God’s sunlight to the flowers, it keeps them - alive and makes them beautiful. - - “Much as I admire Mme. Bernhardt as an actress I think I admire her - most as a woman. She sets an example of pluck and perseverance for - all of us, and I have always been very solicitous of her good - opinion. She has come to see several of my productions and her - approval has meant much to me. I once gave a special performance of - ‘Adrea’ for her,[9] because that was the only way she could get to - see it and her admiration and applause I regard as the highest - honor. - - “Last Christmas I sent her a telegram which I should like to give - you. This is it: - - -“‘Dear and adored friend:-- - - “‘May God be good to you this coming year, may you have a bright - and happy Christmas, and may your glorious spirit remain with us - for many years to come. We all admire your courage and your genius - and love to call you “The Great Woman” of our century!’ - -“Her reply is one of my most valued treasures: - - “‘I cannot express to you sufficiently my appreciation of your - adorable messages. I have long been an admirer and friend of yours. - My one regret is that I have never played under your direction. - That will be for another planet! - -“‘All my heart devoted, -“‘SARAH BERNHARDT.’ - - - - “Yes, my dear Jefferson Winter, if I must have one, and _only one_, - favorite player, I am quite sure it must be Mme. Sarah Bernhardt, - in whom the Spirit of Courage, the Spirit of Youth, the Spirit of - France, and the Spirit of Art are all united. - -“Faithfully, -“DAVID BELASCO.” - - - - - - -BRIEF EXTRACTS FROM MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE OF BELASCO. - - -“In all my years of work in the Theatre I have never done anything with -which I was wholly satisfied--and I never shall do so. It is the irony -of Fate that we live only long enough to learn how, and then die before -we can make use of the knowledge!” - -“If I were asked what proportion of the aspirants for the Stage who -apply to me for advice will ultimately become great artists, I should -answer: ‘One in two thousand.’” - -“The good stage manager is born--like the good actor. It [stage -management] is, in itself, a special gift and cannot be acquired by -training.” - -“When I can think more with my head and less with my heart the world -will think me wise--and I shall know myself a fool!” - -“The eyes of the heart see quickly and judge rightly.” - -“I think Dreams are the only Realities of Life--and Love is their soul.” - -“My world is a small one, of my own making; a world of faith and -dreams--and that’s why there are so few people in it!” - -“When we are not physically well, the thoughts follow the line of least -resistance--if the Will allows them to; but the Will is _Master_, and -whatever we wish to be, whatever we wish to do, whatever we wish to get, -we _can_ get, we can _be_ and _do_, by _willing_ it. So it is that you -will be happy; so it is that you will do wonderful things with your -life; so it is that you will get into the Castle of your Dreams.” - -“For women, marriage is the greatest of all careers: therefore, do not -try to mix any of the others with it!” - -About Flaubert and de Maupassant: “Both of them are of the realistic -school, and all students of human nature should read and reread them, -for they are well worth thought and study. The joys and ills of life are -so graphically portrayed that one may almost hear the souls of many -women weep in their pages. Many of their women you will find frail and -erring, but the light of love shines through nearly all their mistakes, -hallowing them, and whether they be beautifully human, or just inhumanly -beautiful, they are always women.” - -“Actors are prone to think too much of themselves and too much of the -affairs of other people. Gossip and frivolity in the theatre have killed -many a promising career. The first maxim I would teach all beginners on -the stage is this, by Augustin Daly. - - ‘A sure way to Success--Mind your business: - A sure way to Happiness--Mind your own business!’ - -I read that on a sign in the waiting room of Daly’s Theatre, more than -thirty-five years ago, and I made up my mind if ever I had a theatre of -my own I’d put it up where my actors could see it,--and I did. It’s over -the Call Board at my theatre now. The second maxim I would teach actors -is this: ‘Never fake on the stage. The public will always catch you and -never forgive you!’” - -“The day of the drunken actor, like that of the drunken statesman and -the drunken doctor, has gone forever.” - -“Try with all your might to think sweet and happy thoughts--and in time -you will come to have faith in real things and so will understand life.” - -“Life is very short, and happiness an elusive will-o’-the-wisp--a wraith -of the night of Time who beckons and beckons, and when we try to follow -him, escapes us very easily.” - -“The ‘star’ actors of to-day lack that careful schooling and full -equipment conspicuous in all the great ‘stars’ of twenty-five, thirty, -fifty years ago, and which is to be acquired only through the old-time -stock system. According to the method of those days, it was never -possible for the actor to play the same part many times in succession. -He was obliged to demonstrate ability not only in many parts but through -a period of many years, and thus to establish himself deservedly in the -good opinion of the public.... I doubt whether any of the young ‘stars’ -could play as many and as great a variety of parts and play them as well -as the ‘stars’ of former days,--although striking successes are made -repeatedly in characters especially written for some particular ‘star.’ -...” - -“In the old days we frequently produced plays with hardly anything at -all to enhance them, either scenery or properties, but merely by a -judicious use of clothes and lighting we made them effective: we did -this because we did not have means to do them correctly. Nowadays, -productions so made are hailed as novelties and the wonders of the age!” - -“I maintain that the great thing, the essential thing, for a producer is -to create _Illusion_ and _Effect_. The supreme object in all my work has -been to get near to nature; to make my atmosphere as _real_ as -possible, when I am dealing with a drama or a comedy of life. In -mounting a fantastic play there is but one thing to do, and that is to -be as fantastic as possible. And so, in a realist play to be as -realistic as possible. And by this I mean to create the _illusion_ of -reality. To do that every scene must be treated as a separate, a new, -problem,--and the setting of it so as to create illusion is a problem -that will never be solved by the ‘new art.’... When I set a scene -representing a Child’s Restaurant how can I expect to hold the -_attention_ of my audience unless I show them a scene that _looks_ real? -They see it, recognize it, accept it and then, if the actors do their -part, the audience forgets that it isn’t looking into a real place. In -‘Marie-Odile’ some benches, chairs, tables, a pot of carrots and a few -other things, with the bare walls of the convent, were all we needed. -But suppose I had tried to put ‘Adrea’ on in the same way? Let us cut -our cloth to suit our pattern. Do not let us attempt to ‘suggest’ a -Child’s Restaurant by setting up a counter with a coffee cup and a -toothpick on it, nor try to picture the court of a Roman emperor with -the same bare simplicity that answers for a lonely convent in -Alsace!...” - -“After all, hard work, a little love, courage to go on, strength to -fight the daily battle,--what more can a man ask?” - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by White. Belasco’s Collection. - -DAVID WARFIELD AS _VAN DER DECKEN_] - - - - -APPENDIX - -(By J. W.) - - - -“VAN DER DECKEN.” - - -Belasco’s romantic drama of “Van Der Decken” was first produced at The -Playhouse, Wilmington, Delaware, on December 12, 1915, with David -Warfield in its central character, that of _The Flying Dutchman_, and it -was acted during the balance of the season of 1915-’16 on a tour which -embraced Washington, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and many other -cities of the Middle-western States. It has not yet been presented in -New York. Belasco esteems it as in some ways his best work. Mr. Winter -did not see it. The following comments on “Van Der Decken” and its -representation are quoted from an article by Charles M. Bregg, a -respected journalist and dramatic critic of “The Pittsburgh Gazette”: - - “It is a play so delicate, so poetic in its inner meaning and so - weird in its mystery and philosophy that one wonders at the - artistic courage of David Belasco and the daring of this - adventurous actor who has struck out into hitherto unsailed seas of - dramatic endeavor.... The story, which has appeared in the folklore - of nearly all the nations of Europe but which has found its most - extensive expression in Holland--that of the rebellious seaman who - was destined to an eternal roaming of the seas as a punishment for - defying God--is not new in the literature of the stage. In Opera - and in Drama it has appeared under various guises; but to David - Belasco and to David Warfield has been left the task of giving the - old myth a new setting. Under the title of ‘Van Der Decken’ Mr. - Warfield appears as this Wandering Jew of the seas in a drama of - intense emotional appeal tinged with a deep sense of the - supernatural. In this new play _The Flying Dutchman_ gains port and - finds a peaceful ending as a reward for his self-sacrifice in - surrendering the woman for whom he first sinned. This woman, - according to the Belasco play, is a reincarnated image of the wife - of the Dutchman left in Amsterdam nearly two centuries before when - he sailed away on that cruise around Cape Horn. Thus we find that - the elements of mystery and of the supernatural are the main pivots - of the dramatic action. To visualize them by stage investiture and - amply to suggest them in action are tasks that few producers or - actors would care to undertake.... There is [in the dramatic story] - a romance, but it is so wrapped up in the mystery of other - centuries, and perhaps is not always so clear in the philosophy of - reincarnation, as to be appreciably understood. These are points - about which there may be sound differences of opinion, but on a - first hearing they seem, as a final result, to leave the play shorn - of diverse interest and therefore somewhat monotonous in its - appeal. - - “But it is a weird and deeply interesting play in the compactness - of the story and in its dramatic rendition. The fabric is so - delicate that if it were not staged and played with the utmost care - and good taste it might easily fall to pieces.... Mr. Warfield - demonstrates afresh the fine, sympathetic quality of his acting. - This - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Charlotte Fairchild. Belasco’s Collection. - -INA CLARE AS _POLLY SHANNON_, IN “POLLY WITH A PAST”] - - _rôle_ is absolutely foreign to anything else he has ever done, and - by the power of his personality and the care of his delineation he - makes the part of the ill-fated sailor throb with sympathy and - meaning. In makeup he emphasizes the poetic quality underlying the - character.... In staging this play Belasco handles his lights as a - great symphony conductor plays with instruments, bending them to - his will and making them set the color of the entire play. The - three acts are set with marvellous care. An old ship sail acts as - the front drop curtain, and throughout the play the atmosphere is - almost made to drip with salt water. One act is in a harbor; - another, on board the ship of _The Flying Dutchman_, and the third - is a beautiful little delph setting that is like some old picture - of Hollandese ware. In the stage effects, such as wind, thunder, - and lightning, Belasco can make old devices seem an echo of Nature - herself.... The music of the stage is ghostly and haunting....” - -“Van Der Decken” was played with the following cast: - -_Van Der Decken_ David Warfield. -_Nicholas Staats_ Ernest Stallard. -_Mate Jacob Te Beckel_ William Boag. -_Jansoon Kolp_ Fritz Lieber. -_Petie Vieck_ Fred Graham. -_Raff Kloots_ Harold Russell. -_Rudie Schimmelpennick_ Horace Braham. - -SAILORS ABOARD THE FLYING DUTCHMAN’S SHIP “BATAVIA.” - -_Kris_ Arthur Fitzgerald. -_Bram_ Herbert Ayling. -_Hein_ Worthington L. Romaine. -_Hans_ J. J. Williams. -_Prinz_ Lawrence Woods. -_Klass_ Edward L. Walton. -_Jan Tanjes_ Bert Hyde. -_Pilot Krantz_ Tony Bevan. -_Boatman_ Oren Roberts. -_Trintie Staats_ Jane Cooper. -_Johanna_ Marie Bates. -_A Little Boy_ Master MacComber. - - - - -“POLLY WITH A PAST.” - - -“Polly with a Past” is a merry though thin piece of farcical fooling, -which owes its exceptional success--it has already run nearly an entire -season in New York--to the attractiveness of the setting provided for it -by Belasco and to the earnestness and zest with which it is played. It -was written by Messrs. George Middleton and Guy Bolton and then -rewritten under the direction of Belasco. Its plot is conventional, -though familiar stage figures and time-tried devices are handled in it -with considerable breezy dexterity. _Polly Shannon_, an orphan, the -daughter of a poor clergyman of East Gilead, Ohio, desires to study -music in Paris. She makes her way as far as New York and there, having -no money, she secures employment as cook and waitress in the service of -two young bachelors, _Harry Richardson_ and _Clay Collum_. A friend of -theirs, _Rex Van Zile_, is violently in love with a young woman, _Myrtle -Davis_, whose purpose in life is the reformation of the abandoned waifs -of society. _Myrtle’s_ attitude toward _Rex_ is aloof and cool and he -despairs of winning her. _Harry_ and _Clay_, who have heard the story of -their pretty little servant and become interested in her, seek her -counsel. _Polly_, premising that though a minister’s daughter she is -familiar with French novels, suggests that the best way for _Rex_ to win -_Myrtle’s_ love is for him to pretend to become the helplessly -fascinated victim of a notorious Parisian adventuress. Finally, after -much persuasion, _Polly_ agrees to assume the part of the adventuress -and, introduced into the ultra-respectable _Van Zile_ home, she does so -with such entire success that not only is _Myrtle_ inspired with jealous -interest but that _Rex_ is really charmed by her winning ways and -transfers his affections to her. Various complications occur, incident -to the attainment of this result--all of them amusing although -transparently artificial in contrivance--and as a whole the -representation provides an unusually agreeable entertainment. - -“Polly with a Past” was first acted at the Apollo Theatre, Atlantic -City, on June 11, 1917; and, after a brief fall tour, it was produced at -the Belasco Theatre, New York, on September 6, with the following cast: - -_Harry Richardson_ Cyril Scott. -_Rex Van Zile_ Herbert Yost. -_Prentice Van Zile_ H. Reeves-Smith. -_Stiles_ William Sampson. -_Clay Collum_ George Stewart Christie. -_A Stranger_ Robert Fischer. -_Commodore “Bob” Barker_ Thomas Reynolds. -_Polly Shannon_ Ina Claire. -_Mrs. Martha Van Zile_ Winifred Fraser. -_Myrtle Davis_ Anne Meredith. -_Mrs. Clementine Davis_ Louise Galloway. -_Parker_ Mildred Dean. - -Excellent performances were given in this farce, especially by Cyril -Scott,--a neat and skilful actor of pleasant personality, who bears -himself with more breezy jauntiness than most men half his age,--H. -Reeves-Smith and William Sampson, both experienced and accomplished -players of the old school, and by Miss Ina Claire, a talented young -actress, who, as _Polly Shannon_, made her first appearance on the -legitimate stage in it. Belasco’s attention was first directed to her -during the season of 1915-’16 when, as one of the performers in a -vaudeville, she sang a song called “Poor Little Marie-Odile” in which he -was severely lampooned. He attended her performance, was favorably -impressed by her singing and imitations, and engaged her. Miss Claire is -pretty, extraordinarily self-poised, an expert mimic, has a good stage -presence, is able to assume effectively a demure manner, and she played -_Polly_ with spirit, humor, and at least one touch of feeling. - - - - -“TIGER ROSE.” - - -“Tiger Rose” was written by Willard Mack and then rewritten under -Belasco’s direction and with his assistance. It was first produced at -the Shubert Theatre, Wilmington, Delaware, on April 30, 1917: on October -3, that year, it was produced at the Lyceum Theatre, New York, where it -is still current (June, 1918) and where it bids fair to remain for many -weeks. It is a picturesque and effective melodrama, in four acts (the -third being presented as practically an undetached continuation of the -second), the scene of which is a frontier post in the Canadian -Northwest. The action of that play revolves around the love affair of a -French-Canadian girl named _Rose Bocion_. She is an orphan and the ward -of _Hector MacCollins_, a conventionally austere yet kindly Scotchman, a -factor of the Hudson Bay Trading Company, in whose dwelling three of the -acts take place. The girl, a lovely flower of the forest, is admired and -courted by all the youth for many a mile around, including a capable -but dissolute Irishman, _Constable Michael Devlin_, of the Royal North -Western Mounted Police. _Rose_, however, will have none of them,--for -she and _Bruce Norton_, a young civil engineer from a neighboring -construction camp, have met by chance and have become lovers. _Norton_, -in the camp where he is employed, unexpectedly encounters and kills a -man who, years earlier, had first misled and then deserted his sister, a -married woman, who in consequence committed suicide. _Norton_ makes his -escape into the wilderness and seeks to communicate with _Rose_, his -only friend, hoping to obtain her help in getting clear of the region. -An Indian squaw employed in the factor’s household bears a message and -eventually he succeeds in reaching the girl. But information of his -crime has been transmitted to _MacCollins’_ dwelling, by telephone, -where it is received by _Devlin_. That blackguard, who has been made -furious by _Rose’s_ bitterly contemptuous repulse of his dishonorable -advances and who has surmised the identity of her lover with the -fugitive, is vigilantly watchful, hoping to gratify his jealous hatred -while in the performance of his duty. During the interview between -_Norton_ and _Rose_ she detects the stealthy approach of _Devlin_, -tracking him. After making a tryst with him at a remote - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Abbe. Collection of Jefferson Winter. - -LENORE ULRIC AS _ROSE_, IN “TIGER ROSE”] - -and abandoned log cabin in the woods, she has barely time to hide her -lover in a huge old grand-father’s clock, in the factor’s house. From -that precarious concealment _Norton_ escapes, down a trapdoor in the -floor, under cover of the dreadful tumult of an appalling electrical -storm (most realistically and impressively managed in Belasco’s -presentment) and, eventually, makes his way to the appointed meeting -place. There, during the next night, he is joined by _Rose_ and a kindly -physician, _Dr. Cusick_, who has discovered her attachment and who, -somewhat unwillingly, has consented to assist in the escape of her -sweetheart. Various explanations are exchanged and it is revealed that -_Dr. Cusick_ (that being an assumed name) is actually the wronged -husband of _Norton’s_ sister and has been for years seeking to find and -kill the man slain by him. After the family misfortunes have been -discussed and an understanding arrived at and after plans for the escape -of _Norton_ out of the Dominion have been devised and arranged by the -intrepid _Rose_, the trio are about to separate when the ubiquitous -_Devlin_, who has divined their resort to the ruined cabin, has -concealed himself there and listened to their conversation, suddenly -emerges from his hiding place and, “covering” the culprit with a pistol, -arrests him. _Rose_, however, abruptly extinguishes the only light in -the cabin, at the same instant shooting the weapon out of _Devlin’s_ -hand and crying to her love to fly--which he does. _Devlin_ makes an -attempt to follow him, striking down and stunning _Cusick_, but, being -unarmed, is stopped by _Rose_ at the pistol point. Then, throughout the -night she holds him there. With dawn, however, _Norton_, who has -realized the predicament in which his escape will leave his sweetheart, -returns, accompanied by a Jesuit priest whom he has met--and, as _Rose_ -will not submit to the removal of her lover to Edmonton, there to stand -trial alone, but insists on an immediate marriage to him, the play ends -with impending matrimony and the implication that _Dr. Cusick_, who, it -appears has “done the State some service,” will succeed in his declared -intention of appealing to the legal authorities for lenient treatment of -_Norton_,--an intention, by the way, which indicates a touching -ignorance of the operation of criminal law in the region specified. - -All this, if sometimes false to the probabilities of actual life, is -always responsive to the purposes of acting, and, as presented by -Belasco,--with scrupulous care to every aspect of the stage setting and -to every detail of the stage management and with an unusually capable -company,--the melodrama merits the success it has achieved. The central -character is, of course, _Rose Bocion_,--who, with euphonious disregard -of gender, is called _Tiger Rose_. This girl is headstrong, impulsive, -and intense, she indulges with excessive freedom in violent expletives, -and she fights hard for the man she loves. But there is nothing -tiger-like in her conduct or her character. On the contrary, _Rose_, is -winsome, brave, loyal, ardent, resourceful and utterly sincere, devoted -and unselfish in her love. However, the name makes a striking title for -the play. Miss Lenore Ulric, who acts the part, is possessed of -exceptional natural advantages,--youth; a handsome face; abundant hair; -expressive eyes, dark and beautiful; a slender, lithe figure; a -sympathetic voice; strong, attractive personality, and an engaging -manner. Her temperament is intense, her nature passionate, her style -direct and simple. Her acting reveals force of character, experience, -observation, thought, sensibility, ardor, definite purpose, and unusual -command of the mechanics of art. It is, moreover, suffused with fervid, -sometimes ungoverned feeling (which is a defect), and it is at all times -sincere, individual, and interesting. She is an admirable listener, an -excellent speaker,--articulating with great care,--and, at moments (as, -for example, in a colloquy with _Father Tibault_ as to belief in Diety), -the disposition she exhibits in this performance seems altogether -childlike and lovely. Under Belasco’s sagacious direction she should go -far. - - -CAST OF “TIGER ROSE.” - -_Hector MacCollins_ Thomas Findlay. -_Dan Cusick, M.D._ William Courtleigh. -_Constable Michael Devlin, R.N.W.M.P._ Willard Mack. -_Bruce Norton_ Calvin Thomas. -_Father Thibault_ Fuller Mellish. -_Pierre La Bey_ Pedro De Cordoba. -_George Lantry_ Edwin Holt. -_Old Tom_ Edward Mack. -_Constable Haney_ Arthur J. Wood. -_Mak-a-low_ Chief Whitehawk. -_Wa-Wa_ Jean Ferrell. -_Rose Bocion_ Lenore Ulric. - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Arnold Genthe. Collection of Jefferson Winter. - -DAVID BELASCO--HIS LATEST PORTRAIT, 1918] - - - - -CHRONOLOGY - - - - -CHRONOLOGY OF THE LIFE OF DAVID BELASCO - - - HUMPHREY ABRAHAM BELASCO, BORN, LONDON, ENGLAND, DECEMBER 26, 1830. - - REINA MARTIN BELASCO, BORN, LONDON, ENGLAND, APRIL 24. 1830. - -1853. - July. - 25. DAVID BELASCO, eldest child of Humphrey - Abraham, and Reina Martin, Belasco, was - BORN, in a house in Howard Street, near - Third Street, San Francisco, California. - -1858. While David Belasco was a little child,--apparently - about 1858,--his parents removed - to Victoria, Island of Vancouver, B. C., taking - him with them. - - In the latter part of 185(8?) he was “carried - on,” at the Theatre Royal, Victoria, as - _Cora’s Child_, in “Pizarro,”--Julia Dean - (Hayne) being the _Cora_. Later he played - the child in “Metamora,” when Edwin Forrest - filled an engagement in Victoria. - -186(2?). About 1862 he appeared with Julia Dean - (Hayne), in “East Lynne,” as _Little William_. - -1864. In the latter part of 1864 he played the - little _Duke of York_, in “King Richard III.,” - with Charles Kean, at the Theatre Royal, - Victoria. - -1865-1871. In 1865 (March-April?) the elder Belasco - removed with his family to San Francisco, - California, and there established his permanent - residence. As a boy, in that city, Belasco - attended several schools, chief among them the - Lincoln Grammar School. During part of - this period the Belasco home was in Louisa - Street, then in Bryant Street, afterward it - was in Clara Street. - -1871. - March. - 17. At the Metropolitan Theatre, San Francisco, - Belasco appeared as an _Indian Chief_ - in Professor Hager’s “Great Historical Allegory, - ‘The Great Republic,’”--which was - several times repeated, for the benefit of the - schools whose pupils participated in the - performance: in the Second Part thereof he - personated _War_. - - April. - 15. He appeared, in Hager’s “The Great - Republic,” at Sacramento, California. - - June. - 2. (Friday Evening.) He took part in a - series of public “competitive declamations” - (reciting “The Maniac”), by pupils of the - Lincoln Grammar School, at Platt’s Hall, - San Francisco. On same occasion he - appeared as _Highflyer Nightshade_, in “The - Freedom of the Press.” - - 7. At the Metropolitan Theatre, revival of - Hager’s “The Great Republic,” in which he - again appeared as an _Indian Chief_, and as - _War_. - - 22. He appeared as _Fornechet_, _Minister of Finance_, - in a presentment of Sutter’s “Life’s - Revenge,” by the Fire-Fly Social and Dramatic - Club, at Turnverein Hall, Bush Street, - near Powell, San Francisco. - - July. - 10. BELASCO’S FIRST REGULAR APPEARANCE on - the professional stage,--as a super, with - Joseph Murphy, in “Help,” at the Metropolitan - Theatre. Subsequently he was given a - small part, a few words to speak, in this - play. “Help” was played till July 16, Sunday - night. - - 19. “Help” revived at Metropolitan Theatre. - - 22. End of Murphy’s engagement in “Help.” - -1872. - July. - 22. He played _Bloater_, in “Maum Cre” (then - first acted in San Francisco), with Joseph - Murphy, at the Metropolitan Theatre. - - December. - 16. He appeared at the Metropolitan Theatre, - San Francisco, with Minnie Wells (not - Mary Wells), in “The Lion of Nubia” (not - Lioness), as _Lieutenant Victor_: on this occasion - he was billed as Walter Kingsley. -1873. - February. - 23. He played _Peter Bowbells_ in “The Illustrious - Stranger,” in a Benefit Performance, - for Marion Mordaunt, at the Metropolitan - Theatre. - - March. - 5. “Grand Reopening of the Metropolitan - Theatre,” under direction of John R. - Woodard: cheap prices: The Chapman - Sisters, in H. J. Byron’s “Little Don - Giovanni.” Belasco played the _First Policeman_. - - 18. He played _Prince Saucilita_ (giving burlesque - of a local character known as - “Emperor” Norton), in “The Gold Demon,” - with the Chapman Sisters, at the Metropolitan - Theatre. - - 21. He played _Strale_, in “Checkmate,” with the - Chapmans, at the Metropolitan. - - April. - 2. (One night only.) He played _Reuben_, in - “Schermerhorn’s Boy,” and _Strale_, in “Checkmate,” - with the Chapmans, at the Academy - of Music, Oakland, California. - - 3. At the Metropolitan, San Francisco, he - appeared, with the Chapmans, as the _Genius_ - _of the Ring_, in “The Wonderful Scamp; or, - Aladdin No. 2,” and as _Peter True_, in “The - Statue Lover.” - - 9. He played the _First Fury_, in “Pluto,” with - the Chapmans, at the Metropolitan. - - 18. Revival of “Little Don Giovanni” at the - -[Illustration: - -Photograph by Harris & Ewing. Belasco’s Collection. - -BELASCO LEADING THE PARADE OF “THE LAMBS” UP PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, -WASHINGTON, D. C. - - INSCRIPTION: - - “The first time I ‘paraded’ into town since my old days in the - West, when I used to bang the cymbals and pound the drum!”--D. B. - -] - - Metropolitan: Belasco as the _First Policeman_. - - 28. Last regular performance at the Metropolitan - Theatre, San Francisco. The Chapman - Sisters in “Cinderella,”--produced 23. - - May. - 3. He played with the Chapman Sisters, in - “Little Don Giovanni,” in Sacramento. - Later he appeared, with the Chapman Sisters, - in several California towns. - - August. - 18. He played _Bloater_, in “Maum Cre,” with - Joseph Murphy, at Shiels’ Opera House, San - Francisco. - - 25. He played _Bob Rackett_, in “Help,” with - Murphy, at Shiels’. - - 26. At the home of his parents, No. 174 Clara - Street, San Francisco, California, David - Belasco and Cecilia Loverich were married. - - September. - 1. At Shiels’ Opera House he played _Baldwin_, - with Murphy, in “Ireland and America”: - Same bill, September 2, 6, and 7. “Maum - Cre” 3, 4, and 5. - - 10. He played _Harvey_, in “Out at Sea,” with - Laura Alberta, at Shiels’ Opera House. - - 20. He played _Sambo_, in “Uncle Tom’s - Cabin,” to the _Topsy_ of Laura Alberta, at - Shiels’. - - 25. “Twice Saved; or, Bertha the Midget,” was - acted at the Opera House (formerly Shiels’, - subsequently Gray’s) and Belasco played - _Major Hershner_. - - 29. He acted _Spada_, in Stirling Coyne’s “The - Woman in Red,” with Fanny Cathcart, at - the Opera House. (That house was first - billed as Gray’s Opera House, on October 3, - and “The Woman in Red” was played there - till October 5.) - - October. - 6. Belasco played at Gray’s Opera House, as - _Darley_, with Fanny Cathcart and George - Darrell, in “Dark Deeds.” - - 18. Benefit performance, at Gray’s Opera - House, to James Dunbar: Belasco acted - _Mons. Voyage_, in Third Act of “Ireland as - It Was.” - - October-November, _et seq._ - He went to Virginia City, Nevada, where he - became a member of the stock company at - Piper’s Opera House. - -1874. - March. - 1-7? Belasco returned to San Francisco from - Virginia City. - - 10. Engagement of Adelaide Neilson in San - Francisco began at the California Theatre,--Miss - Neilson making her first appearance - there in “Romeo and Juliet.” Belasco participated - in all the performances given during - that engagement,--which ended on March - 30,--as a super and helper about the stage. - - May. - 4. Grand Opening of Maguire’s New Theatre, - San Francisco, (the old Alhambra, rebuilt and - altered),--“The Entire Lingard Combination,” - Wiliam Horace Lingard, Dicky Dunning, - Alice Lingard, etc., appearing in - “Creatures of Impulse,” “Mr. and Mrs. - Peter White,” and a miscellaneous entertainment. - - June-September. - Belasco worked as a copyist, etc., for - Barton Hill, at the California Theatre - and played minor parts (not recorded) - at Maguire’s New Theatre. Also, he - made several brief excursions as a “barnstormer” - to small towns of California and - Nevada. - - September. - (14?). Belasco became attached to Maguire’s New - Theatre as assistant stage manager and - prompter, actor of small parts, hack playwright, - and secretary and messenger to - Thomas Maguire. In this employment he - came into association with James A. Herne, - Thomas Whiffen, Annette Ince, Ella Kemble, - Sydney Cowell, etc. He remained there for - about four months. - - October. - 12. He played the _Dwarf_ in “Rip Van Winkle” - at Maguire’s,--Herne being _Rip_. - - December. - 24. Belasco played _Pietro_ and _Galeas_, in the - prologue and drama of “The Enchantress,” - at Maguire’s New Theatre. - -1875. -January to (May?). - Belasco was “barnstorming” with a Miss - Rogers, originally a school teacher, who obtained - financial support and starred in a - repertory including “East Lynne,” “Camille,” - “Frou Frou,” and “Robert Macaire.” Miss - Rogers’ tour began in Portland, Oregon, and - continued through small towns along the Big - Bear and Little Bear rivers. It proved a - failure and the company was disbanded,--Miss - Rogers and Belasco, however, continued - to appear together for several weeks, - presenting one-act plays such as “A Happy - Pair” and “A Conjugal Lesson.” - - June. - --. He was in San Francisco. - - July. - 4. He participated, as assistant to James H. - Le Roy, in stage management of a benefit - performance, for Frank Rea, at Maguire’s - New Opera House. - - August. - 4. He assisted, in various ways, in a presentation - at the California Theatre of “The - Bohemian,” in which George Ceprico (amateur) - appeared as _Edmund Kean_. - - 7. Production at the California Theatre of - [a variant, by Belasco?] Le Roy’s version - of “The New Magdalen,”--Ellie Wilton playing - _Mercy Merrick_. - - 8. “Lost in London” was presented at - Maguire’s New Theatre, at Belasco’s suggestion - [acted according to a prompt book - or “version” prepared by him?]. - - November. - 17. Benefit, to “Sam” Wetherill, at Maguire’s - New Theatre,--stage management of Belasco. - - December. - 6. Belasco played a subsidiary part in “The - Jealous Wife,” in a performance (“last night - of the season”) at Maguire’s, for the benefit - of Katy Mayhew. - - 13. C. R. Thorne’s Palace Theatre (formerly - Wilson’s Amphitheatre), corner Montgomery - and Mission streets, San Francisco, was - opened, with “Gaspardo; or, The Three Banished - Men of Milan,” and Belasco appeared - in it as _Santo_, _a Monk_. - - 21. He played _Signor Mateo_, in “The Miser’s - Daughter.” - - 24. He played _Selim_, in “The Forty Thieves,” - at Thorne’s Palace Theatre. - - 30. He played _Gilbert Gates_, in “The Dawn of - Freedom,” at the same house. Thorne closed - his theatre, suddenly, December 31. - -1876. - January. - 7. The Palace Theatre was reopened, as the - Palace Opera House, under management of - Colonel J. H. Wood, presenting Frank Jones - in “The Black Hand; or, The Lost Will,” - in which Belasco played _Bob_, _a Policeman_. - That engagement lasted for about three - weeks, at the end of which time, apparently, - he went back to Maguire’s New Theatre. - - March. - 6. Opening of Baldwin’s Academy of Music, - San Francisco. Thomas Maguire, proprietor. - James A. Herne, stage manager. David - Belasco, assistant stage manager and - prompter. Bill: Barry Sullivan, in “King - Richard III.,”--Belasco played _Ratcliff_. - - 11. Sullivan revived “The Wonder,” at Baldwin’s, - and Belasco played in it as _Vasquez_. - - 13. Sullivan acted in “Hamlet,” at Baldwin’s: - Belasco played _Bernardo_ and the _Second Actor_. - - 16. Sullivan presented “Richelieu,” at Baldwin’s, - and Belasco appeared as one of the - _Secretaries_. - - 20. Played the _First Officer_, in “Macbeth,” - with Sullivan, at Baldwin’s. - - 23. Played the _Waiter_, in “The Gamester,” - with Sullivan as _Beverley_. - - 27. Played the _Duke of Burgundy_, in “King - Lear,” with Sullivan, at Baldwin’s. - - 29. Played a _Messenger_, in “Othello,” with - Sullivan, at Baldwin’s. - - 31. Played _Salarino_, in “The Merchant of - Venice,” with Sullivan, at Baldwin’s. - - April. - 5. Played the _Lieutenant_, in “Don Cæsar de - Bazan,” with Sullivan, at Baldwin’s. - - 7. Played _Furnace_, in “A New Way to Pay - Old Debts.” - - 10. Played _Marco_, in “The Wife.” - - 16. End of Barry Sullivan’s engagement at - Baldwin’s Academy of Music, “King Richard - III.” Belasco played _Ratcliff_. - - 18. Mrs. James A. Oates began an engagement - in Opera at Baldwin’s, and Belasco, with - other members of the dramatic stock company, - returned to Maguire’s New Theatre - (whence they had come to Baldwin’s), where - they supported Baker and Farron, in “Heinrich - and Hettie.” - - May-June--part of July. - Belasco went “barnstorming.” - - July. - 23. He played _DeMilt_, in “Under the Gas-Light,” - in a benefit, by John McCullough and - others, for E. J. Buckley, at the California - Theatre. - - September. - 4. Edwin Booth began an eight weeks’ engagement - in San Francisco (the first in twenty - years), at the California Theatre, in “Hamlet,” - “Richelieu,” “Othello,” etc., and Belasco - was employed as a supernumerary in his company. - - October. - --. Belasco was employed by James M. Ward - as stage manager and playwright, at the - Grand Opera House. - - 16. He appeared with Ward and Winnetta - Montague, at the Grand Opera House, in - “The Willing Hand.” - - 22. He appeared at Baldwin’s, as _Doctor of the_ - _Hospital_, in “The Two Orphans,” for benefit - of Katy Mayhew. - -1877. - February. - 16. He appeared at Egyptian Hall (No. 22 - Geary Street, near Kearny), in association - with Frank Gardner and his wife (Carrie - Swan), acting _The Destroyer_, in “The - Haunted House,”--a play written by himself,--_Valentine_, - in an abridgment of “Faust,” - and _Mr. Trimeo_, in “The Mysterious Inn.” - - The presentments at Egyptian Hall were - all built around a variant of the “Pepper’s - Ghost” illusion. - - 17. At Egyptian Hall he appeared as _Avica_, - _Spirit of Avarice_, in “A Storm of Thoughts”; - _Phil Bouncer_, in “The Persecuted Traveller,” - and as _The Destroyer_, in “The Haunted - House.” - - 20. At Egyptian Hall “Our Mysterious Boarding - House” was presented, in which he played - _Our Guest_, replacing “The Persecuted Traveller,” - in bill as on 17. - - April. - 2. Same place, he played _Mark_, in “The - Prodigal’s Return,” as well as _Avica_ and - _Our Guest_, as above. - - The engagement of the Gardners and - Belasco at Egyptian Hall continued for eight - weeks. - - Other plays which Belasco recalls having - written for presentation there are “Wine, - Women, and Cards” and “The Christmas - Night; or, The Convict’s Return.” I have - not, however, found _record_ of the presentation - of them. During that engagement at Egyptian - Hall, Belasco also gave several recitations, - including “The Maiden’s Prayer,” - with musical accompaniment, and “Little - Jim.” - - May-July. - Belasco acted with Gardiner and his wife, - in various cities and towns of California and - the Pacific Slope, in the plays above mentioned. - - August. - 18. Belasco played _John O’Bibs_, in Boucicault’s - “The Long Strike” (billed as “The - Great Strike”), and the _Earl of Oxford_, in - the Fifth Act of “King Richard III.,” in a - benefit for A. D. Billings, at the California - Theatre, San Francisco. - - September. - 24. A theatrical company, from the California - Theatre, San Francisco, under the management - of Thomas W. Keene, of which Belasco - was stage manager, began a “Fair week” - engagement at the Petaluma Theatre, Petaluma, - California. Bill: “The Lady of - Lyons,” in which Belasco played _Monsieur Deschapelles_; - and “The Young Widow,” in - which he played _Mandeville_. - - 25. Same engagement: “The Hidden Hand,” - Belasco playing _Craven Lenoir_; and “Robert - Macaire,” in which he played _Pierre_. - - 26. Same. “The Wife,” Belasco as _Lorenzo_; - and “My Turn Next,” Belasco as _Tom Bolus_. - - 27. Same. “The Streets of New York,” - Belasco as _Dan_; and “The Rough Diamond,” - Belasco as _Captain Blenham_. - - 28. Same. “Deborah,” Belasco as _Peter_; and - “Solon Shingle” (“The People’s Lawyer”), - Belasco as _Lawyer Tripper_. - - Same. Benefit of Keene. “The Ticket-of-Leave - Man,” Belasco acted one of the subsidiary - parts. - - October. - --. Belasco joined the Frayne Troupe, at Humboldt, - Oregon, opening as _Mrs. Willoughby_, - in “The Ticket-of-Leave Man.” This engagement - lasted about three months. - -1878. - January. - 4. He played at the Opera House, San José, - as a member of the Frayne Troupe (Frank - I. Frayne, manager), comprising also M. B. - Curtis, H. M. Brown, E. N. Thayer, Mrs. - Harry Courtaine, Gertrude Granville, and - Miss Fletcher. - - He played in many Pacific Slope towns and - cities with this company. - - January-March. - He returned to San Francisco and performed - miscellaneous theatrical drudgery. - - March. - 4. Belasco played _James Callin_, and _Pablo_, - _an Italian Harpist_, in the prologue and - drama of “Across the Continent,” with Oliver - Doud Byron, at the Bush Street Theatre, - San Francisco. (Six nights: revival, March - 18 to 23.) - - 26. The New York Union Square Company - acted at the Baldwin Theatre, San Francisco, - in “Agnes,” and Belasco appeared with it, as - the valet, _Rudolphe_. - - April. - 8. “One Hundred Years Old” was acted at - the Baldwin Theatre, Belasco playing the - servant, _Louis_. - - 15. “Saratoga” was acted at the Baldwin, - Belasco playing _Gyp_. - - 25. “A Celebrated Case” was revived at the - Baldwin, Belasco playing a subsidiary part. - - May, _et seq._ - Belasco travelled with the Union Square - Theatre Company, as stage manager, during - a tour of towns and cities of California, Oregon, - etc. At the end of that tour he received - a memorable tribute from the members of the - company: see page 106. - - July. - 8. Boucicault’s “The Octoroon,” “retouched - and rearranged” by Belasco, was revived at - the Baldwin Theatre. - - September. - 2. Belasco’s version of “The Vicar of Wakefield,” - entitled (like Wills’ version) “Olivia,” - was produced for the first time at the - Baldwin Theatre, San Francisco, Rose Wood - acting _Olivia_, A. D. Bradley _Dr. Primrose_, - James O’Neill _Mr. Barchell_, and Lewis Morrison - _Squire Thornhill_. - - October. - 14. An alteration by Belasco of Wills’ “A - Woman of the People” was acted at the Baldwin. - - 28. Belasco’s “Proof Positive” was acted at the - Baldwin. - - November. - 4. Clara Morris began her first San Francisco - engagement at the Baldwin, Belasco being - the stage manager. - - December. - 23. “Not Guilty,” by Watts Phillips, revised - by Belasco, and produced under his direction, - was acted for the first time in San Francisco, - at the Baldwin Theatre: notable success. - -1879. - January. - --. Belasco resigned his position at the Baldwin - Theatre and rewrote his play of “The - Lone Pine” for Denman Thompson. He disagreed - with Thompson and his manager, J. - M. Hill, and his play was not produced. - - February. - --. Belasco was re-employed as stage manager, - etc., at the Baldwin. - - 6. He played _Colonel Dent_, in “The Governess,” - with Clara Morris, at the Baldwin - Theatre (one night only: farewell of Miss - Morris). - - 17. Belasco’s dramatization of Gaboriau’s - “Within an Inch of His Life” was acted for - the first time at the Grand Opera House: - notable success. - - March. - 1. “Within an Inch of His Life” was withdrawn. - - 3. The first presentation of Salmi Morse’s - “The Passion Play” was made at the Grand - Opera House, San Francisco, under the stage - management of Belasco and “Harry” Brown,--James - O’Neill appearing in it as _Jesus Christ_. - - 11. “The Passion Play” was withdrawn at the - Grand Opera House. - - April. - 15. Revival of “The Passion Play” at the - Grand Opera House. - - 20-21. An injunction prohibiting further presentation - of “The Passion Play” was issued, - and, that being disregarded, O’Neill and his - associates were arrested (21st): O’Neill was - imprisoned, and later he was fined $50 and - his associates $5 each, for contempt of - court. - - May. - 5. An adaptation of Sardou’s “La Famille - Benoiton!” entitled “A Fast Family,” made - by Belasco, was played at the Baldwin. - - 19. At the Baldwin Belasco acted the old man, - _Timothy Tubbs_, in his play of “The Millionaire’s - Daughter,” which was then first - presented,--five nights: revival May 26 to 31. - - June. - 2. Rose Coghlan, engaged at Belasco’s request, - began her first engagement in San Francisco, - at the Baldwin, playing _Lady Gay_, in “London - Assurance.” - - 30. First performance of “Marriage by Moonlight” - (afterward renamed “The Moonlight - Marriage”), by Belasco and James A. - Herne, occurred at the Baldwin Theatre. - - July. - 13. (Sunday night.) Special benefit for Belasco - and James A. Herne, at the Baldwin: - “The Moonlight Marriage” and “Rip Van - Winkle.” - - 15. First performance of Belasco’s version of - “L’Assommoir,” based on Zola’s novel, was - made at the Baldwin, with an “all-star company,”--Rose - Coghlan, Lillian Andrews, Jean - Clara Walters, O’Neill, Morrison, Herne, etc., - being in the cast. - - September. - 9. At Baldwin’s Theatre, San Francisco, first - production of “Chums” (“Hearts of Oak”), - by David Belasco and James A. Herne. - - 21. (Sunday.) Last performance of “Chums” - at Baldwin’s. Failure. - - October. - 6. Herne-Belasco partnership presented - “Chums” at Salt Lake City. - - Other places were visited. The business was - bad. Failure. “Chums” was closed, and company - disbanded. - - Belasco, Herne and his wife (Katharine - Corcoran) went to Chicago and lodged at the - old Sherman House. - - November. - 17. First performance in Chicago, at Hamlin’s - Theatre (formerly the Coliseum?), of - “Hearts of Oak” (“Chums”). Notable success. - - 30. “Hearts of Oak” closed at Hamlin’s. - - December. - 1. Belasco-Herne Company appeared in Cincinnati. - - 20. (About) Belasco-Herne Company was - playing “Hearts of Oak” in Indianapolis. - - A version of “The Mariner’s Compass” (on - which “Hearts of Oak” was built) was presented - in cities of the Middle West, under the - name of “Oaken Hearts,” to trade on the success - of the Belasco-Herne title: unauthorized - use of that title was stopped by legal action - taken by Herne in courts of Michigan in - May, 1880. - -1880. - March. - 15. “Hearts of Oak” was acted at Hooley’s - Theatre, return engagement, till March 27. - - 29. “Hearts of Oak” was performed for first - time in New York, at the New Fifth Avenue - Theatre--untruthfully announced as “by - James A. Herne.” Failure. During this - engagement Herne was several times incapacitated - to perform and Belasco appeared in his - place as _Terry Dennison_. - - April. - 16. Last performance of first “Hearts of Oak” - engagement in New York. - - Belasco and Herne took their play to the - Arch Street Theatre, Philadelphia. There - Herne quarrelled with Belasco and bought his - half-interest in the play for $1500, which he - did not pay till several years later. - - Belasco returned to New York, seeking - employment, but could not obtain it. He - then made his way, by various shifts, across - the continent, to his home in San Francisco. - - June. - 16. Belasco reached San Francisco, after his - disastrous experience with Herne and “Hearts - of Oak.” - - He obtained immediate employment at the - Baldwin Theatre, where Adelaide Neilson was - then playing her farewell engagement (it began - on June 8). James H. Vinson and Robert - M. Eberle were, officially, the stage managers: - Belasco officiated as assistant stage manager - and as prompter, and, on July 17, he “rang - down” the curtain on _the last performance ever given_ - by Miss Neilson:--_Juliet_, in Balcony - Scene from “Romeo and Juliet,” and _Amy Robsart_, - in the play of that name. - - During this engagement at the Baldwin, - though actually he performed much important - labor, both as stage manager and as - writer and adapter of plays, Belasco’s acknowledged - position was wholly subsidiary: for - reasons of business expediency he again assumed, - for a time, use of the name Walter - Kingsley. - - July. - 19. His play of “Paul Arniff” was produced, - for the first time, at the Baldwin Theatre: - it is founded in part on “The Black Doctor.” - - August. - 16. John T. Malone made his first appearance - on the stage, acting _Richelieu_, at the Baldwin, - under the direction of Belasco. - - 30. A new version, by Belasco, of T. P. - Cooke’s “True to the Core” was acted at the - Baldwin. - - November. - 15. William E. Sheridan began his first San - Francisco engagement, at the Baldwin, during - which, under stage direction of Belasco, he - appeared in “King Louis XI.,” “Wild Oats,” - “The Lady of Lyons,” “The Merchant of - Venice,” etc., etc. - - December. - 28. First production in America of the once - famous melodrama of “The World” was made, - under Belasco’s direction, at the Baldwin - Theatre, San Francisco. - -1881. - January. - 17. Belasco’s “The Creole” (based on “Article - 47”) was acted for the first time in - New York, at the Union Square Theatre,--Eleanor - Carey appearing in it as - _Diana_. - - February. - 6(?). Last performance of “The Creole” at the - Union Square Theatre. - - March. - 27. Belasco left San Francisco, with the Baldwin - Theatre stock company, for Portland, - Oregon. - - April. - 15. He returned from Portland and resumed - employment at the Baldwin Theatre. - - July. - 18. Belasco’s play of “La Belle Russe” was - anonymously produced, under his stage - direction, at the Baldwin Theatre, San - Francisco (first time anywhere), Miss - Jeffreys-Lewis, Osmond Tearle, and Gerald - Eyre acting the chief parts in it. Exceptional - success. - - 26. Belasco’s authorship of “La Belle Russe” - was announced, in advertisements of that - play. - - 30. Final performance, original run, of “La - Belle Russe,” at the Baldwin. - - August. - 15. At the Baldwin occurred the first performance - of Belasco’s dramatic epitome of - Adolphe Belot’s story, “The Stranglers of - Paris,” Osmond Tearle acting _Jagon_: - Belasco’s name was not made known at - this time as the stage-adapter of the - story. - - September. - 25. Belasco left San Francisco, with Maguire, - for the East, to arrange for the sale of his - play of “La Belle Russe.” - - During his stay in New York, October-December, - this year, Belasco negotiated - regarding presentment of “La Belle Russe” - with Augustin Daly, John Stetson, A. M. - Palmer, and Lester Wallack. He finally sold - his interest in that play outright, to Frank - L. Goodwin, for $1500, a return ticket to - San Francisco, and $100 for travelling - expenses. - - December. - 25. Belasco reached San Francisco from New - York. - -1882. - March. - 7. First performance of Belasco’s spectacle - melodrama of “The Curse of Cain” occurred - at the Baldwin. - - April. - 16. End of Thomas Maguire’s control of the - Baldwin Theatre, San Francisco. - - May. - 8. First production in New York of Belasco’s - play of “La Belle Russe” was made at Wallack’s - Theatre,--Osmond Tearle and Rose - Coghlan playing the chief parts. - - June. - 12. A “sensation revival” of Belasco’s “retouched - and re-arranged” version of Boucicault’s - “The Octoroon,” introducing Callender’s - Colored Minstrels, was effected at the - Baldwin, under the stage direction of Belasco - and the management of Gustavo Frohman: - notable success. - - July. - 10. Belasco’s “American Born” was acted, for - the first time, at the Baldwin Theatre, San - Francisco,--Edward N. Marble being then - the lessee of that house. - - --. First meeting of Belasco and Charles Frohman. - - 18(?). Belasco left San Francisco, travelling, as - stage manager, with the [Gustave] Frohman - Dramatic Company. - - 31. That company began an engagement in - Denver, Colo.,--at the end of which, apparently, - it was disbanded. - - August. - 16. Belasco’s “American Born” was successfully - produced, at the Grand Opera House, - Chicago, under the joint management of Gustave - and Charles Frohman. - - October. - 9. First production of “Young Mrs. Winthrop,” - by Bronson Howard, at the Madison - Square Theatre. This was the first play - produced at that theatre under the stage - management of Belasco, and the incident - marks his establishment in the Theatre of - New York. - - The 100th performance of “Young Mrs. - Winthrop” occurred January 12, 1883: the - 150th, March 5. - -1883. - April. - 7. Last performance (original “run”) of - “Young Mrs. Winthrop” at the Madison - Square Theatre. - - 9. First performance, by professional actors, - Madison Square Theatre, of “A Russian - Honeymoon,” by Mrs. Burton N. Harrison, - produced under stage management of - Belasco. - - June. - 4. Last performance of “A Russian Honeymoon” - and end of “the regular season” at - the Madison Square. - - 5. Beginning of the “summer season” at the - Madison Square, with first production of - “The Rajah; or, Wyncot’s Ward,” by William - N. Young, revised by Belasco, and produced - under his stage direction. - - September. - 1. 100th performance of “The Rajah” at the - Madison Square. - - October. - 31. 150th performance of “The Rajah.” - - November. - 12. At the New Park Theatre occurred the - first performance in New York of Belasco’s - melodrama (revised for the occasion) of - “The Stranglers of Paris,” which was produced - under the stage direction of the author - and the management of Charles Frohman: - Henry Lee appeared as _Jagon_. - - December. - 8. “The Rajah” was withdrawn at the Madison - Square. - - 10. At the Madison Square first production of - “Delmar’s Daughter; or, Duty”; by Henry - C. De Mille, under Belasco’s direction. It was - a failure and was withdrawn on the 15th. - - 17. “The Rajah” was revived at the Madison - Square. - -1884. - January. - 29. Last performance of “The Rajah.” - - 31. First New York performance, Madison - Square Theatre, of “Alpine Roses,” by H. - H. Boyesen; stage direction of Belasco. - Georgia Cayvan, Marie Burroughs, Eben - Plympton, and Richard Mansfield played the - chief parts in this drama. - - April. - 10. Last performance of “Alpine Roses.” - - 12. At the Madison Square Theatre, first production, - on any stage, of Belasco’s drama - of “May Blossom,” founded in part on his - earlier play of “Sylvia’s Lovers”: produced - under the stage direction of the - author. - - July. - 5. Belasco sailed for England, on board the - SS. Alaska, to witness performances of - “Called Back,” at the Haymarket Theatre, - London,--that play having been purchased - for production in America by the Mallory - brothers. First meeting of Belasco and author - occurred on this voyage. - - 19. He sailed for New York, on board the - SS. Alaska. - - 27. He arrived in New York. - - August. - 27. Public announcement by the Mallory - brothers that Albert Marshall Palmer had - become a partner in the management of the - Madison Square Theatre. Friction between - Belasco and Palmer, relative to management - of the stage, had arisen some time - earlier. - - September. - 1. First production in America of “Called - Back,” made by the Mallory brothers at the - Fifth Avenue Theatre, under the stage direction - of Belasco. - - 9. 150th performance of “May Blossom” at - the Madison Square Theatre. - - 27. Last performance of “May Blossom” at - the Madison Square Theatre. - - 29. A new policy was put into effect at the - Madison Square Theatre, under the influence - of Palmer, marked by the presentation, on - this date, of “The Private Secretary.” - This farce was placed on the stage almost - entirely under the direction of Frank - Thornton. - - After the successful production of “Called - Back” at the Fifth Avenue Belasco resigned - his position as stage-manager of the Madison - Square Theatre company. - -1885. - --. Belasco contemplated abandoning stage direction - and reverting to acting,--it being his - plan to appear at the head of a company - managed by himself as _Hamlet_ and in the central - part of a play he wished to write for his - own use. - - He became acquainted with Steele Mackaye. - -1886. - February. - 15. At Wallack’s Theatre, New York, occurred - the first production on any stage of “Valerie,” - a play in three acts altered by Belasco - from Sardou’s “Fernande.” - - March. - 13. “Valerie” was withdrawn at Wallack’s. - - May. - --. Belasco returned to San Francisco as stage - manager of Al. Hayman’s “all-star stock company.” - - 31. That company appeared, under his direction, - at the Baldwin Theatre, in a dramatization - of the novel of “Moths.” - - June. - Hayman’s company acted at the Baldwin - under Belasco’s direction as follows: - - 7. In Belasco’s “Valerie.” - - 14. “The Marble Heart.” - - 21. “Anselma.” - - 24. “The Lady of Lyons.” - - 28. “Alone in London.” - - July. - 18. (Sunday night.) Belasco took a benefit - at the Baldwin Theatre, San Francisco: extraordinary - programme and great public enthusiasm. - - 26. He left San Francisco for New York, to - take up work there in connection with the - Lyceum Theatre. - - September. - Belasco revised A. C. Gunter’s “A Wall - Street Bandit,”--which was produced at the - Standard Theatre, September 20. - - 18. Henry C. De Mille’s play of “The Main - Line; or, Rawson’s Y” was produced at the - Lyceum Theatre, under Belasco’s stage direction. - - October. - 18. May Fortesque (Finney) began an engagement - at the Lyceum, acting _Gretchen_, in - Gilbert’s “Faust”: Belasco officiated as stage - director throughout that engagement, during - which Miss Fortesque also acted as _Gilberte_, - in “Frou-Frou”; _Iolanthe_, in “King - Rene’s Daughter,” and _Jenny Northcott_ in - “Sweethearts.” - -1887. - March. - 23. Under Belasco’s direction, pupils of the - Lyceum Theatre School of Acting gave a - performance, at the Lyceum, of an English - translation of Molière’s “Les Précieuses - Ridicules.” - - May. - 3. First production, at the Lyceum Theatre, - of “The Highest Bidder,” made by Belasco - on the basis of a play called “Trade,”--which - was written by John Maddison Morton - and Robert Reece, for the elder Sothern. - Notable success. - - July. - 16. End of the original “run” of “The Highest - Bidder,” and close of the season at the - Lyceum Theatre. - - August. - 22. Revival of “The Highest Bidder” at the - Lyceum. - - September. - 12. “Pawn Ticket 210,” by Belasco and Clay - M. Greene, was produced by Lotta, at McVicker’s - Theatre, Chicago. - - 19. Cecil Raleigh’s farce, “The Great Pink - Pearl,” and Augustus Thomas’ one-act drama, - “Editha’s Burglar,” were produced, under - Belasco’s stage direction, at the Lyceum. - - October. - 24. At the Fourteenth Street Theatre “Baron - Rudolph,”--originally entitled “Only a - Tramp,”--by Bronson Howard, first rewritten - as well as renamed by Howard; - then, at Howard’s request, altered and - improved by Belasco, was produced, for the - first time in New York, by George S. Knight,--Charles - Frohman representing Knight in - the business management and Belasco stage - directing the performance. Failure: the - play was kept on the stage four weeks, to - bad business. (In its original form Knight - first presented “Baron Rudolph” in New - York, at the Windsor Theatre, October 17, - 1881.) - - November. - 1. At the Lyceum occurred the first performance - on any stage of “The Wife,” by - Belasco and Henry C. DeMille. - - 19. “Baron Rudolph” was withdrawn at the - Fourteenth Street Theatre. - - December. - --. During this month Belasco revised and - rectified William Gillette’s dramatization of - Haggard’s “She,”--which had been produced - at Niblo’s Garden on November 29. His work, - for which he received $1,000, made a popular - success of that spectacle. - -1888. - June. - 16. 239th consecutive performance of “The - Wife,” and close of the Lyceum Theatre. - - August. - 21. The Lyceum was reopened for the season - with first performance anywhere of Belasco - and De Mille’s “Lord Chumley.” - - September. - 11. Belasco’s revision of E. J. Schwartz’s “The - Kaffir Diamond” was produced at the Broadway - Theatre, New York, with Louis Aldrich - in the chief part. (Belasco was paid $300 - for his work on this play.) - - November. - 11. --th and last performance at the Lyceum - of “Lord Chumley.” - -1889. - March. - 11. The fifth annual performance of the Academy - of Dramatic Art (formerly the New - York School of Acting) occurred at the - Lyceum Theatre, under the direction of - Belasco, Franklin H. Sargent, and Henry - C. De Mille,--pupils of that school appearing - in an English version of Sophocles’ “Electra.” - - 18. “The Marquis,” a version of Sardou’s - “Ferréol,” prepared by Belasco, was produced - under his stage direction at the Lyceum. - Failure. - - 29. Revival of Belasco-De Mille drama of “The - Wife,” at the Lyceum. - - April. - 29. A play by William Gillette, based on Mrs. - Humphry Ward’s novel of “Robert Elsmere” - and bearing the same name, was produced - at the Union Square Theatre under - the stage direction of Belasco--by special - arrangement with the directorate of the - Lyceum Theatre: Belasco received $500 for - his labor on this production. - - May. - 6. James Albery’s play of “Featherbrain” - (adapted from a French farce called “Tête de - Linotte”) was produced, under stage management - of Belasco, at the Madison Square Theatre--a - special company organized by Daniel - Frohman appearing in it. - - 18. Close of the season at the Lyceum. - - (Month, date?) Belasco and De Mille - were commissioned to write a new play for - the season of 1889-’90, at the Lyceum. - - --. First meeting of David Belasco and Mrs. - Leslie Carter. - - September. - --. Mrs. Leslie Carter sought Belasco at - Echo Lake, New Jersey, and obtained his - promise to undertake her training for the - stage. - - November. - 19. First performance anywhere of “The - Charity Ball,” by Belasco and De Mille, stage - direction of the former. - - This was the last play for the Lyceum - with which Belasco was concerned. - - December. - --. Belasco, being in need of the use of a stage - for rehearsals of Mrs. Carter, agreed to revise - a play by Mrs. Abby Sage Richardson, - based on Mark Twain’s “The Prince and the - Pauper,” and to rehearse a company in it, on - the understanding that, as payment, he should - be permitted to rehearse Mrs. Carter on the - stage of the Lyceum Theatre. - -1890. - January. - 20. Belasco’s revision of “The Prince and the - Pauper” was acted at the Broadway Theatre, - Elsie Leslie appearing in it as Tom Canty - and as _Prince Edward of Wales_. - - January-February. - Belasco was active in planning a play for - Mrs. Carter, called “The Heart of Maryland,” - in negotiation for its production under - the management of A. M. Palmer, and in - training of Mrs. Carter. - - February. - 26. The bargain between Daniel Frohman and - Belasco, for the latter to use the stage of - the Lyceum Theatre, was wrongfully abrogated - by the directors of that institution. - Belasco soon afterward resigned his place at - the Lyceum. - - March. - 27. Belasco ended his association with the - Lyceum Theatre. - - May. - 24. 200th performance of “The Charity Ball,” - and close of the Lyceum Theatre. - - October. - 21. A melodrama entitled “Men and Women,” - by Belasco and De Mille, was produced at - Proctor’s Twenty-third Street Theatre, by - Charles Frohman, under the stage direction - of Belasco: and, to accommodate Miss Annie - A. Adams, an old friend, Belasco wrote in - this play a small part for Miss Maude - Adams. - - November. - 10. Belasco, with E. D. Price as business manager - (the financial capital having been provided - by Mr. N. K. Fairbank, of Chicago), - presented Mrs. Leslie Carter, at the Broadway - Theatre, as a star, in a play by Mr. - Paul M. Potter, called “The Ugly Duckling”; - that was _Mrs. Carter’s first appearance on the stage_. - -1891. - March. - 14. End of tour of Mrs. Carter in “The Ugly - Duckling,” and of career of that play, in - Kansas City, Mo. - - 25. 200th consecutive performance of “Men - and Women” at Proctor’s Twenty-third - Street Theatre. - - 28. Last performance of “Men and Women,”--original - production. - - April. - 15. Belasco, Mrs. Carter, and Mrs. Dudley, - her mother, sailed for England, on board - SS. City of New York, and proceeded to - Paris, to see the French play with music - afterward presented in America as “Miss - Helyett.” - - November. - 3. “Miss Helyett,” a farce with music, - adapted from the French by Belasco, was, by - him, in association with Charles Frohman, - produced at the Star Theatre, New York,--Mrs. - Carter appearing in it as _Miss Helyett_. - - December. - 17. 50th performance of “Miss Helyett” at the - Star. - -1892. - January. - 10. Last performance of “Miss Helyett” at the - Star. - - 11. “Miss Helyett” was transferred from the - Star to the Standard Theatre. - - 29. 100th performance of “Miss Helyett.” - - February. - 13. Close of the New York engagement of Mrs. - Carter in “Miss Helyett”: she then went on a - tour in that play, under the management of - Frohman and Belasco, which lasted until the - end of the theatrical season of 1891-’92. - - During the greater part of the remainder - of 1892 Belasco’s attention was bestowed - principally on the writing of “The Girl I Left - Behind Me.” - -1893. - January. - 16. “The Girl I Left Behind Me,” by Belasco - and Franklyn Fyles, was produced, by Charles - Frohman, for the first time anywhere, at the - New National Theatre, Washington, D. C.,--under - the stage management of Belasco. - - 25. The Empire Theatre, New York, was - opened, under the management of Charles - Frohman, with a performance of “The Girl I - Left Behind Me.” - - March. - 29. “The Girl I Left Behind Me” was played - at the Empire with an entirely new cast--the - original company, with one or two exceptions, - going to Chicago, where, during the World’s - Columbian Exposition, it was presented in - that drama, at the Schiller (now, 1917, the - Garrick) Theatre, for many weeks. - - June. - 24. 288th consecutive performance of “The - Girl I Left Behind Me,” at the Empire, and - close of the first season at that theatre. - - October. - 24. First performance in New York, at the - Empire Theatre, of “The Younger Son,” - adapted by Belasco from a German play - called “Schlimme Saat” (“Evil Seeds”). - Failure: it was withdrawn after four performances. - -1894. - August. - 22. Belasco left New York, taking his brother - Frederick with him, for San Francisco,--called - there by the illness of his mother, who - was thought to be dying. - -1895. - October. - 9. Belasco’s play of “The Heart of Maryland” - was presented, by the author, in association - with Mr. Max Bleiman, of New York, - for the first time anywhere, at the Grand - Opera House, Washington, D. C. - - 22. “The Heart of Maryland” was acted for - the first time in New York, at the Herald - Square Theatre: notable success. - -1896. - March. - 3. 150th performance of “The Heart of - Maryland.” - - 31. An extra performance of “The Heart of - Maryland” was given at the Herald Square - Theatre, for the benefit of the Hebrew - Infant Asylum. - - April. - 18. 200th performance of “The Heart of Maryland,” - and distribution of souvenirs at the - Herald Square. - - May. - 16. End of the “run” of “The Heart of Maryland,” - and close of the season at the Herald - Square Theatre: 229 consecutive performances - had been given of this fine melodrama. - - June. - 3. Trial of Belasco’s suit against N. K. - Fairbank, to recover $65,000, losses, expenses, - etc., incidental to instruction of - Mrs. Carter and her tour in “The Ugly - Duckling,” was begun before Justice Leonard - Giegerich and a jury, in Part V., Supreme - Court, State of New York. This suit - was fought with extreme acrimony at every - point. - - 23. The jury in Belasco’s suit against Fairbank - returned a verdict for the Plaintiff, - awarding him $16,000 and interest, for five - years, at 5 per cent. - - August. - 20. “Under the Polar Star,” revision by Belasco - of play by Clay M. Greene, was produced at - the Academy of Music, New York. - -1897. - August. - 16. Belasco presented “The Heart of Maryland” - at the Baldwin Theatre, San Francisco. - - October. - 5. At the Manhattan (previously the Standard) - Theatre Belasco, in partnership with - Charles Frohman, presented, for the first time - in New York, a tragedy of Chinese character - entitled “The First Born,” by Francis Powers. - It was produced under the stage management - of Belasco, and Powers appeared in its principal - part, _Chan Wang_: notable success. The - tragedy was acted in association with a farce - called “A Night Session,” derived from a - French original by Georges Feydeau. - - 23. The theatrical company that acted “The - First Born” in New York sailed for England,--a - new company taking its place at the - Manhattan. - - November. - 6. “The First Born” was acted at the Duke - of York’s Theatre, London,--where it failed - and was withdrawn after one week. - - Last performance of “The First Born” at - the Manhattan Theatre. Nov. 29.--Transferred - to Garden Theatre, where it was acted - until December 11. - -1898. - --. Close of the third season of “The Heart of - Maryland” at Springfield, Mass. - - March. - 30. Belasco, Mrs. Carter, and the company - which had been acting in “The Heart of - Maryland” sailed for England on SS. St. - Paul. - - April. - 8. Belasco, in partnership with Charles Frohman, - presented Mrs. Carter, at the Adelphi - Theatre, London (her first appearance - abroad), as _Maryland Calvert_, in “The Heart - of Maryland.” - - June. - 25. End of the season of “The Heart of Maryland” - in London. - - September. - 7. Belasco arrived in New York, from England, - on board SS. Majestic. - - December. - 25. Belasco’s adaptation of “Zaza,” from a - French play of that name, by MM. Pierre - Berton and Charles Simon, was acted for the - first time, at the Lafayette Square Opera - House (now, 1917, the Belasco Theatre), - Washington, D. C., Mrs. Leslie Carter - appearing in its central part. - -1899. - January. - 9. “Zaza” was acted for the first time in New - York, at the Garrick Theatre. - - 11. Death of Mrs. Humphrey Abraham Belasco, - at 174 Clara Street, San Francisco, in her - 69th year. Mrs. Belasco was buried at Hills - of Eternity Cemetery, San Mateo, California. - - June. - 5. 150th performance of “Zaza,” observed by - distribution of souvenirs during the evening. - - 17. End of “run” of “Zaza,” and close of the - season at the Garrick: 164 performances had - been given. - - December. - 25. Belasco’s “Naughty Anthony” was produced, - first time, at the Columbia Theatre, - Washington, D. C., with Blanche Bates and - Frank Worthing in its principal parts. - -1900. - January. - 8. Belasco presented his farce of “Naughty - Anthony,” for the first time in New York, at - the Herald Square Theatre. - - March. - 5. At the Herald Square, first performance - anywhere of the tragedy, in one act, by - Belasco, entitled “Madame Butterfly,”--founded - on a story of the same name by John - Luther Long,--Blanche Bates acting in it as - _Cho-Cho-San_ and Frank Worthing as - _Lieutenant B. F. Pinkerton_. - - 21. Close of the Belasco season (“Naughty - Anthony” and “Madame Butterfly”) at the - Herald Square Theatre. - - April. - 5. Belasco, Mrs. Carter, and the theatrical - company to act “Zaza” sailed for England on - SS. St. Paul. - - 16. Belasco, in partnership with Charles Frohman, - presented Mrs. Carter in his play of - “Zaza,” at the Garrick Theatre, London. - - 28. In association with Charles Frohman, Belasco - presented “Madame Butterfly” at the - Duke of York’s Theatre, London: memorable - triumph. - - May. - --. Belasco fell on stairs of the Garrick - Theatre, London, and was seriously injured. - - July. - 28. End of the London engagement of Mrs. - Carter, in Belasco’s “Zaza.” - - August. - --. Belasco and Mrs. Carter sailed for New - York on board SS. -----. - - --. They landed in New York. - -1901. - February. - 5. Belasco, in partnership with Charles Frohman, - presented at the Garden Theatre, for - the first time on any stage, a dramatization - of Ouida’s novel, “Under Two Flags,” by - Mr. Paul M. Potter,--revised by Belasco. - Blanche Bates, making her first appearance - in New York as a star, acted in it as - _Cigarette_. Stage direction of Belasco. - - June. - 1. 133rd performance of “Under Two Flags” - at the Garden Theatre, and close of the season - there. - - September. - 9. At the Hyperion Theatre, New Haven, - Conn., Belasco presented David Warfield as - a star, in “The Auctioneer,”--then first - acted on any stage,--a play built on suggestions - by Belasco, by Charles Klein and Lee - Arthur, and amended by Belasco. - - 23. Belasco presented Warfield in “The Auctioneer,” - for the first time in New York, at - the Bijou Theatre. - - December. - 12. At the New National Theatre, Washington, - D. C., Belasco, for the first time anywhere, - presented his play of “Du Barry,” - with Mrs. Carter in the central part. - - “Du Barry” was to have been given on - Monday, the 9th inst., but difficulty in - handling the elaborate and heavy stage settings - and the need of additional rehearsals - delayed it till the 12th. - - 25. First performance of “Du Barry” in New - York occurred, at the Criterion Theatre. - -1902. - January. - 1. A silver loving cup was presented to - Belasco, on the stage of the Criterion Theatre, - by Mrs. Carter and all the other members - of the “Du Barry” company: Mr. - Charles A. Stevenson made the presentation - speech, and Mr. Belasco replied. - - 14. Belasco, by lease, secured control of the - Republic Theatre, New York. - - 25. Belasco was sued by M. Jean Richepin, - demanding an accounting for the receipts - from representations of “Du Barry,”--on - the ground, as alleged, that Belasco’s “Du - Barry” is, in fact, Richepin’s play of the - same name. - - March. - 13. Judge John J. Freedman, in the Supreme - Court, New York, denied a motion by attorneys - of M. Jean Richepin to strike out - essential clauses from Belasco’s answer in - Richepin’s suit against him, alleging plagiarism - in the play of “Du Barry.” - - The Plaintiff never proceeded in this case, - and it was formally discontinued, in January, - 1908. - - 17. Belasco was severely injured by the fall of - a heavy piece of scenery, during representation - of “Du Barry,” at the Criterion Theatre: - he was struck on the head, badly cut, - and rendered unconscious for a quarter of an - hour. - - April. - 19. Work of reconstruction of the Republic - Theatre was begun: the whole interior of that - theatre was torn out and rebuilt,--a sub-stage - chamber, twenty-five feet deep, being - excavated (which entailed much blasting of - solid rock), a perpetual spring of water - being incidentally tapped, which it was - extremely difficult to dam. - - May. - 31. 165th performance of “Du Barry” at the - Criterion, and close of that theatre for the - season. - - September. - 29. Belasco opened the first Belasco Theatre, - New York (previously the Republic), presenting - Mrs. Carter, in a revival of - “Du Barry.” - - November. - 17. The first performance, anywhere, of “The - Darling of the Gods,” a tragedy of Japanese - life by Belasco and John Luther Long, - occurred at the National Theatre, Washington, - D. C., under the management and stage - direction of Belasco: Blanche Bates, George - Arliss, and Robert Haines acted the chief - parts in it. - - December. - 2. Suit for $20,000 damages for malicious - libel was entered by Belasco against the - writer known as Onoto Watanna (Mrs. - Bertrand W. Babcock), in the Supreme - Court, New York, before Judge James J. - Fitzgerald. - - 3. First New York presentment of “The - Darling of the Gods,” at the first Belasco - Theatre. - -1903. - January. - --. Belasco entered into a contract with Henrietta - Crosman for her appearance as a star - in a dramatization of the novel by Agnes and - Egerton Castle, called “The Bath Comedy.” - - February. - 6. Order for the arrest of Onoto Watanna - (Mrs. Babcock), obtained by Belasco, in his - suit against her claiming $20,000 damage - for malicious libel, was vacated by Judge - David Leventritt,--defendant, in effect, withdrawing - the libel: appeal against vacation of - the order of arrest entered by Belasco’s - lawyers. - - May. - 30. “The Darling of the Gods” was withdrawn - at the Belasco Theatre and that house was - closed for the season,--186 performances having - been given. - - June. - 6. End of tour, under Belasco’s direction, of - Mrs. Carter and a company of 147 other - players, presenting “Du Barry,” at Minneapolis, - Minn.: it had lasted thirty-eight weeks. - - 10. Belasco gave a brilliant reception in honor - of Mrs. Carter, on the stage of the Belasco - Theatre, New York,--which was attended by - several hundred persons of varied social and - artistic distinction. - - September. - 16. The Belasco Theatre was reopened with - a revival of “The Darling of the Gods.” - - 28. Beginning of Warfield’s third tour in “The - Auctioneer,” at the Harlem Opera House, - New York. - - November. - 14. Last performance of “The Darling of the - Gods” at the Belasco Theatre. - - 16. A contemptible outrage was perpetrated at - the Belasco Theatre, New York, when, during - representation of the First Act of “Zaza,” a - process server, employed and instructed by - Mr. A. Hummel, leaped upon the stage and - handed to _Mrs. Leslie Carter_ notice of an - action brought by Miss Eugenie Blair and Mr. - Henry Gressit, against _David Belasco_, praying - for an injunction to stop the latter presenting - “Zaza”! The plaintiffs alleged rights - of ownership of the play by Charles Frohman. - Hummel (firm of Howe & Hummel) was - attorney for C. Frohman as well as for Miss - Blair and Gressit. - - 23. Belasco produced, for the first time anywhere, - at the Lafayette Square Opera House - (now, 1917, Belasco Theatre), Washington, - D. C., his stage version of “The Bath - Comedy,” entitled “Sweet Kitty Bellairs.” - - 24. Suit was brought by Joseph Brooks, in the - Supreme Court, New York, against Belasco, - in an endeavor to establish that he, Brooks, - was a copartner with Belasco in management - and presentation of David Warfield, in the - play of “The Auctioneer.” - - December. - 8. First performance of “Sweet Kitty - Bellairs” in New York,--at the first Belasco - Theatre. - - 11. Judge Scott denied application, by Miss - Blair and Mr. Gressit, for an injunction to - stop Belasco’s presentation of “Zaza.” - - 23. By arrangement with Belasco Herbert - Beerbohm-Tree presented “The Darling of the - Gods” at His Majesty’s Theatre, London, - appearing in it as _Zakkuri_, with George - Relph as _Kara_ and Miss Marie Löhr as - _Yo-San_. - -1904. - January. - 8. Publication, in the newspaper press, of letter - by David Warfield repudiating Joseph - Brooks’ assertion of partnership with Belasco - in the management and presentation of Warfield, - in “The Auctioneer.” - - 10. Warfield’s tour in “The Auctioneer” was - abruptly ended at New Orleans. - - 25. Judge David Leventritt, in the Supreme - Court, New York (First District), refused to - issue a mandatory order, prayed for by - Joseph Brooks, directing David Warfield to - continue to act in “The Auctioneer.” - - February. - 3. Legal action was brought in the Circuit - Court of the United States for the Southern - District of New York by Grace B. Hughes - (otherwise known as Mary Montagu) to - restrain Belasco, Maurice Campbell, and - Henrietta Crosman from further presenting - Belasco’s play of “Sweet Kitty Bellairs,”--Plaintiff - alleging that Belasco’s play was, in - fact, an infringement of one by her, entitled - “Sweet Jasmine.” - - February. - 14. Hon. W. M. K. Olcott was appointed as - Receiver for the play of “The Auctioneer” (as - represented with Warfield in the central part), - in the Brooks-Belasco “partnership” suit. - - March. - 18. The application by Grace B. Hughes for - an injunction against Belasco, _et al._, as - above, was argued before Judge E. Henry - Lacombe. - - 26. Judge Lacombe denied the motion for an - injunction as prayed for by Grace B. - Hughes, holding that there was _no plagiarism_ - by Belasco. This case was finally stricken - from the Calendar, without trial, March 3, - 1913. - - June. - 4. End of the first New York run of “Sweet - Kitty Bellairs,” at the Belasco Theatre. - - July. - 31. Belasco presented “The Darling of the - Gods,” with Blanche Bates and the original - New York company, at the Imperial Theatre, - St. Louis, thus incurring the bitter, active - animosity of the Theatrical Syndicate,--the - Imperial Theatre not being under the control - of that organization. - - September. - 12. Belasco produced, for the first time anywhere, - at the Young’s Pier Theatre, Atlantic - City, N. J., Charles Klein’s play of “The - Music Master,” revised by Belasco--David - Warfield acting in it, as _Herr Anton von Barwig_. - - September. - 16. The Belasco Theatre was reopened with a - revival of “The Darling of the Gods.” - - 28. At the Montauk Theatre, Brooklyn, Mrs. - Carter’s “Farewell Tour” in “Du Barry” - began, under Belasco’s direction. - - 26. First presentation of “The Music Master” - in New York,--at the first Belasco Theatre. - - December. - 26. In Convention Hall (which, having been - shut out of all theatres by the iniquitous - Theatrical Syndicate, he had hired and converted - into a theatre, for one week’s engagement) - Belasco produced, for the first time - anywhere, the tragedy, written by him in - collaboration with John Luther Long, entitled - “Adrea,”--Mrs. Leslie Carter acting the principal - part in it. - -1905. - January. - 11. First performance of “Adrea” in New - York, at the first Belasco Theatre. - - May. - 4. End of the first run of “Adrea” and close - of the Belasco Theatre for the season. - - June. - --. Belasco went to London. - - September. - 20. Belasco reopened the Belasco Theatre with - a revival of “Adrea.” - - October. - 3. At the new Belasco Theatre, Pittsburgh, - Pa., Belasco produced, for the first time anywhere, - his play of “The Girl of the Golden - West,”--Blanche Bates acting the central - character and Frank Keenan and Robert - Hilliard playing the chief supporting - parts. - - November. - 14. First performance in New York of “The - Girl of the Golden West,”--at the first - Belasco Theatre. - -1906. - June. - 23. End of Mrs. Carter’s tour at Williamsport, - Pa.,--in “Zaza”; her last performance under - Belasco’s management. - - November. - 12. Belasco produced his play “The Rose of the - Rancho,”--based, in part, on an earlier one - by Richard Walton Tully, called “Juanita,”--at - the Majestic Theatre, Boston, Mass, (first - time in this form), Frances Starr appearing - in it as _Juanita_, that being her first venture - as a star. - - 27. First New York presentation of “The - Rose of the Rancho” occurred at the first - Belasco Theatre. - - December. - 5. The corner-stone of Belasco’s Stuyvesant - Theatre (1917, the Belasco) was laid by - Blanche Bates. Bronson Howard made a - brief address. - -1907. - September. - 23. Belasco produced, at the Hyperion Theatre, - New Haven, Conn., for the first time anywhere, - a play written by himself in conjunction - with Misses Pauline Phelps and Marion - Short, entitled “A Grand Army Man,”--David - Warfield appearing in it as _Wes’ Bigelow_. - - October. - 16. Belasco opened his Stuyvesant Theatre, - New York,--now, 1917, the second Belasco - Theatre,--presenting Warfield in “A Grand - Army Man.” - - November. - 18. He presented Mr. William De Mille’s “The - Warrens of Virginia,” first time, at the Lyric - Theatre, Philadelphia. - - December. - --. First New York performance of “The Warrens - of Virginia,” Belasco Theatre. - -1908. - February. - 24. Belasco revived “The Music Master” at the - Stuyvesant Theatre. - - May. - 2. Close of the season at the Stuyvesant,--performance - of “A Grand Army Man.” - - September. - 7. William J. Hurlbut’s play of “The Fighting - Hope” was produced by Belasco and - under his stage direction (first time anywhere) - at the Belasco Theatre, Washington, - D. C., Blanche Bates and Charles Richman - acting the principal parts. - - 22. First New York presentation of “The - Fighting Hope,”--at the Stuyvesant Theatre. - - December. - 31. At the Parsons Theatre, Hartford, - Conn., Belasco produced, for the first time - anywhere, the repulsive play of “The Easiest - Way,” by Mr. Eugene Walter--Miss Frances - Starr playing the central part in it. - -1909. - January. - 19. Belasco presented “The Easiest Way,” for - the first time in New York, at the Stuyvesant - Theatre,--“The Fighting Hope” being transferred - to the Belasco. - - February. - 7. Belasco left New York for San Francisco, - to visit his father. - - 12. Arrived in San Francisco. - - 24. A dinner in honor of Belasco was given at - Bismarck Café (now, 1917, the Hofbrau - Café), San Francisco, by former schoolmates - of his at the old Lincoln Grammar School of - that city. - - 27. Festival at the Bohemian Club, San Francisco, - in honor of Belasco. - - March. - 2. He left San Francisco. - - 7. He arrived in New York. - - April. - 29. Announcement made that H. G. Fiske and - Belasco and the Theatrical Syndicate “will - book in each others’ theatres when mutually - agreeable.” - - June. - 1. Marriage of Belasco’s elder daughter, Reina - Victoria Belasco, and Morris Gest, theatrical - manager, at Sherry’s, New York. - - August. - 16. At the Savoy Theatre, Atlantic City, for - the first time anywhere, Belasco produced - “Is Matrimony a Failure?” (adapted by Leo - Ditrichstein from “Die Thür Ins Frei” by - Oscar Blumenthal and Gustav Kadelburg), - Frank Worthing and Jane Cowl acting the - chief parts. - - 23. First New York performance of “Is Matrimony - a Failure?” at the first Belasco Theatre. - - December. - 6. First presentation of “The Lily” (adapted - by Belasco from a French original by MM. - Pierre Wolff and Gaston Leroux) was - effected at the Belasco Theatre, Washington, - D. C., Nance O’Neil and Charles Cartwright - playing the principal parts. - - 23. Belasco presented “The Lily,” for the first - time in New York, at the Stuyvesant Theatre. - -1910. - January. - 17. Belasco produced Mr. E. Walter’s play of - “Just a Wife,” at the Colonial Theatre, - Cleveland, Ohio. - - January. - 31. First New York performance of “Just a - Wife,”--at the first Belasco Theatre. - - July. - --. It was decided to restore to the theatre - known since 1902 as the Belasco its former - name of the Republic Theatre, and to change - the name of Belasco’s Stuyvesant Theatre to - the Belasco Theatre. - - August. - 22. The Republic Theatre was reopened, under - that name, with the first performance of - Winchell Smith’s dramatization of the story - of “Bobby Burnitt.” - - September. - 19. Under the management and stage direction - of Belasco the first presentation in - America was effected, at the Nixon Theatre, - Pittsburgh, Pa., of “The Concert,” adapted - by Leo Ditrichstein from a German original - by Herman Bahr,--Mr. Ditrichstein appearing - in it as a star. - - October. - 10. First New York performance of “The - Concert” occurred at the (second) Belasco - Theatre. - - 24. Belasco produced Mr. Avery Hopwood’s - farce of “Nobody’s Widow” (first time anywhere) - at the Euclid Avenue Opera House, - Cleveland, Ohio,--Blanche Bates acting the - chief part in it. - - November. - 14. First New York presentation of “Nobody’s - Widow” at the Hudson Theatre. - -1911. - January. - 2. First performance of Belasco’s play of - “The Return of Peter Grimm,” at the Hollis - Street Theatre, Boston. David Warfield appeared - in its principal part. - - 27. Marriage of Belasco’s younger daughter, - Augusta Belasco, to William Elliott, actor, - at the Hotel Marie Antoinette, New York. - - February. - 24. Mrs. Elliott, dangerously ill, taken by - Belasco to Asheville, N. C. - - April. - 11. Death of Humphrey Abraham Belasco, at - 1704 Sutter Street, San Francisco, California, - in the 81st year of his age. Buried - at Hills of Eternity Cemetery, San Mateo, - California. - - 17. Belasco produced William C. De Mille’s - play of “The Woman” (first time anywhere) - at the New National Theatre, Washington, - D. C.,--Helen Ware and William Courtleigh - acting the principal parts in it. - - May. - 1. Belasco takes his daughter, Mrs. Elliott, - to Colorado Springs, Col. - - June. - 5. Death of Augusta Belasco, Mrs. William - Elliott, at Broadmoor, Colorado Springs. - - 9. Funeral of Mrs. Elliott at Temple Ahawath - Chesed, New York. Buried at Ahawath - Chesed Cemetery, Linden Hills, Long Island. - - September. - 19. First New York performance of “The - Woman” occurred at the present (1917) - Republic Theatre. - - October. - 18. “The Return of Peter Grimm” was first - presented in New York,--at the second - Belasco Theatre. - - 30. Belasco presented Edward Locke’s play - of “The Case of Becky,” for the first time - anywhere, at the New National Theatre, - Washington, D. C.,--Miss Frances Starr - acting the central character. - - December. - 10. First performance on any stage of Puccini’s - “La Fanciulla del West,”--opera on - Belasco’s play “The Girl of the Golden West,”--at - the Metropolitan Opera House, New - York,--stage direction of Belasco. - -1912. - February. - 19. Legal action was begun in the United States - District Court for the Southern District of - New York, by Abraham Goldknopf, praying - for an injunction to restrain Belasco and - William C. De Mille from further presentment - of their play of “The Woman,” alleging that - play to be, in fact, an infringement of Plaintiff’s - play of “Tainted Philanthropy.” (See - November, _et seq._) - - April. - 20. 254th performance of “The Woman” at the - Republic Theatre, and close of the season at - that house. - - 29. Belasco produced (first time anywhere) - “The Governor’s Lady,” written by himself - in collaboration with Miss Alice Bradley, at - the Broad Street Theatre, Philadelphia, Pa. - - May. - 4. End of the run of “The Return of Peter - Grimm” in New York, and close of the Belasco - Theatre for the season. - - June. - 25. Legal action was brought against Belasco - by Amelia Bachman and George L. McKay, - alleging plagiarism by him, in “The Case - of Becky,” from their play of “Etelle.” - (See May 13, 1913.) - - July. - 31. Trial of Goldknopf suit against Belasco - was begun before Commissioner Gilchrist: - continued, August 5, before Judge George - C. Holt, in United States Circuit Court. - - September. - 9. First New York performance of “The - Governor’s Lady” occurred at the present - (1917) Republic Theatre. - - October. - 1. Belasco presented “The Case of Becky,” - for the first time in New York, at the second - Belasco Theatre. - - November. - 4. At the Empire, Syracuse, New York, - Belasco produced (first time anywhere) the - play by Frederick Hatton and Fanny Locke - Hatton, entitled “Years of Discretion.” - - 26. By permission of the Court Belasco presented, - at the Belasco Theatre, for one - performance only, in the morning, De Mille’s - play of “The Woman” (then filling an engagement - at the Grand Opera House), and in - the afternoon, Mr. Goldknopf’s play of - “Tainted Philanthropy”: Judge Holt adjourned - Court to the Belasco and witnessed - both performances. - - 29. Judge Holt rendered decision in suit by - Mr. Goldknopf against Belasco in favor of - the Defendant,--holding that there is - _no plagiarism_ by Belasco of Goldknopf’s play. - - December. - 10. At the Broad Street Theatre, Philadelphia, - Pa., Belasco presented (first time anywhere - in America) the fairy play of “A Good Little - Devil,” adapted by Austin Strong from - original by Rosemonde Gerard and Maurice - Rostand,--Ernest Lawford and Mary Pickford - acting the principal parts. - - 12. First New York production of “Years of - Discretion” occurred at the Belasco Theatre. - -1913. - January. - 8. The first New York performance of “A - Good Little Devil” was given at the present - (1917) Republic Theatre. - - March. - 3. Grace B. Hughes’ suit against Belasco, - alleging plagiarism in his “Sweet Kitty Bellairs” - from her play of “Sweet Jasmine,” was - stricken from the Calendar of the Circuit - Court of the United States, Southern District - of New York. - - (Same date.) In the suit of A. Goldknopf - against Belasco, as above, final judgment - was entered, dismissing Plaintiff’s complaint - upon the merits. - - May. - 13-14. Suit by Amelia Bachman and George L. - McKay, against Belasco, alleging plagiarism - by him, in his “The Case of Becky,” from - their play of “Etelle,” was tried before Judge - Julius M. Mayer, in the United States District - Court. - - June. - 18. Belasco sailed on board SS. Campania, - for Paris, _via_ Fishguard, Great Britain, _re_ - purchase of Henri Bernstein’s play of “The - Secret.” - - July. - 9. Judge Mayer rendered decision in the suit - of Amelia Bachman and George L. McKay - against Belasco, in favor of the Defendant, - holding that there is _no plagiarism_ in the - play of “The Case of Becky,” and dismissing - Plaintiffs’ complaint upon the merits. - - 15. Final judgment was entered against Amelia - Bachman and George L. McKay, in their suit - as above. This case was appealed: see - April 6, 1914. - - August. - 28. At the Lyceum Theatre, Rochester, - N. Y., Belasco produced (first time anywhere) - the adaptation made by Leo Ditrichstein - of the comedy “Pour Vivre Heureux,” - by MM. André Rivoire and Yves Mirande, - and entitled “The Temperamental Journey,”--Mr. - Ditrichstein appearing in it as a star. - - September. - 4. First New York performance of “The - Temperamental Journey” occurred at the - present (1917) Belasco Theatre. - - October. - 27. Belasco produced (first time anywhere), - at the Euclid Avenue Opera House, Cleveland, - Ohio, a play by Roland B. Molineux, - called “The Man Inside.” - - November. - 11. At the Criterion Theatre the first performance - was given in New York of “The - Man Inside.” - - December. - 8. At the Detroit Opera House, Detroit, - Mich., for the first time anywhere, Belasco - produced his English adaptation of Henri - Bernstein’s French play of “The Secret,” - Miss Frances Starr appearing in the principal - part. - - 28. First New York performance of “The - Secret” at the second Belasco Theatre. - -1914. - April. - 6. The appeal of Amelia Bachman and George - L. McKay, in suit against Belasco, alleging - plagiarism, was argued before the United - States Circuit Court of Appeals for the - Second Circuit. Decision on this appeal was - in favor of Belasco,--affirming Judge Mayer’s - decision, in dismissing Plaintiffs’ case that - there is _no plagiarism_. Opinion by Lacombe, - J., 224 Fed. Rep., page 817. - - N.B. This is the only case against Belasco - which was ever carried to an appeal. - - May. - 4. Belasco presented Frederick Ballard’s play - of “What’s Wrong” (first time anywhere) - at the New National Theatre, Washington, - D. C. - - July. - 27. He produced (first time anywhere) “The - Vanishing Bride,” a farce adapted by Sydney - Rosenfeld from a German original by Leo - Kastner and Ralph Tesmar, entitled “Tantalus.” - Mr. Thomas A. Wise and Miss - Janet Beecher played the principal - parts. - - September. - 28. At Ford’s Opera House, Baltimore, Md., - he presented (first time anywhere) the English - version by Leo Ditrichstein of “The - Phantom Rival,” by Ferenc Molnar, Mr. - Ditrichstein appearing in it as a star. (This - English version was, originally, called - “Sascha Comes Back.”) - - October. - 6. First New York presentment of “The - Phantom Rival” was effected at the present - (1917) Belasco Theatre. - -1915. - January. - 18. For the first time in America, Belasco presented, - at the Belasco Theatre, Washington, - D. C., Edward Knoblauch’s play of “Marie-Odile,” - Frances Starr acting the central part. - - 26. First New York performance of “Marie-Odile,” - at the Belasco Theatre. - - March. - 29. Belasco, in association with Charles Frohman, - revived “A Celebrated Case” in - Boston. - - April. - 5. At the Playhouse Theatre, Wilmington, - Del., Belasco presented (first time anywhere) - the farce of “The Boomerang,” by Winchell - Smith and Victor Mapes. - - 7. Belasco and Frohman presented “A Celebrated - Case” at the Empire Theatre, New - York. - - 26. At the Parsons Theatre, Hartford, - Conn., he produced a play by Henry Irving - Dodge, called “The Love Thought,”--Miss - Janet Beecher and Hardee Kirkland playing - the principal parts in it. - - June. - 28. At the Apollo Theatre, Atlantic City, - N. J., he presented (first time anywhere) a - play called “The Girl,” by George Scarborough. - (This was afterward renamed “Oklahoma,” - and, again, “The Heart of Wetona”: - see January 22 and February 29, 1916.) - Lenore Ulric played _Wetona_, the chief part. - - August. - 10. First New York performance of “The - Boomerang” was given at the present Belasco - Theatre. - - December. - 12. At the Playhouse, Wilmington, Delaware, - Belasco first produced his drama of “Van Der - Decken,” with David Warfield in the character - of that name. - -1916. - January. - 14. Lila Longson began an action at law - against Belasco, Winchell Smith, and Victor - Mapes, in the District Court of the United - States for the Southern District of New - York, alleging that their play of “The Boomerang” - is an infringement of her play of “The - Choice.” - - 20. Belasco presented “Oklahoma” (first called - “The Girl,” later renamed “The Heart of - Wetona”) at the Stamford Theatre, Stamford, - Conn. - - February. - 29. In association with “Charles Frohman” - (Company), he presented “The Heart of - Wetona” at the Lyceum Theatre, for the - first time in New York. - - April. - 17. Belasco produced (first time anywhere) a - farce by Roi Cooper Megrue called “The - Lucky Fellow” (afterward renamed “Seven - Chances”), at the Apollo Theatre, Atlantic - City, N. J. - - May. - At the Apollo Theatre, Atlantic City, - he produced (first time anywhere) a play - called “The Treadmill” (later renamed - “Alias”), made by Willard Mack on the - basis of a story by John A. Moroso - entitled “Alias Santa Claus.” - - August. - 7. “Seven Chances” was produced for the - first time in New York, at the Cohan Theatre. - - September. - 19-21. Suit of Lila Longson against Belasco - _et al._ was tried before Judge William B. - Sheppard, who held that there was no - infringement and dismissed the complaint. - - 25. Entry of final judgment against Lila Longson - and dismissal of her complaint, upon the - merits. - - October. - 16. Belasco produced, for the first time anywhere, - “The Little Lady in Blue,” by Horace - Hodges and T. Wigney Percyval, at the - Belasco Theatre, Washington, D. C. - - 28. Belasco planted two juniper trees, in the - Shakespeare Garden, Cleveland, Ohio, with - public ceremonies. - - December. - 22. First New York performance was given - of “The Little Lady in Blue,” at the Belasco - Theatre. - -1917. - February. - 5. Belasco presented “Alias” (formerly “The - Treadmill”) at the Belasco Theatre, Washington, - D. C. - - March. - 31. --th and last New York performance of - “The Little Lady in Blue” occurred at the - Belasco Theatre. - - April. - 5. Belasco presented (first time anywhere) a - play by John Meehan, called “The Very - Minute,” at the Playhouse, Wilmington, - Del., Mr. Arnold Daly then first appearing - under his management as a star. - - 9. “The Very Minute” was acted for the first - time in New York, at the Belasco Theatre. - Failure. - - May. - ADDED BY J. W. - 7. Last performance of “The Very Minute,” - and close of the Belasco Theatre, for the - 1916-’17 season. - - July. - 3. Belasco officiated as one of the pallbearers - at the funeral of William Winter. - - August. - 25. Belasco produced a play entitled “Polly - With a Past,” written by George Middleton - and Guy Bolton and revised by himself, at the - Stamford Theatre, Stamford, Conn.,--presenting - Miss Ina Claire in the central part.--A - trial performance of this play was given - at Atlantic City, N. J., June 11. - - September. - 6. The first New York performance of “Polly - With a Past” occurred at the Belasco Theatr - - October. - 3. Belasco produced the melodrama called - “Tiger Rose,” by Willard Mack, at the - Lyceum Theatre, New York: trial performance - of this play was given at the Shubert - Theatre, Wilmington, Delaware, April 30, - 1917. Preliminary tour began, September - 21, at - -[Illustration] - - - - - -INDEX TO VOLUME TWO - -_B. = David Belasco._ - - -A - -“About Town” (extravaganza): 9. - -“About Town” (play): 9. - -Actors: eminent, of the Past, singled out for detraction, 310, _et seq._ - -“Adam in Paradise” (play--Italian): 317. - -“ADREA” (tragedy): 68; 69; 121; 126; 129; - writing of, 134; - character of--and story of, epitomized, 138, _et seq._; - truthfulness of, to nature and to fact, 146; - purpose accomplished in, 147; - an honor to its authors, 148; - first performed--first performed in N. Y.--and original cast of, 150; 151; - B.’s determination to present, in Washington, 180; - reception of, in Washington--and B.’s reminiscence of, 181; - B.’s speech at first performance of, 182; - loss on one week’s performance of--and B.’s speech at first - N. Y. performance of, 185; - last new play acted in by Mrs. Carter under B., 186; 247; 336; 423; - sp. performance of, for S. Bernhardt, 451. - -Ainsworth, William Harrison (Eng. novelist: 1805-1882): 335. - -Alva (or Alba), Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, Duke of (1508-1583): 81. - -Anderson, Mary (Mrs. Antonio de Navarro: Am. actress: 1859-19--): 423. - -Arliss, George (George Arliss-Andrews: Eng. actor: 1868-19--): - as _Zakkuri_, 81. - -Arnold, Matthew (Eng. poet, critic, etc.: 1822-1888): _re_ - the Theatre, 160; 161. - -Arthur, Lee (Lee Arthur Kahn: Am. playwright: 18-- - 19--): 11; 12; 325. - -Assignation,” “The (play): 313. - -AUCTIONEER,” “THE (play): written on B.’s plan and to his - order--B.’s designation of--revised by B.--first produced--and - Warfield on original quality of, 11; - first produced in N. Y.--described and critically - considered--Warfield’s performance in, 12, _et seq._; - original cast of, 15; - first N. Y. “run” of--tour--profits from, etc., 16; - abstract of B.’s testimony _re_, in conflict with Theatrical - Trust, 17, _et seq._; - “booking arrangement” _re_, with A. Erlanger, 18; 19; 20; 22; 23; - seasons of--and profits from, 24; - receivership applied for--and granted--Warfield closes - tour in, etc., 25, _et seq._; 27; 49; 124; 172; 386. - -Authorship, dramatic: author’s views of, 314. - -“Avare” (play): 217. - - -B - -Babcock, Winnifred Eaton (Mrs. Bertrand W. Babcock--Onoto Watanna: - Am. story-writer: 1879-19--): - charges plagiarism against B.--arrested - for libel--retracts, 88, _et seq._ - -Bachman, Amelia (amateur Am. playwright): 322; 323. - -Bahr, Hermann (Aust. play writer and critic: 1863-19--): 290; 291. - -Banker’s Daughter,” “The (melodrama): 319. - -Barker, H. Granville (Eng. actor, playwright, - th. man., and stage man.: 1877-19--): 247; 248. - -Barnes, W. (Am. lawyer): 319; 320. - -Barrett, Lawrence P. (Am. th. man. and actor: - 1838-1891): 48; 66; 153; 214; 428; - B.’s view of, 449. - -Barry, Thomas (Am. th. man. and actor): 153. - -BATES, BLANCHE (Mrs. Milton F. Davis--Mrs. George Creel: - Am. actress: 1872-19--): - B. launches as star, 1; - qualities of, 3; - her personation of _Cigarette_, 5; 48; 49; 51; - her personation of _Yo-San_, 79; - quality of, as actress, 80; 86; - refutes charge that B. “stole” her services, 87; 94; 108; 112; 114; - telegrams to, by B., _re_ “The Darling of the Gods,” 188; - telegram to, by B. F. Roeder, _re_ same, 189; - telegram to, by B., _re_ same, 190; - letter to, by B., _re_ “benefits,” etc., 193; - letter to, by B., _re_ “The Girl of the Golden West,” 194; - as _The Girl_, 199; - her performance of _The Girl_ critically considered, 200; - last important performance of--acts in “The Fighting Hope,” 208; - acts in “Nobody’s Widow,” 209; - author’s wish that B. might resume management of, 213; 214; - lays cornerstone of B.’s Stuyvesant Th., 235; 236; 260. - -Bates, Mrs. Frank Mark (Frances Marion Hinckley--Mrs. Charles L. Lord: Am. - actress: 1848-1908): letter to, by B., _re_ - “The Girl of the Golden West,” 192. - -Bath Comedy,” “The (novel): 94; 96--and dramatized, - see “Sweet Kitty Bellairs.” - -Beach, Hon. Miles (Judge, N. Y.): 321. - -“Becket” (tragedy): 194. - -Beckford, William (Eng. novelist: 1760-1844): 74. - -Belasco, Augusta (Mrs. William Elliott): - at laying of cornerstone of B.’s Stuyvesant Th., 236; - marriage of, 294; - removed to Asheville--then to Colorado Springs--and death, - funeral, and burial of, 296; - closeness of, and her father--and B.’s recollections of, - and the writing of “Peter Grimm.” 297. - - BELASCO, DAVID (American theatrical manager, playwright, - stage manager, actor, dramatist, 1853-19--): - plans to star B. Bates--and selects “Under Two Flags,” 1; - employs P. M. Potter--and produces “U. T. F.,” 2; - beauty of that production, 4; - turns his attention to starring Warfield--negotiation of Warfield - with--same engaged by, and contract between and same--issue - of partnership with, 7; - personal relations of, with Warfield, and early recollection of same, 8; - position of Warfield when B. undertook management of, 10; - plans “The Auctioneer” for Warfield--has it written--rewrites and - first produces same, 11; - Warfield on work of B. on that play, 12; - Warfield’s debt to B.--and probable course of, without his direction, 14; - B.’s profits from “The Auctioneer” reduced--beginning of - his conflict with “The Theatrical Trust,” 16; - abstract of his sworn testimony _re_, A. Erlanger, the Trust, _et al._, 17, - _et - seq._; - compelled to submit to terms of Erlanger--and evidence to - substantiate B.’s statements, 19; - irreconcilable contradiction in the testimony of B. and of - Erlanger--and same commented on--author’s reasons for - accepting testimony of, 20, _et seq._; - B. quoted on threat by Erlanger, 22; - decision against, in favor of J. Brooks--same appealed and - technical grounds of that decision, 23; - Warfield refuses to act except under management of, 25; - Warfield’s second public statement in support of, 27; -early and characteristic trend of his mind, 28, _et seq._; - his selection of du Barry “not surprising,” 29; - seeking a new part for Mrs. Carter--selects _Queen - Elizabeth_--visits England, 30; - meets J. Richepin, through Miss E. Marbury--visits them at Versailles--and - his account of the “Du Barry” contract, etc., 31, _et seq._; - rejects Richepin’s impracticable play--writes “Du Barry” - himself--and his comments on the historic character, 33, _et seq._, - quality of his “Du Barry” and that play described and - critically examined, 34, _et seq._; - B. sued by Richepin--complaint and reply, etc.--and - suit at last discontinued, 42; - his reason for not taking “Du Barry” to London, 44; - comment on reconciliation with Richepin, 45; - loving-cup presented to, by “Du Barry” Co., etc., 46; - extraordinary progress of, 47; - position of, 48; - high ambition of--need of his own th.--and danger from Trust, 49; - business proposal to, by O. Hammerstein, 50; - same accepted--leases the Republic Th.--and stipulations of contract, 51; - comment by, _re_ high rent--dangerously hurt, 52; - rebuilds the Republic Th., 53, _et seq._; - “smites a rock” and taps a perpetual spring, 54; - interview of, and holder of mortgage on the th.--the first - Belasco Th. described, 55, _et seq._; - opening of his first th.--speech of, on that occasion, etc., 60, _et seq._; - souvenir published by, 66; - disparaged by biographer of Mark Twain and defended - by author, 67, _et seq._; - “The D. of G.” created by B.--and letter from, to author, - quoted, 69; - his plans for Mrs. Carter--reasons for opening with - “Du Barry”--and his immense investment in, 70; - “The D. of G.” based on his “The Carbineer”--collaboration - with J. L. Long--and “The D. of G.” first produced by, 71, _et seq._; - his tragedy of “The Darling of the Gods,” described and - critically considered, 73, _et seq._; - dramatic effects originated by B., Irving, Daly, etc., 82; - his interesting recollection of creating scenic effect in - ‘The D. of G.,” 83, _et seq._; - immense cost to, of that play--and his small profit from--seeking - an American Gilbert and Sullivan--engages Miss L. Russell, 85; - accused of “stealing” stars, 86; - and vindicated--is accused of plagiarism, 87; - is libelled--his patience exhausted, causes arrest of O. - Watanna--sues for $20,000 damages--and contemporary - statement by, 88, _et seq._; - libel against, withdrawn, 90; - contemptible outrage against, perpetrated by order of A. Hummel, etc., 91; - feeling of, toward C. Frohman--and significant note from same to B., 92; - author’s comment on--and Judge Dittenhoefer’s comment - on the Hummel-Frohman-Blair-Gressit outrage, 93; - his agreement with E. and A. Castle--dramatizes - “The Bath Comedy”--and engages Miss H. Crosman, 94; - produces his “Sweet Kitty Bellairs”--harassed by Brooks - suit--and terse statement by, 95; - his “Sweet Kitty Bellairs” described and critically considered, 96, _et seq._; - sued by Grace B. Hughes, alleging plagiarism--gross - injustices to B.--suit decided in his favor--author’s - comments _re_ same, 104, _et seq._; - letters of, to E. Castle, 106, _et seq._; - his “The D. of G.” produced in London--mean disparagement of, 109; - glowing tribute to, by H. Beerbohm-Tree, 110; - abortive arrangement to produce “Peter Grimm” in London, 111; - strenuous work of--comment by, on his disposition--statement _re_ policy - of, by B. F. Roeder, 112; - “open war” with the “Trust,” 113; - writing of “The Music Master”--B.’s the animating mind - in that work, 114, _et seq._; - his reminiscence of “The M. M.,” 118, _et seq._; - his speech on first night of “The M. M.” in N. Y., - 121; letter of, _re_ “The M. M.,” to C. Klein, 122; - author on B.’s impressions _re_“one-part actors,” etc., 123, _et seq._; - subjected to “a peculiarly impudent and contemptible persecution,” 126; - claim of J. Brooks against, disallowed by Judge Leventritt, 127; - his esteem for Warfield--his views _re_ “The M. M.,” 128; - letters of, to B. Bates, to D. James, Jr., 129; - letter of, to P. Robertson, 130; - letter of Robertson to B., 132; - comment _re_, by author, 133; - his method of collaboration, 134; - letter of J. L. Long to, _re_ “Adrea,” 135; - letter of, to J. L. Long, _re_ “Adrea”--and character - of his “Adrea”--and story of, etc., considered, 136, _et seq._; - purpose of, in same--and fulfilled, 147; - climax of his conflict with the Syndicate--and custom - of B., _re_ first performance of new plays, 151; - and the Theatrical Syndicate, 152, _et seq._; - services of, to Public and Theatre, 152; - imperishable record of--and unique service rendered by, 153; - efforts of, to present plays in Washington, 153; - situation of, under Syndicate domination, 169; - treatment of, by Syndicate, in 1904, 170; - S. Untermyer on Erlanger and Syndicate _re_ Belasco, 178; - feeling of, about Washington--and theatres there closed to, 179; - hires Convention Hall there--and converts into a theatre, 180, _et seq._; - letter of, to “Washington Post,” 182; - his reminiscence of first performance of “Adrea,” 183; - a card to the public--and speech by, on that occasion, 184; - immense loss on Washington engagement of “Adrea”--and - speech by, in N. Y., 185, _et seq._; - professional association of, and Mrs. Carter ended, 187; - characteristic messages from, 188, _et seq._; - goes to England--1905, 190; - letter from, to “London Referee,” 191; - alliance of, with Mme. Schumann-Heink arranged--and - abandoned--his regret _re_--and letter of, to B. Bates, 192; - letter of, to J. L. Long, 193; - letters of, _re_ “The Girl of the Golden West,” to Mrs. Bates and to B. Bates, - 194; - letter of, to F. E. Shrader, 195; - tribute of, to memory of H. Irving, 196; - first production of his “The Girl of the Golden West”--and - same critically considered, 197, _et seq._; - reminiscence of, and his father, suggesting central incident - of “The Girl of the Golden West,” 202, _et seq._; - comment on technical merits of his production of that play, 205, _et seq._; - pleasing device used by, in that play, 207; - professional association of, and B. Bates ended, 208, _et seq._; - significant comment of, _re_ unappreciated work he has done for other writers, 210; - letter from G. Puccini to, and writing of opera by same on “The Girl of the Golden West,” 214, _et - seq._; - interest of, in that opera--and reminiscence of, about, 216; - refuses all payment for services to the Metropolitan Opera Company--acknowledgment by same to--and cherished gift by same - to, - 217; - his alliance with the Messrs. Shubert--how arranged, etc., 218; - foolish statement _re_, by L. Shubert--and author’s comment on same, 219; - narrow escapes of, from violent death, 220; - sees F. Starr for first time, 221; - informing reminiscences of, about Miss Starr, 222, _et seq._; - stipulation on which he accepted “The Rose of the Rancho,” 224; - that play, as revised and altered by him, a notable success--and - same critically considered, 225, _et seq._; - unerring skill of, in use of “the element of natural accessories,” 233; - significant statement of, _re_ lighting-effects in “The Rose of the Rancho,” - 234; - projects the second B. Theatre (the Stuyvesant), 235; - laying of cornerstone of same--ceremonies--address by B. Howard, etc., 236, _et - seq._; - his Stuyvesant Theatre and his studio and collections in same described, - 241, _et seq._; - conspicuous part played by, in development of the art of stage lighting, - 244, _et seq._; - important statement by, _re_ the same, 247, _et seq._; - opening of his Stuyvesant Theatre--and his play of “A Grand Army Man” critically considered, 249, - _et - seq._; - speech of, at opening of Stuyvesant Theatre, 255; - he accepts “The Passing of the Third Floor Back” for D. Warfield and the - opening of the Stuyvesant Theatre--and is unjustly treated by J. K. Jerome, 257, - _et - seq._; - produces “The Warrens of Virginia,” 260; - recollections of, about M. Pickford--and produces “The Easiest Way,” 267; - his last visit to his father--honors to, in S. F.--and touching reminiscence of, _re_ same, 271, - _et - seq._; - return of, to N. Y.--and practical surrender of Theatrical Syndicate to, - in conflict with, 274, _et seq._; - author’s view _re_ association of, with Syndicate, 276; - early statement to author of purpose, _re_ Syndicate, 277; - statement by L. Shubert _re_, and Syndicate, 278; - unwarranted and silly attack on, by Mrs. Carter, 279; - and dignified repulsion of same by--his proposal for a farewell tour by Lotta - declined, - 280; - his productions in the season of 1909-’10, 281, _et seq._; - comment by, on Jane Cowl--“Le Lys” adapted and produced by, 283; - purpose of, in that adaptation, 286; - production of “Just a Wife” made by, 287; - period of his management of first B. Theatre--changes names of same and Stuyvesant Th.--produces “The - Concert,” - 289; - letter of, to author, _re_ death of daughter, quoted from, 293; - marriage of daughter--and death of--death and funeral of father, 294; - reasons for early opposition to daughter’s marriage--wedding of same and - his gift to, 295; - fight for life of daughter--removes same to Asheville--to Colorado Springs--death - of, - 296; - closeness of, and younger daughter--his recollection of daughter, and of - writing of “The Return of Peter Grimm,” 297; - marriage of his elder daughter, 298; - fragmentary and unrevised critical notes, _re_ “Peter Grimm,” 298; - his “The Return of Peter Grimm” described and critically considered, 299, - _et - seq._; - his authorship of “Peter Grimm” questioned--and quality of detractors of - B., 305; - letter of, repudiating collaboration in “Peter Grimm”--produces “The Woman,” - 306; - accused of plagiarism, 309; - the whole subject of accusations of plagiarism against Belasco critically examined and refuted, 310, - _et - seq._; - debt of other playwrights to, 324; - playwrights who have profited by, specified by name, 325; - exceptional letter of thanks to, from G. Scarborough, 326; - THE DRAMATIC WORKS of, catalogued, 327, _et seq._; - a study of his quality and achievement as a dramatist, incompleted, 332, - _et seq._; - quality of, as man--labor of, and opposition to, etc., 334, _et seq._; - constitution of mind of, compared to Ainsworth, 335; - rank of, as dramatist--and not an imitator, 336; - trial of A. Goldknopf’s suit against, and De Mille, 337, _et seq._; - proposes a unique demonstration--and the court acquiesces, 338; - gives comparative performances of “The Woman” and “Tainted Philanthropy”--and court decides in favor of - B., - 341; - his comments on, 342; - produces “The Case of Becky”--same, in N. Y.--and the writing of, 343; - his reminiscence of that play, 345; - delighted by success of--and sued for “plagiarism” in, 346; - vindicated in court--and decision quoted, 347; - produces “A Good Little Devil,” 348; - beautiful accoutrement of same, 349; - reasons for producing “The Secret”--and his estimate of, 351, _et seq._; - produces “Marie-Odile”--his estimate of, 356; - reconciliation of, and C. Frohman, 361, _et seq._; - joint productions with C. Frohman projected--and they revived “A Celebrated - Case,” - 363; - his watchfulness of plays and players--estimate of L. Ulric, 365; - his rule as to seeing actors--a rehearsal for Miss Ulric--and impression - on, made by, 368; - produces “The Girl” for Miss Ulric, 369; - rewrites same with G. Scarborough--and presents as “The Heart of Wetona,” with Miss - U., - 370; - produces “What’s Wrong”--“The Vanishing Bride”--“The Love Thought”--“Alias,” - 374; - produces “The Governor’s Lady,” 377; - produces “Years of Discretion,” 381; - produces “The Temperamental Journey,” 383; - revives “The Auctioneer,” 386; - his endeavor to assist R. B. Molineux, 387, _et seq._; - his painful experience with Molineux, 390; - compelled to order Molineux out of th., 391; - his visits to Chinatown, 394; - characteristic and illuminative letter by, 395, _et seq._; - his admonition to Stage aspirants--a letter, 398, _et seq._; - produces “The Boomerang,” 407; - and his view of that play, 408, _et seq._; - letter of O. K. Kahn to, _re_ “The B.,” 409; - produces “Seven Chances,” 411; - produces “The Little Lady in Blue,” 413; - letter of W. W. to, _re_ same, 414; - produces “The Very Minute,” 416; - SUMMARY OF HIS CHARACTER AND CAREER, 418, _et seq._; - vitality and influence of, 421; - aspersion of--and defended by author--his devotion to the Th., 422; - works by which he will be remembered, 423; - view of the stage to which he subscribed--and administration of “his great - office,” - 427; - place among th. managers, 428; - quality of, as th. man., 430; - how contrasted with C. Frohman--characteristic instance of his placability and - generosity, - 433; - reasons for his greatness as stage man., 434; - his understanding of actors--source of weakness in, 435; - attitude of, in his th.--and most conspicuous associate of, in conduct of - same, - 437; - personal peculiarities, 439; - variable aspect of--and precious mental advantage possessed by, 440; - great Shakespeare project proposed to, by author, 441; - his favorable attitude toward, 443; - a “Shakespeare Trilogy” outlined to, by author, 445; - project enthusiastically adopted by, 447; - temporarily abandoned, because of death of W. W., see _ante_, 441; - his estimates of old actors--and glowing tribute of, to S. Bernhardt--a letter, 449, - _et - seq._; - brief extracts from his correspondence, 452, _et seq._; - produces “Van Der Decken”--and same considered, 459, _et seq._; - produces “Polly with a Past,” after revising it, 463; - produces “Tiger Rose,” after revising, with L. Ulric in chief part, 465, - _et seq._; - CHRONOLOGY OF THE LIFE OF DAVID BELASCO, 471, _et seq._ - -Belasco, Frederick (Am. th. man.: 1862-19--): 130. - -Belasco, Humphrey Abraham (father of D. B.: 1830-1911): - reminiscence by, the origin of chief passage in “The Girl of the - Golden West,” 200, _et seq._; - B.’s last visit to, 271; 272; - death of--funeral--and burial, 294. - -Belasco, Reina Victoria (Mrs. Morris Gest): - at laying of the cornerstone of B.’s Stuyvesant Th., 236; - wedding of, 298. - -Belasco Theatre, the first: 52, _et seq._; - described, 55, _et seq._; - opened with revival of “Du B.”--and B.’s speech on opening night, 60, _et - seq._; - first programme at, 62. - -Belasco Theatre, the second (originally David Belasco’s Stuyvesant Th.): - projected, 234; - cornerstone laid, 235; - address by B. Howard on laying of same, 236; - B.’s recollections re occasion, 237, _et seq._; - situation of--and described, 238, _et seq._; - cost of, 240; - B.’s studio in, 241, _et seq._; - opened, 249; - spirited speech by B. on opening of, 255. - -Belleforest, ----: 317. - -“Belle Lamar” (melod.): 265. - -Belle of New York,” “The (extravaganza): 9. - -Belle Russe,” “La (melod.--B.’s): 312. - -“Belphégor; or, The Mountebank” (melod.): 115; 118. - -Benrimo, J. Henry (Am. actor): 188; 189. - -BERNHARDT, SARAH (Sarah Frances--Mme. Jacques Damala: Fr. actress: 184[4?]-19--): - 9; - forced by the Th. Syndicate to act in circus tent, 155; - author on--and views of--disagrees with B. _re_, 448; - B.’s tribute to--a letter, 449, _et seq._; - message to from B.--and reply by, 451; 452. - -Berton, Pierre (Fr. journalist and playwright: 1840-1912): 325. - -Bickerstaff, Isaac (Eng. dramatist: _cir._ 1735: _cir._ 1812): 313. - -Bieber, Sidney (fire marshal and politician: 1874-1914): helps B., 178. - -Bigelow, Wallis & Colton (architects): 59. - -Bimberg, Meyer R. (died, 1908): 235. - -Blair, Eugenie (Am. actress): 92. - -Blumenthal, Oscar (Ger. dramatist: 1852-19--): 281. - -“Bobby Burnitt” (story): 289. - -Bolton, Guy (Am. playwright): 325. - -Bond, Frederick (Am. actor and th. man.): 221. - -BOOMERANG,” “THE (farcical comedy): 323; 373; 406; - produced--and critically considered, 407, _et seq._; - B.’s view of, 408; - letter to B. from O. H. Kahn, _re_, 409; - cast of, 410. - -Booth, Barton (Eng. actor: 1681-1733): unjustly stigmatized, 310. - -BOOTH, EDWIN THOMAS (Am. actor and th. man.: 1833-1893): 48; 49; - troublesome experience of, when building Booth’s Th., 54; 153; 161; - unjustly stigmatized, 311. - -BOUCICAULT, DION (Dionysius Lardner Boucicault [originally Bourcicault]: Irish-Am. dramatist, actor, and th. man.: 182[2?]-1890): 153; 265; 268; - 313; - 314. - -Bourchier, Arthur (Eng. actor and th. man.: 1863-19--): 128. - -Boyesen, Hjalmar Hjorth: 325. - -Bradley, Alice (Am. playwright:) 325. - -Brady, William A---- (Am. th. man.: 1865-19--): 9; 429. - -Bronze Horse,” “The (spectacle): 82. - -Brooks, Joseph (Am. th. man. and agent: 1849-1916): 19; 20; 22; 23; 24; 25; - 26; - suit of, against B. begun, 95; 126; 127. - -Brown, John: 216. - -Burnham, Charles (Am. theatre prop.: 18-- -19--): quoted, _re_ commercialism of the - drama, - 159. - -Burton, William Evans (Eng.-Am. actor, writer, and th. man.: 1804-1860): 151. - -Bush Street Th., S. F.: Warfield an usher at, 8. - -Byron, George Gordon, sixth Lord (the poet: 1788-1824): 35; 318. - - -C - -Caldwell, James H. (Am. th. man.: 1793-1863): 150. - -California Th., S. F.: first attempt in Am. to light stage by electricity made - at, - 245. - -Campbell, Maurice (Am. th. agent): 321. - -“Campdown Races” (song): 206. - -Cannon, Hon. Joseph Gurney (Congressman: 1836-19--): helps B., 178. - -“Caprice” (play): 320. - -Carabiniere,” “Il (play--It.): 71. - -Carbineer,” “The (play--B.’s) : 71. - -Carpenter, E. C.: 68. - -CARTER, MRS. LESLIE (Caroline Louise Dudley--Mrs. William Louis Payne: Am. - actress: 186[4?]-19--): 1; 6; 29; 30; 31; - her performance of _du Barry_, 37; - her method--developed by B., 38; - B.’s reason for not taking her to London in “Du B.,” 44; 45; 48; 50; 51; - B.’s tribute to, 61; - production of “Kassa” by, 68; 69; 70; - end of extraordinary tour of, under B.’s direction, 90; 91; 112; 114; 126; - her impersonation of _Adrea_ critically considered and qualities of specified, 148, _et seq._; 182; 184; - 185; - 184; - marriage of--professional association of, and B. ended--_Adrea_ her best - performance--and qualities of it, 185; 186; 187; 277. - -Caruso, Enrico (It. singer: 1874-19--): 214. - -CASE OF BECKY,” “THE (play): 320; 322; - produced--and writing of, 343; - described and considered, 344; - B.’s recollections _re_, 345; - cast of--unexpected success of--plagiarism charged in, 346; - B. vindicated _re_ same--decision quoted, 347. - -Castle, Agnes (Mrs. Egerton Castle): 94. - -Castle, Egerton (Eng. novelist and newspaper man: 1858-19--): 94; - B.’s letters to, _re_ “Sweet Kitty Bellairs,” 106, _et seq._ - -“Cataract of the Ganges” (“The Ganges”): 82. - -“Catherine” (play): burlesque of, 10. - -Catherine the Second, Empress of Russia (1729-1796): 29. - -Celebrated Case,” “A: 363; - first produced, 363; - considered, 364; - revived by B. and C. Frohman--cast of, 365. - -“Charles I.” (drama): 264. - -Children of the Ghetto,” “The (play): 87. - -Chimney Corner,” “The (play): 249. - -Chester, George Randolph (Am. writer: 1869-19--): 289. - -Choice,” “The (play): 323. - -Chronicle,” “The S. F. (newspaper): 133. - -Cid,” “Le (play--Fr.): 317. - -City Directory,” “The (farce): 9. - -Civinni, C. (It. librettist): 213. - -Claire, Ina (Am. actress and mimic): B.’s attention directed to--and first - appearance under, 464; - quality of, revealed in _Polly Shannon_, 465. - -Clarke, John Sleeper (Am.-Eng. actor and th. man.: 1833-1899): 153. - -Clemens, Samuel Langhorne (Mark Twain: Am. author: 1835-1910): 67. - -“Coal Oil Tommy” (song): 206. - -Cohan, George M. (Am. actor, th. man., and playwright: 1878-19--): 430. - -Cohan & Harris (Am. th. mang’s.): 289. - -Collins, William Wilkie (Eng. novelist and dramatist: 1824-1889): 164; 234; - comment on his “No Name,” 286. - -Colman, John (Eng. th. man. and dram.: 1732-1794): 313. - -Comedy of Errors,” “The: 317. - -CONCERT,” “THE (farcical comedy): adapted by L. Ditrichstein and produced by - B., - 289; - theme of--and critically considered, 290, _et seq._; - cast of, 290. - -Congreve, William (Eng. dramatist: 1670-1729): 313. - -Conners, “Chuck”: 395; 396; 397; 398. - -Convention Hall, Wash., D. C.: converted by B. into a theatre, 178, _et seq._ - -Cooper, James Fenimore (Am. novelist: 1789-1851): 164. - -Cope, John W. (Am. actor: ---- - 19--): 233. - -“Coriolanus”: 318. - -Corneille, Pierre (Fr. dramatist and poet: 1606-1684): 313; 317. - -Couldock, Charles Walter (Eng.-Am. actor: 1815-1896): 249. - -Courtleigh, William (Am. actor: 1869-19--): 190. - -Cowl, Jane (Mrs. Adolph Klauber: 18-- - 19--): B. comments on, 283. - -Crabbe, George (Eng. poet and clergyman: 1754-1832): 318. - -Crews, Laura Hope (Am. actress): excellent performance by, 406. - -Cricket on the Hearth,” “The (play): 123. - -CRITICASTERISM, “eunuchs of”: Goldsmith quoted _re_, 304; - author on, and authorship of “Peter Grimm,” 305. - -CROSMAN, HENRIETTA (Mrs. Maurice Campbell: 1865-19--): 35; - engaged by B., 94; - her personation of _Kitty Bellairs_, 100, _et seq._; 103; 108; 321. - -Crushed Tragedian,” “The (satirical farce): 123. - - -D - -DALY, AUGUSTIN (Am. journalist, th. man., dramatist, and stage man.: 1838-1899): 48; - 49; - 61; - opponent of the Th. Syndicate, etc., 154; 161; 244; 269. - -Dampier, Captain William (Eng. buccaneer and explorer: 1652-1712): 317; 318. - -DARLING OF THE GODS,” “THE (tragedy): 68; - its existence due solely to B., 69; - founded on B.’s early adaptation of “Il Carabiniere,” 71; - first productions of--and original cast of, 72; - described and critically considered, 73, _et seq._; - beauties in production of, 80; - fine acting, 81; - B.’s recollection of creating scenic effects in “The D. of G.”--the River of Souls, etc., 83, - _et - seq._; - Tree’s impression _re_ same, on reading description, 84; - B. accused of plagiarism in connection with, 88, _et seq._; - 186th performance of, 90; 91; 94; - produced in London, 108, _et seq._; - B. breaks with Syndicate over--and presents independently in St. Louis, 113; 129; 170; 181; 247; - 312; - 333. - -Davenant, Sir William (Eng. soldier, th. man.: 1605-1668): 419. - -Davenport, Edward Loomis (Am. actor and th. man.: 1815-1877): 214. - -“David Garrick” (comedy): 123. - -Dean, William (gen. st. man. for B.: 1868-1913): 222; 223; 224. - -de Belleval, Comte ----: on character and person of du Barry, 34. - -de Bergerac, Savinien Cyrano (Fr. novelist, dramatist, duellist, soldier, and poet: - 1620-1655): - 317. - -Defoe, Daniel (Eng. author: 1659 [or 60?]-1731): 318. - -“Delicate Ground” (satirical farce): 290. - -De Mille, Cecil Blount (Am. actor and playwright: 1881-19--): 306. - -DE MILLE, HENRY CHURCHILL (am. Playwright: 1850-1893): 260; 320; 321; 325. - -DE MILLE, WILLIAM CHURCHILL (Am. playwright: 1878-19--): 260; - B.’s production of his “The Woman,” 306, _et seq._; 322. - -Destinn, Emmy (Aust. singer: 18-- - 19--): 214. - -de Valois, Marguerite (1492-1549): 29. - -Dewey, George (Admiral of the Navy, U. S.: 1837-1917): at first performance of “Adrea,” - 183; - 185. - -Dickens, Charles, Sr. (the novelist and dramatist: 1812-1870): 162. - -Discovery,” “The (play): 313. - -DITRICHSTEIN, LEO (Aust.-Am. actor and playwright: 1867-19--): - his adaptation of “Die Thür ins Freie,” 281; - adopts “The Concert,” 289; - his adaptation, “The Concert,” critically considered, 291, _et seq._ - -Dittenhoefer, Hon. Abram Jesse (Am. lawyer: 1836-19--): 51; - statement by, _re_ outrage at Belasco Th., 93; 320. - -“Divorçons” (comedy): 290. - -“Dolce” (play): 68. - -“Don Juan” (poem): 35. - -Dragon-Fly,” “The (play): 68. - -DRAMATIC MIRROR,” “THE N. Y. (th. newspaper): H. G. Fiske’s arraignment of - Th. Syndicate in--and Syndicate suit against, 175, _et seq._; 320. - -Dryden, John (Eng. poet, dramatist, etc.: 1633-1701): 313. - -“Du Barri” (play--Richepin’s): produced in London--and a failure, 44. - -DU BARRY, COUNTESS (Marie Jeanne Bécu: Fr. courtesan: 1746-1793): 29; - influence of--slaughtered, 30; 31; - B. on character of--author on same, 33; - Voltaire on--and Comte de Belleval on character and person of, 34; 35; - execution of, 36; 42. - -“DU BARRY” (play--B.’s): 32; - quality of--and described and critically considered, 34, _et seq._; - first produced--and same in N. Y., 38; - C. Frohman refuses “a half-interest” in--B., and author, on production of, - 39; - splendid setting of--and original cast of, 40; - Richepin’s lawsuit against B. _re_, 42, _et seq._; - that lawsuit discontinued, 44; - ceremonies, and speech after New Year’s performance of, 45, _et seq._; 47; - 48; - reason for presenting at Criterion Th., 50; 52; - revived for opening of the first Belasco Theatre, 60; - souvenir programme of, 62; - souvenir book about, 66; - immense investment in, 70; 89; 91; 108; 181; 320; 321. - -Dunlap, William (Am. th. man. and historian: 1766-1839): 150. - -Dunn, Emma (Am. actress): in “The W. of V.,” 265. - - -E - -EASIEST WAY,” “THE (play): quality of, 267; - critical strictures on, 268; - author’s attitude toward, 269; - perfection of production of, 270; 423. - -Edwardes, George (Eng. op. and th. man.: 18-- - 19--): 128. - -Effects, dramatic: creation of--and representative, cited, 82; - B. on, in “The M. M.,” 119. - -Elliott, William (Am. actor and th. man.: 18-- - 19--): meeting of, and B.’s daughter--their - marriage, - 294; - same at first opposed by B., 295. - -Elizabeth, Queen of England (1533-1603): 30; 31. - -English Gentleman,” “An (play): 123. - -ERLANGER, ABRAHAM LINCOLN (Am. speculative th. man. and th. “booking agent”: 1860-19--): abstract of B.’s testimony _re_, and the Theatrical Syndicate, 17, - _et - seq._; - his _flat denial_ of B.’s testimony, 20; - author’s reasons for not believing “the things he swears to,” 21; - B.’s statement _re_ threat of, quoted, 22; 154; 155; - statement by, _re_ early th. man’s., actors, the Th. Syn., etc., quoted, - 156; - course of, _re_ B.’s booking of “The D. of the G.” in St. Louis, 168, _et - seq._; - H. G. Fiske’s allegation against, 174; - power of--S. Untermyer’s arraignment of--and author’s opinion of it, 176, _et seq._; - 113; - 278. - -Eudoxia, Roman Empress (---- - 462): 146. - -Euripides: 317. - -“Etelle” (play): 322. - - -F - -Fanciulla del West,” “La (opera--on “The Girl of the Golden West”): produced, - 214; - original cast of, 215. - -Farquhar, George (Eng. dram.: 1678-1707): 313. - -Fielding, Henry (Eng. novelist and playwright: 1707-1754): 313. - -Fields, Charles J.: 274. - -FIGHTING HOPE,” “THE (melod.): produced by B., 206; - cast of, 207; - “rectified” by B.--critically considered, 208, _et seq._ - -Fiske, Harrison Grey (Am. journalist and th. man.: 1867-19--): 49; - conflict of, with Th. Syndicate, 154; - his arraignment of Th. Syndicate--and is sued by, 175; - his answer to suit, 176; - Syndicate suit against, discontinued--and author’s comment thereon, 177, - _et seq._; 275; 320. - -Fiske, Minnie Maddern (Mrs. Harrison Grey Fiske: Am. actress: 1865-19--): 49; - 154. - -Fitzgerald, Hon. James J. (Judge, N. Y.): decision of, against B., quoted--and author on same, 23, - _et - seq._ - -Flying Dutchman,” “The (play on--by B.): 300. - -Flying Scud,” “The (melod.): 221. - -Forbes-Robertson, Sir Johnston (kt., cr. 1913: Scotch-Eng. actor, th. man., and playwright: - 1853-19--): - 260. - -Ford, James Lauren (Am. journalist and story writer: 1854-19--): 66. - -Ford, John T. (Am. th. man.: 1829-1894): 153. - -“Forget-Me-Not” (melod.): 312. - -Forrest, Edwin (Am. actor: 1806-1872): 214. - -Freedman, Hon. John Joseph (Judge, N. Y. Sup. Ct.: 1835-19--): decision of, for B., against - Richepin, - 44. - -FROHMAN, CHARLES (Am. spec. th. man.: 1860-1915): 1; 19; - refuses “a half-interest” in B.’s “Du Barry,” 39; 49; - not exempt from B.’s arraignment of Th. Syn., 50; - significant letter of, to B., 92; 93; 156; - statement by, _re_ alleged purpose in formation of the Th. Syn., quoted, - 158; 171; 191; 361; - reconciled with B.--and death of, 362; - revives “A. C. C.” with B., 363; 429; 430; - brief sketch of character of, 431; - not a true th. man.--quality of, revealed, 432; - relative rank of, contrasted with B., 433. - -Frohman, Daniel (Am. th. man.: 1839-19--): 432. - -Fyles, Franklyn (originally, Franklin Files: Am. journalist and playwright: - 1847-1911): - 325. - - -G - -Gall, Charles F.: 274. - -Galland, Bertha (Am. actress: 1876-19--): 103. - -Gallinger, Hon. Jacob H---- (U. S. Senator: 1837-1918): helps B., 178. - -“Gallops” (play): 221; 224. - -Garrick, David (Eng. actor, th. man., and dramatist: 1716-1779): inspiration of dramatists of era - of, - 147; - unjustly stigmatized, 310; 419. - -Gatti-Casazza, Giulio (It. op. man.: 1869-19--): 214; 215. - -Gay Lord Quex,” “The (play): 269. - -Gest, Morris (Rus.-Am. th. man.): marriage of, to B.’s daughter, 298. - -Gilbert, John Gibbs (Am. actor and st. man.: 1810-1889): 249. - -Gilbert, Sir William Schwenck (Eng. dramatist and poet: 1836-1911): 85. - -Gilfert, Charles (Ger.-Am. th. man.: 1787-1829): 152. - -Gillette, William Hooker (Am. actor and playwright: 1855-19--): 192. - -Girl I Left Behind Me,” “The (melod.): 312; 333. - -GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST,” “THE (melod.): 67; 129; - letter to Mrs. Bates--and another to B. Bates, _re_, 194; - first performance of--and story of, epitomized and critically considered, 197, - _et - seq._; - original cast of, 201; - great dramatic merit of chief passage in--and origin of same, 202, _et seq._; - production of, “a masterpiece of stagecraft”--and wonderful storm in, described, 205, - _et - seq._; - success of, 208; - selected by Puccini as subject for opera--and that opera produced, 214; - cast of Puccini’s opera about, 215; - B.’s reminiscence of operatic production of, 216; - tribute to B. _re_ opera production of, 217; 260; 336. - -Gladstone, William Ewart (Eng. statesman: 1809-1898): 163. - -Goelet, Robert Walton (Am. capitalist: 1880-19--): 216. - -Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von (Ger. poet, th. man., etc.: 1749-1832): 239. - -Goldknopf, Abraham: his assertion that “The Woman” was stolen from his “Tainted Philanthropy,” - 309; - 322. - -Goldsmith, Oliver (Eng. poet, dramatist, etc.: 1728-1774): 239; - quoted, _re_ eunuchs of criticasterism, 304. - -GOOD LITTLE DEVIL,” “A (extravaganza): 267; - produced--and considered, 348, _et seq._; - cast of, 349. - -Gordon, Mackenzie, 274. - -GOVERNOR’S LADY,” “THE (play): 373; - produced--described and considered, 377, _et seq._; - cast of, 380. - -“Grandfather Whitehead” (play): 249. - -GRAND ARMY MAN,” “A (drama): 124; - writing of--first produced--and classification of, 249; - story of, described and critically considered, 250, _et seq._; - Warfield’s impersonation in, 250; - cast of, 256; 259; 423. - -Greene, Clay M. (Am. playwright: 1850-19--): 325. - -Greenberg, Joseph: 274. - -Gressit, Henry (Am. th. man.): 92. - -“Guillaume Tell” (opera--It.): 317. - -Gunter, Archibald Clavering (Am. novelist and playwright: 1848-1907): 324. - - -H - -Hackett, James Henry (Am. actor and th. man.: 1800-1871): 150. - -Hamblin, Thomas Sowerby (Eng. Am. actor and th. man.: 1801-1853): 419. - -Hammerstein, Oscar (Ger.-Am. spec. th. and op. man.: 1847-19--): oppressed - by Th. Syndicate--and offers th. to B., 50; 51; 52; 55. - -Hare (Fairs), Sir John (kt., cr. 1907: Eng. actor and th. man.): 14. - -Harris, Henry B. (Am. sp. th. man.: 18-- - 1912): 429. - -Harris, William (Am. th. man.: 1845-1916): 429. - -Harte, Francis Bret (Am. poet and journalist: 1839-1902): 66; 203. - -Hartman, Louis (el. expert): 245. - -HAYMAN, AL. (Am. spec. th. man. and th. proprietor: 18[52?]-1917): 19; 156; - Fiske’s allegation against, 176; 191; 429. - -HEART OF MARYLAND,” “THE (melod--B.’s) : 47; 67; 151. - -Heart of Mid-Lothian,” “The (play): 253. - -HEART OF WETONA,” “THE (melodrama): 368; 369; - produced and critically considered, 372; - cast of, 373. - -“Hearts of Oak” (melod.): 312. - -Heir-at-Law,” “The (comedy): 123. - -Henry the Eighth, King of England (1457-1547): 242. - -Herald,” “The N. Y. (newspaper): 158. - -Herne, James A[lfred] (James Ahearn: Am. actor, playwright, and stage man.: - 1839-1902): - 325. - -Hoadley, Rev. John (Eng. dramatist: 1711-1776): 313. - -Holinshed, Raphael (Eng. historian: 1520-1580): 317; 318. - -Holland (Joseph, Jr.) Benefit: 193. - -Holmes, Oliver Wendell (Am. poet, author, physician, lawyer: 1809-1894): 36; - 62. - -Holt, Hon. Henry Winston (Am. judge, 18th Jud. Dist., Va.: 1864-19--): 322. - -“Home” (comedy): 123; 221. - -Homer: 317. - -Hopwood, Avery (Am. playwright: 1884-19--): 207; 325. - -Horace: 317. - -Howard, Bronson (Am. dramatist: 1843-1908): speech of, at laying cornerstone of B.’s Stuyvesant Th., 236; - 319; - 325. - -Howe & Hummel (attorneys): 42. - -Hughes, Grace B. (Mary Montague): suit of, against B.--and decision against her, 104, _et - seq._; - 321. - -Hummel, Abraham (lawyer): attorney against B.--and imprisonment--disbarment of, 42; 44; 91; - 92; - 93. - -Hurlbut, William J. (Am. playwright): 206; 325. - - -I - -Illington, Margaret (Mrs. Daniel Frohman--Mrs. Edward J. Bowes: Am. actress: - 1881-19--): - 90. - -“In Gay New York” (extravaganza): 9. - -Inspector,” “The (play): 9. - -Iroquois Theatre, Chicago: destruction of--and lawsuit growing out of comment thereon, 173, - _et - seq._ - -IRVING, SIR HENRY (kt., cr. 1895: Eng. actor and th. man.: 1838-1905; originally, John Henry Brodribb): - 82; - 161; - B.’s tribute to memory of, 196, _et seq._; 216; - unjustly stigmatized, 311; 428; 429. - -“IS MATRIMONY A FAILURE?” (farcical comedy): produced by B.--and, critically - considered - 281; - cast of--and J. Cowl’s performance in, 283. - - -J - -“Jack Sheppard” (novel): 336. - -Jackson, Helen Hunt (Helen Maria Fiske, Mrs. Edward Bissell Hunt, Mrs. William S. Jackson: Am. novelist and poet: - 1831-1885): - 226. - -James, David, Jr. (Eng. actor): letter of B. to, 128; 129. - -Japanese Nightingale,” “A (story): 88; - dramatization of, produced, 90. - -Jefferson, Joseph (the fourth: Am. actor, playwright, and stage manager: 1829-1905): - 14; - performances by, 123; 124; 214. - -Jerome, Jerome Klapka (Eng. novelist and dramatist: 1859-19--): injustice of, to B., 257; - 258; - 259. - -“Jesse Brown; or, The Relief of Lucknow”: 312. - -Jilt,” “The (play): 221. - -Journal of a Modern Lady,” “The (satire): 316. - -“Just a Wife” (play): 281; - authorship of--and critically considered, 287, _et seq._; - cast of, 289. - -Justinian (Roman Emp.: 483-565): 144. - - -K - -Kadelberg, Gustav (Ger. dramatist: 1851-19--): 281. - -Kahn, Otto Hermann (Am. banker and th. patron: 1867): 216. - -“Kassa” (play): 68. - -Kean, Charles John (Eng. actor, th. man., and st. man.: 1811-1868): 420. - -Keenan, Frank (Am. actor): 203; - in “The W. of V.,” 265. - -Kemble, John Philip (Eng. actor, th. man., and dramatist: 1757-1823): unjustly stigmatized, - 310; - 419. - -Kendal, Madge (Margaret Robertson, Mrs. William Hunter Kendal [Grimston]: Eng. actress and th. man.: - 1849-19--): - 268. - -Kendal, William Hunter ([Grimston] Eng. actor and th. man.: 1843-1917): 268. - -“King Henry VIII” (play--S.’s): 318. - -KLAW & ERLANGER (Am. speculative th. mang’s. and booking agents): 17; 18; 19; 20; 22; - 23; - 24; - accusation against, by Warfield, 26; 89; - they produce “A Japanese Nightingale,” 90; 126; 156; 157; 172; - libel suit of, against “Life”--cause of--lost by--and significance of decision against, 174; 175; 176; - 191; - 275. - -Klaw, Marc (Am. spec. th. man.: 1858-19--): 22; 429. - -Klein, Charles (Am. dramatist: 1867-1915): engaged by B. to work on “The Auctioneer,” - 11; - 12; - engaged by B. to work on “The M. M.,” 114; - letter of B. to _re_ “The M. M.,” 122; 325; 341. - -Knoblauch, Edward (Am.-Eng. dram.: 1874-18--): B.’s pride in producing his - “Marie-Odile”--and that play considered, 356, _et seq._ - - -L - -Lacombe, Hon. Emile Henry (Judge, U. S. Cir. Ct: 1846-19--): decision by, for B., in G. B. Hughes’ “plagiarism” suit, 104; 105; - 321; - 324. - -“Lalla Rookh” (poem): 74. - -Lancashire Witches,” “The (novel): 336. - -“Lend Me Five Shillings” (farce): 123. - -Leroux, Gaston (Fr. dramatist): 283. - -Leslie, Henry (Eng. dramatist: 1829-1881): 312. - -Leventritt, Hon. David (Judge, N. Y. Sup. Ct.: ---- -19--): grants receivership for “The - Auctioneer,” - 25; - refuses mandate against Warfield, 27; 28; 90; - decision of, in favor of B., 127. - -Levinsky, Arthur L.: 274. - -Liebler & Co. (Am. spec. th. mang’s.): 87. - -“Life” (N. Y. weekly): cartoon in, _re_ burning of Iroquois Th.--and lawsuit against, by K. & - E., - 172. - -LILY,” “THE (play): 281; - adapted from Fr. by B.--produced--and critically considered, 283, _et seq._; - cast of, 287. - -Lincoln Grammar School, S. F.: 271; 272; 273. - -LITTLE LADY IN BLUE,” “THE (play): story of--and produced, 413; - letter about, by W. W., 414; - cast of, 416. - -Livy: 317. - -Locke, Edward (Am. playwright): 325; 343; 347. - -Löhr, Marie (Mrs. Anthony Leyland Val Prinsep: Eng. actress: 1890-19--): acts _Yo-San_ in - London, - 109. - -LONG, JOHN LUTHER (Am. novelist and playwright: 1861-19--): 67; - a collaborator with B.--and plays associated with, 68; 69; - collaboration with, in a Japanese tragedy proposed by B., 71; 89; - writes “Adrea” with B., 134; - letter of, to B., _re_ “Adrea,” 135; 185; - letter to, by B., 193; 325. - -Longson, Lila: 323. - -“Lord Dundreary” (“Our American Cousin”): 123. - -Louis the Fifteenth (King of Fr.: 1710-1774): 29; 30; 35. - -Lucretius, 317. - -Ludlow, Noah Miller (Am. th. man.: 1795-1886): 152. - -“Lycidas” (poem): 314. - -Lys,” “Le (play): 283--and see Lily,” “The. - - -Mc--M - -McBride, J. J.: 274. - -McCullough, John Edward (Ir.-Am. actor and th. man.: 1832-1885): 48; 153; 420; - 428. - -McKay, George L.: 322; 323. - -“Macbeth”: 162; 318. - -Mack, Willard (Am. actor and playwright): 325. - -Mackaye, James Steele (Am. actor, th. man., playwright, inventor, etc.: 1842-1894): - 244. - -“Madame Butterfly” (tragedy--B.’s): -68; 71; - effect in, devised by B., 82. - -“Magda” (play): 268. - -Maguire, Thomas (Calif. th. man.: died, 1896): 319. - -MAN INSIDE,” “THE (play): 387; - reason of B.’s interest in, 389; - critically considered, 392, _et seq._; - produced--and cast of, 393. - -Managers, theatrical: accomplishment by early, 152. - -Mansfield, Richard (Am. actor: 1854-1907): 48; 82; 268. - -Mapes, Victor (Am. journalist and playwright: 1870-19--): 323. - -Marbury, Elisabeth (Am. play broker): suggests part for Mrs. Carter--and brings B. and Richepin together, - 31; - 259. - -Margaret, Queen of Scotland: 29. - -“MARIE-ODILE” (play): method of lighting used in, by B., 248; - produced--and critically considered, 356, _et seq._ - -Mariner’s Compass,” “The (melodrama): 312. - -Marks, Prof. Bernhard: 272; 274. - -Matthews, Fannie Aymar: 320. - -Maude, Cyril (Eng. actor and th. man.: 1862-19--): 128. - -“May Blossom” (melod.): 67; 320. - -Mayer, Hon. Julius M. (Judge U. S. Dist Ct: 1865-19--): 322; 323. - -Merry Whirl,” “The (extravaganza): 9. - -Middleton, George (Am. playwright): 325. - -Miller, Charles A.: 274. - -Millionaire’s Daughter,” “The (melod.): 319. - -Milton, John (the poet: 1609-1674): 314; 317. - -“Mr. Bluebeard” (extravaganza): 172. - -Modjeska, Mme. Helena (Helen Opid--Mrs. Gustave S. Modrzejewska--Mrs. Charles [Karol] Bozenta Chlapowska: Polish-Am. actress: 1840-1909): - 268; - 431; - B.’s view of, 449. - -Molière, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin de (Fr. actor, th. man., and dramatist: 1712-1763): 239; 313; - 314; - 317. - -Molineux, Roland Burnham (chemist and playwright: 18-- -1917): charged with - murder, - 387; - trials of--and acquitted, 388; - B. appealed to by his parents and agrees to read play by, 389; - revises his play--and distressing experience with, 390; - creates disturbance--and ordered out of th.--death of, 391; 392; 395. - -Moore, Eva (Mrs. Henry V. Esmond [Henry V. Jack]: Eng. actress: 1870-19--): - 103. - -Moore, Thomas (Ir. poet: 1779-1852): 74; - quoted, _re_ “plagiarism,” 311. - -Morse, Salmi (Samuel Morse: Ger.-Am. playwright: 1826-1883): 247. - -Morton, Paul (Secy. Navy, U. S. A., railroad man): 183. - -Murphy, Mark (actor): 9. - -Murphy, Thomas (dramatist): 313. - -MUSIC MASTER,” “THE (play): 8; - B. employs C. Klein to work on, 114; - first produced--authorship of--and described and critically considered, 115, - _et - seq._; - B.’s recollections _re_ writing and early performances of, etc., 118, _et - seq._; - original cast of, 120; - B.’s speech on first night of, in N. Y., 121; - letter by B. about, 122; - amazing record of, 125; 126; - Brooks’ claim _re_--and decision in favor of B., 127; - B.’s feeling about, and Warfield, 128; 192; 254. - - -N - -New Magdalen,” “The (play): 312. - -Newnes, Sir George (bart. cr. 1895: publisher: 1851-19--): 128. - -Nicholson, Donald G. (Am. journalist): 160. - -Nickinson, John (Can. actor): 249. - -Nirdlinger, Samuel Frederick (known as S. F. Nixon: Am. spec. th. man.: 1848-19--): 19; - 156; - 429. - -Nixon & Zimmermann (Am. spec. th. mang’s.): 191. - -Nixon, S. F.: see Nirdlinger. - -“NOBODY’S WIDOW” (farce): produced--and cast of, 207; - critically considered, 209, _et seq._ - -“No Name” (novel): 286. - -Nutmeg Match,” “A (farce): 9. - - -O - -“Ode on Immortality,” etc. (Wordsworth’s): 314. - -“O’Dowd’s Neighbors” (farce): 9. - -Olcott, Hon. William Morrow Knox (Am. lawyer: 1862-19--): made - receiver for “The Auctioneer,” 25; 27. - -“Old Dog Tray” (song): 206. - -“Old Friends”: literary recollections by W. W., 314. - -“Olivia” (play): 253. - -O’Neil, Nance (Gertrude Lamson: Am. actress: 1874-19--): characterized, as - actress--and her performance in “The Lily,” 286. - -Only Levi,” “The (title): 11; - see Auctioneer,” “The. - -Opera Singer,” “The (play, unfinished by B.): 192. - - -P-(Q) - -Paine, Albert Bigelow (Am. writer: 1861-19--): disparagement of B. by--and - comment thereon by author, 67, _et seq._ - -PALMER, ALBERT MARSHALL (Am. th. man.: 1839-1905): 48; 61; 268; 319; 320. - -Parisian Romance,” “A (play): 268. - -Parsons, Theophilus (Am. lawyer: 17-- -18--): expounds Swedenborgian views - _re_ death, to author, 299. - -Passing of the Third Floor Back,” “The (play): B. causes to be written, 257, - _et - seq._ - -Passion Play,” “The: in S. F., 247. - -“Patrie” (melod.): 81. - -Payne, William Louis (th. agent): marriage of, and Mrs. Carter, 187. - -“Peter Grimm”: see Return of Peter Grimm,” “The. - -PHANTOM RIVAL,” “THE (play): 248; 402; - critically considered, 403, _et seq._; - produced--and cast of, 406. - -Phelps, Pauline (Am. playwright): 249; 256; 259; 325. - -Pickford, Mary (motion picture perf.): 266. - -“Pizarro” (tragedy): 82. - -Placide, Henry (Am. actor: 1810-1870): 14; 249. - -PLAGIARISM: decision _re_, for B., 104; - charges of, against B.--and whole subject thereof examined in detail, 310, - _et - seq._; - C. Reade quoted _re_, 315, _et seq._ - -Plautus: 317. - -Plutarch: 318. - -Polk, Willis: 274. - -“POLLY WITH A PAST” (farce): 325; - considered, 462; - first produced, 463; - cast of--performances in, 464. - -Pompadour, Jeanne Antoinette Poisson Le Normant D’Étioles, Marquise de (Fr. courtesan and political intrigante: - 1721-1764): - 29. - -Poor Gentleman,” “The (comedy): 124. - -“Pop Goes the Weasel” (song): 206. - -Porter’s Knot,” “The (play): 249. - -Post,” “The Washington (newspaper): letter to, by B., 180. - -Potter, Mrs. James Brown (Cora Urquhart: Am.-Eng. actress and th. man.: 1859-19--): produces “Du Barri” in London--and fails in - same, - 44. - -Potter, Paul Meredith (Am. journalist and playwright: 1853-19--): employed - by B. to make ver. of “Under Two Flags,” 2; 325. - -Price, Edward D. (Am. th. agent): 130. - -Pride of Jennico,” “The (novel): 94. - -Puccini, Giacomo (It. composer: 1858-19--): seeking characteristic subject - for “American” opera, 213; - selects B.’s “The Girl of the Golden West”--letter from, to B.--and writes “La Fanciulla del - West,” - 212; - the same produced, 214; 216. - - -R - -Rachel, Mlle. (Rachel Félix: Fr. actress: 1820-1858): M. Arnold’s admiration - of, - 160. - -Racine, Jean (Fr. dramatist and poet: 1639-1699): 239; 314. - -“Ramona” (novel): 226; 231. - -Reade, Charles (Eng. novelist, dramatist, and th. man.: 1815-1884): quoted - _re_ plagiarism, 315; 316; 318. - -Redding, Joseph D.: 274. - -Referee,” “The London: letter to, by B., 191. - -Regular Fix,” “A (farce): 124. - -Reinhardt, Max (Ger. actor, th. man., and stage man.: 1873-19--): 247. - -Relph, George (Eng. actor): 109. - -“Repka Stroon” (play--B.’s): 187. - -Republic Theatre, N. Y.: that name restored to first Belasco Th., 289. - -RETURN OF PETER GRIMM,” “THE (play--B.’s): 67; - Tree arranges to produce in London, 111; 124; - stage lighting in, 247; - fragmentary, unrevised notes on, 298; - critically described and considered, 299, _et seq._; - first produced--and first time of, in N. Y.--cast of, 304; - B.’s sole authorship of, questioned, 305; - and letter by B., maintaining his claim, 306; 336. - -RICHEPIN, JEAN (Fr. poet, novelist, and dramatic author: 1849-19--): introduced to B.--proposes to write play about du - Barry, - 31; - resultant play by, unsatisfactory to B.--and “advance royalties” paid to, - 32; - his play rejected by B., 33; - his “Du Barry” lawsuit against B., 42, _et seq._; - decision against, in same suit--and his “Du Barri” produced in London, 44; - 321. - -Richman, Charles J. (Am. actor: 1870-19--): 233. - -Rivals,” “The (comedy): 123. - -Robertson, Peter (Am. journalist: 1847-1911): letter of B. to, 130; - letter of, to B., 132; 325. - -Robertson, Thomas William (Eng. actor and dramatist: 1829-1871): 221. - -“Robinson Crusoe” (romance): 317; 318. - -ROEDER, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (general business manager for David Belasco): 19; 20; 66; 112; 114; 188; - 190; - 259; - beginning of association with B., 437; - B.’s tribute to, 438; - author’s comment on, 439. - -Rogers, ---- (explorer): 317; 318. - -Rogers, Samuel (Eng. poet: 1763-1855): 36. - -“Rosalie, the Prairie Flower” (song): 206. - -ROSE OF THE RANCHO,” “THE (melod.--B.): 212; - origin of--B.’s stipulation _re_, 224; - first produced--quality of--B.’s purpose in, 225; - resemblance of, to “Ramona”--and synopsis of, 226, _et seq._; - critically considered, 229, _et seq._; - cast of, 231; - Miss Starr’s performance in, 232, _et seq._; - B.’s recollections _re_ “lighting effects” in, 234; 235; 260; 273; 294. - -Russell, John H. (Am. th. man.): 9. - - -S - -Salvini, Tommaso (It. actor and th. man.: 1829-1916): 9; - B.’s estimate of, 449. - -“Sam” (farce): 123. - -Sardou, Victorien (Fr. dramatist: 1831-1908): 312. - -Savoy Th., London: first th. lighted by electricity, 245. - -Scarborough, George (Am. playwright): 325; - letter of, to B., 326. - -Schiller, Johann Christoph Friedrich von (Ger. poet, dramatist, and philosopher: - 1759-1805): - 239. - -Schley, Winfield Scott (Admiral, U. S. N.: 1839-1911): 183; 185. - -Schrader, Frederick Franklin (Am. journalist: 1857-19--): letter to, from B., - 195. - -School for Scandal,” “The (comedy): 105; 311. - -Schumann-Heink, Mme. Ernestine (Ger.-Am. opera singer: 1861-19--): proposes that B. undertake her management and introduce her on dramatic stage--play planned for, - etc., - 192. - -Scott, Hon. Francis Markoe (Judge, N. Y. Sup. Ct.): 94. - -Scott, Sir Walter (the poet and novelist: 1771-1832): 164; - remark of, _re_ originality, 313; 317; 318. - -Seaver, William (Am. journalist: died, 1883): 133. - -Second Mrs. Tanquerey,” “The (play): 268. - -SECRET,” “THE (play): B.’s reasons for producing, 350; - qualities of--and critically considered, 352; - performance of--cast of, 355. - -Secret Orchard,” “The (novel): 94. - -“SEVEN CHANCES” (farce): 373; 410; - described--produced--considered, 411; - cast of, 412. - -Shakespeare, William: 239; 313; 317; 318. - -“Shenandoah” (melod.): 92. - -Shepherd, Hon. William Bostwick (Judge, N. Dist. Fla.: 1860-19--): 323. - -SHERIDAN, RICHARD BRINSLEY BUTLER (Ir.-Eng. dramatist, th. man., orator, etc.: 1751-1816): - 105; - 239; - defended against charge of plagiarism, 311; 313; 314. - -Shiels, John Wilson, M. D.: 273; 274. - -Short, Marion (Am. playwright): 249; 256; 258; 325. - -Shubert, Lee (Am. spec. th. man.: 1875-19--): statement by, _re_ Syndicate, B., and Fiske, - 278; - 429. - -Shubert, Sam. S. (Am. th. man.: 1873-1905): arranges alliance with B.--and - B.’s recollection and estimate of, 216; - death of, 217. - -Shubert, the Messrs. Sam. S. & Lee, Inc. (Am. spec. th. mang’s.): B.’s alliance - with, - 218. - -Simon, Charles (Fr. journalist and playwright: 1850-1910): 325. - -Simpson, Edmund (Am. th. man.): 150. - -Singers, operatic: true histrionic impersonation not possible to, 214. - -Smith, Mark, Sr. (Am. actor: 1829-1884): 250. - -Smith, Winchell (Am. playwright: 1872-19--): 289; 323; 325. - -Smyth, William G. (Am. th. agent): 113. - -Sothern, Edward Askew (Eng. actor: 1826-1881): performances by, 123. - -Sophocles: 314. - -Stage aspirants: B.’s admonition to, 398, _et seq._ - -Stage: characteristics of, in the Present, 290; - view of, author’s--and subscribed to by B., 427. - -Stage lighting: in “The Rose of the Rancho,” 234; - pioneer achievements in, 244; - B.’s study of--and influence on, 245; - in “Peter Grimm,” 247. - -Star Dreamer,” “The (novel): 94. - -STARR, FRANCES GRANT (Am. actress: 1886-19--): 212; 294; - birth--first appearance of, on stage--first seen by B., 221; - B.’s recollection of--and his engagement of, 222, _et seq._; - first appearance of, under B., 224; - performance of, in “The R. of R.,” 232, _et seq._; 235; - presented in “The Case of Becky”--and B.’s recollections _re_, 345; - method used by, in, 346; - B. casts, as _Gabrielle_, in “The Secret,” 352; - her performance of, 355; - as _Marie-Odile_, 360; 416. - -Steele, Sir Richard (Eng. dramatist: 1672-1729): 313. - -Stevenson, Charles A. (Am. actor): presents loving cup to B., on behalf of - “Du Barry” Co., 46. - -Stuart, Mary, Queen o’ Scots (1542-1587): 28. - -Stuyvesant Theatre, David Belasco’s: name changed to Belasco (_q.v._), 289. - -Sudermann, Hermann (Ger. dramatist and novelist: 1857-19--): 268. - -Sullivan, Sir Arthur Seymour (Eng. musical composer: 1842-1900): 85. - -“Sweet Jasmine” (play): 331. - -“SWEET KITTY BELLAIRS” (comedy--B.’s): first produced--and in N. Y., 95; - described and critically considered, 96, _et seq._; - original cast of, 102; - various productions of, 103; - B. accused of plagiarism in connection with--trial of suit--and B. vindicated, etc., 104, - _et - seq._; - letters _re_, 106, _et seq._; 111; 320; 321. - -Swift, Jonathan (Dean of St. Patrick’s, Dublin: satirist: 1667-1745): 316. - -SYNDICATE, THE THEATRICAL (or “Trust”): beginning of B.’s conflict with, 16; - abstract of B.’s testimony _re_ A. Erlanger and, in lawsuit by J. Brooks, etc., 17, - _et - seq._; - membership of, 19; - menace of, to B., 49; - same, 50; 112; - B. breaks with, over “The D. of G.,” 113; 128; 129; 130; 133; - climax of B.’s conflict with, reached, 151; - an examination of the whole subject of, 152; - value of B.’s opposition to, 153; - fight against, by Mr. and Mrs. H. G. Fiske--Daly opposed to, 154; - B. opposed by--Mrs. Fiske, Mme. Bernhardt, and--strove to exclude B. from Washington--and general ignorance - concerning, - 155; - what it was--composition--methods, 156; - substance of pretensions of, epitomized, 157; - A. L. Erlanger on, _re_ early th. mang’s., actors, etc., quoted, 158; - author begins to be conscious of oppugnant influence of, in “N. Y. Tribune,” - 161; - provisions of the covenant binding members of, 167, _et seq._; - specific instance of oppression of B. by, 170; - divergent views of, set forth, 172, _et seq._; - H. G. Fiske’s arraignment of, in “N. Y. Dramatic Mirror”--and sues Fiske - for libel, claiming $100,000 damages, 175; - Fiske’s answer to that suit, 176; - accusations _made_ against not _proved_--and reasons for believing Fiske’s accusations true, 177, - _et - seq._; - Washington closed against B. by, 179; - denounced by B. in speech, 185; 189; 191; 195; - surrenders, 274; - arrangement of, and Fiske and B., 275; - author’s view, _re_, 276; 277. - - -T - -“Tainted Philanthropy” (play): 309; 322. - -Taylor, James J.: 274. - -Taylor, Howard P. (Am. journalist, playwright, etc.): 320. - -TEMPERAMENTAL JOURNEY,” “THE (satirical farce): produced--theme of--and - critically considered, 383, _et seq._; - cast of, 385. - -Tennyson, Alfred, first Lord (the poet: 1809-1892): 29; 239. - -Thackeray, William Makepeace (Eng. novelist: 1811-1863): 162. - -Theatre: first lighted by electricity, 245. - -Theodora (Rom. Empress): 144. - -Ticket-of-Leave Man,” “The (play): 8. - -“TIGER ROSE” (melod.): 325; - how written--first produced, 465; - story of, 466, _et seq._; - L. Ulric in, 469. - -Tosca,” “La (melod.): 81; 319. - -Toscanini, Arturo (It. musical conductor: 18-- -19--): 213; 214; 215. - -TREE (SIR HERBERT BEERBOHM-TREE, kt.: Eng. actor and th. man.: 1853-1917): - produces “The D. of G.” in London--and acts _Zakkuri_, 109; - speech of--and tribute to B., 110; - arranges to produce “The Return of Peter Grimm” in London--sudden death of, - 111; - 138. - -Tribune,” “The N. Y. (newspaper): author begins to be conscious of power of Th. Syndicate - in, - 161. - -Tully, Richard Walton, (Am. actor, playwright, and th. man.: 18-- - 19--): - 224; 325. - -“Twelfth Night”: effect in, devised by A. Daly, 82. - -Tyler, George Crouse (Am. sp. th. man.: 1867-19--): 429. - - -U - -ULRIC, LENORE (Am. actress: 189- - 19--): 325; - B.’s opinion _re_, 366; - birth--childhood--early appearances of, 367; - impression made by, on B., at rehearsal, 368; - in “The Girl,” 369; - “The Heart of Wetona” produced with, 370; - her performance of _Wetona_, 372; - her performance of _Rose Bocion_, in “Tiger Rose”--and qualities of, 469; - 470. - -“Under Two Flags” (melod.): B. determines to revive, 1; - quality of--and B.’s production of, 2, _et seq._; - cast of, 6; 204. - -Untermyer, Samuel (lawyer: 1858-19--): on contradictory testimony of B. and - Erlanger, - 21; - his arraignment of Erlanger and the Th. Syndicate--and author’s opinion thereof, 178, _et - seq._; - 179. - - -V - -Valentinian (Rom. Emp.: 321-375): 146. - -“Van Der Decken” (drama--B.’s): 67; 124. - -Vanishing Bride,” “The (play): 373; - produced--and B.’s reasons for discarding, 374; - cast of, 375. - -“Vathek” (“The History of the Caliph Vathek”: romance): 74. - -VERY MINUTE,” “THE (play): author’s comments _re_, 416; - first produced--and cast of, 417. - -Villiers, Barbara (---- - ----): 29. - -Virgil: 317. - -Voltaire, Jean François Marie Arouet (Fr. philosopher, dramatist, etc.: 1694-1778): on du Barry, - 34; - 316. - - -W - -Wallace, Hon. William James (Judge, U. S. Cirt. Ct.: 1837-19--): 174. - -Wallack, James William (the Elder: Eng.-Am. actor and th. man.: 1795-1864): - 150. - -WALLACK, LESTER (John Johnstone Wallack: Am. actor, th. man., and dramatist: 1820-1888): 48; 49; 61; 151; 159; - 268; - 420. - -Walter, Eugene (Am. journalist and playwright: 1876-19--): 267; - writes “Just a Wife”--and preoccupation of mind of, 287; 325; - his “The Easiest Way,” 268. - -WARFIELD, DAVID (Am. actor: 1866-19--): 6; - engaged by B.--and stipulations of their contract, 7; - B.’s recollections of, in youth--birth of, and sketch of career of, 8, _et - seq._; - probable standing of, without B.’s direction, 10; - “The Auctioneer” written for--and appearance of, in same, 11; - comment on, by B., 13; - B.’s estimate of, and author’s, as an actor--immense obligation of, to B.--as _Simon Levi_, 14; 16; 17; 18; 19; - 22; - 24; - refuses to act in “The A.,” except under management of B.--statements by--and judicial cognizance of same taken, 25, - _et - seq._; - mandatory injunction to, denied, 27; - long period of idleness through fidelity to B., 28; 48; 49; 51; 86; - refutes charge that B. “stole” his services, 87; 112; - B. engages C. Klein to work on “The Music Master” for, 114; - wisdom of devising _von Barwig_ for, 117; - his performance of that part, 118; 119; 120; - B. on, as _von Barwig_--not a “one part” actor, 123; - plays acted in by, 124; - amazing record of, in “The M. M.,” 125; - B.’s feeling about, and “The M. M.,” 128; 172; 192; 235; - felicitous vehicle for, 250; - his treatment of situations in “A G. A. M.,” 253; - his impersonation in “A G. A. M.”--and quality of, as actor, 254; 255; - “The Passing of the Third Floor Back” for, 257; 258; 259; - his only approaches to realm of imagination, 300; - his personation of _Peter Grimm_, 302; - quality of that performance, 303; 306. - -Warren, William, Jr. (Am. actor: 1812-1888): 14; 249. - -Warren, William, Sr. (Eng.-Am. actor and th. man.: 1767-1832): 152. - -WARRENS OF VIRGINIA,” “THE (melod.): first produced--story of--and critically - considered, - 260; - cast of, 266; - B.’s recollections of, 267. - -“Washington Life” (play): 321. - -Weber & Fields (Am. vaudeville mang’s.): 7; 10; 87. - -Wemyss, Francis Courtney (Eng.-Am. th. man.: 1797-1859): 152. - -“What’s Wrong” (play): 373; - produced, 374; - cast of, 375. - -Wife,” “The (play--Knowles’): 320. - -Wife,” “The (play--B.’s): 321. - -Wills, William Gorman (Ir.-Eng. poet, dramatist, and novelist: 1830-1891): - 93; 264. - -Winthrop, Henry Rogers: 216. - -Wood, William B. (Am. actor, th. man., and th. historian: 1779-1861): 152. - -“Woodcock’s Little Game” (farce): 124. - -Woodes, ---- (explorer): 317; 318. - -Woods, Al. H. (Am. spec. th. man.: 18-- -19--): 430. - -Wolff, Pierre (Fr. dramatist: 18-- -19--): 283. - -WOMAN,” “THE (melod.): B. works on--and produces, 306; - characterized--described--critically considered, 307, _et seq._; - cast of--and A. Goldknopf’s charge of plagiarism in, 309; 320; 322. - -Wooing of Wistaria,” “The (story): 88. - -Woolsey, Col. Charles W.: 296. - -Wordsworth, William (Eng. poet: 1770-1850): 314. - -Worthing, Frank (George Francis Pentland: Scotch-Am. actor: 1866-1910): admirable performance - by, - 282. - -Wycherley, William (Eng. dramatist: _cir._ 1640-1716): 313. - - -(X)-Y-Z - -Yaco (or Yakko), Mme. Sada (Mrs. Otto Kawakani: Japanese actress): 109. - -“YEARS OF DISCRETION” (satirical farce): produced--and theme of, 281; - cast of, 282. - -“Young April” (novel): 94. - -Young, Waldemar: 274. - -Young, William (Am. dramatist): 325 - -Zangarini, G. (It. librettist): 213. - -“Zaza” (play--B.’s): 43; - revival of--and outrage on first night of, 91, _et seq._; 92; 269; 270; 423. - -ZIMMERMAN, J. FREDERICK, Sr. (Am. spec. th. man.: 18-- -19--): 19; 156; - H. G. Fiske’s allegation against, 176; 429. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] And, preëminently, William Winter, who was not only the friend -but in many instances the guide, adviser, and assistant of all those -managers, as well as of many others: no other single person has ever, -directly and indirectly, exerted a greater or more unselfish influence -for the good of the Theatre than that of Winter.--J. W. - -[2] Whence derived I do not know: obviously, it was not written by Mr. -Winter,--but it is accurate.--J. W. - -[3] The first recorded instance of a theatre lighted throughout by -electricity is that of the Savoy, in London, 1882,--but I think it -probable that practical stage lighting by electricity had been achieved -in this country at an earlier date. Electric light was used to illumine -a cyclorama in Paris, France, as early as 1857,--but that, of course, -was light from a primitive arc lamp. - -[4] At which time Mr. H. Granville Barker was two years old!--J. W. - -[5] In the original cast: this character was cut out of the play before -the New York opening. - -[6] Several other names could appropriately be added to that -list--notably, those of Willard Mack (whose play of “Tiger Rose” owes -its extraordinary success entirely to the revision and stage management -of Belasco and the remarkably interesting and sympathetic acting of -Miss Lenore Ulric), George Middleton, and Guy Bolton. Messrs. Middleton -and Bolton figure as authors of “Polly with a Past,”--which, though it -is an extremely slender farce, was one of the few substantial successes -of the current (1917-’18) theatrical season: it was entirely reshaped -and made practicable by Belasco.--J. W. - -[7] Lester Wallack’s last appearance on the stage occurred May 29, -1886, at the Grand Opera House, New York, and Wallack’s Company was -then disbanded. He was born January 1, 1820, and died September 6, -1888. He surrendered his theatre into the hands of Theodore Moss in -1887, being then sixty-seven years old. Moss had a considerable part in -the management of Wallack’s Theatre for several years before that. - -Beerbohm-Tree, referred to above as “Belasco’s only competitor,” died, -July 2, 1917, in his sixty-fourth year. He was five months younger than -Belasco was at that time. - -[8] At Wallack’s Theatre, March 19, 1896, by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Taber -(Julia Marlowe): see “Shakespeare on the Stage--Third Series,” page -370.--J. W. - -[9] =GRAND OPERA HOUSE, CHICAGO, THURSDAY MATINEE=:-- - -April 19, 1906. A special performance in honor of Mme. 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padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i1 {display: block; margin-left: .45em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i2 {display: block; margin-left: 1em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i4 {display: block; margin-left: 3em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i10 {display: block; margin-left: 8em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i15 {display: block; margin-left: 10em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} - -.pagenum {font-style:normal;position:absolute; -left:95%;font-size:55%;text-align:right;color:gray; -background-color:#ffffff;font-variant:normal;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:none;text-indent:0em;} -@media print, handheld -{.pagenum - {display: none;} - } - -th {padding-top:1em;padding-bottom:.5em;} -</style> - </head> -<body> -<pre style='margin-bottom:6em;'>The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Life of David Belasco; vol 2, by William -Winter - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this ebook. - -Title: The Life of David Belasco; vol 2 - -Author: William Winter - -Release Date: November 04, 2020 [EBook #63624] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team - at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - available at The Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIFE OF DAVID BELASCO; VOL -2 *** -</pre><hr class="full" /> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/cover.jpg"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" height="550" alt="[Image of -the book's cover unavailable.]" /></a> -</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="border: 2px black solid;margin:auto auto;max-width:50%; -padding:1%;"> -<tr valign="top"><td> -<p class="c"><a href="#CONTENTS">Contents.</a><br /> -<a href="#INDEX_TO_VOLUME_TWO">Index To Volume Two</a></p> -<p class="c"><a href="#ILLUSTRATIONS">List of Illustrations</a></p> - -<p class="c">(etext transcriber's note)</p></td></tr> -</table> - -<p class="cbspc">THE LIFE OF<br /> -DAVID BELASCO<br /> -<br /><small>VOLUME TWO</small> -</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_i" id="page_i">{i}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii" id="page_ii">{ii}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_iv" id="page_iv">{iv}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_iii" id="page_iii">{iii}</a></span> </p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“<i>I will not be slack to play</i><br /></span> -<span class="i1"><i>my part in Fortune’s pageant!</i>”<br /></span> -<span class="i15">—Shakespeare<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="fill_001" id="fill_001"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_001.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_001.jpg" width="402" height="480" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>DAVID BELASCO</p> - -<p>“<i>The natural successor of Lester Wallack, Edwin Booth and Augustin -Daly, as the leading theatrical manager of America.</i>”—W. W.</p> - -<p style="text-align:left;text-indent:0%;"> -From a portrait made for this Memoir<br /> -by Arnold Genthe, New York.<br /> -</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_v" id="page_v">{v}</a></span></p> - -<h1> -THE LIFE<br /> -<br /> -OF<br /> -<br /><span class="redd"> -DAVID BELASCO</span></h1> - -<p class="c">BY<br /> -<br /> -WILLIAM WINTER<br /> -<br /> -(1836-1917)<br /> -<br /> -“He, being dead, yet speaketh.”<br /> -<br /> -<br /><span class="redd"> -VOLUME TWO</span><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap">New York</span><br /> -MOFFAT, YARD AND COMPANY<br /> -<span class="redd">1918</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_vi" id="page_vi">{vi}</a></span><br /> -<br /><small> -<span class="smcap">Copyright, 1918, by</span><br /> -JEFFERSON WINTER<br /> -<br /> -<i>All Rights Reserved</i></small> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_vii" id="page_vii">{vii}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS</h2> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr valign="top"><th>THE LIFE OF DAVID BELASCO—VOLUME TWO</th></tr> -<tr><td> </td><td class="rt"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_1">“Under Two Flags.”—Blanche Bates the Rising Star</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_1">1</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_6">Belasco and David Warfield:—Their First Meeting</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_6">6</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_11">Warfield and “The Auctioneer”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_11">11</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_16">In the Grip of the Octopus.—Ancient Methods in Modern Business</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_16">16</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_20">Testimony under Oath.—Belasco <i>versus</i> Erlanger</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_20">20</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_23">Law <i>versus</i> Justice</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_23">23</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_24">A Faithful Friend:—Warfield for Belasco.—The End of “The Auctioneer”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_24">24</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_28">Temperamental Sympathy.—Early Reading: “The Low Sun Makes the Color”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_28">28</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_31">Genesis of Belasco’s <i>Du Barry</i>.—Character of the Historic Original</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_31">31</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_34">A Fanciful Fabric.—“Du Barry” First Produced</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_34">34</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_42">Richepin and the “Du Barry” Lawsuit</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_42">42</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_45">A Gracious Tribute.—“Remember That We Loved You”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_45">45</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_47">The Theatric <i>Richmond</i> “Looks Proudly o’er the Crown”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_47">47</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_52">A Dangerous Accident.—Altering the Republic</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_52">52</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_55">The First Belasco Theatre</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_55">55</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_viii" id="page_viii">{viii}</a></span><a href="#page_60">“After Thirty Years of Labor.”—Belasco in His Own Theatre:—The Opening Night</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_60">60</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_62">The First Programme</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_62">62</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_67">A Stupid Disparagement.—Inception of “The Darling of the Gods”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_67">67</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_73">The Play and the Performance of “The Darling of the Gods”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_73">73</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_82">The Creation of Dramatic Effects.—Difficulties with the River of Souls</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_82">82</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_85">An Operatic Project.—Petty Persecutions.—An Arrest for Libel</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_85">85</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_91">Second Season at the Belasco.—A Contemptible Outrage</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_91">91</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_94">Henrietta Crosman and “Sweet Kitty Bellairs”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_94">94</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_103">Side-light and Commentary on “Sweet Kitty”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_103">103</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_109">A Strenuous Year</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_109">109</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_111">Warfield in “The Music Master.”—An Animated Speech</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_111">111</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_120">Concerning Warfield, Jefferson, the Elder Sothern and the “One Part” Custom.—An Amazing Record</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_120">120</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_126">A Sheaf of Old Letters: In the Matter of the Theatrical Syndicate</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_126">126</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_132">Methods of Collaboration</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_132">132</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_136">Mrs. Carter and the Tragedy of “Adrea”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_136">136</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><th>BELASCO AND THE THEATRICAL SYNDICATE</th></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_150">Justice and Theatrical Achievement</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_150">150</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_151">Belasco’s Unique Service to the Theatre</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_151">151</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_153">What Are We Discussing?</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_153">153</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_154">The Syndicate-Incubus Defined</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_154">154</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_155">Specious Pretensions to Justify the Incubus</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_155">155</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ix" id="page_ix">{ix}</a></span> -<a href="#page_157">Tendency to Combination in Modern Business</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_157">157</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_158">Causes of Theatrical Progress</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_158">158</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_161">The Right Principle</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_161">161</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_162">The Obligation of Intellect</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_162">162</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_167">“Those Shall Take Who Have the Power”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_167">167</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_170">Divergent Views of the Syndicate: Grounds for Reasonable Belief</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_170">170</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_177">Converting Convention Hall:—“Adrea” in Washington</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_177">177</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_184">Exit Mrs. Carter</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_184">184</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_186">Significant Messages</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_186">186</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_188">Various Letters and Incidents of 1905</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_188">188</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_194">Tribute to Irving</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_194">194</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_195">Blanche Bates and “The Girl of the Golden West”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_195">195</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_200">A Thrilling Story—And a True One</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_200">200</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_203">A Masterpiece of Stagecraft: The Storm in -“The Girl of the Golden West”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_203">203</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_206">The Parting of Blanche Bates and Belasco.—“The Fighting Hope” and “Nobody’s Widow”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_206">206</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_211">A Great Night.—Belasco at the Metropolitan.—A Generous Acknowledgment</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_211">211</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_216">Belasco and the Messrs. Shubert</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_216">216</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_219">The Advent of Frances Starr.—Belasco’s “The Rose of the Rancho”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_219">219</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_232">A New Project:—The Second Belasco Theatre</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_232">232</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_242">In the Matter of Stage Lighting</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_242">242</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_247">Opening of Belasco’s Stuyvesant Theatre:—“A Grand Army Man”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_247">247</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_255">A Defeated Plan: “The Passing of the Third Floor Back”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_255">255</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_x" id="page_x">{x}</a></span> -<a href="#page_258">“The Warrens of Virginia”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_258">258</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_265">“The Easiest Way”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_265">265</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_269">“Westward, Ho!”—The Syndicate Surrenders.—Incidents of 1909</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_269">269</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_279">The Season of 1909-’10: “Is Matrimony a Failure?”—“The Lily”—And “Just a Wife”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_279">279</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_287">A Change of Names.—The Farce of “The Concert”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_287">287</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_293">Loss and Grief.—“No Man Bears Sorrow Better”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_293">293</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_298">A Drama of Spiritualism</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_298">298</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_299">Belasco’s “The Return of Peter Grimm”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_299">299</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_304">Concerning the Eunuchs of Criticasterism</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_304">304</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_306">“The Woman”—And Mr. Abraham Goldknopf</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_306">306</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><th>BELASCO AND PLAGIARISM</th></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_310">“Folly Loves the Martyrdom of Fame”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_310">310</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_312">“The Trick Applied”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_312">312</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_313">An Ancient Usage</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_313">313</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_315">Charles Reade on Plagiarism</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_315">315</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_318">“For the Defendant”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_318">318</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_324">Concerning Benefits—Remembered and Forgot</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_324">324</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><th>The Dramatic Works of David Belasco</th></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_327">Juvenile Efforts</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_327">327</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_328">Written Before 1882-’83 (Belasco’s New York Career Began in September, 1882)</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_328">328</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_329">Written Subsequent to 1882-’83</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_329">329</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_332">Plays as yet Unacted</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_332">332</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_332">Belasco as a Dramatist:—A Fragment</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_332">332</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_336">The Goldknopf Trial—A Unique Demonstration</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_336">336</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xi" id="page_xi">{xi}</a></span> -<a href="#page_343">A Drama of Psychology:—“The Case of Becky”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_343">343</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_348">“A Good Little Devil”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_348">348</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_350">“The Secret”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_350">350</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_356">“Marie-Odile”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_356">356</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_361">Reconciliation with Charles Frohman—And Joint Presentment of “A Celebrated Case”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_361">361</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_366">Lenore Ulric.—And “The Heart of Wetona”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_366">366</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><th>VARIOUS PRODUCTIONS—MISCELLANEOUS RECORD:</th></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_373">“What’s Wrong.”—“The Vanishing Bride.”—“The Love Thought.”—“Alias.”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_373">373</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_377">“The Governor’s Lady”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_377">377</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_381">“Years of Discretion”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_381">381</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_386">“The Temperamental Journey”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_386">386</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_386">A Revival of the “Auctioneer”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_386">386</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_387">A Maniac’s Play—“The Man Inside”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_387">387</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_394">Belasco in Chinatown</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_394">394</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_398">An Admonition to Stage Aspirants</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_398">398</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_402">“The Phantom Rival”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_402">402</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_406">“The Boomerang”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_406">406</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_411">“Seven Chances”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_411">411</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_413">“The Little Lady in Blue.”—The Last Play Ever Seen by William Winter</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_413">413</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_416">“The Very Minute”—A Memorandum</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_416">416</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_418">Summary</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_418">418</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_441">A Great Shakespearean Project</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_441">441</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_448">Concerning Sarah Bernhardt</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_448">448</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_452">Brief Extracts from Miscellaneous Correspondence</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_452">452</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><th>APPENDIX (BY J. W.)</th></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_459">“Van Der Decken”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_459">459</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_462">“Polly with a Past”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_462">462</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xii" id="page_xii">{xii}</a></span> -<a href="#page_465">“Tiger Rose”</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_465">465</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_473">Chronology of the Life of David Belasco (W. W.)</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_473">473</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="pddsmcap" valign="top"><a href="#page_543">Index</a></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"><a href="#page_543">543</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xiii" id="page_xiii">{xiii}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="ILLUSTRATIONS" id="ILLUSTRATIONS"></a>ILLUSTRATIONS.<br /><br /> -<span class="smcap">Volume One.</span></h2> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" summary=""> - -<tr valign="top"><th><i>In Photogravure.</i></th></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#fill_001">David Belasco</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#fill_001">Frontispiece</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td> </td><td class="rt"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#fill_002">David Belasco, About 1885</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_16">16</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#fill_003">David Warfield</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_26">26</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#fill_004">Mrs. Leslie Carter as <i>Du Barry</i></a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_42">42</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#fill_005">David Belasco</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_60">60</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#fill_006">Blanche Bates as <i>Yo-San</i>, in “The Darling of the Gods”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_76">76</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#fill_007">David Belasco, About 1889-’90</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_90">90</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#fill_008">David Belasco</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_136">136</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#fill_009">Frances Starr</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_224">224</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#fill_010">Augusta Belasco, Mrs. William Elliott</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_298">298</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#fill_011">Reina Belasco, Mrs. Morris Gest</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_300">300</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#fill_012">David Belasco</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_320">320</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#fill_013">David Belasco</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_336">336</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#fill_014">David Belasco</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_418">418</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th><i>In Halftone.</i></th></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_001">Blanche Bates as <i>Cigarette</i>, in “Under Two Flags”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_2">2</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_002">A Scene from Belasco’s “Under Two Flags”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_6">6</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_003">David Warfield as <i>Simon Levi</i>, in “The Auctioneer”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_12">12</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_004">Mrs. Leslie Carter as <i>Du Barry</i></a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_34">34</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xiv" id="page_xiv">{xiv}</a></span> -<a href="#ill_005">Charles A. Stevenson as <i>King Louis the Fifteenth</i>, in Belasco’s “Du Barry”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_40">40</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_006">Belasco, About 1902</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_46">46</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_007">Belasco’s “Studio” in the First Belasco Theatre</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_54">54</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_008">Belasco in His Studio at the First Belasco Theatre</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_58">58</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_009">A Scene from “The Darling of the Gods”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_72">72</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_010">George Arliss as <i>Zakkuri, the Minister of War</i>, in “The Darling of the Gods”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_82">82</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_011">Henrietta Crosman as <i>Mistress Kitty Bellairs</i>, in “Sweet Kitty Bellairs”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_100">100</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_012">David Warfield as <i>Herr Anton von Barwig</i>, in “The Music Master”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_114">114</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_013">Scene in Front of the Belasco Theatre, Pittsburgh, Pa.</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_126">126</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_014">Belasco’s “Adrea” Curtains</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_150">150</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_015">The Members of the Theatrical Syndicate</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_168">168</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_016">The Crowning Room,—Belasco’s Production of “Adrea”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_178">178</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_017">Mrs. Leslie Carter as <i>Adrea</i>, in the Tragedy of that Name</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_186">186</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_018">Henry Irving in the Last Year of His Life—1904-’05</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_194">194</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_019">Blanche Bates as <i>The Girl</i>, in “The Girl of the Golden West”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_198">198</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_020">To David Belasco</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_212">212</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_021">In Remembrance</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_214">214</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_022">The Opera of “The Girl of the Golden West”—A Souvenir, to Belasco</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_218">218</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_023">Frances Starr as <i>Jaunita</i>, in “The Rose of the Rancho”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_232">232</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_024">Belasco in His Workshop</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_238">238</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xv" id="page_xv">{xv}</a></span> -<a href="#ill_025">Switchboard of the Second Belasco Theatre, New York</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_246">246</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_026">David Warfield as <i>Wes’ Bigelow</i>, in “A Grand Army Man”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_254">254</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_027">Charlotte Walker as <i>Agatha Warren</i>, in “The Warrens of Virginia”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_264">264</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_028">David Belasco and His Father, Humphrey Abraham Belasco, in San Francisco, February, 1909—Their Last Meeting</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_272">272</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_029">Nance O’Neil as <i>Odette De Maigny</i> and Julia Dean (the Younger) as <i>Christine De Maigny</i>, in “The Lily”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_282">282</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_030">Belasco, About 1911</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_286">286</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_031">Leo Ditrichstein as <i>Gabor Arany</i> and Janet Beecher as <i>Helen, Mrs. Arany</i>, in “The Concert”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_290">290</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_032">“Oft in the Still Night”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_294">294</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_033">David Warfield as <i>Peter Grimm</i>, in “The Return of Peter Grimm”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_304">304</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_034">“The Student”—David Belasco</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_312">312</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_035">David Belasco</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_328">328</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_036">Frances Starr as <i>Becky</i>, in “The Case of Becky”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_344">344</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_037">Belasco, About 1914</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_352">352</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_038">Frances Starr as <i>Marie-Odile</i></a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_360">360</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_039">Lenore Ulric as <i>Wetona</i>, in “The Heart of Wetona”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_372">372</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_040">Belasco at Orienta Point—Summer Home of His Daughter, Mrs. Gest</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_428">428</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_041">Benjamin F. Roeder, Belasco’s General Business Manager</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_438">438</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xvi" id="page_xvi">{xvi}</a></span> -<a href="#ill_042">Sarah Bernhardt</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_450">450</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_043">David Warfield as <i>Van Der Decken</i></a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_456">456</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_044">Ina Claire as <i>Polly Shannon</i>, in “Polly With a Past”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_460">460</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_045">Lenore Ulric as <i>Rose</i>, in “Tiger Rose”</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_466">466</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_046">David Belasco—His Latest Portrait, 1918</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_470">470</a></td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="pdd"><a href="#ill_047">Belasco Leading the Parade of “The Lambs” up Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D. C.</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_476">476</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xvii" id="page_xvii">{xvii}</a></span></p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“<i>To him the laurels and the lyre belong:</i><br /></span> -<span class="i1"><i>He won them well, and may he wear them long!</i>”<br /></span> - -</div></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xviii" id="page_xviii">{xviii}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_1" id="page_1">{1}</a></span> </p> - -<h1>THE LIFE OF DAVID BELASCO</h1> - -<h2><a name="UNDER_TWO_FLAGS_BLANCHE_BATES_THE_RISING_STAR" id="UNDER_TWO_FLAGS_BLANCHE_BATES_THE_RISING_STAR"></a>“UNDER TWO FLAGS.”—BLANCHE BATES THE RISING STAR.</h2> - -<p>The London engagement of “Zaza” ended, Belasco, Mrs. Carter, and the -members of the “Zaza” company returned to America, sailing from -Southampton, on board the steamship New York, August 18, 1900. Mrs. -Carter’s tour in that play began at the Criterion Theatre, New York, on -October 1, and Belasco turned his attention to launching Blanche Bates -as a star. The histrionic vehicle which he selected for this purpose was -a revamped dramatization of Ouida’s “Under Two Flags.” He had hoped to -obtain a drama on a fresh subject for her use and he had asked Charles -Frohman to assist in finding such a one. But, after waiting a -considerable time without any suitable play coming to light and it being -essential to bring her forward in something, Belasco determined to turn -to an old subject and revivify it. “I decided, in desperation,” he -writes, “to revive ‘Under Two Flags,’ which I had long been familiar -with, of which I had made at least two versions,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_2" id="page_2">{2}</a></span> and which, in the old -days, I had directed for Lotta. Her version of it, however, seemed very -old-fashioned, and I employed Mr. Paul M. Potter to make a new -adaptation of the book. I introduced a novel effect in that production -in the sand-storm in the Fourth Act; it was simple in its mechanism, but -it required much work to perfect it: it has since come into general -use.”</p> - -<p>Ouida’s novel is so well known to the public of the Library and, in one -form or another, histrionic adaptations of it are so well known to the -public of the Theatre, that the subject is, in every point of view, -familiar, and minutely detailed consideration of it in this place would, -therefore, be superfluous. The new theatrical epitome of that novel was -made known, for the first time, at the Garden Theatre, New York, -February 5, 1901. It was, in every detail, supervised and made practical -by Belasco, and it owed its success to his ingenious and expert -manipulation and to the embodiment of <i>Cigarette</i> given in it under his -direction by Miss Bates. The story of that ardent, picturesque, -adventurous girl is a story of amatory infatuation, brave exploits, and -pathetic self-sacrifice, under romantic circumstances. The -representative of <i>Cigarette</i> must be handsome, passionate, expeditious, -magnanimous, resolute, full of resource, sparkling with energy,</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_001" id="ill_001"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_002.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_002.jpg" width="392" height="556" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Sarony. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Collection of Jefferson Winter.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>BLANCHE BATES AS <i>CIGARETTE</i>, IN “UNDER TWO FLAGS<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_3" id="page_3">{3}</a></span>”</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">potent in fiery conflicts of feeling, and, above all, capable of -covering grief with a smile. That is the essence of her character. -Blanche Bates, possessing rare personal distinction and a temperament -equally attuned to the extreme moods of mirth and grief, was easily -proficient in the assumption of that personality and in the pictorial -and effective exposition of it. Without the presence of that actress the -play (if it had ever been produced at all) would have passed as a -populous, tumultuous stage pageant,—a spectacle of Moorish scenery and -military bustle. Animated by her power, sensibility, and spirited, -various, incessant action, it was lifted to dramatic importance and -Belasco’s “desperate” venture—as he calls it—proved brilliantly -successful.</p> - -<p>The employment of <i>Cigarette</i> is the salvation from various dangers of -<i>Bertie Cecil</i>, a man whom she loves and whose love is bestowed on -another woman, and her diligence in that employment is attended by risk -and rewarded by ruin. Many persons appear to think that it is beatific -to be loved by other persons and grievous not to be loved, and, -accordingly, love-tales exemplary of the joy, on the one hand, and the -sorrow, on the other, that are sequent from those antipodal conditions -of experience are perennially popular. <i>Pygmalion</i> worships a stone; -<i>Titania</i> caresses the ears of an<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_4" id="page_4">{4}</a></span> ass, and the populace is thrilled. -<i>Cigarette’s</i> passion for <i>Bertie Cecil</i> is of the old, familiar kind, -and, the scene being Algeria, her adventures are, theatrically, shown -across a background of singular beauty,—because that country is -remarkable for flowers, cedar forests, Oriental palms, Roman remains, -stony deserts contrasted with smiling villages, and luxuriant gardens -not distant from mountains covered with snow.</p> - -<p>Taste, thought, ingenuity, and sedulous care were expended on every -feature of the pageant by Belasco, and the result was a magnificent -spectacle,—one of the richest and most impressive ever seen on our -Stage. Had it been brought here by Henry Irving or Herbert -Beerbohm-Tree, it would have been hailed as a transcendent exploit in -stagecraft. Every scene was a picture, every picture was harmonious with -the phase of the story to be illustrated, and in the transitions from -the luxurious villa, with its prospect of the tranquil ocean faintly -rippling beneath the moon, to the desolate, rocky, weird, and ominous -mountain gorge a climax of solemn grandeur seemed to take shape, color, -and charm, slowly rising out of a dream of romantic beauty. The drift of -whirling mist over the darkening waves of sand on the bleak seacoast -would have seemed the most consummate of illusions had it not<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_5" id="page_5">{5}</a></span> been -excelled by the blinding terrors of a mountain tempest. Those effects -were wrought by simple means, but they were not less splendid because of -the simplicity of their management.</p> - -<p>The <i>dramatic</i> victory was not won, however, by either the pageantry or -the play. Mr. Potter’s variant version of “Under Two Flags” is hackneyed -in expedients, abrupt in movement, drastic in method, coarse in -character, shady in morals, florid in style, and it was made silly, in -some of the colloquies, by the infusion of contemporary slang and -reference. The listener heard of “rot” and also of “the -Klondike,”—unknown in the period of the story. But the old novel had -been made to yield telling situations, and the strong and splendid -acting of Miss Bates vitalized them, brilliantly animated the whole -structure, and vindicated Belasco’s faith in the ability of the actress. -The revelation of jealousy working in an unsophisticated, half-savage -nature, the elemental passion expressed in the fantastic dance, the -prayer of the breaking heart for her lover’s fidelity, the supplication -for his pardon, the agony when repulsed, the ecstasy when triumphant, -the tremendous conflict of emotions in the wild ride for rescue,—they -were all displayed with more of human nature and more of a competent -artist’s power to control feelings and to shape<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_6" id="page_6">{6}</a></span> the effect of situation -than had been seen on our Stage for many a long day.—This was the -original cast of “Under Two Flags” at the Garden Theatre:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Bertie Cecil</i></td><td class="rt">Francis Carlyle.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>John</i></td><td class="rt">Maclyn Arbuckle.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Rake</i></td><td class="rt">Edward S. Abeles.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Countess of Westminster</i></td><td class="rt">Rose Snyder.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Venetia Lyonnesse</i></td><td class="rt">Margaret Robinson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Marquis of Chateauroy</i></td><td class="rt">Campbell Gollan.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Lord Constantia</i></td><td class="rt">Arthur Bruce.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Pierre Baroni</i></td><td class="rt">Albert Bruning.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Renée Baroni</i></td><td class="rt">Grace Elliston.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>General Lamoricière</i></td><td class="rt">Matt. Snyder.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Paul Lamoricière</i></td><td class="rt">Madge West.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Captain de Chanrellon</i></td><td class="rt">Beresford Webb.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>En-ta-Maboull</i></td><td class="rt">Frank Leyden.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Beau Bruno</i></td><td class="rt">Tefft Johnson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Amineh</i></td><td class="rt">Mrs. F. M. Bates.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Cigarette</i></td><td class="rt">Blanche Bates.</td></tr> -</table> - -<h2><a name="BELASCO_AND_DAVID_WARFIELD_THEIR_FIRST_MEETING" id="BELASCO_AND_DAVID_WARFIELD_THEIR_FIRST_MEETING"></a>BELASCO AND DAVID WARFIELD:—THEIR FIRST MEETING.</h2> - -<p>“Under Two Flags” was acted at the Garden Theatre until June 3, 1901, -when that house was closed for the season and Belasco turned his -attention to preparations for the appearance of Mrs. Carter in a new -play and for the bringing forward of David Warfield as a star in the -legitimate</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_002" id="ill_002"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_003.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_003.jpg" width="571" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> -<p> -Photograph by Byron. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Author’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>A SCENE IN BELASCO’S “UNDER TWO FLAGS<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_7" id="page_7">{7}</a></span>”</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Theatre. That actor, then a popular variety hall performer and a member -of the burlesque and travesty company maintained by Messrs. Weber & -Fields at their theatre in New York,—in Broadway, between Twenty-ninth -and Thirtieth streets,—had negotiated with Belasco, about -August-September, 1900, relative to acting under his management and on -November 2, that year, they entered into a formal agreement whereby -Belasco undertook the direction of Warfield’s professional career. Their -contract was made to cover a first period of three years: it provided -that Warfield should be presented as a star, beginning about September -or October, 1901, and that he should be paid a weekly salary of $300 and -should receive, further, 20 per cent. of the net profits of his -professional exploitation during the first year, 25 per cent. during the -second year, 30 per cent. during the third year, and 50 per cent. -thereafter, if the contract should be renewed. This engagement also -expressly required Belasco “personally to supervise the performances to -be given” by Warfield as well as to provide a play for him to act in. -The professional alliance thus begun between Belasco and Warfield has -proved, for both parties to it, one of the most fortunate ever made in -the Theatre. The personal friend<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_8" id="page_8">{8}</a></span>ship between them began many years -earlier: Belasco has given the following glimpse of its beginning:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“There was an usher at the Bush Street Theatre—a bright little -fellow with a most luminous smile. He is still small, and his smile -is still luminous. I did not then know his name, but I had heard -that among his family and friends he was quite an entertainer, -being able to sing, to mimic and to recite. One day I was at home, -in my front room on the top floor, when I heard a voice in the -street below. I leaned out, and there on the corner, standing on a -box which scarcely raised him above the gaping onlookers, was the -little usher from the Bush Street Theatre, reciting to a curious -crowd. I went down and stood near until he had finished. Then I -went up to him and asked him his name. ‘Dave Warfield,’ said he, -giving me the smile that lived long afterwards in <i>Herr von -Barwig</i>, during all the rehearsals of ‘The Music Master,’ and that -was our first meeting.”</p></div> - -<p>David Warfield was born in San Francisco on November 28, 1866. He began -theatrical life as a programme boy, in the Standard Theatre of that -city. Later he became an usher in the Bush Street Theatre there. His -first professional appearance was made as a member of a travelling -theatrical company at Napa, California, in 1888, as the specious, -rascally Jew, <i>Melter Moss</i>, in “The Ticket-of-Leave Man.” That company -was disbanded at the end of one week, and thereafter<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_9" id="page_9">{9}</a></span> Warfield appeared -at several San Francisco variety halls, and in a piece called “About -Town,” and gave imitations of actors whom he had seen,—among them -Tommaso Salvini and Sarah Bernhardt,—and of “types” that he had -observed in the streets of his native city. In 1890 he removed to New -York and obtained professional employment, for a short time, in Paine’s -Concert Hall, in Eighth Avenue. His next engagement was to act <i>Hiram -Joskins</i>, in a play called “The Inspector,” produced by Mr. William A. -Brady: that employment lasted two months. In March, 1891, he performed -as <i>Honora</i>, in “O’Dowd’s Neighbors,” in a company led by Mark Murphy. -In the season of 1891-’92 he acted with Russell’s Comedians, under the -management of John H. Russell, appearing as <i>John Smith</i>, in “The City -Directory.” In 1892-’93 he was seen as <i>Washington Littlehales</i>, in “A -Nutmeg Match.” In September, 1895, he became associated with the New -York Casino Theatre, where he remained for three years, acting in “About -Town,” “The Merry Whirl,” “In Gay New York,” and “The Belle of New -York,”—pieces which are correctly described as medleys of tinkling -music and nonsense. In those “entertainments,” frivolous and often -vulgar, Warfield presented several variations of substan<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_10" id="page_10">{10}</a></span>tially the same -identity,—an expert semblance of the New York East Side Jew. In 1898 he -joined the company of Messrs. Weber & Fields, and at their theatre, -where he remained for three seasons, he appeared in various rough and -commonplace travesties of contemporary theatrical successes, generally -presenting, in different lights, his photographic copy of the -huckstering, acquisitive, pusillanimous Jew of low life. One notable -variation of that type was his assumption of <i>The Old Man</i>, in a -burlesque of the offensive play of “Catherine.” Among the salient -characteristics of his acting, in whatever parts he played, were -fidelity to minute detail of appearance and demeanor and consistent and -continuous preservation of the spirit of burlesque,—a spirit which -combines imperturbable gravity of aspect with apparently profound -sincerity in preposterous situations and while delivering extravagant, -ludicrous speeches. True burlesque acting is a fine art and admirable as -such, and Warfield was heartily approved in that field; but at the time -when Belasco undertook to make him a star in the regular Theatre nobody, -I believe, except the shrewd and prescient manager,—not even -Warfield,—foresaw that within a few years he would have become one of -the most popular serio-comic actors of the modern American Stage.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_11" id="page_11">{11}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="WARFIELD_AND_THE_AUCTIONEER" id="WARFIELD_AND_THE_AUCTIONEER"></a>WARFIELD AND “THE AUCTIONEER.”</h2> - -<p>The play in which Belasco elected to launch Warfield was entitled “The -Auctioneer.” He had, at first, intended to write this play himself, -calling it “The Only Levi.” But his time and energy were so preoccupied -by labor in connection with the establishment of Miss Bates and the -direction of Mrs. Carter’s career that he was unable to do so. He, -therefore, employed a playwright known as Lee Arthur (Arthur Lee Kahn) -to take his ideas and suggestions and weld them into dramatic form. The -fabric which Arthur, in fulfilment of this employment, delivered to him -was so wholly unfit for use (“an impossible thing, unworthy of -production,” Belasco designated it) that he subsequently engaged the -late Charles Klein to rewrite it in collaboration with Arthur, and, -finally, was compelled himself to rehash and partly rectify it during -rehearsals and early performances. It was first acted at the Hyperion -Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut, September 9, 1901. Warfield, testifying -on the subject in court, several years later, made a statement,—which, -surely, may be accepted as authoritative,—regarding this piece, as -originally produced, which is terse and informing: “When we began to -rehearse,” he said, “we had a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_12" id="page_12">{12}</a></span> book filled with words. The play was a -frost. <i>It was the biggest failure you ever heard of</i>, the opening -night.... Mr. Belasco worked day and night upon the reconstruction of -that play, from the time that he started with the rehearsals the week -before we left New York [preliminary rehearsals had been conducted by -Messrs. Klein and Arthur] until we came to New York and played, three -weeks later.” The first performance of “The Auctioneer” in the -metropolis occurred September 23, at the old Bijou Theatre, in Broadway, -between Thirtieth and Thirty-first streets. The piece, as then made -known, is a superficial, insubstantial one, which, however, contrives to -illustrate some vicissitudes of fortune, and, in the main part, -exemplifies the idea of a right philosophy in bearing them. That main -part is a Jewish auctioneer, named <i>Simon Levi</i>, resident in Baxter -Street, New York, and conducting an auction-room in the Five Points -region. <i>Levi</i>, having inherited a modest but competent fortune, -purchases a residence in a fashionable part of the city and invests the -balance of his money in a Trust Company. Then, at a festival in -celebration of the betrothal of his adopted daughter, a girl named -<i>Helga</i>, he is apprized that his stock certificates in the Trust Company -are bogus and that <i>Richard Eagan</i>, the affianced husband of</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_003" id="ill_003"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_004.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_004.jpg" width="388" height="556" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Pach. <span style="margin-left:15%;"> Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DAVID WARFIELD AS <i>SIMON LEVI</i>, IN “THE AUCTIONEER<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_13" id="page_13">{13}</a></span>”</p></div> -</div> - -<p><i>Helga</i>, for whom he has bought a partnership in a Wall Street brokerage -firm, is to be arrested, charged with fraud in issuing them. Forced, -with his dearly loved and cherished wife, to leave his new home in -ignominious circumstances, <i>Levi</i>, though feeble in body and hurt in -spirit, bravely begins anew the strife of living,—peddling toys in the -streets. He discovers, ultimately, that the actual swindler who has -ruined him is one <i>Groode</i>, the partner of his prospective son-in-law, -from whom he recovers his wealth, delivering the culprit up to justice -and relieving the distress of his own loved ones. This story, -notwithstanding Belasco’s strenuous labor, lost little of its trite -conventionality in its histrionic relation; but his capital stage -management and the highly meritorious performance given by Warfield -under his direction made of a flimsy, trivial play a notable and -substantial success.</p> - -<p>It was a shrewd device, when inducting Warfield into the regular -Theatre, to do so not abruptly, but, as it were, by gentle -actuation,—to provide for his first essay a character which was little -more than an elaboration of his Jewish “specialty,” in which his early -success had been gained, with an element of pathetic experience and -feeling superadded to it. “I had been watching Warfield for years,” said -Belasco, “and I felt sure that, if he<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_14" id="page_14">{14}</a></span> would only study, I could make a -great character [<i>sic</i>—meaning “eccentric”] actor of him; I told him -so, and when I thought he was ready I engaged him.” While I cannot -altogether agree with Belasco in his opinion, often and warmly declared, -that David Warfield is “a unique and great actor,”—not, that is, in the -same sense that, for example, Henry Placide, William Warren, Joseph -Jefferson and John Hare were great actors,—there is no question of his -rare and fine talent nor of his steady growth in artistic stature. He -has revealed in his acting an engaging personality, a genial -disposition, a gentle manner, quick sympathy with right ideals, and -capability of fervid emotion and simple pathos. Of all the many players, -male and female, whom Belasco has guided and helped to develop none, in -my judgment, owes more to his fostering care and assistance than -Warfield does: it is extremely probable that, without Belasco’s aid, he -would have remained to the end of his career a denizen of the -music-halls, instead of becoming, as he has become, one of the most -loved and admired actors of our Stage. As <i>Simon Levi</i> he presented a -genuine, consistent impersonation in the vein of eccentric low comedy, -at places touched with tender feeling and momentarily irradiated with -pathos. His assumption of the physical attributes<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_15" id="page_15">{15}</a></span> of this particular -Jew of low life,—the sallow complexion; the thin, wiry hair; the -splayfooted, shambling gait; the voluble gestures, the singular dialect; -the manner, now aggressive, now fawning,—was quite perfect; but his -significant achievement was his success in denoting a steadfast, -affectionate, patient nature beneath the mean outside of a petty -huckster subjected to cruel disappointment and hardship.—This was the -original cast of “The Auctioneer”:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Simon Levi</i></td><td class="rt">David Warfield.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mrs. Levi.</i></td><td class="rt">Maria Davis.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mrs. Eagan.</i></td><td class="rt">Marie Bates.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Callahan.</i></td><td class="rt">Odell Williams.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Jacob Sampson.</i></td><td class="rt">Harry Rodgers.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Richard Eagan.</i></td><td class="rt">Brandon Tynan.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mo Fininski.</i></td><td class="rt">Eugene Canfield.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Minnie.</i></td><td class="rt">Nellie Lynch.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Groode.</i></td><td class="rt">William Boag.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mrs. Sampson.</i></td><td class="rt">Helena Phillips.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Helga.</i></td><td class="rt">Maude Winter.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Dawkins.</i></td><td class="rt">Horace James.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Critch.</i></td><td class="rt">H. S. Millward.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Miss Manning.</i></td><td class="rt">Nina Lyn.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Miss Crompton.</i></td><td class="rt">Elizabeth Berkeley.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Miss Finch.</i></td><td class="rt">Corah Adams.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Zeke.</i></td><td class="rt">Cyril Vezina.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mandy.</i></td><td class="rt">Ruth Dennis.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Policeman.</i></td><td class="rt">Harry Rawlins.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Chestnut Vender.</i></td><td class="rt">Richard Bevan.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_16" id="page_16">{16}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="IN_THE_GRIP_OF_THE_OCTOPUS_ANCIENT_METHODS_IN_MODERN_BUSINESS" id="IN_THE_GRIP_OF_THE_OCTOPUS_ANCIENT_METHODS_IN_MODERN_BUSINESS"></a>IN THE GRIP OF THE OCTOPUS.—ANCIENT METHODS IN MODERN BUSINESS.</h2> - -<p>“The Auctioneer” played at the Bijou Theatre until December 21,—105 -consecutive performances being given there. On December 23 Warfield -began a “road tour” in that play which lasted for twenty weeks, ending -at the Illinois Theatre, Chicago, May 10, 1902. The net profit from this -tour was $80,000,—certainly an amazing sum to be gained by presentation -in the regular Theatre of an unknown star, fresh from the music halls, -who, all told, had appeared in perhaps a score of productions! But -Belasco’s actual profit from the fruits of his perspicacious judgment -and enterprise was far less than that great sum. The reason of this -seemingly strange fact is that in his professional exploitation of -Warfield he had fallen into the ruthless grip of an iniquitous -“booking-monopoly” which, practically, dominated for many years what are -known as “the first-class theatres” of America and which is still -perniciously active. Belasco’s conflict with that monopoly was long and -bitter; thousands of columns have been devoted to it in the newspaper -press of the country, and it has, at various times, occupied a prominent -place in public attention. That conflict grew directly out</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="fill_002" id="fill_002"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_005.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_005.jpg" width="398" height="600" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>DAVID BELASCO</p> - -<p>About 1885</p> - -<p style="text-align:left;text-indent:0%;"> -Photograph by Falk.<br /> -Belasco’s Collection.<br /> -</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_17" id="page_17">{17}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">of his undertaking the management of Warfield. Several actions at law -have been incident to it. Testifying under oath in one of them, in 1905, -Belasco gave an account of his experience in relation to “The -Auctioneer” which I believe to be true in all essentials and of which I -make the following abstract and brief chronicle:</p> - -<p>After Belasco had undertaken to bring forward Warfield as a star he -applied to Mr. Abraham Lincoln Erlanger, junior member of the firm of -Klaw & Erlanger, theatrical managers and booking agents (i.e., “agents” -who arbitrarily arranged tours by theatrical companies through American -cities), for the purpose of making advantageous arrangements for -Warfield to appear in New York and other cities. He applied to Mr. -Erlanger because he was aware that it was, at the time, practically -speaking, impossible for him to make such arrangements, except through -the firm of Klaw & Erlanger, and that the junior member attended to such -business for that firm. He called on Mr. Erlanger at his residence, No. -262 West Seventieth Street, New York, on Sunday, December 9, 1900, and -stated his wish. Mr. Erlanger, in response, stated that “We [K. & E.] -are not in this business for our health” and inquired “Where do we [K. & -E.] come in?” Belasco replied that Klaw & Erlanger would<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_18" id="page_18">{18}</a></span> receive their -customary commission, $300 to $400, for “booking” the play. To this Mr. -Erlanger rejoined “Hell, about that: we got to get something more.” -Belasco, after protesting that he was not, in any way, soliciting a -favor; that he assumed all risk and liability in the venture, and that -he felt it to be “a sort of blackmail” (and a very obvious sort, I -should say!) to exact from him a share in whatever gains might accrue to -him from presentation of Warfield, offered to surrender to Klaw & -Erlanger 20 per cent. of such gains, in return for “a route.” This -offer, swore Belasco, Mr. Erlanger rejected, demanding that, instead he -(his firm) should receive <i>50</i> per cent. of any profits from the -exploitation of Warfield. To Belasco’s inquiry as to why he should -receive this unearned remuneration Mr. Erlanger rejoined “None of your -damn’ business; I want half, and <i>if I don’t get half</i> out of Warfield -<i>you can’t have a route for him</i>. I will crush you out; sit upon you; -jump upon you, and push you out; <i>crush you out of this theatrical -business</i>!” He further admonished Belasco thus: “Understand me, Belasco; -hereafter, I want 50 per cent. of every damn’ thing you do!” Belasco, -after taking several days to consider this extortionate proposal, -decided that he could not avoid accepting it, if he was successfully to -present<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_19" id="page_19">{19}</a></span> Warfield. He went, in company with his business manager, -Benjamin F. Roeder, to Mr. Erlanger’s office and there communicated his -decision to him, saying: “Mr. Erlanger, I can’t see any escape for me. I -want it understood that you are <i>compelling</i> me to give up 50 per cent. -I don’t think it is right, but, if you insist, there is nothing else for -me to do.” The agreement was then made, the late Joseph Brooks, an -associate of Klaw & Erlanger, being put forward, according to Belasco’s -testimony, as a “dummy” in the written contract, in order that the -partnership of Klaw & Erlanger might be concealed from their partners in -the Theatrical Syndicate,—Messrs. Charles Frohman, Al. Hayman, Samuel -F. Nirdlinger (known as S. F. Nixon) and J. Fred. Zimmermann,—this -concealment being desired in order that Klaw & Erlanger, as booking -agents, might be able to exact more profitable terms from their -Syndicate partners than would be possible if that firm were generally -known to possess “an interest” in the presentation of Warfield in “The -Auctioneer.” Belasco, to substantiate his assertion that, actually, he -was in partnership with Klaw & Erlanger, not with Brooks, in the said -presentation, produced a number of paid cheques drawn to the order of -that firm, to a total amount of more than $30,000,—which, he swore, -repre<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_20" id="page_20">{20}</a></span>sented its 50 per cent. of profits from “The Auctioneer” during -the period while that play was “booked” by Klaw & Erlanger,—a period -which, from the record, seems to have ended on January 31, 1902, at -Duluth, Minnesota. Brooks, by way of explaining those cheques, testified -that he had directed Belasco’s business agent, Roeder, to make them -payable to the order of Klaw & Erlanger because he, Brooks, was -frequently absent from New York! Brooks <i>admitted</i> that he “made them -[Klaw & Erlanger] a present of” two-thirds of the half-interest in -presentation of “The Auctioneer” which he asserted was his.</p> - -<h2><a name="TESTIMONY_UNDER_OATH_BELASCO_VERSUS_ERLANGER" id="TESTIMONY_UNDER_OATH_BELASCO_VERSUS_ERLANGER"></a>TESTIMONY UNDER OATH:—BELASCO <i>VERSUS</i> ERLANGER.</h2> - -<p>If we accept Belasco’s sworn testimony as true, then it must appear that -in the matter of arranging a tour for Warfield in “The Auctioneer” he -was the victim of as brazen and shameful an instance of blackmail as has -ever been perpetrated. It must, however, in justice be specified that -Mr. Erlanger, also testifying under oath, <i>flatly denied every material -statement</i> made by Belasco bearing on this matter: the effect of Mr. -Erlanger’s sworn testimony, if it be accepted as true, must be to -exhibit Belasco as a villain and a liar. The eminent<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_21" id="page_21">{21}</a></span> lawyer Samuel -Untermyer, Esq., who appeared for Belasco in the legal actions from the -records of which this conflictive testimony is cited, seems to have been -strongly impressed by its mutually exclusive nature: in reading certain -affidavits in the cases he remarked that they were “so contradictory -that they reveal a most flagrant and rank perjury on one side or the -other.” But every man’s testimony should receive the degree of respect -and credence to which his known character and reputation entitle it. I -have known Belasco for more than thirty years and, though he is (as I -know and in this Memoir have shown) often inaccurate and heedless in -regard to chronologic sequence, I know him to be trustworthy as to -substance in the statement of material facts; in short, <i>his</i> known -character and reputation are good. Erlanger, on the contrary, is a -person whose public record, as known to me, is wholly consistent with -Belasco’s account of his conduct,—a cowardly, hectoring bully, of -violent temper and unsavory repute. Apart from this, since Erlanger has -testified relative to certain affidavits made by him “The things I -<i>swear</i> to I only <i>look at casually</i>” (!!!) I see no reason to believe -that the things he “swears to,” derogatory of others, are worthy of any -respect or credence. It would be pleasant to me to avoid any mention of -this<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_22" id="page_22">{22}</a></span> person, his character and proceedings; but it is impossible to do -so when writing an authentic account of the life of Belasco or of the -American Stage since about 1896. “He [Erlanger],” Belasco has declared, -“told me that if I refused his terms he would compel me to go into the -streets and blacken my face to earn a living. He said that I spoiled the -public instead of compelling them to take what the Trust chose to give, -and that a man with ideals in the theatrical business wound up with a -benefit within three years.” There is, therefore, I believe, ample -ground for the feeling toward and opinion about Erlanger which Belasco -expressed in his testimony: “I detest the man and his methods. I detest -him to-day. I think he is the most abhorred man in the country, because -he strikes hard bargains, and he makes people give up more than any -other man in the country.”—The suits at law referred to in the -foregoing passage (suits brought by Joseph Brooks against David Belasco -and David Belasco Company, and by David Belasco Company against Marc -Klaw, Abraham L. Erlanger and Joseph Brooks, the purposes of which were -to establish whether Belasco and Brooks or Belasco and Klaw & Erlanger -were partners in the presentation of David Warfield in “The Auctioneer” -and to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_23" id="page_23">{23}</a></span> secure an accounting under the partnership agreement) were tried -before the Hon. James J. Fitzgerald, J., sitting in equity, at Special -Session of Part V., Supreme Court, State of New York, April 6 to 26, -1905. The decision and judgment were against Belasco, and his case was -carried on appeal to the Appellate Division, First Department, of the -Supreme Court, April 20, 1906.</p> - -<h2><a name="LAW_VERSUS_JUSTICE" id="LAW_VERSUS_JUSTICE"></a>LAW <i>VERSUS</i> JUSTICE.</h2> - -<p>That adverse decision and judgment were based on a technicality,—on a -point of law, not on a point of fact. The learned Justice who rendered -decision and pronounced judgment did not find that Belasco had failed to -prove his contention that, actually, he was in partnership with Klaw & -Erlanger, not with Brooks, in presentation of “The Auctioneer.” He found -that “parol evidence” could not be held to alter the effect of a written -and sealed instrument of engagement. “The rule,” he declared, “allowing -parol <i>proof</i> of an undisclosed principal <i>is limited to simple -contracts</i>, for if the agreement be <i>a sealed</i> one, <i>only the parties -thereto subscribing</i> can be held bound.” The question of prime public -interest in this case (and it <i>is</i> of prime public interest, because -the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_24" id="page_24">{24}</a></span> veracity, reputation and standing of one of the most eminent and -influential men in our Theatre are affected by it) is not whether -Belasco could, in law, under a strict rule of evidence, <i>enforce</i> -against Klaw & Erlanger the contract actually signed by Brooks: the -question is whether or not that contract was, <i>in fact</i>, signed by -Brooks as “a man of straw” for Klaw & Erlanger, and by Belasco under -duress. I cannot conceive that any intelligent and judicious person -could read the testimony adduced and reach any other conclusion but that -Belasco had proved his allegations as to fact. And it seems clear to me -that the learned Justice must have felt satisfied that Belasco had -proved his case, <i>as to fact</i>,—otherwise he would not have been at such -pains to argue <i>in extenso</i> the <i>incompetency</i> of such <i>proof</i> under the -rule.</p> - -<h2><a name="A_FAITHFUL_FRIEND_WARFIELD_FOR_BELASCO_THE_END_OF_THE_AUCTIONEER" id="A_FAITHFUL_FRIEND_WARFIELD_FOR_BELASCO_THE_END_OF_THE_AUCTIONEER"></a>A FAITHFUL FRIEND:—WARFIELD FOR BELASCO. THE END OF “THE AUCTIONEER.”</h2> - -<p>Warfield’s second season in “The Auctioneer” began, September 8, 1902, -at the Hollis Street Theatre, Boston, and lasted for 39 weeks,—closing -at the Victoria Theatre, New York, May 30, 1903. 315 performances were -given and the net profits were $70,000. His third season began at the -Harlem Opera House, New York, September 28. It was in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_25" id="page_25">{25}</a></span> December, 1903, -that Brooks applied to Judge David Leventritt for a receiver for “The -Auctioneer.” Warfield, then acting in New Orleans, being apprised of -this application, declared that he would “not play under the management -of Klaw & Erlanger’s representative, a receiver, or any one but David -Belasco.” That declaration, being published in the newspaper press, was -construed by Judge Leventritt as an attempt on the part of Warfield to -coerce the court in the matter of appointing a receiver and,—remarking -that if it had not been for what he deemed to be an attempt at coercion -he would have been inclined to appoint Belasco as the receiver,—he -named W. M. K. Olcott. Warfield thereupon refused to continue acting, -his tour was summarily closed, January 10, 1904,—two weeks’ salary -being paid by Belasco to the members of the company, in lieu of -notice,—and Warfield returned to New York. Before leaving New Orleans -he published this statement:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“When I stated I would not play under the management of any one but -Mr. Belasco, I meant just what I said. It was not a threat—simply -expression of my honest conviction as to what was just and due to -the man who has made me a successful star. ‘The Auctioneer’ was Mr. -Belasco’s own investment, every penny of it. It was he who -conceived the idea of starring me in a play of this<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_26" id="page_26">{26}</a></span> character. -From this man Brooks I have received nothing, nor have I from Klaw -& Erlanger, who are Mr. Belasco’s partners in ‘The Auctioneer.’ The -manner in which they became partners will be shown and proved when -this case comes into court for trial. They refused to give Mr. -Belasco bookings until he had surrendered 50 per cent. of the -concern. I was an unmade star then, and Mr. Belasco was not in the -position of power which he holds to-day. We had to divide. But of -the profits which Klaw & Erlanger have made from the managers with -whom they have booked the attraction, neither Mr. Belasco nor I -have received one penny from our partners. As for Brooks, he has -never had even carfare, unless Klaw & Erlanger have been more -liberal to him than to us.</p> - -<p>“The trouble and annoyance which this whole affair has caused me -have made me ill. But, sick or well, I absolutely refuse to play in -‘The Auctioneer’ for any one but my own manager, Mr. David Belasco. -I defy Mr. Erlanger to deny that he and Mr. Klaw, and not Mr. -Brooks, are the real partners of Mr. Belasco in my tour. He told me -so with his own lips, when the New Amsterdam Theatre was building -last summer. He asked me to come and see how the foundations were -getting on. And when I funked, before crossing a rather rickety -looking plank, he said ‘I won’t let you get hurt, old man. -Remember, I own 50 per cent. of you.’ When Klaw & Erlanger hand -over our share of the profits they have made on the side, through -booking my play, I will go on with the tour, if my health permits.”</p></div> - -<p>After his arrival in New York, having read the remarks of the judge in -appointing a receiver, Warfield made this further statement:</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="fill_003" id="fill_003"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_006.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_006.jpg" width="401" height="440" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>DAVID WARFIELD</p> - -<p style="text-align:left;text-indent:0%;">Photograph by White.<br /> -Belasco’s Collection.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_27" id="page_27">{27}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I must disclaim any intention of having attempted to coerce the -court into appointing the receiver I desired. Realizing as I did -the enormous amount of labor and energy expended by Mr. Belasco in -making the tours of ‘The Auctioneer’ a success, and appreciating as -I did that without me in the cast it was a grave question whether -the success of ‘The Auctioneer’ could continue, I thought it but -proper for me to inform the court that conscientiously I could not -continue to act unless Mr. Belasco was appointed receiver. I am -very sorry that my statement had the effect it did have, but it is -pleasing for me to learn that the charges made by Mr. Brooks -against Mr. Belasco were unfounded and not believed by the court, -because the court in its opinion says that were it not from a -desire to rebuke <i>me</i> it might have felt inclined to have appointed -Mr. Belasco receiver. That is sufficient satisfaction to us who -know Mr. Belasco’s character, because it is certainly fair to -assume that the court would not have felt inclined to appoint Mr. -Belasco receiver if it believed the charges brought against him.</p> - -<p>“I am forced to continue the stand I originally took. I have closed -the season of ‘The Auctioneer,’ nor will I continue to act in that -play under the management of any person but Mr. Belasco.”</p></div> - -<p>Brooks applied for a mandatory injunction to compel Warfield to continue -acting in “The Auctioneer,” under the receivership direction of Mr. -Olcott, and arguments supporting and opposing that application were -heard before Justice Leventritt in the Supreme Court on January 26, -1904. Counsel for Warfield contended that while the court<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_28" id="page_28">{28}</a></span> might enjoin -Warfield from acting for any persons outside of his contract, it had no -jurisdiction to compel him to act if he declined to do so. Justice -Leventritt agreed with that view of the matter and held that a mandatory -injunction as prayed for could not issue. Warfield did not act again for -eight months.</p> - -<h2><a name="TEMPERAMENTAL_SYMPATHY_EARLY_READING_THE_LOW_SUN_MAKES_THE_COLOR" id="TEMPERAMENTAL_SYMPATHY_EARLY_READING_THE_LOW_SUN_MAKES_THE_COLOR"></a>TEMPERAMENTAL SYMPATHY.—EARLY READING: “THE LOW SUN MAKES THE COLOR.”</h2> - -<p>In his youth Belasco was an omnivorous reader (as he continues to be), -but his favorite reading was that of History, and among historical -characters that specially enthralled his imagination was Mary, Queen o’ -Scots. Indeed, he has, in conversation, given me the impression that, -from an early age, his mind has been deeply interested in the study of -those famous women of history whose conduct of life is shown to have -been governed by their appetites and passions. That taste seems morbid, -but it is readily explicable. Such women have been, are, and always will -be a direct spring of tense, dramatic, romantic situations and tragic -events, and sometimes their experience involves incidents and culminates -in catastrophes which make a strong appeal to persons who possess, as -Belasco does, a highly emotional<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_29" id="page_29">{29}</a></span> temperament. <i>Queen Guinevere</i>, in -Tennyson’s pathetic “Idyl,” remarks that “the low sun makes the color.” -Such women as Malcolm’s Queen Margaret of Scotland or Mme. Roland, -probably, would be viewed by Belasco with merely languid respect or -indifference. Such a woman as Navarre’s Marguerite de Valois, or Queen -Catherine the Second of Russia, or the irresistible siren Barbara -Villiers, or that all-conquering captivator Arabella Stuart,—whose -image lives, perpetual, in sculpture and, as Brittania, on the coins of -Great Britain,—would, on the contrary, provide for him an exceedingly -interesting study. It is not, therefore, altogether surprising that when -Belasco had established Mrs. Leslie Carter as a successful star it -pleased him to select for public illustration in a drama one of the most -depraved and dissolute feminine characters that hang on the fringes of -history,—the shameless hussy who, about 145 years ago, was picked out -of the streets of Paris, and under the auspices of the most notorious -titled blackguard of his time wedded to a complaisant degenerate, in -order that she might succeed Mme. Pompadour as the mistress of King -Louis the Fifteenth of France. Marie Jeanne Becu (1746-1793), who began -life in Paris as a milliner, became a courtesan, under the name of Mlle. -Lange, was<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_30" id="page_30">{30}</a></span> later a lure for a gambling house, then, ennobled as the -“Countess du Barry,” was installed as the mistress of the corrupt King -Louis the Fifteenth,—whom practically she ruled for five years,—and -finally was slaughtered in the Reign of Terror, is the theme of one of -the most pictorial, popular, and successful of Belasco’s plays. His -selection of a story of that remarkable female’s adventures for dramatic -exploitation was not, however, wholly spontaneous. In 1899, aware that a -successor to the torrid termagant of the Paris music-halls would -presently be required for Mrs. Carter’s use, he began to cast about for -a play with a central character suited to her personality and method. -Not finding anything which he deemed satisfactory in the numerous -dramas, old as well as new, by many authors, which he examined, he -began, regretfully, to contemplate the necessity of writing one to fit -his star,—regretfully, because he was weary and would have been glad to -avoid adding the labor of authorship to that of business and stage -management. His election had practically fallen on Queen Elizabeth as -the central figure to be shown, when he abruptly determined to visit -England, partly in faint hope of finding there a drama which would serve -his end; more with intent to refresh his mind by change and travel and -to stimulate himself to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_31" id="page_31">{31}</a></span> his new task by visiting all the places -associated with the life and reign of Elizabeth. He sailed from New York -on June 14, 1899. Soon after he arrived in London an American -playbroker, Miss Elisabeth Marbury, communicated to him that “she had a -great idea for a part for Mrs. Carter.” Belasco, entertaining a high -opinion of Miss Marbury’s judgment and rejoiced at the sudden prospect -of escaping the labor of authorship, immediately went to see her, at -Versailles, in France, and there was informed that the French poet M. -Jean Richepin “proposed to write a play founded on the life of du -Barry.” The appended account of what followed has been written by -Belasco, and it provides explicit information on a subject that at one -time was disputed with acrimony in the newspaper press and occupied much -of the attention of the theatre-going public:</p> - -<h2><a name="GENESIS_OF_BELASCOS_DU_BARRY_CHARACTER_OF_THE_HISTORIC_ORIGINAL" id="GENESIS_OF_BELASCOS_DU_BARRY_CHARACTER_OF_THE_HISTORIC_ORIGINAL"></a>GENESIS OF BELASCO’S <i>DU BARRY</i>.—CHARACTER OF THE HISTORIC ORIGINAL.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Miss Marbury outlined the plot as told to her by the dramatist, -and, as she repeated it to me, the story seemed to possess great -possibilities. I had produced Revolutionary plays with much success -and the period was dramatic. No manager in search of a woman’s play -could have resisted the fascinating little milliner of history! -Not<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_32" id="page_32">{32}</a></span> long after our first interview I made arrangements with M. -Richepin. I smile at the recollection of my conversation with the -French author! He spoke very little English and I no French at all; -yet I seemed to know what he said, and he grew most enthusiastic -over my pantomime. The contracts were arranged, the advance -royalties paid, the costume plates begun, and before I left for -London the scene models were ordered from the scenic artist of the -Comédie Française. Carried away by the enthusiasm of M. Richepin, I -bought yards and yards of old du Barry velvets, antique silks, and -furniture of the period. When I left for home I had made all -arrangements to produce a play not a line of which was written. I -returned to New York elated, feeling certain that in a few weeks M. -Richepin would have the piece ready for rehearsals. When the -manuscript of ‘Du Barry’ arrived, I could scarcely wait to open the -package. Alas! I was doomed to disappointment. ‘Du Barry,’ in the -literary flesh, was episodic. It was poetic and beautifully -written, but deadly dull. It differed entirely from the story I had -heard in Versailles. My company was practically engaged, my models -done—and no play! I wrote to M. Richepin, and gave him my opinion -of the manuscript. I did not utterly condemn his first draft, for I -hoped that with some suggestions, he might be able to reshape his -material; but the longer he worked the more impossible the -manuscript became, until at last I lost all faith in it. It -possessed a certain charm, but—it was not a play. By this time I -had paid M. Richepin something like $3,000 in advance royalties, -and the properties and scenes were almost all delivered. I was so -deeply involved that I saw no way out of it. As du Barry was free -to any dramatist, I decided it was time to have a hand in -dramatizing the lady myself. I knew<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_33" id="page_33">{33}</a></span> exactly what I wanted and what -was best suited to Mrs. Carter. Under the circumstances, it seemed -to me that I could save time and cablegrams by taking my own -suggestions instead of sending them to Paris. I arrived at this -decision only when I found that M. Richepin was a far greater poet -than playwright. So I threw out his play and set to work on my -own.”</p></div> - -<p>Speaking of the character of “the little French milliner,” Belasco has -said: “History paints du Barry as the most despised woman of her time. -She is said to have been the most evil creature antedating the French -Revolution. I had a vast number of books relating to du Barry, and -ransacked them all for one redeeming trait in her character: not one -kind word. Alas! Not <i>one</i>! For the first time in my life I found myself -in the hands of a really bad woman. I had never met one before (bad men -I <i>have</i> met, but women,—never!). I felt a desire to rush to her -defence.... But—I need not have troubled myself to defend the lady, -for, good or bad, from the first night until the close of the play three -years later the public liked the French milliner and the houses were -sold out.”</p> - -<p>A little more careful ransacking of his vast du Barry library might have -revealed some of the kind words about “the lady” which Belasco sought. -Voltaire, in 1773, signified his appreciation of du<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_34" id="page_34">{34}</a></span> Barry’s charms in -the following couplet, which certainly carries adulation to an extreme -limit:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“C’est aux mortels d’adorer votre image;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">L’original était fait pour les dieux.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>The following description of this handsome female explains, at least -partially, the influence that she exerted. It was written by the Comte -de Belleval, one of her many admirers:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Madame du Barry was one of the prettiest women at the Court, where -there were so many, and assuredly the most bewitching, on account -of the perfections of her whole person. Her hair, which she often -wore without powder, was fair and of a most beautiful color, and -she had such a profusion that she was at a loss to know what to do -with it. Her blue eyes, widely open, had a kind and frank -expression, and she fixed them upon those persons to whom she spoke -and seemed to follow in their faces the effect of her words. She -had a tiny nose, a very small mouth, and a skin of dazzling -whiteness. In short, she quickly fascinated every one.”</p></div> - -<h2><a name="A_FANCIFUL_FABRIC_DU_BARRY_FIRST_PRODUCED" id="A_FANCIFUL_FABRIC_DU_BARRY_FIRST_PRODUCED"></a>A FANCIFUL FABRIC.—“DU BARRY” FIRST PRODUCED.</h2> - -<p>The play which Belasco fabricated and produced under the name of “Du -Barry” is radically fanciful: its uses historic names, but it is not, in -any sense, history. As in many precedent cases so in this one,</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_004" id="ill_004"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_007.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_007.jpg" width="388" height="590" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Sarony. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>MRS. LESLIE CARTER AS <i>DU BARRY</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_35" id="page_35">{35}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">authentic records were ignored and an arbitrary, gilt-edged, rosy ideal -took the place of truth. <i>Nell Gwynn</i>, in the person of Miss Henrietta -Crosman, had worn the halo but a little time before (Bijou Theatre, New -York, October 9, 1900), and if <i>Nell Gwynn</i> could wear it, why not -<i>Marie Jeanne</i>? This burnishing process, to be sure, is diffusive of -vast and general misinformation, but for most persons that seems to be -quite as useful as accurate knowledge, and, after all, if the Stage is -to present imperial wantons in any fashion it may as well present them -in a decent one. The gay <i>du Barry</i> as seen by the dramatist,—or, at -least, as shown by him,—was abundantly frail, but she was also fond, -and while she did not scruple to pick up the royal pocket-handkerchief -she nevertheless, in her woman’s heart, remained true to her first love: -that is the story of the play. The adventurous actual du Barry became -the paramour of Cossé-Brissac, after King Louis the Fifteenth had died -and after she had been exiled from the French Court. In the play the -lady hides that lover in her bed (he has been wounded, and she persuades -him to seek this retirement by pounding on his wounds with a heavy -candlestick, until he becomes insensible), so that the jealous <i>King</i>, -committing the blunder of Byron’s <i>Don Alfonso</i>, in “Don Juan,” cannot -find him: she<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_36" id="page_36">{36}</a></span> also wields the convenient candlestick with which to -smash the sconce of an interloping relative who otherwise would betray -him; she defies, for his sake, the gracious Majesty of France and every -appurtenance thereunto belonging; and, at the last, she goes -pathetically to the guillotine, still loving him and still deploring her -innocent, youthful past, when they were happy lovers together, when all -was peace, joy, and hope,—because as the old poet Rogers prettily -phrases it, “Life was new and the heart promised what the fancy drew.” -As a matter of fact, the amiable countrymen of du Barry sent her to the -guillotine, in the winter of 1793, because they had ascertained that she -was too rich to be a patriot and also, probably, had entered on a secret -correspondence with their enemies in England.</p> - -<p>As an epigraph to his play the dramatist selected a remark by Oliver -Wendell Holmes, that “not the great historical events but the personal -incidents that call up sharp pictures of some human being in its pang or -struggle reach us more nearly.” That statement sounds well, but it -labors under the disadvantage of not being true. The play, however, -exemplifies it to the extent of showing its heroine chiefly in her -“pang”—a condition which, seemingly, ensues upon her being a -feather-brained fool, but which she loquaciously ascribes to Fate and a -ruth<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_37" id="page_37">{37}</a></span>less appetite for “pretty things.” There is some lightness at the -start, when <i>Jeanne</i> is a milliner, but the opening act proves to be -practically needless, since the play does not actually begin till after -the second curtain has been raised. Then the volatile girl is tempted by -the offer of the <i>King’s</i> love, and in order that she may accept it her -honest lover is made to misunderstand her, in an incredible manner, such -as is possible only on the stage. In the Third Act she has become a -great personage, almost a queen, and that act, which is interesting, -various, and dramatic, terminates with a highly effective scene, -possible in a play, but impossible in life,—when <i>du Barry’s</i> wounded -lover, falling insensible on that lady’s bed and being carelessly -covered with drapery, remains there, sufficiently visible to a crowd of -eager and suspicious pursuers who are searching for him—but do not find -him. The rest of the piece shows the <i>King’s</i> efforts to capture the -fugitive and <i>du Barry’s</i> schemes and pleadings to save him, and it -terminates with a pathetic farewell between the lovers as <i>Jeanne</i>, -deserted and forlorn, is being conveyed to the guillotine.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Carter, adept in coquetry, displayed, as <i>du Barry</i>, her abundant -physical fascination, but if she had refrained from removing her shoes -and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_38" id="page_38">{38}</a></span> showing her feet at brief intervals during the performance she -would have been considerably more pleasing in that easy vein of -bewitchment:—they were not even pretty feet. In serious business the -method of Mrs. Carter as <i>du Barry</i> was to work herself into a state of -violent excitement, to weep, vociferate, shriek, rant, become hoarse -with passion, and finally to flop and beat the floor. That method has -many votaries and by them is thought to be “acting” and is much admired, -but to judicious observers it is merely the facile expedient of -transparent artifice and the ready resource of a febrile, unstable -nature. An actor who loses self-control can never really control an -audience. There were, nevertheless, executive force and skill in Mrs. -Carter’s performance, after it had been often repeated under the guiding -government of her sagacious and able manager.</p> - -<p>Belasco’s “Du Barry” was first produced at the New National Theatre, -Washington, D. C., December 12, 1901. The first performance of it in New -York occurred December 25, that year, at the Criterion Theatre, where it -was continuously acted till the close of the season, May 31, 1902, -receiving 165 consecutive performances. The play is comprehended in five -acts and eight scenes and it implicates fifty-five persons,—of whom -five are<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_39" id="page_39">{39}</a></span> conspicuous characters by whom the burden of the action is -sustained,—and a host of supernumeraries. It was set on the stage in a -scenic investiture of extreme costliness and ostentation, being, indeed, -almost overwhelmed in the profusion of its accessories of spectacle. -Referring to this extreme opulence of environment and attire, Belasco -has said: “I offered Charles Frohman a half-interest in my ‘Du Barry,’ -but he declined to come in with me because of the immense expense. His -judgment was logical, too. ‘Du Barry’ might easily have ruined any -manager. The expenses of the production were such that there was little -profit to be made. When the curtain rose it afforded the public an -opportunity to see how a manager’s hands were forced by the very -prodigality of the subject he had chosen. My production was lavish -because the play was laid in a lavish time. The mere ‘suggestion’ of -luxury would not do,—or so I thought. Were I to do it again, it would -be from an entirely different standpoint.” I much doubt whether, if the -venture were to be made anew, Belasco would make it in a different way. -At any rate, the purpose he had in mind was fully accomplished: the -immense prodigality of his presentment profoundly impressed and greatly -delighted his audiences, and the Criterion was densely crowded at every -performance. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_40" id="page_40">{40}</a></span> two most striking scenes were those of Act Three, -which showed a room in the Palace of Versailles, and the Last Scene of -Act Five, in front of a milliner’s shop. The latter portrayed a street -in Paris, shadowed by strange, “high-shouldered” houses, through which -the wretched <i>du Barry</i>, abject and terrified, was dragged to -execution,—huddled in a tumbril, attended only by a priest, the <i>Papal -Nuncio</i>, and followed by a fierce, hooting rabble, while other men and -women appeared at various house-windows, to jeer and curse her. It was -an afflictingly pathetic scene, conceived and executed with perfect -sense of dramatic effect and perfect mastery of the means of creating -it.</p> - -<p>This was the original cast of “Du Barry”:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>King Louis the Fifteenth</i> of France</td><td class="rt">Charles A. Stevenson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Comte Jean du Barry</i></td><td class="rt">Campbell Gollan.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Comte Guillaume du Barry</i></td><td class="rt">Beresford Webb.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Duc de Brissac</i></td><td class="rt">Henry Weaver, Sr.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Cossé-Brissac</i></td><td class="rt">Hamilton Revelle.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>The Papal Nuncio</i></td><td class="rt">H. R. Roberts.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Duc de Richelieu</i></td><td class="rt">Frederick Perry.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Terray, Minister of Finance</i></td><td class="rt">C. P. Flockton.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Maupeou, Lord Chancellor</i></td><td class="rt">H. G. Carlton.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Duc d’Aiguillon</i></td><td class="rt">Leonard Cooper.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Denys</i></td><td class="rt">Claude Gillingwater.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Lebel</i></td><td class="rt">Herbert Millward.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>M. Labille</i></td><td class="rt">Gilmore Scott.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Vaubernier</i></td><td class="rt">Walter Belasco.</td></tr> -</table> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_005" id="ill_005"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_008.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_008.jpg" width="389" height="551" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Byron. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>CHARLES A. STEVENSON AS <i>KING LOUIS THE FIFTEENTH</i>, IN BELASCO’S “DU -BARRY”</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_41" id="page_41">{41}</a></span></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Scario</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">J. D. Jones.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Zamore</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Master Sams.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Jeweller</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">B. L. Clinton.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Perfumer</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Edward Redford.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Glover</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Thomas Thorne.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Flute Player</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">A. Joly.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>A Turk</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Albert Sanford.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Valroy</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Douglas Wood.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>D’Altaire</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Louis Myll.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>De Courcel</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Harold Howard.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>La Garde</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">W. T. Bune.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Fontenelle</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Warren Bevin.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Renard</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Arthur Pearson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Citizen Grieve</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Gaston Mervale.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Marac</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Walter Belasco.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Benisot</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">H. G. Carlton.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Tavernier</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">John Ingram.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Gomard</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Charles Hayne.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Hortense</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Eleanor Carey.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Lolotte</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Nina Lyn.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Manon</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Florence St. Leonard.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Julie</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Corah Adams.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Leonie</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Blanche Sherwood.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Nichette</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Ann Archer.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Juliette</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">May Lyn.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Marquise de Quesnoy</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Blanche Rice.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Sophie Arnauld</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Helen Robertson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>The Gypsy Hag</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">C. P. Flockton.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mlle. Le Grand</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Ruth Dennis.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mlle. Guinard</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Eleanor Stuart.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mme. le Dauphine</i></td><td class="c">{ <i>Marie Antoinette at sixteen</i> }</td><td class="rt">Helen Hale.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Marquise de Crenay</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Dora Goldthwaite.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Duchesse d’Aiguillon</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Miss Lyn.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Princesse Alixe</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Miss Leonard.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Duchesse de Choisy</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Louise Morewin.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Marquise de Langers</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">May Montford.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Comtesse de Marsen</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Edith Van Benthuysen.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Sophia</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Irma Perry.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Rosalie</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Helen Robertson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Cerisette</i></td><td></td><td class="rt">Julie Lindsey.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Jeannette Vaubernier</i>,</td><td class="c">{afterward “<i>La du Barry</i>”}</td><td class="rt">Mrs. Leslie Carter.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_42" id="page_42">{42}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="RICHEPIN_AND_THE_DU_BARRY_LAWSUIT" id="RICHEPIN_AND_THE_DU_BARRY_LAWSUIT"></a>RICHEPIN AND THE “DU BARRY” LAWSUIT.</h2> - -<p>After Belasco had rejected Richepin’s play about du Barry, returned the -manuscript of it to him, and announced that he would produce a play -about that celebrated favorite of royalty, written by himself, there was -much pother in theatrical circles and much newspaper parade of warnings -and threats, by Richepin and various of his agents, of the dire -consequences which would fall upon him for so doing. The once widely -known firm of lawyers, Howe & Hummel, were the American representatives -of the French Authors’ Society, which supported Richepin, and Mr. A. -Hummel,—who, 1905, was convicted of subornation of perjury, imprisoned -for one year on Blackwells Island, and debarred,—who was the active -member of that firm, on January 25, 1902, brought suit against Belasco,</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="fill_004" id="fill_004"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_009.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_009.jpg" width="403" height="544" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>MRS. LESLIE CARTER AS <i>DU BARRY</i></p> - -<p style="text-align:left;text-indent:0%;">Photograph by Sarony.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_43" id="page_43">{43}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">on behalf of the French author, alleging, substantially, that Belasco’s -“Du Barry” was, in fact, Richepin’s drama of similar name (“La du -Barry”) and demanding an accounting for the receipts from -representations of it. Belasco’s reply to the complaint in that suit was -served on March 4, 1902, and it was explicit and conclusive. In that -answer he specifies that on July 22, 1899, he entered into a contract -with M. Richepin, which that author obtained “by false and fraudulent -representations,” wherein he agreed to write for Belasco a “new and -original” play about du Barry, which was to be “entirely satisfactory to -this defendant [Belasco],”—failing which he was at liberty to reject -the work and return it to Richepin. Belasco, “relying upon the said -representations, statements, and promises, and not otherwise, and -believing the same to be true, paid to the plaintiff, on the signing and -execution of the agreement, the sum of $1,000”; and, on or about July 1, -1901, upon receiving from Richepin (in London, during the run of “Zaza”) -the manuscript, in French, of “La du Barry,” he paid $1,500 more. Of his -own play, “Du Barry,” Belasco swore that it is “wholly composed and -originated by this defendant, without any aid or assistance whatever -from the play alleged to have been written by” Richepin. The latter’s -play, Belasco pointed out, was “not new<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_44" id="page_44">{44}</a></span> and original,” as required by -the contract between them, but was “taken, plagiarized, pirated, and -copied, by the plaintiff, from public sources and publications, common -and open to the public, and that the said play was wholly unsatisfactory -to him [Belasco], of which fact he notified the plaintiff, and that the -said manuscript was thereafter returned to, and accepted by, the -plaintiff.” A motion on behalf of Richepin to strike out these damaging -clauses from Belasco’s answer was made and argued before Justice -Freeman, in the Supreme Court, March 13,—Mr. Hummel maintaining that -the allegations of fraud and plagiarism by Richepin were “irrelevant and -redundant.” The motion was peremptorily denied,—after which the legal -ardor of the French poet and his agents cooled and his suit languished: -Richepin never proceeded in the case (which appears to have been an -effort to extort money from Belasco), and it was formally discontinued -in January, 1908.</p> - -<p>Richepin’s play (called “Du Barri”) was produced by Mrs. Cora Urquhart -Potter, March 18, 1905, at the Savoy Theatre, London, and it was a -complete failure. “I had planned to take Mrs. Carter to London, in ‘Du -Barry,’<span class="lftspc">”</span> Belasco has told me, “but Mrs. Potter’s failure was so decisive -that I gave up all thought of attempting to do so.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_45" id="page_45">{45}</a></span>” Writing about the -“Du Barry” lawsuit, Belasco says: “Our quarrel was long and heated, but -eventually all was ‘forgotten and forgiven,’ and I could once more read -Richepin’s mellow poetry without tearing my hair, and Richepin said -publicly, ‘The rest is silence,’ or something as nearly like it as the -Frenchman <i>can</i> say,”—which, truly, was most generous on the part of -“the Frenchman,” in view of the fact that, altogether, Belasco had paid -him $8,500 in a venture toward making which he had, at most, contributed -merely the suggestion of a subject.</p> - -<h2><a name="A_GRACIOUS_TRIBUTE_REMEMBER_THAT_WE_LOVED_YOU" id="A_GRACIOUS_TRIBUTE_REMEMBER_THAT_WE_LOVED_YOU"></a>A GRACIOUS TRIBUTE:—“REMEMBER THAT WE LOVED YOU.”</h2> - -<p>On the first day of the new year, 1902, Belasco was the recipient of a -gracious tribute which, as he feelingly said to me, is one of his most -cherished memories. The performance ended about half-past eleven on the -night of December 31, 1901, and a little before midnight all the members -of the company concerned in representation of his drama assembled on the -stage about Belasco, Mrs. Carter, and Charles A. Stevenson, ostensibly -to greet the new year. Just at midnight beautiful silver chimes slowly -rang out the hour, and as Belasco turned to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_46" id="page_46">{46}</a></span> wish the assembled company -a happy New Year Mr. Stevenson stepped forward before he could speak -and, uncovering a massive and beautiful loving-cup of silver set upon an -ebony pedestal, presented it to Belasco “as a token of the great esteem -and true affection with which, during the long and arduous preparation -of ‘Du Barry,’ every member of your organization has learned to regard -you.” Belasco, always warm-hearted and peculiarly susceptible to even -casual acts of courtesy and kindness, was so much affected by the -cordial feeling displayed by all about him in the conveyance of this -rich gift that for several moments he was unable to make any -acknowledgment. Then, speaking with difficulty and almost in a whisper, -he said: “I—I thank you, all—all—from my heart. It is very lovely. -You have worked so hard, with me and for me—all of you—so nobly and so -unselfishly that I feel it is <i>I</i> who should give a loving-cup to -you—to every member of the company. In all my experience I have not -received a more generous, touching tribute—anything which I have -appreciated more. I am poor in words—I can only say to all of you thank -you, thank you, thank you—a thousand thousand times.”</p> - -<p>As Belasco ceased speaking the orchestra began to play the air of -“Maryland, My Maryland,” passing</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_006" id="ill_006"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_010.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_010.jpg" height="556" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> -<p> -Photograph by the Misses Selby. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s collection</span>.</p> -<p>BELASCO, ABOUT 1902</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_47" id="page_47">{47}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">from that into other melodies associated with his successful plays and -closing with a plaintive tune written specially for use in “Du Barry.”</p> - -<p>On the “Du Barry” loving-cup there are three inscriptions. The first is</p> - -<p class="ceng"> -Washington, D. C.<br /> -December 12, 1901<br /> -Mrs Leslie Carter in David Belasco’s Play “Du Barry”<br /> -</p> - -<p>The second is</p> - -<p class="ceng"> -Presented to<br /> -Mr. David Belasco by the Members of His Company<br /> -New Year’s, 1902<br /> -</p> - -<p>The third is a line from the play of “Du Barry”:</p> - -<p class="ceng"> -“Remember that we loved you; we loved you<br /> -through it all”<br /> -</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_THEATRIC_RICHMOND_LOOKS_PROUDLY_OER_THE_CROWN" id="THE_THEATRIC_RICHMOND_LOOKS_PROUDLY_OER_THE_CROWN"></a>THE THEATRIC <i>RICHMOND</i> “LOOKS PROUDLY O’ER THE CROWN.”</h2> - -<p>The upward progress which Belasco made in the Theatre within a period of -six years is amazing. When the curtain was raised for the first -performance of his “The Heart of Maryland,” at the Herald Square, in -October, 1895, he possessed almost nothing except his reputation as one -of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_48" id="page_48">{48}</a></span> most skilful of stage managers and a copious crop of debts. When -the curtain fell on the last performance in 1901 of “Du Barry,” at the -Criterion, he was, as dramatist, director, and theatrical manager, -known, esteemed, and recognized throughout the English-speaking world: -his debts were all discharged: he possessed a competent fortune, hosts -of admirers, troops of friends: within less than three years he had made -three memorably successful presentments in the British capital (where -American ventures are supposed always to fail!): three of the most -accomplished and popular actors of the American Stage, Mrs. Carter, -Blanche Bates, and David Warfield, were under his direction and closely -bound to him. The whirligig of Time had indeed brought striking changes. -Lester Wallack, Edwin Booth, Lawrence Barrett, John McCullough—they -were but names in theatrical management. Augustin Daly, the great -representative manager of the Theatre in America, was dead. Albert M. -Palmer, once Daly’s rival, was obscurely employed as a “business agent” -for Richard Mansfield, while Mansfield’s own ambitious but ill-fated -essay in theatre management (at the Garrick, New York, in 1895) was -completely forgotten; Mansfield was definitely committed to the policy -of a “travelling star,” and the Theatre in New York was Charles<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_49" id="page_49">{49}</a></span> -Frohman’s much vaunted Department Store. Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Grey -Fiske, at the Manhattan, were indeed maintaining an admirable dramatic -company and making an earnest endeavor in authentic theatrical -management. But, in general, the mean spirit of the petty huckster and -the sordid, selfish policy of trade monopoly dominated the American -Stage; the chair of artistic managerial sovereignty was empty, “the -sword unswayed, the empire unpossessed,” and Belasco, ambitiously -emulative of great exemplars in his vocation, like a theatric -<i>Richmond</i>, looked “proudly o’er the crown.” He was, unquestionably, the -natural successor to Wallack, Booth, and Daly; but in order to seize -their pre-eminence, to win and wear their laurel crown of leadership, he -required to have what they had each possessed,—namely, a theatre of his -own in the capital. There seemed no chance of his obtaining one: yet, -without such a citadel, notwithstanding all his labor and achievement, -he might easily be crushed: the oppressive hand of the Theatrical -Syndicate (in his estimation veritably a “wretched, bloody, and usurping -boar”) had already been laid heavily on Belasco: a half-interest in his -presentment of Warfield in “The Auctioneer” had been extorted from him -and an equal share in his exploitations of Mrs. Carter and Miss Bates -had<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_50" id="page_50">{50}</a></span> been demanded, though not yielded up. What if he should be denied -“routes” for those players? He had brought out Mrs. Carter in “Du Barry” -at the Criterion not because he wished to do so,—that house, which -accommodated only 932 persons, being far too small for an advantageous -season,—but because it was the only theatre in New York which he could -secure. Charles Frohman was its manager and Charles Frohman was a member -of the Syndicate: the Criterion might be closed to him at the end of his -current contract. If shut off from the “first class theatres” of the -leading cities “on the road” and shut out of New York he would -practically be ruined. These and similar considerations gave grounds for -grave uneasiness to Belasco. On the afternoon of January 7, 1902, he was -alone in his office, a little room in Carnegie Hall, as he had been -every afternoon for more than a week, seeking to devise some means of -obtaining control of a New York theatre for a term of years. Toward -evening he was disturbed by a knocking at the office door. His visitor, -when admitted, proved to be the theatrical manager Oscar Hammerstein, -between whom and himself there existed merely a casual acquaintance. -“Mr. Belasco,” said Hammerstein, without any preliminaries, “the -Theatrical Syndicate is trying to crush me out of business. Valuable -attrac<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_51" id="page_51">{51}</a></span>tions have been prevented from patronizing my houses this season. -I must have attractions. You must have a New York theatre, or you will -find yourself helpless. I have one in Forty-second Street, the Republic, -which I am willing to turn over to you. I have come up here on an -impulse, on the chance that you may be willing to take over control of -the Republic.” Belasco instantly replied: “Mr. Hammerstein, I shall be -very glad to take over your theatre.” In less than a week all details of -agreement had been arranged between the two managers, and on January 14, -in the office of Judge A. J. Dittenhoefer, they signed a contract -whereby Belasco undertook the management of the Republic Theatre. That -contract was for a period of five years, with an option of renewal by -Belasco for another five years, and under it he assumed full government -of the theatre,—engaging himself to pay to Hammerstein a rental of -$30,000 a year and 10 per cent. of the gross receipts from all -performances given there. It was also stipulated that neither Mrs. -Carter, Blanche Bates, David Warfield, nor any other “star or -attraction” under Belasco’s management should play at any other New York -theatre, “except for one week each at the Harlem Opera House and the -Grand Opera House.” “That lease,” Belasco has declared to me, “was a -great<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_52" id="page_52">{52}</a></span> thing for Hammerstein,—but it was a greater thing for me, and I -did not forget that afterward, when I was paying him from $60,000 to -$72,000 a year for his theatre. When some of my friends used to say to -me, ‘Don’t you realize that you are paying Hammerstein an <i>unheard-of</i> -rent for his house?’ I used to answer, ‘And don’t <i>you</i> realize how very -lucky I am <i>to be in a position</i> to pay him an unheard-of rent?’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<h2><a name="A_DANGEROUS_ACCIDENT_ALTERING_THE_REPUBLIC" id="A_DANGEROUS_ACCIDENT_ALTERING_THE_REPUBLIC"></a>A DANGEROUS ACCIDENT.—ALTERING THE REPUBLIC.</h2> - -<p>A few weeks subsequent to signing the lease of the Republic Theatre with -Hammerstein Belasco met with an accident which came near to putting an -end to all his projects by causing his death. On the night of March 16 -he witnessed a performance of his “Du Barry,” at the Criterion. While -the setting was being placed for the last scene—a cumbrous, intricate -setting, in which he took special interest—he left his box in the -auditorium and went upon the stage to direct the work. As he did so a -large and heavy cornice which was being swung into position high in air -broke and fell, striking him full upon the head. Another piece of -scenery, thrown out of balance by the falling cornice, collapsed, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_53" id="page_53">{53}</a></span> -in a moment Belasco was buried beneath a mass of tangled wreckage. He -was with difficulty extricated, unconscious and profusely bleeding. A -physician was called, who, after a quarter of an hour, having stanched -the bleeding, succeeded in restoring the injured manager to -consciousness. It was at first feared that he had sustained a fracture -of the skull, but happily he was found to be suffering only from shock -and loss of blood due to a severe scalp wound. He was removed to his -home and within a few days he had regained his usual health.</p> - -<p>After carefully examining the interior of the Republic Theatre Belasco -became convinced that it required to be altered for his use. “The stage -was wrong, the house was wrong, and the colors set my teeth on edge,” he -has told me. Hammerstein was willing that he should make any changes he -desired. Belasco, accordingly, took possession of the theatre at about -the end of March and, on April 19, 1902, the work of altering it so as -to make it conform to his wishes was begun. He started that work -intending to spend from $15,000 to $20,000 on improvements. When it was -finished he had expended more than $150,000. The whole interior of the -building was torn out, leaving nothing but four walls and part of the -roof. Toward the front<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_54" id="page_54">{54}</a></span> of the property a space was blasted out of solid -rock wherein, beneath the auditorium, were built a retiring-room for -women and a smoking-room for men. A sub-stage chamber, more than -twenty-five feet deep, was also blasted out of the rock,—incidental to -which excavation a perpetual spring of water was tapped. Talking with me -about his experience in remodelling the Republic Theatre, Belasco, in -his characteristically cheery and philosophical way, said: “I remember -your telling me about the trouble Edwin Booth got into, blasting out a -ledge of rock when he was building his theatre [Booth’s Theatre, -Twenty-third Street and Sixth Avenue, 1868-’69], but I don’t believe he -had half as bad a time as we did when that spring broke loose! I was so -crazy about having my own theatre I wanted to have a hand in everything -and I used to go down and fire some of the blasts, in spite of the -protests of my family and staff, who expected I’d blow myself to Kingdom -Come. And it was <i>I</i> who fired the charge that started that spring! My -boys in the theatre used to call me ‘Moses’ after that, for that I did -smite the rock and there came water out of it. We <i>damned</i> it, heartily, -I can tell you, but it was a long time before we could get it <i>dammed</i>, -and it cost me a small fortune to have the stage cavity cemented in.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_007" id="ill_007"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_011.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_011.jpg" width="391" height="506" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Byron. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>BELASCO’S “STUDIO” IN THE FIRST BELASCO THEATRE</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_55" id="page_55">{55}</a></span></p> - -<p>One day, during the work of alteration, a stranger presented himself to -Belasco, demanding that he be permitted to inspect the property and -explaining that he held a mortgage on it. “I had nothing to do with the -mortgage,” Belasco told me; “that was Mr. Hammerstein’s business; but I -let him come in. He surveyed the scene of devastation with horror, -standing on a scaffold, high up, and gazing into the black pit. ‘God -above me!’ he exclaimed, after a little while, ‘I’ve got a mortgage on -four walls and a hole in the ground!’—and he fled. I never saw him -again.”</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_FIRST_BELASCO_THEATRE" id="THE_FIRST_BELASCO_THEATRE"></a>THE FIRST BELASCO THEATRE.</h2> - -<p>The work of demolishing and rebuilding the Republic for Belasco was -performed in five months. When it was completed he possessed one of the -handsomest and best equipped playhouses in the world. “The theatre,” -Belasco has often said, “is, first of all, a place for the <i>acting of -plays</i>.” That simple statement might be deemed a platitude, were it not -for the striking fact that its maker is the <i>only</i> theatrical manager of -the present day who practically recognizes its truth: to the majority of -other managers the theatre, it seems, is, primarily, a place for almost -anything rather than <i>acting</i>,—is, in fact,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_56" id="page_56">{56}</a></span> first of all, a place for -the exploitation of their tedious conceit and the making of money by any -means. The stage of the Belasco Theatre was designed and built with the -purpose of obviating the disadvantages of restricted space and of -affording every possible mechanical aid to the acting of plays. The -entire “acting surface” of that stage—the entire surface, that is, -which could be revealed to the view of the spectators,—was a mosaic of -close-fitting trapdoors, so that on occasion it might be opened at any -place desired. In the centre of the stage was “an elevator,”—that is, -in fact, a movable platform,—fifteen feet wide and thirty feet long. -Upon this platform, when it had been lowered into the cellar cavity, -were placed the paraphernalia required in the setting of the -scenes,—articles technically designated as “properties” (furniture, -etc.), and “set pieces” (solid, heavy parts of scenic rooms, houses, -etc.)—which were then raised to the stage level for use: when done -with, these paraphernalia were sunk again into the cellarage, where the -platform bearing them was shifted aside and another similar one, loaded -with material for the next setting, replaced it and was in turn raised -to the stage.</p> - -<p>The drops (painted cloths), ceilings, etc., were all arranged for -hoisting into the flies, as in most<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_57" id="page_57">{57}</a></span> modern theatres; but Belasco had -the ropes by which these articles were raised from his stage so attached -to counterweights and cranks that one man could, with ease, raise pieces -which, in former times, it had required from three to six men to hoist.</p> - -<p>The footlights were so arranged that the light from them was diffused -upon the stage and players without the spectators, even those in the -upper stage boxes, being able to perceive whence it came. The electric -lamps in the footlights, borders, etc., were placed in small, individual -compartments, so that no unintentional blending of lights could occur: -but every necessary different color of lamp was provided and all the -lamps in the house, whether upon the stage or in the auditorium, were -connected “on resistance,”—that is, so connected with the electric -current feed wires that the lights could be (as invariably they were) -turned up or down, as required, gently, by degrees. In short, every -arrangement that knowledge, experience, and prevision could suggest as -necessary and that liberality, ingenuity, and care could devise was -provided. “I have an even better electrical equipment in my present -theatre than I had in my first house,” Belasco has said to me, “and I am -proud of it. But in my first house I had the very best there<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_58" id="page_58">{58}</a></span> was in the -world at the time. I had a plant that would have lit a palace: in fact, -I very much doubt whether there was a palace anywhere in all the world -as well equipped in the matter of lighting.”</p> - -<p>Belasco’s first theatre contained seating accommodation for 950 -persons,—300 in the gallery, 200 in the balcony, and 450 on the -orchestra, or main, floor. No effort or expense was spared to make the -house in every way comfortable and delightful to all who visited it. -Outside, in front, a massive iron marquee-awning shadowed the main -entrance, overhanging the street-walk out to the curb. The doors of the -theatre were of heavy wrought iron and opened into a lobby which was, in -fact, a sort of reception hall. The walls and ceilings of this lobby -were sheathed in oak panelling of antique finish, and large, luxurious -seats of heavy oak, upholstered in leather, were placed at each end of -it. Across the rear of the auditorium, on the orchestra floor, close to -the hindermost row of seats, extended a massive screen built of -rosewood, with heavy crystal lights, to protect the audience within from -drafts of air and to exclude street sounds. The colors of the -decorations were reds, greens, and deep golden browns,—all used in -warm, subdued shades. The rear and side walls were hung with rich -tapestries, depicting an autumnal forest. The</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_008" id="ill_008"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_012.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_012.jpg" width="386" height="511" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Byron. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Author’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>BELASCO IN HIS STUDIO AT THE FIRST BELASCO THEATRE</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_59" id="page_59">{59}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">floors were covered with heavy, soft, dark-green velvet carpets. The -seats were upholstered in silk tapestry of a complementary shade of -silver-green color, and on the back of each of them was embroidered the -semblance of a bee,—fit emblem of Belasco’s energetic, ceaseless toil. -The ceiling and dome were handsomely decorated in dull gold, sparingly -used, with soft grays and rose. There were two drop curtains,—one of -heavy, rose-colored velvet; the other an old-fashioned one of plain -green baize. Every detail of the architecture and decorations was -delicate and harmonious, and the general effect was at once opulent and -restful. The architects employed by Belasco were Messrs. Bigelow, Wallis -& Cotton, of New York: the director was Mr. Rudolph Allen. But the -active inspiration of all this beauty and luxury provided for the public -enjoyment, the conglutinating and executive force which in the face of -manifold dissensions and difficulties held all the associate laborers -together and drove through to successful completion all the varied work -of invention and reconstruction, was Belasco himself. At last he had -carried bricks for himself to some lasting purpose! When he opened his -playhouse it was in every detail as well as in every essential a new -theatre, veritably the creation of <i>his</i> mind and will, and he very -appro<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_60" id="page_60">{60}</a></span>priately dropped the name of the Republic and called it The -Belasco Theatre.</p> - -<h2><a name="AFTER_THIRTY_YEARS_OF_LABOR_BELASCO_IN_HIS_OWN_THEATREmdashTHE_OPENING" id="AFTER_THIRTY_YEARS_OF_LABOR_BELASCO_IN_HIS_OWN_THEATREmdashTHE_OPENING"></a>“AFTER THIRTY YEARS OF LABOR.”—BELASCO IN HIS OWN THEATRE;—THE OPENING -NIGHT.</h2> - -<p>The first Belasco Theatre was opened on Monday night, September 29, -1902, with a revival of “Du Barry.” The night was sultry, but the house -was crowded, in every part, far beyond its normal capacity; the -performance was one of remarkable fluency, vigor, and intensity, and it -was received by the audience with well-nigh frantic manifestations of -enthusiasm. After the Third Act there were more than twenty curtain -calls, and finally, in response to vociferous crying for him by name, -Belasco came upon the stage, dishevelled, pale, and weary, but very -happy, and addressed the audience, saying:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Ladies and Gentlemen: It is so hard for me to speak to you as I -would wish. There is so much to say, yet so little that I can say. -It is your kind sympathy and approval that have made this little -playhouse possible. I owe you—the public—far, far more than I can -tell. You all know that it has been my life-work, my greatest -ambition, to give you the best I could. In this I can honestly say -I have not faltered since I first knocked at your door,</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="fill_005" id="fill_005"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_012.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_012.jpg" width="386" height="511" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>DAVID BELASCO</p> - -<p style="text-align:left;text-indent:0%;"> -Photograph by the Misses Selby.<br /> -Author’s Collection.<br /> -</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_61" id="page_61">{61}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="nind">many years ago. And in that endeavor I stand firm to-night. I thank -the friends who have upheld me so loyally all these many years. I -thank the press for the encouragement I have received. There are -some very beautiful things in the lives of those I have followed, -and one of these is the fellowship of brother workers. I am always -inspired, I always shall be inspired, by the memory and example of -three inimitable comrades of the Theatre,—one the late Lester -Wallack, another the late, lamented Augustin Daly, and yet another -who is still with us, who has given the best years of his life to -advance the art which both you and I love so well: I refer to Mr. -A. M. Palmer. They fought the good fight, these three; they kept -the faith. They gave us glorious traditions to remember and live up -to. They gave all to advance the highest. This is something we must -never forget.</p> - -<p>“Ladies and gentlemen, there is another of whom I must make some -mention—one whose sympathy and help have contributed to my being -here to-night. I mean my friend and companion in work, Mrs. Leslie -Carter. Here and now I wish gratefully to acknowledge the debt of -her services, her unselfishness and loyalty in time of many -struggles.</p> - -<p>“I have many plans for this little theatre, ladies and gentlemen. -Let me say just a word to you about the managerial policy. I am -anxious to make my patrons feel at home when they honor me by -coming, and so I have tried to make your surroundings in front of -the curtain those of a comfortable, home-like drawing-room. I -intend that the productions and casts shall be the best that work -and care can provide. In all ways I desire to make this new -dramatic home of ours a dwelling of refinement, good taste, good -entertainment, and good art. No stone shall be left unturned, no -effort unmade, to accomplish that end. You<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_62" id="page_62">{62}</a></span> cannot know what it -means to me to speak to you, at last, after thirty years of labor -in the dramatic calling, from the stage of my own theatre. Ladies -and gentlemen, I thank you—I thank you—I can say no more.”</p></div> - -<h2><a name="THE_FIRST_PROGRAMME" id="THE_FIRST_PROGRAMME"></a>THE FIRST PROGRAMME.</h2> - -<p>The following is the programme, in detail, of the first performance -given in Belasco’s Theatre on what was, in many ways, the happiest and -proudest night of all his life:</p> - -<p class="c"> -<big><big>BELASCO THEATRE</big></big><br /> -<br /> -<i>BROADWAY AND FORTY-SECOND STREET</i><br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap">Under the Sole Management of David Belasco</span><br /> -</p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="c"> -<i>Evenings at 8 precisely</i> <span style="margin-left: 10%;"> <i>Matinees Saturdays at 2</i></span><br /> -</p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="cb">D A V I D B E L A S C O<br /> -<br /> -<i>PRESENTS</i><br /> -<br /><big><big> -<span class="ceng">M r s . L e s l i e C a r t e r</span><br /> -<br /></big></big> -<i>IN HIS NEW PLAY</i><br /> -<br /><big><big> -“DU BARRY”</big></big><br /> -<br /></p> - -<p class="nind"> -“<i>Not the great historical events, but the personal incidents that call up -single, sharp pictures of some human being in its pang or struggle, reach -us more nearly.</i>”—<span class="smcap">Oliver Wendell Holmes.</span> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_63" id="page_63">{63}</a></span></p> - -<h3>CAST</h3> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="font-size:90%;margin:1em auto;max-width:60%;"> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>King Louis the Fifteenth</i> of France</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">C. A. Stevenson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Comte Jean du Barry</i>, eventually brother-in-law of <i>La du Barry</i></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Campbell Gollan.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Comte Guillaume du Barry</i>, his brother</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Beresford Webb.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Duc de Brissac</i>, Capt. of King’s Guard</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Henry Weaver, Sr.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Cossé-Brissac</i>, his son (of the King’s Guard), known as “<i>Cossé</i>”</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Hamilton Revelle.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>The Papal Nuncio</i></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">H. R. Roberts.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Duc de Richelieu</i>, Marshal of France</td><td class="cbrd">Under <i>King Louis</i></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Geo. Barnum.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Maupeou</i>, Lord Chancellor</td><td class="cbrd"><i>the</i></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">C. P. Flockton.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Terray</i>, Minister of Finance</td><td class="cbrd"><i>Fifteenth</i></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">H. G. Carlton.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Duc D’Aiguillon</i></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Leonard Cooper.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Denys</i>, porter at the milliner shop</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Claude Gillingwater.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Lebel</i>, confidential valet to His Majesty</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Herbert Millward.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>M. Labille</i>, proprietor of the milliner shop</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Gilmore Scott.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Vaubernier</i>, father of <i>Jeannette</i></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Charles Campbell.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Scarlo</i>, one of “<i>La du Barry’s</i>” Nubian servants</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">J. D. Jones.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Zamore</i>, a plaything of “<i>La du Barry’s</i>”</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Master Sams.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Flute Player</i></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">A. Joly.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Valroy</i></td><td class="cbrd">Of the</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Douglas J. Wood.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>D’Allaire</i></td><td class="cbrd"><i>King’s</i></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Louis Myll.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>De Courcel</i></td><td class="cbrd">Guard</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Harold Howard.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>La Garde</i></td><td class="cbrd">Two Tavern</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">W. T. Bune.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Fontenelle</i></td><td class="cbrd">Roysterers</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Thomas Boone.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Benard</i>, one of the “Hundred Swiss”</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Warren Deven.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Citizen Grieve</i>, of the Committee of Public Safety</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Gaston Mervale.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Marac</i>, one of the Sans-Culottes</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">James Sargeant.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Denisot</i>, Judge of the Revolutionary Court</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">H. G. Carlton.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Tavernier</i>, clerk of the court</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">John Ingram.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Gomard</i></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Charles Hayne.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Hortense</i>, Manageress for <i>Labille</i> the milliner</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Eleanor Carey.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Lolotte</i></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"> </td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Nina Lyn.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Manon</i></td><td class="cbrd">Girls</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Florence St. Leonard.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Julie</i></td><td class="cbrd">at the</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Corah Adams.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Leonie</i></td><td class="cbrd">Milliner’s</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Blanche Sherwood.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Nichette</i></td><td class="cbrd">Shop</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Ann Archer.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Juliette</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">May Lyn.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Marquise du Quesnoy</i>, known as “<i>La Gourdan</i>,” keeper of a gambling house</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Blanche Rice.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Sophie Arnauld</i>, queen of the opera</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Miss Robertson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>The Gypsy Hag</i>, a fortune-teller</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">C. P. Flockton.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Mlle. Le Grand</i></td><td class="cbrd">Dancers from the</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Ruth Dennis.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Mlle. Guimard</i></td><td class="cbrd">Grand Opera</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Eleanor Stuart.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Mme. La Dauphine</i>—<i>Marie Antoinette</i> at sixteen</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Helen Hale.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Marquise de Crenay</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Helen Robertson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Duchesse D’Aiguillon</i></td><td class="cbrd">Ladies</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Miss Lyn.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Princesse Alixe</i></td><td class="cbrd">of</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Miss Leonard.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Duchesse de Choisy</i></td><td class="cbrd"><i>King Louis</i></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Louise Morewin.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Marquise de Langers</i></td><td class="cbrd">Court</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">May Montford.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Comtesse de Marsen</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Grace Van Benthuysen.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Sophie</i>, a maid</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Irma Perry.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Rosalie</i>, of the Concièrgerie</td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Helen Robertson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Cerisette</i></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">Julie Lindsey.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top" class="c" colspan="2">AND</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>JEANNETTE VAUBERNIER</i>, afterwards <i>La du Barry</i></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom">MRS. LESLIE CARTER.</td></tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<p>Guests of the Fête, Dancers from the Opera, King’s Guardsmen, Monks, -Clowns, Pages, Milliners, Sentries, Lackeys, Footmen, King’s Secret -Police, Sans-Culottes, a Mock King, a Mock Herald, a Drunken Patriot, a -Cocoa Vender, Federals, National Guards, Tricoteuses.</p> -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_65" id="page_65">{65}</a></span></p> - -<h3>SYNOPSIS OF SCENES.</h3> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="font-size:90%;margin:1em auto;max-width:60%;"> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top">Act</td><td class="rt" valign="top"> I.—</td><td valign="bottom">The Milliner’s Shop in the Rue St. Honoré, Paris. - <i>JEANNETTE</i> TRIMS HATS.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top">Act </td><td class="rt" valign="top"> II.—</td><td valign="bottom">(One month later.) <i>Jeannette’s</i> Apartments, adjoining - the Gambling Rooms of the <i>Marquise de</i> - <i>Quesnoy</i> (“La Gourdan”). - “THE GAME CALLED DESTINY.”</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top">Act</td><td class="rt" valign="top"> III.—</td><td valign="bottom">(A year later.) <i>Du Barry</i> holds a Petit-Lever in - the Palace of Versailles—at noon. - “THE DOLL OF THE WORLD.”</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top">Act </td><td class="rt" valign="top"> IV.—</td><td valign="bottom">Scene 1. In the Royal Gardens. Before the dawn - of the following morning. - “FOLLY, QUEEN OF FRANCE.” - Scene 2. Within the Tent. - “THE HEART OF THE WOMAN.”</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top">Act </td><td class="rt" valign="top"> V.—</td><td valign="bottom">(A lapse of years.) During the Revolution. - Scene 1. The Retreat in the Woods of Louveciennes. - “FATE CREEPS IN AT THE DOOR.” - Scene 2. (Five days later.) In Paris again. - “A REED SHAKEN IN THE WIND.” - Scene 3. In Front of the Milliner’s Shop on the - same day.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2"> </td><td valign="top"> “Once more we pass this way again, - Once more! ’T is where at first we met.”</td></tr> -</table> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<hr /> - -<p>Time: Period of King Louis the Fifteenth and after the reign of his -Successor.</p> - -<p>Place: Paris, Versailles, and Louveciennes.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p>Mr. Belasco wishes to state that, as the traditional parting of Madame -du Barry and the King of France is impossible for dramatic use, he has -departed entirely from historical accuracy in this instance. He also -begs to acknowledge his indebtedness to M. Arsène Houssaye for his -sequence of scenes. (“Nouvelle à la main, sur la Comtesse du Barry.”)</p> - -<hr /> - -<p>Between Acts I, II, and III there will be intervals of 12 minutes; -between Acts IV and V an interval of 15 minutes.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_66" id="page_66">{66}</a></span></p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="c">The entire production under the personal supervision of Mr. Belasco.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="c"> -Stage Manager <span style="margin-left: 10%;"><span class="smcap">H. S. Millward</span>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="c">Scenery by Mr. Ernest Gros.</p> -<hr /> - -<p class="c">Incidental Music by Mr. William Furst.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="c">Stage decorations and accessories after designs by Mr. Wilfred Buckland.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="c"> -General Manager for Mr. Belasco <span style="margin-left: 10%;"><span class="smcap">Mr. B. F. Roeder</span>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<hr /> -</div> - -<p>As an epigraph for the first performance given in his theatre, and also -for a souvenir book then distributed,—a richly printed volume called -“The Story of Du Barry,” written by James L. Ford and issued in a -limited edition,—Belasco used, under the caption “Before the Curtain,” -the appended fourteen lines from Francis Bret Harte’s versified address -written for the dedication of the California Theatre, San Francisco, -January 18, 1869, on which occasion (when Belasco was among the -spectators) it was read by Lawrence Barrett:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Brief words, when actions wait, are well;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The prompter’s hand is on his bell;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The coming heroes, lovers, kings,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Are idly lounging at the wings;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Behind the curtain’s mystic fold<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The glowing future lies unrolled.<br /></span> -<span class="i4">. . . . .<br /></span> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_67" id="page_67">{67}</a></span> -<span class="i0">“One moment more: if here we raise<br /></span> -<span class="i1">The oft-sung hymn of local praise,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Before the curtain facts must sway;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Here waits the moral of your play.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Glassed in the poet’s thought, you view<br /></span> -<span class="i1">What money can, yet can not do;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">The faith that soars, the deeds that shine,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Above the gold that builds the shrine.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<h2><a name="A_STUPID_DISPARAGEMENT_INCEPTION_OF_THE_DARLING_OF_THE_GODS" id="A_STUPID_DISPARAGEMENT_INCEPTION_OF_THE_DARLING_OF_THE_GODS"></a>A STUPID DISPARAGEMENT.—INCEPTION OF “THE DARLING OF THE GODS.”</h2> - -<p>Among the meanest and most stupid disparagements of Belasco which I have -chanced to notice in recent years is one made by Mr. Albert Bigelow -Paine, the adulatory biographer of Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain). In -recording a conversation which he says he had with Clemens Mr. Paine -writes: “<span class="lftspc">‘</span>I suppose,’ I said, ‘the literary man should have a -collaborator with a genius for stage mechanism. John Luther Long’s -<i>exquisite plays</i> would hardly have been successful without David -Belasco to stage them. <i>Belasco cannot write a play himself</i>, but in the -matter of acting construction his genius is supreme.’<span class="lftspc">”</span> (The italics are -mine.—W. W.) Remembering that Belasco is, among many other things, the -author of “May Blossom,” “The Heart of Maryland,” “The Girl of the -Golden West,” “Peter Grimm,” and “Van der Decken,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_68" id="page_68">{68}</a></span>” it seems to me that -Mr. Paine has, in that sapient comment, provided for thoughtful persons -a useful measure of his intelligence. Furthermore, his disparagement of -Belasco as a writer of plays suggests that it is competent, in this -Memoir, to inquire as to what, precisely, are the “exquisite plays” of -John Luther Long, one of Belasco’s collaborators in authorship. Mr. Long -is a fiction writer of talent, which has been widely and generously -recognized. His name is associated with six plays and no more,—namely, -“Madame Butterfly,” “The Darling of the Gods,” “Dolce,” “Adrea,” “The -Dragon Fly,” and “Kassa.” “Madame Butterfly,” as a play, is, -exclusively, the work of Belasco: it was written and produced before he -and Long met. “Kassa” is a commonplace farrago of theatrical absurdity, -rant, and miscellaneous trash, tangled into a mesh of sacerdotal -trappings and fantastic, complex, and dubious Hungarian embellishments -and is as devoid of literary merit as it is of dramatic vitality. It was -produced by Mrs. Leslie Carter, in 1909, after she had ceased to act -under the direction of Belasco, and it was a failure. “The Dragon Fly” -was written by Long in association with Mr. E. C. Carpenter, was -produced in Philadelphia, in 1905, and was a failure. “Dolce” has not -been acted or published and I know nothing about it. As to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_69" id="page_69">{69}</a></span> “The Darling -of the Gods” and “Adrea,”—not only did Belasco “stage” those plays -(that is, produce them), but he is at least as much <i>their author</i> as -Mr. Long is; a fact which I venture to assume that Mr. Long would be the -last to deny.</p> - -<p>“The Darling of the Gods” owes its existence wholly to Belasco. When he -had leased the Republic Theatre and while he was preparing to undertake -its renovation he also began to plan his managerial campaign there. In a -letter he writes:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>(<i>David Belasco to William Winter.</i>)</p> - -<p>“...It was a strenuous, anxious time for me. I had so many things -to think of and so much to do that sometimes I felt like that man -in Dickens who tries to lift himself out of his difficulties by his -own hair! I saw that I was to be forced to fight for my -professional life—and I wasn’t ready. The public had been taught, -season by season, to expect always more and more from the actor, -the author, and, especially, the producer. The standard of -production was so high that the theatre-goer looked not only for -great acting but also for artistic perfection and beauty in the -stage settings. The progressive manager was forced to invest -immense sums in his stars and productions, and it was because I did -this without hesitation that I was so unpopular with some of my -contemporaries. According to them I “spoiled the public” because I -looked <i>first</i> to the artistic instead of to the commercial -result.”</p></div> - -<p>Belasco had for several years prior to 1902 desired to present Mrs. -Carter in a series of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_70" id="page_70">{70}</a></span> Shakespearean and classical plays which, as he -wrote to me in that year, “have long been in her repertory but in which -I have never yet had the opportunity of bringing her out.” Mrs. Carter -was then the principal player under his management: it was both justice -to her and sound business judgment for him to open his new theatre with -a performance in which she was the star. It would indeed have been a -brilliant achievement for him to have opened it with a superb revival of -one of Shakespeare’s great plays. But, on the other hand, theatrical -management,—although, rightly understood, it entails, first of all, a -moral and intellectual obligation to the public,—is a venturesome -business, not an altruistic amusement: Belasco had invested more than -$98,000 in making his presentment of “Du Barry”: it, plainly, was -necessary to earn with that drama at least the cost of producing it -before he could bring forth Mrs. Carter in another play. And it was -obvious that while he could impressively open his new theatre with a -sumptuous revival of that popular success it could not advantageously -hold the stage there for more than a month or two and that he must have -another striking dramatic novelty ready in hand with which to follow the -revival. Among the many plays which Belasco wrote and rewrote during the -strolling days of his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_71" id="page_71">{71}</a></span> youth is a melodrama entitled “Il Carabiniere,” -which he called “The Carbineer.” The scenes and characters of that old -play are Italian. Belasco resolved to refashion it for the use of -Blanche Bates. But the multifarious demands on his time and strength -made it necessary for him to have assistance in performing this task, -and remembering the success of Miss Bates in his Japanese tragedy of -“Madame Butterfly” he altered his purpose and determined to base on the -old Italian tale a romance of Japan, and he proposed to John Luther -Long,—well versed in Japanese customs,—that he should help him in the -work. This proposal was accepted; the manuscript of “The Carbineer” was -turned over to Long, and, about February, 1902, the collaborators began -their work on the play which afterward became famous under the name of -“The Darling of the Gods.” That play is practically a new one, not an -adaptation: the labor of writing it was finished in June, and it was -produced for the first time anywhere, November 17, 1902, at the New -National Theatre, Washington, D. C.: on December 3, following, it was -acted for the first time in New York, at the Belasco Theatre, where it -succeeded “Du Barry,” which had been acted there for the last time on -November 29. This was the original cast of “The Darling of the Gods<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_72" id="page_72">{72}</a></span>”:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="font-size:90%;margin:1em auto;max-width:60%;"> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Prince Saigon</i></td><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt">Charles Walcot.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Zakkuri</i>, Minister of War</td><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt">George Arliss.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Kara</i></td><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt">Robert T. Haines.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Tonda-Tanji</i></td><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt">Albert Bruning.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Sir Yuke-Yume</i></td><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt">James W. Shaw.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Lord Chi-Chi</i></td><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt">Edward Talford.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Admiral Tano</i></td><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt">Cooper Leonard.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Hassebe Soyemon</i></td><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt">Warren Milford.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Kato</i></td><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt">J. Harry Benrimo.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Shusshoo</i></td><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt">F. Andrews.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Inu</i>, a Corean Giant</td><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt">Harrison Armstrong.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Yoban</i></td><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt">Carleton Webster.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Crier of the Night Hours</i></td><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt">Charles Ingram.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Kugo</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Maurice Pike.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Shiba</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> E. P. Wilks.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Migaku</i></td><td class="cbrd"> The seven spies </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt">Rankin Duvall.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Kojin</i></td><td class="cbrd"> of <i>Zakkuri</i> </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Arthur Garnell.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Ato</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt">Joseph Tuohy.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Tcho</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Winthrop Chamberlain.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Taro</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> John Dunton.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Man in the Lantern</i></td><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt">Westropp Saunders.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>The Imperial Messenger</i></td><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt">F. A. Thomson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>First Secretary</i></td><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt">Legrand Howland.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Second Secretary</i></td><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt">A. D. Richards.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Banza</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Gaston Mervale.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Nagoya</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Albert Bruning.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Tori</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Fred’k A. Thomson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Korin</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Rankin Duvall.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Bento</i></td><td class="cbrd"> <i>Kara’s</i> “Two-sword </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> J. Harry Benrimo.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Kosa</i></td><td class="cbrd"> Men” </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Richard Warner.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Takoro</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> John Dunton.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Kaye</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Arthur Garnell.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Nagoji</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> A. D. Richards.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Jutso</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Dexter Smith.</td></tr> -</table> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_009" id="ill_009"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_013.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_013.jpg" width="559" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Byron. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>A SCENE FROM “THE DARLING OF THE GODS”</p> - -<p>“<i>The Feast of a Thousand Welcomes</i>”</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_73" id="page_73">{73}</a></span></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Little Sano</i></td><td class="rt">Madge West.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Chidori</i></td><td class="rt">Mrs. Charles Walcot.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Rosy Sky</i></td><td class="rt">Eleanor Moretti.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Setsu</i></td><td class="rt">Ada Lewis.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Kaede</i></td><td class="rt">Dorothy Revell.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Madame Asani</i></td><td class="rt">France Hamilton.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>The Fox Woman</i></td><td class="rt">Mrs. F. M. Bates.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Isamu</i></td><td class="rt">May Montford.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Niji-Onna</i></td><td class="rt">Helen Russell.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Nu</i></td><td class="rt">Madeleine Livingston.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Princess Yo-San</i></td><td class="rt">Blanche Bates.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><i>Gentlemen of Rank</i>, Messrs. Redmund, Stevens, Dunton, Smith, Meehan, -Richards, Shaw, Chamberlain and Shaw.</p> - -<p><i>Geisha Girls</i>, Misses Winard, Karle, Vista, Mardell, Coleman and Ellis.</p> - -<p><i>Singing Girls</i>, Misses Livingston, Mirien and Earle.</p> - -<p>Heralds from the Emperor, maids-in-waiting to the Princess, screen -bearers, Kago men, coolies, retainers, runners, servants, geisha, -musume, priests, lantern bearers, banner bearers, incense bearers, gong -bearers, jugglers, acrobats, torturers, carp flyers, Imperial soldiers -and <i>Zakkuri’s</i> musket-men.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_PLAY_AND_THE_PERFORMANCE_OF_THE_DARLING_OF_THE_GODS" id="THE_PLAY_AND_THE_PERFORMANCE_OF_THE_DARLING_OF_THE_GODS"></a>THE PLAY AND THE PERFORMANCE OF “THE DARLING OF THE GODS.”</h2> - -<p>The tragic drama of “The Darling of the Gods” is an excellent play, one -of exceptional power and ethical significance. It is a unique fabric of -fancy, wildly romantic, rich and strange with unusual characters, lively -with incident, occasionally mystical<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_74" id="page_74">{74}</a></span> with implication of Japanese -customs and religious beliefs, opulent with an Oriental splendor of -atmosphere and detail, like that of Beckford’s romance of -“Vathek,”—fragrant with sweetness,—like Moore’s “Lalla Rookh,”—busy -with movement, effective by reason of situation, and communicative of a -love story of enchaining interest and melancholy beauty. That story is -told in continuous, cumulative action,—each successive dramatic event -being stronger than its predecessors in the element of suspense; and at -the climax there is a weird picture of supernatural environment, a -thrilling suggestion of the eternity of spiritual life and personal -identity,—a poetic symbolism, at once pathetic and sublime, of the -glory and ecstasy, the supreme triumph, of faithful love.</p> - -<p>The story of <i>Yo-San</i>, the heroine of that play, who is designated “the -darling of the gods,” separated from all adjuncts and accessories, is -simple. She is a princess in Japan, betrothed to a Japanese courtier -whom she does not wish to wed. She has stipulated, as a preliminary -condition of their marriage, that the courtier must prove his valor by -capturing a certain formidable outlaw, <i>Prince Kara</i>, who, on being -captured, will be put to death. She has been saved from fatal dishonor -through the expeditious courage and promptitude of that outlaw<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_75" id="page_75">{75}</a></span> -(unrecognized by her as such), and on seeing each other they become -lovers. <i>Kara</i> pledges himself to appear at the palace of her father, at -a “feast of a thousand welcomes” to be held in his honor, there to -receive that parent’s thanks. Thither he comes, passing through the -guards of <i>Zakkuri</i>, the dreaded <i>War Minister of Japan</i>, but sustaining -a desperate hurt in doing so. <i>Yo-San</i>, when her lover, wounded and -almost dying, has failed to make his escape from the precincts of the -palace through a cordon of enemies, conceals him in her dwelling, and -for many days she tends him, till his wounds are healed, and then, for a -time, those lovers are happy in their secret love. The girl is, however, -compromised by this indiscretion, and when presently her father, <i>Prince -Saigon</i>, discovers her secret,—and, as he thinks, her dishonor,—she is -declared an outcast; and her lover (taken prisoner while attempting to -fight his way to freedom) is doomed to torture and death. She is -compelled to gaze upon him as, stupefied with opium, he is led down into -a chamber of infernal torment. Then she is apprised that she can secure -his life and liberty by betraying the hiding place of her lover’s outlaw -followers, and in desperate agony she does betray them: but she gains -nothing by that action except an access of misery. <i>Prince Kara</i>, -surprised with his band by soldiers<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_76" id="page_76">{76}</a></span> of the <i>War Minister</i>, having, with -a few of his followers, fought his way through the lines of his enemies -and discovered that the secret of their hiding place, confided by him to -<i>Yo-San</i>, has been by her revealed, commits suicide in the honorable -Japanese manner, and she is left alone, with only his forgiveness as a -comfort, and with the hope that,—after a thousand years of loneliness -and grief, in the underworld of shadows,—she will be again united with -him in the eternal happiness of heaven. The play shows <i>Yo-San</i> as an -innocent, confiding, pathetic figure, a child-woman, passing amid stormy -vicissitude, cruel temptation, and afflicting trials to a forlorn and -agonized death by suicide, and leaves her at the last, redeemed and -transfigured, on the verge of Paradise, where <i>Kara</i> stretches out his -arms to embrace her, and where there is neither trouble nor parting nor -sorrow any more.</p> - -<p>The experience of this Japanese girl is the old ordeal over again, of -woman’s sacrifice and anguish, when giving all for love. Something of -Shakespeare’s <i>Juliet</i> is in that heroine, something of Goethe’s -<i>Margaret</i>, something of the many passionate, wayward, mournfully -beautiful ideals of woman’s sacrifice that are immortal in story and -song. She is a loving and sorrowing woman, true, tender, faithful -forever, and celestial alike in her</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="fill_006" id="fill_006"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_014.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_014.jpg" width="514" height="424" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>BLANCHE BATES AS THE <i>PRINCESS YO-SAN</i>, IN “THE DARLING -OF THE GODS”</p> - -<p style="text-align:left;text-indent:0%;">Photograph by Livingston Platt.<br /> -Belasco’s Collection.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_77" id="page_77">{77}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">love, her temptation, and her grief. The character of <i>Yo-San</i> combines -some of the finest components of womanhood and, indeed, exemplifies -virtues such as redeem the frailty of human nature—purity of heart and -life, true love, endurance, heroism of conduct, and devoted integrity of -spiritual faith. Blanche Bates gained the greatest success of her -professional career by her impersonation of <i>Yo-San</i>. She was an -entirely lovely image of ardent, innocent, ingenuous, noble -womanhood—such an image as irresistibly allured by piquant simplicity, -thrilled the imagination by an impartment of passionate vitality, and by -its exemplification of eternal constancy in love,—the immortal fidelity -of the spirit,—captured the heart. Her facility of action and fluency -of expression were continuously spontaneous, and she was delightful both -to see and to hear. Indeed, the acting of Miss Bates, which, from the -first of her performances on the New York Stage, had shown a charming -wildness and freedom, was, in the character of <i>Yo-San</i>, more -unconventional than ever. Her appearance was beautiful, her action -graceful, alert, vigorous, and free from all restraint of -self-consciousness and finical prudery. The clear, keen, healthful north -wind was suggested by it, the reckless dash of a mid-ocean wave, the -happy sea-bird’s flight. There was no ostentation<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_78" id="page_78">{78}</a></span> about it, no parade, -no assumption of the moral mentor. Her personation of Belasco’s <i>Juliet</i> -of Japan came in a time of dreary “problems,” “sermons,” “lessons,” -“arguments,” “symbols,” and the flatulent nonsense of siccorized novels -and dirty farces, and it came as a relief and a blessing—the authentic -representative of youth, health, strength, love, and hope.</p> - -<p>There is one moment in “The Darling of the Gods” when suspense is -wrought to a point of intense tension, and when the inherent, essential -faculty of an actor, the power to reveal almost in a flash the feeling -of the heart and the working of the mind, is imperatively required. It -is when <i>Kara</i>, wounded, exhausted, desperate, has sought refuge in the -dwelling of the <i>Princess Yo-San</i> and, by her, has been succored and -concealed. <i>Migaku</i>, <i>the Shadow</i>, a spy of the terrible <i>War Minister</i>, -<i>Zakkuri</i>, has traced him to that refuge, but a devoted guardian of -<i>Yo-San</i>, <i>Inu</i>, a Corean giant, has detected the presence of the spy, -has seized and slain him, and has hidden the body in a stream. <i>Zakkuri</i> -and the father of <i>Yo-San</i> follow the spy, and come to the dwelling of -<i>Yo-San</i>. <i>Zakkuri</i> wishes that it be searched, but he agrees to accept -her oath, if she will give it, that she knows nothing of the whereabouts -of <i>Kara</i>. The <i>Princess</i> is sum<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_79" id="page_79">{79}</a></span>moned and, denying the presence of -<i>Kara</i>, is required by her father to swear that she has spoken the -truth. Words can faintly indicate the beauty of the picture and action -which follow, as the girl seeks to protect her lover. The time is night. -The scene is a strange, fantastic, fairy-like garden of old Japan, a -bower of flowers with twining wistaria wreathing the trees and houses, -and, far, far off, visible in the silver moonlight, a great snow-capped -volcano, the peak of which is touched with ruddy light. The father and -the dreaded <i>Minister of War</i> stand before the door. Miss Bates, as -<i>Yo-San</i>, stood a little above them, dressed in soft, flowing white -garments, open at the throat, her black hair loose about her face and -shoulders, her beautiful dark eyes suffused with a fascinating -expression of innocence, tranquillity, and tenderness. Without a moment -of hesitation, on being required to take the most solemn of oaths, she, -with sweetly reverential dignity, raised a bowl of burning incense and, -holding it before her, spoke, in a voice of perfect music: “Before -Shaka, God of Life and Death,—to whom my word goes up on this -incense,—I swear, hanging my life on the answer, I have not seen this -Kara!” Then, as the discomfited searchers withdrew, she stood a moment, -in the soft light streaming upon her from within the house,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_80" id="page_80">{80}</a></span> and, gazing -after them, added, looking upward, “It is better to lie a little than to -be unhappy much!” If she had done nothing else,—though the remainder of -her professional life should be barren,—that single moment stamped her -as a great actress.</p> - -<p>It is, in any time, a noble achievement—one too much praised in words, -too little sought in deeds—to bring home and make vital to the human -heart the sanctity and beauty of love. The actor who does this can do no -more. Pictorial art upon the stage attains to a marvellous height when -it presents such a scene as that of the River of Souls and the reunion -of long-sundered souls, in this romantic, imaginative, and beautiful -play. Such an achievement in the dramatic art as the setting before the -public of such a play and such a performance as Blanche Bates gave of -its heroine vindicate the beneficent utility of the Theatre, because it -cheers and ennobles, and thus practically helps society, through the -ministration of beauty. This is a hard world. Almost everybody in it -struggles beneath burdens of care and sorrow. Multitudes of human beings -dwell in trouble and suffering. An imperative need of our race is the -strength of patience and the light of hope. Dramatic art, or any art, -which satisfies that need, or even remotely helps to sat<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_81" id="page_81">{81}</a></span>isfy it, is a -blessing. The rest is little, if at all, better than a curse.</p> - -<p>There was fine acting in “The Darling of the Gods” besides that of Miss -Bates. The part of <i>Zakkuri</i>, the <i>War Minister</i>,—a callous, -remorseless, cold villain, of the Duke of Alva type,—is the main source -of action in the drama, and it is elaborately and vividly drawn. It was -played by George Arliss, who gave in it a thrilling incarnation of -dangerous force and inveterate wickedness, almost humorous in its icy -depravity: he had an exceptional success, even for an actor who always -acts well.</p> - -<p>And there are many splendid imaginative and dramatic passages in this -play besides those which have been particularly examined. As set upon -the stage by Belasco it was a spectacle of superb opulence, surpassing -all its predecessors in wealth of color and beauty of detail. In the -Scene of the Night Watch at the gates; in that of the stealthy, -nocturnal search for <i>Kara</i>, outside the lodge of the <i>Princess</i>, and in -that of <i>Yo-San’s</i> supplication for her lover’s life there is the very -poetry of terror. Some of the expedients employed had been used in -earlier dramas,—such as “Patrie” and “Tosca,”—but they were so freshly -handled that they were made newly terrible with an atmosphere of grisly -dread. Belasco, in short, offered to his public in this produc<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_82" id="page_82">{82}</a></span>tion a -true dramatic work of novelty, variety, and scenic splendor, -extraordinarily rich in the element of histrionic art; an offering that -was symmetrical and magnificent, prompting a memory of the old days of -“Pizarro,” “The Ganges,” and “The Bronze Horse,” but proving that his -day also was golden and that Aladdin’s Lamp had not been lost.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_CREATION_OF_DRAMATIC_EFFECTS_DIFFICULTIES_WITH_THE_RIVER_OF_SOULS" id="THE_CREATION_OF_DRAMATIC_EFFECTS_DIFFICULTIES_WITH_THE_RIVER_OF_SOULS"></a>THE CREATION OF DRAMATIC EFFECTS.—DIFFICULTIES WITH THE RIVER OF SOULS.</h2> - -<p>Supreme dramatic effects are, as a rule, produced in the Theatre as -results of patient, prescient labor, using known, definite means to -definite foreordained ends,—as, for example, in such perfect histrionic -epitomes as <i>Shylock’s</i> return through the lonely midnight streets to -his deserted dwelling, as arranged by Irving; the momentary shuddering -horror of Mansfield’s <i>King Richard the Third</i>, when, alone, in the -dusk, seated upon the throne to which he has made his way by murder, he -sees his hand bathed blood-red in a seemingly chance-thrown beam of -light; the exquisitely poetic and lovely scene of the serenade, in -“Twelfth Night,” invented by Daly, in which the theme of the comedy is -pictured without a word; or the long, dreary vigil of <i>Madame -Butterfly</i>, waiting</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_010" id="ill_010"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_015.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_015.jpg" width="393" height="553" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Livingston Platt. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>GEORGE ARLISS AS <i>ZAKKURI</i>, <i>THE MINISTER OF WAR</i>, IN “THE DARLING OF -THE GODS”</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_83" id="page_83">{83}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">through the night for her recreant lover, devised by Belasco. Sometimes, -however, even the most resourceful of stage managers, though possessed -of perfectly clear purpose, find themselves baffled and balked in every -endeavor to embody a picture in action and create a designed effect: it -is with them as it is with a painter who, while knowing exactly what he -desires to depict and, theoretically, exactly how to paint it, -nevertheless fails again and again in his attempts to do so, until, as -sometimes happens, chance seems to point a way to achievement. Such an -experience came to Belasco, in his execution of the imaginative and -lovely scene of the River of Souls, in this Oriental tragedy. Writing of -it, he records the following interesting recollection:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“There was one scene in ‘The Darling of the Gods,’ called the River -of Souls, which drove me almost mad and very nearly beat me. It was -a sort of purgatory between the Japanese Heaven and the Japanese -Hell. I engaged twenty young girls who were supposed to represent -the floating bodies of the dead, but they wouldn’t float. No matter -how hard I tried, the twenty souls looked like twenty chorus girls. -Night after night, I kept the young ladies and a number of -carpenters at work, but the illusion could not be carried out. The -play was produced in Washington, and during the last rehearsal the -River of Souls was the blot on the production; in fact, I had -postponed the opening for three nights because of this scene. At -last I made up my mind to give it one more trial and if it could -not be<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_84" id="page_84">{84}</a></span> improved to cut it out. Dawn found Miss Bates asleep in a -stage-box, the company curled up on properties, the carpenters and -electricians ready to drop, and the River of Souls as bad as ever. -So I threw up my hands. ‘Thank you, ladies and gentlemen,’ I said, -‘out goes the River of Souls.’ I gave the order to strike [to clear -the stage of scenery]. At that moment all set-pieces were pulled -apart, the gauze curtain was down, and two calcium lights were at -the back of the stage. As the scene-shifters drew up the back drop -a carpenter walked across. His shadow was thrown several times on -the shifting gauze in a most spectral fashion. ‘Stop!’ I called -out. ‘Stop where you are! Don’t move! Don’t move!’ The poor -carpenter halted in his tracks: he must have thought me mad. ‘We’ve -got it!’ I exclaimed. I sent out for coffee and rolls, and called -another rehearsal at six in the morning. I must say everyone -rejoiced with me. When we finished breakfast I had the gauze so -arranged as to catch the shadows of the young ladies whose souls -were supposed to be floating between heaven and hell. I threw away -the expensive paraphernalia, and instead of permitting the young -women to be suspended in the air they walked behind the gauze, -stretching out their arms as though floating through the strong -rays of light. I have shown many different scenes, but none so -baffling as this and none more impressively effective.... When I -met Sir Herbert Beerbohm-Tree, who produced ‘The Darling of the -Gods’ in London, he said that as he read the description of this -effect in the manuscript he had not believed it could be carried -out.”</p></div> - -<p>“The Darling of the Gods” was one of the most costly and least -profitable of all Belasco’s many<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_85" id="page_85">{85}</a></span> lavish productions: the original -investment exceeded $78,000 and the expenses of presentment were so -great that, notwithstanding it was acted to immense audiences, at the -end of two years he had gained with it only $5,000.</p> - -<h2><a name="AN_OPERATIC_PROJECT_PETTY_PERSECUTIONSmdashAN_ARREST_FOR_LIBEL" id="AN_OPERATIC_PROJECT_PETTY_PERSECUTIONSmdashAN_ARREST_FOR_LIBEL"></a>AN OPERATIC PROJECT.—PETTY PERSECUTIONS.—AN ARREST FOR LIBEL.</h2> - -<p>While demolition of the Republic Theatre and construction of its -successor were in progress Belasco made an unsuccessful attempt to -fulfil a purpose which he had cherished for several years,—the purpose, -namely, to cause the writing of, and to produce, a series of true comic -operas, American in theme but similar in character to the brilliant and -delightful combinations of satire, melody, and fun which made famous the -names of Gilbert and Sullivan. “I hoped,” he said, “to find a pair of -American authors that could be developed into at least something like -such a team as Gilbert and Sullivan, and for a while I thought I should -succeed,—but it was too much to hope for.” As part of his plan for this -operatic enterprise Belasco engaged the well-known singer Miss Lillian -Russell, for whose talents he entertained high respect: “I <i>know</i>,” he -has said to me, “that Lillian Russell could have done far<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_86" id="page_86">{86}</a></span> finer things -than ever she has done—and I wanted her to do them under my -management.” Inability to obtain any musical play for Miss Russell’s use -which was satisfactory to him finally compelled Belasco to release her -from engagement and to abandon a project which, adequately performed, -would have been of great benefit to our Stage.</p> - -<p>From the time when it became publicly known that Belasco had assumed the -management of a theatre of his own, in New York, until 1909, when -self-interest at last reopened to him the long closed theatres dominated -by the Theatrical Syndicate, he was made the object of an almost -continuous series of attacks, annoyances, and persecutions, often merely -petty, sometimes extremely serious, the origin of which is not always -demonstrable but the motive of which, unmistakably, was to defame, -hamper, and injure him in his professional vocation. Thus, a few days -before the opening of his new theatre he was accused in several -newspaper diatribes of having “stolen” the services of three prominent -actors,—namely Lillian Russell, Blanche Bates, and David -Warfield,—then under engagement to him, from other theatrical managers, -regardless of prior contracts. The dispute on this subject has been -top-loftically described as a tempest in a teapot, but as the accusation -is, in fact, one of most<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_87" id="page_87">{87}</a></span> dishonorable and illegal conduct the entire -refutation of it should be recorded. Miss Russell wrote about the matter -as follows:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I am very proud to have it known that Mr. Belasco is to be my -future manager, but it is doing him a great injustice to assert -that he tried to get me away from other managers with whom I was -under contract. He, emphatically, did nothing of the kind. -Everything was done in the most amiable spirit among all concerned, -and, as a matter of fact, he and I were brought together, in a -business relation, entirely by outside parties.”</p></div> - -<p>From Miss Bates came a letter in which she said:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I was entirely free from all contract obligations when Mr. Belasco -first made me an offer to come under his management. I left Liebler -& Company quite voluntarily, as I did not care to go to London with -‘The Children of the Ghetto.’ I was therefore out of an engagement -when Mr. Belasco sent for me to create the leading part in a new -comedy.... I was given the greatest opportunity of my life in -‘Madame Butterfly,’ and I have grown from leading woman to a star -under his management. And because I know that my artistic future is -safer in his hands than with anyone else I would not for a moment -consider an offer from another manager.”</p></div> - -<p>And Mr. Warfield sent to Belasco by telegraph from Boston this request -and statement:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Please deny for me that I had one more year [of service under -contract] at Weber & Fields’. I came to you having always had an -idea you could better my position.”</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_88" id="page_88">{88}</a></span></p> - -<p>A week before the first presentment of “The Darling of the Gods” in New -York an allegation even more injurious was made against Belasco when -several newspapers of the metropolis published affirmations by a female -author, known as Onoto Watanna, to the effect that characters and -incidents from two stories by her, “The Wooing of Wistaria” and “A -Japanese Nightingale,” had been appropriated by Belasco and incorporated -in “The Darling of the Gods” and that two acts of that play were pirated -from a dramatization of one of those stories.</p> - -<p>To these aspersions Belasco made prompt rejoinder by institution of a -suit against Mrs. Bertrand W. Babcock, asking $20,000 damages for -malicious libel. Mrs. Babcock was arrested, December 3, 1902, on a -warrant issued in this action and held in $500 bail. At the time of her -arrest Belasco made a statement as to his motives and feelings in -bringing suit in which he said:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“My purpose in causing the arrest of Mrs. Babcock (Onoto Watanna) -is to stop, once and for all, the groundless persecution to which I -am subjected whenever I dare to present a new play. That my -productions are thorns in the sides of several managers I am -perfectly aware, but through Mrs. Babcock, who will now have to -give an account of her claims against me in court, I hope<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_89" id="page_89">{89}</a></span> to reach -the real instigators of this attack against my integrity as a -manager and a man. I have never met Mrs. Babcock in my life nor -have I read either of her books, to one of which Klaw & Erlanger -have announced that they have purchased the dramatic rights. The -first I heard of Mrs. Babcock was about two months ago, at which -time my play had neither been put in rehearsal nor read to any one -who could possibly have told her of its plot, characters, or -incidents. At that time she informed a prominent morning newspaper -man that the firm of Klaw & Erlanger were very anxious to have her -bring a suit against me for plagiarism. I laughed at the whole -matter, for, knowing that ‘The Darling of the Gods’ was entirely -original with Mr. John Luther Long and myself, I could not conceive -of any person being foolish enough to make such a charge. But it -was the last shot in my enemies’ locker. From the day I started -work on this production I have been harassed in every direction. I -am almost as anxious to get this case into court and settled at -once and for all as I am to have the ‘Du Barry’ controversy -clinched. All I claim is the right of any citizen to pursue his -business unmolested.</p> - -<p>“This whole affair from start to finish is a conspiracy to throw a -nasty slur on my name as a playwright and manager on the eve of a -new production in which I have invested a great deal of money: and -with the courts to help me I intend to unmask a few of the real -culprits. Furthermore, I find now that Mrs. Babcock’s story ‘The -Wooing of Wistaria’ was not published until last September. Our -play was finished early in June. By causing the arrest of this -woman I hope, in addition to justifying myself, to establish a -precedent whereby other playwrights, when they happen to be -successful, may be able to take drastic means to protect themselves -against similar persecutions.”</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_90" id="page_90">{90}</a></span></p> - -<p>On February 6, 1903, at a hearing in this libel suit of Belasco’s, -before Justice Leventritt, of the Supreme Court, Mrs. Babcock, in -effect, withdrew the libel complained of (denying that she had made the -defamatory allegations ascribed to her), and the order of arrest -previously issued against her was, in consequence, vacated. The purpose -of the aspersions made was, undoubtedly, that stated by Belasco.—A -dramatization of Mrs. Babcock’s story of “A Japanese Nightingale” was -produced by Klaw & Erlanger, at Daly’s Theatre, New York, November 19, -1903, with Miss Margaret Illington as <i>Yuki</i>, its chief female -personage: the production of that play, it was generally understood in -theatrical circles at the time when it was made, was designed to exhibit -the authentic investiture and interpretation of a tragedy of Japan and -thus to display the artistic and managerial superiority of Messrs. Klaw -and Erlanger to Belasco: it was acted at Daly’s forty-four times and -then withdrawn.</p> - -<p>On May 30, 1903, the 186th performance of “The Darling of the Gods” -occurred at Belasco’s Theatre, which was then closed for the season. On -June 6, at Minneapolis, Minnesota, Belasco brought to an end a tour by -Mrs. Leslie Carter and a theatrical company of 147 other players, -presenting his “Du Barry,” which began at Brooklyn, New York,</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="fill_007" id="fill_007"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_016.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_016.jpg" width="414" height="579" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>DAVID BELASCO</p> - -<p>About 1889-’90</p> - -<p style="text-align:left;text-indent:0%;"> -Photograph by the Misses Selby.<br /> -Author’s Collection.<br /> -</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_91" id="page_91">{91}</a></span></p> - -<p>December 2, 1902, which comprehended forty-two cities (extending as far -south as Galveston, Texas, and as far west as San Francisco), and which -involved travel of more than 10,000 miles, during most of which the -company was luxuriously transported on special trains.</p> - -<h2><a name="SECOND_SEASON_AT_THE_BELASCO_A_CONTEMPTIBLE_OUTRAGE" id="SECOND_SEASON_AT_THE_BELASCO_A_CONTEMPTIBLE_OUTRAGE"></a>SECOND SEASON AT THE BELASCO.—A CONTEMPTIBLE OUTRAGE.</h2> - -<p>The Belasco Theatre was reopened for its second season, that of -1903-’04, September 16, with a revival of “The Darling of the -Gods,”—acted by the original company,—which held the stage there until -November 14, sixty-four performances being given. On November 16 Mrs. -Carter emerged there in “Zaza,” which was acted for one week and was -followed, on the 23rd, by “Du Barry,” of which sixteen performances were -given. A peculiarly contemptible outrage, incidental to the protracted -campaign of persecution waged against Belasco, was perpetrated on the -first night of the “Zaza,” revival when a process server, employed and -instructed by the disreputable Abraham Hummel, leaped upon the stage -during the performance and served upon Mrs. Carter (who had nothing to -do with the matter) notice of an action at law brought by Miss<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_92" id="page_92">{92}</a></span> Eugenie -Blair and Mr. Henry Gressit against Belasco, in which, alleging rights -of ownership in the play by Charles Frohman (who at the time was also -represented by Hummel), they prayed for an injunction to stop his -presenting “Zaza” in New York. “Few things,” Belasco has said, “could -have distressed me more than the thought that Charles Frohman could be -in any way a party to such conduct.” Among the many miscellaneous papers -which Belasco has permitted me to examine, in compiling material for -this Memoir, is a hurried note from Frohman which indeed reads strangely -in the light of this incident:</p> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>Charles Frohman To David Belasco.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“New York, Friday,<br /> -“(August 30?), 1899.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“Dear Dave:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“Don’t fail me on ‘Shenandoah.’ This is <i>my chance</i>, and you can do -much for me. <i>You know how I depend on you!</i> After our engagement -the tour is arranged as you have asked it. 11 <small>A.M.</small>, Tuesday, Star -Theatre. All details I have people to look after.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“<span class="smcap">Charles.</span>”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p>The great success of “Shenandoah,” which made possible the career of -Charles Frohman, was in large part due to the sagacious and practical -help of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_93" id="page_93">{93}</a></span> Belasco, given in response to this appeal,—and the latter -manager, it seems to me, changing a single word, might well have -exclaimed with the betrayed monarch in Wills’s play about the Martyred -King, “Charles Murray, hast thou waited all these years to pay -me—<i>thus!</i>” Frohman, Belasco has informed me, assured him, long -afterward, when Gentle Peace had enfolded all their contentions, that he -was not priorly cognizant of Hummel’s outrageous instructions: -well,—perhaps he was not: but, if he was not, it is a pity he did not -so declare at the time of his quondam friend’s persecution and so shield -himself from contempt. Belasco’s lawyer, the Hon. A. J. Dittenhoefer, -commenting on this needless and shameful interruption of a public -performance, observed that “The case has remarkable features. As Mr. -[Charles] Frohman is half-owner of the play with Mr. Belasco, he is -really being served with papers by his own lawyers; moreover, Mrs. -Carter is not named in the papers, and it is against all precedent and -decency to serve them on her in such a way. They should have been served -on Mr. Belasco, or on the box-office, which stood open. There has been -plenty of time and ample opportunity for that.” Of course there had been -“plenty of time and ample opportunity”!—but such orderly and decent -service would not have annoyed and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_94" id="page_94">{94}</a></span> distressed a nervous, impulsive, -sensitive man, whom it was desired to harass and injure.—The injunction -asked for was denied by Justice Scott, December 11, 1903.</p> - -<h2><a name="HENRIETTA_CROSMAN_AND_SWEET_KITTY_BELLAIRS" id="HENRIETTA_CROSMAN_AND_SWEET_KITTY_BELLAIRS"></a>HENRIETTA CROSMAN AND “SWEET KITTY BELLAIRS.”</h2> - -<p>On June 15, 1900, Belasco entered into an agreement with the English -fiction writer Egerton Castle by which he obtained optional rights of -producing dramatizations of five novels by that author and his wife and -collaborator, Agnes Castle. He relinquished his rights in four of those -novels, “Young April,” “The Pride of Jennico,” “The Star Dreamer,” and -“The Secret Orchard,” but he exercised them with regard to a fifth, “The -Bath Comedy,” upon which he based a play. His purpose, originally, was -to bring forth Blanche Bates in its central character, when “The Darling -of the Gods” should have ceased to hold public interest. Many reasons, -however,—chief among them desire to please Mr. Castle by an early -production,—caused him to change his plan. He, accordingly, in January, -1903, engaged the accomplished actress Miss Henrietta Crosman to assume -the principal part in the play which he had founded on Mr. Castle’s -story, and, on November 23, of the same year,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_95" id="page_95">{95}</a></span> at the Lafayette Square -Opera House, Washington, D. C., he produced it for the first time, under -the title of “Sweet Kitty Bellairs.” Pursuant of what was, I am -convinced, a deliberate plan to harass Belasco and hinder him in his -managerial enterprises, the lawsuit instituted by Joseph Brooks -(incidents of which have already been recounted) was brought almost in -the moment of that first performance. Belasco, however, had grown -accustomed to persecution and remained unperturbed by it. On being -notified, November 24, of Brooks’s allegation in the matter and asked -for a statement, he dismissed the subject in two sentences: “It is,” he -said, “a pack of lies, and I am too busy with this production -[“Bellairs”] to make any answer to these persons [meaning Brooks and his -associates] now. When I am disengaged I will make a reply.”</p> - -<p>Belasco’s presentment of his “Sweet Kitty Bellairs,”—made for the first -time in New York, December 9, 1903, at the Belasco Theatre,—revealed a -comedy as well as a spectacle, because, while it satiated the vision -with luxuriance of ornament and color, it set a truthful and piquant -picture of manners in the jewelled framework of a story generally -credible and always romantic as well as at once humorous and tender, -merry and grave. The central purpose of it is the display of a study in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_96" id="page_96">{96}</a></span> -womanhood, an exceptional female character, a peculiar and fascinating -type; and the predominant attribute of it, accordingly, is sexuality. -The dashing coquette of old English fiction lives again in his <i>Kitty -Bellairs</i>,—not precisely <i>Lady Froth</i>, <i>Lady Bellaston</i>, <i>Mrs. Rackett</i> -or <i>Mrs. Delmaine</i>, but a purified, glorified ideal of those gay, -tantalizing, roguish dames, a creature of sensuous beauty and reckless -behavior, whose whole occupation in life is the bewitchment of man; and, -in a silver fabric of gossamer comedy, this siren and all her associates -are engaged in adjusting their amatory relations. In other words, this -is a play of intrigue.</p> - -<p>“The Bath Comedy” is an extravagant and flimsy novel, and the dramatist -derived but little material from it,—that little, however, comprising -the jealous, peppery, belligerent, irrational husband; the silly, pretty -wife, with her saccharine endearments and ever-ready tears; the -ingenuous young nobleman, <i>Lord Verney</i>, so readily dazzled; and the -burly, genial, blundering ardent Irish soldier, <i>O’Hara</i>, so fond and -faithful, so rich in desert, and, at the last, so completely forlorn. -Expert use is made, likewise, of the diverted love-letter, inclosing the -tress of red hair. No spectacle, indeed, could, intrinsically, be -funnier than that presented by the enraged, suspicious, tumultuous -husband, intent on fighting<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_97" id="page_97">{97}</a></span> with every red-haired man in Bath, in order -to be avenged on the unknown epistolary suitor of his absolutely -innocent wife. Taking this bull-headed mistake as a pretext for action, -and taking as a basis <i>Kitty’s</i> wicked scheme for the relief of <i>Lady -Standish</i>,—who has temporarily wearied her husband by her dulness and -who will be taught to win and hold him by gay indifference and the -piquant allurement of coquetry,—Belasco built a structure of story and -action practically original and certainly brilliant. Writing on this -subject, he modestly says: “The dramatization was not easy: I was -obliged to add to the plot, but I used the atmosphere and characters of -the book,”—and, it may be added, contrived to fashion a charming and -effective comedy where, perhaps, any other dramatist of the time would -have failed.</p> - -<p>After an insipid Prologue, in crude rhyme, the old English city of Bath -is shown, in a beautiful picture, and therein is displayed a populous, -animated scene, constructed to exhibit as a background the raiment, -manners, morals, and pursuits of Bath society, in the butterfly days -that Smollett and Sheridan have made immortal. Then the story,—slender -and frail but amply adequate for its light purpose,—is rapidly -disclosed. <i>Kitty Bellairs</i> will help <i>Lady Standish</i> to bewitch her -indifferent hus<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_98" id="page_98">{98}</a></span>band by making him jealous; and when, through <i>Kitty’s</i> -artful roguery, his dangerous wrath is directed against <i>Lord Verney</i>, -whom she would like to have for her own sweetheart, she will intervene -to prevent the impending duel and will implicate herself in a most -disastrous and distressing tangle of comic trouble. Two situations ensue -that are essentially dramatic and that also involve affecting and -enjoyable elements of pathos and humor. <i>Kitty</i> and <i>Lady Standish</i>, -having proceeded to <i>Lord Verney’s</i> lodging, in hope to avert a -catastrophe that their mischief has invoked, are in peril of -compromising discovery there, and at the climax <i>Kitty</i> takes upon -herself the apparent disgrace and shame by coming forward to shield her -friend. Later, in the thronged assembly-room,—in a pageant of almost -unprecedented magnificence,—the brilliant <i>Bellairs</i>, ostracized by the -ladies of Bath, appeals to <i>Lady Standish</i> for vindication and finds -that spineless comrade too weak and too timid to speak the truth. The -latter incident provides the supreme moment of the comedy, and, however -much its probability may be questioned, no spectator of it, adequately -acted, will for an instant doubt its theatrical effect. The preparations -for it are made with extraordinary skill. The scenic adjuncts to it -provided by Belasco were of royal opulence. It is<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_99" id="page_99">{99}</a></span> fraught with -emotional suspense; it is a sharp surprise, and it has the decisive -potentiality of a dramatic act. Later the scene shifts to a Bristol -tavern, where <i>Lady Betty</i> makes a tardy explanation, retrieving the -wrong, while <i>Verney</i> and <i>O’Hara</i> and the rest of the soldiers march -away,—in a storm, most deftly managed (as Belasco showed it), of wind -and pouring rain,—and <i>Sweet Kitty Bellairs</i> is left in possession of -the field, a little rueful, perhaps, but rehabilitated and triumphant. -This close seemed somewhat tame, as a sequel to the ballroom effulgence, -but it was inevitable: after the clock has struck twelve it must -necessarily strike one. There is no thirteen.</p> - -<p>The antique moralist, while gazing on that gorgeous spectacle,—“the -teacup time of hood and hoop, or when the patch was worn,”—might, -perhaps, be moved to inquire whether women, in their traffic with the -impulses of love, the caprices of their own sex and the follies of the -other, do really think and act as they are made to think and act in this -play of Belasco’s: but, as the antique moralist knows nothing whatever -about women, he would only bewilder himself by such interrogatory. -Enough to know, in gazing on that spectacle, that it dazzles his vision -and that the story pleases his fancy. He sees a woman to whom humdrum -conventionality is intol<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_100" id="page_100">{100}</a></span>erable; a woman who is fearless alike of -vindictive feminine spite and insolent masculine tolerance; a woman who -can be magnanimous; a woman who is nothing if not brilliant: and all -this ought to content even a cynic. The dramatist has made <i>Kitty -Bellairs</i> much more of a woman and <i>Lord Verney</i> much more of a man than -they were in the Castle novel,—where, indeed, <i>Bellairs</i> is -unprincipled and heartless and <i>Verney</i> foolish: a coarse flirt and a -callow milksop. Evil influence may be incarnate, without evil deed. In -the play this heroine is a thoroughly noble, gentle, and tender woman, -underneath her panoply of mirth and mischief, and she acts from a good -heart, and not from mere vanity and sensuous caprice. Miss Crosman -entered into this character with absolute sympathy, and, as to the -glittering side of it, so embodied it as to create a cogent effect of -nature. There is an appeal made by <i>Kitty</i> to her Irish and other -military friends, when they behold her in apparent disgrace, that -strikes the true note of pathos, and, in the speaking of this, Miss -Crosman eloquently and nobly expressed the dignity of conscious virtue, -while in the denotement of tenderness she much exceeded -expectation,—because tenderness is not characteristic of her acting in -general, the drift of her temperament and style setting toward pert -assurance, skittish</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_011" id="ill_011"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_017.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_017.jpg" width="392" height="555" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>HENRIETTA CROSMAN AS <i>MISTRESS KITTY BELLAIRS</i>, IN “SWEET -KITTY BELLAIRS”</p> - -<p>Photograph -by Sarony. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_101" id="page_101">{101}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">sport, sparkling raillery, and sprightly banter. <i>Kitty’s</i> attitude, -during most of the comedy, is that of a maker of innocent -mischief,—with a spice of wickedness in it,—and she complicates -everything from pure love of drollery. This Miss Crosman made perfectly -and delightfully clear. The dilemma in Act Second, when <i>Kitty</i> and -<i>Lady Betty</i> are surprised in the bedroom at <i>Verney’s</i>, and the -exaction of an hysterical outburst at the end of Act Third a little -overtaxed the strength of the actress; but her impersonation of <i>Kitty -Bellairs</i> lives in memory and is treasured for unity of purpose and -consistency of method, blithe spirit and buoyant action, sentiment -sweetly denoted beneath arch pleasantry and many winning graces of -manner, inflection, and playful prettiness. Belasco gained a new and -lasting laurel of success with this production, in which all points had -been well considered and nothing left to chance. The first performance -in New York was given in the presence of a brilliant and delighted -multitude. The final curtain did not fall till after midnight,—but</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Noiseless falls the foot of Time<br /></span> -<span class="i1">That only falls on flowers.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>This is the original cast of “Sweet Kitty Bellairs”: -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_102" id="page_102">{102}</a></span></p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“<i>They lived in that past Georgian day</i><br /></span> -<span class="i1"><i>When men were less inclined to say</i><br /></span> -<span class="i1"><i>That ‘Time is gold’ and overlay</i><br /></span> -<span class="i1"><i>With toil their pleasures.</i>”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p class="c"><i>IN THE PROLOGUE.</i></p> - -<hr /> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>Master of Ceremonies</i></td><td class="rt">Mark Smith, Jr.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>The Prologue will be spoken by</i></td><td class="rt">Antoinette Walker.</td></tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<p class="c"><i>IN THE PLAY.</i></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="font-size:90%;margin:1em auto;max-width:60%;"> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Sir Jasper Standish</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">John E. Kellerd.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Col. the Hon. Henry Villiers</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">Edwin Stevens.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Captain Spicer</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td align="left">Frank H. Westerton.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Lord Verney, Lieut.</i></td><td class="cbrd">Of the</td><td align="left">Charles Hammond.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mr. Tom Stafford, Lieut.</i></td><td class="cbrd">51st</td><td align="left">James Carew.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mr. Bob Chichester, Lieut.</i> </td><td class="cbrd">Regiment.</td><td align="left">Clyde Fogel.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Gandy, Private</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td align="left">Addison Pitt.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Fenwick, Private</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td align="left">Shelley Hull.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>The Bishop of Bath and Wells</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">H. Rees Davies.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Col. Kimby McFiontan</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">R. Peyton Carter.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Capt. Denis O’Hara</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td align="left"> J. Malcolm Dunn.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Major Owen MacTeague</i></td><td class="cbrd">Of the</td><td align="left">Alfred Cahill.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mr. Lanty MacLusky, Lieut.</i></td><td class="cbrd"> “Inniskillings.” </td><td align="left">Douglas Wood.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mr. Darby O’Donovan, Cornet.</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">Emmet Lennon.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mallow</i></td><td> </td><td align="left">Stanley Drewitt.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>The Innkeeper of the Bear Inn</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">Harold Watts.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>First Courier</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">Howard Hull.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Second Courier</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">S. K. Blair.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Post Boy</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">William Whitney.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mistress Kitty Bellairs</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">Henrietta Crosman.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Lady Standish (Julia)</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">Katharine Florence.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Lady Marie Prideaux</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">Louise Moodie.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Lady Bab Flyte</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">Edith Crane.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mistress Bate-Coome</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">Genevieve Reynolds.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Hon. Mrs. Beaufort</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">Charlotte Nicoll Weston.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Miss Prue</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">Bernice Golden.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Miss Doll</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">Sybil Klein.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Miss Debby</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">Jane Cowl.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Miss Sally</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">Lydia Winters.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Selina</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">Lillian Coffin.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Lydie</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">Estelle Coffin.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Barmaid of the Bear Inn</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">Mignon Hardt.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Clorinde</i> </td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left"> Mrs. Irvin Chapman.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Dorothea</i> </td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left"> Gertrude Dorrance.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Arabella</i> </td><td class="cbrd"><i>Mrs. Bate-Coome’s</i></td><td align="left"> Edith Rowland.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Angela</i></td><td class="cbrd">daughters.</td><td align="left"> Helen Hale.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Marjorie</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td align="left"> Edna Griffen.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mistress Tilney</i></td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">Sara Delaro.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_103" id="page_103">{103}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="SIDE-LIGHT_AND_COMMENTARY_ON_SWEET_KITTY" id="SIDE-LIGHT_AND_COMMENTARY_ON_SWEET_KITTY"></a>SIDE-LIGHT AND COMMENTARY ON “SWEET KITTY.”</h2> - -<p>“Sweet Kitty Bellairs” was acted at the Belasco Theatre until June 4, -1904, when the season ended and that house was closed. It was revived -there in the fall, September 3, and, with Miss Crosman in its chief -part, was subsequently acted in many other cities. In the season of -1905-’06, Miss Crosman having retired from Belasco’s management, it was -again revived, with Miss Bertha Galland as <i>Kitty</i>, and on October 5, -1907, with Miss Eva Moore in that part, it was played at the Haymarket -Thea<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_104" id="page_104">{104}</a></span>tre, London. On February 3, 1904, while this comedy was in the full -tide of its first success, one of the many groundless suits against -Belasco, accusing him of plagiarism, was brought by Grace B. Hughes, -otherwise known as Mary Montagu, who asserted that Belasco’s play was an -infringement of one by her, entitled “Sweet Jasmine,” and applied for an -injunction to stop him from further presentment of it. Her application -was argued before Justice E. Henry Lacombe, March 18, and on March 26 -was denied. One of the most vicious propensities of newspaper journalism -was sharply illustrated in connection with Miss Montagu’s wanton -aspersion on Belasco’s honesty: when it was <i>made</i>, her charge of -plagiarism was generally and conspicuously published by the press; when -it was <i>disproved</i>, it ceased to be “live news” and merely curt and, in -general, obscure record was made of the issue. Minor “resemblances” -between the two plays, adduced by the complainant in this action by way -of substantiating her charge of literary theft, were such as the facts -that in both a military band played music; in both “green” is mentioned -as the color of grass, and in both a lover states the nature of his -feeling toward the woman he loves. Yet, without any possibility of -redress, Belasco was compelled to expend energy, time, and money on -making<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_105" id="page_105">{105}</a></span> a serious defence against the preposterous accusations of -irresponsible frivolity! To oppose and defeat the suit of Miss Montagu -cost him a large sum. There is no reasonable doubt that, in the majority -of cases, such accusations of plagiarism as those which have been -brought against Belasco are made in hope that the person accused will -buy off the accuser as the quickest and cheapest way of ending -annoyance. Belasco, however, has never gratified such hope; and he -assured me: “I never will—for I prefer to lose a thousand dollars in -money and ten thousand in time and trouble rather than to submit to -blackmail.” In denying the writ applied for by this impudent defamer the -court declared that “No direct evidence of copying, either of language -or dramatic situation, is shown. A comparison of the two plays shows -that <i>they are wholly dissimilar in plot, in characters, in text, and in -dramatic situations</i>. The climax of one act in each piece was -principally relied upon in argument—where the unexpected discovery of -the leading character in a place where she should not be makes a -dramatic situation.... This is an old device; it was common property to -all playwrights since Sheridan used it in ‘The School for Scandal’ [And -since long before that time!—W. W.]. Analyzing the details of the -situations as presented in these<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_106" id="page_106">{106}</a></span> two plays, the points of <i>essential -difference</i> so far outnumber the points of similarity that it is -difficult to understand how anyone could persuade himself that one was -taken from the other.”—The following letters provide an interesting -side-light and commentary on the history of “Bellairs”:</p> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>David Belasco to Egerton Castle, in London.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“Cartwright Cottage,<br /> -“Manhanset Manor, New York,<br /> -“August 29, 1904.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“My dear Mr. Castle:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“You must pardon me for not replying to your letter. I am much run -down by overwork, and as I had to finish Mrs. Carter’s new play for -the coming season besides much other work my doctor ordered me to -the Adirondack Mountains, and before going I gave orders to my -secretary to keep all mail for me until my return. Thank you for -the story you sent. It is charming, but as it so closely follows -the line of ‘Sweet Kitty Bellairs,’ and as that play has made such -a success, I am afraid that another on the same subject and in the -same period would fall flat in this country. So if anyone applies -to you for the rights you will understand that I relinquish them.</p> - -<p>“Next week ‘Sweet Kitty’ opens at my theatre for a few weeks, then -it will be started off on tour. I need not tell you the condition -of things theatrical in America. The Syndicate has brought nothing -but disgrace and humiliation to the profession. Things artistic are -at their lowest ebb. Last season was the worst financially the -theatres ever<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_107" id="page_107">{107}</a></span> experienced. Many fortunes were lost. Outside of -‘Sweet Kitty Bellairs’ I don’t think any manager produced a -success. Of course I lost money on the production. A play of that -period is expensive, and as I make my productions perfect it -invariably takes me a year to get back the original cost. This -coming season is the year of the Presidential Election, which -always hurts the theatres, but I think we shall do well on tour -because of our New York success. I think it inadvisable to attempt -‘Sweet Kitty’ in England until after its first tour in this -country. If by chance it should slip up over in London it would -hurt our prospects for the play here. While the papers attach very -little importance to a play successfully produced in England, they -cable over a failure with sensational particulars, and it hurts all -throughout the country. I think it would be wise to arrange for the -production of ‘Sweet Kitty’ in London later, making the -arrangements during the coming season, but, as I stated, I don’t -think it would be well to produce it yet.</p> - -<p>“Hope that you are meeting with every success. With best wishes to -Mrs. Castle and yourself,</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Faithfully,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">David Belasco</span>.”<br /> -</p> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>David Belasco to Egerton Castle, in London.</i>)</p> - -<p class="r"> -“The Belasco Theatre,<br /> -“New York, March 3, 1905.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“My dear Mr. Castle:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“Your letter of February 5 received. I regret very much that ‘Sweet -Kitty Bellairs’ has not done better than it has. But I am -constrained to attribute this to the fact that, in order to please -you, I put it on during an unpropitious season, when there was -little or no interest in plays of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_108" id="page_108">{108}</a></span> Georgian period, because the -country was surfeited with them—with comic operas of the -Eighteenth Century, and revivals of Sheridan. Again, I myself had -just finished the production of ‘Du Barry,’ which, while it is of a -more regal nature than ‘Bellairs,’ is still of the Eighteenth -Century, a costume play of manners and customs. All this tended to -take from ‘Kitty’ the charm of novelty, a detraction which could -not be overcome by the fact that I spent more than $65,000 on the -production and gave it a cast comprising some of the highest -salaried artists in America.</p> - -<p>“It was my intention to hold the play in reserve for Miss Bates, -and produce it this year, with her in the title rôle. She is one of -my own stars, and very popular. Had I done so, waiting for the -flood of plays of that period to cease, I am convinced the result -would have been far different.</p> - -<p>“Miss Crosman closes in April, and I shall then recall the company, -store the production and send it out when the road conditions in -this country are more favorable. I believe it to be a valuable -piece of property over here, and that it may yet make enough money -to enable me to get back at least my original outlay. My loss up to -date on the play is $50,000.</p> - -<p>“In regard to the English production, I deem it inadvisable to -commit myself at present, because I yet hope to have a theatre of -my own in London, and, in consequence, am saving all my material -for that time. Moreover, in ‘Kitty Bellairs’ I know so well the -things that made it a great artistic success in this country, and -there are so many details about the production to need my personal -supervision, that I should really be afraid to let it be put on -without me. To make the play ‘go’ at all, it must have a special -cast, without which its fate would be foredoomed, and I do not care -to trust the selection of this cast to another. In short, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_109" id="page_109">{109}</a></span> -English production is a risk I do not wish to take, until I can -give it my own personal attention.</p> - -<p>“With kindest regards, I am</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Faithfully,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">David Belasco</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<h2><a name="THE_DARLING_IN_LONDON_A_HEARTY_TRIBUTE" id="THE_DARLING_IN_LONDON_A_HEARTY_TRIBUTE"></a>“THE DARLING” IN LONDON.—A HEARTY TRIBUTE.</h2> - -<p>On December 28, 1903, the English actor and manager Herbert -Beerbohm-Tree produced “The Darling of the Gods,” with notable success, -at His Majesty’s Theatre, London,—himself appearing in it as <i>Zakkuri</i>, -with Miss Marie Löhr as <i>Yo-San</i> and George Relph as <i>Kara</i>. A -characteristic instance of journalistic meanness was then provided by -“The London Times,” which ascribed the beauty and perfection of Japanese -detail in the production to the influence of Mme. Sada Yaco,—a Japanese -eccentricity who had appeared on the stage in London and profoundly -agitated the esthetic circle of “souls” resident in that city. As Tree’s -presentment of the tragedy of Japan was made in faithful adherence to -Belasco’s prompt book thereof and as Belasco never saw the Japanese -actress, either on the stage or off, it would be interesting to learn in -what manner her “influence” was exerted on him or his work. It is -pleasant to turn from such paltry carping to read the hearty tribute -paid by Tree,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_110" id="page_110">{110}</a></span> speaking from the stage of his theatre, in grateful -acknowledgment of public approval:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Ladies and Gentlemen:—I thank you for this splendid, wonderful -reception of ‘The Darling of the Gods,’ but I must tell you that -all the credit for what you have seen here goes across the ocean to -that great idealist and genius of the Theatre, my comrade David -Belasco, whom I so much admire. Never in all my career have I -received from anybody [else] such a perfect ’script of a play. -Every detail, every bit of costume, every piece of business, every -light, is set down for us, and every note of music furnished, -making it all so easy to produce this play that we can only claim -credit for carrying out instructions! Concerning the genius and -imagination that created it all and is responsible for it all,—I -must say that, knowing him as I do, I can see that it is all -Belasco-Belasco-Belasco, from the rise to the fall of the curtain. -Words are inadequate to pay tribute to him; but I shall have the -pleasure of sending him a cable to-night, to tell him how -tremendously you have all enjoyed and applauded this wonderful play -and how grateful we all are to him as well as you!</p> - -<p>“Hereafter, it is my hope that Mr. Belasco and I shall do some work -in collaboration and that I may induce him to send us more of his -productions—perhaps, to bring them over himself and have them -acted for you under his own supervision....”</p></div> - -<p>“Tree was always most generous to me,” Belasco has said; “and his -‘Darling’ speech made me very<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_111" id="page_111">{111}</a></span> happy. I like appreciation and -encouragement when I have worked hard and tried to deserve it. Always -after doing my ‘Darling’ Tree used to address me as ‘Sir David,’ and -several times in public speeches he said that if they had me in England -they would knight me—which was very kind and lovely, but plain ‘Mister -Dave’ is good enough for me!”</p> - -<p>[Just before leaving this country for the last time Tree read Belasco’s -striking play about the spiritual survival of man, “The Return of Peter -Grimm,” and arranged to produce it in London,—an arrangement which was -abrogated by his sudden and untimely death, July 2, 1917.—J. W.]</p> - -<h2><a name="A_STRENUOUS_YEAR" id="A_STRENUOUS_YEAR"></a>A STRENUOUS YEAR.</h2> - -<p>The year 1904 was one of peculiar perplexity and vexation for -Belasco—of incessant strenuous labor and (as I deem) of most malicious -harassment which might well have broken both his health and his spirit -had he not been sustained by vital enthusiasm and a steadfast, -invincible will. In that year he had not only to bear the heavy expense -of producing “Sweet Kitty Bellairs,” together with the loss and -anxieties incident to theatrical manage<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_112" id="page_112">{112}</a></span>ment amid generally disturbed -business conditions and the distraction and annoyance of Miss Montagu’s -monstrous lawsuit, but, also, he had to provide new plays and new -productions for Mrs. Carter and for Warfield, to make his plans for the -future of Blanche Bates, and to encounter at last the open and -unrestricted animosity of the Theatrical Syndicate. “I am,” Belasco has -truly said about himself (1903), “a patient and peaceful man: I don’t -want to fight with anybody. I want to attend to <i>my</i> business in <i>my own -way</i>—to do my work unmolested and to interfere with nobody. But neither -will I permit anybody to interfere with <i>me</i>, or to dictate to me, if I -am able to resist.” And speaking of Belasco’s course in theatrical -management, his general representative, B. F. Roeder, publicly declared -at about the same time (June, 1903): “Mr. Belasco’s policy will remain -exactly what it has always been. He will be independent of all factions -and [will] place his companies wherever he can get the best terms and -time.” Such a policy, indisputably right as it is, was not one which the -Theatrical Syndicate would brook, and it soon brought that oppressive -monopoly into direct and open conflict with Belasco in the conduct of -his business. Foreseeing an immense popular interest in the World’s Fair -(Louisiana Purchase Exposition)<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_113" id="page_113">{113}</a></span> at St. Louis, in 1904, Belasco resolved -that his superb production of “The Darling of the Gods” should -concurrently be presented there. He felt great and wholly natural and -frank pride in that production: he knew that he could not much longer -hold together the company acting in it, and he desired that as many -persons as possible should see his tragedy to the best advantage. When, -however, he applied to the Syndicate booking agency, presided over by -Mr. A. L. Erlanger, to arrange for an engagement in St. Louis, during -“the Fair,” he was informed that it could not be done. He thereupon -instructed his own booking agent, an experienced manager, William G. -Smyth, to arrange for presentment of “The Darling of the Gods” at an -independent theatre there, the Imperial, and his order was at once -obeyed. It is not worth while to relate in detail the story of the -attempt to coerce Belasco into cancelling that engagement: it is enough -to state that (as he told me at the time) when it had proved impossible -to intimidate him the uncouth Erlanger destroyed the contracts -previously executed through his agency, between Belasco and theatre -managers in various cities,—and, in profane and insulting language, -sent him notice that he could not thereafter present his productions in -<i>any</i> Syndicate theatre.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_114" id="page_114">{114}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="WARFIELD_IN_THE_MUSIC_MASTER_AN_ANIMATED_SPEECH" id="WARFIELD_IN_THE_MUSIC_MASTER_AN_ANIMATED_SPEECH"></a>WARFIELD IN “THE MUSIC MASTER.”—AN ANIMATED SPEECH.</h2> - -<p>Once committed to “open war” with the Trust and having got the St. Louis -engagement of Miss Bates securely arranged, Belasco turned to completion -of the plays for Warfield and Mrs. Carter. He had, at first, intended to -write the Warfield piece unaided, but the demands on his time and -strength had rendered that impossible and he had employed the late -Charles Klein (1867-1915) to work with him. “I had,” he said, “given -much thought to the subject of the play I needed for Warfield, but with -all my other responsibilities and cares I found that I must get somebody -else to do much of the actual writing. One night while having supper in -a restaurant with Roeder, after the play, I told him that I was going to -ask Klein to undertake it. ‘Well,’ Roeder said, ‘this is a good time to -ask him—here he comes,’ and Klein, who had just come in, walked over to -our table and told me he had been thinking for some time about writing a -play for Warfield! I told him what I had in mind, and before we -separated we had agreed to do the piece together.”</p> - -<p>The outcome of that agreement was the play of “The Music Master,” which -was produced for the</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_012" id="ill_012"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_018.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_018.jpg" width="391" height="558" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Sarony. <span style="margin-left:15%;">The Albert Davis Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DAVID WARFIELD AS <i>HERR ANTON VON BARWIG</i>, IN “THE MUSIC MASTER<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_115" id="page_115">{115}</a></span>”</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">first time at the Young’s Pier Theatre, Atlantic City, New Jersey, on -September 12, 1904. “The Music Master” is not remarkable for either -originality of design or felicity of construction, but it is pure in -spirit, interesting in story, picturesque in setting, and healthful in -influence, and it was apparent from the first that it would have a long -and abundantly prosperous career. There has been on our Stage such -excessive exposition of vice and degradation, of the possible depravity -of human conduct and wickedness of human motive, that it was an active -benefaction to place such a play before the public, a positive blessing -to receive the privilege of mental contact with its pure and noble ideal -of humanity. It was announced, without qualification, as having been -written by Charles Klein: that was an injustice. It is, in fact, a -patchwork,—in the form in which Klein first shaped it being based to -some extent on a play by Felix Morris (1847-1900) called “The Old -Musician,” and then made over by Belasco, with a distinctively -perceptible interfusion of dramatic expedients from that fine old drama -“Belphégor; or, The Mountebank.” The central person, <i>Herr Anton von -Barwig</i>, the Music Master, is a German musician, of a familiar -type,—peculiar but attractive; impassioned but gentle; droll but -piteous;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_116" id="page_116">{116}</a></span> fervid but patient: an image of moral dignity and -self-sacrifice,—and the posture of situations and incidents that have -been utilized for his presentment shows him as a loving father, -occupied, under conditions of almost sordid adversity, in a quest for -his daughter, whom an unworthy wife and mother has taken from him, -flying, with a paramour, from Germany to the United States, whither he -has followed them. That daughter, at last, he finds and, in -circumstances cruel to himself, practically befriends by keeping the -secret of her paternity. The conspicuous attributes of this -person,—attributes blended and interwoven beneath a serio-comic surface -of foreign manner and broken English,—are, intrinsically (of course -with variant investiture), those that have long endeared such characters -as <i>Michonnet</i>, <i>Triplet</i>, <i>Mr. Peggotty</i>, <i>Caleb Plummer</i>, and <i>Doctor -Primrose</i>: attributes, namely, of love, charity, fidelity, fortitude, -patience, humor, simplicity, spontaneous goodness, and an unconscious -grace equally of conduct, manner, and thought. The purpose, manifestly, -was to place an eccentric, gentle, affectionate, humorous, and somewhat -forlorn elderly man in a predicament of sad circumstance, and in that -way to arouse pity and stimulate the promptings of charitable impulse. -That purpose was accomplished; and therefore, aside from all -con<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_117" id="page_117">{117}</a></span>sideration of its inspiration and while the play is neither novel -with invention, potent with strong dramatic effect, nor brilliant with -polished dialogue, it possesses the solid worth of fidelity to simple -life, the charm of diversified character, and the beauty of deep, -tender, human feeling.</p> - -<p>It was a wise choice to combine those attributes into a stage figure, -and David Warfield,—finding himself liberated, mind and heart, into a -congenial character,—gained in embodying it the most substantial -success of his professional career,—making of that figure a vital -emblem of heroism that is never flamboyant and virtue that is never -insipid; an image of paternal affection that typifies innate dignity of -character and the sweet, gentle, lovely patience of pure -self-abnegation. In earlier performances this comedian was almost -exclusively photographic; but time, thought, and practice,—the forces -that constitute experience,—gradually expanded and ripened his art, and -in his performance of this part (when repetition had eliminated -excessive nervous trepidation and made it “a property of easiness” to -him) he showed intuitive insight and was deeply pathetic. That is true -success; because the higher purpose of acting a play is not proclamation -of the talents of an actor, but liberation and enforcement of the utmost -of beneficial<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_118" id="page_118">{118}</a></span> influence upon an audience that a play contains. Warfield -in “The Music Master” conquered by the two great virtues of simplicity -and sincerity. The principal artistic defects in the -personation—defects conspicuous in all Warfield’s acting and to the -elimination of which he seems to be curiously indifferent—were a hard, -metallic voice and a poor method of elocution. The best dramatic -expedient in the play is that by which the father’s dubious, inchoate -recognition of the daughter is confirmed. At that point and in the -sequent situation (“lifted” from “Belphégor”) the actor evinced -sympathetic delicacy and tempestuous fervor. The closing scenes of the -play are marred by episodes of irrelevant incident and by prolixity, -obscurity and artifice, in the long-drawn passage of parental and filial -recognition,—which, indeed, requires but a glance.</p> - -<p>Belasco has written the following reminiscence of the production of “The -Music Master,” in which he shows just appreciation of the destructive -result of those excessive expedients of stage “realism” which, in some -of his earlier productions, impaired precisely the <i>effect</i> they were -designed to create:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“We always spoke of <i>von Barwig</i> as ‘the music teacher.’ Naturally -that became the name of the play; but as the character grew our -musician impressed us as a master, and our title was changed to -‘The Music Master.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_119" id="page_119">{119}</a></span>’</p> - -<p>“I think there were at least fourteen versions of this -comedy-drama. Even after the cast was engaged, we went over the -manuscript again. The entire Supper Scene in the First Act was -written while the company was assembled on the stage; so, too, was -the ending of the play. Such radical alterations were made at the -last rehearsal that one of the acts was almost entirely rewritten. -We had a scene, wherein <i>von Barwig</i> dreamed of his past life in -Leipzig. While the stage was dark, a double took Warfield’s place -in the armchair and remained in view of the audience while Warfield -himself moved through the following scenes. He was shown as a young -man, writing the intermezzo which was to bring him fame and -fortune. Then he was seen directing the orchestra, then in his -home, where he came fresh from his triumph, to find a note from his -wife, telling of her departure, and on the floor a broken toy,—the -toy by which after many years he was to identify his daughter. -These scenes were mounted on movable platforms, easily set in place -without loss of time. They were shown with telling effect at -rehearsals, but I felt that the beauty of the actor’s art was -hampered by machinery. While Warfield was making quick changes, -hurrying on and off the stage, the beautiful simplicity of his work -was lost. The artist was of less importance than scenic changes and -effects. ‘This is not a spectacular play,’ I thought, ‘all these -external matters are carrying us too far from this man’s -performance.’ To the surprise of everyone, I ordered the scenes cut -out. Instead, I showed Warfield sitting in revery, and by means of -his changing expression and a few phrases dropped now and then the -story of his past was conveyed to the spectators. His simple acting -made it all as clear as though I had really used the various -scenes. At the same time attention was centred on the actor, not<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_120" id="page_120">{120}</a></span> -on canvas.... The Last Act represented an attic with a skylight -with its cracked panes stuffed with cloths which fluttered -violently in the wind until some of them fell out and snow drifted -through the openings. I liked the snowstorm very much, as it -accentuated the misery of the characters grouped about a little -stove. Warfield did not like the storm, but he did not wish to say -so; so he took a novel way to be rid of it. ‘Brrr!’ he said as he -walked off the stage, ‘I’m cold! The snowstorm is so realistic it -has given me a chill!’ I ordered the weather changed at once....”</p></div> - -<p>“The Music Master,” when first acted in New York,—at the original -Belasco Theatre, September 26, 1904,—was cast as follows:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="font-size:90%;margin:1em auto;max-width:60%;"> - -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Herr Anton von Earwig</i></td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> David Warfield.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Signor Tagliafico</i></td><td class="cbrd"> Musicians </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> W.G. Ricciardi.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Mons. Louis Pinac</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> of the </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Louis P. Verande.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Herr August Poons</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> Liberty Café. </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Leon Kohlmar.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Henry A. Stanton</i></td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Campbell Gollan.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Andrew Cruger</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> William Boag.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Beverly Cruger</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> J. Carrington Yates.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Mr. Schwarz</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Alfred Hudson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Mr. Ryan</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Tony Bevan.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Al. Costello</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Louis Hendricks.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Joles</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Harold Mead.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Ditson</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> H. G. Carlton.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Danny</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Master Richard Kessler.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>A Collector</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Downing Clarke.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Mrs. Andrew Cruger</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Isabel Waldron.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Helen Stanton</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Minnie Dupree.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Miss Houston</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Marie Bates.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Jenny</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Antoinette Walker.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Charlotte</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Sybil Klein.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td valign="top"><i>Octavie</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Jane Cowl.</td></tr> - -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_121" id="page_121">{121}</a></span></p> - -<p>After the Second Act Belasco was many times called before the curtain -and finally, responding to insistent requests, addressed the audience in -an exceptionally animated way, saying:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I hope you will excuse me from making a formal speech; but I am -most happy to take this occasion to say that I am glad you like our -little play and glad that Mr. David Warfield has succeeded. And I -am happy, too, to take this occasion to say publicly how proud I am -of him and how very, very grateful I am for his loyalty to -me—loyalty that no persecution could shake and no malice -undermine! There have been lawsuits, plots, perjuries, and lies; -there have been vexations enough to weary the patience of a saint -(and I am not a saint, ladies and gentlemen!): but Mr. Warfield has -remained through it all unshaken and true to me—and I honor and -thank him: and, ladies and gentlemen, as long as I possess your -confidence and friendship no theatrical syndicates, with all their -money and outside influence, can crush me or dictate to me in what -way I shall conduct my business. I rejoice in Mr. Warfield’s -success, and since this play pleases you, I will only say that our -prosperity is just so much more ammunition with which to continue -the struggle for Justice and the triumph of Right in American -theatrical management!”</p></div> - -<p>The appended letter, written by Belasco during the toil and strain of -preparing his “Music Master” and “Adrea” productions, indicates his -strenuous<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_122" id="page_122">{122}</a></span> labor to make the former a success and his almost diffident -estimate of his practically invaluable contributions to it as a -playwright:</p> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>David Belasco to Charles Klein, at Merriewold Park, N. Y.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“Shelter Island, Long Island,<br /> -“New York, July 10, 1904.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“My dear Charles:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“Act Second is now in the hands of Miss Edith. As you say you have -shipped the Third Act to me I am expecting it any hour. I shall -have Act One typed as soon as possible and fire it off to you. I -hope you will like the things I have done to it. I am so anxious -that your play shall be a sensational hit <i>that I am giving fifteen -hours a day to it</i>. Whatever I do I think will help the cause,—and -after all we are working for a big success. There is too much at -stake for us all not to take off our coats and work for life. You -have been bully, my dear Charles, from start to finish, and now -with good health and with God on our side you shall reap the -benefit of your patience and hard work.—I shall drop the acts -along to you as they leave Miss Edith, and as I said before, I hope -the work I have done on them will please you.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Faithfully<br /> -“<span class="smcap">David Belasco</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<h2><a name="CONCERNING_WARFIELD_JEFFERSON_THE_ELDER_SOTHERN_AND_THE_ONE-PART" id="CONCERNING_WARFIELD_JEFFERSON_THE_ELDER_SOTHERN_AND_THE_ONE-PART"></a> -CONCERNING WARFIELD, JEFFERSON, THE ELDER SOTHERN, AND THE “ONE-PART”<br /> -CUSTOM.—AN AMAZING RECORD.</h2> - -<p>In commenting on Warfield’s great, indeed phenomenal, success and -popularity in “The Music Master,” Belasco writes: “I have no doubt that -he<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_123" id="page_123">{123}</a></span> could become <i>a one-part actor</i> and appear as <i>von Barwig</i> -perennially, just as Jefferson played <i>Rip Van Winkle</i> and Sothern <i>Lord -Dundreary</i>. However, neither he nor I approve of this plan.” It is -singular, indeed, what a strange, delusive, ineradicable effect the -parrot-like repetition of words sometimes creates. Belasco,—like the -majority of other persons who mention the subject,—has got it firmly -established in his mind that Jefferson and Sothern were what he -designates as “one-part actors” (actors who, as he expressly states, -follow a professional course of which he does not approve), and he will, -I suppose, go to his grave serene in the conviction that such was the -case and unconscious of the injustice he does both those great actors. -Yet Sothern gave hundreds of performances in “Sam,” “David Garrick,” -“The Crushed Tragedian,” “Home,” and “An English Gentleman” after his -great success in “Lord Dundreary”; while Jefferson’s repertory embraced -well over 100 parts; for every five performances he gave of <i>Rip</i> he -gave about three of <i>Bob Acres</i>, in “The Rivals,” and,—to the delight -of audiences throughout our country,—he acted, hundreds of times, as -<i>Dr. Pangloss</i>, in “The Heir-at-Law”; <i>Caleb Plummer</i>, in “The Cricket -on the Hearth”; <i>Mr. Golightly</i>, in “Lend Me Five Shillings” (which, by -the way, was the last part he ever played); <i>Dr.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_124" id="page_124">{124}</a></span> Ollapod</i>, in “The Poor -Gentleman”; <i>Hugh de Brass</i>, in “A Regular Fix,” and <i>Mr. Woodcock</i>, in -“Woodcock’s Little Game.” <i>Every</i> exceptionally successful actor is -<i>more</i> popular in some one part than he is in any other, and as it was -with Jefferson in <i>Rip Van Winkle</i> and Sothern in <i>Dundreary</i> so also is -it with Warfield in <i>von Barwig</i>. Yet Warfield certainly is not a -one-part actor,—though for every part he has played in the regular -Theatre, aside from that one (exactly four, that is), Jefferson and -Sothern each played anywhere from fifteen to twenty-five parts. -Warfield, since his initial triumph as <i>von Barwig</i>, thirteen years ago -[1917], has acted in a revival of “The Auctioneer,” and in “A Grand Army -Man,” “The Return of Peter Grimm,” and “Van Der Decken.” Yet, time and -again, wisely and rightly, Belasco has revived for him “The Music -Master,” and always the public,—whether in the greatest cities of the -country or the smallest “one-night stand” which he has visited,—has -hailed him in that piece with joy and flocked in crowds to witness his -touching and lovely performance. During the season of 1906-’07, when he -fulfilled engagements in that play, of four weeks each, at the Majestic -Theatre, Boston, and the Academy of Music, New York, the respective -managers of those houses caused to be prepared, attested under oath,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_125" id="page_125">{125}</a></span> -and delivered as souvenirs to Belasco statements which show that in -eight weeks $171,179.25 was paid for the privilege of seeing Warfield’s -impersonation of <i>von Barwig</i>. That is an amazing record, surpassing any -similar and fairly comparable one known to me, and, therefore, I here -transcribe the items of receipt:</p> - -<p class="c"><i>MAJESTIC THEATRE, BOSTON.</i></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr valign="top"><td>Week ending October 6, 1906 (seven performances),</td><td class="rt">$16,443.50.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td>Week ending October 13, 1906 (seven performances),</td><td class="rt">16,227.75.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td>Week ending October 20, 1906 (eight performances),</td><td class="rt">18,676.50.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td>Week ending October 27, 1906 (eight performances),</td><td class="rt">20,864.00.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td> </td><td class="rtbt">$72,211.75.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p class="c"><i>ACADEMY OF MUSIC, NEW YORK.</i></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr valign="top"><td>Week ending February</td><td>2,</td><td> 1907,</td><td class="rt">$21,857.25.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><span class="ditto">“</span><span class="ditto">“</span><span class="ditto">“</span></td><td align="left">9,</td><td align="left"><span class="ditto">“</span></td><td class="rt">22,249.75.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><span class="ditto">“</span><span class="ditto">“</span><span class="ditto">“</span></td><td align="left">16,</td><td align="left"><span class="ditto">“</span></td><td class="rt">25,149.25.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><span class="ditto">“</span><span class="ditto">“</span><span class="ditto">“</span></td><td align="left">23,</td><td align="left"><span class="ditto">“</span></td><td class="rt">29,711.25.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td> </td><td align="left"> </td><td align="left"> </td><td class="rtbt">$98,967.50.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p>During the engagement at the Academy of Music, in 1907, the highest -price charged for a seat was $1.50.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_126" id="page_126">{126}</a></span></p> - -<p>[Perhaps nothing more conclusively manifests the unbreakable hold of -Warfield on the affections of the American public, in this play, than -the facts that in the present season (1917-’18), notwithstanding the -stress of war and that the character he portrays is a German, his -audiences everywhere have, seemingly, been limited only by the capacity -of the theatres in which he has appeared and that, as Mr. Belasco kindly -informs me, his average gross receipts have been well over $14,000 a -week.—J.W.]</p> - -<p>The first engagement of “The Music Master” at the Belasco Theatre lasted -until January 7, 1905, when it was withdrawn to make way for Mrs. Carter -in “Adrea.” On January 9 it was acted at the old Bijou Theatre, and -remained there until June 3.</p> - -<p>Belasco was subjected to a peculiarly impudent and contemptible -persecution when Joseph Brooks (the factotum of Klaw & Erlanger and, as -asserted by Belasco, a mere “dummy” for that firm) attempted to maintain -a claim of partnership with him in the production and presentment of -“The Music Master.” The contract signed by Brooks and by Belasco, in -1901, providing for professional exploitation of David Warfield, -assigned the contract made in November, 1900, between Belasco and -Warfield, to the Belasco-Brooks “partnership”; and</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_013" id="ill_013"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_019.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_019.jpg" width="555" height="385" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p style="text-align:left;text-indent:0%;">Photograph in Belasco’s Collection.</p> - -<p>SCENE IN FRONT OF THE BELASCO THEATRE, PITTSBURGH, PA.</p> - -<p>Ten o’clock in the morning, December 6, 1906: Opening of the sale of -tickets for David Warfield’s engagement in “The Music Master”</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_127" id="page_127">{127}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">the Belasco-Warfield contract, which covered the seasons of -1901-’02-’03, provided for a renewal at the end of that term. Brooks, -accordingly, after “The Music Master” had been written on Belasco’s -instigation and in large part by him and after it had been produced -solely at his expense and risk, claimed a one-half interest in that -prosperous venture and sought an injunction to prevent the play from -being presented except under management of “Brooks & Belasco.” His claim -was flatly disallowed in a decision of the New York Supreme Court, -rendered by Justice Leventritt on October 31, 1904, in the course of -which the court said:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“...Undisputed proof by affidavit is offered that the [three] -theatrical seasons contemplated [in the Belasco-Warfield contract] -ended about the first of May or at all events before the first of -June. The <i>alleged</i> renewal was made by the plaintiff Brooks -several weeks after this latter date.” Furthermore, held the court, -“Whether the option [of renewal] in fact passed to the firm [of -Belasco & Brooks]; whether, if it did, the plaintiff could exercise -it, are questions open to grave doubt; but, conceding the right of -the plaintiff Brooks, the papers show an exercise of the option -after the close of the third theatrical season and insufficient -proof of a custom that the right survived the termination of the -season.... To enjoin a successful actor’s lucrative performance of -a successful play under (<i>sic</i>) such circumstances, when in -addition no question of financial responsibility is presented, -would be to grant, in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_128" id="page_128">{128}</a></span> advance of trial, on insufficient proof, the -very relief which the action itself seeks. Motion denied, with ten -dollars costs.”</p></div> - -<p>Belasco’s feeling about “The Music Master” and his esteem of and loyalty -to his friend Warfield are pleasantly shown in a declaration which he -made about them several years ago:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“From the time the play opened until the present day I have had -many offers for it. George Edwardes promised an enormous guarantee -if we would come to England. George Newnes, proprietor of ‘The -Strand Magazine,’ said: ‘I am not a theatrical manager, but I want -to bring your play and Mr. Warfield to England.’ Cyril Maude, -Arthur Bourchier, and Sir Herbert Beerbohm-Tree all applied for the -acting rights. Another great fortune could be made out of the piece -were I to allow it to be played in stock and moving pictures, but I -have turned a deaf ear to all inducements. ‘The Music Master’ is -for David Warfield; more than that, The Music Master <i>is</i> David -Warfield.”</p></div> - -<h2><a name="A_SHEAF_OF_OLD_LETTERS_IN_THE_MATTER_OF_THE_THEATRICAL_SYNDICATE" id="A_SHEAF_OF_OLD_LETTERS_IN_THE_MATTER_OF_THE_THEATRICAL_SYNDICATE"></a>A SHEAF OF OLD LETTERS: IN THE MATTER OF THE THEATRICAL SYNDICATE.</h2> - -<p>All of the following letters by Belasco were written during the first -year of “The Music Master,” and they well characterize the purposes of -the Theatrical Syndicate and well indicate Belasco’s lively opposition -to that oppressive monopoly. The second of them is addressed to his -cousin, the son of the famous English actor David James, and it refers<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_129" id="page_129">{129}</a></span> -to a proposal made by the younger actor so named that he should be -brought to America, to act in some of his father’s parts, under the -management of Belasco.</p> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>David Belasco to Blanche Bates.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“Belasco Theatre, New York,<br /> -“September 28, 1904.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“My dear ‘St. Louis Pet’:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“Thanks for your message. It was sweet of you and your dear mother -to think of me. Warfield and his little play hit them <i>hard</i>, and -we have struck another terrific blow in the <i>solar plexus</i> of the -Syndicate.</p> - -<p>“Mrs. Carter’s new play [“Adrea”] is written and I am already at -work on yours [“The Girl of the Golden West”]. I am crazy to see -you and go over the story before I get at the dialogue. As soon as -Mrs. Carter’s play is produced I shall join ‘The Darling of the -Gods’ for a few weeks, as we must have a lot of talks together. I -am going to do something <i>bully</i> for you,—a part that you will -love. Won’t you be happy when you are again playing in New York at -the home theatre!</p> - -<p>“Keep well. Love to your mother,—and remember I am</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Always your friend,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">David Belasco</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>David Belasco to David James, Jr., in London.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“Belasco Theatre,<br /> -“New York, October 14, 1904.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“My dear David James:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“Yours of October the 1st received. Yes, I did answer your former -letter. No doubt it followed you about and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_130" id="page_130">{130}</a></span> was finally lost. -Things theatrical are in a very bad way over here just now, and I -am still in the midst of a big combat with what is known as the -Theatrical Syndicate—a combination of men who have got together to -disgrace the Stage and commercialize it, root and branch. It is -rule or ruin with them, and unless they can force a heavy tribute -from a man he is blacklisted forthwith. I am fortunate enough to be -on their blacklist, and consequently am obliged, for the present, -to move with cautious steps and to make no more productions than I -can safely place. But it is to be hoped that a season or two will -see the lifting of this dark cloud. When that time comes, I shall -be only too happy to introduce you in this country. I know your -work and I feel sure that you would make yourself heard over here -had you the opportunity. Will you not drop me a line now and then? -I am always pleased to hear from you.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Faithfully yours,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">David Belasco</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>David Belasco to Peter Robertson, San Francisco.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="rt"> -“Belasco Theatre, New York,<br /> -“April 25, 1904.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“Dear Peter:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“[E. D.] Price and Fred [Belasco] have been ‘kicking’ about the -vile cigars in San Francisco, so I am sending you a few weeds that -ought to be better than the Barbary Coast perfectos. Sorry I can’t -deliver them in person, but I cannot get away this year; so when -you are smoking them think of your old -Four-o’clock-in-the-morning-pie-chum. Heavens, my dear Peter, I -often think of those dear old days! They were struggling days for -us, to be sure, but sometimes I feel that, at least as far as I am -con<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_131" id="page_131">{131}</a></span>cerned, they were the happiest ones of life. Ambition is a -hard, hard master, and from the moment when I left ’Frisco it has -been constant work-work-work with me, -morning-noon-and-night—winter and summer! I don’t think I have had -half-a-dozen hours to myself in all that time, and to make my lot -easier, away off here in the East, I am surrounded by that -inartistic, low-lived Theatrical Syndicate, which for some reason -or other,—certainly not justly for anything I have done,—has -waged a relentless war against me. And since I cannot with honor -play in Syndicate houses I am sending my stars and productions -anywhere that I can find a roof to cover them. So far they have not -crushed me, as they said they would, for the public and the press -throughout the country have stood by me, and as long as I continue -to deserve their sympathies and friendship I shall be victorious. -In this combine against me, my dear Peter, are Al. Hayman and the -Frohmans, to whom you know I have given the best years of my life, -helping to make fame and fortune for them. Of course, with Charles -Frohman it is jealousy: Daniel Frohman resents not being able to -get my plays for nothing: with the Syndicate it is because they -feared I was getting a little too strong for them. But you knew me -as a boy—in fact, we were boys together—and no one in the world -knows better than you how I can struggle with privation and -adversity. I shall never surrender to this crowd: <i>never</i>—not even -if I am obliged to return to ’Frisco and do chores about a theatre -as you saw me do in the long, long ago.</p> - -<p>“Well, I have written more than I intended to, telling you my -troubles, but I shall make it a rule to send you a line now and -then and let you know all the good and cheerful news of the East. I -would give a finger to be able to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_132" id="page_132">{132}</a></span> drop in on you at this moment -for a cup of coffee and a piece of pie in the little old -restaurant, if it is still in existence, and to have an old-time -heart-to-heart talk. But I hope it won’t be very long before I can -do this. Hurrah! God bless you!</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Faithfully,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">David Belasco</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>Peter Robertson to David Belasco, in New York.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“Bohemian Club, San Francisco, Calif.,<br /> -“May 9, 1904.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“My dear Dave:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“I shall smoke the cigars to your continued success. I was glad to -hear from you; but I don’t sympathize in the least with your -suffering from hard work. I did sympathize much more with you in -the days when you worked,—often quite as hard and got no -salary!—‘faking’ plays for Maguire, at the Baldwin. You would -never be happy, anyway, if you hadn’t your head full of schemes, -and were not constantly producing. Your work has achieved a great -success, and work that has success behind it and success before it -is life at its best. There is nothing so hard as work that has -failure to pull it backward and the prospect of failure to push it -back.</p> - -<p>“<i>I</i>, too, think of the old days of coffee and cake; they were -pleasant, after all; if I had lived much beyond them since they -would still be pleasant to recall. However, my life goes on in its -even tenor, and I make myself as comfortable as possible, though I -do feel something like an old, worn-out hack—so many years I have -gone the same old round. Still, I have not quite given up hope of -better fortune.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_133" id="page_133">{133}</a></span></p> - -<p>“Go on and make your name and fortune greater than ever, and don’t -work yourself up over any Syndicates. They need you more than you -do them.—My regards to Mrs. Belasco and the family, and Fred and -Price.</p> - -<p>“Always yours, “<span class="smcap">Peter</span>.”</p></div> - -<p>Belasco, I surmise, must have smiled a little grimly at this airy -admonition “not to work himself up” about the active antagonism of the -Syndicate: the cheery advice to the weaker party in a conflict, “Go in -and win,” is doubtless excellent, but often, unhappily, it is somewhat -more difficult to follow than it is to give. Viewed from the secluded -tranquillity of the old Bohemian Club—that genial harbor of congenial -spirits—a struggle with the Syndicate may have seemed like a fight with -a phantom. For Belasco it was, and for many years remained, a hard -reality, and had it not been for his wary vigilance and indomitable -resolution he would certainly have been defeated, overwhelmed, and -ruined.—Poor Robertson never realized his “hope of better fortune”: for -several years after 1904 he continued to be the dramatic critic of “The -San Francisco Chronicle”: then, the whole duty of the managing editor -(as defined by my old friend, the journalist William Seaver—“first, to -wring your brains dry; second, to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_134" id="page_134">{134}</a></span> throw you away”) having been -performed, he was dismissed from his employment and, after two or three -years of anxious, dispirited, lonely waiting, he died—and, save by a -few old friends, he is thought of no more.</p> - -<h2><a name="METHOD_OF_COLLABORATION" id="METHOD_OF_COLLABORATION"></a>METHOD OF COLLABORATION.</h2> - -<p>The tragedy of “Adrea,” begun in 1903, was completed before September, -1904, and it was put into rehearsal, at the Belasco Theatre, in October -of the latter year. The following letters which passed between Belasco -and his friend and associate John Luther Long afford an informing -glimpse of their methods of collaboration in authorship, which Belasco -has described in these words: “Before the actual writing of ‘Adrea’ we -had the story [worked out] to the smallest detail. He lived in -Philadelphia, but spent the latter part of each week with me. After the -plot was finished we adopted a new system of collaboration. Mr. Long and -I worked on the scenes apart, then met and joined them together. Then he -revised the result and then I revised the result, and so on, until the -sixth or seventh version found the scene in very good condition.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_135" id="page_135">{135}</a></span>”</p> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>John Luther Long, in Philadelphia, to David Belasco, in New York.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“———, (?) 1903.<br /> -</p> - -<p>“I have now, my dear Goliath, been pretty well over the history of -Rome, once more, and I have found only two places where we <small>MIGHT</small> -possibly stick in our pin. One is the Augustan Era, and Livia and -Julia; the other is the reign of Claudius and Messalina. I don’t -think you would like either. I am sure <i>I</i> don’t! Besides, both -have been done to death. There were <small>NO</small> woman rulers of Rome, and -only one—Messalina—who took much of a hand at politics. I think -we shall finally agree upon some island or mountain plateau—the -latter commends itself because the other has been so often done. I -think we could use either the island of Pandataria in the Adriatic, -or the little island of Ilva in the Mediterranean. We could have -all the Roman splendor there, without the handicap of being, -unhistorically, <small>IN</small> Rome. Here is the scheme which outlines itself -in my mind:</p> - -<p>“When Rome was finally subdued, in <small>A.D.</small> 476, Romulus was on the -throne. He was kicked out and sort of lost—though he is said by -some of the histories I have read to have gone to live privately in -the Campagna. He does not seem to have left any heirs. But let us -give him some. Or <i>one</i>. This one seeks out one of these islands -and takes with him some Romans to build anew the debased Roman -Empire with the blood of the old Patricians alone. It is this -kingdom, several hundred years later,—so that four or five of -Romulus’ descendants may intervene,—where we locate our play. And -now, there are no males of the pure Roman blood and the succession -falls to the two women.</p> - -<p>“I rather dislike the creation of a name, such as Romancia or -Ruritania or such like, and I think we could use<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_136" id="page_136">{136}</a></span> the real name of -the island, if we adopt it. And both are pretty good names. -Pandataria. Ilva. Or we could, as you suggested, make some name out -of the real names: Pinda—Illus—Illa—and so on. All the histories -stop at that wonderful period of ours, 476 <small>A.D.</small>, when our Odvokar -did the trick. (One of them goes on to say that he stops there -because the rest is too indecent for publication!) But I am on the -track of some good books treating of that period—though I don’t -expect to find a woman or a ruler in it all. For, in this period, -<small>ALL</small> the sovereigns, without exception, were elected by the soldiers -in the field and the corrupt pretorians at home—with, once in a -while, the people waking up and saying a word. After I have well -looked up this period, I will run over and we will talk—when you -can spare the time.</p> - -<p>“Don’t forget to tell your girl to send me the copies she makes. If -anything should happen, by fire or flood, you have all the stuff -over there.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Yours,<br /> -“J. L. L.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>David Belasco to John Luther Long, in Philadelphia.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“The Belasco Theatre,<br /> -“New York, April 2, 1904.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“My dear Jonathan:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“You are right about the bench. I had already noted it and called -Buckland’s and Gros’ attention to it, but outside of that -correction, when we make the model, both the scenes will be -corkers, full of the right sentiment and feeling—the atmosphere -perfect. I am running over to see Mrs. Carter to have a talk with -her about certain people for the cast</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="fill_008" id="fill_008"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_020.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_020.jpg" width="411" height="588" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>DAVID BELASCO</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-right:10%;">Inscription:</span><br /> -<br /> -“<i>God bless you, dear friend!<br /> -Faithfully,<br /> -David Belasco.</i>”<br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-right:5%;">“<i>To William Winter, Esqre.</i>”</span><br /> -</p> - -<p style="text-align:left;text-indent:0%;">Photograph by the Misses Selby.<br /> -Author’s Collection.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_137" id="page_137">{137}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="nind">and also a general chat as to the costumer. She is miles deep -planning them already. Before she goes to ’Frisco you and I -together will have a talk with her.</p> - -<p>“I am on the Fourth Act all the time. It is great—<i>great</i>—<small>GREAT</small>. -They can’t beat us—we are the top notches! Furst is going insane -with pleasure over his share of the work. He loves it and is so -infatuated that he is good for nothing else at present. In fact, -everybody who has anything to do with the play is wild over it. I -shall be back on Monday. What day after that can you come over? We -will get in some big licks with Buckland, as I want to start him on -the properties, etc., as soon as possible. God give us health and -strength to knock out the great play!</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Faithfully,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">David</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>John Luther Long to David Belasco.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Gosh! but that letter is full of good news, Goliath dear! When the -scenery and costumes begin to materialize it looks as if the -brain-squeezing would really amount to something. I shall have the -Fourth ready for you by the middle of next week. Let me know a few -days in advance of the time you want it, so that it can be copied. -I am leaving a few little things to look up, but they are not -important: such as <i>drums</i>—whether they had them in the legions; -and, if so, what were their forms: and the Roman military salute. -But I am practically done with the act. I’d like to see the models -for the First. Perhaps I can, soon. I am feeling O.K. Equal to all -the work two hands and one head can do. Don’t bother about Frohman. -We’ve got him beaten! This Fourth Act, as I get into it, is -wonderful! Send on<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_138" id="page_138">{138}</a></span> the Epilogue whenever you are ready with it. I -am doing nothing but the Fourth and shall not, till I send it on to -you.</p> - -<p class="c"> -“Hail, Luna of Adrea!”<br /> -</p> - -<p class="r"> -“J. L. L.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<h2><a name="MRS_CARTER_AND_THE_TRAGEDY_OF_ADREA" id="MRS_CARTER_AND_THE_TRAGEDY_OF_ADREA"></a>MRS. CARTER AND THE TRAGEDY OF “ADREA.”</h2> - -<p>The tragedy of “Adrea,” by Belasco and Long, is a composition of -exceptional imaginative scope and of great dramatic power. Its scene is -a royal court of a conjectural kingdom, situated on an imaginary island -in, perhaps, the Adriatic Sea. Its time is named as about the fifth -century of the Christian era,—a time well chosen for poetic and -romantic purposes; for the vast Roman Empire had then become -extinguished in Western Europe and was slowly crumbling to pieces in the -East, and minor monarchies can credibly be supposed to have flourished -in such an era of transition and a martial chieftain out of Noricum to -have dallied with the daughters of a Roman Prince. It is a play without -historic basis; an authentic creation of the inventive brain; a vigorous -and splendid work of art, moving freely in a broad field. It deals with -great themes,—great passions, crimes, and sorrows; great and terrible -punishments of sin, and the spectacle of great character made sublime by -grief.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_139" id="page_139">{139}</a></span> Much of its movement proceeds in the open air: some of it -beneath the vault of night; and its web involves the terrors of tempest -and the mystery and dread of spectres from the realm of death. The form -and color of it are modern,—a form and color of rosy amplitude and -voluptuous luxuriance; but the feeling that pervades it is the ominous -feeling of the old Greek tragedies of fate and doom. Its defect is -excess—an excess of persons, objects, pictures, emotions, and words; -the superflux that proceeds from intensely passionate feeling in the -conception of the story and especially in the conception and development -of its central character. An affluence of fancy is, however, more -grateful than the frigid sense of want. This is a synopsis of it:</p> - -<p>The action begins in a spacious scene, in front of the royal palace of -the monarchs of the island kingdom. The <i>Princess Adrea</i> is the blind -daughter of <i>Menethus</i>, <i>King of the Adrean Isles</i>. She is older than -her sister, the <i>Princess Julia</i>, and on the death of her father she -would succeed to the throne, if she were not blind: for the law of -<i>Menethus</i> has ordained that “No sovereign shall wear the crown who is -not, both in mind and body, sound.” The play opens on the hundredth day -after the death of <i>Menethus</i>. The <i>King</i> is dead, and the hour has come -for the crowning of his successor. The <i>Princess Julia</i>, long<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_140" id="page_140">{140}</a></span> known as -“the imperial wanton,” with a company of her kind, is holding a -festival. <i>Kaeso</i>, born a barbarian, but later a pretorian tribune, -having come to Adrea, with his troops, intent on usurping the throne of -<i>Menethus</i>, sees a readier way of conquest, in a marriage with the -<i>Princess Julia</i>, soon to be <i>Queen</i>. He has been made her favorite, and -marriage with him is to follow her coronation.</p> - -<p>In the course of the revel the blind princess, <i>Adrea</i>, passes, led by -an Egyptian named <i>Garda</i>, on her way to the temple, in which she is to -be secluded, so that her presence at court may not trouble her sister -<i>Julia</i>, whom the people of the kingdom detest. It is premised that in -Arcady, where <i>Adrea</i> had dwelt with her father, she had known and loved -<i>Kaeso</i>, then one of the <i>King’s</i> martial chieftains, and that he had -sworn to marry her, but had proved faithless. Now, at the <i>Princess -Julia’s</i> festival, <i>Kaeso</i> and <i>Adrea</i> meet again, and <i>Kaeso</i> kindly -greets the blind girl. This enrages the <i>Princess Julia</i>, who thereupon -commands him to declare to <i>Adrea</i> that he does not love her, but loves -her sister <i>Julia</i>. This cruelty he must commit, as the price of the -kingdom. He submits; the imperious <i>Julia</i> leads her train away; and he -is left alone with <i>Adrea</i>, to whom he discloses himself, and who -receives him with the deepest tenderness of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_141" id="page_141">{141}</a></span> faithful love. To her his -presence can mean only that he has come to keep his oath by marrying -her. <i>Kaeso</i> forgets <i>Julia</i>, his ambitions—everything but the woman -who has come into his arms. The watchful <i>Princess Julia</i>, apprised by a -spy, the <i>Court Fool</i>,—<i>Mimus</i>, <i>the Echo</i>,—returns to see the lovers -in their ecstasy of reconciliation, and she at once determines on a -terrible revenge. <i>Kaeso</i>, seeing <i>Julia</i>, starts away from <i>Adrea</i>, and -<i>Mimus</i>, who madly loves the blind princess, takes his place. This -<i>Mimus</i> happens to be in an armor like that of <i>Kaeso</i>, which he has put -on in a frolic; and when <i>Adrea</i> reaches to find <i>Kaeso</i> her hands touch -<i>Mimus</i>, and she eagerly claims him, believing him to be her plighted -lover. “And you shall marry him!” says the <i>Princess Julia</i>; grimly -adding, as a response to <i>Kaeso’s</i> look of horror: “It is the price of -Adrea!”</p> - -<p>A lapse of five hours is supposed. The scene is the same. The time is -near dawn. Soldiers are on guard. Challenges pass. Rumors have been -heard of ill to the beloved <i>Princess Adrea</i>. <i>Kaeso’s</i> lieutenant, -<i>Arkissus</i>, devoted to <i>Adrea</i>, has heard these rumors, and he demands -an explanation of them from the now drunken and frenzied <i>Kaeso</i>. They -quarrel, and are about to fight, when a fearful cry is heard and they -halt. Then, staggering down the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_142" id="page_142">{142}</a></span> palace steps, moaning in agony, comes -the <i>Princess Adrea</i>, alone. Her prayer, like that of Ajax, is for -light. She beseeches the gods to grant her one moment of sight, so that -she may see the man to whom she has been given. The <i>Fool</i> enters, to -drag her away,—for the <i>Princess Julia</i>, now <i>Queen</i>, has decreed -banishment of <i>Adrea</i> and the <i>Fool</i>, and they must leave her kingdom -before the dawn. There is an ominous roll of thunder. The <i>Fool</i> seizes -<i>Adrea</i>. Suddenly the heavens seem to answer her agonized supplication. -A bolt of lightning shatters the statue of her father, to which she has -been clinging, and there is an instant of darkness. When the light is -restored, a chaos stands revealed, in which <i>Princess</i> and <i>Fool</i> are -prostrated. <i>Adrea</i> revives, and, with a wild cry, realizes that she can -see. Soon she remembers, and gazing down upon a “painted, hideous, -gibbering thing, in red and white,” she knows him for the <i>Fool</i>, who -has been described to her. She lifts his limp body and stares at his -vacant eyes: then she drops it and whispers, in horror: “Gods! <i>You!</i>”</p> - -<p>The action now shifts to a structure called “The Tower of -Forgetfulness.” To this <i>Adrea</i> goes, not thinking to take her throne, -but only wishing to die, and thus bury her shame. The Tower of -Forgetfulness is an obelisk of great antiquity, built<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_143" id="page_143">{143}</a></span> half on the land -and half on the sea. Its door is never closed. Here the wretch who is -weary of life can drink “the cup of oblivion,” and, through “the door of -release,” sink into the sea, and be at rest. It is <i>Adrea’s</i> purpose to -die. Then suddenly she hears the royal trumpets, the marriage song, and -<i>Kaeso’s</i> song of battle. At the same moment her father’s ghost appears -and enjoins her to reign, for vengeance. Looking down upon the ocean, -she beholds <i>Kaeso</i> and <i>Julia</i>, who are returning to the palace, after -their marriage. They are in her father’s royal galley, with his effigy -at the prow. “Stop them!” commands <i>Adrea</i>. “Bring my father’s galley -here! Say that <i>Queen Adrea</i>, rides to her coronation!” <i>Arkissus</i> -appears with his legions, and executes her will.</p> - -<p>The coronation of <i>Adrea</i> ensues. <i>Kaeso</i> is brought before her, in -order that he may sue for pardon—which the heart of the injured <i>Queen</i> -is ready to grant. But <i>Kaeso</i> is haughty, and the <i>Queen</i> dismisses her -court, that she may judge him alone. She is temperate, lenient, and -fond. She pours out all her heart; but it is only to be dazed by -<i>Kaeso’s</i> declaration that his regret is solely for his lost ambition. -He tells her that he knew of her spoliation, and allowed it. The <i>Queen</i> -recalls her court. “Set him upon a horse of state,” she says,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_144" id="page_144">{144}</a></span> “drest in -a robe of gold. Strew his way with roses! Let heralds go before him and -cry ‘Conqueror!’ ‘Imperator!’ Let maidens chant songs! And when he has -reached my gates, and his men and galleys are in sight,—<i>whip him!</i> -Whip him to his empty camp, and hold him captive there till the manner -of his death is decided.”</p> - -<p>The scene changes to the <i>Queen’s</i> Cabinet. <i>Kaeso</i> is brought in on the -way to execution. It is the supreme moment of <i>Adrea’s</i> life. The man -she loves is on the way to death. In spite of all her wrongs she will -look upon his face again, before it is mangled by wild horses’ hoofs. -Her heart still cries out for him. Even now she would save him, if she -could. But frenzied multitudes surround the palace, maddened with -knowledge of the outrages that the <i>Queen</i> has suffered; and she is -powerless to save. <i>Queen Adrea</i> must tell <i>Kaeso</i> the manner of his -death. <i>Kaeso</i> had thought to die as a soldier should—upon his sword, -but his death is to be that of a beast, trampled beneath the iron hoofs -of horses. This fate she proclaims, but, when the first shock of horror -is past, <i>Kaeso</i> confesses that he deserves his doom, and declares that -he will die well: and then he says that he has always loved <i>Adrea</i>, but -has put his love aside, for the sake of his ambition. Again the <i>Queen</i> -relents. She will, at least, save him from a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_145" id="page_145">{145}</a></span> death of ignominy. She -offers him the sword of <i>Menethus</i>, with which to kill himself. But his -hands are chained. “You!” he begs. The thought is unendurable. She turns -away. But suddenly, turning back, she cries out, “Yes!” and drives the -blade through her lover’s heart.</p> - -<p>The scene changes to Arcady. Eight years have passed. <i>Queen Adrea</i> has -come to Arcady, and there she would remain at rest. But her people call -her back to Adrea. The stanch <i>Arkissus</i>,—who has always loved her, -whose one thought is of duty, and whose duty is to obey,—brings the -prayer of her subjects that she will return and rule over them. But here -are green fields, summer skies, and the shepherds and their pastoral -music: it is a halcyon place and time; and she would remain, and linger, -and die here, and rest beneath the sod that she and her first lover once -trod together. A trumpet sounds, and a captive youth is brought into her -presence. He is the son of <i>Kaeso</i> and <i>Julia</i>, and he has sought the -throne of <i>Adrea</i>. He is vanquished, and his mother, <i>Julia</i>, has been -slain. But there are tears in <i>Queen Adrea’s</i> eyes, as she looks upon -him, and her arms open to him—for he has the port and lineaments of -<i>Kaeso</i>. The <i>Queen</i> and the captive play a game,—“the Game of Being -King.” <i>Adrea</i> places the youth on her throne, sets her crown<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_146" id="page_146">{146}</a></span> on his -head, puts her sceptre into his hands, throws her ermine on his -shoulders, and bids him “Reign in love.” “Open the casement,” cries the -captive boy, “Let in the sun, if you play fair and set no trap for me!” -“At the King’s command,” she answers; and in those words ordains her -fate, for <i>Adrea</i> cannot again look upon the sun without loss of her -vision. She flings the casement wide open, and, in the sudden blaze of -light, goes blind: then, when the agony is past and night has come -again, she staggers to the throne and cries, “Long live the King!” For -still the law of succession is inexorable,—and so <i>Prince Vasha</i> -reigns, and <i>Adrea</i> is once more only <i>Adrea of Arcady</i>.</p> - -<p>No student of Roman history needs to be told that among the women of -Rome (and at one time all Italy was circumscribed within the capital) -there were females illustrious for almost celestial virtues and females -portentous for the monstrosity of their hideous crimes. The authors of -“Adrea” neither distorted nature nor exaggerated fact in their -portraiture of the two princesses, <i>Adrea</i> and <i>Julia</i>, who are opposed -and contrasted in this remarkable drama of love, crime, frenzy, -retribution, atonement, and peace. <i>Adrea</i> is not nobler or more -virtuous than Valentinian’s Eudoxia, nor is <i>Julia</i> more malignant, -treacherous, and cruel than Justinian’s Theo<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_147" id="page_147">{147}</a></span>dora. In this tragedy the -purpose, obviously, was to present, amid regal accessories and in all -the paraphernalia of semi-barbaric splendor, a woman of lofty mind, -potent character, and impetuous passions, and, by making her the victim -not alone of blighted affection but of deadly outrage, to involve her in -a complex tangle of torment; to make her terrible in the delirium of -exasperated feeling; to display her emotional perturbation and fierce -and ferocious conduct in a vortex of tempestuous struggle; and, finally, -to depict her noble expiatory conquest of herself, and to leave her, in -her lonely majesty, a sublime image of triumphant virtue, gentle -fortitude, and patient grief. That purpose has been superbly -accomplished. To superficial observers, indeed, the presentment of -“Adrea” appealed chiefly by reason of its implication of theatrical -situation, its startling effects of climax, and its gorgeous scenic -investiture. To thoughtful minds it came home as an illuminative and -significant exposition of human nature, artfully made through the medium -of a wonderful picture of human life in the antique world,—and in that -it reached much further than merely to the fulfilment of any immediate -theatrical need. Like the more classic dramatists of the Garrick era, -its authors drew their inspiration from the great fountain of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_148" id="page_148">{148}</a></span> historic -antiquity—adjusting, rearranging, and emphasizing old types and old -examples to exhibit actually (and not by any dubious method of old -symbolism) what is in our own hearts and of what fibre we are all made. -Their play is an honor to them, and it is a rich and permanent addition -to the literature of the Stage.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Carter impersonated <i>Adrea</i>, and finding in it a part into which -she could entirely liberate all her emotional power, without losing -control of it, she rose to the occasion. She had hitherto acted in -comedy, “sensation,” or sentimental, drama. The character of <i>Adrea</i> is -wholly tragic. Through the wide range of conflicting emotions implicated -in her experience—the misery of blindness and loss of royal -inheritance, the ignominy of desertion by her idolized lover and of -betrayal into the lewd embraces of an odious menial, the paroxysm of -anguish when, to save her lover from a death of horror and shame decreed -by herself, she strikes him dead, and the humility of surrender when, -after years of bleak remembrance, she invites again the black eclipse -and forlorn disablement of blindness and delivers her kingdom to the -rule of her slaughtered lover’s son—Mrs. Carter moved firmly, steadily, -triumphantly,—commanding every situation and rising to every climax. No -denotement in Mrs. Carter’s acting of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_149" id="page_149">{149}</a></span> <i>Du Barry</i> had even remotely -indicated such depth of tragical feeling and such power of dramatic -expression as she revealed in the scenes of the tempest, in pronouncing -<i>Kaeso’s</i> doom, and, above all, in the terrible, piteous, tragic -self-conflict through which the Woman became the incarnation of Fate and -the Minister of Death. Mrs. Carter had long been known for her -exceptional facility of feminine blandishment, her command of the -enticing wiles of coquetry and the soft allurement of sensuous -grace,—known, likewise, and rightly admired for the clarity and purity -of her English speech, always delightful to hear: but observers studious -to see and willing to be convinced had not supposed her to be an actor -of tragedy. It took a long time for Belasco to bring her to a really -great victory, but she gained it in <i>Adrea</i>. The impersonation possessed -many attributes of beauty: symmetry, for the eye; melody, for the ear; -unity, continuity, sincerity, and sustainment, for the critical sense; -poetic atmosphere, for the imagination; but it possessed one supreme -attribute of terror,—absolute knowledge of human misery. “Look into -your heart, and write,” is an old poetic precept. “Look into your heart, -and act” ought to be joined with it: but God pity the heart into which -the true poet and the true actor must sometimes look!<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_150" id="page_150">{150}</a></span></p> - -<p>“Adrea” was first performed in Washington, D. C., on December 26, 1904, -and in New York on January 11, 1905,—at the first Belasco Theatre. The -following is the original cast of that play:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Kaeso of Noricum</i></td><td class="rt">Charles A. Stevenson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Arkissus of Frisia</i></td><td class="rt">Tyrone Power.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Marcus Lecca</i></td><td class="rt">R. D. McLean.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Holy Nagar</i></td><td class="rt">H. R. Roberts.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mimus, the Echo</i></td><td class="rt">J. H. Benrimo.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Bevilaccas</i></td><td class="rt">Claude Gillingwater.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Caius Valgus</i></td><td class="rt">Marshall Welch.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Sylvestros</i></td><td class="rt">Gilmore Scott.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Dyaixes</i></td><td class="rt">Louis Keller.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Bram-Bora</i></td><td class="rt">Edward Brigham.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Marlak</i></td><td class="rt">H. R. Pomeroy.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Master of the Tower</i></td><td class="rt">H. G. Carlton.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Servant of the Tower</i></td><td class="rt">Gerald Kelly.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>The Shade of Menethus</i></td><td class="rt">Charles Hungerford.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Thryssos</i></td><td class="rt">Francis Powers.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Idmondus</i></td><td class="rt">Gordon West.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>A Mock Herald</i></td><td class="rt">Arthur Maryatt.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Crassus</i></td><td class="rt">Edwin Hardin.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Herald of the Senate</i></td><td class="rt">Franklin Mills.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Page of the Senate</i></td><td class="rt">Harold Guernsey.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>A Bargeman</i></td><td class="rt">Luther Barry.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Zastus</i></td><td class="rt">Teft Johnson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Galba</i></td><td class="rt">Harry Sheldon.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Sigrad</i></td><td class="rt">Charles Wright.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Var-Igon</i></td><td class="rt">F. L. Evans.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Slave of the Whips</i></td><td class="rt">James H. George.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Slave of the Queen’s Door</i></td><td class="rt">Joseph Moxler.</td></tr> -</table> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_014" id="ill_014"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_021.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_021.jpg" width="446" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> -<p> -Photograph by Byron. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> -<p>BELASCO’S “ADREA” CURTAINS</p> - -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_151" id="page_151">{151}</a></span></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>The Child Vasha</i> (in the epilogue)</td><td class="rt">Louis Grimm.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Julia Doma</i></td><td class="rt">Edith Crane.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Garda</i></td><td class="rt">Maria Davis.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Myris</i></td><td class="rt">Corah Adams-Myll.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Lefta</i></td><td class="rt">Lura Osborn.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Lelit</i></td><td class="rt">Grace Noble.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>A Singing Bird</i></td><td class="rt">Madeleine Livingston.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Adrea</i></td><td class="rt">Mrs. Leslie Carter.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p>Coincident with his production of “Adrea” Belasco’s fight for freedom in -the conduct of his business reached a climax that attracted nation-wide -and wondering attention and enlisted the sympathetic assistance of -eminent members of the national legislature. Whenever possible, -subsequent to his successful presentment of “The Heart of Maryland” in -Washington (October, 1895), Belasco has elected to bring out his new -plays in that city. There he desired to launch what was in some ways the -most ambitious venture of his career,—and there, accordingly, after -overcoming every obstacle that could be thrown in his way, he first made -known the tragedy of “Adrea.” But before narrating the manner in which -that production was effected it is desirable here to make somewhat -particular exposition of the antagonism he was compelled to encounter -and to record the significance of his long and costly conflict with it.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_152" id="page_152">{152}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="BELASCO_AND_THE_THEATRICAL_SYNDICATE" id="BELASCO_AND_THE_THEATRICAL_SYNDICATE"></a>BELASCO AND THE THEATRICAL SYNDICATE.</h2> - -<h2><a name="JUSTICE_AND_THEATRICAL_ACHIEVEMENT" id="JUSTICE_AND_THEATRICAL_ACHIEVEMENT"></a>JUSTICE AND THEATRICAL ACHIEVEMENT.</h2> - -<p>David Belasco has served the Public and the Theatre, ably and -brilliantly, in several fields and for many years, but his achievements -as at once theatre manager, stage manager, playwriter, instructor, and -“producer,” splendid and admirable as incontestably they have been and -are, have been equalled by other American managers, of earlier date. In -writing Biography it is prudent to remember that “there were heroes -before Agamemnon.” Much was accomplished on the American Stage long -before the advent of either David Belasco or any other theatrical -administrator of recent times, and when we review the history of the -drama in America for more than a hundred years, and consider the -managers by whom it has been fostered, conserved, and directed, we -should recall and honor the names,—among others,—of William Dunlap, -the elder Warren, William Wood, Francis Courtney Wemyss, James H. -Caldwell, Noah Ludlow, Edmund Simpson, Charles Gilfert, the elder -Hackett, the elder Wallack, William Evans<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_153" id="page_153">{153}</a></span> Burton, and Thomas -Barry,—each of whom, in his day, deserved theatrical eminence and -gained it, and all of whom seem now to be forgotten. Lester Wallack, who -long preceded Belasco, and who also was theatre manager, stage manager, -playwriter, and actor,—and as actor with no superior and scarce an -equal in his peculiar realm,—gained laurels which will long endure. -John T. Ford, Boucicault, Barrett, McCullough, Edwin Booth, and John S. -Clarke,—all were accomplished and highly successful and distinguished -in every branch of theatrical management; and, although Belasco has -written his name imperishably on the honorable scroll of dramatic -renown, he has not eclipsed those eminent predecessors.</p> - -<h2><a name="BELASCOS_UNIQUE_SERVICE_TO_THE_THEATRE" id="BELASCOS_UNIQUE_SERVICE_TO_THE_THEATRE"></a>BELASCO’S UNIQUE SERVICE TO THE THEATRE.</h2> - -<p>In one service, however, that Belasco has rendered to the Theatre and -the Public he is peculiarly a benefactor, and in doing that service he -has encountered an antagonism and prevailed in adverse circumstances -with which the elder theatrical managers never had to contend. It would -be difficult to over-estimate the value of his intrepid opposition to -the tyrannical monopoly known as “The Theatrical Syndicate.” His -conflict with that arrogant, oppressive,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_154" id="page_154">{154}</a></span> pernicious organization, -sustained through a period of about twelve years, and finally -victorious, required unfaltering courage, tenacious purpose, skilful and -prompt action, and tireless persistence. It exacted from him prodigious -labor; it entailed upon him great expense and loss, and it compelled an -expenditure of time and strength which, if he had been left free to -devote it to his artistic labor, would have been productive of lasting -benefit to the Drama. But the sacrifice was well made, because the -Theatre and the Public profited by it,—as, earlier, and concurrently, -they profited by the resolute contest against the Syndicate (a valiant -and gallant fight for freedom and justice) waged by Harrison Grey Fiske -and Minnie Maddern Fiske. It should be noted that Augustin Daly, -Belasco’s immediate predecessor in the primacy of theatrical management -in America,—who, also, was theatre manager, stage manager, playwriter, -and “producer,” and who was consummate as an executive,—being assailed -by the Syndicate (as he several times declared to me), became one of its -active opponents and resisted its aggressions: but Daly, who died before -its despotic power had become matured, had long been an established, -powerful manager before it was formed, so that it could not do him much -harm. Belasco, on the contrary, was constrained to fight his way to -independ<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_155" id="page_155">{155}</a></span>ence and influence against its active, relentless opposition -and inveterate hostility, from almost the beginning of his career in -theatrical management.</p> - -<h2><a name="WHAT_ARE_WE_DISCUSSING" id="WHAT_ARE_WE_DISCUSSING"></a>WHAT ARE WE DISCUSSING?</h2> - -<p>In the period of about sixteen years preceding 1912 the newspaper press -of America published many thousands of columns, often critical, at times -strongly censorious, about the “Trust” or monopoly which commonly is -known as “The Theatrical Syndicate.” Bitter fights likewise have been -waged not only in the press but in the courts relative to that -organization. The public has, from time to time, manifested interest in -the subject,—as, for example, relative to Mrs. Fiske’s appearance in -all sorts of unsuitable places, because the Syndicate had “barred” her -from the regular and (as they are technically styled) “first-class” -theatres, and to Mme. Bernhardt’s enforced performances in a circus -tent, for the same reason, and, especially, to Belasco’s almost -preterhuman efforts to present his plays in Washington (from which city -strenuous efforts were made by the Syndicate to exclude him). Yet I -believe that the public knowledge of the Syndicate,—its origin, aims, -character, policy, conduct, and effect,—has never been more than -superficial.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_156" id="page_156">{156}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="THE_SYNDICATE-INCUBUS_DEFINED" id="THE_SYNDICATE-INCUBUS_DEFINED"></a>THE SYNDICATE-INCUBUS DEFINED.</h2> - -<p>What <i>is</i> “The Theatrical Syndicate,” and <i>why</i> should it rightfully be -denounced and opposed as a pernicious institution?</p> - -<p>The Theatrical Syndicate, primarily, was a partnership of six men, all -speculative theatrical managers, formed for the purpose of dominating, -for the pecuniary profit, advantage, and personal aggrandizement of its -members, the theatrical business of America, and of doing this by -methods some of which, in their practical operation, are morally -iniquitous, and should be, if they are not, legally preventable, in the -public interest.</p> - -<p>Those six men were: Al. (Albert) Hayman (deceased 1916), Charles Frohman -(deceased 1915), Marc Klaw, and Abraham Lincoln Erlanger, all of New -York; and Samuel F. Nirdlinger (known as Nixon) and J. Frederick -Zimmermann, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The contract under which -those persons formed their copartnership and carried on their syndicate -business was made in August, 1896, and it was renewed, in substance, in -April, 1900.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_157" id="page_157">{157}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="SPECIOUS_PRETENSIONS_TO_JUSTIFY_THE_INCUBUS" id="SPECIOUS_PRETENSIONS_TO_JUSTIFY_THE_INCUBUS"></a>SPECIOUS PRETENSIONS TO JUSTIFY THE INCUBUS.</h2> - -<p>The founders of the Theatrical Syndicate have, with much fulsome -commendation of themselves and their purposes, directly or by -implication, sought to justify the position they have assumed by -specious assurances substantially to this effect:</p> - -<p>That the theatrical business of America was disorganized, unstable, and, -in general, so conducted as to entail loss on many or most persons -engaged in it, by reason of <i>competition</i>, poor judgment, and lack of -discrimination in its transactions; that the prevalent administration of -it was not favorable to the development of actors and the promotion of -the art of the Theatre; that their combination was made to cure, and -that it did cure, the defects of theatrical business, stabilize it and -render it reputable and responsible,—placing it, in this respect, on a -level with other business; and that, incidentally, it would, and did, -tend to prosper the means whereby the Theatre must live—namely, Acting -and the exhibition of Acting. A. L. Erlanger, executive of the Booking -Department of this organization (that is, of the firm of Klaw & -Erlanger, the particular business of which was, and is, to “book,” -<i>i.e.</i>, to arrange, the tours of theatrical companies), has thus stated -a part of his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_158" id="page_158">{158}</a></span> views relative to the character and doings of the -Syndicate:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The American [theatrical] manager of to-day is <i>unique</i>, -<i>contrasting</i> him with the <i>managers of long ago</i>, and that still -exist in England, France, and elsewhere, in that <i>he</i> is -<i>qualified</i> and <i>experienced</i> in staging <i>all kinds</i> of theatrical -entertainments.... As for the question of Commercialism <i>versus</i> -Art in Stage matters, I cannot see where the fact that financial -solvency, <i>making the business of the theatrical world comparable</i> -in its <i>integrity</i> with that found in other occupations, lessens -the artistic value of the question [<i>sic</i>]. No actor will act the -worse because he knows his salary will be paid promptly; and the -fact that the business of the theatres is conducted on <i>firm lines</i> -is calculated to encourage, rather than dismay, the actor, the -dramatist, and everybody else whose interest in the Stage is -primarily artistic.”</p></div> - -<p>In support of those views and in advocacy of the Syndicate of which he -was an active member the late Charles Frohman wrote (“The New York -Herald,” March 13, 1910): “Several men united to systematize the conduct -of the Theatre, <i>put the actor’s profession on a self-respecting -footing</i>, guard the playwright against piracy, protect the managers of -theatrical companies against unfair competition [<i>i.e.</i>, competition not -profitable to the members of the Syndicate.—W. W.], at the same time -obliging them <i>to keep faith</i> with managers of theatres.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_159" id="page_159">{159}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>A third voucher for the exalted integrity and far-reaching beneficence -of the methods exemplified in the operations of the Syndicate was -furnished by Charles Burnham, at that time manager of Wallack’s Theatre, -not himself a member of the benign brotherhood, but obviously congenial -with it, and President of “The Theatrical Managers’ Association,” a -society which the Syndicate practically dominated:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The commercialism of the drama,” so said that manager, “<i>has -justified itself....</i> The Theatre of to-day is no Chicago -University or Carnegie Library. If you look after the <i>financial -end</i> of the Drama, <i>which is the main thing</i>, the public may be -trusted to maintain a high standard.”</p></div> - -<h2><a name="TENDENCY_TO_COMBINATION_IN_MODERN_BUSINESS" id="TENDENCY_TO_COMBINATION_IN_MODERN_BUSINESS"></a>TENDENCY TO COMBINATION IN MODERN BUSINESS.</h2> - -<p>An honest, just, equitable organization of business is always right, and -no one but a fool or a knave would ever question the legality or -propriety of it. The drift of the present age, in commercial affairs, -is, and for a considerable time has been, toward combination, -organization—in a word, <i>efficiency</i>. Business men of the United -States, little by little, have awakened to the imperative necessity of -conservation of energy and resources, systematic<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_160" id="page_160">{160}</a></span> labor, economy; the -sensible use of every force that tends to the advancement of -civilization, the increase of public prosperity, and the diffusion of -intelligence. One of those forces is the Theatre, and it is one of -prodigious influence. No intelligent observer acquainted with its -history would maintain that its condition, particularly as a business -institution, has ever been perfect or is perfect now. It is certain, -however, that its commercial condition has, within the last -half-century, very considerably improved, because not only have the ban -of the Church and the stigma of Society been, to a large extent, removed -from it, but great wealth has been bestowed on its enhancement, and -expert executive talent has sometimes been enlisted in the management of -its affairs.</p> - -<h2><a name="CAUSES_OF_THEATRICAL_PROGRESS" id="CAUSES_OF_THEATRICAL_PROGRESS"></a>CAUSES OF THEATRICAL PROGRESS.</h2> - -<p>It was not a commercial manager of the Syndicate type who first urged -the efficient management of the Theatre; it was an idealistic critic and -a great poet. Many years ago that ripe scholar and accomplished -man-of-letters Matthew Arnold exclaimed, in one of his Essays, “The -Theatre is irresistible—<i>organize</i> the Theatre!” Arnold, as a youth, -had been entranced by the acting of Mlle. Rachel, and as a man had -naturally been charmed by the acting and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_161" id="page_161">{161}</a></span> greatly influenced by the -propulsive reformatory and constructive theatrical administration of -that great actor and theatrical manager Henry Irving. It is from such -sources of thought and of intellectual energy as Arnold and Irving, in -England, and as Wallack, Booth, and Daly, in America,<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> that the -impulse properly to organize the Theatre has proceeded; not from the -mere money-grubbing schemes of monopolistic cliques or speculators in -public amusement. Members of such cliques,—of which the Theatrical -Syndicate is one,—are, at times, frank enough to admit that (as they -are fond of expressing it) they are not engaged in theatrical business -“for their health,” and undoubtedly they are within their rights when -they seek, <i>by fair means</i>, to make their business profitable. So much -is understood and conceded: who would deny it? Monopolies, however, -frequently pose as public benefactors, and such, as already shown, is -the pose assumed by the Theatrical Syndicate. Many persons have, in one -way or another, been deceived by it, or brought to approve it. In 1898, -beginning to be conscious, in my critical and editorial work on “The New -York<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_162" id="page_162">{162}</a></span> Tribune,” of an oppugnant influence emanant, apparently, from that -source, I determined to have a clear understanding with the late Donald -G. Nicholson, then the editor of that paper, and I formally asked him -whether “The Tribune” favored or opposed the Syndicate. In reply I -received from him the assurance that “of course ‘The Tribune’ <i>opposed</i> -it,” and also I received a printed list of newspapers which, Mr. -Nicholson informed me, had explicitly declared their opposition to the -Syndicate as being an unjust organization, hurtful to the Theatre and -adverse to the public interest. That list contained the names of most of -the leading journals of our country. But—“There are no birds in last -year’s nest.” Most of the opposers of the Syndicate seem, like the -<i>Witches</i> in “Macbeth,” to have “made themselves air, into which they -vanished.” Active opposition to that incubus in the press is, at -present, conspicuous chiefly by its absence.</p> - -<p>The pretensions of the Syndicate are one thing: its proceedings are -quite another. Equitable conduct has not been the spring of its -prosperity. Not by fair means has it become rich and powerful. Aside -from having somewhat facilitated the making possible of economically -practical routes over the country for travelling companies and the -transaction<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_163" id="page_163">{163}</a></span> of business between resident theatrical managers and -representatives of travelling companies, it has done, literally, nothing -for the good of the Theatre; but it has done everything for the good of -itself. It is not to be supposed, for example, that because the making -of economical routes is <i>feasible</i> through the booking agency of the -Syndicate, once such routes have been booked they are inviolate. “Dates” -are cancelled and “routes” are changed, when such change is requisite to -the advantage of the Syndicate, with total disregard of any other -consideration. “Where,” exclaimed Gladstone, “can you lay a finger on -the map of Europe and say, ‘Here Austria did good’?” Where can you lay a -finger on the map of progress in the Theatre in America and truthfully -say, “Here the Syndicate did good”?</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_RIGHT_PRINCIPLE" id="THE_RIGHT_PRINCIPLE"></a>THE RIGHT PRINCIPLE.</h2> - -<p>That the Theatre, to exist, must be self-sustaining; that its -administration “must show a profit,” is a proposition so elementary in -its truth and so universally conceded that it would be folly to restate -it, if there were not so much stupidity in the generally attempted -exposition of Commercialism in Art. But as a matter of right and duty -(and this is what, apparently, the Syndicate and congenial managers<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_164" id="page_164">{164}</a></span> -<i>cannot comprehend</i>), theatrical managers are under distinct obligation -to consider the public good <i>before</i> they consider their individual -prosperity. In other words, when a man assumes to make use of one of the -fine arts as a means of “doing business,” he assumes to wield an -indirect educational power; he undertakes,—whether he knows it or not, -whether he means to do so or not,—to affect the public taste, the -public thought, and the public morals. Therein, accordingly, he assumes -a responsibility much broader and much more important than that which is -incurred in an ordinary “business” pursuit; and, as it happens, he -assumes it under less restriction, by law, as to the possible effect of -his conduct than is imposed on the speculator in almost any other -“business.”</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_OBLIGATION_OF_INTELLECT" id="THE_OBLIGATION_OF_INTELLECT"></a>THE OBLIGATION OF INTELLECT.</h2> - -<p>Obligation of honesty and honor rests with equal force on all workers in -all branches of industry: but it is one thing to sell boots or pickles, -and another thing to disseminate thoughts and emotions. The more a man -ascends in the scale of labor the more exacting becomes his duty to -Society. A writer of novels, for example,—a Scott, a Dickens, a -Thackeray, a Cooper, or a Collins,—might, perhaps, find<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_165" id="page_165">{165}</a></span> the largest -amount of personal emolument in writing stories calculated to vitiate -taste, injure public thought and public morals, and thus debase the -community, but, if he wrote such books, he would be a criminal, and it -would be no defence for him to say that he made money by his crime, or -to allege that because he made money the public approved of his actions. -Intellectual men have <i>no right</i> to make money by misusing their powers. -The same sense of rectitude,—but broader, higher, finer,—that bids an -honest tradesman sell nothing that will injure the buyer enjoins upon -the worker in the arts that he should consider not merely the payment he -is to receive for his work, but the effect of that work upon the lives -and destinies of the human beings to whom it is addressed and whom it is -likely to influence. Theatrical managers stand in that position toward -the public. Thoughts and feelings are the wares in which they deal, and, -much as they are bound to consider financial profit (because they have -heavy burdens of expense to carry), they are also solemnly bound, first -and most of all, to consider the taste, the morals, and the intellectual -advancement of the community. The manager who aims at monetary gain as -the first and dominant object of his ambition and endeavor, to the -exclusion of all higher purpose, is a disgrace to his profession and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_166" id="page_166">{166}</a></span> an -enemy to social welfare. To him, as to the <i>Weird Sisters</i>, “fair is -foul and foul is fair.”</p> - -<p>There are many vocations in which little is to be considered above the -till. No person is <i>compelled</i> to assume the management of a theatre or -the direction,—invariably of potent force,—of an educational, -influential art. If he deliberately chooses such occupation and does -assume it, he assumes it with all its inherent responsibilities,—and -the greatest of these is moral and intellectual duty. No mistake more -foolish or more culpable could be made than to regard this standard of -conduct and responsibility as visionary, impracticable, or what this -deplorably slang-ridden community flippantly mentions as “highbrow -stuff.” No strenuosity of asseveration from theatrical janitors, “Great -Moguls,” “Napoleons of the Theatre,” bullies or gamblers, flatulent with -the wind of self-complacency and conceit, that conduct of the Theatre -justifies itself by mere financial gain can vindicate a theatrical -administration which benefits a few individuals at the expense of the -public good and by the oppression of honest competitors; and that, -practically, is the administration of the Theatre which is provided by -the Theatrical Syndicate.</p> - -<p>The covenant made by the six members of the Syndicate contains much of -that verbiage which<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_167" id="page_167">{167}</a></span> customarily encumbers legal documents. Some facts, -however, as to the results of its operation are apparent. Under the -contract, covering “different cities of the United States and Canada,” -independent theatrical companies, seeking to compete for public favor -and support, “were not permitted to play against” “other companies of -the same or different class,” owned, operated, controlled, or directed, -by the Syndicate. According to that covenant, “No attraction [<i>i.e.</i>, no -company presenting a theatrical entertainment or performance] shall be -booked in <i>any</i> of the said theatres or places of amusement [<i>i.e.</i>, -theatres or places of amusement owned or controlled by the Syndicate] -which will [<i>sic</i>] insist on playing <i>in opposition</i> theatres or places -of amusement in any of the cities” named in the Syndicate agreement, -unless by written permission of a Syndicate member, controlling a -theatre or theatres in such or such specific places where an independent -manager desired to present his company in an independent theatre. By -this arrangement the Syndicate, in effect, could say, and has said, to -managers of theatres outside its ownership or direct control: If you -wish to “play” <i>any</i> of our “attractions,” at any time, you must play -<i>all</i> the attractions we book in your theatre when we book them and on -the terms which we specify,—otherwise you <i>cannot<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_168" id="page_168">{168}</a></span> have any</i> of the -attractions which we book. To persons, whether star actors or managers -directing theatrical companies on tours through the country, desirous to -secure “bookings” in certain cities in which first-class theatres are -controlled by the Syndicate that organization could say, and has said, -in effect: If you wish to play in <i>any</i> theatre owned or controlled by -us, you must play in every theatre, whenever and wherever we choose to -direct you to play, on whatever terms we choose to make for you. If that -is not, in effect, blackmail and extortion, compelling the transaction -of business under duress, what is it? The theatres owned, leased, -controlled by members of the Syndicate <i>are</i> their theatres, and they -assert the right to conduct those theatres to suit themselves. Owners of -property certainly <i>are</i> entitled to use it for their advantage; but -would any well-informed and fair-minded person maintain that the members -of the Theatrical Syndicate, using their property in the way I have -described, use it according to the dictates of justice? When that -kindred beneficence the Standard Oil Company desires to drive a small, -independent dealer out of business how does it go about the task? It -sets up a contiguous, superbly managed competing oil shop and undersells -the independent dealer, till he, lacking money to maintain a hopeless -struggle for his</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_015" id="ill_015"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_022_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_022.jpg" width="390" height="554" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>THE MEMBERS OF THE THEATRICAL SYNDICATE</p> - -<p> -Al. Hayman <span style="margin-left:15%;"> Charles Frohman</span><br /> - -<span style="margin-left:15%;">Copyright by Charles Frohman, Inc.</span></p> -<p>º -Marc Klaw<br /> -<br /> -Abraham L. Erlanger<br /> -Copyright, Rockwood<br /> -<br /> -Samuel F. Nixon (Nirdlinger) <span style="margin-left:15%;">J. Fred. Zimmermann, Sr.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>“It is often true, as old <i>King Duncan</i> declares, that ‘There’s no -art to find the mind’s construction in the face.’ Nevertheless, -study of the faces of the men who compose that sacred institution -of beneficence, The Theatrical Syndicate, is worth making. Such -study renders it easier to understand the condition of the Theatre -in America to-day.”—W. W.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_169" id="page_169">{169}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">livelihood, is forced to sell his business and desist from competition. -Then the benevolent national octopus gradually advances the price of oil -until at last the public in the neighborhood has paid the cost of -driving the small competitor out of business, the field is occupied -solely by the Standard Company, and it sells oil to the people for “all -the traffic will bear.” That method may be as <i>lawful</i> in selling -“theatricals” as in selling oil, but—is it <i>right</i>?</p> - -<p>If Belasco desired to present one of his “attractions,” in thirty cities -under the Syndicate domination (acceding to the terms imposed upon him), -but could, in one other city, present that “attraction” for ten weeks, -at an independent theatre, receiving eighty per cent. of the gross -receipts, while in the same city the Syndicate would “book” his -“attraction” at one of its theatres and graciously exact fifty per cent, -of the gross receipts, then Belasco would be necessitated to submit to -that predatory dictation, or else lose his “bookings” in the thirty -other cities,—in <i>all</i> other cities,—in which the Syndicate controlled -the “first-class” theatres.</p> - -<h2><a name="THOSE_SHALL_TAKE_WHO_HAVE_THE_POWER" id="THOSE_SHALL_TAKE_WHO_HAVE_THE_POWER"></a>“THOSE SHALL TAKE WHO HAVE THE POWER.”</h2> - -<p>Perhaps that may seem an extreme case. Yet that is exactly what happened -to him. In 1902<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_170" id="page_170">{170}</a></span> Belasco produced “The Darling of the Gods,” Miss -Blanche Bates appearing in it as a star, in association with an -exceptionally fine and expensive company. That was a very costly -production: after two years of presentation of it Belasco had gained a -net profit of only $5,000,—while, had he chosen to do so, he could have -gained that profit in a fortnight with many an inferior vehicle. He was, -naturally, proud of his achievement. He desired that the play should be -represented within reach of the multitude assembled to view the World’s -Exposition, which was opened at St. Louis, in 1904, and he arranged to -present “The Darling of the Gods” at the Imperial Theatre, in that city. -As soon as this fact became known he was notified by Mr. Erlanger, on -behalf of the Syndicate, that he would not be permitted to do so,—the -reason being that the Syndicate would not tolerate the presentment there -of Belasco’s play in any but a Syndicate house, though the Syndicate -could not, or would not, provide him a theatre there for as long a term -as he could secure the Imperial. Belasco’s reply was that he would -certainly produce “The Darling of the Gods” in St. Louis, whereupon Mr. -Erlanger, in the presence of Belasco’s representative, destroyed and -threw into a waste basket a number of contracts, signed and executed, -providing for the presentation of that and other<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_171" id="page_171">{171}</a></span> Belasco “attractions” -in theatres under Syndicate control in various cities of the Union and -Canada. This peremptory repudiative action, accompanied by much violent -expletive, no doubt was one of Mr. Erlanger’s genial ways of -illustrating the conduct of business on those “firm lines” he had -prescribed as so essential to theatrical regeneration, and of -illuminating the Syndicate’s righteous purpose, as stated by the late -Mr. Charles Frohman, to compel the managers of theatrical companies “to -keep faith with managers of theatres.” It clearly was a conclusive -example of the Syndicate’s beneficent methods.</p> - -<p>“Thus bad begins and worse remains behind”: if the general policy which -I have specified is iniquitous, how shall certain other proceedings, -conducted by the executive of the Syndicate, in the development of the -business of the Theatre, be characterized? Let the reader assume that he -wishes to bring out a new star or a new play, in New York, and does so: -his venture is successful: he plays for a considerable term in the -capital: he wishes to “book” his “attraction” on the road. The charges -made for such booking service are, I understand, reasonable,—somewhere -from about $250 to $300 for a season’s tour. But does the reader suppose -he can get his play booked and his tour<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_172" id="page_172">{172}</a></span> arranged as simply as by paying -an agent’s commission? Let him try: perhaps he will succeed: -“circumstances alter cases”: his play may have proved so popular in New -York that theatre managers throughout the country clamor to have it -exhibited in their theatres, in which case the Syndicate might become -placable; but such good fortune is dubious. It is far more probable -that, in order to obtain a desirable route through the first-class -theatres of the country, he will find it obligatory to make “a free -gift” of an interest of from one-third to one-half of his successful -venture (in which he has done all the original work and borne all the -expense and risk) to the benevolent and protective firm of Messrs. Klaw -& Erlanger,—as, for example, it appears from his sworn testimony (see -<i>ante</i>, pp. 18-19) that Belasco was forced to do when presenting David -Warfield in “The Auctioneer.”</p> - -<h2><a name="DIVERGENT_VIEWS_OF_THE_SYNDICATE_GROUNDS_FOR_REASONABLE_BELIEF" id="DIVERGENT_VIEWS_OF_THE_SYNDICATE_GROUNDS_FOR_REASONABLE_BELIEF"></a>DIVERGENT VIEWS OF THE SYNDICATE: GROUNDS FOR REASONABLE BELIEF.</h2> - -<p>It is not feasible to include in this Memoir a complete History of the -Theatrical Syndicate, examining every detail of its organization, -conduct, influence, and effect,—though such a history<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_173" id="page_173">{173}</a></span> is a necessary -part of the annals of our Stage. In the absence of such exhaustive -record the partially informed reader may be confused, perhaps misled, by -dissentaneous views of the Syndicate—about which, be it observed, I -write as an uncompromising opponent. On the one side that Syndicate is -found portrayed by its advocates as an institution of light, leading, -and beneficence. On the other side, it is found represented as an -arrogant, ruthless, grasping monopoly,—exerting an actively injurious -influence on the Drama and the Art of Acting,—and as being composed of -ignorant, avaricious, vulgar men, unfit to dominate any art—and in -particular the <i>quasi</i>-educational art of the Theatre,—and regardless -not only of the public welfare as affected by the Stage but, at least in -some instances, regardless even of the public safety. The disparity of -sentiment is diametrical. But though a whole history of the Syndicate is -not here practical, is it not possible briefly to present essential -information bearing on the subject in such a way that the reader may -disregard the discordant and disputatious views of advocates and -opponents and form an independent opinion based merely on facts of -record? I think that it is. First, then, as to disregard of the public -safety by some members of the Theatrical Syndicate:</p> - -<p>Soon after the burning of the Iroquois Theatre,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_174" id="page_174">{174}</a></span> in Chicago, December -30, 1903, during a performance there of “Mr. Bluebeard,”—a disaster in -which 602 persons horribly perished,—the New York weekly journal “Life” -published a cartoon portraying the exit of a theatre, with the door -padlocked and with smoke streaming through it, while women and children -were shown struggling to force it open and escape. A symbolic figure of -Death was shown standing beside that portal, and beneath the picture was -a caption reading: “Messrs. Klaw & Erlanger Present Mr. Bluebeard.” The -implication of that cartoon was, unquestionably, an accusation of -wholesale manslaughter. Messrs. Klaw & Erlanger, claiming that the -publication of it was a libel upon them, instituted a suit against -“Life” for $100,000 damages. That suit was tried in the United States -Circuit Court, New York, January 3 to 6, 1905, before Justice William J. -Wallace and a jury. The publication complained of was, in fact, beyond -question a libel. Under the law publication of libellous matter is -justified if it be <i>true</i> and if it be made without malice, in the way -of legitimate comment or criticism. The issue in this case, therefore, -was perfectly clear. The jury decided in favor of “Life” after -deliberating less than five minutes—thus, in effect, certifying to the -truth and legitimacy of comment which amounted<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_175" id="page_175">{175}</a></span> to an accusation against -Klaw & Erlanger of wholesale manslaughter through negligence.</p> - -<p>Second, as to the characters and reputations of the men composing the -Syndicate and the question of their fitness to dominate the Theatre:</p> - -<p>“The New York Dramatic Mirror,” on October 30 and November 13, 1897, -published articles, written by its editor, then Harrison Grey Fiske, -which stigmatized the members of the Theatrical Syndicate as a “<i>band of -adventurers</i>, who imagined that they could manipulate the amusement -business <i>for their sole gain</i>”; as men actuated by “clannish greed and -selfishness”; as “mercenaries” who threatened “the welfare of the -Stage”; as persons who, in their business, were guilty of maintaining a -“<i>system of double-dealing</i>, of <i>false pretences</i>, and of -<i>misrepresentation</i>”; as “illiterate managers”; as an “insolent and -mischievous clique of theatrical middlemen”; as “insolent jobbers,” -“theatrical throttlers,” “crooked <i>entrepreneurs</i>” and “an un-American -and intolerable combination of greedy, narrow-minded tricksters.”</p> - -<p>The several members of the Syndicate, resentful of these explicit -strictures, instituted suit against Fiske, asserting that in making and -circulating the statements about them just quoted he had uttered a -“false, defamatory, scandalous, and malicious libel” which had “injured -the complainants in their good<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_176" id="page_176">{176}</a></span> name, fame, and reputation,” and -otherwise damaged them, all in the sum total of $100,000. The complaint -in this action was filed on November 19, 1897.</p> - -<p>Fiske answered, in effect, that his charges against the Syndicate were -“made in behalf of the public and [of] those engaged in the theatrical -line or profession in the United States” and were set forth as “<i>a fair -and true statement</i> of the object and purpose of the Syndicate”; that -his articles complained of were true and not malicious, denying that -they constitute a “false, defamatory, scandalous, and malicious libel”; -asserted that “Al. Hayman was not a person of good name, fame, and -reputation,” but “that he [Hayman] with his co-complainants did by a -system of double-dealing and false pretences and misrepresentations to -the public and those engaged in the theatrical business unite and band -together by wrongful and improper expedients” to mislead and defraud the -public; “that the said J. Fred Zimmermann is not a person of good name, -fame, and reputation”; that A. L. “Erlanger is not a person of good -name, fame, and reputation, but that, on the contrary, the said A. L. -Erlanger has been arrested and convicted of crime in the State of -Pennsylvania,” and that “the name, fame, and reputation” of the -plaintiffs had been “truly set forth in the said articles mentioned in -the plaintiffs’ complaint.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_177" id="page_177">{177}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>Of course, to <i>make</i> such damaging accusations is not to <i>prove</i> -them,—whether they be made in a newspaper or in a legal instrument: the -noblest and best men and women the world has ever seen, or ever will -see, all are liable to traduction and attack. But the members of the -Syndicate, after taking cognizance of these accusations, after declaring -under oath that they had been damaged by the making of them in the -amount of $100,000, and after the braggart spokesman for the group had -asserted in print that “we mean to make Mr. Fiske prove his allegations -or publicly acknowledge his mistake,” dallied and delayed in the case -for two and one-half years (during all of which time Mr. Fiske, as he -personally and repeatedly assured me, was not only willing but eager to -go to trial on the facts),—and then, April 18, 1900, <i>discontinued -their action</i>. Commenting on this proceeding, Fiske said, in “The -Mirror”:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“No pretence of legal unreadiness and no motion for delay of this -case have ever proceeded from the defence.... ‘The Mirror’ has been -not only ready but eager at all times since the joining of issue in -this case to thoroughly thresh the matter out in open court.... The -case never has been pushed in court, and <i>it is evident that the -plaintiffs never had any intention to try it</i>.”</p></div> - -<p>Judicious readers will, I believe, agree that the course of the members -of the Syndicate amounts,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_178" id="page_178">{178}</a></span> practically, to a confession of the truth of -Fiske’s charges; and surely, in the circumstances, they can neither -wonder nor complain because those charges have been generally -believed.—As to the power exerted by A. L. Erlanger over Belasco and -the quality of the Theatrical Syndicate as a monopoly, I consider the -arraignment made by Samuel Untermyer, before the Appellate Division of -the Supreme Court, to be perhaps the best and most entirely just that I -have ever read:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“...Of course Belasco went to Erlanger’s house and was a -suppliant to the tender mercy of Erlanger to permit him to hire -theatres in which to produce his play. He went there because the -Syndicate’s unholy and criminal alliance which controlled the -principal theatres throughout the country had made it impossible -for any man with a play, a company, scenery, costumes, and all the -requirements for a complete production to book his play (which -means to find a roof under which to produce it) except by the grace -of Klaw & Erlanger, who controlled the Syndicate and the theatres. -And they could ask just such proportion of the profits by way of -rent and impose such other conditions as they chose. Of course -Belasco went to Erlanger’s house, and when he confronted ‘the great -man’ he not only agreed to pay the rent, generally <i>fifty per cent. -or more of the gross receipts</i> of every performance, for the -theatres, but he was also forced to agree to give secretly to Klaw -& Erlanger under cover of Brooks’ name fifty per cent. of all the -profits of that production. No wonder Erlanger did not want that -little arrangement known to his Syndicate</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_016" id="ill_016"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_023.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_023.jpg" width="594" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Byron. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>THE CROWNING ROOM,—BELASCO’S PRODUCTION OF “ADREA”</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_179" id="page_179">{179}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="nind">partners! Why should not Belasco go to Erlanger and smilingly -consent to be fleeced? His venture was ruined unless Erlanger would -furnish ‘bookings’ on any terms Erlanger chose to extort. Should -the King go to the Beggar? Or was it meet that Belasco the Beggar -for a chance to pay for the use of theatres in which to produce his -own play with his own company, should go humbly to Erlanger, the -King of the Syndicate that controlled the theatres?</p> - -<p>“No such despotism has ever been known or dreamed of in this -country and none so fatal to the development of art as the evidence -discloses this Theatrical Syndicate. Every monopoly that has been -dragged into the court pales into insignificance and seems almost -harmless beside it. Every owner of a theatre contracted with -throughout the country was required to agree not to permit his -theatre to be used for any performance not under the direction [of] -or assented to by the Syndicate even during the times it was not in -use or being paid for by the Syndicate!...”</p></div> - -<h2><a name="CONVERTING_CONVENTION_HALL_ADREA_IN_WASHINGTON" id="CONVERTING_CONVENTION_HALL_ADREA_IN_WASHINGTON"></a>CONVERTING CONVENTION HALL:—“ADREA” IN WASHINGTON.</h2> - -<p>Using the despotory power alluded to by Mr. Untermyer, the Syndicate -closed all the theatres of Washington against Belasco when he attempted -to arrange for the presentment of his tragedy. “My <i>penchant</i> for giving -the first performances of my plays before the Washington public, because -I got the real start of my independent career there,” Belasco remarked -to me, “may be, as some<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_180" id="page_180">{180}</a></span> unfriendly critics have declared it, a -‘sentimental folly,’ but it pleases me to do so, and it seems to me to -be a matter for <i>me</i> to decide. The less likely it became that I could -get into Washington with ‘Adrea’ the more determined I became to do so.” -The result of his determination was that Belasco suddenly and privately -hired Convention Hall, a vast, barn-like place in Washington, -inconvenient of access, situated over a market, with seating capacity -for more than 5,000 persons. It contained no stage and was in every way -unfit for theatrical use: in brief, what Belasco did was, first, to hire -a roofed space, and then build a theatre beneath it,—incidentally -complying with all the mysteriously sudden and preternaturally exacting -requirements of various administrative departments of the District of -Columbia. “In all my experience,” he remarked to me, “I never knew such -vigilance to be exercised about a theatrical performance, and I should -never have been able to meet the almost incessant and sometimes most -unreasonable demands upon me if it had not been for the kindly advice, -guidance, and assistance of Senator Gallinger and of Speaker Cannon, who -had been interested in my fight by a <i>protégé</i> of his, Mr. Sidney -Bieber; but, one way or another, every demand was met.” About one-third -of the hall was partitioned from the rest of it by a temporary wall<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_181" id="page_181">{181}</a></span> and -a proscenium arch. Behind this a commodious stage was erected,—all the -labor of building being performed by a company of mechanics brought by -Belasco from his New York theatre. The iron girders supporting the roof -and also the exposed parts of the ceiling were draped and covered with -fire-proof cloth and gauze, dark green in color. Several carloads of -rich hangings and furniture which Belasco had originally purchased for -use in “Du Barry” and “The Darling of the Gods” were taken to Washington -and used to decorate the interior of this improvised theatre. Seats were -arranged, the aisles were carpeted, “boxes” were built, a gallery was -erected at the rear; a chill and barren loft was converted into a -spacious, warm, and handsome playhouse, and on Christmas Eve all seemed -to be in readiness for the opening—and then the Fire Department -condemned the electric-lighting system. “For a little while,” said -Belasco, in relating the story of this enterprise, “I thought they had -me beaten, and after I had spent thousands of dollars. But I put my case -before the Edison Electric Company—and between Saturday and the -following Monday evening the Edison people tore out the condemned system -of wiring, put in a new one, laid a special main for the supply of -current, got it all inspected and passed, and we opened as advertised<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_182" id="page_182">{182}</a></span> -on Monday night! <i>I</i> wanted to get out on the footlights and crow! As to -safety—everything had been done and we had, for an audience of 1,400, -the spaces, exits, and stairways previously considered safe for crowds -of from 5,000 to 6,000.”</p> - -<p>Belasco’s conversion of Convention Hall into a theatre, for the -production of “Adrea,” and the difficulties encountered by him in doing -so caused much comment in the newspapers of the capital, and shortly -before the first performance he published the following letter in “The -Washington Post”:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The editorial in this morning’s ‘Post,’ under the title, ‘Theatre -Regulations in Washington,’ conveys several erroneous impressions, -and I ask this intrusion on your space to state certain facts with -which the Washington public has not hitherto been made familiar. -When I conceived the idea of using Convention Hall for Mrs. Leslie -Carter, my very first step was to come to Washington personally, to -learn directly from the heads of the building, fire, and electrical -engineering departments what changes or safeguards would be -required by each to enable me to use Convention Hall with their -entire approval and in conformity with the law. During a series of -subsequent conferences plans were made and submitted, embodying not -only all the requirements of each department, but several -additional improvements—such as wider aisles, more exits, broader -exit space, etc. These plans were fully approved by the necessary -officials of the District.</p> - -<p>“Having thus secured the proper indorsement, and having placed -myself right with the municipal departments, I<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_183" id="page_183">{183}</a></span> proceeded at great -expense to make these extensive alterations, seeking, above all, in -the interest of the public, to fulfil not only the letter but also -the spirit of the law. I already have done more than I was asked to -do, and no obstacle was raised until after the work was completed. -The structural changes have been made in strict and ready -compliance with the requirements of the District officials, and -under their supervision. <i>My one thought, first, last, and all the -time, was to comply with the law and protect the public.</i> I fully -believe that I have done so.”</p></div> - -<p>The representation of “Adrea” was received with extraordinary enthusiasm -by a large and brilliant audience, not a single member of which left -before the close of the performance, long after midnight. During the -Fourth Act a violent rainfall, beating on the iron roof of the hall, -rendered much of the dialogue inaudible, and soon, the roof leaking in -many places, water poured down through the cloth and gauze hangings, -deluging the audience with green rain. “I saw Admiral Dewey, in one of -the boxes,” said Belasco, “holding an umbrella over a lady whose -beautiful white gown was ruined with green blotches; and in another -Secretary Morton and Admiral Schley with the green water splashing down -on them. But, even though they had to sit under umbrellas or be soaked, -<i>my audience stayed to the very end</i>! Is it any wonder I love the -Washington public?<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_184" id="page_184">{184}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>In the local newspapers, on Christmas Day, Belasco published the -following notice “To the Washington Public”:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Mr. Belasco begs to state that his occupancy of Convention Hall -for Mrs. Leslie Carter’s initial performances of her new play is -because of the opposition of the Theatrical Trust, through whose -dictation no theatre in Washington is permitted to book his -attractions. Unwilling, however, to surrender his custom of making -his productions first in this city, he has rebuilt the interior of -Convention Hall, in strict observance of the legal requirements of -the District departments, and with every regard for the comfort and -safety of his patrons. He begs also to thank the people of -Washington for the friendship and most liberal support which -already assure the success of his independent enterprise.”</p></div> - -<p>When called upon the stage during the opening performance of “Adrea” -Belasco made a brief speech of thanks, the first sentence of which -brought an outburst of applause that lasted for more than two minutes:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Well, ladies and gentlemen, they did not prevent my opening in -Washington. And as long as this is a free country and I am able to -fight for independence in theatrical management, I will open my -companies in Washington, or in any other city that I elect to -visit. It is very late: I won’t detain you but a moment, just to -thank you in words that can’t convey my thanks for your approval,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_185" id="page_185">{185}</a></span> -your sympathy and support. Mrs. Carter, Mr. Long, all my company, -my staff—my loyal, splendid staff, carpenters and mechanics who -have worked here, ladies and gentlemen, for as much as forty-eight -hours at a stretch to make this opening possible—they all are -grateful to you, and I thank you, and thank them, again and again. -It would be strange indeed if we were not willing to fight for the -chance to play before you when you are all so kind to us and when -the man who fought the Battle of Manila Bay and the man who fought -the Battle of Santiago are willing to sit in a sort of green -shower-bath to watch us!”</p></div> - -<p>Belasco gave seven performances of “Adrea” during his week in -Washington, the gross receipts from which were more than $15,000. And -when that engagement was over and the accounts had all been made up and -paid he had suffered a loss of a little more than $25,000.—On the first -night in New York he made a significant speech in which he said:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“...Nobody could ask—nobody could wish—for any more splendid -loyalty, support, and encouragement than I have received from you, -from the people of New York, from the people of every place in -America where I have presented my companies, and I am grateful, -very, very deeply and lastingly grateful, ladies and gentlemen. But -conditions in the American Theatre are bad, ladies and -gentlemen,—very bad indeed—and they ought to be remedied. The -institution we all love should not be left at the mercy of -high-handed, brow-beating, un-American hucksters. We are not afraid -of anyone, ladies and gentlemen: we—all of us;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_186" id="page_186">{186}</a></span> my associates, my -business staff, my splendid, loyal mechanical staffs, my -actors—have had a long, a hard and bitter struggle and have -suffered very serious annoyances and loss. I have just paid more -than $25,000 for the privilege of presenting this tragedy for one -week in the City of Washington. We do not ask or expect that life -should be made easy for us; we can fight, just as you can, for our -rights. But I say, ladies and gentlemen, that it is a crying -outrage and a burning shame that men and women who simply want to -go about their own business in their own way should be forced, in -this day and country, to undergo what we (all of us here behind the -curtain and in the offices of my theatre) have to undergo from week -to week. And, ladies and gentlemen, it is you, the public all over -this great country, who are most injured by it all—because we -cannot give you what you are entitled to get from us when you pay -your money to see our plays and what we want to give you,—that is, -the very best there is in us: we cannot give you that, ladies and -gentlemen, when we have to give so much of our time and strength -and energy and enterprise and courage to fighting a criminal -monopoly when we ought to be giving it and want to be giving it to -writing and producing plays and acting in them, for your -entertainment and pleasure.”</p></div> - -<h2><a name="EXIT_MRS_CARTER" id="EXIT_MRS_CARTER"></a>EXIT MRS. CARTER.</h2> - -<p>“Adrea” was the last new play in which Mrs. Leslie Carter appeared under -the direction of Belasco. Her first season in that tragedy closed at the -Belasco Theatre, May 4, 1905; the second (in the course of which she -acted <i>Du Barry</i> and <i>Zaza</i></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_017" id="ill_017"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_024.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_024.jpg" width="388" height="514" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Byron. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>MRS. LESLIE CARTER AS <i>ADREA</i>, IN THE TRAGEDY OF THAT NAME</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_187" id="page_187">{187}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">as well as <i>Adrea</i>) began there, September 20, that year, and lasted -until June 23, 1906, when it was ended at Williamsport, Pennsylvania. -Differences of opinion and divergence of interests had been growing for -some time between the manager and the actress who owed so -much,—everything, in fact,—to his sagacity and guidance. On July 13, -1906, at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Mrs. Carter was married to William -Louis Payne, and withdrew from the direction of Belasco,—Mr. Payne -assuming the care of her affairs. In <i>Adrea</i> she touched the highest -point of all her greatness and, thereafter, may fairly be said to have -hastened to her setting. At the time of her withdrawal from Belasco’s -management he was at work on a new play for her, dealing with the -experience of an Hungarian immigrant. It was to be called “Repka -Stroon”: although it has been finished it has not yet been acted. Mrs. -Carter has done nothing of lasting importance since her personation of -<i>Adrea</i>. Her acting, at its best, was far stronger in the emotions than -it was in the intellect; but, in <i>Adrea</i>, she met and endured the test -of tremendous situations involving conflict of various passions, and in -that respect she proved her possession of tragic power. In fact, the -defects of her performance of that part were wholly in the superficial -texture of the method, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_188" id="page_188">{188}</a></span> it came home to the heart with an exceeding -effect of pathos because of the sad knowledge with which it was -freighted,—the knowledge of affliction and of grief.</p> - -<h2><a name="SIGNIFICANT_MESSAGES" id="SIGNIFICANT_MESSAGES"></a>SIGNIFICANT MESSAGES.</h2> - -<p>The following telegrams, sent by Belasco and his general manager, -Roeder, are significantly indicative of the consideration shown by the -former toward the players in his employ, as well as of the character of -his mind, and for that reason they are printed here: the actor referred -to, Mr. Benrimo, who played the <i>Fool</i> in “Adrea,” might properly enough -have been transferred to Mrs. Carter’s company, without discussion:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>(<i>Telegram, David Belasco to Blanche Bates, in St. Louis.</i>)</p> - -<p class="r"> -“New York, October, 1904.<br /> -</p> - -<p>“You know I would not do anything to imperil your cast or to -jeopardize our western tour. Always thought it unadvisable to -double <i>Prince</i> and <i>Kato</i> in San Francisco and always intended -sending another man to play <i>Prince</i>.</p> - -<p>“If it were not absolutely necessary for me to have Benrimo in my -new play, I would not ask for him. There happens to be no man -disengaged at present to suit this peculiar part, which means so -much to the success of the play. You may not quite understand why -it should be so, but so it really is. At the present moment I am -engaged in the greatest fight of my life and everything depends on<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_189" id="page_189">{189}</a></span> -this new production. Its success will leave me free to give all my -attention to your new play for next season and will ensure the -working out of all my plans. It is only with our triumphs that I -can hope to beat the Syndicate. My dear girl, by this time I am -sure you have reconsidered your telegram and will help me out. -Please—please, do! There is nothing within my power that I will -not grant if you ask it, so I beg of you again, please help me out.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“<span class="smcap">David Belasco.</span>”<br /> -</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>(<i>Telegram, Benjamin F. Roeder to Blanche Bates in St. Louis.</i>)</p> - -<p class="r"> -“New York, October, 1904.<br /> -</p> - -<p>“In making original cast ‘Darling’ Mr. Belasco requested other of -his stars, who gladly consented. Regret, as one of your best -friends, that you don’t follow dictates your own heart and accord -what is, after all, only a courtesy. Mr. Belasco has been kind and -generous to you always. Money has never stood in way when he could -do anything to make you happy. In consequence Chicago fire we are -still much money behind on original investment ‘Darling’ and Mr. -Belasco has more than fulfilled his contract with you. We paid out -thousands to secure your new play—have been obliged to forfeit all -and Mr. Belasco has been forced to write one himself to give you -‘Blanche Bates part.’ I have not shown him your telegram and don’t -want to. This is the time he needs good soldiers. Be one like the -rest of us. You will lose nothing in the end. Anyway, Benrimo is -not ’Frisco favorite. Under no circumstances could we allow two -such important parts to be played by one man in ’Frisco. Mr. -Belasco is rehearsing the new men. They leave Wednesday and will -strengthen the cast.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“<span class="smcap">B. F. Roeder.</span>”<br /> -</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_190" id="page_190">{190}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>(<i>Telegram, David Belasco to Blanche Bates, in St. Louis.</i>)</p> - -<p class="r"> -“New York, November, 1904.<br /> -</p> - -<p>“Thanks! Thanks! You’re a dear brick and some day I will do as much -to relieve you of anxiety. Buy the prettiest and finest rider’s -dress, with hat and cloak to match, and send the bill to me. I am -sending you two good actors, one for the <i>Prince</i>, the other for -the <i>Fisherman</i>. I am rehearsing them myself. After all, it would -have been dangerous for us to permit any one actor to double the -parts in ’Frisco. You must think so too, so instead of weakening -the cast I am strengthening it.</p> - -<p>“But never mind that, you have helped me out of a dilemma and -you’re a bully girl. As soon as the play is on I shall join the -company and spend some days with you to talk over your new piece -and the cast. It will be well to begin to get the eight people -under contract. If all goes well,—and it will,—you’ll be in New -York <i>all next year</i>! Love to your mother and yourself.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“<span class="smcap">David Belasco.</span>”<br /> -</p></div> - -<h2><a name="VARIOUS_LETTERS_AND_INCIDENTS_OF_1905" id="VARIOUS_LETTERS_AND_INCIDENTS_OF_1905"></a>VARIOUS LETTERS AND INCIDENTS OF 1905.</h2> - -<p>In June, 1905, Belasco, accompanied by Mr. Roeder, sailed for England, -his purpose being to purchase, if possible, or else to arrange to build, -a theatre for his own use in London,—as Daly had done many years -before. This ambitious project, however, proved impracticable of -execution and, though he has never finally abandoned it, he found -himself forced by circumstances to set it aside and he soon returned to -America. While he was in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_191" id="page_191">{191}</a></span> England the subject of his fight against the -dominion of the Syndicate was discussed in various newspapers: in one of -them I find the following letter:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>(<i>David Belasco to “The London Referee.”</i>)</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Hotel Russell, Russell Square,<br /> -“London, W. C., June 17, 1905.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“To the Editor of ‘The Referee’:<br /> -</p> - -<p>“Sir:</p> - -<p>“A sympathetic article in an evening paper, speaking of the methods -of the American Theatre Trust, and their efforts to crush me, also -stated: ‘Let there be no misunderstanding. Mr. [Charles] Frohman -may be entirely exempted from inclusion in this indictment. His -operations in London are in direct competition with those of the -Trust.’</p> - -<p>“In order to prevent any ‘misunderstanding’ I would like to ask: -‘<i>Why</i> should Mr. Frohman be exempted from this indictment?’ In my -suit brought against Messrs. Klaw & Erlanger in New York, in April -last, among other things for the purpose of exposing the methods of -the Theatrical Trust, there was produced in court the original -Syndicate agreement, made in August, 1896, and renewed in August, -1901. This agreement was signed by Charles Frohman, Klaw & -Erlanger, Al. Hayman and Nixon & Zimmermann, and according to the -evidence is still in operation. Further comment is, I think, -unnecessary.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“I am,<br /> -“Faithfully yours,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">David Belasco</span>.”<br /> -</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_192" id="page_192">{192}</a></span></p> - -<p>Soon after his return to New York Belasco received a message from the -great singer Mme. Ernestine Schumann-Heink, who had been much impressed -by his presentment of Warfield in “The Music Master,” who desired to -adventure on the dramatic stage, and who proposed that Belasco should -undertake her management and write a play for her use. This he gladly -agreed to do, and the play, which was to have been a sort of sister -piece to “The Music Master” and was to have been called “The Opera -Singer,” was planned and in part written; but the demands on Belasco’s -energies and time were more than any one person could meet and he was -regretfully forced to relinquish that project. “It hurt me to let go,” -he said: “I had a good story. Mme. Schumann-Heink had great natural -talent for acting, and I believe that if I could have carried it -through, working in a tremendous scene for her, as a singer on the opera -stage, we should have set the country wild. But—there is a limit, and I -was pretty near to mine, so <i>that</i> little scheme went up in smoke!”</p> - -<p>The following letters all are characteristic of Belasco in varying -moods:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>(<i>David Belasco to Blanche Bates.</i>)</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Belasco Theatre, New York,<br /> -“April 3, 1905.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“My dear Blanche Bates:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“I have received a note from Mr. William Courtleigh of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_193" id="page_193">{193}</a></span> the Actors’ -Society in which he asks if it is possible for you to appear with -Mr. Wm. Gillette at their benefit. I have promptly said ‘No.’ In -the first place, you are not going to support Mr. Gillette. You -would do all the hard work—yelling, shouting and running about -like a maniac,—while he sat calmly smoking his cigar, with a -calcium light upon him. Besides, this would be no novelty, as -Gillette did the same thing at the Holland Benefit and I saw the -poor little ———— girl disgrace herself. There is nothing at all -in these ‘benefits,’ and I hope you are pleased that I got you out -of this one.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“With all good wishes,<br /> -“Faithfully yours,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">David Belasco</span>.”<br /> -</p> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>David Belasco to John Luther Long, in Philadelphia.</i>)</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Belasco Theatre, New York,<br /> -“April 26, 1905.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“My dear John:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“I have just received the beautiful Tennysonian verses. I shall -<i>dramatize</i> them, of course, and you were bully to send them to me.</p> - -<p>“But really, Jonathan, haven’t we given that gang of grafters a -shake-up? It cost me a lot of money,—but (thank Heaven!) I had it -to spend, and could unmask them. If I have done a wee bit of good -in helping to clear away the rubbish, I am more than rewarded.</p> - -<p>“Good luck to you, and my best affection!</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Faithfully,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">David Belasco</span>.”<br /> -</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_194" id="page_194">{194}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>(<i>David Belasco to Mrs. F. M. Bates.</i>)</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Belasco Theatre, New York,<br /> -“July 13, 1905.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“My dear, dear Mrs. Bates:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“I am so sorry I did not see you the other morning when you called -at the theatre, but I have been nearly crazy with neuralgia for the -past week.</p> - -<p>“I am a little bit behind on Blanche’s play, and am hurrying off to -Shelter Island to take off my coat and go to work on it. Tell our -Blanche it is a <i>bully play</i>, and that the character of ‘<i>the -girl</i>’ is sky-high—fits her from her head to her feet! I expect to -have it in shape shortly now, and in her hands to study. I am -getting together a <i>bully</i> cast for it. I really think the new play -<i>is my very best</i>, and I know she will be happy. Give her my love.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Faithfully,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">David Belasco</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>(<i>David Belasco to Blanche Bates, in San Francisco.</i>)</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Belasco Theatre, New York,<br /> -“July 20, 1905.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“My dear Blanche B.:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“Your letter received.</p> - -<p>“I got a little behind on the play; you know I had to run off to -London to do big things for the future, and when I got back I went -under with my old attacks of neuralgia. You know how I suffer with -them, and really, this time the pain was excruciating. I’m glad to -say that I am all right again and I am working night and day, -hoping that it is the best play I ever wrote. Your part fits you -from your dear little feet up to your pretty head. It’s a <i>bully -part</i>, and I know you will like it. If you don’t,—well, you need -never kiss me again! I call the play ‘The Girl of the Golden</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_018" id="ill_018"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_025.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_025.jpg" width="386" height="553" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by William Crooke, Edinburgh. <span style="margin-left:15%;"><span style="margin-left:15%;">Author’s Collection.</span></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>HENRY IRVING IN THE LAST YEAR OF HIS LIFE—1904-’05</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_195" id="page_195">{195}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>West.’ The characters call you ‘<i>The Girl</i>.’ The models of the play -are fine—the last scene of all, ‘In the Wilderness,’ is a gem. -There are some beautiful speeches in the play—very ‘Batesesque’; -the lines just <i>crackle</i> and all the situations are human.</p> - -<p>“Yes, send along the photo, and I will have a poster made of you.</p> - -<p>“<i>Entre nous</i>, we open in Pittsburgh, before coming into New York, -playing there for two weeks at the new Belasco Theatre, as the -stockholders have named it. It will be a great night.</p> - -<p>“Just keep well, enjoy your summer, and the moment I have finished -the play,—which will be in about three weeks,—I will rush it into -your hands.</p> - -<p>“With love, hugs, kisses and things,</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Faithfully,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">David Belasco</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>(<i>David Belasco to Frederick F. Schrader, in Washington, D. C.</i>)</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Belasco Theatre, New York,<br /> -“July 22, 1905.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“My dear Mr. Schrader:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“Many thanks for your letter and for your kindly interest. I am so -glad that the press out West has taken up the question of the -Theatrical Trust so splendidly. It helps us in the big fight. There -is a hard year before us, and if we win I think we shall have -succeeded in breaking the tyrannous ring. The London press was -bully. I was interviewed extensively and succeeded in getting many -leading papers interested. They have taken up the Trust question -seriously over there. I hope you read ‘The Referee.’ They began a -series of Trust articles in the number before<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_196" id="page_196">{196}</a></span> the last. The -article was written in a very forcible style.</p> - -<p>“Regarding the theatre in Washington, what you write is very -interesting and I shall be most happy to hear more about it.</p> - -<p>“Mr. [Fuller] Mellish called to see me, and there is an -understanding that at the first opportunity I shall gather him in. -Then,—he may remain with me for life, if he wants to.</p> - -<p>“With kindest regards to yourself and your wife, I am,</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Faithfully,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">David Belasco</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<h2><a name="TRIBUTE_TO_IRVING" id="TRIBUTE_TO_IRVING"></a>TRIBUTE TO IRVING.</h2> - -<p>While Belasco was in Washington, with his new play “The Girl of the -Golden West,” there befell one of the saddest bereavements and one of -the greatest losses the Stage has ever known,—the sudden, pathetic -death of that great actor and manager and even greater man Henry Irving, -which occurred at Bradford, England, October 13, 1905, immediately after -the close of his performance in “Becket.” Belasco, always one of his -disciples and most ardent admirers, when informed of his death, paid him -this tribute:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“There are no more such masters! The English-speaking, the modern, -Stage has lost its greatest inspiration! The name of Henry Irving -stood for all that was artistic in the highest sense. He was the -loyalest servant of the public; the friend, the champion of the -Stage. He belonged to us<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_197" id="page_197">{197}</a></span> almost as much as to England. And what is -saddest of all, he leaves no one behind him to take his place. He -was a great, a marvellous, actor, a dramatic genius; he was the -greatest stage director of modern times; he was the prince of -managers; and, what was best of all, he was the best and kindest of -men and the truest of friends. God rest his great soul! He has died -as he would have wished, but we shall not look upon his like -again.”</p></div> - -<h2><a name="BLANCHE_BATES_AND_THE_GIRL_OF_THE_GOLDEN_WEST" id="BLANCHE_BATES_AND_THE_GIRL_OF_THE_GOLDEN_WEST"></a>BLANCHE BATES AND “THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST.”</h2> - -<p>Belasco’s stirring play of “The Girl of the Golden West” was first -produced at the new Belasco Theatre, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on -October 3, 1905. It is a fabric of situations contrived for the -advantageous display of that old, familiar, everlasting, always -effective theatrical personage, the Rough Diamond. The Girl was -beautiful, intrepid, passionate, vivacious; the soul of innocence; the -incarnation of virtue; the blooming rose of vigorous health; and she -could swear fluently, play cards, and shoot to kill. She kept a drinking -shop, she was adored by all “the boys”; and the fame of her probity and -her many fascinations filled the countryside of California, in the -halycon days of ’49. That fortunate State, according to the testimony of -novelists and bards, was densely populated at that time by girls of this -enchanting order; but this particular <i>Girl</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_198" id="page_198">{198}</a></span> seems to have transcended -all rivals. She was beloved by a picturesque and expeditious outlaw, -<i>Dick Johnson</i>, known as <i>Ramirez</i>, who had gained brilliant renown by -means of highway robbery, and likewise she was beloved by the local -<i>Sheriff</i>, <i>Jack Rance</i>, a grim, obnoxious officer, self-dedicated to -the wicked business of causing that outlaw’s arrest and death. Both -those lovers were ardent, and, between those two fires, her situation -was difficult; but she always rose to the occasion, and when her outlaw -was entrapped by his pursuer the ingenuity of her love and the dexterity -of her stratagem delivered him from bondage, and, upon his promise of -reformation and integrity, launched him upon a new and better career. -The most conspicuous display of her passionate devotion and adroit skill -occurred on a night when he was captured in her dwelling. The -circumstances were essentially dramatic,—because the <i>Girl</i> and her -favored swain were storm-bound in a mountain cabin, whither the -<i>Sheriff</i> had tracked his prey; and the robber had been shot and -wounded, so that there seemed to be no method of escape for him, till -the <i>Girl</i> proposed a game of poker with his foe, staking herself -against the liberty of her sweetheart, and won it by successful -emulation of the <i>Heathen Chinee</i>,—substituting “an ace full” for an -empty hand, at the decisive moment.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_019" id="ill_019"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_026.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_026.jpg" width="389" height="552" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Otto Sarony. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Collection of Jefferson Winter.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>BLANCHE BATES AS <i>THE GIRL</i>, IN “THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST”</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_199" id="page_199">{199}</a></span></p> - -<p>There came a time, however, when even Love could do no more; but at that -crisis Fate interposed, in the shape of Public Opinion,—that is to say, -the friendship of “the boys,”—and the <i>Girl</i> and her lover were united.</p> - -<p>The condition of California in 1849 was, to say the least of it, -turbulent. Some parts of that State are in a turbulent condition now. -Groups of “the boys” can still be discovered. They are not paragons, -though, and they never were. The existence of good impulses in uncouth -persons does not make them less uncouth. Fine qualities can, and do, -exist in beings who are unfamiliar with soap and the toothbrush; but it -would seem that the study of human nature can be pursued, more agreeably -than elsewhere, among saponaceous branches of the race. It is more -pleasant to read about “the boys” than it is to see them. But, broadly -speaking, in Belasco’s drama the <i>Girl</i> is the play, and with Miss Bates -as the <i>Girl</i> there was little more to be desired. Shorn of all -extraneous fringes—variously impious, improper, vulgar, and offensive -interjections of profanity and violent expletive—the play is the image -of a lovely, impetuous woman’s devotion to her lover,—a devotion that -is shown in a series of actions by her to save him from danger and ruin -and to make him happy. Feminine heroism is<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_200" id="page_200">{200}</a></span> the theme, and the <i>Girl</i> -selected to exemplify it is meant to be “a child of nature,” simple, -direct, and true—and Belasco was entirely accurate when he wrote that -the part fitted the actress for whom he made it from her head to her -feet. Given the specified ideal to interpret, Miss Bates placed her -reliance on Acting, and there were moments in her performance,—as, for -example, in the First Act, as the <i>Girl</i> speaks of the protective -instinct in the heart of woman,—when the soul that showed itself in her -face was beatific. She gave, throughout, a personation of extraordinary -variety and strength. In the situations devised for the -heroine,—situations, which, while not radically new, are ingeniously -contrived and are fraught with the dominant spell of suspense,—the -actress had to express the growth of love; the blissful sense of being -loved; the bitter pangs of jealousy; the passionate resentment of a -heart that thinks itself betrayed and wronged by the object of its love; -the conflict of anger with affection; the apprehension of deadly peril, -and the nobility of self-conquest. The exaction of the part is -tremendous, equally upon physical resource and nervous vitality, but, at -every point, it was met and satisfied. The play exemplifies its author’s -remarkable faculty of continuation in the making of characteristic -dialogue, together with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_201" id="page_201">{201}</a></span> ample felicity of invention, and it is overlaid -with profusion of details. The midnight tryst of the <i>Girl</i> and the -<i>Road Agent</i> is not altogether a credible device, but, once assumed and -arranged, that situation,—comprehending the outlaw’s detection, as -such, by the <i>Girl</i>, the awakening of furious jealousy, her turning him -out into the storm, her subsequent harboring of him, and the game of -cards with the outlaw’s life and liberty staked against the <i>Girl’s</i> -whole future,—is handled with consummate skill and moulded to splendid -results, and there the acting of Miss Bates rose to a magnificent climax -of emotion, fully expressed and yet artistically controlled and -directed,—a triumph of intellectual purpose.</p> - -<p>This was the original cast of “The Girl of the Golden West”:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>The Girl</i></td><td align="left">Blanche Bates.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>Wowkle</i>, an Indian squaw</td><td align="left">Harriet Sterling.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>Dick Johnson</i></td><td align="left">Robert Hilliard.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>Jack Rance</i></td><td align="left">Frank Keenan.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>Sonora Slim</i></td><td align="left">John W. Cope.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>Trinidad Joe</i></td><td align="left">James Kirkwood.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>Nick</i></td><td align="left">Thomas J. McGrane.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>The Sidney Duck</i></td><td align="left">Horace James.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>Jim Larkens</i></td><td align="left">Fred. Maxwell.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>“Happy” Haliday</i></td><td align="left">Richard Hoyer.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>“Handsome” Charlie</i></td><td align="left">Clifford Hipple.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>Deputy Sheriff</i></td><td align="left">T. Hayes Hunter.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>Billy Jackrabbit</i>, an Indian</td><td align="left">J. H. Benrimo.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>Ashby</i></td><td align="left">J. Al. Sawtelle.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>José Castro</i></td><td align="left">Roberto Deshon.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>Rider of the Pony Express</i></td><td align="left">Lowell Sherman.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>Jake Wallace</i>, a travelling camp minstrel </td><td align="left">Ed. A. Tester.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>Bucking Billy</i></td><td align="left">A. M. Beattie.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>The Lookout</i></td><td align="left">Fred. Sidney.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>A Faro Dealer</i></td><td align="left">William Wild.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>The Ridge Boy</i></td><td align="left">Ira M. Flick.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>Joe</i></td><td align="left">H. L. Wilson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td align="left"><i>Concertina Player</i></td><td align="left">Ignazio Biondi.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td class="c" colspan="2"><i>Citizens of the Camp and Boys of the Ridge.</i></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_202" id="page_202">{202}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="A_THRILLING_STORY_AND_A_TRUE_ONE" id="A_THRILLING_STORY_AND_A_TRUE_ONE"></a>A THRILLING STORY—AND A TRUE ONE.</h2> - -<p>One of the most tense and effective passages in contemporary drama is -that contrived by Belasco, in this play, when the <i>Sheriff</i> detects the -concealment of the <i>Road Agent</i>, <i>Johnson</i>, in the <i>Girl’s</i> home. -Through the swirling snow he has caught a glimpse of a man’s figure near -to the cabin of the <i>Girl</i>, has shot at it, and has, in fact, hit and -grievously wounded <i>Johnson</i>, who has then been given refuge in the -cabin and concealed by the <i>Girl</i> in a low loft. <i>Rance</i>, having come to -the cabin and been assured that nobody is concealed there, is about to -leave. He goes toward the door, he is about to open it and step out, but -turns to speak to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_203" id="page_203">{203}</a></span> the <i>Girl</i>, holding a white handkerchief with which -he has wiped the snow from his face; as he does so, a drop of blood -falls from the helpless wounded man above him upon the handkerchief, -then another,—and <i>Rance</i>, watching the little crimson stain grow, -instantly comprehends. Belasco, referring to this device, which, -obviously, is as simple and as possible as it is effective but which was -somewhat censured by captious fault-finders, writes this interesting -account of its origin:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“It was from my father that I first got the idea which afterwards -so well served me in ‘The Girl of the Golden West,’—the incident -of the Sheriff and the blood dripping on his handkerchief. The -experience occurred during the Cariboo mine period. My father and -his friend, Shannon, with several others, had a hut together. There -had been a heavy snow, so for awhile they had to give up all idea -of prospecting. Food was growing very scarce, until finally the -twenty-four huts that constituted the expedition could boast of but -three or four loaves of bread, one bottle of whisky, a scant supply -of bear meat, and some straggling fish. The miners were apt to be -careless, and the food supply became so low that it was necessary -to form a committee to guard the precious stores. A Sheriff and a -commission of deputies made a law that anyone taking more than was -handed to him should be shot without trial. Thus things went on for -a few weeks. A poor fellow from Philadelphia who was in camp had -had the blues for months before this, and had made every effort to -start for home. In the midst of the famine he was taken with the -hunger fever, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_204" id="page_204">{204}</a></span> when the boys told him that he was very low he -cried out that he did not want to die. So one night he sneaked over -to the box, and stole a bit of bread and beef and some gold dust. -Then he fled from camp. The next day he was missed, and the loss in -the chest discovered. The Sheriff immediately went after him. -Instinctively the poor fellow must have felt that he was being -followed, for he doubled on his own tracks, and came back to the -hut. My father was playing poker at the time, and presently heard a -shot outside. The missing man staggered into the room and fell at -the feet of the players. ‘Humphrey,’ he gasped, ‘for the sake of my -wife, don’t let them do me up. Save me!’ My father told him to get -out or be plugged, and he pulled his gun from his belt. But at the -same time my father did not say anything when the fellow crawled -upstairs into the loft. Hot upon this came the Sheriff, asking all -sorts of questions, but never a guiding answer did he receive from -the players. Then he joined the game, just as he did in ‘The Girl -of the Golden West,’ my father living an eternity while the man was -above them. They let the Sheriff win so as to make him feel good, -and the game finally broke up. As he held his hand out to my father -for a good-night shake a drop of blood fell upon his arm. A -blanched face looked down through the rafters, a hand clutched -nervously at a shirt, now deep-stained in red. The Sheriff gazed at -the telltale spot on his arm, and smiled cynically as one can -afford to do who is master of such a situation.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Did you fellows know he was up there?’ he asked, taking his gun -from his pocket.</p> - -<p>“There was nothing to be said; the facts were against it. The -victim was caught. There was no staying the hand of the law; one -could see this very well as the Sheriff gripped his gun and drew -himself up to his full height. Standing<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_205" id="page_205">{205}</a></span> there, his gaunt shadow -thrown against the wall, his white face etched deep with marks of -hardship and of toil, he poked the muzzle of his gun between the -rafters and fired. He had done his job, and so he left without -another word.</p> - -<p>“Now, the morning after ‘The Girl of the Golden West’ opened, one -or two critics declared that I did not know the times; they said -that my gambler, so distinctively played by Frank Keenan, was a -caricature, that he was taken from prints rather than from life. -Why, I know the period of ’Forty-nine as I know my alphabet, and -there are things in my ‘The Girl of the Golden West’ truer than -many of the incidents in Bret Harte!”</p></div> - -<h2><a name="A_MASTERPIECE_OF_STAGECRAFT_THE_STORM_IN_THE_GIRL_OF_THE_GOLDEN_WEST" id="A_MASTERPIECE_OF_STAGECRAFT_THE_STORM_IN_THE_GIRL_OF_THE_GOLDEN_WEST"></a>A MASTERPIECE OF STAGECRAFT: THE STORM IN “THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST.”</h2> - -<p>Considered technically, Belasco’s production of “The Girl of the Golden -West” was a genuine masterpiece of stagecraft, and it is specially -memorable for the perfect example it exhibited of the right use of -“realism” in the Theatre,—the use, in this instance, of an artfully -created and perfect semblance of Nature in one of her wildest, most -terrible moods as a background,—always felt, yet never obtruded,—for -dramatic action the effect of which it steadily augmented and enforced. -Nothing of the kind which I have ever seen in the Theatre has fully -equalled in verisimilitude the blizzard on Cloudy Mountain as depicted -by Belasco in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_206" id="page_206">{206}</a></span> Second Act of this fine melodrama—such a bitter and -cruel storm of wind-driven snow and ice as he had often suffered under -in the strolling days of his nomadic youth. When the scene, the interior -of the <i>Girl’s</i> log-cabin, was disclosed the spectators perceived, -dimly, through windows at the back, a far vista of rugged, snow-clad -mountains which gradually faded from vision as the fall of snow -increased and the casements became obscured by sleet. Then, throughout -the progress of the action, intensifying the sense of desolation, dread, -and terror, the audience heard the wild moaning and shrill whistle of -the gale, and at moments, as the tempest rose to a climax of fury, could -see the fine-powdered snow driven in tiny sprays and eddies through -every crevice of the walls and the very fabric of the cabin quiver and -rock beneath the impact of terrific blasts of wind,—long-shrieking down -the mountain sides before they struck,—while in every fitful pause was -audible the sharp click-click-click of freezing snow driving on wall and -window.</p> - -<p>The means by which this effect of storm was produced could easily be -specified and described; in themselves they are as simple as those -employed by Belasco to make the almost equally impressive tempest in -“Under Two Flags”: but it is a capital mistake to take the public behind -the scenes of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_207" id="page_207">{207}</a></span> the Theatre and thus uncover the very heart of the -players’ mystery and destroy illusion. In this instance it is enough to -say, as revealing Belasco’s liberality, thoroughness, and care in -placing his plays before the public, that operation of the necessary -mechanical contrivances required a force of thirty-two trained -artisans,—a sort of mechanical orchestra, directed by a centrally -placed conductor who was visible from the special station of every -worker. And it will, perhaps, be usefully suggestive to misguided -exponents of literal “spontaneity” in Acting to mention that the -perfectly harmonious <i>effect</i> of this remarkable imitation of a storm -necessitated that at every performance exactly the same thing should be -done on the stage at, to the second, exactly the prearranged instant.</p> - -<p>A pleasing device utilized by Belasco in the investiture of this -melodrama was a variant of the long familiar panorama which, moving from -bottom to top of the stage, instead of across it from one side to the -other, showed, first, a beautiful and romantic view of Cloudy Mountain -and of the <i>Girl’s</i> cabin, perched, like an eyrie, high upon a canyon’s -side; next, a winding mountain path leading down to a settlement and -ending outside her saloon, the Polka: then, in a fleeting instant of -darkness, the scene was changed to the interior of that saloon, where<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_208" id="page_208">{208}</a></span> -the action of the play begins. In this production, also, Belasco -banished the usual orchestra and substituted for it a band of homely -instruments,—the concertina, the banjo, and “the bones” of the old-time -minstrels,—which discoursed such old, once familiar but now -long-forgotten, airs as “Coal Oil Tommy,” “Campdown Races,” “Rosalie, -the Prairie Flower,” “Pop Goes the Weasel,” and “Old Dog Tray.”</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_PARTING_OF_BLANCHE_BATES_AND_BELASCO_THE_FIGHTING_HOPE_AND" id="THE_PARTING_OF_BLANCHE_BATES_AND_BELASCO_THE_FIGHTING_HOPE_AND"></a>THE PARTING OF BLANCHE BATES AND BELASCO.—“THE FIGHTING HOPE” AND -“NOBODY’S WIDOW.”</h2> - -<p>“The Girl of the Golden West” proved to be as successful as its author -had expected: also, greatly to the disadvantage of the public, it proved -to be the last important production in which, down to the present day -(1917), Blanche Bates has appeared,—although she continued to act under -the management of Belasco for about seven years. Three of those years -were devoted to “The Girl,” which was presented throughout the country. -Then, September 7, 1908, at the Belasco Theatre, Washington, Miss Bates -was brought out in a new play by Mr. William J. Hurlbut, entitled “The -Fighting Hope,” which was acted in New York, September 22, at the -Stuyvesant Theatre. It held the stage there<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_209" id="page_209">{209}</a></span> until January 16, 1909; was -transferred to the Belasco Theatre, January 18, and remained visible -there until April 10. This was the cast:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Burton Temple</i></td><td class="rt">Charles Richman.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Marshfield Craven</i></td><td class="rt">John W. Cope.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Robert Granger</i></td><td class="rt">Howell Hansel.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Anna</i></td><td class="rt">Blanche Bates.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mrs. Mason</i></td><td class="rt">Loretta Wells.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p>“The Fighting Hope” served as a professional vehicle for Miss Bates -during two seasons. On October 24, 1910, at the Euclid Avenue Opera -House, Cleveland, Ohio, Belasco presented her in “Nobody’s Widow,” by -Mr. Avery Hopwood: that play was first acted in New York, November 14, -that year, at the Hudson Theatre, with the following cast:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Roxana Clayton</i></td><td class="rt">Blanche Bates.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Betty Jackson</i></td><td class="rt">Adelaide Prince.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Countess Manuela Valencia</i></td><td class="rt">Edith Campbell.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Fanny Owens</i></td><td class="rt">Dorothy Shoemaker.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Duke of Moreland</i></td><td class="rt">Bruce McRae.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Ned Stephens</i></td><td class="rt">Rex McDougall.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Baron Reuter</i></td><td class="rt">Henry Schumann-Heink.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Peter</i></td><td class="rt">Westhrop Saunders.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p>Both those plays, though they enjoyed profitable careers, were, in fact, -stop-gaps: they had never<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_210" id="page_210">{210}</a></span> been produced but that “the strong necessity -of the times enforced”: “Blanche wanted to appear in ‘drawing-room’ -drama,” Belasco has said to me; “I was hard pressed and I took what I -could get.” Both those plays owed their profitable careers entirely to -Belasco,—to his unremitting and unacknowledged diligence in the labor -of revising them and making them feasible for stage use and to the -perfection of detail with which he invested their production and caused -them to be acted. A whimsical remark which he once made to me, in -conversation about another play, applies with force to both these -ventures: “I have,” he said, “first and last, paid many authors handsome -royalties for the privilege of working like a slave on their plays, -without credit and generally without thanks, and making them into -popular successes. Each time I have solemnly sworn I’ll never do it -again—yet, somehow, I do! But I live in hope that some day somebody -will bring me a <i>finished play</i> that only needs production.”</p> - -<p>“The Fighting Hope,” even as rectified and notwithstanding its measure -of popular success, was but a flimsy fabric,—crude in construction and -improbable in plot, though at times theatrically effective. In it is -displayed an experience of a loyal wife, <i>Anna Granger</i>, who clings to -“the fighting hope<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_211" id="page_211">{211}</a></span>” of vindicating her husband and rescuing him from -the consequences of crime. That husband, a peculiarly contemptible -scoundrel, has been detected in a forgery; has been tried, convicted, -and imprisoned. His wife, believing him to be innocent and the victim of -<i>Burton Temple</i>, president of a fiduciary institution, obtains -employment in the service of that person and becomes his confidential -secretary. In that capacity, after discovering and shamefully destroying -a letter which establishes the guilt of her husband, she discovers, -also, that she is beloved by <i>Temple</i> and that a reciprocal sentiment is -developing in her own bosom. And then, having confessed her identity, -her wrong conduct, and her regard, she is relieved from a distressing -dilemma by the convenient taking off of her husband,—who, having -escaped from the State Prison at Sing Sing, is overtaken, shot, and -killed by officers of the law who pursue him. In the hands of any other -manager than Belasco, instead of enduring for two years, this piece—if -it had ever been produced at all—would have been relegated to the -regions of tall timber and high grass within a fortnight.</p> - -<p>“Nobody’s Widow” is an ephemeral farce, the central idea of which is -denial of an established relationship in circumstances which might cause -absurd perplexities and ridiculous consequences,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_212" id="page_212">{212}</a></span>—such, in general -character, as ensue when <i>Charles Courtly</i>, in “London Assurance,” on -being introduced to his father, <i>Sir Harcourt</i>, blandly greets him as a -new acquaintance. The chief female character, <i>Roxana</i>, acted by Miss -Bates, has, in Europe, met and married a “<i>Mr. Clayton</i>,” who, actually, -is an English nobleman, the <i>Duke of Moreland</i>; but having, on their -wedding-day, found him in the embrace of a former mistress, <i>Roxana</i> has -repudiated and left him,—privately instituting proceedings for divorce, -and presently apprising her friends in America that her husband, of whom -they have heard, but only by his assumed name of <i>Clayton</i>, is dead, and -that she, accordingly, is a widow. Later she visits some of those -friends at Palm Beach, Florida, and there she is, by chance, confronted -by her husband, then a visitor to the same hostess, but bearing his -right name. <i>Roxana’s</i> husband endeavors to reinstate himself in her -affections, but, persistently and with alternate pleasantry and sarcasm, -he is treated by her as an accidental acquaintance. <i>Roxana</i> assures him -that, as “<i>Mr. Clayton</i>” he is “dead”; that she has never seen him -before; that to her he is, as the <i>Duke of Moreland</i>, nobody; that she -is nobody’s widow. That attitude she maintains until apprised of her -divorce, when she becomes conscious of a sudden access of tenderness for -him;</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_020" id="ill_020"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_027.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_027.jpg" width="502" height="388" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Mishkin Studio. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>TO DAVID BELASCO</p> - -<p>A souvenir of the production of the opera, “The Girl of the Golden -West,” by Giacomo Puccini</p> - -<p> -G. Gatti-Casazza -<span style="margin-left:7%;"> David Belasco</span> -<span style="margin-left:7%;">A. Toscanini </span> -<span style="margin-left:7%;"> Giacomo Puccini</span> -</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_213" id="page_213">{213}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">and, eventually,—though not until after various trips and stumbles on -the track of reconciliation,—she first allows herself to be again -married to him, and then allows herself to be convinced of his honest -intentions and the sincerity of his love. A farce is well enough in its -way: but to record industry of such a manager as Belasco and such an -actress as Blanche Bates in such stuff as “Nobody’s Widow” is only to -record wasted opportunity and disappointed expectation. In conversation -with me Belasco has once or twice intimated some thought of proposing -the resumption of Miss Bates’ management: it might be greatly to the -public gain if that actress should return to his direction; but, while I -earnestly hope it may come about, I do not believe it ever will:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“The Bird of Time has but a little way<br /></span> -<span class="i1">To flutter—and the Bird is on the Wing.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<h2><a name="A_GREAT_NIGHT_BELASCO_AT_THE_METROPOLITANmdashA_GENEROUS_ACKNOWLEDGMENT" id="A_GREAT_NIGHT_BELASCO_AT_THE_METROPOLITANmdashA_GENEROUS_ACKNOWLEDGMENT"></a>A GREAT NIGHT.—BELASCO AT THE METROPOLITAN.—A GENEROUS ACKNOWLEDGMENT.</h2> - -<p>During the season of 1906-’07 Belasco’s friend the Italian musical -composer Puccini, who desired to write an opera on a characteristically -American subject, made a visit to our country for the purpose of -selecting one. While in New York, in January, 1907, he attended -performances by Miss<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_214" id="page_214">{214}</a></span> Frances Starr in “The Rose of the Rancho” and by -Miss Bates in “The Girl,”—at the Academy of Music. After considerable -cogitation his choice fell upon the latter, and while travelling to his -home in Italy he wrote the following letter to Belasco:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>(<i>Giacomo Puccini to David Belasco.</i>)</p> - -<p class="r"> -Hôtel de Londres, Paris [France],<br /> -March 7, 1907.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“Dear Mr. Belasco:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“I was exceedingly sorry to have left New York without seeing you -once more. I have been thinking so much of your play, ‘The Girl of -the Golden West,’ and I cannot help thinking that with certain -modifications it might easily be adapted for the operatic stage. -Would you be good enough to send me a copy of the play, to Torre -del Lago, Pisa, Italia? I could then have it translated, study it -more carefully, and write to you my further impressions.</p> - -<p>“I cannot express to you all the admiration I feel for your great -talent, and how much impressed I was at the drama I saw at your -theatre.</p> - -<p>“With kindest regards, and hoping to hear from you soon,</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Yours sincerely,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">Giacomo Puccini</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p>Puccini’s wish was immediately complied with, and upon the basis of -Belasco’s melodrama he wrote his opera of “La Fanciulla del -West,”—which was sung, in Italian, “for the first time on any stage,” -December 10, 1910, at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York: the -libretto was “arranged” by</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_021" id="ill_021"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_028_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_028.jpg" width="384" height="553" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p><span class="smcap">In Remembrance</span></p> - -<p>PUCCINI’S OPERA “THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST”</p> - -<table> -<tr><td>Giacomo Puccini</td><td> </td><td> Arturo Toscanini</td></tr> -<tr><td>(P. by Dupont) </td><td> </td><td> (P. by Dupont)</td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="3">Belasco<br /> -(P. by Abbe)</td></tr> - -<tr><td>G. Gatti-Casazza </td><td> </td><td> Otto H. Kahn</td></tr> -<tr><td>(P. by Dupont) </td><td> </td><td> (P. by Pach)</td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="3">Emmy Destinn<br /> -(P. by White)</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Pasquale Amato </td><td> </td><td> Enrico Caruso</td></tr> -<tr><td>(P. by White) </td><td> </td><td> (P. by White)</td></tr> -</table> - -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_215" id="page_215">{215}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">Signori G. Zangarini and C. Civinni: it is, substantially, a -translation, until the last act, when a scene is introduced showing the -imminent lynching of <i>Johnson</i> by “the boys” in a convenient grove of -redwood trees and his rescue by the <i>Girl</i>. This scene, as I understand, -was originally planned by Belasco for use in his play but was by him -discarded. “La Fanciulla del West” was sung for the first time by an -extraordinary cast, which should be recorded. This is it:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="font-size:90%;margin:1em auto;"> - -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Minnie</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Emmy Destinn.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Dick Johnson</i>, (<i>Ramirez</i>, the road-agent) </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Enrico Caruso.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Jack Rance</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Pasquale Amato.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Nick</i>, Bartender at the “Polka” </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Albert Reiss.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Ashby</i>, Wells-Fargo Agent </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Adamo Didur.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Sonora</i> </td><td class="cbrd"></td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Dinh Gilly.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Trin</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Angelo Bada.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Sid</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Giulio Rossi.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Bello</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> Miners </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Vincenzo Reschiglian.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Harry</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Pietro Audisio.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Joe</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Glenn Hall.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Happy</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Antonio Pini-Corsi.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Larkens</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td> <td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Bernard Bégué.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Billy</i>, an Indian </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Georges Bourgeois.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Wowkle</i>, his Squaw </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Marie Mattfeld.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Jake Wallace</i>, a Minstrel </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Andrea de Segurola.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>José Castro</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Edoardo Missiano.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>The Pony Express Rider</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Lamberto Belleri.</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="c" colspan="3"><i>Men of the Camp and Boys of the Ridge.</i></td></tr> - -<tr><td><small>CONDUCTOR</small> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> <small>ARTURO TOSCANINI</small>.</td></tr> - -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_216" id="page_216">{216}</a></span></p> - -<p>Belasco felt profound interest in the production of his friend’s opera -and directed many of the rehearsals, intent, as he has declared, “to -make the artists act as well as sing.” That, doubtless, was a laudable -ambition,—but, practically, it is, in the very nature of things, -impossible of fulfilment, whether by Belasco or another. Opera singers -may be, indeed, frequently are, dramatic in temperament: they are not -and can not simultaneously be excellent as actors and as singers. -Sometimes a comparatively poor singer becomes, in opera, a tolerably -good actor,—but that is the limit of achievement in this direction. -True <i>impersonation</i>, as made known on the dramatic stage,—in, for -example, Forrest’s <i>Othello</i>, Davenport’s <i>Macbeth</i>, Jefferson’s <i>Rip -Van Winkle</i>, Barrett’s <i>Cassius</i>, Irving’s <i>Mephistopheles</i>,—never has -been and never can be displayed on the operatic stage.</p> - -<p>Talking with me about the first performance of this opera, Belasco said: -“It was a great night for me, and I took unbounded pleasure in it and -felt much honored when I found myself taking curtain calls with the -author, Toscanini, Gatti-Casazza, Caruso, Miss Destinn, and the rest. -Puccini, as always, was simple and frankly demonstrative in his delight. -The singers were all wild with enthusiasm—I was never so much be-kissed -in my life!—but I<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_217" id="page_217">{217}</a></span> think I was, perhaps, most interested in that -wonderful man Arturo Toscanini. He seemed to me one of those -self-contained fellows—calm on the surface but burning white-hot -inside. To me it was thrilling to watch him conduct, and he did so at -that first performance without a score, as though the work were a -classic long familiar to him and held in memory.”</p> - -<p>Belasco’s labor on the production of “La Fanciulla” was wholly one of -love, as he declined to accept any payment for all his arduous work at -rehearsals. In the programme of the first performance appeared a notice -saying: “The Metropolitan Opera Company desires to make public -acknowledgment of its indebtedness, and to express its cordial thanks, -to Mr. David Belasco for his most valuable and kind assistance in the -stage production of ‘The Girl of the Golden West.’<span class="lftspc">”</span> And among his most -cherished possessions is a sumptuous album containing signed portraits -of all the principal singers who participated in the opera, as well as -of Puccini, Toscanini, and Gatti-Casazza, together with an exquisitely -illuminated copy of the programme on vellum and an appreciative -inscription, also illuminated on vellum. This gracious token was taken -to Belasco’s studio and delivered to him by a committee, representing -the opera company, composed of Messrs.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_218" id="page_218">{218}</a></span> Otto Kahn, Henry Rogers -Winthrop, Robert Goelet, and John Brown.</p> - -<h2><a name="BELASCO_AND_THE_MESSRS_SHUBERT" id="BELASCO_AND_THE_MESSRS_SHUBERT"></a>BELASCO AND THE MESSRS. SHUBERT.</h2> - -<p>An incident of Belasco’s career in management which can conveniently be -recorded here is his alliance with the Messrs. Shubert. That alliance -was arranged in 1904-’05, when Belasco was in active conflict with the -Theatrical Syndicate, by the late S. S. Shubert, of whom and of their -business association he writes: “I found him an earnest young man, with -the power to make friends and possessed of an irrepressible enthusiasm.” -Shubert, with two brothers, began theatre management (or, rather, -correctly speaking, theatre control) in Syracuse, New York, where they -leased the Bastable Theatre. They subsequently obtained control of the -Herald Square Theatre in New York, and then, directly or indirectly, of -many other theatres in various cities of the country, especially in the -smaller places which are known as “the one-night stands.” “You have -attractions and a reputation,” urged Shubert, addressing Belasco, “but -no theatres out of New York: we have theatres but lack attractions and -reputation. Join us, and all our out-of-town houses shall be at your -disposal.” The arrangement</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_022" id="ill_022"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_029.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_029.jpg" width="547" height="405" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>THE OPERA OF “THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST”—</p> - -<p>A Souvenir, to Belasco</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_219" id="page_219">{219}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">thus proposed was made and it had mutual advantages, but it was more -valuable to the Shubert Brothers than to Belasco. Possessed of contracts -to “book” the latter’s “attractions” the Shuberts were strengthened in -their relations with theatre managers not dominated by the Trust who -desired to have those attractions presented in their houses,—and thus -they were, in turn, strengthened in dealings with managers of other -“attractions.” The Belasco-Shubert alliance lasted for about four years. -The time came when Mr. Lee Shubert (who had become the head of the -Shubert Company) condescendingly intimated in public that he did not -believe that anything could be accomplished by the methods of opposition -to theatrical despotism which were long employed by Belasco and by the -shrewd, indefatigable, vindictive H. G. Fiske and his intrepid, -brilliant, accomplished wife; nevertheless, if it had not been for their -opposition, the subjugation of the American Theatre to injurious -monopoly would, in all human probability, have been so complete that Mr. -Lee Shubert and his associates would never have found an opening through -which to break.</p> - -<p>S. S. Shubert died, May 12, 1905, in consequence of injuries sustained -in a train wreck on the Pennsylvania Railroad, near Lochiel, -Pennsylvania, on the 11th. Belasco considers his death “a hard blow<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_220" id="page_220">{220}</a></span>” -and is “sure he would have occupied a great place in the history of the -American Theatre. He had keen business instincts, a lovable nature, and -was the soul of honor.” He would have required to possess a more -extensive equipment to entitle him to the eminence Belasco believes he -would have attained. I had no personal acquaintance with Mr. Shubert: he -never <i>did</i> anything of notable importance as a theatrical manager, -properly so called. His brother, Mr. Lee Shubert, through the shifts and -chances of fortune, at one time almost held the destiny of our Theatre -in his hand,—but he is merely a commercial exploiter of the Stage and -consequently made nothing of his opportunity.</p> - -<p>Belasco was to have accompanied S. S. Shubert on the journey which -proved his last and, had he done so, might have perished with him. “I -have had three such ‘close calls,’<span class="lftspc">”</span> he has said to me: “Once, when I was -a lad, I gave up an excursion trip on the Sacramento River to please my -mother,—and the excursion boat was blown up soon after she left the -dock. The second was when, at the last minute, I cancelled a trip to -Cincinnati, with Charles Frohman. He took a secretary with him, the -train was wrecked, and the secretary, sitting beside him where I would -have been, was killed. The third was the trip with ‘Sam’ Shubert. We<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_221" id="page_221">{221}</a></span> -were to have gone to Pittsburgh together, on business connected with the -Duquesne Theatre there, which, with the Shuberts, I took over and which -was renamed the Belasco. If I had gone I am sure that I should have been -killed in the wreck.” It is probable that he would have been: the train -on which Shubert travelled to his death “side-swiped” a freight train, -loaded with dynamite: many lives were lost.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_ADVENT_OF_FRANCES_STARR_BELASCOS_THE_ROSE_OF_THE_RANCHO" id="THE_ADVENT_OF_FRANCES_STARR_BELASCOS_THE_ROSE_OF_THE_RANCHO"></a>THE ADVENT OF FRANCES STARR.—BELASCO’S “THE ROSE OF THE RANCHO.”</h2> - -<p>Frances Starr was born at Albany, New York, June 6, 1880, and made her -first appearance on the stage as <i>Lucy Dorrison</i>, in Robertson’s “Home,” -with a stock company, in that city, under the management of the late -Frederic Bond. During the next six years she gained experience in -various stock companies,—at the Murray Hill Theatre, New York; in San -Francisco, in Boston, and at Proctor’s 125th Street Theatre, New -York,—and, February 12, 1906, she appeared, in association with Charles -Richman, as <i>Nell Colfax</i>, in “Gallops,”—a weak echo of Boucicault’s -horse-racing plays of “The Flying Scud” and “The Jilt.” Belasco first -saw her when she was acting at the Murray Hill, and his attention was -again called to her by his brother Frederick, who, in 1905, wrote to him -from San<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_222" id="page_222">{222}</a></span> Francisco, praising her in high terms. Writing about Miss -Starr, Belasco has given this account of her employment by -him—certainly the most fortunate event of her life:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“When I first saw her play I watched her performance with the -closest attention. Her entrance was greeted by a spontaneous -outburst of applause. She was just a young girl then, a sweet-faced -girl, delicately formed, with a beautiful forehead and fine, -intelligent eyes. I was most favorably impressed by her -performance, but at the time I had no part for her.... Her -opportunity came during the second season of ‘The Music Master.’ -Miss Minnie Dupree was to leave the company before the close of the -season and I needed some one to take her place. I remembered Miss -Starr and, with my friend and stage manager, William Dean, I went -to the Garrick to see her in ‘Gallops.’...” In that play “the hero -staked his all on a horse race, and the future happiness of the -young lovers hung in the balance as the race took place. The -heroine and a coaching party were near the track, and Miss Starr -stood on the steps of the coach, facing the audience. As the race -was being described Miss Starr’s facial expression was so -remarkable that she held the audience for several minutes. The -various expressions of hope, despair, and joy came and went -according to the movements of the horse. The tumult of applause was -a tribute not to the play nor to the scene, but to the perfection -of Miss Starr’s art. And as an exhibition of pantomime I have seen -nothing to surpass it.... I decided that I must have her under my -management, and I gave instructions to Mr. Dean to send for her to -ask her to sign a contract as soon as possible.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_223" id="page_223">{223}</a></span> Just before the -final curtain fell the young actress looked at me, and as our eyes -met I fancied I read in them the question: ‘Have I pleased you?’ On -the way back to my theatre I was haunted by the pathetic appeal so -silently thrown across the footlights, and I determined to do what -I could to save one little girl the sleepless night I felt sure was -in store for her. ‘Dean,’ I said, ‘don’t wait until morning. -Telephone Miss Starr to-night and say I wish to see her to-morrow.’ -Mr. Dean advised me to wait. He thought it would be poor judgment -on my part to show any eagerness; that Miss Starr would be sure to -take advantage of it and raise her salary, but I insisted and he -telephoned to her. As I expected, she was in her room, anxious, -nervous, and wondering if my visit to the theatre would mean an -engagement for her. Later, she told me of her relief and happiness -when the telephone call came. It did not save her from a sleepless -night after all, but her wakefulness was the result of joyous -anticipation rather than anxiety. The appointment was made for -10.30 in the morning. When I arrived at 9, Mr. Dean came to me, -smiling broadly. ‘Miss Starr is in my office,’ he said; ‘she has -been waiting since 8 o’clock.’ I found her even more attractive -than I had imagined. Her hair was soft and light, her eyes deep -blue, varying into gray, and the changing expressions of her -earnest face were delightful. She was pale and tearful. ‘It has -always been my wish to work for you,’ she said. I learned that her -manager at the Garrick Theatre intended to ‘star’ her in a play, -but she expressed a willingness to come with me if only in a ‘bit’ -five lines long. I offered her the leading part of <i>Helen</i> in ‘The -Music Master,’ and she was delighted. I told her to go to Mr. Dean -and make business arrangements. ‘I don’t care what salary I get,’ -she exclaimed. ‘The only agreement I want is that you<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_224" id="page_224">{224}</a></span> don’t change -your mind.’ I insisted, however, that a contract be signed, and -when Mr. Dean made it out she wanted to put her name to it at once, -but I advised her to take it home and read it over. She took it -away with her, but afterwards confessed that she stopped in a -telegraph office on the way to her hotel and signed it!...”</p></div> - -<p>The first play in which Belasco presented Miss Starr as a leading -performer, heading an important theatrical company—less than six months -after he had seen her in “Gallops”—was “The Rose of the Rancho.” This -piece is based on an earlier one, by Richard Walton Tully, called -“Juanita,” which had been produced in Los Angeles with the excellent -actor John H. Gilmour in the principal male part. Mr. Tully’s play was -verbose, diffuse, and coarse in texture. Belasco, after once rejecting -it, being in urgent need of a vehicle for Miss Starr, read it again and -agreed to “accept it, provided I might have the privilege of rewriting -it.” This “privilege” Belasco has exercised in many instances—to his -loss and the immense advantage of various inconsequential and ingrateful -amateurs of dramatic authorship. His stipulation was acceded to by Mr. -Tully, and Belasco, working as usual under the stress of haste and the -distraction of many projects, revised, curtailed, amended, and -reconstructed “Juanita,” which, in its final form as “The Rose</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="fill_009" id="fill_009"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_030.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_030.jpg" width="396" height="531" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>FRANCES STARR</p> - -<p style="text-align:left;text-indent:0%;">Inscription:</p> - -<p>“<i>To him who made me what I am and inspired what I hope to be,—with -ever living love and gratitude.</i>”</p> - -<p style="text-align:left;text-indent:0%;">Photograph by Strauss Payton.<br /> -Belasco’s Collection.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_225" id="page_225">{225}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">of the Rancho,” gained abundant success. It was first acted, under that -name, at the Majestic Theatre, Boston, November 12, 1906, and was -brought out in New York, at the Belasco Theatre, November 27: it held -the stage there until June 29, 1907.</p> - -<p>There is, in this play, a glance at a disgraceful episode in American -history,—the technically legal, but outrageously unjust and brutally -tyrannical, seizure of the estates of Spaniards in California, after the -Mexican War; but the purpose was not so much to relumine a remote and -half-forgotten rascality as to display the incidents of a romantic love -story associated with the nefarious proceedings of that distressful and -turbulent time and place. That purpose Belasco accomplished in pictorial -settings of uncommon beauty. The scenery of Southern California is -inexpressibly charming, because it combines tranquil loveliness with -awful grandeur and is everywhere invested with poetic mystery. The -stupendous and austere mountains, the boundless, lonely plains, the -balmy orange groves, the graceful palm trees, the fragrant magnolias, -the abundance of wild flowers, the glorious blue skies and the pure, -sweet air,—these and many other beauties unite to make that region a -paradise. It is in Southern California that the <i>Rose of the Rancho</i> -blooms, and Belasco, who knows and loves that coun<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_226" id="page_226">{226}</a></span>try well, made his -stage a garden of luxury and a dream of splendor to convey that -charm—presenting a series of pictures which have never been excelled -and seldom equalled. The investiture of this play, indeed, blending old -Spanish architecture with a semi-tropical wealth of natural beauty, was -literally magnificent and considerably excelled the worth of the play -itself. This is a synopsis<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> of that fabric,—from which it will be -seen that the theme is, to some extent, the same as that treated in -Helen Hunt Jackson’s prolix and tedious novel of “Ramona”:</p> - -<p>The scene is laid amid the sleepy, picturesque Spanish missions of -Southern California. The plot deals with the great tragedy that -underlies California history—the taking of the Spanish inhabitants’ -homes by land-jumping Americans. <i>The Rose of the Rancho</i> is <i>Juanita</i>, -the youngest daughter of the <i>Castro</i> family. Through pride and -indolence the <i>Castros</i> have neglected to make their property secure to -them by filing an entry with the American land agent, and things have -come to a serious pass with them. One of the most notorious land-jumpers -in the state, <i>Kinkaid</i>, of Beaver, Neb., has come to San Juan, with his -outfit, to take the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_227" id="page_227">{227}</a></span> whole valley. At the same time another American has -appeared on the scene,—<i>Mr. Kearney</i>, of Washington,—a government -agent sent to investigate the land disputes.</p> - -<p>Previous to the rising of the curtain upon the beautiful mission garden -the latter has met and fallen in love with the fascinating <i>Juanita</i>. -Because of enmity toward all gringoes she refuses to treat him civilly, -but she meets him by accident every day, unknown to her mother, who -arranges (according to the custom) that <i>Juanita</i> shall marry a young -Spanish spark, from Monterey—<i>Don Luis de la Torre</i>. The girl’s father -was an American, and there begins a struggle between her loyalty to her -mother, her Spanish relatives and friends, on the one side, and the -young American who comes with the offer of his love and aid, on the -other. <i>Juanita</i>, given her first kiss, lets the blood of her father -direct her actions. She gives the data necessary for a registration to -<i>Kearney</i>, who has no authority to interfere with <i>Kinkaid</i>, but who -sends his friend, <i>Lieutenant Larkin</i>, to Monterey to make the entry for -the <i>Castros</i>. <i>Kearney</i> remains behind to delay <i>Kinkaid</i> as long as he -can. <i>Larkin</i> agrees to bring back the state militia for <i>Kearney’s</i> -protection. Meanwhile, the mother has learned that her daughter has -tossed a geranium to a gringo (signify<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_228" id="page_228">{228}</a></span>ing, “I love you”), and <i>Juanita</i> -is locked in her room.</p> - -<p>The Second Act takes place in the patio-court of the old <i>Castro</i> ranch -house. In spite of the danger that threatens, the mother is giving the -engagement party she has planned. <i>Juanita’s</i> friends are present. There -are Spanish dances and the throwing of cascarones, and <i>Don Luis</i> -appears to claim his bride. <i>Juanita</i> is defiant, and when they are -about to betroth her she declares herself to be a gringo and the -promised wife of a gringo. For this her mother disowns her, and is about -to turn her out of the house, when <i>Kinkaid</i> and his men attack it and -break in, and <i>Juanita</i> is thunderstruck to find the man she has trusted -among them. The crowd of riffraff insult the women, who are protected by -<i>Kearney</i>. He, however, must pretend that he is upon <i>Kinkaid’s</i> side. -<i>Juanita</i> appeals to him, and is rebuffed. <i>Kinkaid</i> agrees to wait -until dawn before taking possession—thereby giving <i>Kearney</i> the time -desired. The latter gets away from the land-jumper and finds <i>Juanita</i> -to explain. She lashes him with her tongue for his betrayal of her -people, and when he tries to make her listen she strikes him. Nothing -daunted, he forces her to listen to his explanation. She tells him that -she thinks he is a liar, but—she will wait till morning to see if the -militia comes.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_229" id="page_229">{229}</a></span></p> - -<p>The Third Act takes place upon the roof of the ranch house. Dawn is -coming, and no help has arrived. <i>Kearney</i> makes <i>Kinkaid</i> a prisoner as -a hostage to protect the women. Unfortunately, <i>Don Luis</i>, jealous of -the American lover of <i>Juanita</i>, in an effort to compel him to fight a -duel, lets <i>Kinkaid</i> go. The latter joins his men and an attack is -imminent. The old Franciscan, <i>Father Antonio</i>, assembles “his children” -in prayer for delivery, the sunrise hymn of the Californians. This -delivery comes in the shape of the long-awaited militia from Monterey. -The rancho is saved, but the mother will not see her daughter go to an -American. She forces her daughter to choose, and this she does—in favor -of the gringo.</p> - -<hr style="width:10%;"/> - -<p>That is a simple, almost trite, story; but Belasco contrived to tell it -in <i>action</i> more than in words, and his telling of it proceeds from one -sensation to another with cumulative effect. Divested of all outward -flourishes, it is seen to be the portrayal of a conflict between virtue, -animated by love, and villany, impelled by cupidity and brutal license. -The vulgarian would seize the estate of the old Spanish family. The -hero, who loves its young mistress, would save it for her; and in order -to accomplish<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_230" id="page_230">{230}</a></span> that object he is compelled to pretend fraternity with -her oppressor,—for which reason she temporarily mistrusts him; but his -purpose is accomplished, his fidelity is proved, and his love is -rewarded. In all this, happily, there is no examination of the remote -causes of the universal passion; no philosophic essay on masculine -strength as opposed to feminine weakness; no treatise on elective -affinities. The play, in short, is an old-fashioned melodrama in a -new-fashioned dress; one of those plays that the spectator observes with -an interested desire to ascertain how it will turn out. No new type of -character is presented, nor is a special attempt made to variegate the -old types. <i>Kearney</i>, of Washington, is the handsome, gallant, -expeditious young cavalier who has loved and rescued the endangered -maiden in a hundred plays of the past. <i>Kinkaid</i>, of Beaver, is the same -old blackguard and bully who seems victorious for a moment, but is -always finally discomfited, in the chronic story of the Far West. <i>Don -Luis</i> is the debonair but disappointed suitor, from whom the <i>Bride of -Netherby</i> always rides away. <i>Father Antonio</i> is the good and gentle -priest who cheers the drooping spirit and bestows ecclesiastical -benediction. The only persons who savor of exceptional quality are -<i>Señora Kenton</i> and her daughter <i>Juanita</i>, <i>the Rose</i>,—the one a stern -and formidable<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_231" id="page_231">{231}</a></span> woman, vital with Spanish hatred of the invading -American; the other, a passionate, capricious, wilful girl, who can be -sweet and tender, but who is customarily piquant, independent, and -resolute in her own course: characters strongly reminiscent of the -matron and the heroine in “Ramona.” But, all the same, the old tale of -strength protecting weakness, stratagem defeating duplicity, and love -triumphant over hate, pleased, as it always has pleased, and as it -always will continue to please—“till all the seas run dry.” Although, -intrinsically, not exceptional as a work of dramatic art, “The Rose of -the Rancho” has positive and abundant felicity of theatrical merit, -imparted by the skilful hand of Belasco, and the production of it was -worthy of his brightest fame. This was the original cast of it:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_232" id="page_232">{232}</a></span></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="font-size:90%;margin:1em auto;"> - -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Kearney</i>, of Washington </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Charles Richman.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Don Luis de la Torre</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> A. Hamilton Revelle.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Padre Antonio</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Frank Losee.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Lieutenant Larkin</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> William Elliott.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Kinkaid</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> John W. Cope.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Rigsby</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Wayne Arey.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Sunol</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> J. Harry Benrimo.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Tomaso</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Frank Westerton.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Ortega</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Norbert Cills.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Goya</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Candido Yllera.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Pico</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Fermin Ruiz.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Fra Mateo</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Frank de Felice.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>A Gardener</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Richard S. Conover.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Salvador</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Gilmore Scott.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Pascual</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Salvatore Zito.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Benito</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Vincent de Pascale.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Estudilla</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Julio Grau.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Yorba</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Francesco Recchio.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Cadet</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Regino Lopez.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>El Tecolero</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Virgilio Arriaza.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Bruno</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> C. A. Burnett.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Manuel</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Leonardo Piza Lopez.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Señora Dona Petrona Castro</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Marta Melean.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Señora Kenton</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Grace Gayler Clark.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Juanita</i>, called <i>La Rosa del Rancho</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Frances Starr.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Trinidad</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Jane Cowl.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Beatriz</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Catherine Tower.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Carlota</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Atalanta Nicolaides.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Guadalupe</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Maria Davis.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Señora Alcantara</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Regina Weil.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Agrada</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Louise Coleman.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" class="c"><i>Kinkaid’s Ranchmen</i>, <i>Caballeros</i>, <i>Vaqueros</i>, <i>Musicos</i>,</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" class="c"><i>Servants</i>, <i>Etc.</i></td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2" class="c"><i>Señoritas</i>, <i>Dueñas</i>, <i>the Child of the Dance</i>, <i>Etc.</i></td></tr> -</table> - -<p>Miss Starr, in her performance of <i>Juanita</i>, manifested impetuosity of -temperament combined with charm of personality, and by her arch behavior -as a coquette, together with the vigor and sparkle of her demeanor as a -wounded, doubting, resentful, and angry young woman, gained and merited -general admiration.—A significant thought as to expedition</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_023" id="ill_023"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_031.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_031.jpg" width="386" height="546" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Byron. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>FRANCES STARR AS <i>JAUNITA</i>, IN “THE ROSE OF THE RANCHO”</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_233" id="page_233">{233}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind"> and indolence in the fibre of contrasted races is conveyed in two casual remarks in -this play: “Civilization,” says the “land-jumper,” <i>Kinkaid</i>, with -blatant vulgarity of manner, when announcing his purpose of legalized -robbery, “must progress”; and when it is found that certain muskets -which have been collected for use in defending the <i>Castro</i> ranch are -useless because of lack of powder, the Spanish cavalier is heard to -murmur: “I meant to have got that powder <i>to-morrow</i>.” Charles Richman, -as the intrepid <i>Kearney</i>, and John W. Cope, as the sinister <i>Kinkaid</i>, -gave performances of sterling merit, because true to life and -symmetrical and fluent in expression,—the one presenting, in a notably -earnest spirit, a sonsy, healthful, interesting, thoroughly good fellow: -the other assuming, in a painfully natural way, the obnoxious -characteristics,—including a repulsive personal appearance,—commonly, -and correctly, ascribed to the Western breed of ruffian.</p> - -<p>Belasco has, in drama, made use of the element of natural -accessories,—meaning peculiarities of climate, cloud, sunshine, rain, -storm, calm, the sound of the sea, the ripple of leaves in the wind, the -swirl of dust, the gentle falling of flower petals, the incessant -variations of light according to place and time, whether morning or -evening, noonday or midnight,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_234" id="page_234">{234}</a></span> and so following,—with an unerring skill -akin to that of Wilkie Collins in the writing of fiction. In “The Rose -of the Rancho” he took almost unparalleled pains to render his effects -perfect. Writing of this work, he has recorded:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“To get the strong sunlight of my beloved California and the -wonderful shades and tones of sunset, night, and dawn as they come -out there I had my electrician, Louis Hartman, carry our -experiments to the point of making our own colors for our lamps, as -we could find none on the market that would give me the desired -result. At the present time we mix all our own colors for the -lights used in my productions, but in those days this had not been -done. I took <i>twenty-five electricians</i> with me to Boston, for the -opening of ‘The Rose’: usually, two or three are enough with any -company....”</p></div> - -<h2><a name="A_NEW_PROJECT_THE_SECOND_BELASCO_THEATRE" id="A_NEW_PROJECT_THE_SECOND_BELASCO_THEATRE"></a>A NEW PROJECT:—THE SECOND BELASCO THEATRE.</h2> - -<p>Although Belasco held the Belasco Theatre under a lease with an option -of renewal, he was at all times during the early years of his theatre -management conscious of a certain weakness in his position: an -unforeseen disaster—a fire, for instance,—might leave him with many -theatrical enterprises and no metropolitan theatre to present them in. -“Besides,” he writes to me: “not only was I always confronted by the -fact that the lease of my Forty-second Street<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_235" id="page_235">{235}</a></span> house might not be -renewed, but also it was natural that I should desire to have a theatre -<i>all my own</i>, in the making of which I could carry out, fully, my ideas -of stage construction, lighting, and seating.” The result of this desire -and of his wary vigilance to maintain managerial freedom is the second -Belasco Theatre (which originally was named David Belasco’s Stuyvesant -Theatre), which was built by Meyer R. Bimberg (18—- 1908), on designs -made by Belasco and under his personal superintendence. The cornerstone -of that theatre was laid on December 5, 1906. David Warfield came from -Philadelphia, where he was acting, to participate; Miss Bates came from -Boston; Miss Starr was at the time filling her first engagement in New -York in “The Rose of the Rancho.” Belasco, those players, his business -associates, and a numerous company of friends gathered round the site of -the new theatre. Miss Starr deposited in a niche beneath the bed of the -cornerstone a copper casket containing various records and programmes of -Belasco’s productions, photographs of himself and of the chief players -then appearing under his direction, and a miscellaneous assortment of -souvenirs, cards, and “good luck pieces” contributed by various friends. -Miss Bates then spread the mortar upon which the stone was to be laid -and uttered this touching sentiment as she<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_236" id="page_236">{236}</a></span> did so: “Here’s hoping that -Mr. Belasco will stick to all of us, and we and all his friends will -stick to Mr. Belasco, as this mortar will eternally stick to this -stone.”</p> - -<p>The cornerstone was then swung into place, settled, and declared to be -“well and truly laid,” whereupon Belasco’s daughters, Reina and Augusta, -each broke a bottle of champagne against it, saying, in unison, “David -Belasco’s Stuyvesant Theatre.” The dramatist Bronson Howard (who had -risen from a sick-bed to attend this ceremony) then spoke, saying:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“My dear Public and Friends: This is one of the greatest pleasures -of my whole life—to be here to-day to dedicate the theatre that -David Belasco is building. He has always given of his best in the -past and you know what he is doing now. This theatre and the plays -that it will house will live in the Future even as Wallack’s, -Daly’s, and Palmer’s, of the Past, live now in the Present. Here, -where we stand to-day, will stand the future Temple of Dramatic Art -in America. David Belasco has played a great part in the -advancement of the drama in this country and he will play a greater -one. He has never disappointed us and he never will. His heart and -soul will be in every brick of this theatre and in every production -he makes on its stage.</p> - -<p>“Belasco and I have been friends and co-workers for many years. We -first met when the gods were favoring me most,—when, long, long -ago, he came, a young man<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_237" id="page_237">{237}</a></span> out of the West, with black hair and -eager face, to begin his career here. I was fortunate enough to put -into his hands, in his first position as stage manager, at the -Madison Square Theatre, the manuscript of my play ‘Young Mrs. -Winthrop.’ I want to tell you an anecdote connected with that. I -expected, when I gave it to him, that I should be obliged to do a -lot of work on it; but after he had had it a few days he came to me -and told me of many beautiful things in my play that I did not know -were there! I decided, then, to keep away and did not see the play -until the dress rehearsal. I found I had done well to leave it all -to him. [Turning toward Mr. Belasco and stretching out his hand to -him.] Come here, David! I am proud to clasp your hand, to utter a -word of thanks for all you have done for us, for the workers in the -Theatre; to congratulate you and say ‘God bless you and give you -success!’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p></div> - -<p>Writing of this occasion and of his new theatre, Belasco says:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“With all my associates gathered round me I felt like the <i>Vicar of -Wakefield</i> when he got out of gaol and once more assembled his -family round his hearth!</p> - -<p>“How quickly a theatre grows old-fashioned! Every summer I make -improvements in this house and have already spent enough money to -build another theatre. At the present time of writing I have just -installed a new lighting system, the result of years of -experimenting by Louis Hartman, my valued old friend and -electrician, who is to be found in the theatre from morning until -night, and whose only pleasure is in his work. I think we have -revolutionized stage lights, and I have no doubt that our -innovations will<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_238" id="page_238">{238}</a></span> find their way to foreign countries.... As my -whole life is passed in my theatre, I have a studio there of -several rooms devoted to my work and collections. In the latter I -take great pride....</p> - -<p>“I have picked up much interesting furniture for my workroom, but, -despite the joy I take in these things, I write with greatest -comfort on a little sewing-table covered with green baize,—a relic -of my attic days.... I really know of no other manager whose -delight in his playhouse is greater than mine.... Here I spend my -life and here I shall, I hope, end my days.”</p></div> - -<p>The second Belasco Theatre (originally called David Belasco’s Stuyvesant -Theatre, by which name it was known until the fall of 1910) stands on -the north side of West Forty-fourth Street, between Broadway and Sixth -Avenue, on lots Nos. 111 to 121, inclusive. The site has a front of 105 -feet and a depth of 100 feet. The building is of red brick and white -stone, simple and graceful, in the style of architecture denominated as -Colonial. It was, originally, three stories high, with a rectangular, -tower-like eminence at the southwest corner. The entrance from the -street is into a small lobby, at the right of which are large swinging -doors opening into a clear space which extends, behind the orchestra -seats, parallel with Forty-fourth Street, from side to side of the -auditorium. In this playhouse,</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_024" id="ill_024"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_032.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_032.jpg" width="391" height="479" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Byron. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Author’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>BELASCO IN HIS WORKSHOP</p> - -<p><span style="margin-right:25%;"><span class="smcap">Inscription on Back</span>:</span></p> - -<p>“Genius <i>doesn’t burn</i> this morning, dear friend!—D. B.”</p></div> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_239" id="page_239">{239}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">as in the first Belasco Theatre, there is a handsome screen of carved -wood and crystal glass at the rear of the orchestra, which protects the -audience from drafts of air. The orchestra and balcony chairs are of -heavy wood, upholstered in rich, dark brown leather, the back of each -chair being embossed with the emblematic bee. The decoration of the -interior is opulent and dark in tone,—deep browns, blues, and greens -with dull amber and orange being the prevailing colors. There is a large -painting above the proscenium opening and on either side are several -mural paintings, of various sizes, with here and there a rich tapestry -hanging. The groups and figures in these paintings are -symbolical,—Music, Grief, Tranquillity, Allurement, Blind Love, Poetry, -and the like being depicted. The ceiling is raftered into twenty-two -panels, which are set with rich-colored stained glass and illumined from -above. Each panel contains two shields, with heraldic mantling,—among -the coats-of-arms displayed being those of Shakespeare, Goethe, -Schiller, Racine, Molière, Goldsmith, Sheridan, and Tennyson. The -seating capacity of the theatre is now (1917) about 1,000 persons,—430 -on the orchestra floor, 320 in the balcony, and 240 in the gallery. -There are no supporting pillars in the auditorium, the balcony and -gallery being constructed on cantilevers, so that an<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_240" id="page_240">{240}</a></span> unobstructed view -of the stage is afforded from every part of it.</p> - -<p>The stage was carefully designed with the purpose of facilitating in -every possible way the setting and shifting of scenery. It is eighty -feet wide and twenty-seven feet from the curtain-line to the back-wall. -The proscenium opening is thirty-two feet wide and thirty feet high. The -“gridiron” is seventy-six feet above the stage; the fly galleries, of -which there are two, one on each side of the stage and thirty feet above -it, have forty-five feet of clear space between them. In recent years an -adjustable apron, five feet wide, has been constructed in front of the -curtain-line, covering the musicians’ pit. The stage can be opened at -any desired spot, and the centre of it is an elevator-trap, ten feet -from front to back and twenty feet long. Upon this trap the -paraphernalia of an entire scene can be lowered to, or raised from, the -level of a cellar floor, thirty feet below the stage.</p> - -<p>The original cost of this theatre, including the land upon which it -stands, was more than $750,000, and various alterations and improvements -made in it down to the present time (1917) have increased the total -investment to nearly $1,000,000. In the summer of 1909 a one-story and -mezzanine addition was built upon the roof of the Stuyvesant, in which<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_241" id="page_241">{241}</a></span> -Belasco has made his studio,—a strange, romantic place in which he has -assembled priceless objects of art and antiquarianism. That studio (an -adequate description of which would necessitate weeks of examination and -would, alone, fill a large volume, and which, here, can be given only -passing notice) is entered by a narrow, low, heavy-latticed door from -the business offices of the Belasco Company. The first room is a small, -low-roofed one, in itself somewhat suggestive of an old cathedral crypt. -Along the walls are ranged shelved cases containing a wondrous -collection of specimens of precious glass, the most recently made piece -of which is more than eighty years old. A sort of alcove opens from this -room, at the right side, which is stored with scores of relics -associated with that arch-villain the great Napoleon,—a collection -which includes a lock of his hair, cut from his head after death, and in -which Belasco takes special pride and joy. Beyond the entrance room is a -larger one; beyond that are low, dim passages; a library with stairs to -a gallery; a dining-room; an odd little bedroom, exquisitely furnished -in Japanese style,—with a miniature Japanese garden built outside its -window,—and luxurious facilities for bathing. These passages, rooms, -and stairs,—ceilinged with multi-colored banners, carpeted with soft, -rich rugs, and almost everywhere<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_242" id="page_242">{242}</a></span> lined with shelf on shelf of -books,—are somewhat maze-like to a stranger, and in them is gathered a -vast, confusing medley of collectors’ treasures: here, a sinister, -black-steel armor; there, a stand of French halberds; beneath that old -table, an unmatchable set of rapiers; upon this one, nearly twoscore -different styles of dagger; yonder, a huge carved wooden chest, -blackened with age and stuffed with antique velours; against it, a great -two-handed sword,—“such a blade as old Charles Martel might have -wielded, when he drove the Saracen from France”; across that opening, an -antique wooden window-lattice, with heavy shutters, taken from an -English house built more than 700 years ago; beside it, a chair once -used by England’s King Henry the Eighth; against this wall, a stone -mantel brought from Italy, with a hearth made of tiles stolen by slaves -from the Alhambra. In the walls are many odd nooks and hidden cupboards, -which open by the release of secret springs,—in which, when illumined -by small, concealed lamps, are revealed collections of jewelled -rosaries; or of crucifixes wrought in ivory, ebony, and iron; or of -specimens of the potter’s art; or of trinkets once worn or owned by -members of the gentle Borgia Family. The stranger, wandering through -this reclusive domain,—into which few strangers ever are permitted to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_243" id="page_243">{243}</a></span> -penetrate,—opening low Gothic doors, will blunder into angular hutches -or long, low tunnels filled with shelves and cases of rare pamphlets and -old books; will pause with awe before a superb window of purple stained -glass; or gaze with wonder on a massive globe suspended in a well over -which a translucent canopy is so arranged that it takes and intensifies -all the changing colors of the covering heavens; or will come with -startled delight upon a grot in which a small fountain of crystal water -flings its spray over a little pool half-filled with violets, sweetpeas, -and full-blown roses.</p> - -<p>Belasco, unlike many other collectors, has an intimate personal -knowledge of every article in his collection; can recall at once where, -when, and how each was acquired; and, notwithstanding the number and -seeming confusion of the different pieces, knows exactly where each one -is placed and instantly perceives and vituperatively denounces any -disarrangement of them such as occasionally is caused by members of that -pestiferous sisterhood which plies the duster and the brush without -sense of the sacredness of an antiquarian’s sweet disorder,—a -sisterhood which has stirred up consternation and wrath since long -before <i>Mr. Oldbuck’s</i> time. His writing is done there among his -treasured collections, now in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_244" id="page_244">{244}</a></span> one corner, now in another, upon a small, -battered, baize-covered cutting-table, such as ladies use for sewing, -which he carries about from place to place as the fancy suits him. And -there, also, his principal recreation is found when, wearied by labor or -oppressed by care, he turns to contemplation and enjoyment of the -heaped-up beauty which he has gathered about him.</p> - -<h2><a name="IN_THE_MATTER_OF_STAGE_LIGHTING" id="IN_THE_MATTER_OF_STAGE_LIGHTING"></a>IN THE MATTER OF STAGE LIGHTING.</h2> - -<p>A much needed addition to the technical literature of the Theatre is a -comprehensive, authoritative, and just account of the origin and -development of modern stage mechanism and of the art of stage lighting. -The pioneer achievements of Edwin Booth, at Booth’s Theatre (opened, -February, 1869), and of James Steele Mackaye and Augustin Daly are, as a -rule, blandly ignored in writing on those subjects, and the movement for -“Stage Reform” which began in Austria in 1879-’80 is taken as the -starting-point. If ever such an account is written, laborious -experiments and fine achievements by David Belasco, especially in the -latter field, will, of necessity, occupy a conspicuous place in it. His -active practical interest in the problems of stage lighting began as -early as 1876 and it has not<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_245" id="page_245">{245}</a></span> abated. The first attempt in America to -use electric light for stage illumination,—at least, the first attempt -of which I have found a record,—was made at the California Theatre, San -Francisco, February 21 to 28, 1879. Belasco was there at that time and -carefully observed the experiment, which was not notably successful.<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> -From 1879 to 1902 he closely studied all methods of lighting and -experimented much: since 1902, when he opened his first theatre and -obtained satisfactory facilities for the work, his experimentation in -that field has been incessant. The lighting system at the Stuyvesant -Theatre was designed by Belasco in collaboration with his chief -electrician, Mr. Louis Hartman, and was installed under their -supervision. When that theatre was opened, the lamps of the footlights -on the stage, and also those in each of the overhead “border light -strips,” were arranged in seven sections, each section connected upon -separate resistance, in order that any desired part of the stage or any -figure or group of figures might be illumined or shadowed as desired. -There were five sets of the border lights, with 270 lamps in each; there -were eighty-eight con<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_246" id="page_246">{246}</a></span>nection pockets in the fly galleries and upon the -stage through which large or small “bunch lights” could be connected as -required; the switchboard (one of the largest, if not the largest, then -in use in an American theatre) was equipped with seventy-five dimmers, -in order that the lights should be under perfect control. Since the -opening, in 1907, the lighting system has repeatedly been altered and -improved. The most radical change is one made about two years ago -[1917], whereby footlights are entirely dispensed with. The objection to -footlights is, of course, an upward thrown shadow: this, however, can be -satisfactorily dealt with, and, in my judgment, it is seldom if ever -advantageous wholly to discard them. Belasco, however, thinks otherwise: -his productions are the only ones made without footlights, which I have -seen, in which the absence of those lights is adequately compensated. In -his present theatre there is a contrivance, placed in the front of the -first balcony, which, while the curtain is down, appears to be an -ornamental glass panel about six feet long. When the curtain is raised, -however, shutters in the front of that panel are opened by an electrical -device operated at the switchboard on the stage, and a singular bright -light, which is transmitted without casting perceptible rays, is -diffused upon the stage, bringing the</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_025" id="ill_025"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_033.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_033.jpg" width="390" height="532" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by White. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>SWITCHBOARD OF THE SECOND BELASCO THEATRE, NEW YORK</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_247" id="page_247">{247}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">actors into clear vision.—It is not practicable to pursue this subject -further in this place; but readers will, perhaps, realize the importance -Belasco attaches to the art of lighting as an adjunct to acting and the -care he lavishes upon it when they are informed that the experimental -workshop in his theatre is operated all the year round and that in many -instances the expense of his <i>light rehearsals alone</i> has exceeded the -total of all other costs of production. Perhaps the most perfect example -of stage lighting ever exhibited was provided in Belasco’s presentment -of “The Return of Peter Grimm,”—and that was the result of nine and a -half months of persistent experimentation. Dilating on this subject, -Belasco has said with justified wrath:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I think that we may fairly and without vanity claim to have -revolutionized stage lighting. I confess that I have at times felt -some annoyance when I have been informed by young writers in the -press,—who were not born until long after I had made great -improvement in lighting,—that in dispensing with footlights I have -‘imitated’ Mr. Granville Barker, Mr. Max Reinhardt, and various -other so-called ‘innovators.’ Such statements are nonsensical. My -first regular production without ‘foots’ was made in 1879,<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> when -I staged Morse’s ‘Passion Play’ in San Francisco. And I did without -them in several other productions, at the Madison| Square Theatre, -in ‘The Darling of the Gods,’ and in ‘Adrea.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_248" id="page_248">{248}</a></span>’ When I produced -‘Marie-Odile’ there was a lot of newspaper talk on this subject, -but the talkers were such poor observers that they didn’t know I -had been using the <i>same system of lighting</i> I used in -‘Marie-Odile’ for more than three months before, in ‘The Phantam -Rival’! A little of Mr. Barker’s work as a producer has been seen -in this country and he has had success in England. He seems to be a -very talented man and I always admire ability and so I admire him -and am glad to see him succeed. But without unkindness I must say -that I have no need to ‘borrow’ from Mr. Barker; and as he must -know that I never have done so I wonder a little that he has not -rebuked these writers who would push him up by pulling me down. -Many of the appliances we use in my theatre are invented and made -in my own shop; many others are made outside, to specifications we -provide. My new system is, I believe, a great step toward the -perfection of stage illumination. By means of it footlights, in my -opinion, are made unnecessary for any play, and they are no longer -a part of the illumination of my stage. All the light comes from -above, as in nature; but in order to accomplish this I built an -entirely new proscenium arch. A great iron hood, following the -lines of the stage, hangs behind the proscenium. The hood contains -lights of varying power, and by means of reflectors, invented and -manufactured in my own shop, the illumination is diffused without -casting shadows. The glare of the footlights is a thing of the past -so far as I am concerned. My stage was also reconstructed so as to -extend out into the auditorium over the orchestra pit. These -changes bring the audience into more intimate touch with the scene -on the stage.”</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_249" id="page_249">{249}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="OPENING_OF_BELASCOS_STUYVESANT_THEATRE_A_GRAND_ARMY_MAN" id="OPENING_OF_BELASCOS_STUYVESANT_THEATRE_A_GRAND_ARMY_MAN"></a>OPENING OF BELASCO’S STUYVESANT THEATRE:—“A GRAND ARMY MAN.”</h2> - -<p>Belasco opened his Stuyvesant Theatre, October 16, 1907, with a play -entitled “A Grand Army Man,” written by himself in collaboration with -Miss Pauline Phelps and Miss Marion Short,—that is, rewritten and made -practical by Belasco, working on the basis of an amateur essay in -dramatic authorship provided by those ladies. That play was first acted -on any stage at the Hyperion Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut, September -23, the same year. It presents neither surprising ingenuity of -construction nor uncommon felicity of style, but it tells a plain story -in a plain way. The chord that is struck in it is that of romantic, -almost paternal, altogether manly and beautiful affection. As a work of -dramatic art it appertains to the class of comedies represented by such -plays as “Grandfather Whitehead,” “The Porter’s Knot,” and “The Chimney -Corner,”—plays in which the theme involves unselfish love and the -sentiments and emotions that cling to the idea of Home. In that respect -it reverts to a style of drama once, fortunately, dominant—at a time -when the American Stage was illumined and adorned by such actors as -Henry Placide, John Gilbert, John Nickinson, Charles W. Couldock, -William Warren,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_250" id="page_250">{250}</a></span> and Mark Smith. The authors of it provided Warfield -with a vehicle of dramatic expression that exactly conformed to the bent -of his mind. The plot is simple, but by reason of being natural and -being fraught with true, as opposed to false, emotion, its simplicity -nowhere declines into insipid commonplace. The chief character, <i>Wes’ -Bigelow</i>, is a veteran of the Grand Army of the Republic. He has never -married. In youth he has loved a girl, but has not won her, and she has -become the wife of one of his comrades. Years have passed, and the -American Civil War has occurred. That comrade has been slain in battle. -The widow has died: but she has left a child, that comrade’s boy, and -<i>Bigelow</i> has adopted and reared him. The substance of the play is his -experience with the fortunes of that ward.</p> - -<p>It happens sometimes that a man whom a girl has rejected, and who -remains unmarried because of his absorbing love for her, will fix his -affection on her child,—she having married a more favored suitor and -produced a family,—and will love that child as if it were his own. That -happens to <i>Bigelow</i>. The son of his loved and lost idol is the light of -his eyes and the joy of his heart. There is no labor that he will not do -and no sacrifice that he will not make for the lad, of whom he ardently -prophesies<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_251" id="page_251">{251}</a></span> success and honor. The boy, <i>Robert</i>, has been intrusted -with money, the property of the Grand Army veterans, and, instead of -placing it in the bank, as directed to do, he has used it in -speculation, and lost it. When the knowledge of that fault comes to the -veteran he is, at first, stunned by it; then enraged; and then broken by -the conflict between the sense of shame and the struggle of affection. -He tries to thrash the boy with a horse-whip, but in that manifestation -of wrath he fails: his cherished pet cannot have done wrong; has only -erred through accident; can surely be redeemed; must, of course, make -amends,—and all will be well. The case comes to trial, before a judge -who, privately, is hostile to <i>Bigelow</i>, and measures are taken to -insure conviction. The veteran offers to replace the money that has been -taken by his ward,—supposing that the complaint will then be dismissed. -That money he has obtained by sale of his personal effects, and also by -means of a mortgage imposed on his farm. The old soldier makes an -impassioned, pathetic appeal to the court, but the hostile magistrate -cannot be appeased. <i>Robert</i> is convicted and is sent to prison for one -year. A little time passes, and <i>Robert’s</i> sweetheart, the daughter of -that malicious judge, leaves her father’s abode and seeks refuge with -<i>Bigelow</i> and the kind old woman who<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_252" id="page_252">{252}</a></span> keeps house for him. <i>Robert</i> is -pardoned, at the intercession of the veteran’s military comrades, and he -comes back, to his guardian and his love, on New Year’s Day.</p> - -<p>Nothing could be more simple than that unpretentious idyl of Home. It is -in situations of simplicity, however, that an actor is subjected to the -most severe tests of his inherent power, his fibre of character, his -knowledge of the human heart, his store of experience, his resources of -feeling, and his artistic faculty of expression. Warfield endured that -test, allowing the torrent of feeling to precipitate itself without -apparent restraint, and, at the same time, controlling and guiding it. -Such artistic growth he had evinced in his impersonation of the <i>Music -Master</i>, and he evinced it even more effectively in his assumption of -the <i>Grand Army Man</i>,—going to Nature for his impulse and obeying a -right instinct of Art in his direction of it. In the portrayal of the -noble, sweet-tempered, yet fiery old soldier he aimed especially at -self-effacement, at abnegation of every motive or trait of selfishness. -On finding that his boy loves the daughter of his enemy, and is by her -beloved, the veteran is, almost at once, disposed to placate that enemy -and favor those young lovers. There is, to be sure, a little reluctance, -a little struggle in his mind; but that is<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_253" id="page_253">{253}</a></span> soon over. The actor denoted -that struggle and that surrender in a lovely spirit. In the tempestuous -scene of <i>Bigelow’s</i> horrified consternation, the agonized conflict -between anger and love, when the misconduct of the boy is exposed and -confessed, and the old man, after trying to beat him as a felon, clasps -him to his heart as only the victim of an unfortunate, venial error, the -anguish and the passionate affection of a strong, even splendid, nature -were expressed with cogent force. The appeal spoken in the -courtroom,—an outburst of honest, simple, rugged eloquence, all the -more fervid and poignant because unskilled and fettered,—had the -authentic note of heartfelt emotion. In circumstances those situations, -which are the pivotal points of the play, recall certain supreme effects -in “Olivia” and “The Heart of Mid-Lothian,” but Warfield’s histrionic -treatment of those situations was fresh and his achievement in them -displayed him as an actor to whom the realm of pathos is widely open and -who can move with a sure step in the labyrinth of the domestic -emotions,—one of the most perplexing fields with which dramatic art is -concerned. All observers know how easy it is, in treatment of themes of -the fireside, the family, the home, to lapse into tameness. An actor -must possess an ardent and beautiful spirit, and must be greatly in -earnest,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_254" id="page_254">{254}</a></span> who can sustain such themes and invest them with the glow of -passionate vitality. Some of the best of the managers and actors of an -earlier, and as I believe in many ways a more fortunate, generation -might well have been proud of placing before the public such a play and -such an impersonation as Belasco and Warfield provided in “A Grand Army -Man,”—a play and an impersonation instinct with fidelity to common life -and yet far removed from commonplace. Warfield, as a player, possesses -in a marked degree the charm ascribed to John Bannistere (one of the -greatest serio-comic actors in theatrical annals), that he wins you -immediately by seeming to care nothing about you. His identification -with the character of <i>Bigelow</i> was absolute and he never, for even a -moment, lapsed out of it. It had been long since such complete -absorption, such living inside of a fancied identity, had been seen on -the stage. The blending of humor and pathos was exceedingly fine, and it -touched the heart even while it brought a smile to the lips.—“A Grand -Army Man,” together with “The Music Master,” was acted at the Stuyvesant -Theatre until May 2, 1908, when Warfield’s season closed. On the opening -night Belasco, called upon the stage by a brilliant and enthusiastic -audience, made a brief speech, saying:</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_026" id="ill_026"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_034.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_034.jpg" width="388" height="598" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> -<p> -Photograph by Byron. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DAVID WARFIELD AS <i>WES’ BIGELOW</i>, IN “A GRAND ARMY MAN”</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_255" id="page_255">{255}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I am very grateful, ladies and gentlemen, that you have given me -this opportunity to speak a few words of welcome to you—of welcome -warm as heart can make it, to each and every one of you, the -friends who have been kind enough to honor me by coming to this -little house-warming to-night in our new, and, I hope, our -permanent, home. It is a privilege to come before you; to see you -here; to see and recognize, as I do, so many of the faces of those -who have given me their support ever since I came here from that -dear, far-off city of the West where I was born. It gives me such -great happiness, ladies and gentlemen, to see you here; to know, as -I do know by your generous applause, that you like the play we have -produced for you and that you still love, as I am sure you do, that -splendid actor and loyal and dear friend of yours and mine, Mr. -David Warfield, who is playing here so beautifully to-night. Ladies -and gentlemen, I hardly am able to express myself to you. In one of -the great plays in which I myself used to act, many, many years -ago—and which, before I die, I hope to have the privilege of -placing before you, here, in New York—there is a speech that has -kept coming back into my mind all this evening, as I have listened -to your applause and tried to think what I could say to you:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>You have bereft me of all words,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Only my blood speaks to you in my veins.’<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>“But I think that you must know what I wish to express, that you -must understand without any words what it means to me to have you -here to-night, and to know that all the lies and all the perjuries -that have been printed and spoken against us cannot shake your -approval and support. We need it! Remember, we are only a handful, -fighting against a mighty Trust: but, ladies and gentlemen, this<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_256" id="page_256">{256}</a></span> -little theatre flies the flag of independence, and as long as we -have your approval and support and sympathy nobody can dictate to -us and nobody can ‘put us out of business.’ And I am sure that we -shall have you with us just as long as we deserve it, and we shall -strive to deserve it and to serve you and the beautiful Art we all -love just as long as we live. I thank you, again and again, for all -of us,—for Miss Phelps and Miss Short, and for Mr. Warfield and -for my company and all my associates as well as for myself,—and -again and again I bid you heartily welcome to this little new -theatre.”</p></div> - -<p>This is the original cast of “A Grand Army Man”:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="font-size:90%;margin:1em auto;"> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Wes’ Bigelow</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> David Warfield.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Judge Andrews</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Howard Hall.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Captain Bestor</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Reuben Fax.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Jim Bishop</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> George Woodward.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Cory Kilbert</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> Of the </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> James Lackaye.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Let’ Pettingill</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> G. A. R. </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Stephen Maley.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Comrade Potter</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Tony Bevan.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Comrade Tucker</i></td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Thomas Gilbert.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Comrade Tate</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Henry F. Stone.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2"><i>Robert</i>, <i>Wes’ Bigelow’s</i> adopted son </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> William Elliot.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Rogers Wellman</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Taylor Holmes.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Hickman</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> John V. Daly.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td colspan="2"><i>The Drummer-Boy of the Rappahannock</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> John Morris.<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a></td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Hallie</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Antoinette Perry.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Letitia</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Marie Bates.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mrs. Bestor</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Amy Stone.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Alida Bestor</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Veda McEvers.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mrs. Pettingill</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Jane Cowl.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mrs. Kilbert</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Louise Coleman.</td></tr> - -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_257" id="page_257">{257}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="A_DEFEATED_PLAN_THE_PASSING_OF_THE_THIRD_FLOOR_BACK" id="A_DEFEATED_PLAN_THE_PASSING_OF_THE_THIRD_FLOOR_BACK"></a>A DEFEATED PLAN: “THE PASSING OF THE THIRD FLOOR BACK.”</h2> - -<p>Belasco had planned to open his new theatre with a play by the eccentric -Jerome Klapka Jerome, entitled “The Passing of the Third Floor Back.” In -his “Story” he gives the following account of his plan and purposes and -of the way,—surely most unjust,—in which they were defeated. The -actual reason for Mr. Jerome’s “misunderstanding” undoubtedly was that -he preferred to have Forbes-Robertson, instead of Warfield, act the -principal part in his “idle fancy,” as he designated his monotonous but -amazingly popular fabric of insipid colloquy:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I was about to make a new version of ‘The Lone Pine,’ which I -wrote for Denman Thompson many years ago, when Mr. Jerome K. Jerome -came to see me. He and I had travelled from London on the same -ship, and I found him a most interesting companion. He was the -author of the charming little Christmas story, ‘The Passing of the -Third Floor Back,’ and suggested turning it into a play for -Warfield. I was delighted. The contract was signed and a payment -made in advance. ‘I shall sail for home at once,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_258" id="page_258">{258}</a></span>’ said Mr. Jerome, -‘to go into the country, for I shall need the trees and flowers and -birds about me as I work. I am going to write it with David -Warfield in mind. He shall be the <i>Stranger</i> and I shall dip my pen -into my heart as well as into the ink.’ Mr. Jerome suggested that -the action of the entire play take place in one scene. ‘But I wish -the actors could face the audience as though a wall of the room -were between them and the auditorium,’ he said. ‘You want the -fireplace in front of the footlights,’ I suggested. A sketch of the -scene was made then and there.</p> - -<p>“Our contract stated that the play was to be completed in time for -the opening of the present Belasco Theatre, which was being built. -‘I’ll have your play finished,’ said Mr. Jerome; ‘I’ll bring it -over myself.’ With my mind at rest, I turned to other matters. It -was not long before Mr. Jerome wrote for an extension of time. I -readily agreed to this and shortly after Mr. Jerome wrote again to -ask for another postponement. The play depended largely upon the -mood in which it was written and moods are not to be summoned at -will; so once more I agreed to a delay. Mr. Jerome sent me a model -of the scene and costume sketches by Percy Anderson. They bore Mr. -Jerome’s ‘O. K.,’ and I cheerfully paid a fee of $500 for them. I -still have the sketches in my possession. The time for the opening -of the new theatre was drawing near and I engaged the company. Mr. -Warfield was eager to have the script, that he might begin to study -the part. Then came bad news from England. Mr. Jerome could not -finish the play in time. I saw that I could not depend upon it for -the opening of my new theatre and must find something else. I once -heard Mr. Warfield recite James Whitcomb Riley’s ‘The Old Man and -Jim,’ and I knew that a character like the <i>Old Man’s</i> would be -delightful in his hands. I had in my<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_259" id="page_259">{259}</a></span> possession a manuscript, -written by Pauline Phelps and Marion Short. It contained the very -idea for the character I wanted, so I made arrangements with the -ladies and rewrote parts of the play. By the time my work was done -and I had engaged a company I received a cable from Mr. Jerome: -‘The manuscript is finished. Am bringing it to you.’ I had been -obliged to disband the company selected for ‘The Passing of the -Third Floor Back,’ and preparations for ‘A Grand Army Man’ were -completed. I doubted if the other play could possibly be made ready -for production in so short a period. When Mr. Jerome arrived, he -read his piece to Mr. Warfield, Mr. Roeder and me, and we found the -idea more and more to our liking. I felt, however, that the play -should be held over until the following season. Before I could -reach a decision Mr. Jerome left unexpectedly for London. It was my -moral, to say nothing of legal, right to postpone the production, -as it was no fault of mine that the script had not been delivered -sooner. I told Miss Marbury, Mr. Jerome’s representative in this -country, to cable to him to that effect. He showed some surprise in -his reply. But in a long communication I explained my dilemma. In -response to this he sent a very satisfactory answer, and I was -about to write another letter to him, enclosing an additional -advance on the contract—so anxious was I to have the piece—when -Miss Marbury abruptly inquired what steps I intended to take in the -matter. She insisted upon another large payment, which displeased -me, since I had so willingly complied with every request Mr. Jerome -had made, and I hastily scribbled an impatient note. To my -astonishment, I received a telegram from her saying: ‘The play is -sold to Forbes-Robertson.’ Three years after, when Mr. Jerome asked -me to read a new piece, we spoke of ‘The Passing of the Third Floor -Back.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_260" id="page_260">{260}</a></span>’ I explained the matter, and he said it was all the result -of a mistake. I was of course very sorry the mistake had occurred. -This mistake was most fortunate for Sir Johnson Forbes-Robertson, -who might have missed the greatest success of his career. The piece -could not add to his fame, but it certainly added to his fortune.”</p></div> - -<h2><a name="THE_WARRENS_OF_VIRGINIA" id="THE_WARRENS_OF_VIRGINIA"></a>“THE WARRENS OF VIRGINIA.”</h2> - -<p>Belasco opened the season of 1907-’08, at the Belasco Theatre, August -31, with a revival of “The Rose of the Rancho,” which he continued to -present there until November 9. On November 11 Miss Bates appeared at -that theatre, where she acted for three weeks, in “The Girl of the -Golden West.” On December 3 he there brought out, for the first time in -New York, a play called “The Warrens of Virginia,” written by William C. -De Mille, son of his old friend and early collaborator, Henry C. De -Mille, and retouched by himself. It had been acted at the Lyric Theatre, -Philadelphia, on November 18. In that play the interest is concentrated -on the character of a general in the service of the Southern -Confederacy, toward the close of the American Civil War, and on the -conduct of his daughter, in a well-contrived emergency, involving the -conflict,—perennial as a dramatic expedient,—between love and duty. -The story is interesting, and it illustrates,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_261" id="page_261">{261}</a></span> in a manner that is both -pictorial and pathetic, the contrasts of circumstances and the -vicissitudes of domestic experience that, necessarily, were incident to -the harrowing condition of fraternal strife then prevalent in this -country. The play, however, is not in any sense either political or -sectional. It has no didactic drift. It does not discuss the war. It -does not advocate either union or disunion. It tells a story, and, -necessarily therefore, it portrays characters. The predominant element -in it is picture, but it contains much incident, of a kind more notable -for utility than novelty, and some of its situations are fraught with -the dramatic element of suspense. Its special charm is a sweet and -gentle domestic atmosphere.</p> - -<p>The action is supposed to pass during the twenty-four hours immediately -preceding the surrender of the Confederate army, at Appomattox, April 9, -1865, and to close five years later. Act First occurs in a woodland -glade, near to the abode of the <i>Warrens</i> of Virginia. Acts Second and -Third proceed in a room in that dwelling. Act Fourth, and last, is -placed in a rose garden adjacent to the <i>Warren</i> home. <i>General Warren</i>, -a Confederate commander, is ill, broken by care and privation, and he -has been ordered from the field, for rest. <i>General Griffin</i>, a Union -commander, has acceded to the request of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_262" id="page_262">{262}</a></span> <i>General Lee</i> that <i>Warren</i> -should be passed through the Union lines to his home. <i>Warren’s</i> -daughter, <i>Agatha</i>, trying to reach the Confederate forces, with such -little relief as the <i>Warren</i> family could supply, has been stopped by -<i>Lieutenant Burton</i>, a Union officer,—known to her before the outbreak -of the war,—who loves her, and who is by her beloved, although she has -repulsed him. <i>Lieutenant Burton</i>, in turning <i>Agatha</i> back to her home, -begs the privilege of visiting her, if he can obtain leave of absence, -but his request is denied. <i>General Warren</i>, however, on the way to his -dwelling, meets with <i>Burton</i> and consents to the proposed visit. A -supply train is expected by the Confederates, and its arrival is vital -to them, while the stoppage of it is equally essential to the forces of -the Union. Stratagem is planned. A bogus despatch is prepared, ordering -the interception of the train at a certain point, and it is desired that -this despatch be captured by the Confederate commander, so that he will -be deceived by it and will send the train another way. The Union -commander utilizes <i>Lieutenant Burton’s</i> wish to visit his sweetheart, -and compels him to carry the despatch,—having previously ascertained -that a movement of the Confederates is intended which will insure -<i>Burton’s</i> capture at <i>General Warren’s</i> home. Various reasons constrain -<i>Burton</i> to carry the despatch,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_263" id="page_263">{263}</a></span>—although his expectation is that he -will be shot as a spy. When the scene shifts to the <i>Warren</i> home -<i>Agatha</i> and <i>Burton</i> meet and they plight their faith as lovers. -<i>Burton</i> is captured by the Confederates, but <i>Agatha</i> has obtained the -despatch and has concealed it in her shoe. Her purpose is to shield her -lover; but <i>General Warren</i>, surmising that she knows where the document -is concealed, appeals to her in such a way that she breaks down and -surrenders it. The <i>General</i> is deceived. The supply train is despatched -in a wrong direction and is captured by the Union forces. The conduct of -<i>Burton</i> thereupon is stigmatized as grossly dishonorable; <i>Agatha</i> -renounces him; and, making no defence, he is likely to be shot. The -surrender of the Confederate army terminates the war, and thus -<i>Burton’s</i> life is saved. After the lapse of five years he once more -repairs to the <i>Warren</i> home and renews his suit for the hand of -<i>Agatha</i>. At first his prayer is denied,—notwithstanding the girl still -loves him. The talk of the lovers is heard by <i>General Warren</i>, who -appears all the while to have been asleep, and presently the father -recalls the departing lover, and, for his daughter’s sake, consents to a -reconciliation and a marriage: and thus a pretty picture of happy love -and peace is made to close an ordeal of trouble and grief. It seems a -pity that some device could not have been<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_264" id="page_264">{264}</a></span> found to make the young -soldier carry the despatch without being aware of the treachery that was -intended. He is forced to act in a dishonorable manner, and he forfeits -all sympathy in the action of the play.</p> - -<p>There is no limit to the pathos of conflicting emotions that can be -pictured, incident to war, and especially to a civil war. Some of that -pathos is indicated at moments in this drama. The little children, -concocting a letter to their soldier brother; the agonized lover, who -while waiting for the moment in which the trick to which he has lent -himself will be accomplished, is fondly treated by the girl whom he -loves, and toward whom he feels that he has been deceitful; the worn, -ill, suffering Confederate general, gleeful in his supposed triumph, -waiting for the safe arrival of the supplies that will relieve his -wretched troops, and sitting with his wife by his side and their two -young children at their knees; the blind, almost insane fury of that -deceived, resentful old man when he learns of the capture of those -supplies—those incidents and others like to them are exceedingly -effective. There is excess of dialogue and there is too much attention -to unimportant detail delaying the action. The incident of the father’s -kneeling to his daughter is copied from Wills’s splendid play of -“Charles I”—in</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_027" id="ill_027"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_035.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_035.jpg" width="391" height="555" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Otto Sarony. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>CHARLOTTE WALKER AS <i>AGATHA WARREN</i>, IN “THE WARRENS OF VIRGINIA”</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_265" id="page_265">{265}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">which the betrayed <i>King</i>, in a similar situation, begs <i>Lord Murray</i> to -bring his forces to the rescue of the royal arms. The opening -incident—the meeting of the Union and the Confederate soldier—is -reminiscent of the opening of Boucicault’s “Belle Lamar.” The acting -was, in several instances, superb. Frank Keenan was, in appearance, true -to the indicated ideal of <i>General Warren</i> and his performance was -instinct with the truth of Nature, shown with the delicate exaggeration -of proficient art. Power, dignity, authority, and blended humor and -pathos were its attributes, and it was especially admirable for its -repose. The finest moment in it was that of the outbreak when <i>Warren</i> -is apprised of the loss of the supply train and cannot believe that his -son has obeyed orders. Miss Emma Dunn, who acted <i>Mrs. Warren</i>, gave a -touching and interesting, because carefully considered, well-planned, -and smoothly and fully executed, impersonation of an affectionate wife -and mother,—the result of close study informed by exact observation and -the intelligence and feeling native to the nature of the actress. Miss -Charlotte Walker as <i>Agatha Warren</i> was extremely handsome and winning, -and, in the lighter moments of the play, acted with charming effect. The -stage dresses and pictures were, in every detail, historically correct -and characteristic of the period to which the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_266" id="page_266">{266}</a></span> play relates; in fact, -the production was a memorable example of taste and excellence in the -provision of harmonious and helpful stage environment.—“The Warrens of -Virginia” was acted at the Belasco Theatre until May 2, 1908; on May 4 -it was transferred to the Stuyvesant Theatre, where it was presented -until the 16th, when that house was closed for the season. This was the -cast:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="font-size:90%;margin:1em auto;"> - -<tr valign="top"><td><i>General Warren</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Frank Keenan.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Ruth Warren</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Emma Dunn.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Agatha</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Charlotte Walker.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Arthur</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Cecil de Mille.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Bob</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Richard Story.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Betty</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Mary Pickford.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Miss Molly Hatton</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Blanche Yerka.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Gen. Griffin</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> Of </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> William McVay.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Gen. Harding</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> <i>Gen.</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> DeWitt Jennings.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Gen. Carr</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> <i>Grant’s</i> Staff </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> E. Allen Martin.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Lieutenant Burton</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> C. D. Waldron.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Blake</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Raymond L. Bond.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Corporal DePeyster</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Stanhope Wheatcroft.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Zack Biggs</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Frederick Watson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Billy Peavy</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Willard Robertson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Tom Dabney</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Ralph Kellerd.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Sapho</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Mrs. Chas. G. Craig.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p>Of the Mary Pickford who appeared in this cast as <i>Betty Warren</i>—and -who gave an agreeable performance—Belasco affords this reminiscence, -which<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_267" id="page_267">{267}</a></span> it is specially pleasant to quote here because instances of -appreciation and gratitude among actors of the present day are not -frequent:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“In ‘The Warrens of Virginia’ two children, a boy and a girl, had -very important parts. I could not find a little girl to suit me, -when one day my stage manager asked me if I would see a child named -Mary Pickford. Little Mary was then a vision of girlish -beauty—with long golden-brown curls. She said she had been hanging -about my stage door for a week, wanted the part and was in fact at -that very moment ready for it. I gave it to her at once, and the -next day she came to rehearsal letter-perfect. In the course of -time she became the ‘Queen of the Movies.’ After a few years I sent -for her to ask her to play in ‘A Good Little Devil.’ She was then -earning $500 a week, but she told me I might name my own price, as -she knew I could not afford to pay that sum. She said she was -willing to lose financially that she might gain artistically. I -regret that she is giving her time to the moving-pictures houses, -for she is a genius in her line.”</p></div> - -<h2><a name="THE_EASIEST_WAY" id="THE_EASIEST_WAY"></a>“THE EASIEST WAY.”</h2> - -<p>Mr. Eugene Walter’s play called “The Easiest Way” is one of the most -obnoxious specimens of theatrical trash that have been obtruded on the -modern Stage. It depicts a segment of experience in the life of a -shallow, weak, and vain prostitute, who makes a feeble attempt to reform -but who fails to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_268" id="page_268">{268}</a></span> do so. The significant impartment of that play—in so -far as it possesses any significant impartment—is an intimation that -“the easiest way” in which a woman can obtain and hold a position on the -stage and live in luxury off it is by the sale of her chastity; but that -“the easiest way” will, at last, prove to be the hardest, ending in -misery and a broken heart. The ethical platitude is supposed to -constitute a “moral lesson,” and this disgusting play was proclaimed as -instructive and admonitory in its purpose. The assumption of a right and -duty to “teach good moral lessons” in the Theatre by causing the public -mind to dwell with tolerant familiarity on wholly commonplace and sordid -proceedings and experiences of blackguards, rakes, pimps, and harlots, -as such, is as stupid as it is impudent, but it has been made by some of -the most eminent men and women of the Stage. Lester Wallack produced -Boucicault’s tainted drama of “Forbidden Fruit,” and trailed the banner -of the noble Wallack tradition in the gutter by doing so; Richard -Mansfield, to the end of his life, retained in his repertory the -feculent play of “A Parisian Romance” (produced by A. M. Palmer); Mme. -Modjeska introduced in our Theatre Mr. Sudermann’s radically pernicious -“Heimat” (“Magda”); William and Madge Kendal exploited the “Tanqueray” -scandal; that great man<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_269" id="page_269">{269}</a></span>ager and actor John Hare (one of the loveliest -artists that ever graced the Stage) sullied his fair fame by presenting, -and attempting to defend, “The Gay Lord Quex”; Belasco brought out “The -Easiest Way”—and so it goes. Dispute as to the propriety of presenting -such plays is unending. It is not, however, essential to continue that -dispute (of which I have long been sick almost to death) in this place: -my views on the whole subject of the drama of demirepdom have been -explicitly stated in the chapter of this work relating to the play of -“Zaza.” When “The Easiest Way” was first made known in New York I wrote -and published these words of comment:</p> - -<p>It is melancholy and deplorable that he should have lent his great -reputation to the support of the vicious play which now disgraces his -Stuyvesant Theatre.... No lover of Dramatic Art, no admirer of David -Belasco, can feel anything but regret that he should give the authority -of his great managerial reputation,—the greatest since Augustin Daly’s -death,—and the benefit of his genius and his rich professional -resources to the exposition of a drama that cannot do good.... We do not -want to see in the Theatre the vileness that should be shunned; we want -to see the beauty that should be emulated and loved!<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_270" id="page_270">{270}</a></span></p> - -<p>These words expressed my conviction then—and they express my conviction -now. And I am encouraged to believe that my old friend (whose -productions of “Zaza” and “The Easiest Way” I opposed by every means in -my power) has come to my way of thinking on this subject because in a -recently published newspaper article I find him declaring: “Art is not -confined to the gutter and the dregs of life. Rather, real art has more -to do with the beautiful. Perverted and degenerate ideas are the easiest -to treat of in literature, the drama, and the stage.”</p> - -<p>“The Easiest Way” was produced with vigilant attention to detail. -Nothing was forgotten: the rooms shown were reproductions of fact,—from -the rickety wardrobe, with doors that will not close and disordered -sheets of music and other truck piled on top of it, in the -boarding-house chamber, to the picturesque, discreetly arranged disorder -of the opulent apartments, the signs of a drunken orgy, and the artfully -disclosed and disordered bed. All that stage management could do to -create and deepen the impression of reality was done, and the result was -a deformity magnificently framed to look like nature,—another example -of a thing done perfectly that ought not to have been done at all and -one from which I gladly turn away. This was the cast of “The Easiest -Way<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_271" id="page_271">{271}</a></span>”:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>John Madison</i></td><td class="rt">Edward H. Robins.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Willard Brockton</i></td><td class="rt">Joseph Kilgour.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Jim Weston</i></td><td class="rt">William Sampson.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Laura Murdock</i></td><td class="rt">Frances Starr.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Elfie St. Clair</i></td><td class="rt">Laura Nelson Hall.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Annie</i></td><td class="rt">Emma Dunn.</td></tr> -</table> - -<h2><a name="WESTWARD_HO_THE_SYNDICATE_SURRENDERSmdashINCIDENTS_OF_1909" id="WESTWARD_HO_THE_SYNDICATE_SURRENDERSmdashINCIDENTS_OF_1909"></a>“WESTWARD, HO!”—THE SYNDICATE SURRENDERS.—INCIDENTS OF 1909.</h2> - -<p>Belasco, accompanied by several friends, left New York on February 7, -1909, for San Francisco, where he arrived on the 12th and where he -remained for nearly a month. He had been apprized that the health of his -father was failing and that, in the course of nature, his death was -likely to occur soon. His expedition was prompted by filial affection -and it was undertaken with a heavy heart. His visit, however, greatly -cheered and benefited his aged parent, and the sojourn in his native -city was made a time of festival and happiness. On February 24 a dinner -was given at the Bismarck Café by surviving pupils of the Lincoln -Grammar School, of the classes from 1865 to 1871, at which Belasco was -the principal guest; and on the 27th a supper was given in his honor at -the Bohemian Club. He has written for me this account of his visit:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“...The only really sad time was when at last I had to say -‘Good-bye’ and come away: that was a sorrow. But<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_272" id="page_272">{272}</a></span> I would not have -missed the visit back home for all the world! The happiness of -seeing my old father and the pleasure my coming gave him are -priceless memories to me, and I like to think my visit helped him -to hold on: he lived nearly two years longer. I would have gone -back the next year, but I was warned against the agitation our -parting would bring to both of us.... I was so hospitably received -on every hand that I entirely forgot my enterprises in New York and -I felt like a boy again, without a worry. Although it was less than -three years after the earthquake-fire, prosperity was in evidence -everywhere; the spirit of the people was simply wonderful, and it -sent me home encouraged and inspired to attempt greater things. I -am proud that I was born in San Francisco, and I cannot say too -much for the hospitality and overwhelmingly friendly reception -accorded me.... The night at the Lincoln School Dinner was -wonderful. There were about seventy of the ‘boys’ there, and dear -old Professor Bernhard Marks, who had been the principal and who -was nearly eighty, presided and called the roll, just as he used to -do when we were all lads. Sometimes a silence followed a name; many -times there came the answer ‘Dead,’ and now and then somebody -responded ‘Present.’ I cried! Then the principal put us through our -paces again, at the old lessons, and dealt out cuts on the hand -with very little of the old-time vigor. After that there were -speeches, and so many lovely things were said about me that I was -too embarrassed to reply properly: I remember that I began by -saying it was the happiest night of my life—and then stood there -with tears running down my cheeks! But I managed to say a few words -that pleased them, and then there were many calls for me to recite -‘The Madman’ and at last I got up to do it. I started in with -restraint, to</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_028" id="ill_028"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_036.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_036.jpg" width="613" height="416" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p style="text-align:left;text-indent:0%;">Photograph in Belasco’s Collection.</p> - -<p>DAVID BELASCO AND HIS FATHER, HUMPHREY ABRAHAM BELASCO, IN SAN -FRANCISCO, FEBRUARY, 1909—THEIR LAST MEETING</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_273" id="page_273">{273}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="nind">give it properly, as I would now, but the ‘old boys’ wouldn’t have -it. They began to catcall and cry ‘Nix! Nix!’ ‘The old way! the -<i>old</i> way!’ and they made me get up on one of the tables and begin -all over again and give it in the good old way, raving and -shrieking and tearing my hair, as I used to do when a boy, when the -audiences used to say I’d break a blood-vessel if I kept on! So I -went through with it, though it was pretty hard work, and they were -so delighted they made me give ‘The Vagabonds’ for an <i>encore</i>, but -I ‘stuck’ dead, halfway through that, and couldn’t go on to save my -soul, so they let me off....</p> - -<p>“I didn’t know the names of all those who came, but by and by I -would recognize a glance of an eye or the turn of a head and recall -that I knew that fellow when he was a boy. They were so much -altered—one of the greatest scamps of the school was a staid, -respected banker, and another was a portly physician of the highest -standing, and so on. It was all very interesting to me—and at -times very pathetic and touching....</p> - -<p>“My night at the Bohemian rather overwhelmed me—when I looked -about and saw many of the leading men of San Francisco and -remembered the days when I couldn’t even get into that club! They -gave a play in my honor, by Dr. Shiels, and there were many -charming speeches and I made my acknowledgments as well as I could, -and then they gave me a cartoon, painted by Neuhaus. It shows me -kneeling at the shrine of The Owl [the symbol of the Bohemian -Club], presenting my offering, ‘The Rose of the Rancho,’ to their -patron bird of Bohemia.”</p></div> - -<p>I have endeavored to obtain reports of the speeches at these festivals -but have been unable to do so. At the Lincoln Grammar School Dinner the -speakers<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_274" id="page_274">{274}</a></span> were Professor Marks, Charles A. Miller, Joseph Greenberg, -James I. Taylor, Charles F. Gall, and J. J. McBride, all of San -Francisco, and Arthur L. Levinsky, of Stockton. Among the speakers at -the Bohemian Club supper were Dr. J. Wilson Shiels, Joseph D. Redding, -Charles J. Fields, Willis Polk, Waldemar Young, and Mackenzie -Gordon.—Belasco left San Francisco for New York on March 2 and arrived -there on the 7th.</p> - -<p>In the spring of 1909, soon after he returned from his visit to San -Francisco, the Theatrical Syndicate practically surrendered in its fight -to exclude Belasco from the theatres which it dominated. The reason for -this surrender was, of course, purely selfish. The Belasco theatrical -productions were not only the best that were being made in America but, -also, they were among the most profitable. He had long been firmly -established in public favor: he was managing two splendid theatres in -New York: he controlled, directly or indirectly, others in other cities: -each season he had grown more influential: it was a manifest -impossibility to crush him: many janitorial managers of theatres in -different parts of the country were bitterly dissatisfied because his -popular and remunerative productions were not “booked” in their -theatres: the obvious course of commercial expediency was to terminate a -losing<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_275" id="page_275">{275}</a></span> conflict and utilize and prosper by the leading theatrical -manager in America: to the Syndicate, as to <i>Petruchio</i> in <i>Grumio’s</i> -description of him, “nothing comes amiss so money comes withal,” and the -greatest wonder is not that it forgave Belasco the heinous crime of -working for his own advantage but that, at heavy financial loss, it so -long debarred him from the “first-class territory.” The upshot of the -various considerations indicated was an understanding between the -parties in opposition (namely, the booking agency of the Messrs. Klaw & -Erlanger, representing the Syndicate, on the one side, and Mr. and Mrs. -Harrison Grey Fiske and Belasco, on the other), whereby,—as set forth -in a statement issued by Fiske,—it was arranged that “Klaw & Erlanger -and Fiske and Belasco will hereafter, <i>whenever mutually agreeable</i>, -play attractions in each other’s theatres.” Since that understanding was -reached, April 29, 1909, they have, as far as I know, done so.</p> - -<p>I am far from regarding <i>any</i> association between Belasco and the -Theatrical Syndicate as being either for his best interest or for that -of the American Stage. Belasco, however, thinks differently, and in a -recent conversation with me he summed up his feeling about the Syndicate -in these words: “In the conferences initiated by our lawyer Mr. Gerber<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_276" id="page_276">{276}</a></span> -[David Gerber was attorney for Belasco as well as for Klaw & Erlanger] -it was found that we could enter upon business relations for the -betterment of the American Stage without any sacrifice of principle or -integrity, and I think our arrangement has been beneficial for the -Stage. I am older than I used to be; I have no ill-feeling; our -relations are very friendly, and <i>I</i> am satisfied to ‘let the dead past -bury its dead.’<span class="lftspc">”</span> That is very well—but, as it happens, all that was -truly urged by Fiske and Belasco (among others) in opposition to the -Theatrical Syndicate <i>before</i> the business understanding above recorded -remained equally true <i>after</i> it; newspaper files and many legal -instruments are accessible and anybody can consult them who wishes to do -so; the public record cannot be evaded. I am thoroughly familiar with -the annals of the Syndicate and I do not agree with Belasco in his -present friendly and favorable attitude. On the contrary, I am satisfied -that the influence of the Syndicate upon matters of dramatic art must, -in the nature of things, remain vulgar and degrading, and in matters of -business oppressive and sordid, to the end of the chapter. Public -opinion, however, and that of the newspaper press has long been -indifferent on this subject, and I am now convinced that it is only by -the passing away of the men who compose the Syndi<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_277" id="page_277">{277}</a></span>cate (in whom, -happily, “nature’s copy’s not eterne”) and the accession to theatrical -management of men of higher character and ideals and finer intellect -that the American Theatre will be measurably redeemed from its impaired -estate.</p> - -<p>Belasco’s course, meanwhile, in dealing with the Syndicate has been -incorrectly described as “a surrender” on his part and he has been much -misrepresented therein. From the first of difference and dispute he -maintained his right to <i>independence</i> in the conduct of his managerial -business. In various conversations with me, many years before the -arrangement with his opponents was reached, he declared, in substance, -half-a-score of times or more: “I have no wish to try to interfere with -these people [meaning the Syndicate] in <i>their</i> business. What <i>I</i> am -fighting for is <i>my</i> right to book <i>my</i> productions with whatever -managers want to book them, for <i>my</i> best advantage.”</p> - -<p>A newspaper intimation that Belasco, while booking through the Syndicate -agency, would “fear to offend the Trust” brought from him (1909) the -following specific disclaimer of subserviency:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Please deny for me, emphatically, the statement that I ‘hesitate -to give offence to the Theatrical Trust.’ My position regarding the -Theatrical Trust is too well known, I hope, for anyone to believe -that!”</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_278" id="page_278">{278}</a></span></p> - -<p>Mr. Lee Shubert, who controlled theatres competing with Syndicate houses -in which Belasco productions were presented for a long time after the -Syndicate agreed to book for him, made the following comment on the -understanding:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“So far as myself and my associates are concerned we cannot -disapprove of a development which shows advancement of the policy -of the ‘open door,’ for which we have fought. It is gratifying to -us to note that the tendency toward a general letting down of the -bars, which were up so long and so unjustly against independent -producers, is so emphatically in evidence in the change of attitude -both on the part of Erlanger and Belasco and Fiske. We have -produced and procured our own attractions, and will continue to do -so with such measure of success as may be ours. <i>I have contended -always that the time would come when the bars must be let down and -successful producers welcomed wherever they were willing to play -their attractions....</i> We are independents, and Messrs. Belasco and -Fiske are independents. Whatever steps they may take in an -independent way we cannot with consistency disapprove. It is really -of little moment to the public, which cares little about whose -attractions it may pay to see and in what theatre it may see them -so long as the attractions are worth the money.”</p></div> - -<p>One immediate result of the Fiske-Belasco arrangement with the Syndicate -was the settlement out of court of the lawsuits over “The Auctioneer,” -implicating Klaw & Erlanger, Belasco, and Joseph<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_279" id="page_279">{279}</a></span> Brooks, and the -withdrawal of the appeal by Belasco, in that matter, which had been -filed April 13, 1906.</p> - -<p>A painful incident of this year (1909) was a bitter attack on Belasco -made by his former friend and professional associate Mrs. Leslie Carter. -That singular woman, having appeared in John Luther Long’s absurd play -of “Kassa” and made a failure, was pleased to ascribe that regrettable -result not to a bad play and a tiresome performance but to the malign -influence of Belasco! A long and silly “statement” was issued in her -behalf to the effect that there was a plan on foot to interfere with -“her career” in that play, and it was intimated that Belasco was the -instigator of this alleged nefarious scheme. Later Mrs. Carter gave out -another screed, which was circulated throughout the press of the -country, reflecting in the most gross and unwarranted way upon the man -who had made her theatrical career possible, and in which she declared: -“If I were going to die and could save my life by playing again for -David Belasco, I would not do it!” As nothing could ever have induced -him to resume the management of Mrs. Carter this declaration was a -trifle superfluous. Belasco’s only comment on this matter was explicit: -“It is,” he said, “absolutely false that I have sought, or desired, in -any way, to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_280" id="page_280">{280}</a></span> injure Mrs. Carter. It is monstrous that such a thing -should be said against me, and monstrous that anybody should dare to ask -me if it is true.”</p> - -<p>During the summer of 1909 Belasco proposed to his old friend Lotta that -she return to the stage under his management (she had retired from it -about 1890) and make a farewell tour of the country. “I urged her all I -could,” Belasco writes, “because I knew I could make her reappearance -and tour a sensational success and that the public would be delighted to -see the little Lotta of other days. At first I wouldn’t take ‘No’ for an -answer, and for a while Miss Lotta was inclined to accept my proposal. -But, finally, she declined, saying: ‘I’ve seen so many people make the -same mistake, when they’ve grown old and outlived their public, of -coming back to appear in the parts that were written for them in their -youth. “Other days, other ways.” It is better to let my old friends -remember me as they saw me many years ago. I shall never act again.’<span class="lftspc">”</span> -That was a wise decision. No doubt there would have been much friendly -interest in a formal farewell by Lotta; but the elfin charm of her youth -was gone and the venture would have inspired sadness: “Yesterday’s smile -and yesterday’s frown can never come over again!<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_281" id="page_281">{281}</a></span>”</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_SEASON_OF_1909-10_IS_MATRIMONY_A_FAILURE_THE_LILYmdashAND_JUST" id="THE_SEASON_OF_1909-10_IS_MATRIMONY_A_FAILURE_THE_LILYmdashAND_JUST"></a>THE SEASON OF 1909-’10: “IS MATRIMONY A FAILURE?”—“THE LILY”—AND “JUST -A WIFE.”</h2> - -<p>Belasco produced three new plays in the season of 1909-’10,—“Is -Matrimony a Failure?”, “The Lily,” and “Just a Wife.” “Is Matrimony a -Failure?” is a clever farce, adapted by Leo Ditrichstein from a German -original, “Die Thür ins Freie,” by Oscar Blumenthal and Gustav -Kadelberg. It relates to the ancient, evergreen subject of conjugal -friction,—which, in this instance, seems intolerable but proves -indispensable,—and it implicates ten married couples and one pair of -prospective connubialists. The scene is a pleasant country town in New -York. A coterie of husbands has grown restive under what is deemed to be -an excessive exercise, by their wives, of matrimonial authority. A -lawyer named <i>Paul Barton</i> visits the town to settle the estate of an -old Justice of the Peace, recently deceased, ascertains that the wedding -ceremonies of the various couples implicated were performed by that -official’s clerk, in the absence of his employer, and declares them to -be illegal. The husbands decline to validate their marriages unless -their wives agree to permit them greater freedom than they have enjoyed, -and, leaving their homes, establish themselves at a neighboring -inn,—where<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_282" id="page_282">{282}</a></span> they soon find that, however irksome may have seemed the -dominion of their wives, it is immensely preferable to the total lack of -their society. More particular rehearsal of the complications, -cross-purposes, and conflicts woven about this posture of circumstance -would be superfluous: they were not less comic and amusing because the -legal quirk upon which the original play was based is inapplicable under -the law of the State of New York. The farce was exquisitely set and -admirably played,—especially by that excellent light-comedian and -lovable man, the late Frank Worthing,—and it enjoyed acceptance -bounteous and remunerative. “Is Matrimony a Failure?” was first acted at -Atlantic City, New Jersey, August 29, 1909, and, in New York, at the -Belasco Theatre, on the 23d of that month,—with the following cast:</p> - -<p class="c">THE HUSBANDS.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Skelton Perry</i></td><td class="rt">Frank Worthing.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Hugh Wheeler</i></td><td class="rt">W. J. Ferguson.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Frank Bolt</i></td><td class="rt">James Bradbury.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Albert Rand</i></td><td class="rt">Edward Langford.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Jasper Stark</i></td><td class="rt">John F. Webber.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>David Meek</i></td><td class="rt">F. Newton Lindo.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Dr. Hoyt</i></td><td class="rt">Robert Rogers.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>George Wilson</i></td><td class="rt">Marshall Stuart.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Lem Borden</i></td><td class="rt">Gilmore Scott.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Herman Ringler</i></td><td class="rt">Frank Manning.</td></tr> -</table> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_029" id="ill_029"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_037.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_037.jpg" width="360" height="604" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by White. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>NANCE O’NEILL AS <i>ODETTE DE MAIGNY</i> AND JULIA DEAN (THE YOUNGER) AS -<i>CHRISTIANE DE MAIGNY</i>, IN “THE LILY”</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_283" id="page_283">{283}</a></span></p> - -<p class="c">THE WIVES.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Fanny Perry</i></td><td class="rt">Jane Cowl.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Kate Wheeler</i></td><td class="rt">Louise Mackintosh.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Madge Bolt</i></td><td class="rt">Anne Sutherland.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Alice Rand</i></td><td class="rt">Louise Woods.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Annie Stark</i></td><td class="rt">Lou Ripley.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Lucy Meek</i></td><td class="rt">Gretta Vandell.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Helen Hoyt</i></td><td class="rt">Blanche Yurka.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Julia Wilson</i></td><td class="rt">Helen Braun.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Natalie Borden</i></td><td class="rt">Julia Reinhardt.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Sadie Ringler</i></td><td class="rt">Josie Morris Sullivan.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c" colspan="2">———</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Paul Barton</i></td><td class="rt">William Morris.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Lulu Wheeler</i></td><td class="rt">Jane Grey.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Carrie</i></td><td class="rt">Helen Ferguson.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p>“Jane Cowl,” said Belasco, “had been with me for several years, -understudying many parts in different plays, acting ‘bits,’ and working -hard. I felt that she had earned her chance, and I gave it to her in -‘Matrimony.’ Her performance was splendid and she has been successful -ever since.”</p> - -<p>“The Lily” is a play in four acts, adapted by Belasco from a French -original, “Le Lys,” by MM. Pierre Wolff and Gaston Leroux. It was -produced for the first time, December 6, 1909, at the Belasco Theatre, -Washington, and was first acted in New York, at the Stuyvesant, December -23. The story of this play is one of domestic tyranny, possible in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_284" id="page_284">{284}</a></span> -France but impossible in America, and one which, accordingly, inspired -only tepid interest in the American public,—although the treatment and -presentation of it were in a high degree theatrically effective. This is -the substance of that story: The <i>Comte de Maigny</i>, a profligate -Frenchman who is also a father and a widower, tyrannizes over his -children. The eldest of those children, <i>Odette</i>, is “the lily,”—a -woman of thirty-five who, in girlhood, has been parted by her father -from the man she wished to marry and who has become a mere domestic -convenience, dwelling in lonely celibacy as her father’s housekeeper and -lavishing her affection upon her sister, who is ten years younger. That -sister, <i>Christiane</i>, is destined by their father for the same barren -existence, but she meets a strolling artist, who wins her love and with -whom, because he cannot wed her,—being already married to an -uncongenial woman who will not divorce him,—she enters into an illicit -relation. <i>De Maigny</i> has contrived to arrange a loveless marriage -between his son and the young daughter of a man of great wealth,—being -intent thus to obtain money for libidinous self-indulgence. The relation -of <i>Christiane</i> and her artist becoming known to that person, he breaks -off the marriage of his daughter with <i>Christiane’s</i> brother, not -explicitly stating his reason<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_285" id="page_285">{285}</a></span> but with ambiguous givings out which -intimate it. The chief scenes of the play then follow. The infuriated -licentiate badgers his unfortunate daughter, who, at first, lies to -protect herself, until, at last, he elicits from her a rebellious, -exultant declaration of the truth. Then, in the fury of his disappointed -cupidity, he is about to beat her, when the long-suppressed, -meek-seeming but actually passionate <i>Odette</i>, opening her valves under -an immense and rising pressure of emotional steam, intervenes, -denouncing the conventions of society in general and the iniquities of -<i>de Maigny</i> in particular, certifying to the propriety of her sister’s -conduct in the wretched circumstances existing, and declaring her -purpose to protect that sister in her natural desire for “love and -happiness.” <i>Christiane</i> then departs with her lover and the expectation -of deferred matrimony, and her disgruntled parent, practically ejected -from his home, goes off to Paris, whining that a waiter will probably -close his eyes in death,—a pious kindness which the spectator hopes may -be performed at an early date.</p> - -<p>The play, of course, was devised for the sake of the sudden, blistering -outburst by the elderly spinster—which in representation is undeniably -effective—and, in the French original, for the sake of emitting some -specious special pleading in extenu<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_286" id="page_286">{286}</a></span>ation and justification of illicit -conduct. As to the doctrine which <i>Odette</i> declares in this play and -which <i>Christiane</i> and her unhappily married swain exemplify,—the -doctrine, namely, that when two persons who love each other are held -asunder by cruel chance of social circumstance they are warranted in -setting aside convention in order to come together,—its utter fallacy -is too obvious for detection. Practical application of it, however, has -often provided variously dramatic results: pathetic exposition of some -of its possible consequences, to helpless, innocent persons, is made in -Collins’ great novel of “No Name.” Belasco, in presenting his modified -version of “Le Lys,” sought to evade the ethical issue, but he added one -more to his long list of plays perfectly environed and admirably acted. -Miss Nance O’Neil, who appeared in it as <i>Odette</i>, has been designated -as a “tragic actress” (which she is not) and has been extravagantly -extolled. She possesses rough natural ability, animal strength, vocal -capacity, some sensibility and considerable power of forceful -simulation. Most of her performances have been monotonous: in this one, -in which, practically, she had only one scene and in which, furthermore, -she had the advice and assistance of a consummate stage manager, she was -interesting and impressive,—uttering the verbal explosion</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_030" id="ill_030"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_038.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_038.jpg" width="387" height="489" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by the Misses Selby. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Author’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>BELASCO, ABOUT 1911</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_287" id="page_287">{287}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">of voluble vehemence addressed to <i>de Maigny</i> with fine abandon, -passionate intensity, and powerful effect.—The cast of “The Lily” is -appended:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="font-size:90%;margin:1em auto;"> - -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Comte de Maigny</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Charles Cartwright.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Vicomte Maximilien de Maigny</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Alfred Hickman.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Huzar</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Bruce McRae.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Georges Arnaud</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Wm. J. Kelly.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Bernard</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Leo Ditrichstein.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Emile Plock</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Dodson Mitchell.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Joseph</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Marshall Stuart.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Jean</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Douglas Patterson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Michel</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Robert Robson.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Odette</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> <i>De Maigny’s</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Nance O’Neil.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Christiane</i></td><td class="cbrd"> daughters </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Julia Dean.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Lucie Plock</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Florence Nash.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Suzanne</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Ethel Grey Terry.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Alice</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Aileen Flaven.</td></tr> - -</table> - -<p>“Just a Wife” was written by Mr. E. Walter and was first acted at the -Colonial Theatre, Cleveland, Ohio, January 17, 1910, and at the Belasco -Theatre, New York, on the 31st of that month. As a playwright that -writer has exhibited a persistent, morbid preoccupation with the subject -of illicit sexual relations which suggests the possible utility of -vigorous open-air exercise, the cold sitz-bath and potassium bromide. In -this play a libertine named <i>John Emerson</i>, who has consorted with a -widow named <i>Lathrop</i> until their relation has become a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_288" id="page_288">{288}</a></span> public scandal, -by way of “keeping up appearances” marries an impecunious vestal from -South Carolina, named <i>Mary Ashby</i>. As he immediately installs <i>Mrs. -Emerson</i> in a luxurious rural habitation somewhere on Long Island and -practically deserts her, this expedient would hardly seem to be of much -social service. However, after neglecting his wife for about six years, -<i>Emerson</i> grows weary of his mistress, quarrels with her and runs away -from her to visit his wife. The mistress, much incensed, follows him, -and a sort of three-cornered debate,—protracted, sophistical, and -indelicate,—on the sexual relation is held at <i>Mrs. Emerson’s</i> country -residence, in the course of which that lady manifests a sweet temper and -admirable self-control. After it is over, <i>Mrs. Lathrop</i> (to whom it has -been intimated that in men the ruling passion is sex impulse and that -she is growing somewhat elderly) goes away in a peaceful and much -chastened mood. <i>Mrs. Emerson</i> then snubs her neglectful spouse and -signifies that he may not hope to possess her as his wife until he has -recognized the supremacy of Love, which it is implied he will soon do. -It is all very edifying, of course,—especially as the author of it, -apparently, knows as much about love, as distinguished from carnal -concupiscence, as a tomcat on the tiles does. This was the cast:<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_289" id="page_289">{289}</a></span></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>John Emerson</i></td><td class="rt">Edmund Breese.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Bobby Ashby</i></td><td class="rt">Ernest Glendinning.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Maxcy Steuer</i></td><td class="rt">“Bobby” North.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Wellesley</i></td><td class="rt">Frederick Burton.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mary Ashby Emerson</i></td><td class="rt">Charlotte Walker.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Eleanor Lathrop</i></td><td class="rt">Amelia Gardner.</td></tr> -</table> - -<h2><a name="A_CHANGE_OF_NAMES_THE_FARCE_OF_THE_CONCERT" id="A_CHANGE_OF_NAMES_THE_FARCE_OF_THE_CONCERT"></a>A CHANGE OF NAMES.—THE FARCE OF “THE CONCERT.”</h2> - -<p>Belasco’s management of the theatre in West Forty-second Street which -was the first to bear his name extended over a period of twelve years. -In the spring of 1910 he began to feel dubious as to whether he -would,—perhaps as to whether he could,—renew his lease at the end of -its term, two years later. He therefore determined to restore to that -house its former name of the Republic, and thereafter to designate the -Stuyvesant as the Belasco Theatre. That change, accordingly, was made, -in July, 1910; and on August 22 the Republic Theatre was reopened under -that name with a performance of a play made by Mr. Winchell Smith, on -the basis of a clever and amusing story by Mr. George Randolph Chester, -called “Bobby Burnitt”: that play was produced by Cohan & Harris. On -October 10 the second Belasco Theatre was opened with a performance of -“The Concert,” adapted by Leo Ditrichstein from a German original by -Herman<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_290" id="page_290">{290}</a></span> Bahr: it had been acted, for the first time, at the Nixon -Theatre, Pittsburgh, September 19.</p> - -<p>The theme of “The Concert” is an old one,—Woman’s infatuation relative -to the Musical Performer. The intention is to satirize that foolish -state of the female mind, and also to expose and ridicule a despicable -combination of febrile sensuousness, splenetic temper, and insensate -egotism, often, and unjustly, designated “the artistic temperament.” -That intention is accomplished in a manner certainly ludicrous, though -heavy-handed and cynical: it is characteristic that the Stage of the -Present, reflecting some aspects of life in the Present, while from time -to time it exhibits much that is clever, brilliant, hard, satirical, -exhibits little—whether of writing or of acting—that is amiable, -playful, engaging, pleasant, and therefore potent to make the spirit -gentle and happy. The chief postulate of “The Concert” and the -manipulation of it are strongly reminiscent of “Delicate Ground” and -“Divorçons.” The musician, <i>Gabor Arany</i>, having lied to his wife as to -a purposed excursion from his home, which he says is undertaken for the -purpose of “giving a concert,”—goes to a secluded retreat in the -mountains of New York with one of his pupils, the wife of another man, -intending an amorous intrigue with her. The other man, in</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_031" id="ill_031"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_039.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_039.jpg" width="378" height="605" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by White. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>LEO DITRICHSTEIN AS <i>GABOR ARANY</i> AND JANET BEECHER AS <i>HELEN</i>, <i>MRS. -ARANY</i>, IN “THE CONCERT”</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_291" id="page_291">{291}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">company with the wife of the musician, pursues those fugitives, and, -when the two couples are confronted, the insulted husband, after the -manner of <i>Citizen Sangfroid</i>, blandly proposes that the complication of -domestic affairs shall be solved and adjusted by an exchange of wives, -sequent on the attainment of divorce. The silly woman who admires the -musician is rescued by exposure of his selfishness and her folly, the -musician is baffled and rebuked, and domestic peace is supposed to be -restored.</p> - -<p>Mr. Ditrichstein called his adaptation of Mr. Bahr’s play “a comedy.” -The terms applied to plays, by way of classification, are somewhat -indefinite at the best, but as to <i>Comedy</i>,—the general understanding -is that it should be a dramatic composition which, in delineating -character and manners, while piquant by virtue of delicate exaggeration -and amusing by virtue of clever equivoke, moves within the limits of -reason and probability. “The Concert” begins with farce and proceeds -with violent absurdity. The persons implicated would not, in real life, -act in a manner even approximate to that which is prescribed for them. -The note that is struck, considered at its best, is that of burlesque. -The play, in as far as it is a play,—the clash of character and the -exposition of conduct,—begins in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_292" id="page_292">{292}</a></span> the Second Act. Sixteen persons are -implicated in the action of the piece, but only seven of them are seen -after the first curtain has fallen. The tone of the Second and Third -acts, except at moments, is radically and extravagantly farcical. But -toward the end an opportunity occurs, and it is duly improved,—perhaps -in jest, perhaps in earnest,—of saying the magnanimous words that are -usually attributed to philosophical lovers: “If you love a woman, and -that woman happens to be your wife, you wish her to be <i>happy</i>, and if -you discover that she thinks she can be happier with another man than -she is with you your wish is that she should join him, if she can be -sure of her feelings”; and so forth. At the close of this piece the wife -of the genius affectionately assures him that she has all along -understood his conduct, but is willing to pardon him if he will be -faithful in future, and, by way of emphasizing her docile, charitable, -and eminently tolerant spirit, she produces bottles of hair-dye and -proceeds to rejuvenate his fading locks.—The scenic setting, the stage -management, and the acting by which this farce were commended to public -approbation were so appropriate, so resourceful and deft, so careful, -zealous, spirited, and effective, that it gained immense popularity. -This was the original cast of “The Concert<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_293" id="page_293">{293}</a></span>”:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Gabor Arany</i></td><td class="rt">Leo Ditrichstein.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Dr. Dallas</i></td><td class="rt">William Morris.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>McGinnis</i></td><td class="rt">John W. Cope.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Helen Arany</i></td><td class="rt">Janet Beecher.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Flora Dallas</i></td><td class="rt">Jane Grey.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Eva Wharton</i></td><td class="rt">Alice Leal Pollock.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. McGinnis</i></td><td class="rt">Belle Theodore.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Miss Merk</i></td><td class="rt">Catherine Proctor.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Fanny Martin</i></td><td class="rt">Edith Cartwright.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Claire Flower</i></td><td class="rt">Margaret Bloodgood.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Natalie Moncrieff</i> </td><td class="rt">Adelaide Barrett.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Edith Gordon</i></td><td class="rt">Cora Witherspoon.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Georgine Roland</i></td><td class="rt">Elsie Glynn.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Laura Sage</i></td><td class="rt">Edna Griffin.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. Lennon-Roch</i></td><td class="rt">Kathryn Tyndall.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. Chatfield</i></td><td class="rt">Mary Johnson.</td></tr> -</table> - -<h2><a name="LOSS_AND_GRIEF_NO_MAN_BEARS_SORROW_BETTER" id="LOSS_AND_GRIEF_NO_MAN_BEARS_SORROW_BETTER"></a>LOSS AND GRIEF.—“NO MAN BEARS SORROW BETTER.”</h2> - -<p>“Thanks for your kind sympathy, dear William Winter,” Belasco wrote to -me, in July, 1911. “I have thought of you so often in my grief. I should -be glad to come over to your island to see you, but I am not able.... I -am trying to be resigned; and, though the pain is great, I must be. -Nothing can ever be the same again, and it is all very, very hard. Yet I -must go on, and I shall. There is nothing but our work....” He had, -within less than two months of each other, lost his father<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_294" id="page_294">{294}</a></span> and his -dearly loved daughter Augusta,—Mrs. William Elliott. His father was -stricken on April 6th, and he died on the 11th, at his home, No. 1704 -Sutter Street, San Francisco. Belasco, however, was at that time in -almost distracted attendance on his daughter, at Asheville, North -Carolina, and could not leave her when he received news of his father’s -illness; nor was he able to attend his funeral. Humphrey Abraham Belasco -was buried beside his wife in Hills of Eternity Cemetery, San Mateo, -California, April 12th.</p> - -<p>The death of Belasco’s daughter,—“my little guardian,” as he has called -her in talk with me,—was a bereavement more than usually bitter. She -was a creature of extraordinary goodness and beauty, of exquisite -sensibility, gentle and lovely in nature, childlike in disposition, the -pitiful friend of all sorrowing and suffering persons, the special -comrade and comfort of her father, and her death came within less than -five months after her marriage—to the actor William Elliott. When -Belasco was informed of his child’s attachment to Elliott (whom she had -met when he was a member of the company supporting Miss Starr in “The -Rose of the Rancho”) he, at first, opposed their marriage,—“Not,” as he -has told me, “that I had any personal objection to ‘Billy,’—who is a -dear fellow</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_032" id="ill_032"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_040.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_040.jpg" width="388" height="554" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“<i>Oft in the still night</i><br /></span> -<span class="i2"><i>Ere Slumber’s chain has bound me</i><br /></span> -<span class="i1"><i>Fond Memory brings the light</i><br /></span> -<span class="i2"><i>Of Other Days around me.</i>”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p style="text-align:left;text-indent:0%;">From an original made for, and -loaned by,<br /> Mrs. David Belasco.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_295" id="page_295">{295}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">and whom I always liked,—but because I had hoped she would choose a -husband out of the theatrical profession, one who could live all his -life with her,—which the inevitable travelling of theatrical life makes -practically impossible. But when I saw that my little girl was pining -for him, that a great love had come to her and that she could never be -happy without him, I brushed all my own hopes and wishes away and urged -their immediate marriage. I thought to keep her always near her mother -and me, so as a wedding gift I had an apartment fitted up for them in -the Marie Antoinette, where we live, and we were all going to be -together and happy: but it was not to be.”</p> - -<p>William Elliott and Augusta Belasco were wedded, at the home of her -parents, January 27, 1911: as they were about to start on their -honeymoon, the bride, while bidding good-bye to her father, was stricken -with sudden illness and collapsed. At first it was believed that her -illness was merely a transient disorder, which would soon yield to -treatment. For a few weeks her condition fluctuated, but seemed, on the -whole, to improve: then, at the end of March, she began rapidly to -decline, and Belasco was informed that she was afflicted with an acute -form of tuberculosis, which must soon cause her death. That was an issue -which<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_296" id="page_296">{296}</a></span> her father could not and would not accept without a bitter -struggle. “I had seen so many desperate cases of consumption saved, for -years,” he said, “that I <i>could not believe</i> my little girl, who had -always seemed so strong and well, who was so young and lovely, on the -threshold of her new life, with everything to live for, must die. I -gathered her up, overnight, and fled with her to Asheville.” There -Belasco leased Witchwood, a fine residence,—the home of the late -Colonel Charles W. Woolsey,—and installed his daughter in it. Her fatal -malady could not, however, be stayed, though every expedient was tried -that love could prompt or wealth employ, and she grew rapidly worse. On -May 1, in a forlorn hope that the climate of Colorado might prove -beneficial, Belasco chartered a special train and removed her to -Broadmoor, a beautiful place in the environs of Colorado -Springs,—where, on the afternoon of June 5, after great suffering borne -with patience and fortitude, she died. Her body was taken to New York; -funeral services were held there, at the Temple Ahawath Chesed, on June -9, and late on that day she was laid in her grave in Ahawath Chesed -Cemetery, at Linden Hills, Long Island.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“My little Augusta,” writes Belasco in a note made for me, “was the -gentlest creature I have ever known and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_297" id="page_297">{297}</a></span> the kindest. No one but -myself will ever know how many poor girls and young men have had -places <i>made</i> for them in my companies because she came and asked -it, with her dear little arms about my neck. And she had good -judgment, too; I never have regretted employing any of the people -she interceded for. She was just a child to the very end. She had -caught some of my foolish little superstitions, and when she died -she was surrounded with pretty little painted butterflies that she -had pinned about her to help her to get well—‘and I know they -will,’ she told the doctor, ‘because my father believes in them and -says so!’ Each of my girls was my ‘favorite’ child, but the younger -was my special companion, who always took care of me. Though she -might have been up till all hours the night before, she never -missed getting up to see that I had my breakfast properly, and I -never got home too late for her to come pattering to my room to see -me safely tucked into bed. I think that, in her heart, the poor -child must have had some premonition that she was going to die -soon, because she was so fascinated by my play of ‘Peter Grimm.’ I -had no thought, when I was writing it, that she was to be taken -away from me; but I had long wanted to write something that might -show death in a beautiful way; something that would touch on -immortality as a vivid reality, just a flash beyond this life, and -so help to inspire hope. I used to talk to my little girl about it, -and she was the first to read my play when it was finished. I gave -it to her one evening and waited for her verdict far into the -night, and her approval meant much to me. She attended all the -rehearsals, and one night she told me that after seeing ‘Peter -Grimm’ no one should be afraid to die. It was the last play she -ever saw,—and it is my comfort to believe that its message entered -her soul.”</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_298" id="page_298">{298}</a></span></p> - -<p>Belasco’s elder daughter, Reina Victoria, was married to the theatrical -manager Morris Gest, of New York, at Sherry’s, in that city, on June 1, -1909.</p> - -<h2><a name="A_DRAMA_OF_SPIRITUALISM" id="A_DRAMA_OF_SPIRITUALISM"></a>A DRAMA OF SPIRITUALISM.<br /><br /> -<small>(Fragmentary Notes, Not Revised.)</small></h2> - -<p>The extreme dissatisfaction of the <i>Ghost</i>, who, on returning from the -spirit world to this mundane sphere, ascertains that his, or her, -earthly sweetheart or husband has formed a nuptial alliance with -somebody else has been noticed by various poetical writers in deeply -affecting verse, dramatic, descriptive, and pathetic,...</p> - -<p>Belasco’s play “The Return of Peter Grimm” deals with the mysterious and -certainly important subject of Spiritualism,—a subject which deserves -all the thoughtful, studious inquiry which has, in recent years, been -bestowed on it by many persons of exceptional intellectual capacity and -power. It is, nevertheless, a subject which is generally treated with -pitying contempt or scornful antagonism, especially by those -persons,—the vast majority of humanity,—who are most comprehensively -ignorant of its history and its apparent phenomena. It was, accordingly, -a bold choice which selected that subject for exposition in a drama of -prosaic, contemporaneous</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="fill_010" id="fill_010"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_041.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_041.jpg" width="428" height="611" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>AUGUSTA BELASCO, MRS. WILLIAM ELLIOTT</p> - -<p style="text-align:left;text-indent:0%;">Original made for, and - loaned by,<br /> Mrs. David Belasco.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_299" id="page_299">{299}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">setting, and it is a significant testimony at once to Belasco’s -managerial perspicacity and to his skill as a writer and a stage manager -that his play of “Grimm” achieved unusual success....</p> - -<p>In the days of my youth, when I was a student at the Dane Law School of -Harvard College, it was my good fortune to gain the friendship of the -erudite lawyer Theophilus Parsons, who was a preceptor there, and to -listen to much interesting and instructive discourse by him on many -subjects—among them, the Swedenborgian faith, to which he was an -absolute and happy adherent. “Death,” he remarked, in expounding to me -the tenets of that faith, “is no more than walking from one room into -another.” The same thought (which has, of course, been cherished by many -persons) seems to have been predominant in the mind of Belasco when he -was writing “The Return of Peter Grimm.”...</p> - -<h2><a name="BELASCOS_THE_RETURN_OF_PETER_GRIMM" id="BELASCOS_THE_RETURN_OF_PETER_GRIMM"></a>BELASCO’S “THE RETURN OF PETER GRIMM.”</h2> - -<p>In drama, whether prose or verse, the device has frequently been used of -bringing back to our material world the spirits of persons who have -passed out of mortal life, and causing them to pervade the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_300" id="page_300">{300}</a></span> scenes with -which they were associated in the body. That device is employed in -Belasco’s “The Return of Peter Grimm,” in which David Warfield made his -first and, thus far, his only approach to the realm of Imagination -[since this passage was written Warfield has appeared, 1915-’16, as <i>Van -Der Decken</i>, in a drama by Belasco on the subject of “The Flying -Dutchman.”—J. W.]. <i>Peter Grimm</i>, a prosperous, self-willed, kind, good -old man, who in the government of his family and the arrangement of his -worldly affairs has made serious errors,—the most deplorable of them -being the separation of his ward, a docile, affectionate girl named -<i>Kathrien</i>, from a youth who loves her and whom she loves, and her -betrothal to his nephew, <i>Frederik Grimm</i>, a hypocrite and a -scoundrel,—is suddenly stricken dead, of heart disease, and, after a -little time his spirit returns to the place which was his earthly home, -intent on retrieving those errors, discomfiting the rascal by whom he -has been deceived, and making his foster-child happy. Warfield, -personating <i>Peter Grimm</i>, first presented him as a mortal, afterward as -a spirit. The character,—honest, sturdy, opinionated, worldly-wise, -somewhat rough and imperious, yet intrinsically genial,—was correctly -assumed and expressed, but the actor’s denotement of spiritual being was -neither</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="fill_011" id="fill_011"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_042.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_042.jpg" width="393" height="590" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>REINA BELASCO. MRS. MORRIS GEST</p> - -<p style="text-align:left;text-indent:0%;">Photograph by White. Belasco Collection.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_301" id="page_301">{301}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">imaginative nor sympathetic, and it did not create even the slightest -illusion.</p> - -<p>The purpose of the dramatist seems to have been to intimate a notion, -comfortable to the general mind, that spiritual existence of beings once -mundane is merely a continuation of their everyday condition in this -world. In the absence of knowledge on the subject that assumption is as -tenable as any other. Persons who are commonplace in what we call Time -may reasonably be held to remain commonplace in what we call Eternity. -No one knows. The Book of Destiny has not been opened. But the -rationality of assumption which makes of “that undiscovered country” -only a prolongation of this earthly scene at once dissipates, especially -for dramatic purpose and effect, all atmosphere of <i>spirituality</i>, all -glamour of the ideal, which happily might be superinduced by imaginative -treatment of a mysterious subject. However prosaic the quality of a -disembodied spirit may remain, it seems reasonable to assume that there -must be some essential difference between the material body and the -spiritual body, and the person undertaking to represent a spirit could -succeed, if at all, in denoting that difference not by stage tricks but -only by mental power and affluence of emotion, by weird strangeness of -individuality, by<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_302" id="page_302">{302}</a></span> exquisite sensibility, by magnetism, and by the -artistic skill to liberate those forces and so elicit and control the -sympathy of his auditors. Warfield’s personation of <i>Grimm</i> gave not the -faintest intimation of spirituality, and there was not one gleam of -imagination in his presentment of the spirit.</p> - -<p>Few actors have ever succeeded in conveying to an audience any really -convincing, absorbing sense of <i>spiritual presence</i>. The dramatist of -“Peter Grimm” probably did not intend that any such sense should be -conveyed. Warfield, apparently, did not attempt to convey it, and if, as -appears true, it was the actor’s purpose to present <i>Grimm</i> as -essentially the same person after death as before, then his personation, -undoubtedly, was the rounded result of a definite plan, and was, as -such, entirely successful.</p> - -<p>The part of <i>Peter Grimm</i> has been described as one of great difficulty. -It is, on the contrary, very easy. Its requirement is sincerity. -<i>Grimm</i>, as a spirit, clothed as in mortal life, must move among persons -who were his friends, unseen by them, unheard when he speaks, eagerly -desirous to influence their conduct, but practically helpless to do so, -except at moments when accession of extreme sensibility on the part of -one or another of them provides occasion, until, at last, force of -circumstances<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_303" id="page_303">{303}</a></span> and the impelling guidance of the dead man achieve his -purpose. Acted in the spirit precisely as in the flesh, as a good old -man, the part makes no draft upon the resources of mind or feeling or -upon the faculty of expression that any good actor might not easily -satisfy. The situations wherein <i>Grimm</i>, ostensibly, is ignored by the -other persons on the stage in fact revolve around him and are dependent -on his presence; he engages the sympathy of the audience practically to -the exclusion of all the other characters, and the almost universal -interest—whether assenting or dissenting—in anything relating directly -to the theme of spiritual survival after death, together with the -novelty of a ghost displayed in the environment of every-day, centres -observation on <i>Grimm</i> and his personator.</p> - -<p>Warfield’s performance, notwithstanding the prosaic atmosphere of it, -was interesting, and his excursion into the realm of the occult was, at -least, calculated to stimulate thought on a serious subject. In this, as -in many other matters, the degree of approval gained by the play and its -performance will ever be variably accordant to taste. To some persons, -no doubt, the ideal of a newly dead child being borne away on his -spirit-uncle’s shoulders, singing about “Uncle Rat has gone to town to -buy his niece a wedding gown,” and musically inquiring,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_304" id="page_304">{304}</a></span> “What shall the -wedding breakfast be? Hard-boiled eggs and a cup of tea?” will be -delightful. Others, equally without doubt, will fail to find it -impressive.</p> - -<p>“The Return of Peter Grimm” was acted for the first time, January 2, -1911, at the Hollis Street Theatre, Boston; and for the first time in -New York, October 18, the same year, at the present Belasco Theatre. -This was the original cast of that play:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Peter Grimm</i></td><td class="rt">David Warfield.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Frederik Grimm</i></td><td class="rt">John Sainpolis.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>James Hartman</i></td><td class="rt">Thomas Meighan.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Andrew MacPherson</i></td><td class="rt">Joseph Brennan.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Rev. Henry Batholommey</i></td><td class="rt">William Boag.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Colonel Tom Lawton</i></td><td class="rt">John F. Webber.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Willem</i></td><td class="rt">Percy Helton.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Kathrien</i></td><td class="rt">Janet Dunbar.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. Batholommey</i></td><td class="rt">Marie Bates.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Marta</i></td><td class="rt">Marie Reichardt.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>The Clown</i></td><td class="rt">Tony Bevan.</td></tr> -</table> - -<h2><a name="CONCERNING_THE_EUNUCHS_OF_CRITICASTERISM" id="CONCERNING_THE_EUNUCHS_OF_CRITICASTERISM"></a>CONCERNING THE EUNUCHS OF CRITICASTERISM.</h2> - -<p>The gentle Goldsmith, commenting on a meanness in human nature which -causes little minds to envy and disparage the achievements of large -ones, remarked that “There are a set of men called</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_033" id="ill_033"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_043.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_043.jpg" width="354" height="564" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by White. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DAVID WARFIELD AS <i>PETER GRIMM</i>, IN “THE RETURN OF PETER GRIMM”</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_305" id="page_305">{305}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">answerers of books, who take upon themselves to watch the republic of -letters and distribute reputation by the sheet: they somewhat resemble -the eunuchs in a seraglio, who are incapable of giving pleasure -themselves and hinder those that would.” Such emasculated perverters of -the function of criticism,—scribblers bloated with envy engendered by -conscious intellectual impotence,—flourish more or less in all periods; -they are peculiarly prosperous in this one, and their envious malice is -employed with at least as much industry in the “answering” and defaming -of dramatists and actors as in the “answering” of books. Before Belasco -had produced “Peter Grimm” in New York and almost in the hour of his -personal bereavement, a representative specimen of that wretched -brotherhood, itching to detract from the achievement of an author whom -he could not hope ever to approach, published the false statement that -Belasco was only <i>part</i> author of that play. Among the papers loaned to -me by Belasco is a copy of the following letter, which I print here -because the misrepresentation alluded to has been several times iterated -and the refutation of it should be placed on record:<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_306" id="page_306">{306}</a></span></p> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>Belasco to a Quidnunc.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“Belasco Theatre, New York,<br /> -“July 22, 1911.<br /> -</p> - -<p>“In your article in the current ‘————’ there is a misstatement -which I should be much obliged to you if you would rectify, as it -places both Mr. Cecil De Mille and myself in a false light.</p> - -<p>“Your article states that Mr. Cecil De Mille is my ‘<i>collaborator</i>’ -in Mr. Warfield’s new play, ‘The Return of Peter Grimm.’ I am not -aware whether you saw the play when it was presented in Boston, -Chicago and Pittsburg last season. If you did so, however, you must -remember that on the play bill I gave full credit to Mr. De Mille -<i>for an idea</i>—<small>WHICH I PURCHASED FROM HIM AND PAID VERY HANDSOMELY -FOR</small>. As for the play—in its construction, its dialogue, its plot -and its characterizations—the play is <i>mine</i> and <small>MINE ONLY</small>.</p> - -<p>“Mr. De Mille, I know well, will be the first person to verify this -statement of mine, and in view of the fact that my play has not yet -been presented in New York—and may possibly prove a failure -there—I think it is only fair that <i>I</i> should be held exclusively -responsible for <i>my own work</i>....”</p></div> - -<h2><a name="THE_WOMAN_AND_MR_ABRAHAM_GOLDKNOPF" id="THE_WOMAN_AND_MR_ABRAHAM_GOLDKNOPF"></a>“THE WOMAN”—AND MR. ABRAHAM GOLDKNOPF.</h2> - -<p>Belasco devoted most of the summer of 1911 to work on William C. De -Mille’s play entitled “The Woman,” which he produced for the first time -in New York, September 19, that year, at the Republic Theatre: a trial -production of that play had been effected, April 17 preceding, at the -New National<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_307" id="page_307">{307}</a></span> Theatre, Washington, D. C. It is a highly effective -melodrama, of the “contemporaneous interest” type, and it implicates -twelve persons, nine of whom are germane to its action. It is neat in -construction; it skilfully utilizes the invaluable element of suspense, -and interest in its progress is cumulative to the dramatic climax. This, -in brief, is its story:</p> - -<p>A corrupt politician, the <i>Honorable “Jim” Blake</i>, a member of the -national legislature, is scheming to get a specious bill enacted into -law, whereby over-capitalization of railroad corporations and wholesale -swindling of the public can be perpetrated in the guise of legality. -Another member of the legislature, the <i>Honorable Matthew Standish</i>, -perceptive of the latent iniquity of that measure and of the predatory -intent of <i>Blake</i>, has so vigorously opposed the enactment of it and so -bitterly assailed its sponsors that <i>Blake</i> and his associates fear to -force its passage. They determine, therefore, to divert attention of the -people from the opposition of <i>Standish</i> to their corrupt measure and -purposed malfeasance by blasting his personal reputation with social -scandal. In their effort to do this they ascertain that several years -previous the <i>Honorable Matthew</i>, inflexible before Plutus, has -succumbed before Venus—has, in short, registered at an hotel with a -woman not his wife. The name of that<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_308" id="page_308">{308}</a></span> woman is not known to their -informant, and it is the despicable task of <i>Blake</i> and his adherents to -ascertain her identity in order to ruin his public career by convicting -him of private misconduct. That task they attempt to perform by -endeavoring to extort from a young woman, <i>Wanda Kelly</i>, the operator in -charge of a telephone exchange desk, a telephone number in New York -which <i>Standish</i>, in Washington, has called for, immediately after being -apprised of the dastardly purpose of <i>Blake</i> and his associates. The -identity of the concealed and errant she as <i>Blake’s</i> daughter, the wife -of one of his chief supporters, the <i>Honorable Mark Robertson</i>, is -deftly discovered to the audience by the device of a second telephone -message to her, by her husband, immediately after the close of the -warning of impending disclosure by <i>Standish</i>. The sympathetic <i>Miss -Kelly</i> resolutely persists in her protective secrecy as to <i>The Woman</i> -at the other end of the wire, and the climax is then attained when -<i>Standish</i> refuses to be driven from his public duty by the threatened -assault on his private character and when <i>Mrs. Robertson</i>, having in an -agony of dread listened to the unsuccessful coaxing and badgering of -<i>Miss Kelly</i>, with sudden and desperate courage terminates the anxious -situation by avowal of her delinquency, thus providing her corrupt -parent and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_309" id="page_309">{309}</a></span> spouse with considerably more information than they desire -to publish as to the amatory weaknesses of the obdurate <i>Standish</i>. This -was the cast with which that play was first presented in New York:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left"><i>The Hon. Jim Blake</i></td><td align="left">John W. Cope.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><i>Tom Blake</i></td><td align="left">Harold Vosburgh.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><i>The Hon. Mark Robertson</i></td><td align="left">Edwin Holt.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><i>Grace, Mrs. Robertson</i></td><td align="left">Jane Peyton.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><i>The Hon. Matthew Standish</i></td><td align="left">Cuyler Hastings.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><i>Ralph Van Dyke</i></td><td align="left">Carleton Macy.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><i>The Hon. Silas Gregg</i></td><td align="left">Stephen Fitzpatrick.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><i>The Hon. Tim Neligan</i></td><td align="left">William Holden.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><i>A Guest</i></td><td align="left">Langdon West.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><i>A Page</i></td><td align="left">George Van Blake.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><i>A Waiter</i></td><td align="left">José Rossi.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><i>Wanda Kelly</i></td><td align="left">Mary Nash.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p>The exceptional success of Belasco’s production of “The Woman” prompted -a genius thitherto unknown to fame, a certain inspired and amiable -barber of New York, Mr. Abraham Goldknopf, to assert that it was stolen -from a sublime drama indited by himself in the intervals of tonsorial -exercise and entitled “Tainted Philanthropy.” Belasco, in defending -himself against this preposterous claim, resorted to a unique and costly -though conclusive expedient. But before describing the trial of Mr. -Goldknopf’s allegations, it is convenient here to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_310" id="page_310">{310}</a></span> examine with some -particularity the general subject of</p> - -<h2><a name="BELASCO_AND_PLAGIARISM" id="BELASCO_AND_PLAGIARISM"></a>BELASCO AND PLAGIARISM.</h2> - -<h2><a name="FOLLY_LOVES_THE_MARTYRDOM_OF_FAME" id="FOLLY_LOVES_THE_MARTYRDOM_OF_FAME"></a>“FOLLY LOVES THE MARTYRDOM OF FAME.”</h2> - -<p>No person rises to eminence without exciting antagonism and incurring -detraction. Malice is quick to perceive any possibility, however -trivial, of tarnishing a distinguished character, and hatred is -ingenious in devising specious means of disparagement. The slightest -appearance of weakness in any talented person favorably conspicuous in -the public eye is eagerly seized as a ground of condemnation. Every -close student of biography must have observed, relative to almost every -eminent person commemorated, that there is always some one particular -form of reproach which, by diligent, persistent iteration, is made to -adhere to that person’s name, so that at last the one is seldom -mentioned without association with the other. Eminent actors of the Past -have been particularly singled out for defamation in this way. Barton -Booth, for example, scholar and poet as well as actor, is stigmatized, -on no competent authority, as a gross voluptuary; Garrick, because he -was prudent, especially while he was poor, is styled an avaricious -niggard; Kemble,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_311" id="page_311">{311}</a></span> an opium sot; Edwin Booth, a drunkard, which is a -specially contemptible slander. Henry Irving was one of the greatest of -actors, but, because he happened to be a person of many peculiarities, -perfectly natural to him, we are forever hearing that he had “affected -mannerisms”—which is distinctly untrue. Every department of biography -furnishes examples of this form of aspersion. In the case of Belasco the -customary disparagement takes the shape of an iterated charge of -<i>Plagiarism</i>. In this work an examination of that charge is essential.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“It is an old trick of Detraction,” says Moore, in his “Life of -Sheridan,” “and one of which it never tires, to father the works of -eminent writers upon others; or, at least, while it kindly leaves -an author the credit for his worst performances, to find some one -in the background to ease him of the fame of his best.... Indeed, -if mankind were to be influenced by those <i>Qui tam</i> critics... -Aristotle must refund to one Ocellus Lucanus, Virgil must make a -<i>cessio bonorum</i> in favor of Pisander, the Metamorphoses of Ovid -must be credited to the account of Parthenius of Nicæa, and -Sheridan... must surrender the glory of having written ‘The School -for Scandal’ to a certain anonymous young lady who died of a -consumption in Thames Street.... Sheridan had, in addition to the -resources of his own wit, a quick apprehension of what suited his -purpose in the wit of others, and a power of enriching whatever he -adopted from them with such new graces as gave him a sort of claim -of paternity over it and made it all his own. ‘<i>C’est mon</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_312" id="page_312">{312}</a></span> -<i>bien</i>,’ said Molière, when accused of borrowing, ‘<i>et je le -reprens partout où je le trouve</i>.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p></div> - -<h2><a name="THE_TRICK_AS_APPLIED" id="THE_TRICK_AS_APPLIED"></a>THE “TRICK” AS APPLIED.</h2> - -<p>“Plagiarism,” says The Dictionary, is “the act of appropriating <i>the -ideas</i> or the language of another and passing them for one’s [<i>sic!</i>] -own; literary theft.” It would not be very difficult, testing Belasco’s -plays by that definition, and excluding all other considerations, to -invest the charge of plagiarism against him, in some instances, with -validity. The last part of “Hearts of Oak” is borrowed from Leslie’s -“The Mariner’s Compass”; “La Belle Russe” is based on situations taken -from “Forget Me Not” and “The New Magdalen”; the thrilling situation in -the Third Act of “The Girl I Left Behind Me” is based on a similar -situation in Boucicault’s “Jessie Brown; or, the Relief of Lucknow”; the -agonizing situation in the Third Act of “The Darling of the Gods,” in -which a military despot extorts information from a woman by forcing her -to gaze on her lover subjected to torture, is derived (and bettered) -from Sardou’s “La Tosca.” Other instances of similarity could be -specified. It would, however, be a manifest injustice to stigmatize -Belasco, <i>and only Belasco</i>, as a plagiarist on the</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_034" id="ill_034"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_044.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_044.jpg" width="515" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Count Jean de Strelecki. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>“THE STUDENT”—DAVID BELASCO</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_313" id="page_313">{313}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">ground of his indebtedness to plays earlier than his. He has done only -what all other dramatists have done since the beginning of the craft; -that is, he has based <i>some</i> of his plays on dramatic expedients and -situations that have long been considered to be common property.</p> - -<h2><a name="AN_ANCIENT_USAGE" id="AN_ANCIENT_USAGE"></a>AN ANCIENT USAGE.</h2> - -<p>Several of Shakespeare’s plays were based by him on plays of earlier -date, by other authors. Dryden borrowed freely from Spanish plays and -sometimes from Corneille and Molière,—a fact which caused Scott to -remark (Preface to “The Assignation”) that “originality consists in the -mode of treating a subject more than in the subject itself.” English -dramatists, from Wycherly onward, have freely borrowed from Molière. -Fielding, there is reason to believe, derived an occasional hint from -the great Frenchman, as also from Thomas Murphy. Goldsmith was a little -indebted to Wycherly. Hoadley borrowed from Farquhar; Steele from -Bickerstaff; Colman from Murphy; Sheridan from both Wycherly and -Congreve, and perhaps from his mother’s play of “The Discovery” and her -novel of “Sydney Biddulph”; Boucicault from many French sources and some -English ones. I would not be understood as approving or defending that -practice in dramatic<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_314" id="page_314">{314}</a></span> authorship: on the contrary, in the whole course -of my long service as a dramatic critic and historian I have condemned -it. These words, written by me many years ago, relative to Boucicault, -indicate my view of <i>the practice</i>:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>Dramatic authorship, indeed, seems to have been regarded by -him,—and by many other playwriters,—as a species by itself, -exempt from obligation to moral law. The bard who should “convey” -Milton’s “Lycidas” or Wordsworth’s great “Ode,” and, after making a -few changes in the text and introducing a few new lines, publish it -as a composition “original” with himself, would be deemed and -designated a literary thief. The dramatist, taking his plots from -any convenient source and rehashing incidents and speeches selected -from old plays, can publish the fabric thus constructed as an -“original drama,” and, so far from being discredited, can obtain -reputation and profit by that proceeding. [“Old Friends,” by W. W.: -1909.]</p></div> - -<p>If the large majority of dramatic authors,—Sophocles, Shakespeare, -Racine, Molière, Sheridan, and the rest, down to the present day,—be -convicted of plagiarism on the ground that they have rehashed old -material, that charge will stand against Belasco. But the dramatist who, -with manifest truth, pleads, as Belasco can plead (and as I understand -that he does plead), “a well-known, universal, recognized custom” -cannot, justly, be singled out and stigmatized for plagiarism,—any more -than a respect<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_315" id="page_315">{315}</a></span>able Turk, resident in Constantinople, with four wives, -can be singled out and stigmatized for bigamy. I no more approve the -custom of what I call “playwrighting” than I approve or advocate -polygamy,—but I speak for justice. Moreover, it is essential to be -remembered that the number of basic situations, in fiction as in fact, -is limited, and consideration of <i>the method</i> of combining and treating -them must vitally affect the question of “originality.” To make an -avowed adaptation of the work of another, or, with credit, to base a -passage on suggestion derived from an incident in the work of another is -not plagiarism.</p> - -<p>The fair investigator of the charge of plagiarism against Belasco will -find that it is twofold: it accuses him of appropriation from the works -of other writers precedent to him, and of appropriation from other -writers contemporary with him to whose writings he has had, or, as -alleged, may have had, access.</p> - -<h2><a name="CHARLES_READE_ON_PLAGIARISM" id="CHARLES_READE_ON_PLAGIARISM"></a>CHARLES READE ON PLAGIARISM.</h2> - -<p>In considering the first part of the accusation I would recommend all -inquirers to read the masterly exposition of the subject of Plagiarism -made by Charles Reade (himself one of the successful writers frequently, -in his day, accused of the offence), which<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_316" id="page_316">{316}</a></span> is printed, in his collected -Works, as an appendix to his capital story of “The Wandering Heir,”—a -story first made public in dramatic form. That exposition is too long to -be quoted here in full, but the appended extract from it, which deals -with what Reade calls “the mere intellectual detraction” involved in the -charge that he had stolen “The Wandering Heir” from Dean Swift’s “The -Journal of a Modern Lady,” is illuminative:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“It [‘the mere intellectual detraction’] is founded on two -things—1. The sham-sample swindle, which I have defined. 2. On a -pardonable blunder.</p> - -<p>“The blunder is one into which many criticasters of my day have -fallen; but a critic knows there is a vital distinction between -taking ideas from a <i>homogeneous</i> source and from a <i>heterogeneous</i> -source, and that only the first mentioned of these two acts is -plagiarism; the latter is more like jewel-setting. Call it what you -will, it is not plagiarism.</p> - -<p>“I will take the fraud and the blunder in order and illustrate them -by a few examples, out of thousands.</p> - -<p>“By the identical process Pseudonymuncle has used to entrap your -readers into believing ‘The Wandering Heir’ a mere plagiarism from -Swift, one could juggle those who read quotations, not books, into -believing:—</p> - -<p>“1. That the Old Testament is <i>full</i> of indelicacy.</p> - -<p>“2. That the miracles of Jesus Christ are none of them the miracles -of a God, or even of a benevolent man—giving water intoxicating -qualities, when the guests had drunk enough, goodness knows; -cursing a fig-tree; driving pigs to a watery grave. This is how -Voltaire works the sham<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_317" id="page_317">{317}</a></span>-sample swindle, and gulls Frenchmen that -let him read the Bible for them.</p> - -<p>“3. That Virgil never wrote a line he did not take from Lucretius -or somebody else.</p> - -<p>“4. That Milton the poet is <i>all</i> Homer, Euripides, and an Italian -play called ‘Adam in Paradise.’</p> - -<p>“5. That Molière is <i>all</i> Plautus and Cyrano de Bergerac, ‘en prend -<i>tout</i> son bien où il le trouve.’</p> - -<p>“6. That the same Molière <i>never</i> writes grammatical French.</p> - -<p>“7. That Shakespeare is <i>all</i> Plautus, Horace, Holinshed, -Belleforest, and others.</p> - -<p>“8. That Corneille had not an idea he did not steal from Spain.</p> - -<p>“9. That Scott has not an original incident in all his works.</p> - -<p>“10. That five Italian operas are <i>all</i> English and Irish music.</p> - -<p>“11. That the overture to ‘Guillaume Tell’ is <i>all</i> composed by -Swiss shepherds.</p> - -<p>“12. That ‘Robinson Crusoe’ is a mere theft from Woodes, Rogers, -and Dampier.</p> - -<p>“Not one of these is a greater lie, and few of them are as great -lies, as to call ‘The Wandering Heir’ a plagiarism from Swift.</p> - -<p>“Now for the blunder. That will be best corrected by putting -examples of jewel-setting and examples of plagiarism cheek by jowl.</p> - -<p>“Corneille’s ‘Horace,’ a tragedy founded on a <i>heterogeneous</i> -work,—viz., an historical narrative by Livy,—is not a plagiarism. -His ‘Cid,’ taken from a Spanish play, is plagiarism. Shakespeare’s -‘Comedy of Errors’ and Molière’s ‘Avare’ are plagiarisms, both from -Plautus.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_318" id="page_318">{318}</a></span> Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth,’ taken from a <i>heterogeneous</i> -work, a chronicle, is no plagiarism, though he uses a much larger -slice of Holinshed’s dialogue than I have taken from Swift, and -follows his original more closely. The same applies to his -‘Coriolanus.’ This tragedy is not a plagiarism; for Plutarch’s Life -of Coriolanus is a <i>heterogeneous</i> work, and the art with which the -great master uses and versifies <i>Volumnia’s</i> speech, as he got it -from North’s translation of Plutarch, is jewel-setting, not -plagiarism. By the same rule, ‘Robinson Crusoe,’ though Defoe -sticks close to Woodes, Rogers, and Dampier in many particulars of -incident and reflection, is not a plagiarism, being romance founded -on books of fact. The distinction holds good as to single incidents -or short and telling speeches. Scott’s works are literally crammed -with diamonds of incident and rubies of dialogue culled from -<i>heterogeneous</i> works, histories, chronicles, ballads, and oral -traditions. But this is not plagiarism; it is jewel-setting. -Byron’s famous line—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">‘The graves of those who cannot die,’<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">is a plagiarism from another poet, Crabbe; but <i>Wolsey’s</i> famous -distich in Shakespeare’s ‘Henry the Eighth’ is not a plagiarism -from Wolsey; it is an historical jewel set in a <i>heterogeneous</i> -work, and set as none but a great inventor ever yet set a -fact-jewel....”</p></div> - -<h2><a name="FOR_THE_DEFENDANT" id="FOR_THE_DEFENDANT"></a>“FOR THE DEFENDANT.”</h2> - -<p>Examination of Belasco’s plays will reveal that they are, for the -greater part, founded on what Reade designates “<i>heterogeneous -works</i>,”—that is,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_319" id="page_319">{319}</a></span> while he has in some instances borrowed or utilized -material long generally regarded as common property, he has gone, far -more, to history and record,—and that his plays contain more original -writing than ninety per cent. of the plays which are customarily acted -on the English-speaking Stage.</p> - -<p>Turning from the question of what Belasco may or may not have derived -from elder dramatists, we come to a field in which it is easy to move -with definite, assured steps. The first accusation against him of -plagiarism from a contemporary, as far as I have been able to ascertain, -was made by Albert M. Palmer, on information and belief, in regard to -the play of “The Millionaire’s Daughter,” first produced at the Baldwin -Theatre, San Francisco, May 19, 1879. Palmer had been given to -understand that Belasco, in this play, had infringed Bronson Howard’s -play of “The Banker’s Daughter,” first produced at the Union Square -Theatre, November 30, 1878, and which Maguire had endeavored to secure -for Baldwin’s. He sent his attorney, W. Barnes, to see Belasco’s play of -“The Millionaire’s Daughter,” accompanied by assistants, who took down -as much as possible of the dialogue. After the performance Belasco said -to Maguire: “It is not necessary for Mr. Barnes to try to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_320" id="page_320">{320}</a></span> take down my -dialogue: he has <i>seen</i> the play: tell him he can have a copy of the -manuscript, if he wishes.” Barnes advised Palmer that there was <i>no -plagiarism</i> by Belasco, and there the matter ended.</p> - -<p>The second accusation was that of Howard P. Taylor, alleging that -Belasco took material portions of “May Blossom” from “Caprice”: Taylor -would not bring that charge into court, though Belasco invited him to do -so; and Harrison Grey Fiske, the editor of “The Dramatic Mirror,” the -publication in which the false accusation had been repeatedly made, -publicly declared it to be unwarranted.</p> - -<p>Beyond these, I have been furnished by my friend Judge A. G. -Dittenhoefer (acting with Belasco’s permission) with a list showing that -six distinct, formal charges of plagiarism have been made against -Belasco and redress sought by legal action for injury thus alleged to -have been done by him. The plays as to which these charges have been -made are (1) “The Wife”; (2) “Du Barry”; (3) “Sweet Kitty Bellairs”; (4) -“The Woman”; (5) “The Case of Becky”; (6) “The Boomerang.”</p> - -<p>In the first of these cases suit was instituted, in 1888, by Fannie -Aymar Matthews, against David Belasco and Henry C. De Mille, praying for -an</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="fill_012" id="fill_012"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_045.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_045.jpg" width="411" height="518" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>DAVID BELASCO</p> - -<p style="text-align:left;text-indent:0%;">Photograph by the Misses Selby.<br /> Author’s Collection. -</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_321" id="page_321">{321}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">injunction to restrain the further presentation of their play of “The -Wife,” on the ground that it was a plagiarism of her play entitled -“Washington Life.” The action was tried before the Hon. Miles Beach, -Justice of the Supreme Court of New York. Judge Beach decided in favor -of Belasco and De Mille, finding that there was no infringement, <i>no -plagiarism</i>.</p> - -<p>The second case was an action brought by the French writer M. Richepin, -January 25, 1902, in which he demanded an accounting for the receipts -from representation of Belasco’s play of “Du Barry,” on the ground that -it was, in fact, a play written by the Plaintiff. M. Richepin would not -bring this case to trial, and it was finally discontinued, in January, -1908.</p> - -<p>In the third case Grace B. Hughes (otherwise known as Mary Montagu) -began an action, in the Circuit Court of the United States for the -Southern District of New York, February 3, 1904, against Belasco, -Maurice Campbell, and Henrietta Crosman. The action was brought to -restrain further representation of Belasco’s play of “Sweet Kitty -Bellairs,” on the ground that it was, in fact, an infringement of the -Plaintiff’s play of “Sweet Jasmine.” Motion for an injunction was argued -before Judge Lacombe, on March 18, 1904, and on March<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_322" id="page_322">{322}</a></span> 26 it was denied, -Judge Lacombe holding that there was <i>no plagiarism</i>. The case was never -brought to trial, and it was stricken from the calendar, on March 3, -1913.</p> - -<p>The fourth case (which is dealt with in detail, page 336, <i>et seq.</i>) was -the action brought against Belasco and William C. De Mille by Abraham -Goldknopf, in February, 1912, in the United States District Court for -the Southern District of New York, praying for an injunction to restrain -the further representation of their play of “The Woman” on the ground -that it was, in fact, an infringement of Goldknopf’s play of “Tainted -Philanthropy.” Judge Holt, before whom the case was tried, held that -there was no infringement by Belasco and De Mille, <i>no plagiarism</i>, and -on March 3, 1913, final judgment was entered dismissing the Plaintiff’s -complaint, upon the merits.</p> - -<p>In June, 1912, the fifth action against Belasco was brought by Amelia -Bachman and George L. McKay, seeking to restrain him from further -presentation of “The Case of Becky,” on the ground that it was, in fact, -a plagiarism of their play entitled “Etelle.” Trial of this action was -begun May 13, 1913, before Judge Julius M. Mayer, of the United States -District Court, and was concluded the next day. On July 9, 1913, Judge -Mayer rendered his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_323" id="page_323">{323}</a></span> decision, holding that there was <i>no plagiarism</i> by -Belasco, and dismissed the Plaintiffs’ complaint, upon the merits.</p> - -<p>The sixth case was an action begun on January 14, 1916, by Lila Longson, -to restrain Belasco, Winchell Smith, and Victor Mapes from further -presentation of their play of “The Boomerang,” upon the ground that it -was an infringement of her play of “The Choice.” The case was tried in -the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New -York, on September 19-21, and, at the close of the trial, Judge W. B. -Sheppard held that there was no infringement and dismissed the -complaint. Final judgment, dismissing the complaint upon the merits, was -entered September 25, 1916.</p> - -<p>In all these cases only one judgment in favor of Belasco was -appealed,—that by Judge Mayer, in the action by Amelia Bachman and -George L. McKay, <i>in re</i> “The Case of Becky.” Their appeal was taken to -the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and -was argued April 6, 1914. On May 12, following, the Circuit Court of -Appeals handed down its decision in favor of Belasco, affirming Judge -Mayer’s decision dismissing the complaint. The opinion of the Court was -written by Judge E. Henry<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_324" id="page_324">{324}</a></span> Lacombe, and can be found in 224 Fed. Rep., -page 817.</p> - -<p>The significance of this summary of <i>facts</i> is obvious. Belasco has -been, and is, freely accused of literary theft,—but on each and every -occasion when accusation has been made and investigated in Court he has -defeated his defamers and been completely vindicated.</p> - -<h2><a name="CONCERNING_BENEFITS_REMEMBERED_AND_FORGOT" id="CONCERNING_BENEFITS_REMEMBERED_AND_FORGOT"></a>CONCERNING BENEFITS—REMEMBERED AND FORGOT.</h2> - -<p>While Belasco, in common with the generality of dramatic authors, has -certainly profited by the example and sometimes by the labor of others -(a fact which he does not seek to conceal or deny, but which, on the -contrary, he has freely and fairly recognized and admitted), there is a -<i>per contra</i> aspect of his relation to other play-writers which none of -his detractors,—and, for that matter, as far as I am aware, none of his -admirers and advocates except myself,—ever mentions,—namely, the -immense and direct advantage and profit derived by other play-writers -<i>from him</i>. Nor is that indebtedness confined to makers of plays: as -theatre manager, stage manager, mechanician, success for others if not -always for himself has walked<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_325" id="page_325">{325}</a></span> with him, and for scores of persons -connected with the Theatre (many of them void of appreciation) his has -been the touch of a Midas, turning dross to gold and, incidentally, -establishing them in reputation. Among the makers of plays who, first -and last, have greatly profited by his sagacity, skill, and labor are -James A. Herne, Peter Robertson, Bronson Howard (who always handsomely -acknowledged the obligation), William Young, H. H. Boyesen, Henry C. De -Mille, A. C. Gunter, Clay M. Greene, P. M. Potter, Franklyn Fyles, -Charles Simon, Pierre Berton, Charles Klein, Lee Arthur, John Luther -Long, Richard Walton Tully, Miss Pauline Phelps, Miss Marion Short, -William C. De Mille, William J. Hurlbut, Eugene Walter, Avery Hopwood, -Edward J. Locke, Miss Alice Bradley, George Scarborough, and Winchell -Smith.<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> In all the mass of letters addressed to Belasco and examined -by me in preparing this Memoir I have found fitting acknowledgment of -benefits conferred by only two of those persons, aside from -Howard,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_326" id="page_326">{326}</a></span>—Franklyn Fyles and Mr. Scarborough. The latter wrote:</p> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>George Scarborough to David Belasco.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“150 Madison Avenue, Tompkinsville,<br /> -“Staten Island, February 28, 1916.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“My dear Governor:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“Just a brief line before the drop falls on poor little ‘Wetona’ -[“The Heart of Wetona”] to-morrow night:</p> - -<p>“It has been a great honor to sit at your feet the past few -months—to go to school to you. An infinite pleasure, also, to have -seen you work and known you.</p> - -<p>“If the play gets over, the great measure of the success will be -yours. If it fails, the fault will be with the material which came -to you.</p> - -<p>“Whatever the issue is, I want now to thank you for your many -personal courtesies, for your enthusiasm and your friendship. -Hereafter, when some would-be author ‘hits the ceiling’ at some -change you suggest in his ’script, please have him get me on the -telephone and I will cheerfully tell him how many kinds of a d—— -fool he is not to know a master touch and not to appreciate the -Master’s interest.</p> - -<p>“May you be preserved to the Theatre for a long, long time.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Affectionately,<br /> -“<i>George Scarborough.</i>”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p>The scope and variety of his labor as an author are impressively -signified in the following partial list of his writings:<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_327" id="page_327">{327}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="THE_DRAMATIC_WORKS_OF_DAVID_BELASCO" id="THE_DRAMATIC_WORKS_OF_DAVID_BELASCO"></a>THE DRAMATIC WORKS OF DAVID BELASCO.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>(Note.—The dates given in the following table refer to the years -in which the plays specified <i>were written</i>,—and, therefore, in -some instances, they differ from the dates given in Chronology, and -elsewhere, which refer to <i>presentation</i> of the plays.)</p></div> - -<p class="c">JUVENILE EFFORTS.</p> - -<div class="hang"> -<p>“Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.”</p> - -<p>“Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp.”</p> - -<p>Angel in Hell,” “An</p> - -<p>Barmaid’s Revenge; or, The Fatal Corkscrew,” “The (burlesque).</p> - -<p>Bohemian Girl,” “The (with music).</p> - -<p>Bronze Statue,” “The.</p> - -<p>Butcher’s Revenge; or, The Seven Buckets of Blood,” “The -(burlesque).</p> - -<p>Death of Benedict Arnold,” “The.</p> - -<p>Dying Boy’s Last Christmas,” “The.</p> - -<p>“East Lynne” (burlesque).</p> - -<p>Hanging of Nathan Hale,” “The.</p> - -<p>“Jim Black; or, The Regulator’s Revenge” (<i>his first play</i>).</p> - -<p>Roll of the Drum,” “The (before 1869).</p> - -<p>Signing of the Declaration of Independence,” “The.</p> - -<p>“Spiritland.”</p> - -<p>Trovatore,” “Il (with music from the opera of that name).</p> -</div> - -<h2><a name="WRITTEN_BEFORE_1882-83_BELASCOS_NEW_YORK_CAREER_BEGAN_IN_SEPTEMBER" id="WRITTEN_BEFORE_1882-83_BELASCOS_NEW_YORK_CAREER_BEGAN_IN_SEPTEMBER"></a>WRITTEN BEFORE 1882-’83 (BELASCO’S NEW YORK CAREER BEGAN IN SEPTEMBER, -1882).</h2> - -<div class="hang"><p>Ace of Spades,” “The (1877—or earlier).</p> - -<p>“American Born” (based on “British Born”: 1882).<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_328" id="page_328">{328}</a></span></p> - -<p>Assommoir,” “L’ (“Drink”: based on Zola’s novel: 1879).</p> - -<p>Belle Russe,” “La (1880-’81).</p> - -<p>“Bleak House” (from the novel—about July, 1875).</p> - -<p>“Capitola” (a version of “The Hidden Hand”: 187[6?]).</p> - -<p>“Cherry and Fair Star” (revision of the old spectacle so named: -187—).</p> - -<p>“Chums” (1879—see “Hearts of Oak”).</p> - -<p>Christmas Night; or, The Convict’s Return,” “The (1877).</p> - -<p>Creole,” “The (based on Adolphe Belot’s story, “L’Article 47”: -1879-’80).</p> - -<p>Cricket on the Hearth,” “The (from Dickens’ “Christmas Story”: -1877-’78).</p> - -<p>Curse of Cain,” “The (with Peter Robertson: 1882).</p> - -<p>“David Copperfield” (from the novel—before 1878).</p> - -<p>Doll Master,” “The (1874-’75?).</p> - -<p>“Dombey & Son” (from the novel—before 1878).</p> - -<p>“Dora” (alteration of Charles Reade’s play: 1875).</p> - -<p>“Faust” (1877).</p> - -<p>Fast Family,” “A (adaptation of Sardou’s “La Famille Benoiton!”: -1879).</p> - -<p>Haunted House,” “The (1877).</p> - -<p>“Hearts of Oak” (based on “The Mariner’s Compass,” originally -called “Chums”: with James A. Herne: 1879).</p> - -<p>Hidden Hand,” “The (from Mrs. Southworth’s book—at least three -different versions: before 1878).</p> - -<p>Lone Pine,” “The (187[5?]).</p> - -<p>Millionaire’s Daughter,” “The (1879).</p> - -<p>Moonlight Marriage,” “The (“The Marriage by Moonlight”: based on -Watts Phillips’ “Camilla’s Husband”: 1879).</p> - -<p>New Magdalen,” “The (from Collins’ novel—1874).</p> - -<p>“Nicholas Nickleby” (from the novel—before 1879).</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_035" id="ill_035"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_046.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_046.jpg" width="392" height="554" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Count Jean de Strelecki. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DAVID BELASCO</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_329" id="page_329">{329}</a></span></p> - -<div class="hang"><p>“Not Guilty” (alteration of Watts Phillips’ play of that name: -1878).</p> - -<p>Octoroon,” “The (“retouched and altered” version of Boucicault’s -play: 1878).</p> - -<p>“Oliver Twist” (version of, from earlier play and the novel—before -1878).</p> - -<p>“Olivia” (dramatization of “The Vicar of Wakefield”: 1878).</p> - -<p>“Our Mysterious Boarding House” (1877).</p> - -<p>“Paul Arniff” (based in part on “The Black Doctor”: 1880).</p> - -<p>Persecuted Traveller,” “The (1877).</p> - -<p>Prodigal’s Return,” “The (1877).</p> - -<p>Scottish Chiefs,” “The (from the novel—before 1878).</p> - -<p>Storm of Thoughts,” “A (1877).</p> - -<p>Stranglers of Paris,” “The (based on Adolphe Belot’s story of that -name: 1881: re-written, 1883).</p> - -<p>“Struck Blind” (from a story: 1875).</p> - -<p>“Sylvia’s Lovers” (1874-’75?).</p> - -<p>“Thaddeus of Warsaw” (from the novel—before 1878).</p> - -<p>“True to the Core” (alteration of T. P. Cooke’s “prize drama”: -1880).</p> - -<p>“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” (at least two dramatizations of the -novel—before 1878).</p> - -<p>“Wine, Women and Cards” (1877).</p> - -<p>“Within an Inch of His Life” (based on Gaboriau’s story: 1879).</p></div> - -<h2><a name="WRITTEN_SUBSEQUENT_TO_1882-83" id="WRITTEN_SUBSEQUENT_TO_1882-83"></a>WRITTEN SUBSEQUENT TO 1882-’83.</h2> - -<div class="hang"><p>Auctioneer,” “The (rewritten from a play made at his direction by -Charles Klein and Lee Arthur: 1901: again, 1913).<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_330" id="page_330">{330}</a></span></p> - -<p>“Caught in a Corner” (revision of a play by Clay M. Greene—and -others: 1887).</p> - -<p>Charity Ball,” “The (with Henry C. De Mille: 1889).</p> - -<p>Darling of the Gods,” “The (with John Luther Long: 1901-’02).</p> - -<p>“Du Barry” (1900-’01).</p> - -<p>Girl I Left Behind Me,” “The (with Franklin Fyles: 1892).</p> - -<p>Girl of the Golden West,” “The (1904).</p> - -<p>Governor’s Lady,” “The (with Alice Bradley—1911-’12).</p> - -<p>Grand Army Man,” “A (with Misses Pauline Phelps and Marion Short: -1906-’07).</p> - -<p>Heart of Maryland,” “The (1890-’95).</p> - -<p>Highest Bidder,” “The (based on “Trade”—which never was acted—by -Morton and Reese: 1887).</p> - -<p>Kaffir Diamond,” “The (revision of play by E. J. Schwartz: 1888).</p> - -<p>Lily,” “The (adaptation from “Le Lys” by Pierre Wolff and Gaston -Leroux: 1908-’09).</p> - -<p>“Lord Chumley” (with Henry C. De Mille: 1888).</p> - -<p>“Madame Butterfly” (based on a story of the same name by John -Luther Long: 1900).</p> - -<p>Marquis,” “The (version of Sardou’s “Ferréol”: 1886).</p> - -<p>“May Blossom” (based in part on his own play of “Sylvia’s Lovers”: -1882-’83).</p> - -<p>“Men and Women” (with Henry C. De Mille: 1890).</p> - -<p>“Miss Helyett” (rewritten from the French of Maxime Boucheron: -1891).</p> - -<p>Music Master,” “The (altered and revised from play by Charles -Klein: 1903-’04).</p> - -<p>“Naughty Anthony” (1899-1900).</p> - -<p>“Pawn Ticket 210” (with Clay M. Greene—based on an idea in -Baring-Gould’s novel of “Court Royal”: 1887).<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_331" id="page_331">{331}</a></span></p> - -<p>Prince and the Pauper,” “The (revision of a play by Mrs. Abby Sage -Richardson, based on Mark Twain’s novel: 1889-’90).</p> - -<p>Return of Peter Grimm,” “The (1908-’10).</p> - -<p>Rose of the Rancho,” “The (based on “Juanita,” by Richard Walton -Tully: 1905-’06).</p> - -<p>Secret,” “The (adaptation from French of Henri Bernstein: 1913).</p> - -<p>“She” (revision of William A. Gillette’s dramatization of Haggard’s -novel—1887).</p> - -<p>“Sweet Kitty Bellairs” (based on the novel of “The Bath Comedy,” by -Agnes and Egerton Castle: 1902-’03).</p> - -<p>Ugly Duckling,” “The (revision of a play by P. M. Potter: 1890).</p> - -<p>“Under the Polar Star” (with Clay M. Greene: 18—: revised, 1896).</p> - -<p>“Under Two Flags” (revision of play by P. M. Potter, based on -Ouida’s novel: 1901).</p> - -<p>“Van Der Decken” (1913-’15).</p> - -<p>“Valerie” (alteration of Sardou’s “Fernande”: 1885-’86).</p> - -<p>Wall Street Bandit,” “A (revision of a play by A. C. Gunter: 1886).</p> - -<p>Wanderer,” “The (revision of Maurice V. Samuels’ adaptation of -Wilhelm Schmidtbonn’s “Der Verlorene Sohn”: 1916-’17)</p> - -<p>“Wife,” “The (with Henry C. De Mille: 1887).</p> - -<p>“Younger Son,” “The (adapted from a German play named “Schlimme -Saat”: 1893).</p> - -<p>“Zaza” (based on a French play of that name by Pierre Berton and -Charles Simon: 1898).</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_332" id="page_332">{332}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="PLAYS_AS_YET_UNACTED" id="PLAYS_AS_YET_UNACTED"></a>PLAYS AS YET UNACTED.</h2> - -<div class="hang"><p>“Bubbles.”</p> - -<p>“Jennie.”</p> - -<p>“Jimsie, the Newsboy.”</p> - -<p>Opera Singer,” “The.</p> - -<p>“Repka Stroon.”</p></div> - -<h2><a name="BELASCO_AS_A_DRAMATIST_A_FRAGMENT" id="BELASCO_AS_A_DRAMATIST_A_FRAGMENT"></a>BELASCO AS A DRAMATIST:—A FRAGMENT.</h2> - -<p>Careful study of the plays of Belasco has convinced me that, much as he -has accomplished, he has not yet fully developed his powers or fully -expressed himself as a dramatist. There is ample evidence in his -writings that he abundantly possesses the natural faculty of dramatic -expression. That faculty is born—not made. The dramatic mind -comprehends a story not in narrative but in action, sees the characters -which are involved, each as a distinctive individual, perceives their -relations to one another, notes their movements and hears them speak. To -the dramatic mind the spectacle of human life is, essentially, one of -<i>movement</i>. But that spectacle is vast, tumultuous, bewildering, not to -be comprehended at once, perhaps not ever to be comprehended fully, and -certainly not to be comprehended without the reinforcement of large -experience and a profound, peaceful meditation.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_333" id="page_333">{333}</a></span> The reader of -Shakespeare feels that the fully developed intellect of that great -dramatist calmly brooded on the world: but there is no Shakespeare now, -and there has been no such thing as tranquillity in the world for many -long years.</p> - -<p>Belasco, when he began to write, was a poor boy, imperfectly educated, -in a disorderly environment, subject to all sorts of distractions and -impediments, and throughout the whole of his career he has struggled -onward under the sharp spur of necessity, without leisure or peace. In -scarcely one of his many dramas is it possible to discern an <i>unforced</i> -dramatic impulse, spontaneously creative of an exposition of diversified -characters, acting and reacting upon circumstances, in dramatic -situations, and constituting an authentic picture of human nature and -life. In many of those dramas the <i>existence</i> of that impulse is -perceptible, but almost invariably the growth of it is checked and the -sway of it is impeded by the necessity of haste, or of conformity to the -demand of some arbitrary occasion or of deference to the requirement of -some individual actor, or to weariness and dejection. Fine bits of -characterization appear; flashes of fancy frequently irradiate dialogue; -imagination imparts a splendid glow to striking situations,—as in “The -Darling of the Gods” and “The Girl I Left Behind<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_334" id="page_334">{334}</a></span> Me,”—and pathos is -often elicited by simple means; but sometimes probability is wrested -from its rightful place, and extravagance of embellishment mingles with -verbosity to cause prolixity and embarrass movement. In a word, a sense -of <i>effort</i>, a strenuous urgency for the attainment of violent <i>effect</i>, -is largely perceptible in Belasco’s plays,—as, indeed, it is in nearly -the entire bulk of modern American Drama. How could it be otherwise?</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Like children bathing on the shore,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Buried a wave beneath,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Another wave succeeds before<br /></span> -<span class="i2">We have had time to breathe.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>Belasco, a good son, affectionate and faithful, ever solicitous to -contribute to the support of his parents and their family, began labor -in childhood, and he has never ceased to labor. At an early age he -married, assuming the duties and incurring the responsibilities of a -husband and a father in harsh surroundings. In about twenty-five years, -working as factotum, secretary, teacher, agent, mechanical inventor, -actor, stage manager, theatre manager, and playwriter, and battling -against a powerful, unscrupulous, malignantly hostile commercial -antagonism, he raised himself from poverty-ridden obscurity to -independence, general public esteem, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_335" id="page_335">{335}</a></span> international celebrity as a -theatrical leader. Throughout the ensuing fifteen years he increased his -eminence, becoming at last the representative theatrical manager of our -day [meaning, here, about 1902 to the present, 1917] in America. He has -adapted or rewritten more than 200-odd plays, has collaborated with -other writers in making twenty-odd new ones, and is himself the sole -author of about thirty more, most of which have been acted but several -of which have not. The wonder is not that his writings exhibit some -defects, but that, at their best, they contain so much truthful -portrayal of character, pictorial reflection of life, fine dramatic -situation, and compelling power to thrill the imagination and touch the -heart. The time, it seems to me, has not yet come for attempting a -comprehensive and final estimate of his faculty and achievement as a -dramatist. Whether as an author or a character, he presents a singular, -elusive, and perplexing study. The constitution of his mind, I have -often thought, shows a striking resemblance to that of the romantic and -copiously inventive old English novelist William Harrison Ainsworth. The -same prodigal vitality, the same intensity of interest, the same -audacious recklessness of probability, the same facility of graphic -characterization, the same exuberance of detail, and above all the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_336" id="page_336">{336}</a></span> same -wild romanticism peculiar to Ainsworth’s novels are perceptible in -Belasco’s plays. The imagination that conceived “Adrea” might well have -conceived “The Lancashire Witches” or the first book of “Jack Sheppard.” -But Belasco is not merely an imitator. He has pursued a course natural -to himself, and he has created much in Drama that is both original and -beautiful. If he had written nothing but “The Girl of the Golden West” -and “The Return of Peter Grimm” his name would live as that of one of -the best dramatists who have arisen in America.</p> - -<div class="hang"><p>[Written May 18, 1917. Given to me by my father with instruction to -mark it, when setting it for him:</p> - -<p class="c">ADD, AND REVISE.</p> - -<p>The last phase of his illness began on May 24, and he never saw -this passage after he wrote it as it stands.—J. W.]</p></div> - -<h2><a name="THE_GOLDKNOPF_TRIAL_A_UNIQUE_DEMONSTRATION" id="THE_GOLDKNOPF_TRIAL_A_UNIQUE_DEMONSTRATION"></a>THE GOLDKNOPF TRIAL—A UNIQUE DEMONSTRATION.</h2> - -<p>The trial of the Goldknopf action against Belasco, based on the pretence -that “The Woman” was plagiarized from “Tainted Philanthropy; or, The -Spirit of the Time,” was begun, July 31, 1912, with a hearing before -Commissioner Gilchrist, at</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="fill_013" id="fill_013"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_047.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_047.jpg" height="440" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p>DAVID BELASCO</p> - -<p style="text-align:left;text-indent:0%;">From a photograph by Arnold Genthe.<br /> -Author’s Collection.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_337" id="page_337">{337}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">the Federal building, New York, and it proceeded, the Hon. George C. -Holt, Justice, presiding, in the United States Circuit Court, on August -5. It was established by sworn testimony that Goldknopf’s “play” was -submitted by him to the Belasco Play Bureau in May, 1910, and that under -date of July 10 Mr. Henry Stillman, the play reader of that bureau, -wrote to Goldknopf a letter in which he said:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Mr. Belasco has gone away for the summer. I sent your play to him, -two or three days after reading it myself. He returned it to me -to-day. While he was interested in reading it, it is not quite -adapted to his present requirements. Will you please call for the -manuscript?”</p></div> - -<p>Mr. William C. De Mille testified that after the production of “The -Warrens of Virginia,” in January, 1908, he had suggested to Belasco that -if they could “throw up a good heart story against the general -background of political ‘graft’ it would make a good play”; that Belasco -had been favorably impressed by the suggestion, and that a contract had -been entered into between them, in that year, for the writing of such a -play,—several drafts of which, bearing different titles (“The Princess -of the Wire,” “The Machine,” “1035, Plaza,” etc.), were made before the -final one was put into<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_338" id="page_338">{338}</a></span> rehearsal. It also was established that Mr. De -Mille had read his play to friends,—among them Professor John Erskine, -of Columbia University,—in 1908.</p> - -<p>Belasco corroborated Mr. De Mille; specified that he had instructed Mr. -Stillman “to be kind to aspiring dramatists,” which fact he surmised -“might account for the courteous tone of his note to” Goldknopf; -testified that he had never seen the manuscript of “Tainted -Philanthrophy” prior to July 31, 1912, and had <i>not even heard of it</i> -until the suit was started. Then, becoming exasperated, he exclaimed: “I -am heartily sick of being sued by nurserymaids, waiters, and barbers -every time I bring out a new piece, and I should like very much to give -a performance of both these plays before your Honor, in the fall.” To -this startling proposal Judge Holt assented, remarking that he could -doubtless have the merits of the case better placed before him by -witnessing both the plays in representation than by merely reading -them,—adding: “But it will be very expensive for you to have the case -decided in this way, will it not?” To this inquiry Belasco replied: -“Yes, sir; it will cost me about $5,000, but I want to show these -unknown authors, once and for all, that they cannot come into the courts -and attack every successful production I make<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_339" id="page_339">{339}</a></span> without submitting their -plays to a comparison that will dispose of their claims very quickly.” -On Belasco engaging himself to provide as good a cast for “Tainted -Philanthropy” as that with which he was presenting “The Woman,” his -proposal was accepted by counsel for Goldknopf.</p> - -<p>The comparative performances were given, November 26, at the Belasco -Theatre, in the presence of Judge Holt and invited audiences—Belasco -desiring that as many journalists and members of his own profession as -possible might see for themselves the shameful injustice to which he was -subjected by the charge of plagiarism. “The Woman,” which was then -filling an engagement at the Grand Opera House, New York, was acted -first, beginning at eleven o’clock in the morning. After an interval of -an hour “Tainted Philanthropy” was presented, “exactly as -written,”—manuscript copies of both plays having been submitted to the -court in order to make impossible any dispute on grounds of alleged -changes during representation. The Goldknopf fabrication proved to be -the veriest farrago of impalliable trash,—and, as it was performed with -absolute sincerity by conscientious and capable actors, it became -ludicrous in the extreme. On November 29, Judge Holt rendered his -decision, finding, necessarily, that there is <i>no plagiarism</i> from<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_340" id="page_340">{340}</a></span> -“Tainted Philanthropy” in “The Woman.” The chief parts in the former -were cast thus:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. Elizabeth Dalton</i> </td><td class="rt">Teresa Maxwell-Conover.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Grace Dalton</i></td><td class="rt">Helen Freeman.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Theodore Thompson</i></td><td class="rt">Milton Sills.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Jack Bud</i></td><td class="rt">Joseph Kilgour.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>John Watts</i></td><td class="rt">Albert Bruning.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Harold Dalton</i></td><td class="rt">Eugene O’Brien.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>A Bellevue Doctor</i></td><td class="rt">Harry C. Browne.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Attendants</i></td><td class="rtbl">James Grove.<br /> -Mark Powers.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Servant</i></td><td class="rt">Judith Snaith.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p>The following letter on the subject of the Goldknopf accusations gave -Belasco much satisfaction:</p> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>The Society of American Dramatists and Composers to David Belasco.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“New York, November 27, 1912.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“Dear Mr. Belasco:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“At a special meeting of the Board of Directors of The Society of -American Dramatists, held immediately after witnessing the -performances of ‘The Woman’ and ‘Tainted Philanthropy,’ a -resolution was passed congratulating and thanking you for your -splendid work in behalf of the dramatists of America in having -called the attention of the public and the press to the efforts of -irresponsible writers and lawyers against authors and producers of -successful plays. We are of the opinion that these ‘strike’ suits, -having no basis or ground for legal action, are a great<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_341" id="page_341">{341}</a></span> hardship -to the professional dramatist, and [that] the attention of the Bar -Association should be called to this particular suit as an -aggravated instance of sharp practice and unwarranted attack on the -dramatist’s name and pocket.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Yours most sincerely,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">Charles Klein</span>,<br /> -“Secretary.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p>In his decision Judge Holt said:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“This suit is to restrain the [alleged] infringement of a -copyright.... Both pieces have been presented by experienced and -skilful actors, with excellent scenery and stage appointments. I -have carefully read the manuscripts of each play and have seen the -representations of them.... In my opinion the proof <i>wholly fails</i> -to establish the charge. There is <i>nothing</i> to prove, <i>or to -suggest</i>, such a comparison of the two plays—that ‘The Woman’ was -copied from ‘Tainted Philanthropy,’ or that any part of the one was -taken from any part of the other. There is <i>nothing</i> to indicate -that either the words, the ideas, or the plot of the defendant’s -play were suggested by complainant’s play. The two plays, in my -opinion, are wholly dissimilar, and I see <i>no ground whatever</i> for -the charge that one infringed the copyright of the other in any -particular. There should be a decree for the defendants, dismissing -the bill on the merits, with costs.”</p></div> - -<p>Final judgment to that effect was entered March 3, 1913. Belasco’s -unique demonstration of the shameful injustice of the Goldknopf charge, -however, cost him $5,700. Writing on the subject of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_342" id="page_342">{342}</a></span> this suit and of -the performances offered in evidence in it, he has said:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“A lawsuit charging plagiarism is an expensive affair, even though -the accused manager may win. Because of this, a compromise is -frequently effected. There are many unscrupulous people who make a -business of submitting impossible manuscripts in order to bring -suits when a successful play is produced. Others keep long lists of -registered titles, with the same idea in mind. Thousands of dollars -have been paid by American authors and producers to end these -blackmail suits, because they are more cheaply settled out of -court. I have never yielded to this swindle,—and I never will.... -My actors played ‘Tainted Philanthropy’ beautifully, and I gave it -a dignified setting. It was a case of ‘Look here, upon this -picture, and on this!’ The audience laughed at ‘Tainted -Philanthropy’ until the theatre echoed.... I think it was the first -instance in the history of American jurisprudence when a judge -adjourned court to go to the theatre for the day, as a matter of -legal duty....</p> - -<p>“As a result of this wretched, contemptible suit, and others like -it, I discontinued my Play Bureau, which I had established several -years previously to encourage young American dramatic authors. I -have produced more plays by such authors than any two other -managers, and I wanted to help them further. My Bureau cost me from -$15,000 to $20,000 a year to maintain and never paid me a cent, -though sometimes as many as 100 plays were received through it in a -single day. When I realized that instead of helping young authors -it was merely helping blackmailers to attack me as a plagiarist, I -closed it up.”</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_343" id="page_343">{343}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="A_DRAMA_OF_PSYCHOLOGY_THE_CASE_OF_BECKY" id="A_DRAMA_OF_PSYCHOLOGY_THE_CASE_OF_BECKY"></a>A DRAMA OF PSYCHOLOGY.—“THE CASE OF BECKY.”</h2> - -<p>Belasco produced “The Case of Becky” for the first time, October 30, -1911, at the New National Theatre, Washington, D. C., but it was not -until October 1, 1912, that, at the Belasco Theatre, the piece was first -made known in the metropolis. It is a psychological “study,” in dramatic -form, based on a play by Edward Locke, entitled “After Many Years.” -Locke (who entered Belasco’s employment to study stage management and -who for a time acted a small part in “The Music Master”) read his play -to Belasco,—who, perceiving in it possibilities of novel and striking -dramatic effect, at once accepted it, with the understanding that it -should be rewritten under his supervision. That stipulation was agreed -to and partially fulfilled,—the rewriting being (as in a great many -other similar instances) done largely by Belasco. The members of the -company which eventually acted in the drama could conclusively testify -to this fact, since much of that labor was performed in their presence, -at rehearsals.</p> - -<p>The name finally bestowed upon this piece is “The Case of Becky.” It is -in three acts, requires only two scenic settings, implicates seven -persons,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_344" id="page_344">{344}</a></span> and is an ingenious and interesting play on a painful but -important subject,—namely, disease or disorder affecting human -personality. The chief characters in it are <i>Dr. Emerson</i>, an eminent -physician who employs hypnotism in psychiatry; <i>Professor Balzamo</i>, an -itinerant and unscrupulous hypnotist of extraordinary power, and a girl -named <i>Dorothy</i>. This girl is the victim of a dreadful metempsychosis -and is often mysteriously changed from her normal, lovable -personality,—in which she is sweet-tempered, affectionate, gentle, and -refined,—into a common, mischievous, vindictive hoyden who is -designated as <i>Becky</i>. <i>Dr. Emerson</i> is laboring to reëstablish her -permanently in her normal consciousness by means of hypnotism,—an -object which, ultimately, he attains. It is incidentally revealed that -many years earlier <i>Balzamo</i>, exercising his hypnotic faculty, has -compelled <i>Emerson’s</i> wife to leave her husband and travel with him, as -a subject for use in brutal and degrading exhibitions of hypnotism. -While in that helpless bondage the daughter, <i>Dorothy</i>, has been born -(her psychic disorder being attributable to the prenatal effect of abuse -of her mother) and the miserable woman has died. Chance has installed -<i>Dorothy</i> as a patient in the home of her father, who, while ministering -to her in affliction, does not know her</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_036" id="ill_036"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_048.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_048.jpg" width="393" height="558" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>FRANCES STARR AS <i>BECKY</i>, IN “THE CASE OF BECKY”</p> - -<p> -Photograph by White. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_345" id="page_345">{345}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">as his child. <i>Balzamo</i>, learning the whereabouts of the girl and -desirous of recovering custody of her, in order to utilize her as a -subject, visits <i>Emerson</i> and seeks to reëstablish his control over -<i>Dorothy</i>, begun when she was a little child. The <i>Doctor</i> is led to -suspect the originative facts in “the case of <i>Becky</i>” which are unknown -to him; a conflict of wits and powers ensues between him and <i>Balzamo</i>; -the latter is, by a trick, subdued and thrown into hypnosis,—in which -state he is compelled to confess the truth and is then deprived of his -hypnotic power.</p> - -<p>Belasco, writing about this singular play—in which he presented Miss -Frances Starr for more than two years—has recorded:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“I had begun work on the manuscript of my play for Miss Starr -called ‘Jennie’ when I received a letter from Mr. Locke about -‘After Many Years.’... It was rewritten and renamed ‘The Case of -Becky,’ and in the writing of it we were guided by Dr. Morton -Prince’s ‘The Dissociation of a Personality.’ I felt that in a -hypnotic study of this kind I must not resort to the broad -theatricalism of ‘Trilby’ or ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.’ I was -dealing with a dual personality, and I gave Miss Starr the arduous -task of slipping from innocence into viciousness, in the presence -of an audience, without resorting to any outward trickery. Those -hypnotic scenes were written while the company was rehearsing on -the stage.”</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_346" id="page_346">{346}</a></span></p> - -<p>It is interesting to note that the method prescribed for Miss Starr by -Belasco, in acting <i>Dorothy</i> and <i>Becky</i>, is the same which Henry Irving -declared should be employed in acting <i>Jekyll</i> and <i>Hyde</i>: Irving bought -the English dramatic rights to Stevenson’s story about that dual -character, intending to put his theory about impersonating it into -practice, but he never did so.—This was the cast of “The Case of -Becky”:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Dr. Emerson</i></td><td class="rt">Albert Bruning.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Dr. Peters</i></td><td class="rt">Harry C. Browne.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>John Arnold</i></td><td class="rt">Eugene O’Brien.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Professor Balzamo</i></td><td class="rt">Charles Dalton.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Thomas</i></td><td class="rt">John P. Brawn.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Miss Pettingill</i></td><td class="rt">Mary Lawton.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Dorothy</i> (“<i>Becky</i>”)</td><td class="rt">Frances Starr.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p>“I was as much surprised as I was delighted,” said Belasco, “by the -popular success of ‘The Case of Becky,’—which was entirely unexpected.” -His delight was considerably moderated by the prompt appearance of a -couple of discontented playwrighting amateurs, alleging plagiarism. -Their names were Amelia Bachman and George L. McKay; they asserted that -“The Case of Becky” was taken from a drama which they had written, -called “Etelle”; their suit was brought in June,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_347" id="page_347">{347}</a></span> 1912; it was tried, -May 13 and 14, 1913, before Judge Julius M. Mayer, in the United States -Circuit Court, and it was decided against them, “upon the merits,” on -July 9. That decision was appealed, the appeal was argued before the -United States Circuit Court of Appeals, April 6, 1914, and decision in -favor of Belasco was affirmed. In rendering the original decision Judge -Mayer said:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“...The writing of the play by Mr. Locke was the natural outcome -of his interest in themes dealing with hypnotic influence and -multiple personality, and when he was attracted by ‘How One Girl -Lived Four Lives,’ by John Corbin, and [by] Dr. Prince’s book, he -was at work on ‘The Climax,’ a play in which hypnotism or mental -suggestion is the predominant feature.</p> - -<p>“I am also satisfied, beyond any doubt, that Mr. Belasco never saw, -read or heard of ‘Etelle’ prior to his acceptance of Locke’s play -and Miss Bachman testified that her play had its foundation in the -idea suggested by John Corbin’s article. That being so, and the -facts found by me being as stated, it follows that complainants -have no case. ‘The Case of Becky’ is, in substantial respects, -different from ‘Etelle.’... It is to be expected that two -playwrights, working independently from a common source, may -develop similarities in their plots, but ‘The Case of Becky’ -displays the skill of the experienced playwright in a number of -important particulars and details not found in ‘Etelle.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_348" id="page_348">{348}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="A_GOOD_LITTLE_DEVIL" id="A_GOOD_LITTLE_DEVIL"></a>“A GOOD LITTLE DEVIL.”</h2> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i4">“<i>Children of an idle brain,</i><br /></span> -<span class="i0"><i>Begot of nothing but vain fantasy.</i>”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>“A Good Little Devil” is a fairy fantasy, written in French by Mme. -Edmond Rostand (using the pen name of Rosamonde Gerard) and her son -Maurice Rostand. It was adapted to the American Stage by Austin Strong, -and Belasco produced it, for the first time in this country, December -10, 1912, at the Broad Street Theatre, Philadelphia: January 8, 1913, it -was acted in New York, at the Republic Theatre. An immense amount of -space, first and last, has been filled in the American newspaper press -with sentimental rhapsody about such fabrications as “Peter Pan,” “The -Blue Bird,” and “A Good Little Devil.” They are well enough in their -way, but they possess nothing of authentic importance, whether literary, -poetic, or dramatic, and the success gained by them is due solely to the -interest of children and of those who enjoy the amusements of their -children: “The sports of childhood satisfy the child.”</p> - -<p>In “A Good Little Devil” experiences are depicted of a Scotch orphan, a -lad named <i>Charles MacLance</i>, who is abused by his aunt, a witch, <i>Mrs. -MacMiche</i>; comforted and befriended by fairies;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_349" id="page_349">{349}</a></span> loved by a little blind -girl named <i>Juliet</i>, from whom he is separated; saved from evil beings -(<i>Old Nick, Sr.</i>, and <i>Old Nick, Jr.</i>); and raised to high social rank, -where he forgets the comrades of his boyhood and is about to wed -unworthily, when he returns to the home of his aunt. There he is visited -by the spirit of his youth; his better nature and his memory of olden -times and friends are awakened, and he returns to the arms of his early -love—whose sight has been restored by the fairies—declaring his -intention to live the life of the affections.</p> - -<p>The stage accoutrement in which Belasco presented this fabric of -whimsical extravagance was so beautiful, so full of the poetic feeling -and allurement conspicuously absent from the piece itself, that it -gained and for some time held, and deserved to hold, popular favor: it -was played at the Republic Theatre until May 3, 1913,—152 consecutive -performances being given.</p> - -<p>“A Good Little Devil” was presented with the following cast: -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_350" id="page_350">{350}</a></span></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>A Poet</i></td><td class="rt">Ernest Lawford.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Betsy</i></td><td class="rt">Iva Merlin.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. MacMiche</i></td><td class="rt">William Norris.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Charles MacLance</i>, a Good Little Devil</td><td class="rt">Ernest Truex.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Old Nick, Sr.</i></td><td class="rt">Edward Connelly.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Old Nick, Jr.</i></td><td class="rt">Etienne Girardot.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Juliet</i></td><td class="rt">Mary Pickford.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Marian</i></td><td class="rt">Laura Grant.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Queen Mab</i></td><td class="rt">Wilda Bennett.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Viviane</i></td><td class="rt">Edna Griffin.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Morganie</i></td><td class="rt">Lillian Gish.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Titania</i></td><td class="rt">Claire Burke.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Dewbright</i></td><td class="rt">Reggie Wallace.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Thought-From-Afar</i></td><td class="rt">Georgia Mae Fursman.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Jock</i></td><td class="rt">Louis Esposit.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Wally</i></td><td class="rt">Gerard Gardner.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mac</i></td><td class="rt">Adrian Morgan.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Tam</i></td><td class="rt">Jerome Fernandez.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Sandy</i></td><td class="rt">Edward Dolly.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Allan</i></td><td class="rt">Norman Taurog.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Neil</i></td><td class="rt">Harold Meyer.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Jamie</i></td><td class="rt">Carlton Riggs.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Davie</i></td><td class="rt">David Ross.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Robert</i></td><td class="rt">Roland Wallace.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>John</i></td><td class="rt">Charles Castner.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Angus</i></td><td class="rt">Lauren Pullman.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Huggermunk</i></td><td class="rt">Pat Walshe.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Muggerhunk</i></td><td class="rt">Sam Goldstein.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>The Solicitor from London</i></td><td class="rt">Dennis Cleugh.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>The Doctor from Inverary</i></td><td class="rt">Joseph A. Wilkes.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>The Lawyer from Oban</i></td><td class="rt">Robert Vivian.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Rab, the dog</i></td><td class="rt">Arthur Hill.</td></tr> -</table> - -<h2><a name="THE_SECRET" id="THE_SECRET"></a>“THE SECRET.”<br /><br /> -“<i>A secret and villanous contriver</i>.”</h2> - -<p>“When I produced ‘The Secret,’<span class="lftspc">”</span> writes Belasco, in a biographical note -made for me, “I was told by<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_351" id="page_351">{351}</a></span> most of the writers for the [news]papers, -and by many friends, that the principal character in it, <i>Gabrielle</i>, is -untrue to life—is <i>impossible</i>! Well, all I have to say is:—It is -<i>not</i> impossible. She is very exceptional, no doubt, and morbid; but she -is <i>true</i> to life and I know it, because I have seen and known and had -to deal with exactly such women as <i>Gabrielle</i>. They are unpleasant, of -course,—but they are real, a part of the Comedy of Human Life that I -have aimed to show in the Theatre, and that is the reason I produced -‘The Secret,’ notwithstanding much advice against it. I did not expect -financial success.”</p> - -<p>When Belasco first heard of “The Secret,”—which, written in French by -Henri Bernstein, was originally produced, in March, 1913, at the Théâtre -Bouffes-Parisiens, in Paris, with Mme. Simone (Mme. Simone Le Bargy) in -the principal part,—Charles Frohman had just relinquished the right of -producing it in America. He was so much impressed by the published -accounts of the plot and of the performance that he went to Paris -(sailing, June 18, 1913, on the Campania, <i>via</i> Fishguard) to see it, -and there, after witnessing several representations of the drama, he -personally arranged with its author for an American production. -“Bernstein,” he writes, “wanted me to have<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_352" id="page_352">{352}</a></span> Mme. Simone act <i>Gabrielle</i> -in America; but, although she is a fine actress and gave a good -performance, she did not, in my opinion, make the part credible. I could -see nobody for it but little Miss Starr—and Bernstein waived his wishes -and left everything to me. I knew from the first that it was impossible -to make money with the piece in America; but I was determined to do it, -and I did; and I am content, though it cost me $57,000 in order to show -the American public a perfect piece of modern play writing and (as I -think) acting.”</p> - -<p>The qualities in Bernstein’s “The Secret” which won Belasco’s profound -admiration are its technical constructive deftness and its cumulative -theatrical effectiveness. While repellent in subject, it is, for stage -purposes, extraordinarily well made. The principal character in it is -<i>Gabrielle Jannelot</i>, a wife, young, accomplished, beautiful, admired, -and loved,—apparently a paragon of feminine excellence; in fact, a -personification of malignant jealousy and malicious envy. This charming -female, blessed with everything that should make her contented, cannot -endure the sight of the happiness of others and, while cloaking her -wickedness with an assumption of generosity, gentleness, and goodness -which for years completely deceives her husband and her</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_037" id="ill_037"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_049.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_049.jpg" width="390" height="551" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by the Misses Selby. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Author’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>BELASCO, ABOUT 1914</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_353" id="page_353">{353}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">friends, she industriously spreads misery all about her. She has -contrived to establish bitter estrangement between her devoted husband -and a dearly loved and loving sister; and, ascertaining that another -sister-in-law, <i>Henriette Durand</i>,—who is her closest friend and who -has confided in her,—is beloved by a high-principled, jealous young -man, <i>Denis Le Guern</i>, she schemes to wreck their prospective happiness. -The fair <i>Henriette</i> (whose amorous receptivity appears to be -comprehensive) has secretly been the mistress of a profligate man of -fashion, named <i>Charlie Ponta-Tulli</i>, to whom she would have been wedded -had not <i>Gabrielle</i> surreptitiously suppressed missives passing between -them and thus caused their intrigue to be ended. Aware of <i>Guern’s</i> -jealous disposition and strong preference for early vegetables, -<i>Gabrielle</i> counsels <i>Henriette</i>, when he shall formally propose -marriage to her, to make a full confession to him of her relation to -<i>Ponta-Tulli</i>,—being confident that <i>Guern</i> will then withdraw his -proposal. This advice <i>Henriette</i> promises to act upon; but, through -fear, she fails to do so, and presently she and <i>Guern</i> are wedded and -for a while dwell in bliss. <i>Gabrielle</i>, unable to endure the spectacle -of their felicity, plans to destroy it by contriving to have all the -persons implicated in the action assembled as guests in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_354" id="page_354">{354}</a></span> a country -residence, thus bringing the new-wedded couple into close contact with -the ardent though alienated <i>Ponta-Tulli</i>. There the former lover -protests to the distressed <i>Henriette</i> his unchangeable passion, and -there they are surprised together by the suspicious <i>Guern</i> in the -moment when <i>Tulli</i> is demanding her reasons for having broken with him. -A violent wrangle ensues, during which <i>Gabrielle</i>, under pretence of -attempting reconciliation, neatly manages to make known the former -illicit relation of <i>Tulli</i> and <i>Henriette</i> to the latter’s husband. In -the passages of bitter recrimination which follow <i>Tulli</i> at last -establishes the fact that he had not wilfully abandoned the charming -<i>Henriette</i>, and then (with remarkable dramatic dexterity) the spiteful -treachery of <i>Gabrielle</i> is little by little elicited and “the secret” -of that vicious and contemptible little mischief-maker is finally -revealed when she is forced to confess to her wretched husband all her -years of wicked intrigue and perverse malice. There, dramatically, the -play ends,—where so much of human experience ends, in heartbroken -misery and despair. A superfluous “tag” is, however, provided in which -<i>Jannelot</i> first induces <i>Guern</i> to forgive <i>Henriette</i> and then himself -casts the mantle of indulgence over the sins of <i>Gabrielle</i>—the fervid -<i>Ponta-Tulli</i> being left to recede into the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_355" id="page_355">{355}</a></span> dim perspective of Paris, -there to comfort himself as best he may.</p> - -<p>The performance of this painful play was, in the main, excellent, Miss -Marguerite Leslie acting the errant <i>Henriette</i> with deep and -sympathetic feeling, and Miss Starr, as <i>Gabrielle</i>, giving perhaps the -most completely finished and artistic performance of her -career,—because definite and intelligible in ideal, sustained, fluent, -precise in expression, and entirely plausible in effect. Mr. Frank -Reicher appeared as the excitable and jealous <i>Guern</i> and provided a -significant exhibition of the radically artificial, insincere, and -finical method so common to the Continental European Stage and so much -admired and commended in America for the reason, apparently, that it is -European.—“The Secret” was exquisitely set upon the stage, in scenery -designed by Ernest Gros, and was presented by Belasco with the following -cast:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Constant Jannelot</i></td><td class="rt">Basil Gill.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Charlie Ponta-Tutti</i></td><td class="rt">Robert Warwick.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Denis Le Guern</i></td><td class="rt">Frank Reicher.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Joseph</i></td><td class="rt">John P. Brawn.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Gabrielle Jannelot</i></td><td class="rt">Frances Starr.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Henriette Durand</i></td><td class="rt">Marguerite Leslie.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Clotilde DeSavageat</i> </td><td class="rt">Harriet Otis Dellenbaugh.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Marie</i></td><td class="rt">Beatrice Reinhardt.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_356" id="page_356">{356}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="MARIE-ODILE" id="MARIE-ODILE"></a>“MARIE-ODILE.”</h2> - -<p>[Of all the productions which he has made, excepting only that of -“Madame Butterfly,” Belasco feels most pride in that of Edward -Knoblauch’s play entitled “Marie-Odile,”—a work esteemed by him to be -one of great artistic excellence and beauty. It was brought out in -Washington, January 18, and at the Belasco Theatre, New York, January -26, 1915. Through a series of mischances it happened that neither my -father nor I saw that production. Therefore, as critical consideration -of it should not be omitted from this Memoir, I here copy, from “The New -York Evening Post,” the review of the representation written by my -father’s old friend and co-worker John Ranken Towse, now the most -experienced and authoritative writer on the drama connected with the New -York press.—J. W.]</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“The ‘Marie-Odile’ of Edward Knoblauch, which was presented for the -first time in the Belasco Theatre last evening, is in many respects -a remarkable play, which would have been still more noteworthy if -it did not slip now and then below the highest level of its ideal. -For the most part, it is sweet, idyllic romance, with an -undercurrent of satirical symbolism and a tincture of somewhat -perilous philosophy, and it is told with delicacy and imagination, -except for occasional touches of rougher realism, which are -unnecessary and inartistic, and have a harsh and jarring effect in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_357" id="page_357">{357}</a></span> -a rarefied and sentimental atmosphere. The object of them—one of -contrast—is obvious and legitimate, but it might have been -attained by less violent methods.</p> - -<p>“On the surface, at first, the tale is one for the nursery, but -beneath is deep and earnest purpose, the enforcement of the -distinction between the essential goodness of loving and unselfish -innocence, delighting in service, and the hard and cruel Pharisaism -of a narrow, egoistic bigotry. Presently the parable illustrates -the savagery which perfect innocence may experience at the hands of -arrogant and sophisticated virtue. But a brief outline will most -clearly show the motive of Mr. Knoblauch’s story. The scene is laid -in a convent in France, during the Franco-German conflict of 1870. -<i>Marie-Odile</i>, the embodiment of childish innocence, is virtually -the servant of the sisterhood. As an infant she had been found on -the door-step. Now she is serving her novitiate and doing the -domestic work, until ready for the final vows. She is a bright, -affectionate, devout, and indefatigable little creature, who has -never been outside the convent walls, has never seen a man—except -an old priest and a decrepit, half-witted gardener—and is -absolutely ignorant of the world and the ways of life. She has been -taught that babies are the rewards which kindly angels bring from -heaven to deserving mothers. By the <i>Mother Superior</i>, a martinet -and zealot, she is persistently bullied. Even her tenderness for -her pet pigeon is accounted a mortal sin, and, by way of spiritual -discipline, she is ordered to tell the gardener to kill it for the -<i>Mother Superior’s</i> table. At this she revolts. Sooner than obey -she hides herself, and is not to be found when the terrible news -arrives that the French have been hopelessly beaten, and that the -<i>Uhlans</i> are at the convent door. The priests and the nuns flee and -<i>Marie-Odile</i> and the old gardener are left<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_358" id="page_358">{358}</a></span> behind alone. Soon the -first German, a handsome young corporal, arrives, and -<i>Marie-Odile</i>, who has never seen a male figure of such splendor -before, concludes that he is Saint Michael—the convent’s patron -saint—and kneels to him in rapturous worship. Other soldiers come -in, led by a rough sergeant, and are disposed to take liberties, -but are promptly disarmed by her fearlessness, her simplicity, and -her transparent innocence. They even affect to respect the laws of -the <i>Mother Superior</i>, which she quotes as paramount. She feeds -them, presides at their table, and holds them in subjection—all -but one or two—by magic of the ignorance that knows no wrong. The -corporal champions her against the advances of his more brutal -fellows, and to him she appeals with the confidence of a child. -When the troops depart the sergeant, learning that the corporal has -never had a love affair of any kind, purposely leaves him behind, -bidding him take advantage of his manifest opportunity.</p> - -<p>The <i>Corporal</i>, who is not vicious, is so moved by <i>Marie-Odile’s</i> -unsuspecting confidence that he resolves not to molest her, but she -begs him so earnestly to remain, and so willingly lets him kiss -her, that he yields to temptation, and the curtain falls upon the -second act as she reposes happily in his arms. The scene is natural -and charming, and the sentiment that of pure, youthful romance. In -the third and last act, after the lapse of a year, the convent has -another tenant. <i>Marie-Odile</i> and the old gardener are no longer -alone. There is an infant, which <i>Marie-Odile</i> accounts for as a -miraculous gift from Heaven. She is conscious of no ill, has -followed unhesitatingly the promptings of nature, and rejoices in -her new possession with boundless exultation. But now the war is -over and the nuns are returning. <i>Sister Louise</i>, the -personification of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_359" id="page_359">{359}</a></span> true Christian charity, is the first to enter, -and sorely afflicted is she as she listens to <i>Marie-Odile’s</i> -grateful pæans, and thinks of what the <i>Mother Superior</i> will say. -That austere judge is inflexible from the first. Straightway she -orders the amazed but unrepentant young mother from the sacred -precincts, in spite of the protests of <i>Sister Louise</i>, who -declares that the true responsibility lay with the sisterhood which -had failed to instruct or guard innocence.</p> - -<p>“Simple as the play is in external form, it deals with more than -one difficult and complex problem. Concerning the particular -instance of the heroine—who becomes in Mr. Knoblauch’s sketch a -fresh and delightful ideal of ignorant and untainted -innocence—there need be no question. Like <i>Haidée</i>, she flew to -her love like a young bird. She was guiltless, and her story—with -the exceptions hinted at—is told very prettily, with an unaffected -naturalism which is rare, and with many charming little poetic -interludes. Her love episode is handled with notable tact and -fancy, and is an eloquent plea for the sanctity of nature’s own -laws. But obviously it is less ingenuous than <i>Marie-Odile</i> in its -wilful disregard of certain awkward and wholly incontrovertible -facts. The Pharisaism of the <i>Mother Superior</i> is, of course, -utterly indefensible upon any count, but may be set down partly to -the credit of poetic license. Unfortunately, the innocence of love -is not, in the present state of this imperfect world, sufficient to -exempt it from the material penalties of unrestricted freedom. And -the instruction of ignorance is not altogether so simple a matter -as some of our younger social philosophers seem to suppose.</p> - -<p>“But in ‘Marie-Odile’ Mr. Knoblauch has produced a work of superior -calibre, and has acquitted himself of a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_360" id="page_360">{360}</a></span> difficult task with -ingenuity and tact. His first act is too much overladen with -(dramatically) trifling details, but the piece acquires strength -and impetus as it proceeds. <i>Marie-Odile</i> is one of the most -credible examples of complete unsophistication that has been put -upon the stage for a long time, and she is admirably impersonated -by Miss Frances Starr. The part does not, it is true, present many -difficulties, but most actresses would have betrayed in it a -self-consciousness of the superfine quality of the innocence which -they were portraying, and this Miss Starr did not do. She did -really suggest the purity of a completely isolated maidenhood. Her -completely natural maternal exultation in the possession of a baby -was really excellent acting. Harriet Otis Dellenbaugh showed warm -womanly feeling as the kindly <i>Sister Louise</i>, Jerome Patrick did -very well as the <i>Corporal</i>, and Frank Reicher furnished a clever -character bit as the senile old gardener. The setting in the -convent was perfect—a notable specimen of Mr. Belasco’s -handiwork.”</p></div> - -<p>This was the cast of “Marie-Odile”:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mother Saint Dominic</i>, Mother Superior of the<br /> Convent</td><td class="rt">Marie Wainwright.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Sister Clotilde</i></td><td class="rt">Ada C. Nevil.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Sister Louise</i></td><td class="rt">Harriet Otis Dellenbaugh.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Sister Monica</i></td><td class="rt">Alice Martin.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Sister Anatole</i></td><td class="rt">Sally Williams.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Sister Angela</i></td><td class="rt">Mildred Dean.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Sister Cecilia</i></td><td class="rt">Amy Fitzpatrick.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Sister Joseph</i></td><td class="rt">Mary Green.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Sister Elizabeth</i></td><td class="rt">Nona Murray.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Sister Catherine</i></td><td class="rt">Alice Carroll.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Marie-Odile</i>, a novice</td><td class="rt">Frances Starr.</td></tr> -</table> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_038" id="ill_038"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_050.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_050.jpg" width="352" height="658" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by White. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>FRANCES STARR AS <i>MARIE ODILE</i></p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_361" id="page_361">{361}</a></span></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="font-size:90%;margin:1em auto;"> - -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Father Fisher</i></td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Edward Donnelly.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Peter</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Frank Reicher.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Sergeant Otto Beck</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Henry Vogel.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Corp. Philip Meissner</i></td><td class="cbrd"> Uhlans </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Jerome Patrick.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Steinhauser</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> in a </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Paul Stanley.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Hartmann</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> Prussian </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Alphonse Ethier.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Horn</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> Regiment. </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Edward Waldmann.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mittendorf</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Charles W. Kaufman.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Schramm</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Robert Robson.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td rowspan="6" valign="middle"><i>Sisters</i>—— </td> -<td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rtbl"> Margaret Cadman.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rtbl">Edith King.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rtbl">Dorothy Turner.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rtbl">Edythe Maynard.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rtbl">Madeleine Marshall.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rtbl">Gertrude Wagner.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> - -<tr valign="middle"><td rowspan="4"><i>Soldiers</i>—— </td> -<td></td><td class="bl">Hugo Schmedes.</td></tr> -<tr><td></td><td class="bl">August Nelson.</td></tr> -<tr><td></td><td class="bl">Albert Mack.</td></tr> - -</table> - -<h2><a name="RECONCILIATION_WITH_CHARLES_FROHMAN_AND_JOINT_PRESENTMENT_OF_A" id="RECONCILIATION_WITH_CHARLES_FROHMAN_AND_JOINT_PRESENTMENT_OF_A"></a>RECONCILIATION WITH CHARLES FROHMAN—AND JOINT PRESENTMENT OF “A -CELEBRATED CASE.”</h2> - -<p>The antagonism of Belasco and the Theatrical Syndicate, which he fought -for so many years, naturally led to friction between him and Charles -Frohman,—a person of extraordinary self-conceit, who loved to have -applied to himself the ridiculous designation of “the Napoleon of the -Theatre”; who aspired to be thought the greatest of theatrical managers, -and who, necessarily, felt himself rebuked under the superior talents of -the man with whom, in early years, he had been so closely associated -and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_362" id="page_362">{362}</a></span> who had done so much to make his career possible. In 1903 he had a -personal quarrel with Belasco (about what I do not know), and for twelve -years thereafter they were more or less actively at enmity and treated -each other as strangers. Frohman, however, appears to have possessed -engaging qualities, which endeared him to many of those who knew him -well. Belasco, for example, has assured me that through all the time of -their estrangement he “cherished a great affection for ‘Charlie,’<span class="lftspc">”</span> and -that he is “grateful beyond words that our misunderstanding was cleared -up and our friendship renewed before he sailed away to his death.” -Frohman left New York on board the steamship Lusitania, May 1, 1915, and -he lost his life, May 7, when, to the eternal infamy of the German -nation, that vessel was sunk off Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland. “I was -alone in my studio, one evening early in 1915,” Belasco has told me, -“and by chance I noticed a newspaper paragraph about Charles Frohman -being ill, at the Hotel Knickerbocker. It set me thinking about our -first meeting so long ago in San Francisco, and of all that followed; of -our first venture in Chicago and of all the years when we worked -together and had rooms side by side, when ‘Charlie’ used to consult me -about everything and I used to read my ‘May Blossom’ to him. As I sat -there<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_363" id="page_363">{363}</a></span> thinking it all over I realized that the shadows were beginning -to slant toward the east—and suddenly I decided that if ‘Charlie’ -should die without our being reconciled it should not be my fault. I -started to write a little note to him but got no further than ‘Dear -Charlie’ when my telephone-bell rang. The caller was Roeder—and the -first thing he said was: ‘I’ve just had a telephone message from Charles -Frohman. He wants to see you’! We met that night, in his rooms, and -forgot that we ever had a disagreement.”</p> - -<p>Soon after that reconciliation Belasco held a little festival in honor -of Frohman, in his theatre-studio, and there, at first in jest, it was -proposed that they should make a joint revival of some notably -successful play of earlier days. This proposal led to a serious -discussion and eventually to an agreement whereby the two managers -covenanted to make a joint production every season during a term of -years. At Frohman’s request Belasco agreed to choose the first play to -be presented by them, and his election fell upon “A Celebrated Case.”</p> - -<p>That play (first produced in America at the Union Square Theatre, New -York, January 23, 1878) is a melodrama in six acts, translated, in rough -English, from the French of Adolphe D’Ennery <span class="pagenum"><a name="page_364" id="page_364">{364}</a></span>(1811-1899) and Eugène -Cormon (18—- 18—). It presents the image of a murder which was done in -France, on the eve of the Battle of Fontenoy (May 11, 1745), and for -which an innocent man was made to suffer years of cruel punishment, -till, at last, in a mysterious and circuitous way, it was brought home -to its perpetrator. The circumstances of the crime are peculiarly -hideous and the circumstances of the belated retribution are peculiarly -complex. The innocent man, <i>Jean Renaud</i>, is condemned, for the murder -of his wife, on the testimony of their child. <i>Lazare</i>, the guilty man -(as in many other fictions on this antiquated pattern), assumes the -identity of another person connected with the crime, the <i>Count de -Mornay</i>, and, after various escapes from exposure and much suspense, he -is baffled in his maintenance of the assumed identity and is brought to -justice. The parting of the condemned father with his innocent, -prattling child, who has unconsciously convicted him of murder, and -their meeting in after years, he a wretched galley-slave and she a young -woman, afford a poignantly affecting contrast. Adroit use, likewise, is -made of a certain singular jewel as the instrument for discovery of the -actual criminal. Although there are no remarkable characters in the -piece and nothing extraordinary in its dialogue, it possesses -substantial dramatic merit in its occasional<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_365" id="page_365">{365}</a></span> scenes of acute agony, -relieved by the violent action of natures taxed beyond endurance. Its -sentiment, moreover,—that of filial affection,—is pure; and in its -complication of the lives and the emotional troubles of two young girls -it deals skilfully and tenderly with difficult and lovely themes. Its -choice by Belasco (who had several times directed performances of it in -the days of his youth and in whom predilection for tense situation and -sharp effect is dominant) was a natural one. Affiliated with Frohman, he -presented it in a slightly revised form—some of its dialogue being a -little “modernized”—but substantially unaltered and in picturesque and -rich dress. It was well acted and kindly received. The first performance -of this Belasco-Frohman revival occurred at the Hollis Street Theatre, -Boston, March 28, 1915, and, April 7, they brought it out at the Empire -Theatre, New York. This was the cast:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_366" id="page_366">{366}</a></span></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="font-size:90%;margin:1em auto;"> - -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Count d’Aubeterre</i></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Frederic de Belleville.</td></tr> - -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Lazare</i> </td><td valign="middle" class="rtbl" rowspan="2"> —— Robert Warwick.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Count de Mornay</i> </td></tr> - -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Chanoinesse</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Elita Proctor Otis.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Viscount Raoul de Mornay</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Eugene O’Brien.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Jean Renaud</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Otis Skinner.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Dennis O’Rourke</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> N. C. Goodwin.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Corporal</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Walter F. Scott.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Seneschal</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> George Allison.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Captain</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> John Warnick.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Duchess d’Aubeterre</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Minna Gale Haynes.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Little Adrienne</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Mimi Yvonne.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Martha</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Beverly Sitgreaves.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Julia</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Ruth Farnum.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Madeleine Renaud</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Helen Ware.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Adrienne Renaud</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Ann Murdock.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Annette</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Esther Cornell.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Valentine de Mornay</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Florence Reed.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Julie</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Marie Sasse.</td></tr> -</table> - -<h2><a name="LENORE_ULRIC_AND_THE_HEART_OF_WETONA" id="LENORE_ULRIC_AND_THE_HEART_OF_WETONA"></a>LENORE ULRIC.—AND “THE HEART OF WETONA.”</h2> - -<p>Many players of talent and present eminence have been fostered and -developed under Belasco’s management—that being, indeed, one of his -most important services to our Stage. He is an inveterate -theatre-goer,—attending performances everywhere and, sooner or later, -seeing practically everything and everybody visible on the American -Stage. This customary vigilant observance of all activity within his -profession he facetiously describes as “my fishing trips,” and, -conversing with me on the subject, he has remarked: “It is often a long -time between ‘bites,’ but one of the delights of the sport is that you -never know, as the curtain goes up, how soon you may ‘hook a big one.’ -Among the biggest I have ever landed is, I believe, little Miss Ulric: I -think she will grow bigger every season she is before the public.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_367" id="page_367">{367}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>Miss Lenore Ulric, to whom Belasco thus referred, was born at New Ulm, -Minnesota, July 21, 189—. In childhood she knew the meaning of -hardship, and she has studied and learned in the often harsh school of -experience. Whether or not she will fulfil Belasco’s high expectation -time alone can tell, but one thing about her is certain: she belongs to -a class of which there is urgent need on our Stage,—she is “a born -actress.” She resorted to the dramatic calling not through mere vanity, -the impulse of personal exhibition, or the acquisitive hope of -profit,—motives which actuate a majority of the young women who go upon -the Stage,—but because her natural vocation is acting. As far as known, -no precedent member of her family was ever associated with the Theatre, -and for some time her choice of that calling met with severe paternal -disapproval. Her novitiate was served in various stock companies in -Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, Chicago, and Syracuse. In August, 1913, Miss -Ulric appeared as <i>Luana</i>, in “The Bird of Paradise,” under the -management of Mr. Oliver Morosco: she acted that part for two seasons. -In 1914, while playing at the Standard Theatre, New York, she wrote to -Belasco asking him to witness her performance of that part and -expressing the hope that after having done so he might find a place for -her in some one of his companies. “I have<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_368" id="page_368">{368}</a></span> long made it a rule,” writes -Belasco, “to comply with such requests from young players whenever it is -possible for me to do so. I well remember how long <i>I</i> pleaded with dear -John McCullough for a hearing before I got it and I know the -discouragement of ‘hope deferred.’ Besides—nobody can make a fairer -proposition than ‘watch my work and, if you think it is good, engage -me.’ But I was extremely busy when I received Miss Ulric’s request and -couldn’t give the time,—so I sent my secretary, Mr. Curry. His report -was so favorable that I felt I must see her at work—so, since I could -not go to her, I had Mr. Roeder bring her to me by making her a -tentative offer of an engagement to act in George Scarborough’s play of -‘The Girl.’ She accepted, of course (she has told me, since, that she -had set her heart on getting with me and would have accepted almost any -offer to do so), and I had my stage manager call a rehearsal. I was not -supposed to attend,—but I slipped into the gallery unknown to anybody -(a little trick I have) and watched her carefully. After twenty minutes -I knew I was watching a very talented and unusual young woman—one who -with opportunity and proper training might do great things. Before the -rehearsal was over I had told Roeder to close the arrangement with her -to play the leading part in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_369" id="page_369">{369}</a></span> ‘The Girl,’ which, afterward, became ‘The -Heart of Wetona.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<p>In its original form the scene of that play was “A Middle Western Town” -(Missouri), its five characters were Caucasian, and its story was one of -erring love, deceit, shame, and rescue set in a commonplace rural -environment,—a main purpose of its author being, presumably, to exhibit -a group of conventional persons impelled by violent passion yet -restrained by religious feeling. In that form it received a trial -presentment, June 28, 1915, at Atlantic City, New Jersey, with this -cast:</p> - -<p class="c"><i>In the Prologue.</i></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>David Greer</i></td><td class="rt">William H. Thompson.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Elizabeth Greer</i></td><td class="rt">Lenore Ulric.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p class="c"><i>In the Play.</i></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Jonathan Wells, D.D</i></td><td class="rt">Arthur Lewis.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Anthony Wells</i></td><td class="rt">Lowell Sherman.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>The Rev. Frederick Forbes</i></td><td class="rt">John Miltern.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Elizabeth Greer</i></td><td class="rt">Lenore Ulric.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>David Greer</i></td><td class="rt">William H. Thompson.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p>“Although its material was undeniably good, I had felt strong doubts -about the piece, from the first, but I gave it a ‘try-out,’ anyway,” -said Belasco. “Then I saw that it would not do as it stood and took it -off, and, at my suggestion and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_370" id="page_370">{370}</a></span> under my supervision, with such -assistance as I could give, Mr. Scarborough rewrote ‘The Girl’ and -eventually we had a real success with it.”</p> - -<p>The rewritten play was first acted, January 20, 1916, at Stamford, -Connecticut, under the title of “Oklahoma”; soon after it was called -“The Heart of Wetona,” and under that name it was brought forth, -February 29, at the Lyceum Theatre, New York, where it held the stage -until May 20.</p> - -<p>In its definitive form the scene of “The Heart of Wetona” is an Indian -Reservation, in the torrid State of Oklahoma; several of its persons are -aborigines of the Comanche tribe, and,—though its action and incidents -are sometimes arbitrarily directed,—it is a remarkably good melodrama -of a long-familiar kind. Belasco’s purpose in directing the revision was -to provide an effective play for the exploitation of the young actress -whose talents had so favorably impressed him, and that purpose was well -accomplished,—the interest centring continuously in the principal -female part, a girl named <i>Wetona</i>, the child of a Comanche chieftain -and a white mother, deceased. This girl, who has been seduced under a -lying promise of marriage by <i>Anthony Wells</i>, a visitor to the Indian -Reservation, is chosen as a sort of vestal virgin in ceremonial rites of -the Comanches, and thereupon, in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_371" id="page_371">{371}</a></span> Tribal House, before her father -and his assembled warriors, though concealing her lover’s identity, she -confesses her transgression. The girl is then subjected to a harrowing -inquisition by the Indians, who desire to find and slay her lover. At -last, unable to endure longer, she agrees to reveal his name on -condition that she first be permitted to warn him of his danger. She -seeks him in the home of his friend <i>John Hardin</i>, the Indian Agent on -the Reservation (who secretly loves the girl and desires to make her his -wife), and is followed by her father, <i>Chief Quannah</i>, who, finding her -in conference with <i>Hardin</i>, furiously accuses him of being the wronger -of his daughter and demands that he instantly marry her—as an -alternative to being instantly slain with her. To save the girl, -himself, and her to him unknown lover, <i>Hardin</i> agrees to do so, -privately assuring <i>Wetona</i> that the marriage shall be one in name but -not in fact, and, a clergyman being conveniently accessible, the wedding -is at once performed. Afterward <i>Wetona</i>, collapsing, calls upon the -name of her <i>Anthony</i>—thus discovering to her husband her resolutely -guarded secret. Later, <i>Wells</i>, ensconced in the home of <i>Hardin</i> and -supposing himself unsuspected and secure, seeks to resume his relation -with <i>Wetona</i>, but is repulsed by her until a divorce (to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_372" id="page_372">{372}</a></span> which -<i>Hardin</i> will connive) shall have been obtained and he shall have -fulfilled his promise of marriage. Then the perfidy of <i>Wells</i> is -revealed to <i>Wetona</i> and she revolts from him; <i>Quannah</i> discovers the -truth; <i>Hardin</i>, though righteously wrathful against <i>Wells</i>, tries to -save him from the vengeance of the Indians (providing him with weapons -and a steed) but fails,—that rascal being shot and killed as he -attempts to ride away in the night,—and the injured, forlorn Indian -girl humbly and thankfully confesses to <i>Hardin</i> her contrition, her -gratitude for his protective generosity, the affection with which he has -inspired her, and her glad willingness to remain with him as his wife.</p> - -<p>The ethics of all this will hardly bear scrutiny—but the dramatic -effect of it in representation was undeniable; and, perhaps, where -virtue is, presumably, intended it is to consider too curiously to -consider further. Miss Ulric presented with vigor, skill, simplicity, -sustained continuity of identity, and remarkable force a true, pathetic, -and alluring ideal of unsophisticated girlhood, confiding feminine ardor -and passionate distress, and she gained an auspicious success.—The cast -of “The Heart of Wetona,” as acted at the Lyceum under the management of -Belasco and a corporation called “Charles Frohman, Inc.,” is appended:</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_039" id="ill_039"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_051.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_051.jpg" width="395" height="556" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Abbe. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>LENORE ULRIC AS <i>WETONNA</i>, IN “THE HEART OF WETONNA”</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_373" id="page_373">{373}</a></span></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Quannah</i>, Chief of the Comanches </td><td class="rt">William Courtleigh.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Wetona</i></td><td class="rt">Lenore Ulric.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>John Hardin</i></td><td class="rt">John Miltern.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>David Wells</i></td><td class="rt">Edward L. Snader.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Anthony Wells</i></td><td class="rt">Lowell Sherman.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mary Greer</i></td><td class="rt">Isabel O’Madigan.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Comanche Jack</i></td><td class="rt">Curtis Cooksey.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Nauma</i></td><td class="rt">Ethel Benton.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Nipo</i></td><td class="rt">H. G. Carleton.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Pasequa</i></td><td class="rt">Langdon West.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Eagle</i></td><td class="rt">Chief Deer.</td></tr> -</table> - -<h2><a name="VARIOUS_PRODUCTIONS_MISCELLANEOUS_RECORD_WHATS_WRONGmdashTHE" id="VARIOUS_PRODUCTIONS_MISCELLANEOUS_RECORD_WHATS_WRONGmdashTHE"></a>VARIOUS PRODUCTIONS—MISCELLANEOUS RECORD: “WHAT’S WRONG.”—“THE -VANISHING BRIDE.”—“THE LOVE THOUGHT.”—“ALIAS.”</h2> - -<p>During the last five years [that is, the five years preceding April, -1917] Belasco has made productions of various plays which do not require -extended consideration, though they must be specified and briefly -described in this Memoir in order to complete the record of his labors. -Those plays are “The Governor’s Lady,” “Years of Discretion,” “The -Temperamental Journey,” “What’s Wrong,” “The Man Inside,” “The Vanishing -Bride,” “The Phantom Rival,” “The Boomerang,” “The Love Thought,” “Seven -Chances,” “Alias,” “The Little Lady in Blue,” and “The Very Minute.”</p> - -<p>Of these, “What’s Wrong,” by Frederick Ballard; “The Love Thought,” by -Henry Irving Dodge;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_374" id="page_374">{374}</a></span> “The Vanishing Bride,” adapted by Sydney Rosenfeld -from a German original called “Tantalus,” by Leo Kastner and Ralph -Tesmar; and “Alias” (based on a story by John A. Moroso and originally -called “The Treadmill”), by Willard Mack, are plays to which Belasco -gave trial productions, and all of which, except “The Vanishing Bride,” -he purposes to present in New York hereafter, when they have been -smoothed and polished and are deemed by him to be ready for metropolitan -presentment. “What’s Wrong” was brought out at the National Theatre, -Washington, D. C., May 4, 1914; “The Vanishing Bride” at Long Branch, -New Jersey, July 27, the same year; “The Love Thought,” at the Parsons -Theatre, Hartford, Connecticut, April 26, 1915; and “Alias,” first under -its original title, at the Apollo Theatre, Atlantic City, May 8, 1916, -then, February 5, 1917, at the Belasco Theatre, Washington. “The -Vanishing Bride” would have been produced in New York soon after its -trial had not Belasco found Mr. Rosenfeld (who is an industrious and -moderately clever writer but flatulent with self-conceit) excessively -fractious and troublesome to deal with. “I had spent $18,000 on that -play,” Belasco has told me, “and I know it could be made a success, -because it has excellent material in it. But life is<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_375" id="page_375">{375}</a></span> too short for -disputes with Mr. Sydney Rosenfeld. I am always glad to do my best for -the men and women, writers or actors, who work with me, but I am not -willing to wrangle and fight with them for the privilege of doing so! -Therefore, I preferred to pocket my loss and let the piece go—with my -blessing and the hope that its adapter will find a more satisfactory -producer.”</p> - -<p>The casts of the trial productions enumerated are here appended:</p> - -<p class="c">CAST OF “WHAT’S WRONG.”</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="font-size:90%;margin:1em auto;"> - -<tr valign="top"><td><i>George H. Smith</i></td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Frederick Burton.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Perry Dodge</i></td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Richie Ling.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Eddie</i></td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> William Dixon.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Woodrow</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Percy Helton.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Heavy</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Henry Weaver.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Bill</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> Farm hands </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> J. W. Kennedy.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Red</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Russell Simpson.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Jennie Brown</i></td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Janet Beecher.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mrs. Perry Dodge</i></td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Maidel Turner.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mrs. Lee-Hugh</i>, S.P.A.I.H.</td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Louise Sylvester.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Phoebe Snow</i></td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Dorothy Walters.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Flossie</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Susanne Willa.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Agnes</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Grace Vernon.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Tillie</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Jane Shore.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p class="c">CAST OF “THE VANISHING BRIDE.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_376" id="page_376">{376}</a></span></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Zachary Hollis</i></td><td class="rt">Thomas A. Wise.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Dick Hollis</i></td><td class="rt">Howard Estabrook.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Baron Von Berndorff</i> </td><td class="rt">Gustav Von Seyffertitz.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Eric Von Berndorff</i></td><td class="rt">Frank Gillmore.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Phelim O’Hara</i></td><td class="rt">Denman Maley.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>An Upholsterer</i></td><td class="rt">Conrad Cantzen.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>A Postman</i></td><td class="rt">Lee Metford.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Letty Von Berndorff</i> </td><td class="rt">Janet Beecher.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Eva</i>, the bride</td><td class="rt">Ottola Nesmith.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Eileen O’Hara</i></td><td class="rt">Angela Keir.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. Miller</i></td><td class="rt">Margaret Seddon.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Anna</i></td><td class="rt">Edith Houston.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p class="c">CAST OF “THE LOVE THOUGHT.”</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Stephen Bennett</i></td><td class="rt">Ramsey Wallace.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Howard Johnson</i></td><td class="rt">Lowell Sherman.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Squire Miley</i></td><td class="rt">George Gaston.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Jake Means</i></td><td class="rt">Hardee Kirkland.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Dupley Reed</i></td><td class="rt">Henry Forsman.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>George Culligan</i></td><td class="rt">Daniel Moyles.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Lew Bates</i></td><td class="rt">George Berry.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Billy</i></td><td class="rt">Edwin Dupont, Jr.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Anne Gardner</i></td><td class="rt">Janet Beecher.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mary Miley</i></td><td class="rt">Isabel O’Madigan.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Frances Avery</i></td><td class="rt">Katherine Proctor.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Nellie Avery</i></td><td class="rt">Antoinette Walker.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. Means</i></td><td class="rt">Harriet Ross.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. Bates</i></td><td class="rt">Lois Frances Clark.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. Culligan</i></td><td class="rt">Elizabeth Hunt.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p class="c">CAST OF “THE TREADMILL”—“ALIAS.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_377" id="page_377">{377}</a></span></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Herman Strauss</i>, “Old Dutch”</td><td class="rt">Willard Mack.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Warden John Healey</i></td><td class="rt">Edwin Mordant.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>“Biff” Schulte</i></td><td class="rt">Jay Wilson.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Dan Davis</i></td><td class="rt">E. J. Mack.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Toby</i></td><td class="rt">Jack Jevne.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. John Weldon</i></td><td class="rt">Margaret Moreland.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. Franklyn Joyce</i></td><td class="rt">Carmilla Crume.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Amanda Joyce</i></td><td class="rt">Constance Molineaux.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Titheradge Joyce</i></td><td class="rt">Francis Joyner.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Jacob Fralinger</i></td><td class="rt">Arthur Donaldson.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>John Weldon</i></td><td class="rt">William Boyd.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Oscar Spiegel</i></td><td class="rt">Gus Weinberg.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. Mary Gilligan</i></td><td class="rt">Annie Mack Berlein.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Dick</i></td><td class="rt">Tammany Young.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Harry</i></td><td class="rt">Cornish Beck.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Greta</i></td><td class="rt">Ruth Collins.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Bertha</i></td><td class="rt">Jean Temple.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Andrews</i></td><td class="rt">Tex Charwate.</td></tr> -</table> - -<h2><a name="THE_GOVERNORS_LADY" id="THE_GOVERNORS_LADY"></a>“THE GOVERNOR’S LADY.”</h2> - -<p>Belasco produced “The Governor’s Lady” for the first time, May 1, 1912, -at the Broad Street Theatre, Philadelphia, and, September 9, that year, -at the Republic, he brought it out in New York. It is a drama of -domestic dissension and tribulation sequent on the surrender to -selfishness and vanity of a wilful man who is indicated as being, -notwithstanding his faults and errors, innately kind and good. The name -of him is <i>Daniel S. Slade</i>. He has been a miner and poor. Having -acquired riches he has become ambitious and aspires to social and -political eminence; would, in fact, be Governor of the State of -Colorado, wherein he dwells. <i>Mrs. Slade</i>, his wife, is an exemplary but -homely and home-keeping person and she cannot adapt herself to the ways -of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_378" id="page_378">{378}</a></span> the rich and fashionable society in which <i>Slade</i> desires to be a -leader. She is, at first, disposed to consider their newborn -incompatibility and her husband’s dissatisfaction as fanciful. But when -<i>Slade</i> intimates that he regards her as a hindrance to his advancement -and signifies that there had better be a formal separation, or a -divorce, between them she is deeply wounded. She agrees, however, to -separate from him, while indignantly repelling his suggestion that he -obtain a divorce. Later she ascertains that he has chosen as her -successor a young, beautiful, and unscrupulous woman who he believes -will be useful in furthering his ambitions and who is willing to abandon -the youth she loves in order to make a better match. <i>Mrs. Slade</i> then -rounds on her discontented spouse and, being thrice armed in the justice -of her quarrel, notwithstanding his wealth and influence, brings upon -him and his prospective consort public odium, confronts and defeats him -in court, and, bringing a counter suit, is granted a divorce from him. -She leaves Denver and goes to New York,—where, two years later, -<i>Slade</i>, who has meantime become Governor of Colorado, finds her in one -of Child’s restaurants. The <i>Governor</i> makes known to her that he is -perceptive of the impropriety of his course; that in spite of his -conduct he has always loved the wife who has divorced him, and proposes<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_379" id="page_379">{379}</a></span> -that they remarry. This <i>Mrs. Slade</i> declines to do, not, however, -concealing the fact that she still cherishes affection for <i>Slade</i>, and -the play ends with his picking her up and carrying her off in his arms, -in quest of a parson, in order to establish her as the <i>Governor’s -Lady</i>.</p> - -<p>Belasco described this fabric as “a play in three acts and an epilogue -in Child’s,” and it was announced as having been written by Miss Alice -Bradley. During its first performance in New York Mr. Emmett Corrigan -(who impersonated the character of <i>Slade</i>) came before the curtain and, -in a brief speech on behalf of Miss Bradley, made known that she -disclaimed credit for anything more than “the central idea” of the play. -Neither that “central idea” (the idea, presumably, of showing the -patient acquiescence of <i>Mrs. Slade</i> suddenly turned into resolute and -triumphant opposition by discovery of the full extent of her husband’s -baseness) nor anything else in the piece is dramatically precious or -extraordinary. Many other “collaborators” with Belasco might, however, -fairly emulate Miss Bradley’s frankness. The construction of “The -Governor’s Lady” is sometimes arbitrary and the characters in it are in -some respects extravagantly drawn—causing more the effect of rough -sketches than that of finished portraits. The dialogue pos<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_380" id="page_380">{380}</a></span>sesses the -merit of suitability to the situations and, in general, of seeming to -arise spontaneously from them. The notable excellence of the production -was its exact fidelity to the surface details of everyday life and the -really remarkable smoothness, harmony, and sincerity with which it was -acted—imparting to much that was crude and improbable an aspect of -veracity.—The play was cast as follows:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Daniel S. Slade</i></td><td class="rt">Emmett Corrigan.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Senator Strickland</i></td><td class="rt">William H. Tooker.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Robert Hayes</i></td><td class="rt">Milton Sills.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Wesley Merritt</i></td><td class="rt">S. K. Walker.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Brigham Hunt</i></td><td class="rt">Bert Hyde.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Ex-Governor Hibbard</i></td><td class="rt">John A. Dewey.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Colonel George Smith</i></td><td class="rt">Will H. Nicholson.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>John Hart</i></td><td class="rt">Albert Lane.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Charles Ingram</i></td><td class="rt">Harry B. Wilson.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>William</i></td><td class="rt">Jack Smith.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Martin</i></td><td class="rt">Frank Hand.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Jake</i></td><td class="rt">John N. Wheeler.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>A Passerby</i></td><td class="rt">James Singer.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>A Bookworm</i></td><td class="rt">Stuart Walker.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Jake’s Friend</i></td><td class="rt">Edward Horton.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>A Cashier</i></td><td class="rt">George H. Shelton.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>A Man Behind the Pastry Counter</i></td><td class="rt">Robert J. Lance.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Waiter No. 7</i></td><td class="rt">John H. McKenna.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Waiter No. 2</i></td><td class="rt">Harrison Fowler.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mary Slade</i></td><td class="rt">Emma Dunn.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Katherine Strickland</i></td><td class="rt">Gladys Hanson.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. Wesley Merritt</i></td><td class="rt">Teresa Maxwell-Conover.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Susan</i></td><td class="rt">Jane Briggs.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>A Girl of the Streets</i></td><td class="rt">Eloise Murray.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>A Scrubwoman</i></td><td class="rt">Judith Snaith.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_381" id="page_381">{381}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="YEARS_OF_DISCRETION" id="YEARS_OF_DISCRETION"></a>“YEARS OF DISCRETION.”</h2> - -<p>Satirical and amusing use has been made in various works of fiction of -the old, or elderly, parent who behaves in an inappropriately youthful -manner. Charles Mathews built the capital old farce (I wonder if anybody -else ever recalls it now?) of “My Awful Dad!” around that idea: Collins -utilized it when he sketched <i>Madame Pratolungo’s</i> “Evergreen Papa.” It -is one of the expedients of comicality in “Years of Discretion,” a -farcical comedy by Frederick Hatton and Fanny Locke Hatton which Belasco -presented, November 4, 1912, at the Empire Theatre, Syracuse, New York, -and at the Belasco Theatre, New York, on December 12, following. In that -entertaining play a buxom widow of fifty, <i>Mrs. Farrell Howard</i> by name, -growing intolerably weary of a humdrum life, leaves the little rural -town where she resides and repairs to New York,—where, with the aid of -hair dye, tight lacing and a fashionable dressmaker, she puts on the -semblance of a gay young woman and recklessly participates in frivolous -dissipations, fascinating many ardent males and scandalizing her -somewhat sedate and priggish son. At the last she consents<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_382" id="page_382">{382}</a></span> to marry one -of her numerous admirers, to whom she is honestly attached. After a -little struggle with vanity and the fear of losing his regard she -confesses to him that, with her, things are not what they seem; that she -is not really a roguish young woman eager for social festivity, but -rather an elderly one who has grown tired of it, who is inclined to be -stout and is extremely uncomfortable by reason of restrictive stays and -tight shoes. She is surprised and delighted when he, in turn, confesses -to rheumatism, years equal to hers, and a strong preference for easy old -slippers instead of dancing pumps. They then agree to abandon a -projected honeymoon trip around the world, to which both of them have -looked forward with dread, and to take their ease sensibly, in the home -surroundings which they prefer.—This was the cast of “Years of -Discretion”:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Christopher Dallas</i></td><td class="rt">Lyn Harding.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Michael Doyle</i></td><td class="rt">Bruce McRae.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>John Strong</i></td><td class="rt">Herbert Kelcey.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Amos Thomas</i></td><td class="rt">Robert McWade, Jr.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Farrell Howard, Jr.</i></td><td class="rt">Grant Mitchell.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Metz</i></td><td class="rt">E. M. Holland.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. Farrell Howard</i></td><td class="rt">Effie Shannon.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. Margaret Brinton</i></td><td class="rt">Alice Putnam.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Anna Merkel</i></td><td class="rt">Mabel Bunyea.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Lilly Newton</i></td><td class="rt">Ethel Pettit.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Bessie Newton</i></td><td class="rt">Myrtle Morrison.</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_383" id="page_383">{383}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="THE_TEMPERAMENTAL_JOURNEY" id="THE_TEMPERAMENTAL_JOURNEY"></a>“THE TEMPERAMENTAL JOURNEY.”</h2> - -<p>Leo Ditrichstein adapted “The Temperamental Journey” from a French -original called “Pour Vivre Heureux,” by André Rivoire and Yves Mirande, -and Belasco produced it, for the first time, at the Lyceum Theatre, -Rochester, New York, August 28, 1913, and, September 4, following, for -the first time in New York, at the Belasco Theatre. It is an unusually -clever, sometimes humorous, sometimes bitterly satirical, farce blent -with elements of comedy and constructed around the struggles and -tribulations of a sincere, capable, “temperamental,” and unappreciated -painter named <i>Jacques Dupont</i>,—a part that was admirably acted (with -discretion, humor, feeling, and even a touch of passion) by Mr. -Ditrichstein. Notwithstanding the merit of his art <i>Dupont</i> is unable to -sell his paintings. In a moment of despair, having been meanly upbraided -for his ill-fortune by his wife,—a shallow, selfish -hypocrite,—<i>Dupont</i> resolves to destroy himself. He writes a farewell -letter to his wife, which he leaves with his clothes on the shore and, -forgetful of the fact that he is a capital swimmer, flings himself into -the waters of Long Island Sound to drown. The immersion so much -refreshes him that he changes his mind about dying, swims lustily, and,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_384" id="page_384">{384}</a></span> -being hauled on board of a sailing craft, makes a voyage to Halifax. -Upon returning home a fortnight or so later he finds his hypocritical -wife and friends, indulging to the full in “the luxury of woe,” about to -hold funeral services over a dead body which they receive as his; and, -also, he finds that his paintings, previously the objects of contumely, -are selling for high prices,—public interest having been inspired by -the pathetic circumstances of his supposed suicide. After observing from -an unsuspected coign of vantage in their home his hypocritical “widow’s” -ready acceptance of the embraces of one of his “friends,” and after -witnessing with ironic contempt the funeral over what are supposed to be -his remains, <i>Dupont</i> betakes himself to Paris, where he paints many -landscapes. After an interval of three years he returns to America, -representing himself to be a collector of pictures, named <i>Lenoir</i>, who -has gathered together a large number of paintings by the defunct -<i>Dupont</i>—whose works now sell for enormous sums. He finds his “widow” -married to his former “friend” and the mother of a child by him, and -also he finds that person to be industriously engaged in forging -paintings by <i>Dupont</i>. During an auction sale of his works <i>Dupont</i>, -stung by manifestations of injustice, sordid meanness, and duplicity, -declares his identity and rebukes those<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_385" id="page_385">{385}</a></span> who have wronged and contemned -him. Then, for the sake of the child, he agrees to arrange for a divorce -from his unworthy wife,—signifying his purpose, in due course, to unite -himself in matrimony to a loving young girl who has befriended him in -his earlier afflictions and remained faithful to his memory while -supposing him to be dead.</p> - -<p>The opportunity for gibes and railings provided by the successive -postures of circumstance thus indicated are obvious and many. Yet, at -best, the comicality evoked by them is bitter and painful.—“The -Temperamental Journey,” which was much admired and exceptionally -successful, was cast as follows:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_386" id="page_386">{386}</a></span></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="font-size:90%;margin:1em auto;"> - -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Jacques Dupont</i></td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Leo Ditrichstein.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Prof. Babcock Roland</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Henry Bergman.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Vernon Neil</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Frank Connor.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Billy Shepherd</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Richie Ling.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Dorval</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Edouard Durand.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Howard Locke</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Julian Little.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Carrington McLiss</i></td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Lee Millar.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Tamburri</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> M. Daniel Schatts.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Roy</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Edwin R. Wolfe.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Max</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Earle W. Grant.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Edna</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> <i>Prof. Roland’s</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Carree Clarke.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Eleanor</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> Pupils. </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Anna McNaughton.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Marjorie</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Dorothy Ellis.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Lina</i> </td><td class="cbrd"> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Annette Tyler.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Messenger</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> William Dixon.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Delphine</i></td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Isabel Irving.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Maria</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Josephine Victor.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Fanny Lamont</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Cora Witherspoon.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Teresa</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Gertrud Morisini.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Maid</i> </td><td></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Alice Jones.</td></tr> -</table> - -<h2><a name="A_REVIVAL_OF_THE_AUCTIONEER" id="A_REVIVAL_OF_THE_AUCTIONEER"></a>A REVIVAL OF “THE AUCTIONEER.”</h2> - -<p>An incident of the theatrical season of 1913-’14 which requires passing -record here is the revival by Belasco of “The Auctioneer,”—a play -which, in all essentials, was original with him and which for this -revival he again revised, making it somewhat more closely-knit and -effective than it was when first he brought forward David Warfield in -it. “The Auctioneer” was acted at the Knickerbocker Theatre, New York, -September 30, 1913, with the following cast:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_387" id="page_387">{387}</a></span></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="font-size:90%;margin:1em auto;"> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Simon Levi</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> David Warfield.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mrs. Levi</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Mrs. Jennie Moscowitz.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mrs. Eagan</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Marie Bates.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Callahan</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Louis Hendricks.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Isaac Leavitt</i></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Harry Lewellyn.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mrs. Leavitt</i></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Helena Philips.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Meyer Cohen</i></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Harry Rogers.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mrs. Cohen</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Marie Reichardt.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mo Fininski</i></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Frank Nelson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Richard Eagan</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> George LeGuere.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Minnie</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Charlotte Leslay.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Dawkins</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Horace James.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Customer</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> John A. Rice.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Helga</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Janet Dunbar.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Miss Manning</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Frances Street.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td rowspan="3" valign="middle"><i>Misses Crompton</i>——</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td class="rtbl">Margaret Johnson.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td class="rtbl">Maud Roland.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Miss Finch</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Ethel Marie Sasse.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mrs. Smith</i>, a shopper </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Geraldine de Rohan.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Policeman</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> George Berliner.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Chestnut Vendor</i></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Tony Bevan.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td rowspan="5" valign="middle"><i>Visitors</i>——</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td class="rtbl">Watson White.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td class="rtbl">Douglas Farne.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td class="rtbl">Irving Laudeutscher.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td class="rtbl"> Frank L. Van Vlissingen.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Man from Hester Street</i></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Michael Levine.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td rowspan="2" valign="middle"><i>Newsboys</i>——</td> -<td class="rtbl">Meyer Howard.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td class="rtbl">Jess Kelly.</td></tr> -</table> - -<h2><a name="A_MANIACS_PLAY_THE_MAN_INSIDE" id="A_MANIACS_PLAY_THE_MAN_INSIDE"></a>A MANIAC’S PLAY—“THE MAN INSIDE.”</h2> - -<p>A singular yet characteristic incident of Belasco’s career was his -production of a play called “The Man Inside,” written by a madman who -had been the central figure in one of the most notorious murder cases in -modern criminal annals,—Roland Burnham Molineux. That poor wretch is -the son of a much respected citizen, General Edward Leslie Molineux, who -gained rank and honorable distinction in the Union Army during the Civil -War. He was arrested, February 7, 1899, charged with the murder of Mrs. -Katherine J. Adams, who died, December<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_388" id="page_388">{388}</a></span> 28, 1898, of poisoning by -cyanide of mercury, which she unwittingly swallowed mixed with a -medicine received through the mails and which it was alleged that -Molineux had prepared and sent. His trial began, November 14, 1899, -before Recorder (now Supreme Court Justice) John B. Goff and continued -for fifty-five days, ending, January 7, 1900, with his conviction of -murder in the first degree. On February 16 Recorder Goff sentenced -Molineux to death and he was then taken to the Sing Sing Prison, where, -for many months, he was incarcerated in the “Death House.” His case was -carried to the Court of Appeals and, October 15, 1901, he was granted a -new trial which began, before Justice Lambert, in Part—of the Supreme -Court, October 17, 1902, and ended, November 11, with his acquital,—an -issue which, at the time, was regarded by some persons as a miscarriage -of justice. The second jury which heard all the testimony, however, -found him not guilty and he therefore stands vindicated. Mrs. Adams, -meanwhile, certainly was murdered and the guilt of that crime has never -been legally placed.</p> - -<p>Throughout the ordeal of his trials, his condemnation, and his -imprisonment under sentence of death Roland Molineux was sustained by -the unwavering support of his devoted parents—his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_389" id="page_389">{389}</a></span> sturdy old father -resolutely maintaining the son’s innocence and laboring without -remission to establish it. The younger man’s health, however, was -hopelessly undermined by the dreadful strain to which he was subjected -and after his release he became ill and morose. In 1912 his parents -obtained an introduction to Belasco and appealed to him for help. “His -mother said to me,” writes the manager, “<span class="lftspc">‘</span>My boy’s life has been ruined. -His health is gone—he has never been the same since he was released -from prison. He has written a play which he believes will do great good -and he has set his heart on getting it acted. If he is disappointed in -this, on top of all the rest that he has suffered, we fear that he will -die. If his play should be a success it might open a new life to him. -Will you read it and help us, if you can?’ They told me other -things—dreadful and afflicting things some of them, that I need not -repeat. I had been tremendously impressed by General Molineux’s great -fight for his son; I felt a great sympathy and pity for them—and I -consented to read the young man’s play and to do it, if I found it -practicable.</p> - -<p>“When the manuscript came to me I found the piece long and crude, but I -saw possibilities in it and I told the parents I would produce it. Their -gratitude was very touching. Soon afterward, I<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_390" id="page_390">{390}</a></span> met young Molineux, gave -him several interviews, and went to work to knock his play into shape. -At the beginning everything seemed all right and he accepted my first -cuts and suggestions in a proper spirit and worked hard. But toward the -end, along about August or September [1913], when I put the piece into -rehearsal and began to make extensive changes, he turned sullen and very -ugly. Sometimes, instead of working, he would sit and roll his eyes or -glare at me; and, what was very dreadful, he gave off a horrible, -sickening odor like that of a wild beast. I shall never forget the last -night I ever had him with me. He was furious because of the changes I -was making and I am sure he was going to attack me. Suddenly I stopped -arguing with him and, picking up a heavy walking stick, I said: ‘See -here, Molineux, stop looking at me like that; I’m not afraid of you. If -you had brought me a finished play instead of a lot of words I wouldn’t -have had to change your manuscript. Now, it’s hot and I’m tired, so -we’ll call the whole thing off for to-night and you can go home and -think it over.’ He pulled himself together then and tried to apologize -and say how much he appreciated all I was doing, but I wouldn’t have it -and just showed him out of my studio as quickly as I could—and I took -care <i>he</i> should walk in front, all the way! There<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_391" id="page_391">{391}</a></span> wasn’t another soul -in the place, except the night watchman, away down at the stagedoor. I -never let him come near me again.”</p> - -<p>When “The Man Inside” had been made ready for production Molineux was -permitted to attend the dress rehearsal in New York, during the first -act of which he was self-contained and quiet. But after the curtain had -been lowered he became so violently excited and created so much -disturbance that Belasco was constrained to order him to be taken out of -the theatre. “It was hard to do, but it had to be done,” he writes; “I -didn’t know whether to go on or drop the whole thing, and I really -expected the man would break out and kill somebody.” Molineux’s -unfortunate family and friends were, however, happily able to intervene -and restrain him and no act of violence was committed. On November 7, -1914, he was placed in the King’s Park State Hospital, Long Island, and -there he is still confined,—hopelessly insane. His brave, devoted old -father, worn out and heart broken, died, June 10, 1915: his mother, a -few months earlier. [Roland B. Molineux died, in the King’s Park State -Hospital for the Insane, on November 2, 1917, of paresis. There is no -doubt that he was a dangerous madman when first Belasco met him.—J. -W.]</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_392" id="page_392">{392}</a></span></p> - -<p><i>The Man Inside</i> of Molineux’s play is, symbolically, Conscience; and -the fundamental idea which it expounds is that Society errs in its -treatment of criminals, because crime cannot be prevented by punishment -but only by an effective appeal to the self-respecting moral nature and -“better self” of the criminal,—who must first be taught to “think -right” before he can be made to <i>do</i> right. Sublime discovery! No -intimation is made as to what method Society ought to employ in -cases—unhappily numerous—of criminals who do not possess any “better -selves” and who cannot by any means, not even the threat of death, be -restrained from crimes which profit them or gratify their ruling -passions. There was, without doubt, an honest altruistic purpose in the -distempered, tortured mind of Molineux,—though, since he did not -possess the power to elucidate it, there is no need to dwell upon the -subject in this place. Belasco, having through kindness undertaken to -produce an ill-digested, “talky” and undramatic play, revised it as well -as possible in the circumstances, making of it a moderately effective -melodrama, dealing with crime and injustice. In that melodrama a -philanthropic young man, who is also an Assistant District Attorney of -the City of New York, resorts to the haunts of criminals in order to -ascertain, if possible, why they<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_393" id="page_393">{393}</a></span> persist in crime in spite of efforts -to reclaim them. He there becomes deeply interested in a girl named -<i>Annie</i>, the daughter of a desperate forger known as <i>Red Mike</i>, and -also he becomes so incensed at the viciousness and cruelty of some -methods employed by the Police Department and officials from the -District Attorney’s Office to insure convictions of accused criminals -that he assists <i>Annie</i> in the theft of a forged check, upon possession -of which the fate of her father depends,—thus himself becoming party to -a crime, and, later, participating in a general bath of “whitewash.” The -First Act of “The Man Inside” passes in an opium den of the New York -“Chinatown”; the Second, in the office of the District Attorney—with -the Tombs Prison visible through the window; the Third, in a squalid -tenement house. Belasco placed the play on the stage in a setting of -extraordinary verisimilitude and caused it to be acted in a well-nigh -perfect manner. It was first produced at the Euclid Avenue Opera House, -Cleveland, Ohio, October 27, 1913, and, November 11, was brought forward -in New York at the Criterion Theatre. Public interest in it, however, -was languid and it did not long survive. This was the original cast:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_394" id="page_394">{394}</a></span></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Mr. Trainer</i></td><td class="rt">A. Byron Beasley.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>James Poor</i></td><td class="rt">Charles Dalton.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Richard Gordon</i></td><td class="rt">Milton Sills.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>“Red” Mike</i></td><td class="rt">A. E. Anson.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>“Big” Frank</i></td><td class="rt">Edward H. Robins.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>“Pop” Olds</i></td><td class="rt">John Cope.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Josh Hayes</i></td><td class="rt">John Miltern.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Larry</i></td><td class="rt">Joseph Byron Totten.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>“Whispering” Riley</i></td><td class="rt">Lawrence Wood.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Cafferty</i></td><td class="rt">Erroll Dunbar.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Clusky</i></td><td class="rt">Jerome Kennedy.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Wang Lee</i></td><td class="rt">J. J. Chaille.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Chong Fong</i></td><td class="rt">H. H. McCollum.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>“The Major”</i></td><td class="rt">Herbert Jones.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Murphy</i></td><td class="rt">Karl Ritter.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Raleigh</i></td><td class="rt">Charles B. Givan.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>“Frisco” George</i></td><td class="rt">Joseph Barker.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>“Monk” Verdi</i></td><td class="rt">J. A. Esposito.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Annie</i></td><td class="rt">Helen Freeman.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Maggie</i></td><td class="rt">Clare Weldon.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Lizzie</i></td><td class="rt">Gertrude Davis.</td></tr> -</table> - -<h2><a name="BELASCO_IN_CHINATOWN" id="BELASCO_IN_CHINATOWN"></a>BELASCO IN CHINATOWN.</h2> - -<p>While Belasco was preparing “The Man Inside” for the stage he made -several expeditions into the “Chinatown” of New York, accompanied by -members of his staff and his theatrical company, in order that some of -the ways and denizens of that place—the very prose of the earth—might -be pictured with literal exactitude. On those occasions he and his -companions, including Mr. Gros, the scenic artist, were convoyed and -protected by an eccentric being<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_395" id="page_395">{395}</a></span> once well known in the purlieus of vice -and crime, whose disreputable acquaintance he had made by chance and to -whom he had commended himself by kindness. Describing the last of those -insalubrious visits Belasco wrote the following characteristic letter to -the young woman who afterward played the principal female part in his -adaptation of the Molineux play:</p> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>Belasco to Miss Helen Freeman</i>.)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“My dear Miss Helen:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“We went on the postponed, and probably the last, trip into the -‘underworld’ last night. It might have been useful to have had you -see it once more; but, on the whole, I think you have seen enough -for the purpose and am glad you weren’t along. Familiar as I am -with the sights of such places (and far worse, such as I used to -visit in old San Francisco) I found some of it last night rather -shocking. But as I promised to give you an account of this trip I -will write a little description of our adventures—which, perhaps, -you may find suggestive.</p> - -<p>“At half-past nine my boys [meaning some members of the technical -staff of the Belasco Theatre and two actors] and I met at the -stagedoor and left for Chinatown, where, by appointment, we met a -very ardent admirer of yours—Mr. ‘Chuck’ Conners, no less! Perhaps -one of the reasons why I like the man is because, in his -unpicturesque, rough, human fashion, he felt and expressed your -sweetness—the quality which will help you so much in this play, -and in all parts. I shall tell you more particularly what he said -about you presently, and if you will translate<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_396" id="page_396">{396}</a></span> his primitive -speech into the finer shaded meanings of a cultivated man, I am -sure it will touch your heart as it did mine. But I must get to my -story....</p> - -<p>“First we sat in the Chatham Club, and had a few ‘rounds,’—which I -had a hard time to avoid drinking. I don’t know what the others did -with theirs—I was too busy with my own troubles to watch! While -human beings put such stuff inside themselves I can’t wonder at -anything they do. While there, the girls came and did some -‘ragtime’ for us. ‘Chuck,’ I must tell you, was dressed for the -occasion,—‘to kill,’—with a white ’kerchief about his neck and -<i>one</i> shoe polished! The other was a characteristic contrast. We -listened to the same old stories and ‘our hero’ sang the same old -songs. Also, as aforetime, to punctuate his remarks he found it -necessary to <i>punch</i> me in the ribs, and so to-day I find myself -more or less black and blue. The old pianola was set to the wildest -airs, and they had a new one, for our especial benefit, called ‘In -the Harem,’—which is so good that I am going to introduce it in -our play. Do you remember the big, tall girl, with the flat nose -and her poor teeth out? She was still sitting in her corner, more -forlorn than ever, and with her sad ‘lamps’ looking into my very -heart. I gave her another five dollars and told her that if I came -again I should expect to see her wearing a new pair of shoes,—for -her poor toes were peeping out of frayed stockings, through the -impossible boots, and it was all very sad.</p> - -<p>“Well, from there we went to the same old opium bungalows and the -same old ‘Chink’ ‘hit the pipe’ for us,—afterward, however, taking -us into a female ‘joint,’ where we saw several regular denizens of -the place. It is all part of the show; but I am glad Conners did -not take us to it when you and the other ladies were along.... One -of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_397" id="page_397">{397}</a></span> the women there had been a belle of Philadelphia: another, a -runaway wife. Gradually, they have slipped down the ladder of shame -and remorse, until their poor, wavering little hands could hold the -rungs no longer, and so they fell into that ‘Slough of Despond,’ -with the ‘pipe’ for their favorite companion. I was glad to get -away from it, for it made my heart ache. With infinite -understanding there would be infinite tolerance; and if we knew the -springs of action, the circumstances and environment, of these -poor, stray souls, perhaps we shouldn’t judge them very harshly.</p> - -<p>“But to return to my story: ‘Chuck’ was in his element. Never did I -know that such unmentionable slang, such mere depravity of phrase, -could come from human lips, although my experience has been a -varied one! The night you ladies were with us the ‘choicest gems’ -of his vernacular were bottled up: last night the cork was -drawn—with a vengeance! And yet, after all (though I’m glad you -did not hear him), it was only words. At heart, the man is kind and -generous, and he lives up to his code closer than many another who -has had every advantage.</p> - -<p>“Of course, he asked all about you. He said you were ‘Der real -t’ing,’ ‘der right stuff,’ ‘der whole cheese,’ etc. ‘Next day,’ -said he, ‘all der fleet wanted t’ know who der swell little skoit -was. “And,” I sez, “why dat’s der Princess Nicotine!” I sez.’</p> - -<p>“He was anxious to know your opinion of him, and so I said that he -had made ‘a great hit’ with you. This pleased him mightily. I then -said that he ‘was tearing every skirt’s heart wide open!’ ‘Stop -dat—stop dat!’ he said; ‘Go ‘way back! She was kidding of yer!’</p> - -<p>“We wound up by dining at the Chinese Delmonico’s on tea and rice -and chop suey. Of course, I ordered some,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_398" id="page_398">{398}</a></span> but not daring to eat it -I slipped my plate to ‘Chuck,’ whose chop-sticks soon made short -work of the concoction. He ordered <i>more</i>, afterward, and I wish -you could have seen his expression when he had at length reached a -stage of repletion and exclaimed ‘Hully gee! dis is goin’ some! I -wouldn’t change me feed-bag dis minute wif Rockefeller!’...</p> - -<p>“We parted with ‘Chuck’ about three in the morning. He escorted us -to the same old car, which was piloted by the same old chauffeur. -As we were leaving he blew me a kiss! ‘Hully gee!’ he said, ‘I -likes youse; an’ don’ yer ferget to tell de little skoit dat she’s -der <i>real t’ing</i>!’ We were about to start when he gave a yell that -frightened us and said he had forgotten something. He pulled the -enclosed book from his pocket and, using the chauffeur’s back as a -desk, wrote the inscription on the fly-leaf!...</p> - -<p>“The last act will soon be in final shape. Study hard, but don’t -over-do,—and everything will be all right. Good-night and good -luck.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Faithfully,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">David Belasco</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<h2><a name="AN_ADMONITION_TO_STAGE_ASPIRANTS" id="AN_ADMONITION_TO_STAGE_ASPIRANTS"></a>AN ADMONITION TO STAGE ASPIRANTS.<br /><br /> -(<i>Belasco to a Recalcitrant Novice</i>.)</h2> - -<p>Another letter which Belasco wrote at about the same period as that -above quoted is characteristic and informative as to his views -concerning the Stage and stage aspirants and can conveniently be placed -here:<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_399" id="page_399">{399}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“The Belasco Theatre.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -My dear Mrs. H.———:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“It is not an easy task to write what I have to say, but it is time -that it should be written and understood. If I am to do for your -cousin, Miss V———, what I want to do and have hoped to do; if I -am to open the way for her to a career, she must be guided by me; -<i>my</i> influence, not yours nor that of anybody else, must -predominate. The Stage is a harsh master. Real success on it does -not ‘happen’: it is <i>made</i>—made of striving and sacrifice and -self-denial and <i>hard work</i>.</p> - -<p>“What you do is, of course, no concern of mine and I have no wish -to meddle in anybody else’s business, having far more of my own -than I can properly look after. But I have every reason to think -that, if it were not for your influence, I might not have so many -causes to be dissatisfied with Miss V———. At present, my wishes -are not heeded by her. And so that we may all reach an -understanding, I want to say to you that I resent Miss V———‘s -recent conduct; that, in view of the fact that I have taken the -trouble to interest myself in her future as an actress, I resent it -<i>very much</i>, and will not any longer tolerate it.</p> - -<p>“If I am in some ways a strict master I am always a fair and -considerate one. But,—and please realize this,—in everything -connected with my theatre, from the waterboys in the smoking room -to the ‘star’ on the stage; from the carpets to be laid on the -floors to the plays that are produced, <i>I am the Master, and my -word is the absolute and final law</i>.</p> - -<p>“Miss V——— is a very young girl, who has seen very little of the -world. She is not only exceptionally talented<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_400" id="page_400">{400}</a></span> but pretty, -attractive, and charming. Consequently she is admired by the idlers -who have time to kill in dangling after young women of the -Stage—and nothing better to do. Miss V——— is much sought after -by matrons who are ever on the look-out for pretty girls to attract -men to their dances and their ‘week-end’ visits. Such women care -nothing at all about a girl’s career or whether they ruin it or -not—and they will ruin it, every time, if the girl is weak or -foolish enough to be persuaded. Miss V——— likes this kind of -attention, which is natural, but it won’t do—not if she is to -remain with <i>me</i>. No big man or woman has time for frivolities; it -is either one thing or the other: we work and work and rise and -rise; or else we try to flutter through life on butterfly -wings—and then we fall by the wayside.</p> - -<p>“Miss V——— has, I am informed, been neglecting her duties at the -theatre. True, at present she has only the minor position of an -understudy; but she should at least be conscientious enough to -attend to its duties. She knows very well that she should keep Mr. -L——— informed of her whereabouts. She has no right, no excuse, -to go anywhere, or to be in any place, where he cannot reach her at -a moment’s notice, by telephone. An understudy is just a reserve -soldier, subject to instant call. If Mr. Dean had been well, of -course he would have attended to this matter of Miss V———‘s -neglect. But as it is, Mr. L——— has too many details to look -after. Her conduct is not fair to him, to say nothing of me, nor -does it show any proper respect for the theatre, for Miss V——— -so to ignore her obligations. Last evening, through an -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_401" id="page_401">{401}</a></span>indisposition, Miss———, whom she understudies, was nearly -obliged to remain away. If she had done so, the house would have -been dismissed, and Mr. L——— would have been discharged, through -her negligence. Have you any conception what it would mean to me to -disappoint an audience, <i>in my theatre</i>?</p> - -<p>“If Miss V——— is to remain under my guidance she must obey <i>my</i> -wishes: not yours, or her own, or anybody else’s, but <i>mine</i>—at -all times and in everything. If she does not see fit to follow my -advice, I shall reluctantly leave her to her own resources. -Inasmuch as I have made myself responsible for her artistic -success, her mental and physical condition are matters of much -moment to me and I will not have them jeopardized as [they are] by -her present mode of life. Automobile rides, midnight suppers and -dances until daylight are all very well—but they are not conducive -to health. They are a sapping of the vitality which, if she wishes -to succeed, should be reserved for higher things....</p> - -<p>“Do you realize that, for months past, I have given two nights a -week to Miss V———,—time and work that no money could buy and no -influence induce me to waste? <i>I</i> realize it! I once refused a -fortune, a theatre in London and an endowment for life, in return -for which I was to give a popular actress what I have given Miss -V——— for nothing, simply because she has great talent and I have -believed in her. And I refused to direct that actress because I -knew she would never sacrifice her society life and pleasures for -her work. Understand, please; <i>I</i> have a reputation to maintain, a -standard to live up to. Sickness, weariness, accident, trouble, -death—the Public does not want and will not take excuses. That is -not what they [it] comes into my theatre for. It comes to see the -best plays I can put on, acted by the best artists I can engage<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_402" id="page_402">{402}</a></span> -and train. Miss V——— can be one of these, if she will pay the -price; if, like the women who have made a success of their lives -she can be strong enough to give up everything else, ‘for the love -of the working.’ Miss ——— did, and little Miss ———; otherwise, -they would not be where they are to-day....</p> - -<p>If it is your intention for Miss V——— to make her <i>début</i> in -society, with matrimony in view for her, then I suggest that you -and she be frank enough to let me know, so that I may make my plans -accordingly. Matrimony is a career with which <i>nothing else</i> can -compete....</p> - -<p>“I have been very lenient and have written at length and explained -myself, because Miss V——— is very young, and because I hold you -more to blame than I do her. But if I am to continue the moulding -of her artistic career it must be with the distinct understanding -that my wishes and my influence shall dominate, in everything.</p> - -<p>“If Miss V——— wishes to continue under my direction,—absolute -obedience, application, study, effort, and constant hard work are -the conditions. On the other hand, when you have read this letter -to her, she is at liberty to consider herself released from all -engagements to me if she so desires.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Yours faithfully,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">David Belasco</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<h2><a name="THE_PHANTOM_RIVAL" id="THE_PHANTOM_RIVAL"></a>“THE PHANTOM RIVAL.”</h2> - -<p>“The Phantom Rival,” adapted by Leo Ditrichstein from an Austrian -original by Ferenc Molnar, postulates that a woman idealizes the man -whom she first loves and never forgets him; and, by present<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_403" id="page_403">{403}</a></span>ing her -extravagant notions about him in a dream and then showing,—in an -individual case,—that he turns out to be a commonplace person, implies -that the ideals founded in youth and cherished by females in after life -are mistakes and absurd. It may be so. It probably is true that all -ideals of human perfection are unsound and even ridiculous. It certainly -is true that the longer we live and the more we see of human nature the -more disappointed we are, in ourselves as well as in others, till we -come at last to believe, as Lockhart wrote:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“That nothing’s new and nothing’s true<br /></span> -<span class="i4">And nothing signifies!”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>The “visible dream” is an old device of the theatre and a good one. It -was exceedingly well managed in this play—the only blemish, indeed, -being a certain effect of monotony which, being inherent in the dramatic -fabric, was ineradicable in the stage exhibition of it. The principal -persons in this drama, which centres around “the dream,” are an American -woman, <i>Mrs. Marshall</i>, and an Austrian, named <i>Sascha Taticheff</i>. In -youth they dwelt in the same Brooklyn boarding house. Propinquity had a -usual consequence. The girl, romantic, admired the youth and became fond -of him. The youth was flattered and reciprocated. Then, sud<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_404" id="page_404">{404}</a></span>denly, he -went away, called back to his native land, taking a sentimental farewell -and writing a letter filled with ardent vaporings. Years have passed. -The girl has met and loved and married a successful American lawyer; -they dwell together; they would be happy, in a staid, conventional way, -were it not for the preposterous, boorish jealousy of the husband. He -suspects his wife of having had an earlier lover and he tortures himself -and her because of this suspicion, this paltry jealousy of “the phantom -rival” of a youthful attachment. And then, by chance, in a public -restaurant, <i>Taticheff</i> and <i>Mrs. Marshall</i>, who is with her husband, -meet again. Scarce able to recall each other, they exchange formal bows. -Having returned to their home <i>Marshall</i> badgers his wife about the -stranger in the restaurant until, exasperated, she admits that she once -knew <i>Taticheff</i> and was fond of him; and, finally, she surrenders to -her husband, who reads it, the farewell letter of her youthful -sweetheart. The sentimental folly of that screed so amuses <i>Marshall</i> -that he declares himself cured of his jealousy, speaks of the writer -with contempt, and, laughing heartily, goes out to a business -conference. The wife, incensed by this cavalier attitude toward the -object of her girlhood affection, rereads his perfervid protestations: -then, falling asleep, she has a dream<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_405" id="page_405">{405}</a></span> in which her <i>Sascha</i> returns to -her, at a fashionable ball, in, successively, the different characters -suggested by his letter:—first, as an all-conquering military hero; -then as a world-dominating statesman; next as a peerless singer, the -idol of two hemispheres; finally,—after she has been turned out of -doors by an indignant hostess because of the scandal of her conduct with -her multiform lover,—in the guise of a wretched, one-armed -street-beggar, upon whom her husband makes a furious assault, whereupon, -shrieking, she awakes. Then, her husband returning with the actual -<i>Sascha</i> (who proves to be subordinately concerned with the business -which <i>Marshall</i> has in hand), she is left alone with him. The interview -that then occurs between them is much the cleverest passage in the play. -The woman, rather forlornly, tries to discover in the man before her -some trace of the romantic glamour with which she had fancifully -invested him, but finds only a plebeian dullard, stupidly embarrassed, -inveterately selfish and petty, and much interested in her husband’s -brandy. At last, when she is relieved of his tiresome presence, she -drops his long-cherished letters into the fire and joins her husband in -his contemptuous amusement at her sentimental memories and the sorry -figure of his “phantom rival.”—Belasco’s preservation of an unreal, -dream-like atmosphere throughout the dream<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_406" id="page_406">{406}</a></span> scenes of this play was -perfect. And, of the kind, nothing so good as the acting of Miss Laura -Hope Crews and Mr. Ditrichstein in the last scene of it has been visible -on our Stage for many years. “The Phantom Rival” was first produced, -September 28, 1914, at Ford’s Opera House, Baltimore: on October 6, it -was presented at the Belasco Theatre, New York. This was the original -cast:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="font-size:90%;margin:1em auto;"> - -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Sascha Taticheff</i></td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Leo Ditrichstein.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Frank Marshall</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Malcolm Williams.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Dover</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Frank Westerton.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Earle</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Lee Millar.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Farnald</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> John Bedouin.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Oscar</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> John McNamee.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td rowspan="4" valign="middle"><i>Waiters</i>——</td> -<td valign="bottom" class="rtbl">Louis Pioselli.</td></tr> -<tr><td valign="bottom" class="rtbl">Frank E. Morris.</td></tr> -<tr><td> </td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Louise, Mrs. Marshall</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Laura Hope Crews.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Mrs. Van Ness</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Lila Barclay.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Nurse</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Anna McNaughton.</td></tr> -<tr valign="top"><td><i>Maid</i> </td><td valign="bottom" class="rt"> Ethel Marie Sasse.</td></tr> - -</table> - -<h2><a name="THE_BOOMERANG" id="THE_BOOMERANG"></a>“THE BOOMERANG.”</h2> - -<p>It was an opinion of the philosophic Bacon that women “will sooner -follow you by slighting than by too much wooing.” That is an opinion -shared by many and one which observation perceives to be grounded on -fact: <i>some</i> women <i>will</i>. It is the basic idea underlying the play by -Messrs. Winchell Smith<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_407" id="page_407">{407}</a></span> and Victor Mapes, called “The Boomerang,” which -Belasco produced at his New York theatre, August 10, 1915,—and which, -slender as it is, has proved one of the most richly remunerative of all -his ventures. In that play a youth, <i>Budd Woodbridge</i> by name, loves a -girl, <i>Grace Tyler</i>, so unreservedly that she finds him wearisome and is -inclined to repel his devotion and bestow her affections upon another -youth. Young <i>Woodbridge</i> so peaks and pines under his mistress’ disdain -and the pangs of juvenile jealousy that his mother fears that he is -passing into a decline and insists on his consulting a physician. That -physician, <i>Dr. Gerald Sumner</i>, finds the young man depressed, -irritable, and in extreme nervous distress. He questions him shrewdly -and soon ascertains the nature of the distemper for which he is desired -to prescribe. He rather cynically undertakes to cure the youth and his -directions are obeyed. His patient is sent home and put to bed; a daily -hypodermic injection is ordered of a mysterious, vivifying serum (in -fact, water), and a young woman nurse, beautiful and peculiarly kind and -sympathetic, is employed to administer the injection and to amuse and -cheer the unhappy sufferer, who is obediently responsive to her angelic -ministration. The capricious <i>Miss Tyler</i>, seeing her adorer apparently -succumbing to the fascinations of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_408" id="page_408">{408}</a></span> lovely nurse and finding herself -rather slighted off, discovers that she cannot live without him and -<i>Woodbridge’s</i> amatory anguish is soon in a fair way to be assuaged. The -relevancy of the title of this farce, “The Boomerang,” is revealed in a -dictionary comment on that implement of Antipodal warfare which declares -that: “in inexperienced hands the boomerang recoils upon the thrower, -sometimes with very serious results.” This is illustrated by the fate of -<i>Dr. Sumner</i>, who, having been scornful on the subject of love and -jealousy, becomes violently enamoured of the charming nurse and for a -time suffers much because of her affectionate tendance upon his -patient,—until, at last, he learns that her regard is really fixed upon -himself.</p> - -<p>This play was designated as a “comedy,”—and, if Dr. Johnson’s -definition of a comedy as something to make people laugh be accepted, -that definition is plausible. The piece is, in fact, a farce and, in my -judgment, rather a slight one; but it was so exquisitely stage-managed -and so admirably acted that it passed for being something far more -substantial and worthy than, intrinsically, it is. With the view that it -is slight and merely ephemeral Belasco emphatically disagrees. “I -maintain,” he has declared to me, “that ‘The Boomerang’ has a vital -theme, of universal appeal, no matter how much you may ridicule it:<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_409" id="page_409">{409}</a></span> I -mean Calf Love. Everybody has had it—and, while it lasts, it’s -terrible. No matter how much we may laugh at the boys and girls -suffering from juvenile love and jealousy, we sympathize with them, too. -That’s why everybody in the country wants to see our little play—why -men and women have stood in line all night (as they have done in many -places) to buy tickets for the performance. I believed in the little -piece from the very first. I wish I knew where to get another as good!”</p> - -<p>One of many scores of letters received by Belasco, commendatory of this -play and its exemplary presentment, came from perhaps the most generous -of contemporary patrons of the Theatre and it may appropriately be -quoted here:</p> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>Otto H. Kahn to David Belasco.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“52 William Street, New York,<br /> -“November 8, 1915.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“Dear Mr. Belasco:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“I need not tell you that I have frequently and greatly admired -your art and skill, but there are gradations of achievement even in -an acknowledged master and, having just seen your latest -production, ‘The Boomerang,’ I cannot refrain from sending you a -few lines of particularly warm appreciation and congratulation. -Nothing is more difficult in art than to produce great effects with -simple means, to do a simple thing superlatively well. Nothing is -more rare in art than restraint. Nothing is a greater test of the -art of the producer than to maintain throughout an entire evening<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_410" id="page_410">{410}</a></span> -the atmosphere, the illusion and the effect of comedy, unaided as -he is by either the stirring incidents of drama or the broad appeal -of farce. Your wisdom in picking out one of the very best and most -genuine comedies that I have seen in many a day, your judgment in -providing an admirable cast, and your skill and art in producing, -have combined to bring about the most happy result, and I owe you -thanks for that rare treat, a wholly delightful evening at the -theatre, unmarred by any jarring note.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Believe me,<br /> -“Very faithfully yours,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">Otto H. Kahn</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p>“The Boomerang” was originally produced at The Playhouse, Wilmington, -Delaware, April 5, 1915. This was the cast:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Dr. Gerald Sumner</i></td><td class="rt">Arthur Byron.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Budd Woodbridge</i></td><td class="rt">Wallace Eddinger.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Preston de Witt</i></td><td class="rt">Gilbert Douglas.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Heinrich</i></td><td class="rt">Richard Malchien.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Hartley</i></td><td class="rt">John N. Wheeler.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mr. Stone</i></td><td class="rt">John Clements.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Virginia Xelva</i></td><td class="rt">Martha Hedman.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Grace Tyler</i></td><td class="rt">Ruth Shepley.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Marion Sumner</i></td><td class="rt">Josephine Parks.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Gertrude Ludlow</i></td><td class="rt">Dorothy Megrew.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. Creighton Woodbridge</i></td><td class="rt">Ida Waterman.</td></tr> -</table> - -<h2><a name="SEVEN_CHANCES" id="SEVEN_CHANCES"></a>“SEVEN CHANCES.”</h2> - -<p>“Odds life, sir! if you have the estate, you must take it with the live -stock on it, as it stands!<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_411" id="page_411">{411}</a></span>” exclaims <i>Sir Anthony Absolute</i>, in “The -Rivals,” to his son, when mentioning that his proffer of “a noble -independence” is “saddled with a wife.” Such arbitrary bestowal of -wealth contingent on matrimony—frequent in actual experience—is one of -the best established and most respected expedients of comical stage -dilemmas, and it recurs, at intervals, in one form or another, with much -the inevitability of death and taxes. It is the basis of another -entertaining farce, called “Seven Chances,” which Belasco produced at -the George M. Cohan Theatre, New York, August 8, 1916, and which also -enjoyed a long and prosperous career. That farce was built on a -“suggestion” derived from a short story by Mr. Gouverneur Morris, -entitled “The Cradle Snatcher,” and, originally, it was called -“Shannon’s Millions.” It was several times rebuilt, under Belasco’s -supervision,—Mr. Roi Cooper Megrue being the last of his coadjutory -playwrights. It was produced, April 17, 1916, at the Apollo Theatre, -Atlantic City, New Jersey, under the name of “The Lucky Fellow.” Its -comical incidents revolve around <i>Jimmy Shannon</i>, an amiable young -bachelor with a vigorous antipathy to matrimony, whose sardonic -grandsire, dying, leaves to him by will a fortune of twelve million -dollars, conditional upon his being married by the time that he is -thirty years old. <i>Shannon</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_412" id="page_412">{412}</a></span> is informed of that contingent bequest on -the eve of his attainment of the specified age. He is at a Country Club -where, also, there are seven young women. “The affair cries haste and -speed must answer it.” The impecunious <i>Shannon</i> will propose marriage -to each one of those females, if necessary: thus he has “seven chances” -of obtaining the impendent fortune,—which, at last, he gets, along with -a bride so young and beauteous as to reconcile him to the imposed change -in his state. The opportunities for fun in all this are obvious; -critically to dilate upon them would be much like breaking a butterfly -on the wheel. They were utilized to the full under Belasco’s direction -by a good company,—the parts being cast as follows:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Jimmie Shannon</i></td><td class="rt">Frank Craven.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Billy Meekin</i></td><td class="rt">John Butler.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Earl Goddard</i></td><td class="rt">Hayward Ginn.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Ralph Denby</i></td><td class="rt">Charles Brokate.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Joe Spence</i></td><td class="rt">Frank Morgan.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Henry Garrison</i></td><td class="rt">Harry Leighton.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>George</i></td><td class="rt">Freeman Wood.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Anne Windsor</i></td><td class="rt">Carroll McComas.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. Garrison</i></td><td class="rt">Marion Abbott.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Lilly Trevor</i></td><td class="rt">Anne Meredith.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Peggy Wood</i></td><td class="rt">Emily Callaway.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Irene Trevor</i></td><td class="rt">Beverly West.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Georgiana Garrison</i></td><td class="rt">Gladys Knorr.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Florence Jones</i></td><td class="rt">Florence Deshon.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Betty Brown</i></td><td class="rt">Alice Carroll.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_413" id="page_413">{413}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="THE_LITTLE_LADY_IN_BLUE_THE_LAST_PLAY_EVER_SEEN_BY_WILLIAM_WINTER" id="THE_LITTLE_LADY_IN_BLUE_THE_LAST_PLAY_EVER_SEEN_BY_WILLIAM_WINTER"></a>“THE LITTLE LADY IN BLUE”: THE LAST PLAY EVER SEEN BY WILLIAM WINTER.</h2> - -<p>[The last play ever seen by my father was “The Little Lady in Blue,” -which Belasco produced on October 16, 1916, in Washington, and, on -December 22, at the Belasco Theatre, in New York. It is a very agreeable -piece, with a somewhat trite but expertly handled story. The period of -it is 1820. The scene of it is England. The principal character in it is -named <i>Anne Churchill</i>. She is an impoverished little governess who sets -out to be an adventuress. She wins the affection of a wild young naval -officer named <i>Anthony Addenbrooke</i>., incidentally rescuing him from the -clutches of a much bepainted Circe of the Portsmouth waterfront. Next -she helps him to meet the conditions under which he will inherit -£60,000, intending to marry him for the sake of that money. Then she -discovers that she really loves him, she is ashamed of her conduct, and -she cannot go through with the part of a mercenary adventuress. She -confesses to <i>Addenbrooke</i> the real origin of her interest in his -affairs and releases him from his engagement to marry her. Being -recognized as an earthly paragon she is not permitted to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_414" id="page_414">{414}</a></span> retire into -indigence but is wedded to her lover, who has gained a lieutenant’s -commission through her assistance and is about to sail away to fight for -King and country.—The piece was written by Messrs. Horace Hodges and T. -Wigney Percyval.</p> - -<p>My father was unable to attend the first New York performance of that -play, and his work on this Memoir prevented his seeing it until several -weeks later. In his “Journal” he wrote:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>[1917] “February 8. More damnable peace blather!—Belasco kindly -invited us to visit his Theatre and sent his automobile for us, and -‘Willy’ and I went and saw performance of ‘The Little Lady in -Blue,’—a pleasing entertainment.”</p></div> - -<p>Two days afterward Mr. Winter wrote the following letter, which records -his critical views of the production.</p> - -<p class="r"> -—J. W.]<br /> -</p> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>William Winter to David Belasco.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“New Brighton, Staten Island,<br /> -“February 10, 1917.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“Dear Belasco:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“It was indeed a pleasure to see, at your theatre, the play of ‘The -Little Lady in Blue.’ It is long since I have so much enjoyed -anything. The rightly conducted Theatre still remains to me what it -always was—the home of that magic art which cheers the loneliness -of life and opens the portal into an ideal world. Alas, that it is -not<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_415" id="page_415">{415}</a></span> more generally conducted for such a purpose! ‘The Little Lady’ -can hardly be considered <i>a play</i>; but, as you have presented it, -it is a charming entertainment—a whimsical, almost grotesque, -portrayal of eccentric characters and incredible incidents, which -are made to <i>seem</i> real, for the moment by the glamour of the -Stage. Since the plot is so frail, I was all the more surprised and -delighted that so much interest could be excited and sustained and -so much pleasure diffused by the histrionic treatment of a theme so -slender. You have set the play on the stage in an exquisite manner, -and it is acted throughout with a scrupulous care and zeal that, in -recent years, I have seldom seen equalled. It is easy to ridicule -such quaint, fantastic, almost dream-like pieces. As Frederick -Locker wrote:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">‘We love the rare old days and rich<br /></span> -<span class="i2">That poetry has painted;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">We mourn that sacred age with which<br /></span> -<span class="i2">We never were acquainted!’<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>“But they have a potent charm, a sort of mignonette and wild-thyme -fragrance, a power to touch the gentler feelings and soothe the -mind, and so they are precious.</p> - -<p>“There is one blemish that should be removed—namely, the character -of <i>A Girl of Portsmouth Town</i>: it adds nothing to the situation, -and it is only a blot on the delicacy of the play.</p> - -<p>“I am glad to know the production is prosperous: it deserves to -be—and it ought to fill your theatre for months, and I hope it -will.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“With kind regards,<br /> -“Faithfully yours,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">William Winter</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_416" id="page_416">{416}</a></span></p> - -<p>The cast of “The Little Lady in Blue appended:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Admiral Sir Anthony Addenbrooke</i></td><td class="rt">A. G. Andrews.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Anthony Addenbrooke</i></td><td class="rt">Jerome Patrick.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Captain Kent, R. N.</i></td><td class="rt">Frederick Graham.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Joe Porten</i></td><td class="rt">Horace Braham.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Baron von Loewe</i></td><td class="rt">Carl Sauerman.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>John Speedwell</i></td><td class="rt">Charles Garry.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Cobbledick</i></td><td class="rt">George Giddens.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>A Waiter</i></td><td class="rt">Adrian H. Rosley.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>A Process Server</i></td><td class="rt">Harry Holiday.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Landlord of the Portsmouth Inn</i></td><td class="rt">Roland Rushton.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Anne Churchill</i></td><td class="rt">Frances Starr.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Miss Quick</i></td><td class="rt">Lucy Beaumont.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>A Girl of Portsmouth Town</i></td><td class="rt">Eleanor Pendleton.</td></tr> -</table> - -<h2><a name="THE_VERY_MINUTE_A_MEMORANDUM" id="THE_VERY_MINUTE_A_MEMORANDUM"></a>“THE VERY MINUTE”—A MEMORANDUM.</h2> - -<p><i>Memo.</i>—David produced a new play called “The Very Minute” last Monday -night [April 9, 1917], at his N. Y. theatre, with Mr. Arnold Daly in the -principal part. All about bad effects of drinking too much liquor, &c. -Novelty—striking! Good old Towse calls it “a shallow pretence of a -serious play” and says it is a “nightmare.” Commends D. B.’s “meticulous -attention to the material and manner of production.” Also commends A. D. -for “moments of <i>powerful</i> acting.” Well—he was there and I was not; -but how A. D. must have changed! <i>I</i> never<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_417" id="page_417">{417}</a></span> saw any more “power” in him -than there is in a pennywhistle. Used to have a sort of <i>sonsy</i> quality -that was pleasing. Competent in a commonplace way: unusual -assurance—great conceit. Knows his business—generally <i>definite</i>, -which is a merit. Disagreeable personality. Head turned with vanity. And -nothing really <small>IN</small> him—that ever <i>I</i> could see.</p> - -<p>This play written by John Meehan. Young man, said to be related to me by -marriage. I never met him and do not know. Suppose I must see his play -and write about it. Don’t want to! “What, will the line stretch out to -the crack of doom?” Where do they [plays] all come from, I wonder? Hope -David has got another success, but surmise it’s an awful frost,—as -’twere “the very <i>last</i> minute of the hour,” I fear. Wish he would stop -producing plays altogether until after I get through writing this -“Life”!</p> - -<p>[“The Very Minute” was first acted at The Playhouse, Wilmington, -Delaware, April 5, 1917: it was “an awful frost,” as my father surmised, -and it was withdrawn on May 7—the Belasco Theatre being then -closed.—J. W.] This was the cast:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Horace Cramner</i></td><td class="rt">Forrest Robinson.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. Cramner</i></td><td class="rt">Marie Wainwright.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Francis Cramner</i></td><td class="rt">Arnold Daly.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Kathleen</i></td><td class="rt">Cathleen Nesbitt.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Philip Cramner</i></td><td class="rt">William Morris.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mr. Husner</i></td><td class="rt">John W. Cope.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Dr. Monticou</i></td><td class="rt">Lester Lonergan.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Robert</i></td><td class="rt">Robert Vivian.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Bennett</i></td><td class="rt">Leon E. Brown.</td></tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_418" id="page_418">{418}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="SUMMARY" id="SUMMARY"></a>SUMMARY.</h2> - -<p>[The various passages in the following “Summary” of the character and -career of Belasco were written disjointedly. They are here gathered and -arranged in what appears to be their natural sequence,—as nearly as I -can judge in the order in which Mr. Winter would have placed them. In -two or three instances an unfinished sentence has been completed and -here and there an essential word or two has been inserted or added. -Otherwise the matter stands unrevised: I have not attempted to write -connecting passages.—J. W.]</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“<i>Not fearing death nor shrinking for distress,</i><br /></span> -<span class="i1"><i>But always resolute in most extremes.</i>”<br /></span> -<span class="i10">—<span class="smcap">Shakespeare</span>.<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>The estimate that observation forms of a person still living cannot -always be deemed conclusive: the person can invalidate it, in an -instant, by some sudden action, some unexpected development, some -surprising decadence; and, as a general rule, it should be remembered -that no person is ever completely</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="fill_014" id="fill_014"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_052.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_052.jpg" width="407" height="502" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"><p>DAVID BELASCO</p> - -<p><span style="margin-right:25%;">Inscription:</span></p> - -<p>“<i>To my friend of many years, William Winter.</i>”</p> - -<p style="text-align:left;text-indent:0%;">From a photograph not before published—by the Misses Selby.<br /> -Author’s Collection.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_419" id="page_419">{419}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">comprehended by anybody. We have glimpses of each other; but, -practically, each individual is <i>alone</i>. In the most favorable -circumstances, accordingly, no life can be more than approximately -summarized until the record is complete—perhaps not even then. It was -perception of this fact that caused the old grave-digger of Drumtochty -to declare that there is no real comfort in a marriage because nobody -knows how it will turn out; whereas there is no room for solicitude -about a funeral, because, at all events, the play is over. David -Belasco, although he begins to see the shadow of the Psalmist’s -threescore years and ten, is still in the full vigor of life; he is, -indeed, the most powerful, vital influence now [1917] operant in the -English-speaking Theatre,—Herbert Beerbohm-Tree, in London, being his -only competitor,—and (as I hope and believe) is approaching the highest -achievements of his long, varied, and brilliant career, which there is -reason to expect will continue for many years....</p> - -<p>Actors, it has been noted, who are actors only, often are remarkably -long-lived. Men who attain eminence in theatrical management,—whether -they be also actors or not,—seldom are so: Sir William Davenant died at -sixty-two; Garrick at sixty-one; John Kemble at sixty-six; Thomas S. -Hamblin at<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_420" id="page_420">{420}</a></span> fifty-one; Charles Kean at fifty-seven; Benedict De Bar at -sixty-three; John McCollough at fifty-three; Lester Wallack at -sixty-eight; Lawrence Barrett at fifty-two; Edwin Booth at sixty; John -T. Ford at sixty-five; Augustin Daly at sixty-one; A. M. Palmer at -sixty-seven. Garrick had been three years in retirement when he died; -Kemble, six; Kean, nearly one; Booth, more than two; Palmer, five. -Belasco’s career has already extended over a period of forty-six years -and, excepting Wallack, he is now older than any of those men were when -their professional labors ended,<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a>—yet there is in him none of the -dejection of age; none of the despondency of fatigue; no abatement of -his ambitious purpose, resolute enterprise, and amazing energy; no sign -of that forlorn loneliness which often settles on the mind as friends -die, things alter and long familiar environment drifts away, the old -order changing and giving place to new. On the contrary, his health is -excellent, his mind virile,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_421" id="page_421">{421}</a></span> his courage high, his spirit cheerful, and -in every way he shows as indeed “strong in will to strive, to seek, to -find, and not to yield.” It is, therefore, a specially difficult and -dubious task to attempt to make at this time a summary of his character, -life, and labor. But if another of the abrupt and lamentable -bereavements of the Stage which it has so often been my task to -chronicle and estimate should befall at this time; if, suddenly, now, -while all around seems bright and full of life and hope, mortality’s -strong hand should close upon Belasco and I should be required to write -of him as of one whose work was finished and who had “bid the world -good-night,” I should write in these words:</p> - -<p>From the beginning and until the end David Belasco was an embodiment of -high ambition, zealous enterprise, resolute endeavor, and patient -endurance. He did not drift into his career—he selected it. His natural -proclivity for the Theatre was irresistible; in youth his aspiration was -to reach a dominant place in that institution; all his early life was -spent in arduous toil to equip himself for the eminence at which he -aimed; through long years, in which he became well acquainted with -bitter strife and grievous disappointment, he never lost hope or -faltered in the purpose which at last he achieved,—supremacy in the -American Theatre.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_422" id="page_422">{422}</a></span> He was a rare and vivid personality; an extraordinary -and many-sided man; the natural successor of Lester Wallack, Edwin -Booth, and Augustin Daly as the leading theatrical manager of America; -and, in the English-speaking world, he was absolutely the last of the -managers who, personally, were important and interesting. His place will -not be filled. It has been said of David Belasco that he was a “posing -and posturing charlatan.” That harsh censure is the tribute of envy to -merit and it is as unjust as it is mean. His nature was impetuous, his -temperament was intensely dramatic, his sensibility was extreme, the -tone of his mind was at times exuberant and florid, and, consequently, -his language and his conduct were sometimes extravagant. He, also, -understood the uses of advertising; he was occasionally over-solicitous -as to public opinion; he possessed a full share of very human, almost -childlike, vanity, and certainly he managed the public as well as the -Theatre. But his devotion to the dramatic calling was true, passionate, -and entire and to it he gave his life: he never desired retirement and -never thought of it. The secret of his success—if any secret there -be—was his inveterate determination, indefatigable labor, and profound -sincerity of purpose. If the public poured great wealth into his hands -(as it did), he<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_423" id="page_423">{423}</a></span> never spared wealth, labor, and time—toilsome days and -sleepless, care-full nights—to give the public in return the very best -there was in him and to make that best as good as it could be made. He -was a master of every detail of his vocation and, alone among American -theatrical managers of the past twenty years, he understood and -practically recognized that Acting is a Fine Art and not merely a -business. The main result at which he aimed was always good plays, -correctly set and superbly acted. If that result was not always attained -by him, neither has it always been attained by any other worker of the -Stage,—not since “Roscius was an actor in Rome.” While judgment and -taste must deplore his production of “Zaza” and “The Easiest Way” -justice and candor must concede his right to be remembered by the best -and most influential of his works, which comprehend an amazing variety -of subjects and of merit, ranging, for example, from “May Blossom” to -“Peter Grimm,” from “Men and Women” to “Sweet Kitty Bellairs,” from “The -Heart of Maryland” to “The Music Master,” from “The Charity Ball” to -“The Girl of the Golden West,” from “The Girl I Left Behind Me” to -“Adrea,” from “Lord Chumley” to “Madame Butterfly,” from “The Darling of -the Gods” to “A Grand Army Man,” and which, first and last,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_424" id="page_424">{424}</a></span> deal with -most of the great elemental experiences of human life.</p> - -<p class="astc">* * * * * * *</p> - -<p>The sentiment of patriotism is a sublime and lovely sentiment, but it -cannot be nurtured by self-deception, by vainglorious boasting and -sycophantic adulation. There is far too much talk about our superiority -as a people and far too little thought about means of making that -alleged superiority actual. We are hearing much, and we shall hear more, -about the spiritual exaltation and the fine idealism which has recently -carried us into the Great War,—but such talk is not honest. We had as -much reason to enter the War in 1915 as we had in 1917. We have entered -it, primarily, from self-interest, for self-defence,—to fight now, in -Europe, in order that we need not fight, hereafter, in America. Let us -be honest and outspoken about our course. It is idle to seek, as some of -his “very articulate” political opponents and detractors do, to lay the -blame of our unworthy delay on Woodrow Wilson (one of the great men of -modern times) or on any other man or group of men. The blame rests -squarely on the people of the United States as a nation. The spirit of -our country is and long has been one of pagan Materialism, infecting all -branches of thought, and of unscrupulous Commercialism,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_425" id="page_425">{425}</a></span> infecting all -branches of action. Foreign elements, alien to our institutions and -ideals as to our language and our thought,—seditious elements, -ignorant, boisterous, treacherous, and dangerous,—have been introduced -into our population in immense quantities, interpenetrating and -contaminating it in many ways: in the face of self-evident peril and of -iterated warnings and protests, immigration into the United States has -been permitted during the last twenty years of about 15,000,000 -persons—including vast numbers of the most undesirable order. We call -ourselves a civilized nation—but civility is conspicuous in our country -chiefly by its absence. Gentleness is despised. Good manners are -practically extinct. Public decorum is almost unknown. We are -notoriously a law-contemning people. The murder rate—the <i>unpunished</i> -murder rate—in our country has long been a world scandal. Mob outrage -is an incident of weekly occurrence among us. Our methods of business, -approved and practised, are not only unscrupulous but predatory. Every -public conveyance and place of resort bears witness to the general -uncouthness by innumerable signs enjoining the most elemental -decency—and by the almost universal disregard of the enjoinments! Slang -and thieves’ argot is the prevalent language of the people and there is<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_426" id="page_426">{426}</a></span> -scarcely a periodical or a newspaper in the land which does not exhibit -and promote the corruption of good manners diffused by that evil -communication,—while the publicist who dares to record the facts and -censure the faults is generally stigmatized as a fool or ridiculed as a -pedant. The tone of the public mind is to a woful extent sordid, -selfish, greedy. In our great cities life is largely a semi-delirious -fever of vapid purpose and paltry strife, and in their public vehicles -of transportation the populace—men, women, and young girls—are herded -together without the remotest observance of common decency,—mauled and -jammed and packed one upon another in a manner which would not be -tolerated in shipment of the helpless steer or the long-suffering -swine....</p> - -<p>If true civilization is to develop and live in our country, such -conditions, such a spirit, such ideals, manners, and customs as are -widely prevalent among us to-day, must utterly pass and cease. The one -rational hope that they will so disappear lies in disseminating -<span class="smcap">Education</span>,—not merely schooling, imperative as that is; but, far more, -a truer and higher education imparted by the ministry of beauty; -education which recognizes that material prosperity and marvellous -discoveries of science are not ultimate goals of human pilgrimage but -mere instru<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_427" id="page_427">{427}</a></span>ments to be used in spiritual advancement; the inspiration -of noble ideals, gentleness, refinement, and the grace of manners; -cheerful courage, resolute patience, and the calm of hope. For that -education Society must look largely to the ministry of the arts and, in -particular, to the rightly conducted Theatre,—an institution -potentially of tremendous beneficence....</p> - -<p>Few managers have been able to take or to understand that view of the -Stage. David Belasco was one of them. It is because his administration -of his “great office” has been, in the main, conducted in the spirit of -a zealous public servant; because for many years he maintained as a -public resort a beautiful theatre, diffusive of the atmosphere of a -pleasant, well-ordered home, placing before the public many fine plays, -superbly acted, and set upon the stage in a perfection of environment -never surpassed anywhere and equalled only by a few of an earlier race -of managers of which he was the last, that David Belasco has, directly -and indirectly, exerted an immense influence for good and is entitled to -appreciative recognition, enduring celebration, and ever grateful -remembrance. And, though on the two occasions when I differed with him I -vigorously opposed his course, it is a comfort to reflect that nothing -ever chilled our friendship<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_428" id="page_428">{428}</a></span> and that all that could be done to sustain -and aid his great and worthy purpose and to cheer his mind was done -while he could benefit by it....</p> - -<p class="astc">* * * * * * *</p> - -<p>Among American theatrical managers David Belasco was long unique,—the -sole survivor, exemplar, and transmitter of an earlier and better theory -and practice of theatrical management than is anywhere visible now. When -he came to New York, to the Madison Square Theatre, representative -theatre managers of our country were Lester Wallack, Augustin Daly, John -T. Ford, Samuel Colville, Dion Boucicault, J. H. McVicker, R. M. Hooley, -Henry E. Abbey, Montgomery Field, and A. M. Palmer, and our Stage was -dominated and swayed by the influence of those men and of such players -as John Gilbert, Joseph Jefferson, William Warren, Charles W. Couldock, -Edwin Booth, Lawrence Barrett, W. J. Florence, Tommaso Salvini, Fanny -Janauschek, Helena Modjeska, Ada Rehan, Mary Anderson, Henry Irving, and -Ellen Terry. When, in 1895, Belasco first successfully struck out for -himself, great changes had taken place and greater ones were impending. -When, in 1902, he at last succeeded in establishing himself -independently, in a theatre of his own, it was in almost a new world -that he did so! Colville, Wallack, Ford, Boucicault,</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_040" id="ill_040"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_053.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_053.jpg" width="357" height="606" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by William S. Page. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>BELASCO AT ORIENTA POINT—SUMMER HOME OF HIS DAUGHTER, MRS. GEST</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_429" id="page_429">{429}</a></span></p> - -<p>McVicker, Hooley, Abbey, Daly, Field, Gilbert, Barrett, Florence, -Booth,—all were dead. Mansfield had made his ambitious venture in -theatre management and had utterly failed in it: Irving had lost the -Lyceum in London and was nearing the end of his life: Salvini and Mary -Anderson had left the Stage: Jefferson retired within eighteen months -and soon after died: Modjeska and Ada Rehan were in broken health, their -careers practically closed. Fine actors were visible and, here and -there, splendid things were being done: the histrionic fires have never -yet been wholly extinguished. But actors and men truly comprehensive of, -and sympathetic with, actors no longer controlled the Theatre: that -institution had passed almost entirely into the hands of the so-called -“business man,”—the speculative huckster and the rampant -vulgarian,—and the prevalent ideal in its management was that of the -soap chandler and the corner-grocery. The men who chiefly dominated the -Theatre in the period of fifteen years since Belasco’s establishment in -the metropolis,—with many of whom he was long righteously and bitterly -at variance,—were Charles Frohman, Al. Hayman, A. L. Erlanger, Marc -Klaw, Samuel Nirdlinger, J. F. Zimmermann, William Harris, George C. -Tyler, William A. Brady, Henry B. Harris, Lee Shubert,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_430" id="page_430">{430}</a></span> J. J. Shubert, -George M. Cohan, and Al. H. Woods.</p> - -<p>There is not one of those men, his later contemporaries, with whom it is -possible properly to compare Belasco. <i>He</i> was an artist, a dramatist, -an authentic manager actuated by a high purpose and one who exerted a -profound influence on the Theatre of his period. <i>The others</i>—though -several of them have manifested various talents—all belong in the -category of mere showmen,—speculators in theatrical business, and, save -for the bad influence fluent from some of them, they are of no more -interest or importance than so many “eminent brewers” or celebrated -purveyors of tallow and pork.</p> - -<p>One of the managers named, however, by reason of exceptional energy and -shrewdness and by dint of incessant self-advertising, became and long -continued to be the most conspicuous figure in the theatrical field. -That manager was Charles Frohman, and because Belasco and he were -personal friends and personal enemies, because they were professional -associates and, in a business sense, professional rivals during many -years, it is inevitable that the student of the theatrical period from -1885 to 1917 should attempt to make some comparison of them. That -renders an estimate of Frohman desirable here....<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_431" id="page_431">{431}</a></span></p> - -<p>Charles Frohman was born at Sandusky, Ohio, June 17, 1860, and he lost -his life in the sinking of the Lusitania, May 7, 1915. He entered the -theatrical business, as an “advance agent,” in January, 1877, and he -remained in it until his death. He was honest in his dealings, amiable -in his domestic and social relations, benevolent toward the poor, highly -popular among his friends, able and energetic in business affairs, a -gambler by temperament, and of a self-poised, resolute character. His -management of the Theatre, however, was injurious, both to that -institution and to society. He assisted to commercialize and thus to -degrade the Stage. His policy was distinctly and unequivocally expressed -by himself, in these words: “I keep a Department Store.” That is -precisely what he did, and that is precisely what no manager has a right -to do,—while claiming <i>to exercise an intellectual power and foster a -great art</i>. The man to whom Oofty Gooft and Edwin Booth, “Shenandoah” -and “Hamlet,” “Hattie” Williams and Helena Modjeska, “The Girl from -Maxim’s” and “Alabama,” and so following, are all alike—mere theatrical -commodities of commerce to be exploited as such—may be “a man of his -word,” an honest tradesman, a genial companion, a dutiful son, an -affectionate brother, a loyal friend, generous in prosperity, -unperturbed in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_432" id="page_432">{432}</a></span> adversity and expeditious in transaction of -business,—but he is not and he never can be a true theatrical manager.</p> - -<p>In the “Life” of Charles Frohman—by his brother Daniel (a man of far -higher ability) and another writer—some informative utterances by him -are quoted,—utterances which reveal and establish the quality of his -mind more unmistakably than whole chapters of analysis could do. This is -one of them, imparting his view of the greatest poet and dramatist that -ever lived and of the consummate tragedy of youthful love, “Romeo and -Juliet”:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Nonsense!’ exclaimed Frohman. ‘Who’s Shakespeare? He was just a -man. He won’t hurt you. I don’t see any Shakespeare. Just imagine -you’re looking at a soldier, home from the Cuban war, making love -to a giggling schoolgirl on a balcony. That’s all I see, and that’s -the way I want it played. Dismiss all idea of costume. Be -modern.’<span class="lftspc">”</span>—The tragedy was acted in the manner he desired.</p></div> - -<p>Charles Frohman was simply a wholesale dealer in theatrical produce. He -“made” many “stars”—“stars” being a commodity requisite in his business -and for the manufacture of which he expressed a strong liking. He never -made an actor. There was nothing of importance accomplished in the -Theatre through his activity that would not have<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_433" id="page_433">{433}</a></span> been accomplished -equally well if he had never been born. As far as the Art of the Theatre -is concerned he stands in about the same relation to such men as -Wallack, Daly, and Belasco as a maker of chromo-lithographs does to -Corot or Inness.</p> - -<p class="astc">* * * * * * *</p> - -<p>Belasco was a good fighter—resourceful, courageous, pertinacious. He -never forgot a kindness nor an injury,—yet bitter and, to a certain -point vindictive, as his resentment of injury unquestionably was, he -could easily be placated and he was instantly amenable to any appeal to -his kindness of heart. I well remember one occasion on which I chanced -to be with him and other friends (it was the last night of the run of -“The Darling of the Gods,” May 30, 1903) when he was called away by an -urgent appeal. He presently returned and, speaking aside with me, -informed me that the message had been from a person widely known among -journalists and actors as one of the vilest creatures that ever -scribbled slander about decent men and women for the blackguard section -of the press and one who had done him great wrong and injury. “And now,” -Belasco said, “he comes to <i>me</i>—appealing for help!” “What have you -done?” I asked. “What could I do?” he answered: “The man is in the -gutter—friendless—penniless—starving. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_434" id="page_434">{434}</a></span> couldn’t refuse him—now, -could I? I gave him what he asked for.” That incident is significantly -characteristic....</p> - -<p class="astc">* * * * * * *</p> - -<p>Upon David Belasco’s ability as an actor I can give no judgment, never -having seen him act: he seldom appeared on the stage after 1880, and he -did not come to New York until 1882. He played more than 170 parts -between 1871 and 1880, and it is obvious that his early, continuous, and -practical experience in acting and in observation of the dramatic -methods and the stage business of many actors, of all kinds, as well as -of the practice of some of the best stage managers ever known in -America, must have largely contributed to the brilliant efficiency in -direction for which he was remarkable. No more capable, resourceful -mechanician has appeared in the modern Theatre....</p> - -<p>Belasco was a great stage manager because he possessed a comprehensive -knowledge of human nature and human experience and an equally -comprehensive knowledge alike of scenery (including stage lighting) and -of acting; a dramatic temperament; clear insight; almost inexhaustible -patience; ability to impart knowledge, and the rare and precious faculty -of eliciting and developing the best that was in the actors whom he -directed. It was<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_435" id="page_435">{435}</a></span> the latter attribute that made him unique among stage -managers of the last twenty years or so: the general custom of that -pestiferous animal “the stage producer” is to thrust upon actors an -arbitrary ideal of character....</p> - -<p>Belasco possessed, moreover, exceptional understanding of the traits of -actors: he knew their vanity and sometimes almost intolerable conceit, -their often paltry purposes and petty ways; likewise he knew and deeply -sympathized with their fine and lovable qualities,—the noble ambitions -by which sometimes they are actuated, their often forlorn hopefulness, -their courage under disappointment, their restless impulse toward -<i>expression</i>, their honest longing for opportunity and recognition, -their peculiarities, foibles, and sensibility, and he possessed and -exercised extraordinary judgment, consideration, and tact in the control -of them....</p> - -<p class="astc">* * * * * * *</p> - -<p>Being human, Belasco possessed faults and made mistakes: being -successful, he never lacked for censurers to point out the one or, with -gleeful malice, to celebrate the other. He was weak by reason of an -inordinate craving for approbation and by reason of an excessive -amiability: rather than inflict the pain of immediate disappointment he -sometimes foolishly temporized in dealing with importunate<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_436" id="page_436">{436}</a></span> persons, -thus, at last, incurring their bitter resentment and enmity because of -what they mistakenly though naturally deemed his insincerity. But, in -every respect, his virtues far exceeded his faults, his strength his -weakness, and his rectitude his errors: he was an extraordinary man, -worthy of public esteem and honor, and, in private, most loved by those -who knew him best. As the years speed away and the great place he filled -in the Theatre of his time, and the great void which his passing must -make, become rightly appreciated, those whose detraction followed David -Belasco may admit their injustice:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“They that reviled him may mourn to recover him,—<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Knowing how gentle he was and how brave!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Nothing he’ll reck, where the wind blowing over him<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Ripples the grasses that dream on his grave!”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="astc">* * * * * * *</p> - -<p>Much has been written, first and last, about Belasco’s utter absorption -in artistic matters and his ignorance of business affairs. It is true -that, first of all, he was an artist and that in his theory of -theatrical business the keystone of the arch was the Art of Acting. But -it cannot be too strongly emphasized that he was one of the few managers -who united in himself a profound knowledge of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_437" id="page_437">{437}</a></span> drama, all the -methods and expedients of histrionic art, the history of the Theatre and -entire familiarity with its contemporary conditions. He was, in short, -one of the most shrewd, sagacious, far-sighted, hard-headed managers -that ever lived. He early saw the futility of trying to attend, himself, -to every detail of a great and complex organization and so he employed -capable and vigorous men, able and willing to work under his direction -and to carry out his orders. But anybody who supposes that David Belasco -was not perfectly well and intimately aware of everything that was going -on around him and was not at all times the master of his own destiny in -the Theatre is cherishing a delusion!</p> - -<p>Most conspicuous among the men associated with Belasco throughout his -long career in management was Benjamin Franklin Roeder, his general -business representative and close personal friend, whose name is here -fittingly linked with commemoration of the chief whom he so long and -faithfully served. Mr. Roeder, originally, aspired to be a dramatist, -and during the early days of Belasco’s activity in New York, while -connected with the Sargent School of Acting, he obtained an introduction -to him from Franklin Sargent. Roeder had made a dramatization of the -novel of “St. Elmo” (a subject which was successfully introduced on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_438" id="page_438">{438}</a></span> -stage many years later) and desired that Belasco should read his play -with a view to its possible production. Belasco, pleased by the manner -and address of the young writer, agreed to consider the matter and made -an appointment to meet him and discuss it at the School office at one -o’clock on the following Sunday afternoon. In the stress of business he -forgot that appointment, but an urgent errand taking him to his office -at eleven o’clock on the night of the specified day he found Roeder -seated on the doorstep, asleep. He had been waiting there ten hours. -“When I asked him why he had waited,” said Belasco, telling me of this -incident, “he answered, ‘You said you might be late—and to wait.’ I -made up my mind then that there was surely a place for a boy so -tenacious and that he was just the fellow for me. I took him on, at -first as my secretary, and he has been my business assistant, sometimes -my bulwark, always ‘my friend, faithful and just to me,’ ever since.”</p> - -<p>Members of the theatrical profession are almost without exception -indiscreet and garrulous; secrecy, which often would be invaluable in -that profession,—as in any calling in which success frequently depends -on priority in exploitation of ideas which cannot be protected from -imitation,—is almost unknown in it. Roeder unites in himself not only -fidelity to his</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_041" id="ill_041"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_054.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_054.jpg" width="391" height="537" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by White. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>BENJAMIN F. ROEDER, BELASCO’S GENERAL BUSINESS MANAGER</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_439" id="page_439">{439}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">employer, tenacity of purpose, familiarity with all the commercial -details of theatrical affairs, but also excellent executive faculties, -directness and celerity in the despatch of business and, on all -subjects, the restful reticence of the reclusive clam. His services were -often invaluable to Belasco.</p> - -<p class="astc">* * * * * * *</p> - -<p>In person David Belasco was singular. His height was only five feet, six -inches, and in later years he became rather stout, but in youth he was -slender and graceful. His raiment was, almost invariably, black and in -appearance much resembled that worn by Roman Catholic priests of the -present day. His hair, originally black (not, as most hair so designated -is, dark brown, but <i>jet black</i>), became first gray, then silver-white. -His eyebrows were remarkably heavy and black and so remained. His eyes -were extraordinarily fine—dark brown, large, and luminous—and his gaze -was attentive and direct. I have not observed a countenance more -singular, mobile, and expressive. When he chose he could make of it an -inscrutable mask. But when indifferent or unaware of observation the -changes of expression—shadows of his thoughts—would flit over his face -with astonishing variety and rapidity, so that I have watched him when -he would appear at one moment commonplace and dull—the next,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_440" id="page_440">{440}</a></span> highly -distinguished, then -kind—gentle—thoughtful—dreamy—ruminant—pensive—mischievous—pugnacious—alert—hard—cold—at -moments, even malignant—boyish—playful—tender. On the rare occasions -when passion mastered him (or when he chose to have it seem to do -so—occasions always difficult to distinguish), his aspect became -positively Mephistophelian....</p> - -<p class="cb">* * * * * * * *</p> - -<p>One of the mental advantages possessed by Belasco,—a qualification as -precious as it is rare,—was the faculty of absorbing knowledge without -effort. He learned all things with amazing ease. When little more than -thirteen years old he had imbibed from an uncle, a visionary scholar, -sufficient knowledge of Hebrew to enable him to conduct a religious -service in that language, which he did, “without the punctuation,”—an -achievement the difficulty of which will be appreciated only by Hebrew -scholars. That faculty persisted in him always....</p> - -<p>Belasco early recognized the wisdom contained in the old poet Prior’s -injunction as to the treatment of woman,</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Be to her faults a little blind,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Be to her virtues very kind,”<br /></span> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_441" id="page_441">{441}</a></span></div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">and he consistently obeyed it. He possessed, furthermore, an intuitive -knowledge of the nature of women, a compassionate sympathy with them, -and, whether professionally or personally, exceptional skill in pleasing -and managing them: he was, in turn, readily subservient to female -influence....</p> - -<p>As a writer he manifested amazing vitality, persistent industry, lively -fancy, considerable faculty of imagination, keen observation, quick -perception of character but more of striking situation and effect, and -great knowledge of human nature. He possessed more the sense of humor -than the faculty of it....</p> - -<p>Belasco all his life possessed the spirit of adventure. He was eagerly -interested in the life of to-day. His sensibility was extreme. He had -great goodness of heart. He was very generous, extremely kind.</p> - -<p class="astc">* * * * * * *</p> - -<h2><a name="A_GREAT_SHAKESPEAREAN_PROJECT" id="A_GREAT_SHAKESPEAREAN_PROJECT"></a>A GREAT SHAKESPEAREAN PROJECT.</h2> - -<p>[Not long before my father died he broached to Belasco the project of -making a remarkable series of Shakespearean productions. His suggestion -was eagerly adopted and, if he had lived, it would have<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_442" id="page_442">{442}</a></span> been put into -effect during the theatrical season of 1918-’19. His death forced -postponement of the productions—but some preparatory work had been -accomplished and Belasco has not abandoned the project, which is -outlined in the following correspondence, and which will, I believe, -ultimately be fulfilled.—J. W.]</p> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>William Winter to David Belasco.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“New Brighton, Staten Island,<br /> -“February 23, 1917.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“Dear David:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“My work on your ‘Life,’ leading me into considerate examination of -what you have done and not done, the scope of your experience, the -difference between conditions, past and present, has, incidentally, -turned my mind toward the future and what you might do, and I -venture to make a suggestion, which I hope you will not deem -intrusive. It would be a great thing for our Stage, and I think for -you, if you were to make a splendid production of a Shakespeare -play—and I believe that you could, with profit, bring out ‘King -Henry IV.’ It has not been acted in New York since 1896, and then -only for a few nights and in a very inefficient way.<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a> It had not -been acted previous to that for fifteen or twenty years. ‘On the -road’ it is, practically, as little known. The Second Part has not -been acted in our city (except two or three performances at the -Century [Theatre], by amateurs, signifying nothing) for more<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_443" id="page_443">{443}</a></span> than -half-a-century. A production of the First Part might be made; or, -Daly’s original scheme of combining the two parts might be -fulfilled,—though I believe the former would be much the better -venture.</p> - -<p>“If the idea pleases you, I should be most happy to talk with you -about it, in detail; to make suggestions, and to assist in any -possible way. I hope you will consider this matter with care. If -you do not bring out the play, before long somebody else will—and, -if with proper care, gain reputation and money by it.</p> - -<p>“I have been very sick, but am improving and the work goes -on—though much slower than I would have it do. I hope to see you -before long.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“With kind regards,<br /> -“Faithfully yours,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">William Winter</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>David Belasco to William Winter.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“Belasco Theatre, New York,<br /> -“March 2, 1917.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“My dear Mr. Winter:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“I received your letter and regret very much that you were so ill. -I am glad, indeed, to learn that you are better. I think the -weather is very depressing and debilitating.</p> - -<p>“I have long wanted to do a Shakespearean play, and your suggestion -gives me an idea. I think that ‘King Henry IV.,’ if well done and -produced with simple dignity, would be most timely. Thank you very -much for your suggestion.</p> - -<p>“As soon as this hateful season is over (the spring season is -always so hard on me—engaging actors, getting<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_444" id="page_444">{444}</a></span> manuscripts -together, etc.) do let me come over and talk over ‘King Henry IV.’: -meanwhile, I must read it again, as parts of it are very faint in -my memory. I do not believe in combining the two parts. I had -thought of ‘Julius Cæsar,’ which I consider the greatest play in -the world; but it is so well known that it invites comparison. It -is much better to produce a Shakespearean play but little seen....</p> - -<p>“With many thanks, all good wishes—and looking forward to seeing -you and talking over a Shakespearean production, I am,</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Faithfully yours,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">David Belasco</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>William Winter to David Belasco.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“New Brighton, Staten Island,<br /> -“March 8, 1917.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“Dear David:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“Your letter of March 2 has reached me.</p> - -<p>“I was glad to hear from you, and I thank you for your kind wishes. -I improve but slowly: still—I improve.</p> - -<p>“The work goes on—but <i>not</i> well. It goes slowly. But still—it -goes. I do not remember ever experiencing so much difficulty in -putting biographical matter in order....</p> - -<p>“As soon as the weather settles, and the pressure of your business -will permit, I shall be glad to have you come to see me here. We -can then resume talks about your adventures; and we can confer -about ‘King Henry IV.’ The more I have reflected on the subject the -more I feel that you would do well to revive that play. It requires -editing, of course,—but it is a superb work. Besides <i>Falstaff</i>, -<i>King Henry the Fourth</i>, <i>Prince Henry</i> and <i>Hotspur</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_445" id="page_445">{445}</a></span> are all -splendid characters (<i>I</i> prefer the <i>Prince</i> to <i>Hotspur</i>: actors -usually do not), and several of the others are almost as good.</p> - -<p>“The plan of combining the two Parts has some merits: but (in my -judgment) to produce the First Part is the ‘eftest scheme.’ We will -talk of it when you come....</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Faithfully yours,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">William Winter</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>William Winter to David Belasco.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“46 Winter Avenue, New Brighton,<br /> -“Staten Island, New York,<br /> -“May 18, 1917.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“My dear David:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“In the course of my work on the ‘Life’ I have had occasion to -examine and consider several forms of censure and disparagement -which, first and last, have been a good deal circulated about you. -One of these is the statement (which I, personally, have heard made -by some who ought to have known better) that you have not ‘produced -Shakespeare’ because you have been afraid the public would then -‘find you out.’ This has led me to make a very careful study of the -subject and an exposition of the quality of your early experience -and training as bearing upon competency to produce and direct -Shakespeare in revivals. This, in turn, has kept the suggestion I -ventured to make to you, some time ago, about ‘King Henry IV.,’ -much in my mind. And turning over that subject and looking at it -from many points, I have formulated a plan, fulfilment of which -would give you an absolutely unique position among producers of -Shakespeare, and I venture to lay it before<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_446" id="page_446">{446}</a></span> you, in the hope that -perhaps it may be of use, and that, at least, you will not think me -presumptuous.</p> - -<p>“It is as follows:</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>King Henry IV.,’ both parts, is a sequel to ‘King Richard II.’ -The latter is one of the most eloquent and beautiful of all -Shakespeare’s plays. All three of the plays named could well and -conveniently be acted <i>by the same company</i>. The actual expense of -putting on all three of them would not be much more than that of -putting on one. You could make an <small>IMMENSE</small> impression by bringing -out those three plays as a ‘Shakespeare Trilogy.’ Thus:</p> - -<p>“Mondays and Thursdays; ‘King Richard II.’</p> - -<p>“Tuesdays and Fridays; ‘King Henry IV., Part One.’</p> - -<p>“Wednesdays and Saturdays; ‘King Henry IV., Part Two.’</p> - -<p>“Thus, every week, you could give two full ‘cycles’ of the trilogy; -and, on matinée days, the ‘First Part of King Henry IV.,’ or a -modern play.</p> - -<p>“In presenting such a thing you would undertake and accomplish a -more distinctive, original, and impressive managerial enterprise -than any single venture of any of the representative Shakespearean -producers,—Garrick, Kemble, Macready, Phelps, Kean, Booth, Irving, -Daly, or Beerbohm-Tree.</p> - -<p>“<i>I</i> feel confident that, in a <i>business</i> way, it could be made -profitable. If you got through even at cost, or at a small loss, it -would (in <i>my</i> view) be, in a <i>business</i> way (wholly aside from the -immense and incontestable service to art and the public), a -profitable investment. And I <i>am sure</i> it would ‘make money,’ too.</p> - -<p>“I would do anything and everything in my power to help so fine a -scheme,—would arrange the plays, write notes, etc., etc., if you -should desire it.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_447" id="page_447">{447}</a></span></p> - -<p>“Please do not think me intrusive with my suggestions. And please -give this very careful consideration.</p> - -<p>“It would be a special satisfaction to me to see you crown your -career with such a wonderful, such an unparalleled, accomplishment. -However much honest difference of opinion there may be regarding -some of the productions you have made (as you know, you and I are -hopelessly at variance about some of the plays you have brought -out), there could be no room for cavil or honest censure of such a -venture as the production of three of Shakespeare’s greatest plays, -which, practically speaking, are unknown, are <i>new</i>, to the -American Stage, and which are peculiarly well suited to <i>your</i> -purposes and treatment. And it would be all the more splendid that -such production should not be made at the high-tide of general -theatrical prosperity, but should be made when the whole world -seems shattered, and the rest of theatrical managers are running -about like ants that have been disturbed in their hill!</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Faithfully yours,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">William Winter</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>Telegram, David Belasco to William Winter.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“New York, May 19, 1917.<br /> -</p> - -<p>“Dear William Winter, I [have] just read your letter. You are -right, and I promise you and myself to do the plays as you suggest, -counting upon your generous assistance, without which I could not -do them. I shall come over as soon as I possibly can, to speak -further of this. Thank you for your enthusiasm and your faith. God -bless you!</p> - -<p class="r"> -“<span class="smcap">David Belasco.</span>”<br /> -</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_448" id="page_448">{448}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CONCERNING_SARAH_BERNHARDT" id="CONCERNING_SARAH_BERNHARDT"></a>CONCERNING SARAH BERNHARDT.</h2> - -<p>[It was part of my father’s purpose in making this Memoir to devote a -section in it to <span class="smcap">Belasco’s Contemporaries</span>. The notes which he made on -the subject were not extensive. For that reason and for others I have -decided not to attempt to supply the section. Before making the -decision, however, I addressed to Belasco some inquiries bearing on the -subject and especially one concerning his “favorite player.” His reply -to the latter embodies a notable tribute to a wonderful woman and is, I -think, of exceptional interest. Among other things, it strikingly -illustrates how radically doctors sometimes disagree. No person more -admired the resolute courage shown by Sarah Bernhardt than Winter did, -who wrote of her: “It is good to see upon the Stage—and everywhere -else—indomitable endurance, the aspiring mind that nothing can daunt -and the iron will that nothing can break.” And no writer more justly -appreciated than he did her artistic faculties, her supremacy as “an -histrionic executant.” His final estimate of her, however,—an estimate -as exact as a chemist’s analysis and one which will survive all -disparagement,—is, in some respects, in such sharp disagreement with -Belasco’s that readers of the latter will find the former specially -instructive. It is embodied, together with his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_449" id="page_449">{449}</a></span> studies of her acting, -in his book entitled “The Wallet of Time.”—J. W.]</p> - -<p class="addrs">(<i>David Belasco to Jefferson Winter.</i>)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“The Belasco Theatre, New York,<br /> -“May 31, 1918.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"> -“My dear Jefferson Winter:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“You ask me to tell you who, of all the players I have ever seen, -is my favorite. My, but that is a hard question to answer! In fact, -I don’t think I <i>can</i> answer with just a name. I have so many -favorites! It is a case of ‘Not that I love Cæsar less but Rome -more!’ And then, too, I have seen and known so many players of so -many different kinds—of <i>all</i> kinds—and our moods vary. As I look -back into my memory and try to call up the actors and actresses of -the Past it seems to me that John McCullough was the most <i>lovable</i> -as a man and, in the great, heroic parts, the most satisfying as an -actor. Barrett was the most <i>ambitious</i>; Booth was the most -<i>powerful</i> and <i>interesting</i>; Owens was the <i>funniest</i> man I ever -saw, and after him Raymond; Wallack was the most <i>polished</i> and -<i>courtly</i>; Salvini was the most <i>imposing</i>; Irving the most -<i>intellectual</i> and <i>dominating</i>; Mansfield the most <i>erratic</i>—and -all of them were great actors and each of them, I think, was my -special favorite! But if I could see only one more theatrical -performance and had to choose which one of those actors I would -see, I think I would choose Edwin Booth in <i>King Richard the -Third</i>.</p> - -<p>“Of the women—Adelaide Neilson was easily the most <i>winsome</i> and -<i>passionate</i>. Modjeska was the most <i>romantic</i>. Mary Anderson was -the <i>stateliest</i>, Ellen Terry the most <i>pathetic</i>, Ada Rehan the -<i>greatest comedienne</i>, and Sarah<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_450" id="page_450">{450}</a></span> Bernhardt—ah, what shall I say -of the Divine Sarah!</p> - -<p>“If I were to have the choice of one last performance by the <i>one -actress</i> I admire the most I am afraid I should quarrel with Fate -and insist on choosing <i>two</i>—Adelaide Neilson in <i>Juliet</i> and -Sarah Bernhardt in anything. To me, she is, in all seriousness, one -of the everlasting wonders of art. Her voice was like liquid gold; -her delivery was, and is, a supreme example for any man or woman -that ever stepped on a stage. She added a language to all the -others. French is beautiful; but -French-as-spoken-by-Sarah-Bernhardt is sublime! As an actress I -admired her most in the pre-Sardou plays; but she is great in -everything. She has always practised one of the great truths your -dear father taught—that the art of acting is the art of -<i>expression</i> not <i>re</i>pression. I consider that she is the best -<i>listener</i> I ever saw—and very few except stage managers know how -difficult it is to seem to listen for the first times to speeches -which have been heard over and over again, sometimes for many -years. She is always mistress of the scene. It is a dramatic -education just to watch her. She could play ‘quiet’ scenes as well -as anybody else—if not better. But when it came to the great -emotional outbursts Sarah Bernhardt could always make them and make -them so that she brought her audience right up on their feet. A -good deal of the so-called ‘repressed school’ of acting is not art -but artifice—mere trickery. Many players of that school ‘repress’ -because they haven’t got anything to give out—they make a virtue -of necessity and dodge what they cannot do. Sarah Bernhardt never -tried to dodge anything and she never needed to, because she never -undertook anything she could not do superbly. As to the secret of -her wonderful success and great career that you hear people talk so -much about, it is simply this: She loves her work.</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_042" id="ill_042"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_055.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_055.jpg" width="392" height="602" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photographed by Rochlitz Studio <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>SARAH BERNHARDT</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_451" id="page_451">{451}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>When man, woman, or child <i>loves</i> what they are doing, the doing of -it is to them like God’s sunlight to the flowers, it keeps them -alive and makes them beautiful.</p> - -<p>“Much as I admire Mme. Bernhardt as an actress I think I admire her -most as a woman. She sets an example of pluck and perseverance for -all of us, and I have always been very solicitous of her good -opinion. She has come to see several of my productions and her -approval has meant much to me. I once gave a special performance of -‘Adrea’ for her,<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> because that was the only way she could get to -see it and her admiration and applause I regard as the highest -honor.</p> - -<p>“Last Christmas I sent her a telegram which I should like to give -you. This is it:</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Dear and adored friend:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>May God be good to you this coming year, may you have a bright -and happy Christmas, and may your glorious spirit remain with us -for many years to come. We all admire your courage and your genius -and love to call you “The Great Woman” of our century!’</p></div> - -<p>“Her reply is one of my most valued treasures:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>I cannot express to you sufficiently my appreciation of your -adorable messages. I have long been an admirer and friend of yours. -My one regret is that I have never played under your direction. -That will be for another planet!</p> - -<p class="r"> -“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>All my heart devoted,<br /> -“<span class="lftspc">‘</span><span class="smcap">Sarah Bernhardt</span>.’<br /> -</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_452" id="page_452">{452}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Yes, my dear Jefferson Winter, if I must have one, and <i>only one</i>, -favorite player, I am quite sure it must be Mme. Sarah Bernhardt, -in whom the Spirit of Courage, the Spirit of Youth, the Spirit of -France, and the Spirit of Art are all united.</p> - -<p class="r"> -“Faithfully,<br /> -“<span class="smcap">David Belasco</span>.”<br /> -</p></div> - -<h2><a name="BRIEF_EXTRACTS_FROM_MISCELLANEOUS_CORRESPONDENCE_OF_BELASCO" id="BRIEF_EXTRACTS_FROM_MISCELLANEOUS_CORRESPONDENCE_OF_BELASCO"></a>BRIEF EXTRACTS FROM MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE OF BELASCO.</h2> - -<p>“In all my years of work in the Theatre I have never done anything with -which I was wholly satisfied—and I never shall do so. It is the irony -of Fate that we live only long enough to learn how, and then die before -we can make use of the knowledge!”</p> - -<p>“If I were asked what proportion of the aspirants for the Stage who -apply to me for advice will ultimately become great artists, I should -answer: ‘One in two thousand.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<p>“The good stage manager is born—like the good actor. It [stage -management] is, in itself, a special gift and cannot be acquired by -training.”</p> - -<p>“When I can think more with my head and less with my heart the world -will think me wise—and I shall know myself a fool!”</p> - -<p>“The eyes of the heart see quickly and judge rightly.”</p> - -<p>“I think Dreams are the only Realities of Life—and Love is their soul.”</p> - -<p>“My world is a small one, of my own making; a world of faith and -dreams—and that’s why there are so few people in it!”</p> - -<p>“When we are not physically well, the thoughts follow the line of least -resistance—if the Will allows them to; but the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_453" id="page_453">{453}</a></span> Will is <i>Master</i>, and -whatever we wish to be, whatever we wish to do, whatever we wish to get, -we <i>can</i> get, we can <i>be</i> and <i>do</i>, by <i>willing</i> it. So it is that you -will be happy; so it is that you will do wonderful things with your -life; so it is that you will get into the Castle of your Dreams.”</p> - -<p>“For women, marriage is the greatest of all careers: therefore, do not -try to mix any of the others with it!”</p> - -<p>About Flaubert and de Maupassant: “Both of them are of the realistic -school, and all students of human nature should read and reread them, -for they are well worth thought and study. The joys and ills of life are -so graphically portrayed that one may almost hear the souls of many -women weep in their pages. Many of their women you will find frail and -erring, but the light of love shines through nearly all their mistakes, -hallowing them, and whether they be beautifully human, or just inhumanly -beautiful, they are always women.”</p> - -<p>“Actors are prone to think too much of themselves and too much of the -affairs of other people. Gossip and frivolity in the theatre have killed -many a promising career. The first maxim I would teach all beginners on -the stage is this, by Augustin Daly.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">‘A sure way to Success—Mind your business:<br /></span> -<span class="i1">A sure way to Happiness—Mind your own business!’<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>I read that on a sign in the waiting room of Daly’s Theatre, more than -thirty-five years ago, and I made up my mind if ever I had a theatre of -my own I’d put it up where my actors could see it,—and I did. It’s over -the Call Board at my theatre now. The second maxim I would teach actors -is this: ‘Never fake on the stage. The public will always catch you and -never forgive you!<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_454" id="page_454">{454}</a></span>’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<p>“The day of the drunken actor, like that of the drunken statesman and -the drunken doctor, has gone forever.”</p> - -<p>“Try with all your might to think sweet and happy thoughts—and in time -you will come to have faith in real things and so will understand life.”</p> - -<p>“Life is very short, and happiness an elusive will-o’-the-wisp—a wraith -of the night of Time who beckons and beckons, and when we try to follow -him, escapes us very easily.”</p> - -<p>“The ‘star’ actors of to-day lack that careful schooling and full -equipment conspicuous in all the great ‘stars’ of twenty-five, thirty, -fifty years ago, and which is to be acquired only through the old-time -stock system. According to the method of those days, it was never -possible for the actor to play the same part many times in succession. -He was obliged to demonstrate ability not only in many parts but through -a period of many years, and thus to establish himself deservedly in the -good opinion of the public.... I doubt whether any of the young ‘stars’ -could play as many and as great a variety of parts and play them as well -as the ‘stars’ of former days,—although striking successes are made -repeatedly in characters especially written for some particular ‘star.’ -...”</p> - -<p>“In the old days we frequently produced plays with hardly anything at -all to enhance them, either scenery or properties, but merely by a -judicious use of clothes and lighting we made them effective: we did -this because we did not have means to do them correctly. Nowadays, -productions so made are hailed as novelties and the wonders of the age!”</p> - -<p>“I maintain that the great thing, the essential thing, for a producer is -to create <i>Illusion</i> and <i>Effect</i>. The supreme object in all my work has -been to get near to nature; to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_455" id="page_455">{455}</a></span> make my atmosphere as <i>real</i> as -possible, when I am dealing with a drama or a comedy of life. In -mounting a fantastic play there is but one thing to do, and that is to -be as fantastic as possible. And so, in a realist play to be as -realistic as possible. And by this I mean to create the <i>illusion</i> of -reality. To do that every scene must be treated as a separate, a new, -problem,—and the setting of it so as to create illusion is a problem -that will never be solved by the ‘new art.’... When I set a scene -representing a Child’s Restaurant how can I expect to hold the -<i>attention</i> of my audience unless I show them a scene that <i>looks</i> real? -They see it, recognize it, accept it and then, if the actors do their -part, the audience forgets that it isn’t looking into a real place. In -‘Marie-Odile’ some benches, chairs, tables, a pot of carrots and a few -other things, with the bare walls of the convent, were all we needed. -But suppose I had tried to put ‘Adrea’ on in the same way? Let us cut -our cloth to suit our pattern. Do not let us attempt to ‘suggest’ a -Child’s Restaurant by setting up a counter with a coffee cup and a -toothpick on it, nor try to picture the court of a Roman emperor with -the same bare simplicity that answers for a lonely convent in -Alsace!...”</p> - -<p>“After all, hard work, a little love, courage to go on, strength to -fight the daily battle,—what more can a man ask?”</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_043" id="ill_043"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_056.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_056.jpg" width="389" height="650" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by White. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DAVID WARFIELD AS <i>VAN DER DECKEN</i></p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_456" id="page_456">{456}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_457" id="page_457">{457}</a></span> </p> - -<h2><a name="APPENDIX" id="APPENDIX"></a>APPENDIX<br /><br /> -(By J. W.)<br /><br /> -</h2> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_458" id="page_458">{458}</a></span> </p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_459" id="page_459">{459}</a></span> </p> - -<h2>“VAN DER DECKEN.”</h2> - -<p>Belasco’s romantic drama of “Van Der Decken” was first produced at The -Playhouse, Wilmington, Delaware, on December 12, 1915, with David -Warfield in its central character, that of <i>The Flying Dutchman</i>, and it -was acted during the balance of the season of 1915-’16 on a tour which -embraced Washington, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and many other -cities of the Middle-western States. It has not yet been presented in -New York. Belasco esteems it as in some ways his best work. Mr. Winter -did not see it. The following comments on “Van Der Decken” and its -representation are quoted from an article by Charles M. Bregg, a -respected journalist and dramatic critic of “The Pittsburgh Gazette”:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“It is a play so delicate, so poetic in its inner meaning and so -weird in its mystery and philosophy that one wonders at the -artistic courage of David Belasco and the daring of this -adventurous actor who has struck out into hitherto unsailed seas of -dramatic endeavor.... The story, which has appeared in the folklore -of nearly all the nations of Europe but which has found its most -extensive expression in Holland—that of the rebellious seaman who -was destined to an eternal roaming of the seas as a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_460" id="page_460">{460}</a></span> punishment for -defying God—is not new in the literature of the stage. In Opera -and in Drama it has appeared under various guises; but to David -Belasco and to David Warfield has been left the task of giving the -old myth a new setting. Under the title of ‘Van Der Decken’ Mr. -Warfield appears as this Wandering Jew of the seas in a drama of -intense emotional appeal tinged with a deep sense of the -supernatural. In this new play <i>The Flying Dutchman</i> gains port and -finds a peaceful ending as a reward for his self-sacrifice in -surrendering the woman for whom he first sinned. This woman, -according to the Belasco play, is a reincarnated image of the wife -of the Dutchman left in Amsterdam nearly two centuries before when -he sailed away on that cruise around Cape Horn. Thus we find that -the elements of mystery and of the supernatural are the main pivots -of the dramatic action. To visualize them by stage investiture and -amply to suggest them in action are tasks that few producers or -actors would care to undertake.... There is [in the dramatic story] -a romance, but it is so wrapped up in the mystery of other -centuries, and perhaps is not always so clear in the philosophy of -reincarnation, as to be appreciably understood. These are points -about which there may be sound differences of opinion, but on a -first hearing they seem, as a final result, to leave the play shorn -of diverse interest and therefore somewhat monotonous in its -appeal.</p> - -<p>“But it is a weird and deeply interesting play in the compactness -of the story and in its dramatic rendition. The fabric is so -delicate that if it were not staged and played with the utmost care -and good taste it might easily fall to pieces.... Mr. Warfield -demonstrates afresh the fine, sympathetic quality of his acting. -This</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_044" id="ill_044"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_057.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_057.jpg" width="390" height="541" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Charlotte Fairchild. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>INA CLARE AS <i>POLLY SHANNON</i>, IN “POLLY WITH A PAST<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_461" id="page_461">{461}</a></span>”</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><i>rôle</i> is absolutely foreign to anything else he has ever done, and -by the power of his personality and the care of his delineation he -makes the part of the ill-fated sailor throb with sympathy and -meaning. In makeup he emphasizes the poetic quality underlying the -character.... In staging this play Belasco handles his lights as a -great symphony conductor plays with instruments, bending them to -his will and making them set the color of the entire play. The -three acts are set with marvellous care. An old ship sail acts as -the front drop curtain, and throughout the play the atmosphere is -almost made to drip with salt water. One act is in a harbor; -another, on board the ship of <i>The Flying Dutchman</i>, and the third -is a beautiful little delph setting that is like some old picture -of Hollandese ware. In the stage effects, such as wind, thunder, -and lightning, Belasco can make old devices seem an echo of Nature -herself.... The music of the stage is ghostly and haunting....”</p></div> - -<p>“Van Der Decken” was played with the following cast:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Van Der Decken</i></td><td class="rt">David Warfield.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Nicholas Staats</i></td><td class="rt">Ernest Stallard.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mate Jacob Te Beckel</i></td><td class="rt">William Boag.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Jansoon Kolp</i></td><td class="rt">Fritz Lieber.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Petie Vieck</i></td><td class="rt">Fred Graham.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Raff Kloots</i></td><td class="rt">Harold Russell.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Rudie Schimmelpennick</i></td><td class="rt">Horace Braham.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p class="c">SAILORS ABOARD THE FLYING DUTCHMAN’S SHIP “BATAVIA.” -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_462" id="page_462">{462}</a></span></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Kris</i></td><td class="rt">Arthur Fitzgerald.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Bram</i></td><td class="rt">Herbert Ayling.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Hein</i></td><td class="rt">Worthington L. Romaine.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Hans</i></td><td class="rt">J. J. Williams.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Prinz</i></td><td class="rt">Lawrence Woods.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Klass</i></td><td class="rt">Edward L. Walton.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Jan Tanjes</i></td><td class="rt">Bert Hyde.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Pilot Krantz</i></td><td class="rt">Tony Bevan.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Boatman</i></td><td class="rt">Oren Roberts.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Trintie Staats</i></td><td class="rt">Jane Cooper.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Johanna</i></td><td class="rt">Marie Bates.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>A Little Boy</i></td><td class="rt">Master MacComber.</td></tr> -</table> - -<h2><a name="POLLY_WITH_A_PAST" id="POLLY_WITH_A_PAST"></a>“POLLY WITH A PAST.”</h2> - -<p>“Polly with a Past” is a merry though thin piece of farcical fooling, -which owes its exceptional success—it has already run nearly an entire -season in New York—to the attractiveness of the setting provided for it -by Belasco and to the earnestness and zest with which it is played. It -was written by Messrs. George Middleton and Guy Bolton and then -rewritten under the direction of Belasco. Its plot is conventional, -though familiar stage figures and time-tried devices are handled in it -with considerable breezy dexterity. <i>Polly Shannon</i>, an orphan, the -daughter of a poor clergyman of East Gilead, Ohio, desires to study -music in Paris. She makes her way as far as New York and there, having -no money, she secures employment as cook and waitress in the service of -two young bachelors, <i>Harry Rich<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_463" id="page_463">{463}</a></span>ardson</i> and <i>Clay Collum</i>. A friend of -theirs, <i>Rex Van Zile</i>, is violently in love with a young woman, <i>Myrtle -Davis</i>, whose purpose in life is the reformation of the abandoned waifs -of society. <i>Myrtle’s</i> attitude toward <i>Rex</i> is aloof and cool and he -despairs of winning her. <i>Harry</i> and <i>Clay</i>, who have heard the story of -their pretty little servant and become interested in her, seek her -counsel. <i>Polly</i>, premising that though a minister’s daughter she is -familiar with French novels, suggests that the best way for <i>Rex</i> to win -<i>Myrtle’s</i> love is for him to pretend to become the helplessly -fascinated victim of a notorious Parisian adventuress. Finally, after -much persuasion, <i>Polly</i> agrees to assume the part of the adventuress -and, introduced into the ultra-respectable <i>Van Zile</i> home, she does so -with such entire success that not only is <i>Myrtle</i> inspired with jealous -interest but that <i>Rex</i> is really charmed by her winning ways and -transfers his affections to her. Various complications occur, incident -to the attainment of this result—all of them amusing although -transparently artificial in contrivance—and as a whole the -representation provides an unusually agreeable entertainment.</p> - -<p>“Polly with a Past” was first acted at the Apollo Theatre, Atlantic -City, on June 11, 1917; and, after a brief fall tour, it was produced at -the Belasco<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_464" id="page_464">{464}</a></span> Theatre, New York, on September 6, with the following cast:</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Harry Richardson</i></td><td class="rt">Cyril Scott.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Rex Van Zile</i></td><td class="rt">Herbert Yost.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Prentice Van Zile</i></td><td class="rt">H. Reeves-Smith.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Stiles</i></td><td class="rt">William Sampson.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Clay Collum</i></td><td class="rt">George Stewart Christie.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>A Stranger</i></td><td class="rt">Robert Fischer.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Commodore “Bob” Barker</i></td><td class="rt">Thomas Reynolds.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Polly Shannon</i></td><td class="rt">Ina Claire.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. Martha Van Zile</i></td><td class="rt">Winifred Fraser.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Myrtle Davis</i></td><td class="rt">Anne Meredith.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mrs. Clementine Davis</i></td><td class="rt">Louise Galloway.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Parker</i></td><td class="rt">Mildred Dean.</td></tr> -</table> -<p>Excellent performances were given in this farce, especially by Cyril -Scott,—a neat and skilful actor of pleasant personality, who bears -himself with more breezy jauntiness than most men half his age,—H. -Reeves-Smith and William Sampson, both experienced and accomplished -players of the old school, and by Miss Ina Claire, a talented young -actress, who, as <i>Polly Shannon</i>, made her first appearance on the -legitimate stage in it. Belasco’s attention was first directed to her -during the season of 1915-’16 when, as one of the performers in a -vaudeville, she sang a song called “Poor Little Marie-Odile” in which he -was severely lampooned. He attended her<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_465" id="page_465">{465}</a></span> performance, was favorably -impressed by her singing and imitations, and engaged her. Miss Claire is -pretty, extraordinarily self-poised, an expert mimic, has a good stage -presence, is able to assume effectively a demure manner, and she played -<i>Polly</i> with spirit, humor, and at least one touch of feeling.</p> - -<h2><a name="TIGER_ROSE" id="TIGER_ROSE"></a>“TIGER ROSE.”</h2> - -<p>“Tiger Rose” was written by Willard Mack and then rewritten under -Belasco’s direction and with his assistance. It was first produced at -the Shubert Theatre, Wilmington, Delaware, on April 30, 1917: on October -3, that year, it was produced at the Lyceum Theatre, New York, where it -is still current (June, 1918) and where it bids fair to remain for many -weeks. It is a picturesque and effective melodrama, in four acts (the -third being presented as practically an undetached continuation of the -second), the scene of which is a frontier post in the Canadian -Northwest. The action of that play revolves around the love affair of a -French-Canadian girl named <i>Rose Bocion</i>. She is an orphan and the ward -of <i>Hector MacCollins</i>, a conventionally austere yet kindly Scotchman, a -factor of the Hudson Bay Trading Company, in whose dwelling three of the -acts take place. The girl, a lovely flower of the forest, is admired and -courted<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_466" id="page_466">{466}</a></span> by all the youth for many a mile around, including a capable -but dissolute Irishman, <i>Constable Michael Devlin</i>, of the Royal North -Western Mounted Police. <i>Rose</i>, however, will have none of them,—for -she and <i>Bruce Norton</i>, a young civil engineer from a neighboring -construction camp, have met by chance and have become lovers. <i>Norton</i>, -in the camp where he is employed, unexpectedly encounters and kills a -man who, years earlier, had first misled and then deserted his sister, a -married woman, who in consequence committed suicide. <i>Norton</i> makes his -escape into the wilderness and seeks to communicate with <i>Rose</i>, his -only friend, hoping to obtain her help in getting clear of the region. -An Indian squaw employed in the factor’s household bears a message and -eventually he succeeds in reaching the girl. But information of his -crime has been transmitted to <i>MacCollins’</i> dwelling, by telephone, -where it is received by <i>Devlin</i>. That blackguard, who has been made -furious by <i>Rose’s</i> bitterly contemptuous repulse of his dishonorable -advances and who has surmised the identity of her lover with the -fugitive, is vigilantly watchful, hoping to gratify his jealous hatred -while in the performance of his duty. During the interview between -<i>Norton</i> and <i>Rose</i> she detects the stealthy approach of <i>Devlin</i>, -tracking him. After making a tryst with him at a remote</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_045" id="ill_045"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_058.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_058.jpg" width="389" height="506" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Abbe. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Collection of Jefferson Winter.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>LENORE ULRIC AS <i>ROSE</i>, IN “TIGER ROSE”</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_467" id="page_467">{467}</a></span></p> - -<p class="nind">and abandoned log cabin in the woods, she has barely time to hide her -lover in a huge old grand-father’s clock, in the factor’s house. From -that precarious concealment <i>Norton</i> escapes, down a trapdoor in the -floor, under cover of the dreadful tumult of an appalling electrical -storm (most realistically and impressively managed in Belasco’s -presentment) and, eventually, makes his way to the appointed meeting -place. There, during the next night, he is joined by <i>Rose</i> and a kindly -physician, <i>Dr. Cusick</i>, who has discovered her attachment and who, -somewhat unwillingly, has consented to assist in the escape of her -sweetheart. Various explanations are exchanged and it is revealed that -<i>Dr. Cusick</i> (that being an assumed name) is actually the wronged -husband of <i>Norton’s</i> sister and has been for years seeking to find and -kill the man slain by him. After the family misfortunes have been -discussed and an understanding arrived at and after plans for the escape -of <i>Norton</i> out of the Dominion have been devised and arranged by the -intrepid <i>Rose</i>, the trio are about to separate when the ubiquitous -<i>Devlin</i>, who has divined their resort to the ruined cabin, has -concealed himself there and listened to their conversation, suddenly -emerges from his hiding place and, “covering” the culprit with a pistol, -arrests him. <i>Rose</i>, however, abruptly<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_468" id="page_468">{468}</a></span> extinguishes the only light in -the cabin, at the same instant shooting the weapon out of <i>Devlin’s</i> -hand and crying to her love to fly—which he does. <i>Devlin</i> makes an -attempt to follow him, striking down and stunning <i>Cusick</i>, but, being -unarmed, is stopped by <i>Rose</i> at the pistol point. Then, throughout the -night she holds him there. With dawn, however, <i>Norton</i>, who has -realized the predicament in which his escape will leave his sweetheart, -returns, accompanied by a Jesuit priest whom he has met—and, as <i>Rose</i> -will not submit to the removal of her lover to Edmonton, there to stand -trial alone, but insists on an immediate marriage to him, the play ends -with impending matrimony and the implication that <i>Dr. Cusick</i>, who, it -appears has “done the State some service,” will succeed in his declared -intention of appealing to the legal authorities for lenient treatment of -<i>Norton</i>,—an intention, by the way, which indicates a touching -ignorance of the operation of criminal law in the region specified.</p> - -<p>All this, if sometimes false to the probabilities of actual life, is -always responsive to the purposes of acting, and, as presented by -Belasco,—with scrupulous care to every aspect of the stage setting and -to every detail of the stage management and with an unusually capable -company,—the melodrama merits the success it has achieved. The central -char<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_469" id="page_469">{469}</a></span>acter is, of course, <i>Rose Bocion</i>,—who, with euphonious disregard -of gender, is called <i>Tiger Rose</i>. This girl is headstrong, impulsive, -and intense, she indulges with excessive freedom in violent expletives, -and she fights hard for the man she loves. But there is nothing -tiger-like in her conduct or her character. On the contrary, <i>Rose</i>, is -winsome, brave, loyal, ardent, resourceful and utterly sincere, devoted -and unselfish in her love. However, the name makes a striking title for -the play. Miss Lenore Ulric, who acts the part, is possessed of -exceptional natural advantages,—youth; a handsome face; abundant hair; -expressive eyes, dark and beautiful; a slender, lithe figure; a -sympathetic voice; strong, attractive personality, and an engaging -manner. Her temperament is intense, her nature passionate, her style -direct and simple. Her acting reveals force of character, experience, -observation, thought, sensibility, ardor, definite purpose, and unusual -command of the mechanics of art. It is, moreover, suffused with fervid, -sometimes ungoverned feeling (which is a defect), and it is at all times -sincere, individual, and interesting. She is an admirable listener, an -excellent speaker,—articulating with great care,—and, at moments (as, -for example, in a colloquy with <i>Father Tibault</i> as to belief in Diety), -the disposition she exhibits in this performance seems altogether<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_470" id="page_470">{470}</a></span> -childlike and lovely. Under Belasco’s sagacious direction she should go -far.</p> - -<p class="c">CAST OF “TIGER ROSE.”</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td><i>Hector MacCollins</i></td><td class="rt">Thomas Findlay.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Dan Cusick, M.D.</i></td><td class="rt">William Courtleigh.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Constable Michael Devlin, R.N.W.M.P.</i></td><td class="rt">Willard Mack.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Bruce Norton</i></td><td class="rt">Calvin Thomas.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Father Thibault</i></td><td class="rt">Fuller Mellish.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Pierre La Bey</i></td><td class="rt">Pedro De Cordoba.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>George Lantry</i></td><td class="rt">Edwin Holt.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Old Tom</i></td><td class="rt">Edward Mack.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Constable Haney</i></td><td class="rt">Arthur J. Wood.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Mak-a-low</i></td><td class="rt">Chief Whitehawk.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Wa-Wa</i></td><td class="rt">Jean Ferrell.</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>Rose Bocion</i></td><td class="rt">Lenore Ulric.</td></tr> -</table> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_046" id="ill_046"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_059.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_059.jpg" width="395" height="555" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Arnold Genthe. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Collection of Jefferson Winter.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>DAVID BELASCO—HIS LATEST PORTRAIT, 1918</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_471" id="page_471">{471}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_472" id="page_472">{472}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_473" id="page_473">{473}</a></span> </p> - -<h2><a name="CHRONOLOGY" id="CHRONOLOGY"></a>CHRONOLOGY</h2> - -<h2><a name="CHRONOLOGY_OF_THE_LIFE_OF_DAVID_BELASCO" -id="CHRONOLOGY_OF_THE_LIFE_OF_DAVID_BELASCO"></a> -CHRONOLOGY OF THE LIFE OF DAVID BELASCO</h2> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="02" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="font-size:60%;"> -<tr><td class="c">HUMPHREY ABRAHAM BELASCO,<br /> - BORN, LONDON, ENGLAND,<br />DECEMBER 26, 1830.</td><td><span style="padding-left: 5em;"> </span></td> -<td class="c">REINA MARTIN BELASCO,<br /> -BORN, LONDON, ENGLAND,<br />APRIL 24. 1830.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p> -1853.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">25. <span class="smcap">David Belasco</span>, eldest child of Humphrey</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Abraham, and Reina Martin, Belasco, was</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><small>BORN</small>, in a house in Howard Street, near</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Third Street, San Francisco, California.</span><br /> -<br /> -1858. While David Belasco was a little child,—apparently<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">about 1858,—his parents removed</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">to Victoria, Island of Vancouver, B. C., taking</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">him with them.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">In the latter part of 185(8?) he was “carried</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">on,” at the Theatre Royal, Victoria, as</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>Cora’s Child</i>, in “Pizarro,”—Julia Dean</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">(Hayne) being the <i>Cora</i>. Later he played</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the child in “Metamora,” when Edwin Forrest</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">filled an engagement in Victoria.</span><br /> -<br /> -186(2?). About 1862 he appeared with Julia Dean<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">(Hayne), in “East Lynne,” as <i>Little William</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -1864. In the latter part of 1864 he played the<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_474" id="page_474">{474}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">little <i>Duke of York</i>, in “King Richard III.,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">with Charles Kean, at the Theatre Royal,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Victoria.</span><br /> -<br /> -1865-1871. In 1865 (March-April?) the elder Belasco<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">removed with his family to San Francisco,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">California, and there established his permanent</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">residence. As a boy, in that city, Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">attended several schools, chief among them the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Lincoln Grammar School. During part of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">this period the Belasco home was in Louisa</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Street, then in Bryant Street, afterward it</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">was in Clara Street.</span><br /> -<br /> -1871.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">17. At the Metropolitan Theatre, San Francisco,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco appeared as an <i>Indian Chief</i></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in Professor Hager’s “Great Historical Allegory,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">‘The Great Republic,’<span class="lftspc">”</span>—which was</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">several times repeated, for the benefit of the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">schools whose pupils participated in the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">performance: in the Second Part thereof he</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">personated <i>War</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">15. He appeared, in Hager’s “The Great</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Republic,” at Sacramento, California.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">2. (Friday Evening.) He took part in a</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">series of public “competitive declamations”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">(reciting “The Maniac”), by pupils of the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Lincoln Grammar School, at Platt’s Hall,</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_475" id="page_475">{475}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">San Francisco. On same occasion he</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">appeared as <i>Highflyer Nightshade</i>, in “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Freedom of the Press.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">7. At the Metropolitan Theatre, revival of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Hager’s “The Great Republic,” in which he</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">again appeared as an <i>Indian Chief</i>, and as</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>War</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">22. He appeared as <i>Fornechet</i>, <i>Minister of Finance</i>,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in a presentment of Sutter’s “Life’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Revenge,” by the Fire-Fly Social and Dramatic</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Club, at Turnverein Hall, Bush Street,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">near Powell, San Francisco.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">10. <span class="smcap">Belasco’s First Regular Appearance</span> on</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the professional stage,—as a super, with</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Joseph Murphy, in “Help,” at the Metropolitan</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre. Subsequently he was given a</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">small part, a few words to speak, in this</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">play. “Help” was played till July 16, Sunday</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">night.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">19. “Help” revived at Metropolitan Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">22. End of Murphy’s engagement in “Help.”</span><br /> -<br /> -1872.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">22. He played <i>Bloater</i>, in “Maum Cre” (then</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">first acted in San Francisco), with Joseph</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Murphy, at the Metropolitan Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. He appeared at the Metropolitan Theatre,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">San Francisco, with Minnie Wells (not</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Mary Wells), in “The Lion of Nubia” (not</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Lioness), as <i>Lieutenant Victor</i>: on this occasion</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_476" id="page_476">{476}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">he was billed as Walter Kingsley.</span><br /> -1873.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">February.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">23. He played <i>Peter Bowbells</i> in “The Illustrious</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Stranger,” in a Benefit Performance,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">for Marion Mordaunt, at the Metropolitan</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">5. “Grand Reopening of the Metropolitan</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre,” under direction of John R.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Woodard: cheap prices: The Chapman</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Sisters, in H. J. Byron’s “Little Don</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Giovanni.” Belasco played the <i>First Policeman</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">18. He played <i>Prince Saucilita</i> (giving burlesque</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of a local character known as</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Emperor” Norton), in “The Gold Demon,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">with the Chapman Sisters, at the Metropolitan</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">21. He played <i>Strale</i>, in “Checkmate,” with the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Chapmans, at the Metropolitan.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">2. (One night only.) He played <i>Reuben</i>, in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Schermerhorn’s Boy,” and <i>Strale</i>, in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Checkmate,” with the Chapmans,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"> at the Academy of Music, Oakland, California.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">3. At the Metropolitan, San Francisco, he</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">appeared, with the Chapmans, as the <i>Genius</i></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>of the Ring</i>, in “The Wonderful Scamp; or,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Aladdin No. 2,” and as <i>Peter True</i>, in “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Statue Lover.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">9. He played the <i>First Fury</i>, in “Pluto,” with</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Chapmans, at the Metropolitan.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">18. Revival of “Little Don Giovanni” at the</span><br /> -</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><p><a name="ill_047" id="ill_047"></a></p> -<a href="images/ill_060.jpg"> -<img src="images/ill_060.jpg" width="543" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /></a> -<div class="caption"> - -<p> -Photograph by Harris & Ewing. <span style="margin-left:15%;">Belasco’s Collection.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>BELASCO LEADING THE PARADE OF “THE LAMBS” UP PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, -WASHINGTON, D. C.</p> - -<p><span style="margin-right:50%;"><span class="smcap">Inscription</span>:</span></p> - -<p>“The first time I ‘paraded’ into town since my old days in the -West, when I used to bang the cymbals and pound the drum!”—D. B.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_477" id="page_477">{477}</a></span></p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">Metropolitan: Belasco as the <i>First Policeman</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">28. Last regular performance at the Metropolitan</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre, San Francisco. The Chapman</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Sisters in “Cinderella,”—produced 23.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">May.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">3. He played with the Chapman Sisters, in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Little Don Giovanni,” in Sacramento.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Later he appeared, with the Chapman Sisters,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in several California towns.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">August.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">18. He played <i>Bloater</i>, in “Maum Cre,” with</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Joseph Murphy, at Shiels’ Opera House, San</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Francisco.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">25. He played <i>Bob Rackett</i>, in “Help,” with</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Murphy, at Shiels’.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">26. At the home of his parents, No. 174 Clara</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Street, San Francisco, California, David</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco and Cecilia Loverich were married.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">1. At Shiels’ Opera House he played <i>Baldwin</i>,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">with Murphy, in “Ireland and America”:</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Same bill, September 2, 6, and 7. “Maum</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Cre” 3, 4, and 5.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">10. He played <i>Harvey</i>, in “Out at Sea,” with</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Laura Alberta, at Shiels’ Opera House.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">20. He played <i>Sambo</i>, in “Uncle Tom’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Cabin,” to the <i>Topsy</i> of Laura Alberta, at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Shiels’.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">25. “Twice Saved; or, Bertha the Midget,” was</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">acted at the Opera House (formerly Shiels’,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">subsequently Gray’s) and Belasco played</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_478" id="page_478">{478}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>Major Hershner</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">29. He acted <i>Spada</i>, in Stirling Coyne’s “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Woman in Red,” with Fanny Cathcart, at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Opera House. (That house was first</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">billed as Gray’s Opera House, on October 3,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and “The Woman in Red” was played there</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">till October 5.)</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">6. Belasco played at Gray’s Opera House, as</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>Darley</i>, with Fanny Cathcart and George</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Darrell, in “Dark Deeds.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">18. Benefit performance, at Gray’s Opera</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">House, to James Dunbar: Belasco acted</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>Mons. Voyage</i>, in Third Act of “Ireland as</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">It Was.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2.5em;">October-November, <i>et seq.</i></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">He went to Virginia City, Nevada, where he</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">became a member of the stock company at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Piper’s Opera House.</span><br /> -<br /> -1874.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">1-7? Belasco returned to San Francisco from</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Virginia City.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">10. Engagement of Adelaide Neilson in San</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Francisco began at the California Theatre,—Miss</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Neilson making her first appearance</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">there in “Romeo and Juliet.” Belasco participated</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in all the performances given during</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">that engagement,—which ended on March</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">30,—as a super and helper about the stage.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">May.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">4. Grand Opening of Maguire’s New Theatre,</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_479" id="page_479">{479}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">San Francisco, (the old Alhambra, rebuilt and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">altered),—“The Entire Lingard Combination,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Wiliam Horace Lingard, Dicky Dunning,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Alice Lingard, etc., appearing in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Creatures of Impulse,” “Mr. and Mrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Peter White,” and a miscellaneous entertainment.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;">June-September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco worked as a copyist, etc., for</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Barton Hill, at the California Theatre</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and played minor parts (not recorded)</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at Maguire’s New Theatre. Also, he</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">made several brief excursions as a “barnstormer”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">to small towns of California and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Nevada.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">(14?). Belasco became attached to Maguire’s New</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre as assistant stage manager and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">prompter, actor of small parts, hack playwright,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and secretary and messenger to</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Thomas Maguire. In this employment he</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">came into association with James A. Herne,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Thomas Whiffen, Annette Ince, Ella Kemble,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Sydney Cowell, etc. He remained there for</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">about four months.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">12. He played the <i>Dwarf</i> in “Rip Van Winkle”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at Maguire’s,—Herne being <i>Rip</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">24. Belasco played <i>Pietro</i> and <i>Galeas</i>, in the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">prologue and drama of “The Enchantress,”</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_480" id="page_480">{480}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at Maguire’s New Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -1875.<br /> -January to (May?).<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco was “barnstorming” with a Miss</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Rogers, originally a school teacher, who obtained</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">financial support and starred in a</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">repertory including “East Lynne,” “Camille,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Frou Frou,” and “Robert Macaire.” Miss</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Rogers’ tour began in Portland, Oregon, and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">continued through small towns along the Big</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Bear and Little Bear rivers. It proved a</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">failure and the company was disbanded,—Miss</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Rogers and Belasco, however, continued</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">to appear together for several weeks,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">presenting one-act plays such as “A Happy</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Pair” and “A Conjugal Lesson.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">—. He was in San Francisco.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">4. He participated, as assistant to James H.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Le Roy, in stage management of a benefit</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">performance, for Frank Rea, at Maguire’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">New Opera House.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">August.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">4. He assisted, in various ways, in a presentation</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the California Theatre of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Bohemian,” in which George Ceprico (amateur)</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">appeared as <i>Edmund Kean</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">7. Production at the California Theatre of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">[a variant, by Belasco?] Le Roy’s version</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of “The New Magdalen,”—Ellie Wilton playing</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>Mercy Merrick</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">8. “Lost in London” was presented at</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_481" id="page_481">{481}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Maguire’s New Theatre, at Belasco’s suggestion</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">[acted according to a prompt book</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">or “version” prepared by him?].</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">November.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">17. Benefit, to “Sam” Wetherill, at Maguire’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">New Theatre,—stage management of Belasco.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">6. Belasco played a subsidiary part in “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Jealous Wife,” in a performance (“last night</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of the season”) at Maguire’s, for the benefit</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of Katy Mayhew.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">13. C. R. Thorne’s Palace Theatre (formerly</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Wilson’s Amphitheatre), corner Montgomery</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and Mission streets, San Francisco, was</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">opened, with “Gaspardo; or, The Three Banished</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Men of Milan,” and Belasco appeared</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in it as <i>Santo</i>, <i>a Monk</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">21. He played <i>Signor Mateo</i>, in “The Miser’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Daughter.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">24. He played <i>Selim</i>, in “The Forty Thieves,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at Thorne’s Palace Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">30. He played <i>Gilbert Gates</i>, in “The Dawn of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Freedom,” at the same house. Thorne closed</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">his theatre, suddenly, December 31.</span><br /> -<br /> -1876.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">7. The Palace Theatre was reopened, as the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Palace Opera House, under management of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Colonel J. H. Wood, presenting Frank Jones</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in “The Black Hand; or, The Lost Will,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in which Belasco played <i>Bob</i>, <i>a Policeman</i>.</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_482" id="page_482">{482}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">That engagement lasted for about three</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">weeks, at the end of which time, apparently,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">he went back to Maguire’s New Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">6. Opening of Baldwin’s Academy of Music,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">San Francisco. Thomas Maguire, proprietor.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">James A. Herne, stage manager. David</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco, assistant stage manager and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">prompter. Bill: Barry Sullivan, in “King</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Richard III.,”—Belasco played <i>Ratcliff</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">11. Sullivan revived “The Wonder,” at Baldwin’s,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and Belasco played in it as <i>Vasquez</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">13. Sullivan acted in “Hamlet,” at Baldwin’s:</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco played <i>Bernardo</i> and the <i>Second Actor</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. Sullivan presented “Richelieu,” at Baldwin’s,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and Belasco appeared as one of the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>Secretaries</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">20. Played the <i>First Officer</i>, in “Macbeth,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">with Sullivan, at Baldwin’s.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">23. Played the <i>Waiter</i>, in “The Gamester,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">with Sullivan as <i>Beverley</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">27. Played the <i>Duke of Burgundy</i>, in “King</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Lear,” with Sullivan, at Baldwin’s.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">29. Played a <i>Messenger</i>, in “Othello,” with</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Sullivan, at Baldwin’s.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">31. Played <i>Salarino</i>, in “The Merchant of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Venice,” with Sullivan, at Baldwin’s.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">5. Played the <i>Lieutenant</i>, in “Don Cæsar de</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Bazan,” with Sullivan, at Baldwin’s.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">7. Played <i>Furnace</i>, in “A New Way to Pay</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Old Debts.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_483" id="page_483">{483}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">10. Played <i>Marco</i>, in “The Wife.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. End of Barry Sullivan’s engagement at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Baldwin’s Academy of Music, “King Richard</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">III.” Belasco played <i>Ratcliff</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">18. Mrs. James A. Oates began an engagement</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in Opera at Baldwin’s, and Belasco, with</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">other members of the dramatic stock company,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">returned to Maguire’s New Theatre</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">(whence they had come to Baldwin’s), where</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">they supported Baker and Farron, in “Heinrich</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and Hettie.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">May-June—part of July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco went “barnstorming.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">23. He played <i>DeMilt</i>, in “Under the Gas-Light,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in a benefit, by John McCullough and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">others, for E. J. Buckley, at the California</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">4. Edwin Booth began an eight weeks’ engagement</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in San Francisco (the first in twenty</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">years), at the California Theatre, in “Hamlet,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Richelieu,” “Othello,” etc., and Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">was employed as a supernumerary in his company.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">—. Belasco was employed by James M. Ward</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">as stage manager and playwright, at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Grand Opera House.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. He appeared with Ward and Winnetta</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Montague, at the Grand Opera House, in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“The Willing Hand.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_484" id="page_484">{484}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">22. He appeared at Baldwin’s, as <i>Doctor of the</i></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>Hospital</i>, in “The Two Orphans,” for benefit</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of Katy Mayhew.</span><br /> -<br /> -1877.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">February.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. He appeared at Egyptian Hall (No. 22</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Geary Street, near Kearny), in association</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">with Frank Gardner and his wife (Carrie</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Swan), acting <i>The Destroyer</i>, in “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Haunted House,”—a play written by himself,—<i>Valentine</i>,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in an abridgment of “Faust,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and <i>Mr. Trimeo</i>, in “The Mysterious Inn.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">The presentments at Egyptian Hall were</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">all built around a variant of the “Pepper’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Ghost” illusion.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">17. At Egyptian Hall he appeared as <i>Avica</i>,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>Spirit of Avarice</i>, in “A Storm of Thoughts”;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>Phil Bouncer</i>, in “The Persecuted Traveller,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and as <i>The Destroyer</i>, in “The Haunted</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">House.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">20. At Egyptian Hall “Our Mysterious Boarding</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">House” was presented, in which he played</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>Our Guest</i>, replacing “The Persecuted Traveller,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in bill as on 17.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">2. Same place, he played <i>Mark</i>, in “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Prodigal’s Return,” as well as <i>Avica</i> and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>Our Guest</i>, as above.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">The engagement of the Gardners and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco at Egyptian Hall continued for eight</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">weeks.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Other plays which Belasco recalls having</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_485" id="page_485">{485}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">written for presentation there are “Wine,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Women, and Cards” and “The Christmas</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Night; or, The Convict’s Return.” I have</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">not, however, found <i>record</i> of the presentation</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of them. During that engagement at Egyptian</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Hall, Belasco also gave several recitations,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">including “The Maiden’s Prayer,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">with musical accompaniment, and “Little</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Jim.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">May-July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco acted with Gardiner and his wife,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in various cities and towns of California and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Pacific Slope, in the plays above mentioned.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">August.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">18. Belasco played <i>John O’Bibs</i>, in Boucicault’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“The Long Strike” (billed as “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Great Strike”), and the <i>Earl of Oxford</i>, in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Fifth Act of “King Richard III.,” in a</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">benefit for A. D. Billings, at the California</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre, San Francisco.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">24. A theatrical company, from the California</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre, San Francisco, under the management</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of Thomas W. Keene, of which Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">was stage manager, began a “Fair week”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">engagement at the Petaluma Theatre, Petaluma,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">California. Bill: “The Lady of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Lyons,” in which Belasco played <i>Monsieur Deschapelles</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and “The Young Widow,” in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">which he played <i>Mandeville</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">25. Same engagement: “The Hidden Hand,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco playing <i>Craven Lenoir</i>; and “Robert</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_486" id="page_486">{486}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Macaire,” in which he played <i>Pierre</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">26. Same. “The Wife,” Belasco as <i>Lorenzo</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and “My Turn Next,” Belasco as <i>Tom Bolus</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">27. Same. “The Streets of New York,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco as <i>Dan</i>; and “The Rough Diamond,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco as <i>Captain Blenham</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">28. Same. “Deborah,” Belasco as <i>Peter</i>; and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Solon Shingle” (“The People’s Lawyer”),</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco as <i>Lawyer Tripper</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Same. Benefit of Keene. “The Ticket-of-Leave</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Man,” Belasco acted one of the subsidiary</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">parts.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">—. Belasco joined the Frayne Troupe, at Humboldt,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Oregon, opening as <i>Mrs. Willoughby</i>,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in “The Ticket-of-Leave Man.” This engagement</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">lasted about three months.</span><br /> -<br /> -1878.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">4. He played at the Opera House, San José,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">as a member of the Frayne Troupe (Frank</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">I. Frayne, manager), comprising also M. B.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Curtis, H. M. Brown, E. N. Thayer, Mrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Harry Courtaine, Gertrude Granville, and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Miss Fletcher.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">He played in many Pacific Slope towns and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">cities with this company.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;">January-March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">He returned to San Francisco and performed</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">miscellaneous theatrical drudgery.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_487" id="page_487">{487}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 8em;">4. Belasco played <i>James Callin</i>, and <i>Pablo</i>,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>an Italian Harpist</i>, in the prologue and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">drama of “Across the Continent,” with Oliver</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Doud Byron, at the Bush Street Theatre,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">San Francisco. (Six nights: revival, March</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">18 to 23.)</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">26. The New York Union Square Company</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">acted at the Baldwin Theatre, San Francisco,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in “Agnes,” and Belasco appeared with it, as</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the valet, <i>Rudolphe</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">8. “One Hundred Years Old” was acted at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Baldwin Theatre, Belasco playing the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">servant, <i>Louis</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">15. “Saratoga” was acted at the Baldwin,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco playing <i>Gyp</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">25. “A Celebrated Case” was revived at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Baldwin, Belasco playing a subsidiary part.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">May, <i>et seq.</i></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco travelled with the Union Square</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre Company, as stage manager, during</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">a tour of towns and cities of California, Oregon,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">etc. At the end of that tour he received</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">a memorable tribute from the members of the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">company: see page 106.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">8. Boucicault’s “The Octoroon,” “retouched</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and rearranged” by Belasco, was revived at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Baldwin Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">2. Belasco’s version of “The Vicar of Wakefield,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">entitled (like Wills’ version) “Olivia,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">was produced for the first time at the</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_488" id="page_488">{488}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Baldwin Theatre, San Francisco, Rose Wood</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">acting <i>Olivia</i>, A. D. Bradley <i>Dr. Primrose</i>,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">James O’Neill <i>Mr. Barchell</i>, and Lewis Morrison</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>Squire Thornhill</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">14. An alteration by Belasco of Wills’ “A</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Woman of the People” was acted at the Baldwin.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">28. Belasco’s “Proof Positive” was acted at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Baldwin.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">November.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">4. Clara Morris began her first San Francisco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">engagement at the Baldwin, Belasco being</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the stage manager.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">23. “Not Guilty,” by Watts Phillips, revised</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">by Belasco, and produced under his direction,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">was acted for the first time in San Francisco,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Baldwin Theatre: notable success.</span><br /> -<br /> -1879.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">—. Belasco resigned his position at the Baldwin</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre and rewrote his play of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Lone Pine” for Denman Thompson. He disagreed</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">with Thompson and his manager, J.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">M. Hill, and his play was not produced.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">February.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">—. Belasco was re-employed as stage manager,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">etc., at the Baldwin.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">6. He played <i>Colonel Dent</i>, in “The Governess,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">with Clara Morris, at the Baldwin</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre (one night only: farewell of Miss</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_489" id="page_489">{489}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Morris).</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">17. Belasco’s dramatization of Gaboriau’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Within an Inch of His Life” was acted for</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the first time at the Grand Opera House:</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">notable success.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">1. “Within an Inch of His Life” was withdrawn.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">3. The first presentation of Salmi Morse’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“The Passion Play” was made at the Grand</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Opera House, San Francisco, under the stage</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">management of Belasco and “Harry” Brown,—James</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">O’Neill appearing in it as <i>Jesus Christ</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">11. “The Passion Play” was withdrawn at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Grand Opera House.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">15. Revival of “The Passion Play” at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Grand Opera House.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">20-21. An injunction prohibiting further presentation</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of “The Passion Play” was issued,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and, that being disregarded, O’Neill and his</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">associates were arrested (21st): O’Neill was</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">imprisoned, and later he was fined $50 and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">his associates $5 each, for contempt of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">court.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">May.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">5. An adaptation of Sardou’s “La Famille</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Benoiton!” entitled “A Fast Family,” made</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">by Belasco, was played at the Baldwin.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">19. At the Baldwin Belasco acted the old man,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>Timothy Tubbs</i>, in his play of “The Millionaire’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Daughter,” which was then first</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_490" id="page_490">{490}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">presented,—five nights: revival May 26 to 31.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">2. Rose Coghlan, engaged at Belasco’s request,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">began her first engagement in San Francisco,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Baldwin, playing <i>Lady Gay</i>, in “London</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Assurance.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">30. First performance of “Marriage by Moonlight”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">(afterward renamed “The Moonlight</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Marriage”), by Belasco and James A.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Herne, occurred at the Baldwin Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">13. (Sunday night.) Special benefit for Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and James A. Herne, at the Baldwin:</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“The Moonlight Marriage” and “Rip Van</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Winkle.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">15. First performance of Belasco’s version of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“L’Assommoir,” based on Zola’s novel, was</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">made at the Baldwin, with an “all-star company,”—Rose</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Coghlan, Lillian Andrews, Jean</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Clara Walters, O’Neill, Morrison, Herne, etc.,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">being in the cast.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">9. At Baldwin’s Theatre, San Francisco, first</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">production of “Chums” (“Hearts of Oak”),</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">by David Belasco and James A. Herne.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">21. (Sunday.) Last performance of “Chums”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at Baldwin’s. Failure.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">6. Herne-Belasco partnership presented</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Chums” at Salt Lake City.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Other places were visited. The business was</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">bad. Failure. “Chums” was closed, and company</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">disbanded.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_491" id="page_491">{491}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco, Herne and his wife (Katharine</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Corcoran) went to Chicago and lodged at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">old Sherman House.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">November.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">17. First performance in Chicago, at Hamlin’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre (formerly the Coliseum?), of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Hearts of Oak” (“Chums”). Notable success.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">30. “Hearts of Oak” closed at Hamlin’s.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">1. Belasco-Herne Company appeared in Cincinnati.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">20. (About) Belasco-Herne Company was</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">playing “Hearts of Oak” in Indianapolis.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">A version of “The Mariner’s Compass” (on</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">which “Hearts of Oak” was built) was presented</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in cities of the Middle West, under the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">name of “Oaken Hearts,” to trade on the success</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of the Belasco-Herne title: unauthorized</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">use of that title was stopped by legal action</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">taken by Herne in courts of Michigan in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">May, 1880.</span><br /> -<br /> -1880.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">15. “Hearts of Oak” was acted at Hooley’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre, return engagement, till March 27.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">29. “Hearts of Oak” was performed for first</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">time in New York, at the New Fifth Avenue</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre—untruthfully announced as “by</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">James A. Herne.” Failure. During this</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">engagement Herne was several times incapacitated</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">to perform and Belasco appeared in his</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_492" id="page_492">{492}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">place as <i>Terry Dennison</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. Last performance of first “Hearts of Oak”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">engagement in New York.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco and Herne took their play to the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Arch Street Theatre, Philadelphia. There</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Herne quarrelled with Belasco and bought his</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">half-interest in the play for $1500, which he</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">did not pay till several years later.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco returned to New York, seeking</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">employment, but could not obtain it. He</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">then made his way, by various shifts, across</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the continent, to his home in San Francisco.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. Belasco reached San Francisco, after his</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">disastrous experience with Herne and “Hearts</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of Oak.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">He obtained immediate employment at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Baldwin Theatre, where Adelaide Neilson was</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">then playing her farewell engagement (it began</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">on June 8). James H. Vinson and Robert</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">M. Eberle were, officially, the stage managers:</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco officiated as assistant stage manager</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and as prompter, and, on July 17, he “rang</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">down” the curtain on <i>the last performance ever given</i></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">by Miss Neilson:—<i>Juliet</i>, in Balcony</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Scene from “Romeo and Juliet,” and <i>Amy Robsart</i>,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in the play of that name.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">During this engagement at the Baldwin,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">though actually he performed much important</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">labor, both as stage manager and as</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">writer and adapter of plays, Belasco’s acknowledged</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">position was wholly subsidiary: for</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_493" id="page_493">{493}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">reasons of business expediency he again assumed,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">for a time, use of the name Walter</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Kingsley.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">19. His play of “Paul Arniff” was produced,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">for the first time, at the Baldwin Theatre:</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">it is founded in part on “The Black Doctor.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">August.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. John T. Malone made his first appearance</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">on the stage, acting <i>Richelieu</i>, at the Baldwin,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">under the direction of Belasco.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">30. A new version, by Belasco, of T. P.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Cooke’s “True to the Core” was acted at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Baldwin.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">November.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">15. William E. Sheridan began his first San</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Francisco engagement, at the Baldwin, during</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">which, under stage direction of Belasco, he</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">appeared in “King Louis XI.,” “Wild Oats,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“The Lady of Lyons,” “The Merchant of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Venice,” etc., etc.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">28. First production in America of the once</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">famous melodrama of “The World” was made,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">under Belasco’s direction, at the Baldwin</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre, San Francisco.</span><br /> -<br /> -1881.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">17. Belasco’s “The Creole” (based on “Article</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">47”) was acted for the first time in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">New York, at the Union Square Theatre,—Eleanor</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Carey appearing in it as</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_494" id="page_494">{494}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>Diana</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">February.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">6(?). Last performance of “The Creole” at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Union Square Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">27. Belasco left San Francisco, with the Baldwin</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre stock company, for Portland,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Oregon.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">15. He returned from Portland and resumed</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">employment at the Baldwin Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">18. Belasco’s play of “La Belle Russe” was</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">anonymously produced, under his stage</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">direction, at the Baldwin Theatre, San</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Francisco (first time anywhere), Miss</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Jeffreys-Lewis, Osmond Tearle, and Gerald</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Eyre acting the chief parts in it. Exceptional</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">success.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">26. Belasco’s authorship of “La Belle Russe”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">was announced, in advertisements of that</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">play.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">30. Final performance, original run, of “La</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belle Russe,” at the Baldwin.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">August.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">15. At the Baldwin occurred the first performance</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of Belasco’s dramatic epitome of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Adolphe Belot’s story, “The Stranglers of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Paris,” Osmond Tearle acting <i>Jagon</i>:</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco’s name was not made known at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">this time as the stage-adapter of the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">story.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_495" id="page_495">{495}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">25. Belasco left San Francisco, with Maguire,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">for the East, to arrange for the sale of his</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">play of “La Belle Russe.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">During his stay in New York, October-December,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">this year, Belasco negotiated</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">regarding presentment of “La Belle Russe”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">with Augustin Daly, John Stetson, A. M.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Palmer, and Lester Wallack. He finally sold</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">his interest in that play outright, to Frank</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">L. Goodwin, for $1500, a return ticket to</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">San Francisco, and $100 for travelling</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">expenses.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">25. Belasco reached San Francisco from New</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">York.</span><br /> -<br /> -1882.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">7. First performance of Belasco’s spectacle</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">melodrama of “The Curse of Cain” occurred</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Baldwin.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. End of Thomas Maguire’s control of the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Baldwin Theatre, San Francisco.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">May.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">8. First production in New York of Belasco’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">play of “La Belle Russe” was made at Wallack’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre,—Osmond Tearle and Rose</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Coghlan playing the chief parts.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">12. A “sensation revival” of Belasco’s “retouched</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and re-arranged” version of Boucicault’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“The Octoroon,” introducing Callender’s</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_496" id="page_496">{496}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Colored Minstrels, was effected at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Baldwin, under the stage direction of Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and the management of Gustavo Frohman:</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">notable success.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">10. Belasco’s “American Born” was acted, for</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the first time, at the Baldwin Theatre, San</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Francisco,—Edward N. Marble being then</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the lessee of that house.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">—. First meeting of Belasco and Charles Frohman.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">18(?). Belasco left San Francisco, travelling, as</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">stage manager, with the [Gustave] Frohman</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Dramatic Company.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">31. That company began an engagement in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Denver, Colo.,—at the end of which, apparently,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">it was disbanded.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">August.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. Belasco’s “American Born” was successfully</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">produced, at the Grand Opera House,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Chicago, under the joint management of Gustave</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and Charles Frohman.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">9. First production of “Young Mrs. Winthrop,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">by Bronson Howard, at the Madison</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Square Theatre. This was the first play</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">produced at that theatre under the stage</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">management of Belasco, and the incident</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">marks his establishment in the Theatre of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">New York.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">The 100th performance of “Young Mrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Winthrop” occurred January 12, 1883: the</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_497" id="page_497">{497}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">150th, March 5.</span><br /> -<br /> -1883.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">7. Last performance (original “run”) of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Young Mrs. Winthrop” at the Madison</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Square Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">9. First performance, by professional actors,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Madison Square Theatre, of “A Russian</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Honeymoon,” by Mrs. Burton N. Harrison,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">produced under stage management of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">4. Last performance of “A Russian Honeymoon”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and end of “the regular season” at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Madison Square.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">5. Beginning of the “summer season” at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Madison Square, with first production of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“The Rajah; or, Wyncot’s Ward,” by William</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">N. Young, revised by Belasco, and produced</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">under his stage direction.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">1. 100th performance of “The Rajah” at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Madison Square.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">31. 150th performance of “The Rajah.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">November.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">12. At the New Park Theatre occurred the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">first performance in New York of Belasco’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">melodrama (revised for the occasion) of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“The Stranglers of Paris,” which was produced</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">under the stage direction of the author</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and the management of Charles Frohman:</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_498" id="page_498">{498}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Henry Lee appeared as <i>Jagon</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">8. “The Rajah” was withdrawn at the Madison</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Square.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">10. At the Madison Square first production of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Delmar’s Daughter; or, Duty”; by Henry</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">C. De Mille, under Belasco’s direction. It was</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">a failure and was withdrawn on the 15th.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">17. “The Rajah” was revived at the Madison</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Square.</span><br /> -<br /> -1884.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">29. Last performance of “The Rajah.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">31. First New York performance, Madison</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Square Theatre, of “Alpine Roses,” by H.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">H. Boyesen; stage direction of Belasco.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Georgia Cayvan, Marie Burroughs, Eben</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Plympton, and Richard Mansfield played the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">chief parts in this drama.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">10. Last performance of “Alpine Roses.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">12. At the Madison Square Theatre, first production,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">on any stage, of Belasco’s drama</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of “May Blossom,” founded in part on his</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">earlier play of “Sylvia’s Lovers”: produced</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">under the stage direction of the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">author.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">5. Belasco sailed for England, on board the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">SS. Alaska, to witness performances of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Called Back,” at the Haymarket Theatre,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">London,—that play having been purchased</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_499" id="page_499">{499}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">for production in America by the Mallory</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">brothers. First meeting of Belasco and author</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">occurred on this voyage.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">19. He sailed for New York, on board the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">SS. Alaska.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">27. He arrived in New York.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">August.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">27. Public announcement by the Mallory</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">brothers that Albert Marshall Palmer had</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">become a partner in the management of the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Madison Square Theatre. Friction between</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco and Palmer, relative to management</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of the stage, had arisen some time</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">earlier.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">1. First production in America of “Called</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Back,” made by the Mallory brothers at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Fifth Avenue Theatre, under the stage direction</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of Belasco.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">9. 150th performance of “May Blossom” at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Madison Square Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">27. Last performance of “May Blossom” at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Madison Square Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">29. A new policy was put into effect at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Madison Square Theatre, under the influence</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of Palmer, marked by the presentation, on</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">this date, of “The Private Secretary.”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">This farce was placed on the stage almost</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">entirely under the direction of Frank</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Thornton.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">After the successful production of “Called</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Back” at the Fifth Avenue Belasco resigned</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">his position as stage-manager of the Madison</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_500" id="page_500">{500}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Square Theatre company.</span><br /> -<br /> -1885.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">—. Belasco contemplated abandoning stage direction</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and reverting to acting,—it being his</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">plan to appear at the head of a company</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">managed by himself as <i>Hamlet</i> and in the central</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">part of a play he wished to write for his</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">own use.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">He became acquainted with Steele Mackaye.</span><br /> -<br /> -1886.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">February.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">15. At Wallack’s Theatre, New York, occurred</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the first production on any stage of “Valerie,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">a play in three acts altered by Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">from Sardou’s “Fernande.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">13. “Valerie” was withdrawn at Wallack’s.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">May.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">—. Belasco returned to San Francisco as stage</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">manager of Al. Hayman’s “all-star stock company.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">31. That company appeared, under his direction,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Baldwin Theatre, in a dramatization</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of the novel of “Moths.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Hayman’s company acted at the Baldwin</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">under Belasco’s direction as follows:</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">7. In Belasco’s “Valerie.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">14. “The Marble Heart.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">21. “Anselma.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">24. “The Lady of Lyons.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_501" id="page_501">{501}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">28. “Alone in London.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">18. (Sunday night.) Belasco took a benefit</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Baldwin Theatre, San Francisco: extraordinary</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">programme and great public enthusiasm.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">26. He left San Francisco for New York, to</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">take up work there in connection with the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Lyceum Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco revised A. C. Gunter’s “A Wall</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Street Bandit,”—which was produced at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Standard Theatre, September 20.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">18. Henry C. De Mille’s play of “The Main</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Line; or, Rawson’s Y” was produced at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Lyceum Theatre, under Belasco’s stage direction.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">18. May Fortesque (Finney) began an engagement</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Lyceum, acting <i>Gretchen</i>, in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Gilbert’s “Faust”: Belasco officiated as stage</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">director throughout that engagement, during</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">which Miss Fortesque also acted as <i>Gilberte</i>,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in “Frou-Frou”; <i>Iolanthe</i>, in “King</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Rene’s Daughter,” and <i>Jenny Northcott</i> in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Sweethearts.”</span><br /> -<br /> -1887.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">23. Under Belasco’s direction, pupils of the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Lyceum Theatre School of Acting gave a</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">performance, at the Lyceum, of an English</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">translation of Molière’s “Les Précieuses</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_502" id="page_502">{502}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Ridicules.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">May.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">3. First production, at the Lyceum Theatre,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of “The Highest Bidder,” made by Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">on the basis of a play called “Trade,”—which</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">was written by John Maddison Morton</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and Robert Reece, for the elder Sothern.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Notable success.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. End of the original “run” of “The Highest</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Bidder,” and close of the season at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Lyceum Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">August.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">22. Revival of “The Highest Bidder” at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Lyceum.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">12. “Pawn Ticket 210,” by Belasco and Clay</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">M. Greene, was produced by Lotta, at McVicker’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre, Chicago.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">19. Cecil Raleigh’s farce, “The Great Pink</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Pearl,” and Augustus Thomas’ one-act drama,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Editha’s Burglar,” were produced, under</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco’s stage direction, at the Lyceum.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">24. At the Fourteenth Street Theatre “Baron</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Rudolph,”—originally entitled “Only a</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Tramp,”—by Bronson Howard, first rewritten</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">as well as renamed by Howard;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">then, at Howard’s request, altered and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">improved by Belasco, was produced, for the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">first time in New York, by George S. Knight,—Charles</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Frohman representing Knight in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the business management and Belasco stage</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_503" id="page_503">{503}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">directing the performance. Failure: the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">play was kept on the stage four weeks, to</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">bad business. (In its original form Knight</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">first presented “Baron Rudolph” in New</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">York, at the Windsor Theatre, October 17,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">1881.)</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">November.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">1. At the Lyceum occurred the first performance</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">on any stage of “The Wife,” by</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco and Henry C. DeMille.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">19. “Baron Rudolph” was withdrawn at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Fourteenth Street Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">—. During this month Belasco revised and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">rectified William Gillette’s dramatization of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Haggard’s “She,”—which had been produced</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at Niblo’s Garden on November 29. His work,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">for which he received $1,000, made a popular</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">success of that spectacle.</span><br /> -<br /> -1888.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. 239th consecutive performance of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Wife,” and close of the Lyceum Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">August.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">21. The Lyceum was reopened for the season</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">with first performance anywhere of Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and De Mille’s “Lord Chumley.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">11. Belasco’s revision of E. J. Schwartz’s “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Kaffir Diamond” was produced at the Broadway</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre, New York, with Louis Aldrich</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in the chief part. (Belasco was paid $300</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_504" id="page_504">{504}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">for his work on this play.)</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">November.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">11. —th and last performance at the Lyceum</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of “Lord Chumley.”</span><br /> -<br /> -1889.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">11. The fifth annual performance of the Academy</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of Dramatic Art (formerly the New</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">York School of Acting) occurred at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Lyceum Theatre, under the direction of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco, Franklin H. Sargent, and Henry</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">C. De Mille,—pupils of that school appearing</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in an English version of Sophocles’ “Electra.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">18. “The Marquis,” a version of Sardou’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Ferréol,” prepared by Belasco, was produced</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">under his stage direction at the Lyceum.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Failure.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">29. Revival of Belasco-De Mille drama of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Wife,” at the Lyceum.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">29. A play by William Gillette, based on Mrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Humphry Ward’s novel of “Robert Elsmere”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and bearing the same name, was produced</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Union Square Theatre under</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the stage direction of Belasco—by special</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">arrangement with the directorate of the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Lyceum Theatre: Belasco received $500 for</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">his labor on this production.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">May.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">6. James Albery’s play of “Featherbrain”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">(adapted from a French farce called “Tête de</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Linotte”) was produced, under stage management</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_505" id="page_505">{505}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of Belasco, at the Madison Square Theatre—a</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">special company organized by Daniel</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Frohman appearing in it.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">18. Close of the season at the Lyceum.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">(Month, date?) Belasco and De Mille</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">were commissioned to write a new play for</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the season of 1889-’90, at the Lyceum.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">—. First meeting of David Belasco and Mrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Leslie Carter.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">—. Mrs. Leslie Carter sought Belasco at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Echo Lake, New Jersey, and obtained his</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">promise to undertake her training for the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">stage.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">November.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">19. First performance anywhere of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Charity Ball,” by Belasco and De Mille, stage</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">direction of the former.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">This was the last play for the Lyceum</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">with which Belasco was concerned.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">—. Belasco, being in need of the use of a stage</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">for rehearsals of Mrs. Carter, agreed to revise</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">a play by Mrs. Abby Sage Richardson,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">based on Mark Twain’s “The Prince and the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Pauper,” and to rehearse a company in it, on</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the understanding that, as payment, he should</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">be permitted to rehearse Mrs. Carter on the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">stage of the Lyceum Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -1890.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">20. Belasco’s revision of “The Prince and the</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_506" id="page_506">{506}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Pauper” was acted at the Broadway Theatre,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Elsie Leslie appearing in it as Tom Canty</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and as <i>Prince Edward of Wales</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">January-February.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco was active in planning a play for</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Mrs. Carter, called “The Heart of Maryland,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in negotiation for its production under</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the management of A. M. Palmer, and in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">training of Mrs. Carter.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">February.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">26. The bargain between Daniel Frohman and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco, for the latter to use the stage of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Lyceum Theatre, was wrongfully abrogated</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">by the directors of that institution.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco soon afterward resigned his place at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Lyceum.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">27. Belasco ended his association with the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Lyceum Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">May.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">24. 200th performance of “The Charity Ball,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and close of the Lyceum Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">21. A melodrama entitled “Men and Women,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">by Belasco and De Mille, was produced at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Proctor’s Twenty-third Street Theatre, by</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Charles Frohman, under the stage direction</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of Belasco: and, to accommodate Miss Annie</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">A. Adams, an old friend, Belasco wrote in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">this play a small part for Miss Maude</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Adams.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">November.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">10. Belasco, with E. D. Price as business manager</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_507" id="page_507">{507}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">(the financial capital having been provided</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">by Mr. N. K. Fairbank, of Chicago),</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">presented Mrs. Leslie Carter, at the Broadway</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre, as a star, in a play by Mr.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Paul M. Potter, called “The Ugly Duckling”;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">that was <i>Mrs. Carter’s first appearance on the stage</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -1891.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">14. End of tour of Mrs. Carter in “The Ugly</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Duckling,” and of career of that play, in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Kansas City, Mo.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">25. 200th consecutive performance of “Men</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and Women” at Proctor’s Twenty-third</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Street Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">28. Last performance of “Men and Women,”—original</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">production.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">15. Belasco, Mrs. Carter, and Mrs. Dudley,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">her mother, sailed for England, on board</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">SS. City of New York, and proceeded to</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Paris, to see the French play with music</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">afterward presented in America as “Miss</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Helyett.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">November.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">3. “Miss Helyett,” a farce with music,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">adapted from the French by Belasco, was, by</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">him, in association with Charles Frohman,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">produced at the Star Theatre, New York,—Mrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Carter appearing in it as <i>Miss Helyett</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">17. 50th performance of “Miss Helyett” at the</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_508" id="page_508">{508}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Star.</span><br /> -<br /> -1892.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">10. Last performance of “Miss Helyett” at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Star.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">11. “Miss Helyett” was transferred from the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Star to the Standard Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">29. 100th performance of “Miss Helyett.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">February.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">13. Close of the New York engagement of Mrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Carter in “Miss Helyett”: she then went on a</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">tour in that play, under the management of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Frohman and Belasco, which lasted until the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">end of the theatrical season of 1891-’92.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">During the greater part of the remainder</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of 1892 Belasco’s attention was bestowed</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">principally on the writing of “The Girl I Left</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Behind Me.”</span><br /> -<br /> -1893.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. “The Girl I Left Behind Me,” by Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and Franklyn Fyles, was produced, by Charles</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Frohman, for the first time anywhere, at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">New National Theatre, Washington, D. C.,—under</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the stage management of Belasco.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">25. The Empire Theatre, New York, was</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">opened, under the management of Charles</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Frohman, with a performance of “The Girl I</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Left Behind Me.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">29. “The Girl I Left Behind Me” was played</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Empire with an entirely new cast—the</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_509" id="page_509">{509}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">original company, with one or two exceptions,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">going to Chicago, where, during the World’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Columbian Exposition, it was presented in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">that drama, at the Schiller (now, 1917, the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Garrick) Theatre, for many weeks.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">24. 288th consecutive performance of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Girl I Left Behind Me,” at the Empire, and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">close of the first season at that theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">24. First performance in New York, at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Empire Theatre, of “The Younger Son,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">adapted by Belasco from a German play</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">called “Schlimme Saat” (“Evil Seeds”).</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Failure: it was withdrawn after four performances.</span><br /> -<br /> -1894.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">August.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">22. Belasco left New York, taking his brother</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Frederick with him, for San Francisco,—called</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">there by the illness of his mother, who</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">was thought to be dying.</span><br /> -<br /> -1895.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">9. Belasco’s play of “The Heart of Maryland”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">was presented, by the author, in association</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">with Mr. Max Bleiman, of New York,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">for the first time anywhere, at the Grand</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Opera House, Washington, D. C.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">22. “The Heart of Maryland” was acted for</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the first time in New York, at the Herald</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_510" id="page_510">{510}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Square Theatre: notable success.</span><br /> -<br /> -1896.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">3. 150th performance of “The Heart of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Maryland.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">31. An extra performance of “The Heart of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Maryland” was given at the Herald Square</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre, for the benefit of the Hebrew</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Infant Asylum.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">18. 200th performance of “The Heart of Maryland,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and distribution of souvenirs at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Herald Square.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">May.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. End of the “run” of “The Heart of Maryland,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and close of the season at the Herald</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Square Theatre: 229 consecutive performances</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">had been given of this fine melodrama.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">3. Trial of Belasco’s suit against N. K.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Fairbank, to recover $65,000, losses, expenses,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">etc., incidental to instruction of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Mrs. Carter and her tour in “The Ugly</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Duckling,” was begun before Justice Leonard</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Giegerich and a jury, in Part V., Supreme</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Court, State of New York. This suit</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">was fought with extreme acrimony at every</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">point.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">23. The jury in Belasco’s suit against Fairbank</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">returned a verdict for the Plaintiff,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">awarding him $16,000 and interest, for five</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_511" id="page_511">{511}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">years, at 5 per cent.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">August.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">20. “Under the Polar Star,” revision by Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of play by Clay M. Greene, was produced at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Academy of Music, New York.</span><br /> -<br /> -1897.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">August.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. Belasco presented “The Heart of Maryland”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Baldwin Theatre, San Francisco.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">5. At the Manhattan (previously the Standard)</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre Belasco, in partnership with</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Charles Frohman, presented, for the first time</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in New York, a tragedy of Chinese character</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">entitled “The First Born,” by Francis Powers.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">It was produced under the stage management</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of Belasco, and Powers appeared in its principal</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">part, <i>Chan Wang</i>: notable success. The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">tragedy was acted in association with a farce</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">called “A Night Session,” derived from a</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">French original by Georges Feydeau.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">23. The theatrical company that acted “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">First Born” in New York sailed for England,—a</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">new company taking its place at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Manhattan.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">November.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">6. “The First Born” was acted at the Duke</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of York’s Theatre, London,—where it failed</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and was withdrawn after one week.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Last performance of “The First Born” at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Manhattan Theatre. Nov. 29.—Transferred</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">to Garden Theatre, where it was acted</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_512" id="page_512">{512}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">until December 11.</span><br /> -<br /> -1898.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">—. Close of the third season of “The Heart of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Maryland” at Springfield, Mass.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">30. Belasco, Mrs. Carter, and the company</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">which had been acting in “The Heart of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Maryland” sailed for England on SS. St.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Paul.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">8. Belasco, in partnership with Charles Frohman,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">presented Mrs. Carter, at the Adelphi</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre, London (her first appearance</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">abroad), as <i>Maryland Calvert</i>, in “The Heart</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of Maryland.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">25. End of the season of “The Heart of Maryland”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in London.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">7. Belasco arrived in New York, from England,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">on board SS. Majestic.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">25. Belasco’s adaptation of “Zaza,” from a</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">French play of that name, by MM. Pierre</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Berton and Charles Simon, was acted for the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">first time, at the Lafayette Square Opera</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">House (now, 1917, the Belasco Theatre),</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Washington, D. C., Mrs. Leslie Carter</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">appearing in its central part.</span><br /> -<br /> -1899.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">9. “Zaza” was acted for the first time in New</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_513" id="page_513">{513}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">York, at the Garrick Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">11. Death of Mrs. Humphrey Abraham Belasco,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at 174 Clara Street, San Francisco, in her</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">69th year. Mrs. Belasco was buried at Hills</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of Eternity Cemetery, San Mateo, California.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">5. 150th performance of “Zaza,” observed by</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">distribution of souvenirs during the evening.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">17. End of “run” of “Zaza,” and close of the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">season at the Garrick: 164 performances had</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">been given.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">25. Belasco’s “Naughty Anthony” was produced,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">first time, at the Columbia Theatre,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Washington, D. C., with Blanche Bates and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Frank Worthing in its principal parts.</span><br /> -<br /> -1900.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">8. Belasco presented his farce of “Naughty</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Anthony,” for the first time in New York, at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Herald Square Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">5. At the Herald Square, first performance</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">anywhere of the tragedy, in one act, by</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco, entitled “Madame Butterfly,”—founded</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">on a story of the same name by John</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Luther Long,—Blanche Bates acting in it as</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>Cho-Cho-San</i> and Frank Worthing as</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>Lieutenant B. F. Pinkerton</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">21. Close of the Belasco season (“Naughty</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Anthony” and “Madame Butterfly”) at the</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_514" id="page_514">{514}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Herald Square Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">5. Belasco, Mrs. Carter, and the theatrical</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">company to act “Zaza” sailed for England on</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">SS. St. Paul.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. Belasco, in partnership with Charles Frohman,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">presented Mrs. Carter in his play of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Zaza,” at the Garrick Theatre, London.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">28. In association with Charles Frohman, Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">presented “Madame Butterfly” at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Duke of York’s Theatre, London: memorable</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">triumph.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">May.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">—. Belasco fell on stairs of the Garrick</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre, London, and was seriously injured.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">28. End of the London engagement of Mrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Carter, in Belasco’s “Zaza.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">August.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">—. Belasco and Mrs. Carter sailed for New</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">York on board SS. ——-.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">—. They landed in New York.</span><br /> -<br /> -1901.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">February.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">5. Belasco, in partnership with Charles Frohman,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">presented at the Garden Theatre, for</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the first time on any stage, a dramatization</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of Ouida’s novel, “Under Two Flags,” by</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Mr. Paul M. Potter,—revised by Belasco.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Blanche Bates, making her first appearance</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in New York as a star, acted in it as</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_515" id="page_515">{515}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>Cigarette</i>. Stage direction of Belasco.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">1. 133rd performance of “Under Two Flags”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Garden Theatre, and close of the season</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">there.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">9. At the Hyperion Theatre, New Haven,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Conn., Belasco presented David Warfield as</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">a star, in “The Auctioneer,”—then first</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">acted on any stage,—a play built on suggestions</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">by Belasco, by Charles Klein and Lee</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Arthur, and amended by Belasco.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">23. Belasco presented Warfield in “The Auctioneer,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">for the first time in New York, at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Bijou Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">12. At the New National Theatre, Washington,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">D. C., Belasco, for the first time anywhere,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">presented his play of “Du Barry,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">with Mrs. Carter in the central part.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Du Barry” was to have been given on</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Monday, the 9th inst., but difficulty in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">handling the elaborate and heavy stage settings</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and the need of additional rehearsals</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">delayed it till the 12th.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">25. First performance of “Du Barry” in New</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">York occurred, at the Criterion Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -1902.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">1. A silver loving cup was presented to</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco, on the stage of the Criterion Theatre,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">by Mrs. Carter and all the other members</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_516" id="page_516">{516}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of the “Du Barry” company: Mr.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Charles A. Stevenson made the presentation</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">speech, and Mr. Belasco replied.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">14. Belasco, by lease, secured control of the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Republic Theatre, New York.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">25. Belasco was sued by M. Jean Richepin,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">demanding an accounting for the receipts</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">from representations of “Du Barry,”—on</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the ground, as alleged, that Belasco’s “Du</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Barry” is, in fact, Richepin’s play of the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">same name.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">13. Judge John J. Freedman, in the Supreme</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Court, New York, denied a motion by attorneys</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of M. Jean Richepin to strike out</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">essential clauses from Belasco’s answer in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Richepin’s suit against him, alleging plagiarism</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in the play of “Du Barry.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">The Plaintiff never proceeded in this case,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and it was formally discontinued, in January,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">1908.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">17. Belasco was severely injured by the fall of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">a heavy piece of scenery, during representation</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of “Du Barry,” at the Criterion Theatre:</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">he was struck on the head, badly cut,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and rendered unconscious for a quarter of an</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">hour.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">19. Work of reconstruction of the Republic</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre was begun: the whole interior of that</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">theatre was torn out and rebuilt,—a sub-stage</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">chamber, twenty-five feet deep, being</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">excavated (which entailed much blasting of</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_517" id="page_517">{517}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">solid rock), a perpetual spring of water</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">being incidentally tapped, which it was</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">extremely difficult to dam.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">May.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">31. 165th performance of “Du Barry” at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Criterion, and close of that theatre for the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">season.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">29. Belasco opened the first Belasco Theatre,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">New York (previously the Republic), presenting</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Mrs. Carter, in a revival of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Du Barry.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">November.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">17. The first performance, anywhere, of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Darling of the Gods,” a tragedy of Japanese</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">life by Belasco and John Luther Long,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">occurred at the National Theatre, Washington,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">D. C., under the management and stage</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">direction of Belasco: Blanche Bates, George</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Arliss, and Robert Haines acted the chief</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">parts in it.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">2. Suit for $20,000 damages for malicious</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">libel was entered by Belasco against the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">writer known as Onoto Watanna (Mrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Bertrand W. Babcock), in the Supreme</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Court, New York, before Judge James J.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Fitzgerald.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">3. First New York presentment of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Darling of the Gods,” at the first Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -1903.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_518" id="page_518">{518}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">—. Belasco entered into a contract with Henrietta</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Crosman for her appearance as a star</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in a dramatization of the novel by Agnes and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Egerton Castle, called “The Bath Comedy.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">February.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">6. Order for the arrest of Onoto Watanna</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">(Mrs. Babcock), obtained by Belasco, in his</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">suit against her claiming $20,000 damage</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">for malicious libel, was vacated by Judge</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">David Leventritt,—defendant, in effect, withdrawing</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the libel: appeal against vacation of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the order of arrest entered by Belasco’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">lawyers.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">May.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">30. “The Darling of the Gods” was withdrawn</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Belasco Theatre and that house was</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">closed for the season,—186 performances having</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">been given.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">6. End of tour, under Belasco’s direction, of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Mrs. Carter and a company of 147 other</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">players, presenting “Du Barry,” at Minneapolis,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Minn.: it had lasted thirty-eight weeks.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">10. Belasco gave a brilliant reception in honor</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of Mrs. Carter, on the stage of the Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre, New York,—which was attended by</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">several hundred persons of varied social and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">artistic distinction.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. The Belasco Theatre was reopened with</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">a revival of “The Darling of the Gods.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">28. Beginning of Warfield’s third tour in “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Auctioneer,” at the Harlem Opera House,</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_519" id="page_519">{519}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">New York.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">November.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">14. Last performance of “The Darling of the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Gods” at the Belasco Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. A contemptible outrage was perpetrated at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Belasco Theatre, New York, when, during</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">representation of the First Act of “Zaza,” a</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">process server, employed and instructed by</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Mr. A. Hummel, leaped upon the stage and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">handed to <i>Mrs. Leslie Carter</i> notice of an</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">action brought by Miss Eugenie Blair and Mr.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Henry Gressit, against <i>David Belasco</i>, praying</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">for an injunction to stop the latter presenting</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Zaza”! The plaintiffs alleged rights</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of ownership of the play by Charles Frohman.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Hummel (firm of Howe & Hummel) was</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">attorney for C. Frohman as well as for Miss</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Blair and Gressit.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">23. Belasco produced, for the first time anywhere,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Lafayette Square Opera House</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">(now, 1917, Belasco Theatre), Washington,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">D. C., his stage version of “The Bath</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Comedy,” entitled “Sweet Kitty Bellairs.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">24. Suit was brought by Joseph Brooks, in the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Supreme Court, New York, against Belasco,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in an endeavor to establish that he, Brooks,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">was a copartner with Belasco in management</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and presentation of David Warfield, in the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">play of “The Auctioneer.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">8. First performance of “Sweet Kitty</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Bellairs” in New York,—at the first Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_520" id="page_520">{520}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">11. Judge Scott denied application, by Miss</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Blair and Mr. Gressit, for an injunction to</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">stop Belasco’s presentation of “Zaza.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">23. By arrangement with Belasco Herbert</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Beerbohm-Tree presented “The Darling of the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Gods” at His Majesty’s Theatre, London,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">appearing in it as <i>Zakkuri</i>, with George</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Relph as <i>Kara</i> and Miss Marie Löhr as</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>Yo-San</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -1904.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">8. Publication, in the newspaper press, of letter</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">by David Warfield repudiating Joseph</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Brooks’ assertion of partnership with Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in the management and presentation of Warfield,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in “The Auctioneer.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">10. Warfield’s tour in “The Auctioneer” was</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">abruptly ended at New Orleans.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">25. Judge David Leventritt, in the Supreme</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Court, New York (First District), refused to</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">issue a mandatory order, prayed for by</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Joseph Brooks, directing David Warfield to</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">continue to act in “The Auctioneer.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">February.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">3. Legal action was brought in the Circuit</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Court of the United States for the Southern</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">District of New York by Grace B. Hughes</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">(otherwise known as Mary Montagu) to</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">restrain Belasco, Maurice Campbell, and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Henrietta Crosman from further presenting</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco’s play of “Sweet Kitty Bellairs,”—Plaintiff</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">alleging that Belasco’s play was, in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">fact, an infringement of one by her, entitled</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_521" id="page_521">{521}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Sweet Jasmine.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">February.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">14. Hon. W. M. K. Olcott was appointed as</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Receiver for the play of “The Auctioneer” (as</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">represented with Warfield in the central part),</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in the Brooks-Belasco “partnership” suit.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">18. The application by Grace B. Hughes for</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">an injunction against Belasco, <i>et al.</i>, as</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">above, was argued before Judge E. Henry</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Lacombe.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">26. Judge Lacombe denied the motion for an</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">injunction as prayed for by Grace B.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Hughes, holding that there was <i>no plagiarism</i></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">by Belasco. This case was finally stricken</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">from the Calendar, without trial, March 3,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">1913.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">4. End of the first New York run of “Sweet</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Kitty Bellairs,” at the Belasco Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">31. Belasco presented “The Darling of the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Gods,” with Blanche Bates and the original</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">New York company, at the Imperial Theatre,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">St. Louis, thus incurring the bitter, active</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">animosity of the Theatrical Syndicate,—the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Imperial Theatre not being under the control</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of that organization.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">12. Belasco produced, for the first time anywhere,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Young’s Pier Theatre, Atlantic</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">City, N. J., Charles Klein’s play of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Music Master,” revised by Belasco—David</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_522" id="page_522">{522}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Warfield acting in it, as <i>Herr Anton von Barwig</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. The Belasco Theatre was reopened with a</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">revival of “The Darling of the Gods.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">28. At the Montauk Theatre, Brooklyn, Mrs.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Carter’s “Farewell Tour” in “Du Barry”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">began, under Belasco’s direction.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">26. First presentation of “The Music Master”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in New York,—at the first Belasco Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">26. In Convention Hall (which, having been</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">shut out of all theatres by the iniquitous</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatrical Syndicate, he had hired and converted</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">into a theatre, for one week’s engagement)</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco produced, for the first time</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">anywhere, the tragedy, written by him in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">collaboration with John Luther Long, entitled</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Adrea,”—Mrs. Leslie Carter acting the principal</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">part in it.</span><br /> -<br /> -1905.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">11. First performance of “Adrea” in New</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">York, at the first Belasco Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">May.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">4. End of the first run of “Adrea” and close</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of the Belasco Theatre for the season.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">—. Belasco went to London.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">20. Belasco reopened the Belasco Theatre with</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">a revival of “Adrea.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_523" id="page_523">{523}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 8em;">3. At the new Belasco Theatre, Pittsburgh,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Pa., Belasco produced, for the first time anywhere,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">his play of “The Girl of the Golden</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">West,”—Blanche Bates acting the central</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">character and Frank Keenan and Robert</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Hilliard playing the chief supporting</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">parts.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">November.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">14. First performance in New York of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Girl of the Golden West,”—at the first</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -1906.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">23. End of Mrs. Carter’s tour at Williamsport,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Pa.,—in “Zaza”; her last performance under</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco’s management.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">November.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">12. Belasco produced his play “The Rose of the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Rancho,”—based, in part, on an earlier one</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">by Richard Walton Tully, called “Juanita,”—at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Majestic Theatre, Boston, Mass, (first</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">time in this form), Frances Starr appearing</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in it as <i>Juanita</i>, that being her first venture</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">as a star.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">27. First New York presentation of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Rose of the Rancho” occurred at the first</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">5. The corner-stone of Belasco’s Stuyvesant</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre (1917, the Belasco) was laid by</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Blanche Bates. Bronson Howard made a</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_524" id="page_524">{524}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">brief address.</span><br /> -<br /> -1907.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">23. Belasco produced, at the Hyperion Theatre,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">New Haven, Conn., for the first time anywhere,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">a play written by himself in conjunction</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">with Misses Pauline Phelps and Marion</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Short, entitled “A Grand Army Man,”—David</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Warfield appearing in it as <i>Wes’ Bigelow</i>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. Belasco opened his Stuyvesant Theatre,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">New York,—now, 1917, the second Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre,—presenting Warfield in “A Grand</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Army Man.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">November.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">18. He presented Mr. William De Mille’s “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Warrens of Virginia,” first time, at the Lyric</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre, Philadelphia.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">—. First New York performance of “The Warrens</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of Virginia,” Belasco Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -1908.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">February.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">24. Belasco revived “The Music Master” at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Stuyvesant Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">May.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">2. Close of the season at the Stuyvesant,—performance</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of “A Grand Army Man.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">7. William J. Hurlbut’s play of “The Fighting</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Hope” was produced by Belasco and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">under his stage direction (first time anywhere)</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_525" id="page_525">{525}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Belasco Theatre, Washington,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">D. C., Blanche Bates and Charles Richman</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">acting the principal parts.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">22. First New York presentation of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Fighting Hope,”—at the Stuyvesant Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">31. At the Parsons Theatre, Hartford,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Conn., Belasco produced, for the first time</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">anywhere, the repulsive play of “The Easiest</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Way,” by Mr. Eugene Walter—Miss Frances</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Starr playing the central part in it.</span><br /> -<br /> -1909.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">19. Belasco presented “The Easiest Way,” for</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the first time in New York, at the Stuyvesant</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre,—“The Fighting Hope” being transferred</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">to the Belasco.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">February.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">7. Belasco left New York for San Francisco,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">to visit his father.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">12. Arrived in San Francisco.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">24. A dinner in honor of Belasco was given at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Bismarck Café (now, 1917, the Hofbrau</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Café), San Francisco, by former schoolmates</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of his at the old Lincoln Grammar School of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">that city.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">27. Festival at the Bohemian Club, San Francisco,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in honor of Belasco.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">2. He left San Francisco.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">7. He arrived in New York.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">29. Announcement made that H. G. Fiske and</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_526" id="page_526">{526}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco and the Theatrical Syndicate “will</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">book in each others’ theatres when mutually</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">agreeable.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">1. Marriage of Belasco’s elder daughter, Reina</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Victoria Belasco, and Morris Gest, theatrical</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">manager, at Sherry’s, New York.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">August.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. At the Savoy Theatre, Atlantic City, for</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the first time anywhere, Belasco produced</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Is Matrimony a Failure?” (adapted by Leo</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Ditrichstein from “Die Thür Ins Frei” by</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Oscar Blumenthal and Gustav Kadelburg),</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Frank Worthing and Jane Cowl acting the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">chief parts.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">23. First New York performance of “Is Matrimony</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">a Failure?” at the first Belasco Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">6. First presentation of “The Lily” (adapted</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">by Belasco from a French original by MM.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Pierre Wolff and Gaston Leroux) was</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">effected at the Belasco Theatre, Washington,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">D. C., Nance O’Neil and Charles Cartwright</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">playing the principal parts.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">23. Belasco presented “The Lily,” for the first</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">time in New York, at the Stuyvesant Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -1910.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">17. Belasco produced Mr. E. Walter’s play of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Just a Wife,” at the Colonial Theatre,</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_527" id="page_527">{527}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Cleveland, Ohio.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">31. First New York performance of “Just a</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Wife,”—at the first Belasco Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">—. It was decided to restore to the theatre</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">known since 1902 as the Belasco its former</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">name of the Republic Theatre, and to change</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the name of Belasco’s Stuyvesant Theatre to</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Belasco Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">August.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">22. The Republic Theatre was reopened, under</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">that name, with the first performance of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Winchell Smith’s dramatization of the story</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of “Bobby Burnitt.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">19. Under the management and stage direction</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of Belasco the first presentation in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">America was effected, at the Nixon Theatre,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Pittsburgh, Pa., of “The Concert,” adapted</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">by Leo Ditrichstein from a German original</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">by Herman Bahr,—Mr. Ditrichstein appearing</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in it as a star.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">10. First New York performance of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Concert” occurred at the (second) Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">24. Belasco produced Mr. Avery Hopwood’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">farce of “Nobody’s Widow” (first time anywhere)</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Euclid Avenue Opera House,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Cleveland, Ohio,—Blanche Bates acting the</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_528" id="page_528">{528}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">chief part in it.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">November.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">14. First New York presentation of “Nobody’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Widow” at the Hudson Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -1911.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">2. First performance of Belasco’s play of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“The Return of Peter Grimm,” at the Hollis</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Street Theatre, Boston. David Warfield appeared</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in its principal part.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">27. Marriage of Belasco’s younger daughter,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Augusta Belasco, to William Elliott, actor,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Hotel Marie Antoinette, New York.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">February.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">24. Mrs. Elliott, dangerously ill, taken by</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco to Asheville, N. C.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">11. Death of Humphrey Abraham Belasco, at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">1704 Sutter Street, San Francisco, California,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in the 81st year of his age. Buried</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at Hills of Eternity Cemetery, San Mateo,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">California.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">17. Belasco produced William C. De Mille’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">play of “The Woman” (first time anywhere)</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the New National Theatre, Washington,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">D. C.,—Helen Ware and William Courtleigh</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">acting the principal parts in it.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">May.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">1. Belasco takes his daughter, Mrs. Elliott,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">to Colorado Springs, Col.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">5. Death of Augusta Belasco, Mrs. William</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Elliott, at Broadmoor, Colorado Springs.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_529" id="page_529">{529}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 8em;">9. Funeral of Mrs. Elliott at Temple Ahawath</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Chesed, New York. Buried at Ahawath</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Chesed Cemetery, Linden Hills, Long Island.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">19. First New York performance of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Woman” occurred at the present (1917)</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Republic Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">18. “The Return of Peter Grimm” was first</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">presented in New York,—at the second</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">30. Belasco presented Edward Locke’s play</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of “The Case of Becky,” for the first time</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">anywhere, at the New National Theatre,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Washington, D. C.,—Miss Frances Starr</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">acting the central character.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">10. First performance on any stage of Puccini’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“La Fanciulla del West,”—opera on</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco’s play “The Girl of the Golden West,”—at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Metropolitan Opera House, New</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">York,—stage direction of Belasco.</span><br /> -<br /> -1912.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">February.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">19. Legal action was begun in the United States</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">District Court for the Southern District of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">New York, by Abraham Goldknopf, praying</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">for an injunction to restrain Belasco and</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">William C. De Mille from further presentment</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of their play of “The Woman,” alleging that</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">play to be, in fact, an infringement of Plaintiff’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">play of “Tainted Philanthropy.” (See</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_530" id="page_530">{530}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">November, <i>et seq.</i>)</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">20. 254th performance of “The Woman” at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Republic Theatre, and close of the season at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">that house.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">29. Belasco produced (first time anywhere)</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“The Governor’s Lady,” written by himself</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in collaboration with Miss Alice Bradley, at</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Broad Street Theatre, Philadelphia, Pa.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">May.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">4. End of the run of “The Return of Peter</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Grimm” in New York, and close of the Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre for the season.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">25. Legal action was brought against Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">by Amelia Bachman and George L. McKay,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">alleging plagiarism by him, in “The Case</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of Becky,” from their play of “Etelle.”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">(See May 13, 1913.)</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">31. Trial of Goldknopf suit against Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">was begun before Commissioner Gilchrist:</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">continued, August 5, before Judge George</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">C. Holt, in United States Circuit Court.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">9. First New York performance of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Governor’s Lady” occurred at the present</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">(1917) Republic Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">1. Belasco presented “The Case of Becky,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">for the first time in New York, at the second</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">November.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">4. At the Empire, Syracuse, New York,</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_531" id="page_531">{531}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco produced (first time anywhere) the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">play by Frederick Hatton and Fanny Locke</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Hatton, entitled “Years of Discretion.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">26. By permission of the Court Belasco presented,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Belasco Theatre, for one</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">performance only, in the morning, De Mille’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">play of “The Woman” (then filling an engagement</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Grand Opera House), and in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the afternoon, Mr. Goldknopf’s play of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Tainted Philanthropy”: Judge Holt adjourned</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Court to the Belasco and witnessed</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">both performances.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">29. Judge Holt rendered decision in suit by</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Mr. Goldknopf against Belasco in favor of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the Defendant,—holding that there is</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>no plagiarism</i> by Belasco of Goldknopf’s play.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">10. At the Broad Street Theatre, Philadelphia,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Pa., Belasco presented (first time anywhere</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in America) the fairy play of “A Good Little</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Devil,” adapted by Austin Strong from</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">original by Rosemonde Gerard and Maurice</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Rostand,—Ernest Lawford and Mary Pickford</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">acting the principal parts.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">12. First New York production of “Years of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Discretion” occurred at the Belasco Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -1913.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">8. The first New York performance of “A</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Good Little Devil” was given at the present</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">(1917) Republic Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">3. Grace B. Hughes’ suit against Belasco,</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_532" id="page_532">{532}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">alleging plagiarism in his “Sweet Kitty Bellairs”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">from her play of “Sweet Jasmine,” was</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">stricken from the Calendar of the Circuit</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Court of the United States, Southern District</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of New York.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">(Same date.) In the suit of A. Goldknopf</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">against Belasco, as above, final judgment</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">was entered, dismissing Plaintiff’s complaint</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">upon the merits.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">May.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">13-14. Suit by Amelia Bachman and George L.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">McKay, against Belasco, alleging plagiarism</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">by him, in his “The Case of Becky,” from</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">their play of “Etelle,” was tried before Judge</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Julius M. Mayer, in the United States District</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Court.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">18. Belasco sailed on board SS. Campania,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">for Paris, <i>via</i> Fishguard, Great Britain, <i>re</i></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">purchase of Henri Bernstein’s play of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Secret.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">9. Judge Mayer rendered decision in the suit</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of Amelia Bachman and George L. McKay</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">against Belasco, in favor of the Defendant,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">holding that there is <i>no plagiarism</i> in the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">play of “The Case of Becky,” and dismissing</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Plaintiffs’ complaint upon the merits.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">15. Final judgment was entered against Amelia</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Bachman and George L. McKay, in their suit</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">as above. This case was appealed: see</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">April 6, 1914.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">August.</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_533" id="page_533">{533}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">28. At the Lyceum Theatre, Rochester,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">N. Y., Belasco produced (first time anywhere)</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the adaptation made by Leo Ditrichstein</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of the comedy “Pour Vivre Heureux,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">by MM. André Rivoire and Yves Mirande,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and entitled “The Temperamental Journey,”—Mr.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Ditrichstein appearing in it as a star.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">4. First New York performance of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Temperamental Journey” occurred at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">present (1917) Belasco Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">27. Belasco produced (first time anywhere),</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Euclid Avenue Opera House, Cleveland,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Ohio, a play by Roland B. Molineux,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">called “The Man Inside.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">November.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">11. At the Criterion Theatre the first performance</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">was given in New York of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Man Inside.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">8. At the Detroit Opera House, Detroit,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Mich., for the first time anywhere, Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">produced his English adaptation of Henri</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Bernstein’s French play of “The Secret,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Miss Frances Starr appearing in the principal</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">part.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">28. First New York performance of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Secret” at the second Belasco Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -1914.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">6. The appeal of Amelia Bachman and George</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">L. McKay, in suit against Belasco, alleging</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_534" id="page_534">{534}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">plagiarism, was argued before the United</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">States Circuit Court of Appeals for the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Second Circuit. Decision on this appeal was</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">in favor of Belasco,—affirming Judge Mayer’s</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">decision, in dismissing Plaintiffs’ case that</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">there is <i>no plagiarism</i>. Opinion by Lacombe,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">J., 224 Fed. Rep., page 817.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">N.B. This is the only case against Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">which was ever carried to an appeal.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">May.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">4. Belasco presented Frederick Ballard’s play</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of “What’s Wrong” (first time anywhere)</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the New National Theatre, Washington,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">D. C.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">27. He produced (first time anywhere) “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Vanishing Bride,” a farce adapted by Sydney</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Rosenfeld from a German original by Leo</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Kastner and Ralph Tesmar, entitled “Tantalus.”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Mr. Thomas A. Wise and Miss</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Janet Beecher played the principal</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">parts.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">28. At Ford’s Opera House, Baltimore, Md.,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">he presented (first time anywhere) the English</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">version by Leo Ditrichstein of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Phantom Rival,” by Ferenc Molnar, Mr.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Ditrichstein appearing in it as a star. (This</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">English version was, originally, called</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Sascha Comes Back.”)</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">6. First New York presentment of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Phantom Rival” was effected at the present</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_535" id="page_535">{535}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">(1917) Belasco Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -1915.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">18. For the first time in America, Belasco presented,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Belasco Theatre, Washington,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">D. C., Edward Knoblauch’s play of “Marie-Odile,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Frances Starr acting the central part.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">26. First New York performance of “Marie-Odile,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the Belasco Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">29. Belasco, in association with Charles Frohman,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">revived “A Celebrated Case” in</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Boston.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">5. At the Playhouse Theatre, Wilmington,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Del., Belasco presented (first time anywhere)</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the farce of “The Boomerang,” by Winchell</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Smith and Victor Mapes.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">7. Belasco and Frohman presented “A Celebrated</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Case” at the Empire Theatre, New</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">York.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">26. At the Parsons Theatre, Hartford,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Conn., he produced a play by Henry Irving</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Dodge, called “The Love Thought,”—Miss</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Janet Beecher and Hardee Kirkland playing</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">the principal parts in it.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">June.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">28. At the Apollo Theatre, Atlantic City,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">N. J., he presented (first time anywhere) a</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">play called “The Girl,” by George Scarborough.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">(This was afterward renamed “Oklahoma,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and, again, “The Heart of Wetona”:</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">see January 22 and February 29, 1916.)</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_536" id="page_536">{536}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Lenore Ulric played <i>Wetona</i>, the chief part.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">August.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">10. First New York performance of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Boomerang” was given at the present Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">12. At the Playhouse, Wilmington, Delaware,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco first produced his drama of “Van Der</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Decken,” with David Warfield in the character</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of that name.</span><br /> -<br /> -1916.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">January.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">14. Lila Longson began an action at law</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">against Belasco, Winchell Smith, and Victor</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Mapes, in the District Court of the United</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">States for the Southern District of New</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">York, alleging that their play of “The Boomerang”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">is an infringement of her play of “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Choice.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">20. Belasco presented “Oklahoma” (first called</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“The Girl,” later renamed “The Heart of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Wetona”) at the Stamford Theatre, Stamford,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Conn.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">February.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">29. In association with “Charles Frohman”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">(Company), he presented “The Heart of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Wetona” at the Lyceum Theatre, for the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">first time in New York.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">17. Belasco produced (first time anywhere) a</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">farce by Roi Cooper Megrue called “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Lucky Fellow” (afterward renamed “Seven</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Chances”), at the Apollo Theatre, Atlantic</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_537" id="page_537">{537}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">City, N. J.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">May.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">At the Apollo Theatre, Atlantic City,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">he produced (first time anywhere) a play</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">called “The Treadmill” (later renamed</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Alias”), made by Willard Mack on the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">basis of a story by John A. Moroso</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">entitled “Alias Santa Claus.”</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">August.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">7. “Seven Chances” was produced for the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">first time in New York, at the Cohan Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">19-21. Suit of Lila Longson against Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;"><i>et al.</i> was tried before Judge William B.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Sheppard, who held that there was no</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">infringement and dismissed the complaint.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">25. Entry of final judgment against Lila Longson</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and dismissal of her complaint, upon the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">merits.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">16. Belasco produced, for the first time anywhere,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“The Little Lady in Blue,” by Horace</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Hodges and T. Wigney Percyval, at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco Theatre, Washington, D. C.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">28. Belasco planted two juniper trees, in the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Shakespeare Garden, Cleveland, Ohio, with</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">public ceremonies.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">December.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">22. First New York performance was given</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of “The Little Lady in Blue,” at the Belasco</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -1917.<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4.5em;">February.</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_538" id="page_538">{538}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 8em;">5. Belasco presented “Alias” (formerly “The</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Treadmill”) at the Belasco Theatre, Washington,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">D. C.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">March.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">31. —th and last New York performance of</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“The Little Lady in Blue” occurred at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Belasco Theatre.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6em;">April.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">5. Belasco presented (first time anywhere) a</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">play by John Meehan, called “The Very</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Minute,” at the Playhouse, Wilmington,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Del., Mr. Arnold Daly then first appearing</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">under his management as a star.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">9. “The Very Minute” was acted for the first</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">time in New York, at the Belasco Theatre.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Failure.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7em;">May.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 11.5em;"><small>ADDED BY J. W.</small></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">7. Last performance of “The Very Minute,”</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and close of the Belasco Theatre, for the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">1916-’17 season.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 6.5em;">July.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">3. Belasco officiated as one of the pallbearers</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at the funeral of William Winter.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5.5em;">August.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 7.5em;">25. Belasco produced a play entitled “Polly</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">With a Past,” written by George Middleton</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">and Guy Bolton and revised by himself, at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Stamford Theatre, Stamford, Conn.,—presenting</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Miss Ina Claire in the central part.—A</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">trial performance of this play was given</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_539" id="page_539">{539}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">at Atlantic City, N. J., June 11.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">September.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">6. The first New York performance of “Polly</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">With a Past” occurred at the Belasco Theatr</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">October.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 8em;">3. Belasco produced the melodrama called</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">“Tiger Rose,” by Willard Mack, at the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Lyceum Theatre, New York: trial performance</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">of this play was given at the Shubert</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">Theatre, Wilmington, Delaware, April 30,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">1917. Preliminary tour began, September</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 9.5em;">21, at</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_540" id="page_540">{540}</a></span></p> - -<p>[Illustration]</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_541" id="page_541">{541}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_542" id="page_542">{542}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_543" id="page_543">{543}</a></span> </p> - -<h2><a name="INDEX_TO_VOLUME_TWO" id="INDEX_TO_VOLUME_TWO"></a>INDEX TO VOLUME TWO</h2> - -<p class="c"><i>B. = David Belasco.</i></p> - -<p class="c"><a href="#A">A</a>, -<a href="#B">B</a>, -<a href="#C">C</a>, -<a href="#D">D</a>, -<a href="#E">E</a>, -<a href="#F">F</a>, -<a href="#G">G</a>, -<a href="#H">H</a>, -<a href="#I">I</a>, -<a href="#J">J</a>, -<a href="#K">K</a>, -<a href="#L">L</a>, -<a href="#M">M</a>, -<a href="#N">N</a>, -<a href="#O">O</a>, -<a href="#P">P</a>, -<a href="#R">R</a>, -<a href="#S">S</a>, -<a href="#T">T</a>, -<a href="#U">U</a>, -<a href="#V">V</a>, -<a href="#W">W</a>, -<a href="#Y">Y</a>, -<a href="#Z">Z</a>.</p> - -<p class="nind"> -<a name="A" id="A"></a><span class="lettre">A</span><br /> - -“About Town” (extravaganza): <a href="#page_9">9</a>.<br /> - -“About Town” (play): <a href="#page_9">9</a>.<br /> - -Actors: eminent, of the Past, singled out for detraction, <a href="#page_310">310</a>, <i>et seq.</i><br /> - -“Adam in Paradise” (play—Italian): <a href="#page_317">317</a>.<br /> - -“<span class="smcap">Adrea</span>” (tragedy): <a href="#page_68">68</a>; <a href="#page_69">69</a>; <a href="#page_121">121</a>; <a href="#page_126">126</a>; <a href="#page_129">129</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">writing of, <a href="#page_134">134</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">character of—and story of, epitomized, <a href="#page_138">138</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">truthfulness of, to nature and to fact, <a href="#page_146">146</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">purpose accomplished in, <a href="#page_147">147</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">an honor to its authors, <a href="#page_148">148</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">first performed—first performed in N. Y.—and original cast of, <a href="#page_150">150</a>; <a href="#page_151">151</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s determination to present, in Washington, <a href="#page_180">180</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">reception of, in Washington—and B.’s reminiscence of, <a href="#page_181">181</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s speech at first performance of, <a href="#page_182">182</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">loss on one week’s performance of—and B.’s speech at first N. Y. performance of, <a href="#page_185">185</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">last new play acted in by Mrs. Carter under B., <a href="#page_186">186</a>; <a href="#page_247">247</a>; <a href="#page_336">336</a>; <a href="#page_423">423</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">sp. performance of, for S. Bernhardt, <a href="#page_451">451</a>.</span><br /> - -Ainsworth, William Harrison (Eng. novelist: 1805-1882): <a href="#page_335">335</a>.<br /> - -Alva (or Alba), Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, Duke of (1508-1583): <a href="#page_81">81</a>.<br /> - -Anderson, Mary (Mrs. Antonio de Navarro: Am. actress: 1859-19—): <a href="#page_423">423</a>.<br /> - -Arliss, George (George Arliss-Andrews: Eng. actor: 1868-19—): as <i>Zakkuri</i>, <a href="#page_81">81</a>.<br /> - -Arnold, Matthew (Eng. poet, critic, etc.: 1822-1888): <i>re</i> the Theatre, <a href="#page_160">160</a>; <a href="#page_161">161</a>.<br /> - -Arthur, Lee (Lee Arthur Kahn: Am. playwright: 18— - 19—): <a href="#page_11">11</a>; <a href="#page_12">12</a>; <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> - -Assignation,” “The (play): <a href="#page_313">313</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Auctioneer</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (play): written on B.’s plan and to his order—B.’s designation of—revised by B.—first produced—and Warfield on original quality of, <a href="#page_11">11</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">first produced in N. Y.—described and critically considered—Warfield’s performance in, <a href="#page_12">12</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">original cast of, <a href="#page_15">15</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">first N. Y. “run” of—tour—profits from, etc., <a href="#page_16">16</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">abstract of B.’s testimony <i>re</i>, in conflict with Theatrical Trust, <a href="#page_17">17</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">“booking arrangement” <i>re</i>, with A. Erlanger, <a href="#page_18">18</a>; <a href="#page_19">19</a>; <a href="#page_20">20</a>; <a href="#page_22">22</a>; <a href="#page_23">23</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">seasons of—and profits from, <a href="#page_24">24</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">receivership applied for—and granted—Warfield closes tour in, etc., <a href="#page_25">25</a>, <i>et seq.</i>; <a href="#page_27">27</a>; <a href="#page_49">49</a>; <a href="#page_124">124</a>; <a href="#page_172">172</a>; <a href="#page_386">386</a>.</span><br /> - -Authorship, dramatic: author’s views of, <a href="#page_314">314</a>.<br /> - -“Avare” (play): <a href="#page_217">217</a>.<br /> - -<br /> -<a name="B" id="B"></a><span class="lettre">B</span><br /> - -Babcock, Winnifred Eaton (Mrs. Bertrand W. Babcock—Onoto Watanna: Am. story-writer: 1879-19—): charges plagiarism against B.—arrested for libel—retracts, <a href="#page_88">88</a>, <i>et seq.</i><br /> - -Bachman, Amelia (amateur Am. playwright): <a href="#page_322">322</a>; <a href="#page_323">323</a>.<br /> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_544" id="page_544">{544}</a></span>Bahr, Hermann (Aust. play writer and critic: 1863-19—): <a href="#page_290">290</a>; <a href="#page_291">291</a>.<br /> - -Banker’s Daughter,” “The (melodrama): <a href="#page_319">319</a>.<br /> - -Barker, H. Granville (Eng. actor, playwright, th. man., and stage man.: 1877-19—): <a href="#page_247">247</a>; <a href="#page_248">248</a>.<br /> - -Barnes, W. (Am. lawyer): <a href="#page_319">319</a>; <a href="#page_320">320</a>.<br /> - -Barrett, Lawrence P. (Am. th. man. and actor: 1838-1891): <a href="#page_48">48</a>; <a href="#page_66">66</a>; <a href="#page_153">153</a>; <a href="#page_214">214</a>; <a href="#page_428">428</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s view of, <a href="#page_449">449</a>.</span><br /> - -Barry, Thomas (Am. th. man. and actor): <a href="#page_153">153</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Bates, Blanche</span> (Mrs. Milton F. Davis—Mrs. George Creel: Am. actress: 1872-19—):<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B. launches as star, <a href="#page_1">1</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">qualities of, <a href="#page_3">3</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">her personation of <i>Cigarette</i>, <a href="#page_5">5</a>; <a href="#page_48">48</a>; <a href="#page_49">49</a>; <a href="#page_51">51</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">her personation of <i>Yo-San</i>, <a href="#page_79">79</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">quality of, as actress, <a href="#page_80">80</a>; <a href="#page_86">86</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">refutes charge that B. “stole” her services, <a href="#page_87">87</a>; <a href="#page_94">94</a>; <a href="#page_108">108</a>; <a href="#page_112">112</a>; <a href="#page_114">114</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">telegrams to, by B., <i>re</i> “The Darling of the Gods,” <a href="#page_188">188</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">telegram to, by B. F. Roeder, <i>re</i> same, <a href="#page_189">189</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">telegram to, by B., <i>re</i> same, <a href="#page_190">190</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter to, by B., <i>re</i> “benefits,” etc., <a href="#page_193">193</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter to, by B., <i>re</i> “The Girl of the Golden West,” <a href="#page_194">194</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">as <i>The Girl</i>, <a href="#page_199">199</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">her performance of <i>The Girl</i> critically considered, <a href="#page_200">200</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">last important performance of—acts in “The Fighting Hope,” <a href="#page_208">208</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">acts in “Nobody’s Widow,” <a href="#page_209">209</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">author’s wish that B. might resume management of, <a href="#page_213">213</a>; <a href="#page_214">214</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">lays cornerstone of B.’s Stuyvesant Th., <a href="#page_235">235</a>; <a href="#page_236">236</a>; <a href="#page_260">260</a>.</span><br /> - -Bates, Mrs. Frank Mark (Frances Marion Hinckley—Mrs. Charles L. Lord: Am. actress: 1848-1908): letter to, by B., <i>re</i> “The Girl of the Golden West,” <a href="#page_192">192</a>.<br /> - -Bath Comedy,” “The (novel): <a href="#page_94">94</a>; 96—and dramatized, see “Sweet Kitty Bellairs.”<br /> - -Beach, Hon. Miles (Judge, N. Y.): <a href="#page_321">321</a>.<br /> - -“Becket” (tragedy): <a href="#page_194">194</a>.<br /> - -Beckford, William (Eng. novelist: 1760-1844): <a href="#page_74">74</a>.<br /> - -Belasco, Augusta (Mrs. William Elliott):<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">at laying of cornerstone of B.’s Stuyvesant Th., <a href="#page_236">236</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">marriage of, <a href="#page_294">294</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">removed to Asheville—then to Colorado Springs—and death, funeral, and burial of, <a href="#page_296">296</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">closeness of, and her father—and B.’s recollections of, and the writing of “Peter Grimm.” <a href="#page_297">297</a>.</span><br /> - -<span class="smcap">B e l a s c o, D a v i d</span> (American theatrical manager, playwright, stage manager, actor, dramatist, 1853-19—):<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">plans to star B. Bates—and selects “Under Two Flags,” <a href="#page_1">1</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">employs P. M. Potter—and produces “U. T. F.,” <a href="#page_2">2</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">beauty of that production, <a href="#page_4">4</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">turns his attention to starring Warfield—negotiation of Warfield with—same engaged by, and contract between and same—issue of partnership with, <a href="#page_7">7</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">personal relations of, with Warfield, and early recollection of same, <a href="#page_8">8</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">position of Warfield when B. undertook management of, <a href="#page_10">10</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">plans “The Auctioneer” for Warfield—has it written—rewrites and first produces same, <a href="#page_11">11</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Warfield on work of B. on that play, <a href="#page_12">12</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Warfield’s debt to B.—and probable course of, without his direction, <a href="#page_14">14</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s profits from “The Auctioneer” reduced—beginning of his conflict with “The Theatrical Trust,” <a href="#page_16">16</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">abstract of his sworn testimony <i>re</i>, A. Erlanger, the Trust, <i>et al.</i>, <a href="#page_17">17</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">compelled to submit to terms of Erlanger—and evidence to substantiate B.’s statements, <a href="#page_19">19</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">irreconcilable contradiction in the testimony of B. and of Erlanger—and same commented on—author’s reasons for accepting testimony of, <a href="#page_20">20</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B. quoted on threat by Erlanger, <a href="#page_22">22</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">decision against, in favor of J. Brooks—same appealed and technical grounds of that decision, <a href="#page_23">23</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Warfield refuses to act except under management of, <a href="#page_25">25</a>;</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_545" id="page_545">{545}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 1em;">Warfield’s second public statement in support of, <a href="#page_27">27</a>;</span><br /> -early and characteristic trend of his mind, <a href="#page_28">28</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his selection of du Barry “not surprising,” <a href="#page_29">29</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">seeking a new part for Mrs. Carter—selects <i>Queen Elizabeth</i>—visits England, <a href="#page_30">30</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">meets J. Richepin, through Miss E. Marbury—visits them at Versailles—and his account of the “Du Barry” contract, etc., <a href="#page_31">31</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">rejects Richepin’s impracticable play—writes “Du Barry” himself—and his comments on the historic character, <a href="#page_33">33</a>, <i>et seq.</i>,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">quality of his “Du Barry” and that play described and critically examined, <a href="#page_34">34</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B. sued by Richepin—complaint and reply, etc.—and suit at last discontinued, <a href="#page_42">42</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his reason for not taking “Du Barry” to London, <a href="#page_44">44</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">comment on reconciliation with Richepin, <a href="#page_45">45</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">loving-cup presented to, by “Du Barry” Co., etc., <a href="#page_46">46</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">extraordinary progress of, <a href="#page_47">47</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">position of, <a href="#page_48">48</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">high ambition of—need of his own th.—and danger from Trust, <a href="#page_49">49</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">business proposal to, by O. Hammerstein, <a href="#page_50">50</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">same accepted—leases the Republic Th.—and stipulations of contract, <a href="#page_51">51</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">comment by, <i>re</i> high rent—dangerously hurt, <a href="#page_52">52</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">rebuilds the Republic Th., <a href="#page_53">53</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">“smites a rock” and taps a perpetual spring, <a href="#page_54">54</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">interview of, and holder of mortgage on the th.—the first Belasco Th. described, <a href="#page_55">55</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">opening of his first th.—speech of, on that occasion, etc., <a href="#page_60">60</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">souvenir published by, <a href="#page_66">66</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">disparaged by biographer of Mark Twain and defended by author, <a href="#page_67">67</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">“The D. of G.” created by B.—and letter from, to author, quoted, <a href="#page_69">69</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his plans for Mrs. Carter—reasons for opening with “Du Barry”—and his immense investment in, <a href="#page_70">70</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">“The D. of G.” based on his “The Carbineer”—collaboration with J. L. Long—and “The D. of G.” first produced by, <a href="#page_71">71</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his tragedy of “The Darling of the Gods,” described and critically considered, <a href="#page_73">73</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">dramatic effects originated by B., Irving, Daly, etc., <a href="#page_82">82</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his interesting recollection of creating scenic effect in ‘The D. of G.,” <a href="#page_83">83</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">immense cost to, of that play—and his small profit from—seeking an American Gilbert and Sullivan—engages Miss L. Russell, <a href="#page_85">85</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">accused of “stealing” stars, <a href="#page_86">86</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">and vindicated—is accused of plagiarism, <a href="#page_87">87</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">is libelled—his patience exhausted, causes arrest of O. Watanna—sues for $<a href="#page_20">20</a>,000 damages—and contemporary statement by, <a href="#page_88">88</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">libel against, withdrawn, <a href="#page_90">90</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">contemptible outrage against, perpetrated by order of A. Hummel, etc., <a href="#page_91">91</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">feeling of, toward C. Frohman—and significant note from same to B., <a href="#page_92">92</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">author’s comment on—and Judge Dittenhoefer’s comment on the Hummel-Frohman-Blair-Gressit outrage, <a href="#page_93">93</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his agreement with E. and A. Castle—dramatizes “The Bath Comedy”—and engages Miss H. Crosman, <a href="#page_94">94</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produces his “Sweet Kitty Bellairs”—harassed by Brooks suit—and terse statement by, <a href="#page_95">95</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his “Sweet Kitty Bellairs” described and critically considered, <a href="#page_96">96</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">sued by Grace B. Hughes, alleging plagiarism—gross injustices to B.—suit decided in his favor—author’s comments <i>re</i> same, <a href="#page_104">104</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letters of, to E. Castle, <a href="#page_106">106</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his “The D. of G.” produced in London—mean disparagement of, <a href="#page_109">109</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">glowing tribute to, by H. Beerbohm-Tree, <a href="#page_110">110</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">abortive arrangement to produce “Peter Grimm” in London, <a href="#page_111">111</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">strenuous work of—comment by, on his disposition—statement <i>re</i> policy of, by B. F. Roeder, <a href="#page_112">112</a>;</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_546" id="page_546">{546}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 1em;">“open war” with the “Trust,” <a href="#page_113">113</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">writing of “The Music Master”—B.’s the animating mind in that work, <a href="#page_114">114</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his reminiscence of “The M. M.,” <a href="#page_118">118</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his speech on first night of “The M. M.” in N. Y., <a href="#page_121">121</a>; letter of, <i>re</i> “The M. M.,” to C. Klein, <a href="#page_122">122</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">author on B.’s impressions <i>re</i>“one-part actors,” etc., <a href="#page_123">123</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">subjected to “a peculiarly impudent and contemptible persecution,” <a href="#page_126">126</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">claim of J. Brooks against, disallowed by Judge Leventritt, <a href="#page_127">127</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his esteem for Warfield—his views <i>re</i> “The M. M.,” <a href="#page_128">128</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letters of, to B. Bates, to D. James, Jr., <a href="#page_129">129</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter of, to P. Robertson, <a href="#page_130">130</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter of Robertson to B., <a href="#page_132">132</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">comment <i>re</i>, by author, <a href="#page_133">133</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his method of collaboration, <a href="#page_134">134</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter of J. L. Long to, <i>re</i> “Adrea,” <a href="#page_135">135</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter of, to J. L. Long, <i>re</i> “Adrea”—and character of his “Adrea”—and story of, etc., considered, <a href="#page_136">136</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">purpose of, in same—and fulfilled, <a href="#page_147">147</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">climax of his conflict with the Syndicate—and custom of B., <i>re</i> first performance of new plays, <a href="#page_151">151</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">and the Theatrical Syndicate, <a href="#page_152">152</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">services of, to Public and Theatre, <a href="#page_152">152</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">imperishable record of—and unique service rendered by, <a href="#page_153">153</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">efforts of, to present plays in Washington, <a href="#page_153">153</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">situation of, under Syndicate domination, <a href="#page_169">169</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">treatment of, by Syndicate, in 1904, <a href="#page_170">170</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">S. Untermyer on Erlanger and Syndicate <i>re</i> Belasco, <a href="#page_178">178</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">feeling of, about Washington—and theatres there closed to, <a href="#page_179">179</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">hires Convention Hall there—and converts into a theatre, <a href="#page_180">180</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter of, to “Washington Post,” <a href="#page_182">182</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his reminiscence of first performance of “Adrea,” <a href="#page_183">183</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">a card to the public—and speech by, on that occasion, <a href="#page_184">184</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">immense loss on Washington engagement of “Adrea”—and speech by, in N. Y., <a href="#page_185">185</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">professional association of, and Mrs. Carter ended, <a href="#page_187">187</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">characteristic messages from, <a href="#page_188">188</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">goes to England—1905, <a href="#page_190">190</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter from, to “London Referee,” <a href="#page_191">191</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">alliance of, with Mme. Schumann-Heink arranged—and abandoned—his regret <i>re</i>—and letter of, to B. Bates, <a href="#page_192">192</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter of, to J. L. Long, <a href="#page_193">193</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letters of, <i>re</i> “The Girl of the Golden West,” to Mrs. Bates and to B. Bates, <a href="#page_194">194</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter of, to F. E. Shrader, <a href="#page_195">195</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">tribute of, to memory of H. Irving, <a href="#page_196">196</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">first production of his “The Girl of the Golden West”—and same critically considered, <a href="#page_197">197</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">reminiscence of, and his father, suggesting central incident of “The Girl of the Golden West,” <a href="#page_202">202</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">comment on technical merits of his production of that play, <a href="#page_205">205</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">pleasing device used by, in that play, <a href="#page_207">207</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">professional association of, and B. Bates ended, <a href="#page_208">208</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">significant comment of, <i>re</i> unappreciated work he has done for other writers, <a href="#page_210">210</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter from G. Puccini to, and writing of opera by same on “The Girl of the Golden West,” <a href="#page_214">214</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">interest of, in that opera—and reminiscence of, about, <a href="#page_216">216</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">refuses all payment for services to the Metropolitan Opera Company—acknowledgment by same to—and cherished gift by same to, <a href="#page_217">217</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his alliance with the Messrs. Shubert—how arranged, etc., <a href="#page_218">218</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">foolish statement <i>re</i>, by L. Shubert—and author’s comment on same, <a href="#page_219">219</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">narrow escapes of, from violent death, <a href="#page_220">220</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">sees F. Starr for first time, <a href="#page_221">221</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">informing reminiscences of, about Miss Starr, <a href="#page_222">222</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">stipulation on which he accepted “The Rose of the Rancho,” <a href="#page_224">224</a>;</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_547" id="page_547">{547}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 1em;">that play, as revised and altered by him, a notable success—and</span><br /> -same critically considered, <a href="#page_225">225</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">unerring skill of, in use of “the element of natural accessories,” <a href="#page_233">233</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">significant statement of, <i>re</i> lighting-effects in “The Rose of the Rancho,” <a href="#page_234">234</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">projects the second B. Theatre (the Stuyvesant), <a href="#page_235">235</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">laying of cornerstone of same—ceremonies—address by B. Howard, etc., <a href="#page_236">236</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his Stuyvesant Theatre and his studio and collections in same described, <a href="#page_241">241</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">conspicuous part played by, in development of the art of stage lighting, <a href="#page_244">244</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">important statement by, <i>re</i> the same, <a href="#page_247">247</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">opening of his Stuyvesant Theatre—and his play of “A Grand Army Man” critically considered, <a href="#page_249">249</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">speech of, at opening of Stuyvesant Theatre, <a href="#page_255">255</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">he accepts “The Passing of the Third Floor Back” for D. Warfield and the opening of the Stuyvesant Theatre—and is unjustly treated by J. K. Jerome, <a href="#page_257">257</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produces “The Warrens of Virginia,” <a href="#page_260">260</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">recollections of, about M. Pickford—and produces “The Easiest Way,” <a href="#page_267">267</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his last visit to his father—honors to, in S. F.—and touching reminiscence of, <i>re</i> same, <a href="#page_271">271</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">return of, to N. Y.—and practical surrender of Theatrical Syndicate to, in conflict with, <a href="#page_274">274</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">author’s view <i>re</i> association of, with Syndicate, <a href="#page_276">276</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">early statement to author of purpose, <i>re</i> Syndicate, <a href="#page_277">277</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">statement by L. Shubert <i>re</i>, and Syndicate, <a href="#page_278">278</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">unwarranted and silly attack on, by Mrs. Carter, <a href="#page_279">279</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">and dignified repulsion of same by—his proposal for a farewell tour by Lotta declined, <a href="#page_280">280</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his productions in the season of 1909-’<a href="#page_10">10</a>, <a href="#page_281">281</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">comment by, on Jane Cowl—“Le Lys” adapted and produced by, <a href="#page_283">283</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">purpose of, in that adaptation, <a href="#page_286">286</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">production of “Just a Wife” made by, <a href="#page_287">287</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">period of his management of first B. Theatre—changes names of same and Stuyvesant Th.—produces “The Concert,” <a href="#page_289">289</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter of, to author, <i>re</i> death of daughter, quoted from, <a href="#page_293">293</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">marriage of daughter—and death of—death and funeral of father, <a href="#page_294">294</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">reasons for early opposition to daughter’s marriage—wedding of same and his gift to, <a href="#page_295">295</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">fight for life of daughter—removes same to Asheville—to Colorado Springs—death of, <a href="#page_296">296</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">closeness of, and younger daughter—his recollection of daughter, and of writing of “The Return of Peter Grimm,” <a href="#page_297">297</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">marriage of his elder daughter, <a href="#page_298">298</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">fragmentary and unrevised critical notes, <i>re</i> “Peter Grimm,” <a href="#page_298">298</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his “The Return of Peter Grimm” described and critically considered, <a href="#page_299">299</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his authorship of “Peter Grimm” questioned—and quality of detractors of B., <a href="#page_305">305</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter of, repudiating collaboration in “Peter Grimm”—produces “The Woman,” <a href="#page_306">306</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">accused of plagiarism, <a href="#page_309">309</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the whole subject of accusations of plagiarism against Belasco critically examined and refuted, <a href="#page_310">310</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">debt of other playwrights to, <a href="#page_324">324</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">playwrights who have profited by, specified by name, <a href="#page_325">325</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">exceptional letter of thanks to, from G. Scarborough, <a href="#page_326">326</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><span class="smcap">The Dramatic Works</span> of, catalogued, <a href="#page_327">327</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">a study of his quality and achievement as a dramatist, incompleted, <a href="#page_332">332</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">quality of, as man—labor of, and opposition to, etc., <a href="#page_334">334</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">constitution of mind of, compared to Ainsworth, <a href="#page_335">335</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">rank of, as dramatist—and not an imitator, <a href="#page_336">336</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">trial of A. Goldknopf’s suit against, and De Mille, <a href="#page_337">337</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_548" id="page_548">{548}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 1em;">proposes a unique demonstration—and the court acquiesces, <a href="#page_338">338</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">gives comparative performances of “The Woman” and “Tainted Philanthropy”—and court decides in favor of B., <a href="#page_341">341</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his comments on, <a href="#page_342">342</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produces “The Case of Becky”—same, in N. Y.—and the writing of, <a href="#page_343">343</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his reminiscence of that play, <a href="#page_345">345</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">delighted by success of—and sued for “plagiarism” in, <a href="#page_346">346</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">vindicated in court—and decision quoted, <a href="#page_347">347</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produces “A Good Little Devil,” <a href="#page_348">348</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">beautiful accoutrement of same, <a href="#page_349">349</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">reasons for producing “The Secret”—and his estimate of, <a href="#page_351">351</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produces “Marie-Odile”—his estimate of, <a href="#page_356">356</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">reconciliation of, and C. Frohman, <a href="#page_361">361</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">joint productions with C. Frohman projected—and they revived “A Celebrated Case,” <a href="#page_363">363</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his watchfulness of plays and players—estimate of L. Ulric, <a href="#page_365">365</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his rule as to seeing actors—a rehearsal for Miss Ulric—and impression on, made by, <a href="#page_368">368</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produces “The Girl” for Miss Ulric, <a href="#page_369">369</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">rewrites same with G. Scarborough—and presents as “The Heart of Wetona,” with Miss U., <a href="#page_370">370</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produces “What’s Wrong”—“The Vanishing Bride”—“The Love Thought”—“Alias,” <a href="#page_374">374</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produces “The Governor’s Lady,” <a href="#page_377">377</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produces “Years of Discretion,” <a href="#page_381">381</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produces “The Temperamental Journey,” <a href="#page_383">383</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">revives “The Auctioneer,” <a href="#page_386">386</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his endeavor to assist R. B. Molineux, <a href="#page_387">387</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his painful experience with Molineux, <a href="#page_390">390</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">compelled to order Molineux out of th., <a href="#page_391">391</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his visits to Chinatown, <a href="#page_394">394</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">characteristic and illuminative letter by, <a href="#page_395">395</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his admonition to Stage aspirants—a letter, <a href="#page_398">398</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produces “The Boomerang,” <a href="#page_407">407</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">and his view of that play, <a href="#page_408">408</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter of O. K. Kahn to, <i>re</i> “The B.,” <a href="#page_409">409</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produces “Seven Chances,” <a href="#page_411">411</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produces “The Little Lady in Blue,” <a href="#page_413">413</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter of W. W. to, <i>re</i> same, <a href="#page_414">414</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produces “The Very Minute,” <a href="#page_416">416</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><span class="smcap">Summary of his character and career</span>, <a href="#page_418">418</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">vitality and influence of, <a href="#page_421">421</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">aspersion of—and defended by author—his devotion to the Th., <a href="#page_422">422</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">works by which he will be remembered, <a href="#page_423">423</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">view of the stage to which he subscribed—and administration of “his great office,” <a href="#page_427">427</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">place among th. managers, <a href="#page_428">428</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">quality of, as th. man., <a href="#page_430">430</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">how contrasted with C. Frohman—characteristic instance of his placability and generosity, <a href="#page_433">433</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">reasons for his greatness as stage man., <a href="#page_434">434</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his understanding of actors—source of weakness in, <a href="#page_435">435</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">attitude of, in his th.—and most conspicuous associate of, in conduct of same, <a href="#page_437">437</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">personal peculiarities, <a href="#page_439">439</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">variable aspect of—and precious mental advantage possessed by, <a href="#page_440">440</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">great Shakespeare project proposed to, by author, <a href="#page_441">441</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his favorable attitude toward, <a href="#page_443">443</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">a “Shakespeare Trilogy” outlined to, by author, <a href="#page_445">445</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">project enthusiastically adopted by, <a href="#page_447">447</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">temporarily abandoned, because of death of W. W., see <i>ante</i>, <a href="#page_441">441</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his estimates of old actors—and glowing tribute of, to S. Bernhardt—a letter, <a href="#page_449">449</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">brief extracts from his correspondence, <a href="#page_452">452</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produces “Van Der Decken”—and same considered, <a href="#page_459">459</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produces “Polly with a Past,” after revising it, <a href="#page_463">463</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produces “Tiger Rose,” after revising, with L. Ulric in chief part, <a href="#page_465">465</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><span class="smcap">Chronology of the Life of David Belasco</span>, <a href="#page_471">471</a>, <i>et seq.</i></span><br /> - -Belasco, Frederick (Am. th. man.: 1862-19—): <a href="#page_130">130</a>.<br /> - -Belasco, Humphrey Abraham (father of D. B.: 1830-1911):<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_549" id="page_549">{549}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 1em;">reminiscence by, the origin of chief passage in “The Girl of the</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Golden West,” <a href="#page_200">200</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s last visit to, <a href="#page_271">271</a>; <a href="#page_272">272</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">death of—funeral—and burial, <a href="#page_294">294</a>.</span><br /> - -Belasco, Reina Victoria (Mrs. Morris Gest):<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">at laying of the cornerstone of B.’s Stuyvesant Th., <a href="#page_236">236</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">wedding of, <a href="#page_298">298</a>.</span><br /> - -Belasco Theatre, the first: <a href="#page_52">52</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">described, <a href="#page_55">55</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">opened with revival of “Du B.”—and B.’s speech on opening night, <a href="#page_60">60</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">first programme at, <a href="#page_62">62</a>.</span><br /> - -Belasco Theatre, the second (originally David Belasco’s Stuyvesant Th.):<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">projected, <a href="#page_234">234</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cornerstone laid, <a href="#page_235">235</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">address by B. Howard on laying of same, <a href="#page_236">236</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s recollections re occasion, <a href="#page_237">237</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">situation of—and described, <a href="#page_238">238</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cost of, <a href="#page_240">240</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s studio in, <a href="#page_241">241</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">opened, <a href="#page_249">249</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">spirited speech by B. on opening of, <a href="#page_255">255</a>.</span><br /> - -Belleforest, ——: <a href="#page_317">317</a>.<br /> - -“Belle Lamar” (melod.): <a href="#page_265">265</a>.<br /> - -Belle of New York,” “The (extravaganza): <a href="#page_9">9</a>.<br /> - -Belle Russe,” “La (melod.—B.’s): <a href="#page_312">312</a>.<br /> - -“Belphégor; or, The Mountebank” (melod.): <a href="#page_115">115</a>; <a href="#page_118">118</a>.<br /> - -Benrimo, J. Henry (Am. actor): <a href="#page_188">188</a>; <a href="#page_189">189</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Bernhardt, Sarah</span> (Sarah Frances—Mme. Jacques Damala: Fr. actress: 184[4?]-19—): <a href="#page_9">9</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">forced by the Th. Syndicate to act in circus tent, <a href="#page_155">155</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">author on—and views of—disagrees with B. <i>re</i>, <a href="#page_448">448</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s tribute to—a letter, <a href="#page_449">449</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">message to from B.—and reply by, <a href="#page_451">451</a>; <a href="#page_452">452</a>.</span><br /> - -Berton, Pierre (Fr. journalist and playwright: 1840-1912): <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> - -Bickerstaff, Isaac (Eng. dramatist: <i>cir.</i> 1735: <i>cir.</i> 1812): <a href="#page_313">313</a>.<br /> - -Bieber, Sidney (fire marshal and politician: 1874-1914): helps B., <a href="#page_178">178</a>.<br /> - -Bigelow, Wallis & Colton (architects): <a href="#page_59">59</a>.<br /> - -Bimberg, Meyer R. (died, 1908): <a href="#page_235">235</a>.<br /> - -Blair, Eugenie (Am. actress): <a href="#page_92">92</a>.<br /> - -Blumenthal, Oscar (Ger. dramatist: 1852-19—): <a href="#page_281">281</a>.<br /> - -“Bobby Burnitt” (story): <a href="#page_289">289</a>.<br /> - -Bolton, Guy (Am. playwright): <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> - -Bond, Frederick (Am. actor and th. man.): <a href="#page_221">221</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Boomerang</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (farcical comedy): <a href="#page_323">323</a>; <a href="#page_373">373</a>; <a href="#page_406">406</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produced—and critically considered, <a href="#page_407">407</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s view of, <a href="#page_408">408</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter to B. from O. H. Kahn, <i>re</i>, <a href="#page_409">409</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of, <a href="#page_410">410</a>.</span><br /> - -Booth, Barton (Eng. actor: 1681-1733): unjustly stigmatized, <a href="#page_310">310</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Booth, Edwin Thomas</span> (Am. actor and th. man.: 1833-1893): <a href="#page_48">48</a>; <a href="#page_49">49</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">troublesome experience of, when building Booth’s Th., <a href="#page_54">54</a>; <a href="#page_153">153</a>; <a href="#page_161">161</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">unjustly stigmatized, <a href="#page_311">311</a>.</span><br /> - -<span class="smcap">Boucicault, Dion</span> (Dionysius Lardner Boucicault [originally Bourcicault]: Irish-Am. dramatist, actor, and th. man.: 182[2?]-1890): <a href="#page_153">153</a>; <a href="#page_265">265</a>; <a href="#page_268">268</a>; <a href="#page_313">313</a>; <a href="#page_314">314</a>.<br /> - -Bourchier, Arthur (Eng. actor and th. man.: 1863-19—): <a href="#page_128">128</a>.<br /> - -Boyesen, Hjalmar Hjorth: <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> - -Bradley, Alice (Am. playwright:) <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> - -Brady, William A—— (Am. th. man.: 1865-19—): <a href="#page_9">9</a>; <a href="#page_429">429</a>.<br /> - -Bronze Horse,” “The (spectacle): <a href="#page_82">82</a>.<br /> - -Brooks, Joseph (Am. th. man. and agent: 1849-1916): <a href="#page_19">19</a>; <a href="#page_20">20</a>; <a href="#page_22">22</a>; <a href="#page_23">23</a>; <a href="#page_24">24</a>; <a href="#page_25">25</a>; <a href="#page_26">26</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">suit of, against B. begun, <a href="#page_95">95</a>; <a href="#page_126">126</a>; <a href="#page_127">127</a>.</span><br /> - -Brown, John: <a href="#page_216">216</a>.<br /> - -Burnham, Charles (Am. theatre prop.: 18— -19—): quoted, <i>re</i> commercialism of the drama, <a href="#page_159">159</a>.<br /> - -Burton, William Evans (Eng.-Am. actor, writer, and th. man.: 1804-1860): <a href="#page_151">151</a>.<br /> - -Bush Street Th., S. F.: Warfield an usher at, <a href="#page_8">8</a>.<br /> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_550" id="page_550">{550}</a></span>Byron, George Gordon, sixth Lord (the poet: 1788-1824): <a href="#page_35">35</a>; <a href="#page_318">318</a>.<br /> - -<br /> -<a name="C" id="C"></a><span class="lettre">C</span><br /> - -Caldwell, James H. (Am. th. man.: 1793-1863): <a href="#page_150">150</a>.<br /> - -California Th., S. F.: first attempt in Am. to light stage by electricity made at, <a href="#page_245">245</a>.<br /> - -Campbell, Maurice (Am. th. agent): <a href="#page_321">321</a>.<br /> - -“Campdown Races” (song): <a href="#page_206">206</a>.<br /> - -Cannon, Hon. Joseph Gurney (Congressman: 1836-19—): helps B., <a href="#page_178">178</a>.<br /> - -“Caprice” (play): <a href="#page_320">320</a>.<br /> - -Carabiniere,” “Il (play—It.): <a href="#page_71">71</a>.<br /> - -Carbineer,” “The (play—B.’s) : <a href="#page_71">71</a>.<br /> - -Carpenter, E. C.: <a href="#page_68">68</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Carter, Mrs. Leslie</span> (Caroline Louise Dudley—Mrs. William Louis Payne: Am. actress: 186[4?]-19—): <a href="#page_1">1</a>; <a href="#page_6">6</a>; <a href="#page_29">29</a>; <a href="#page_30">30</a>; <a href="#page_31">31</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">her performance of <i>du Barry</i>, <a href="#page_37">37</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">her method—developed by B., <a href="#page_38">38</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s reason for not taking her to London in “Du B.,” <a href="#page_44">44</a>; <a href="#page_45">45</a>; <a href="#page_48">48</a>; <a href="#page_50">50</a>; <a href="#page_51">51</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s tribute to, <a href="#page_61">61</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">production of “Kassa” by, <a href="#page_68">68</a>; <a href="#page_69">69</a>; <a href="#page_70">70</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">end of extraordinary tour of, under B.’s direction, <a href="#page_90">90</a>; <a href="#page_91">91</a>; <a href="#page_112">112</a>; <a href="#page_114">114</a>; <a href="#page_126">126</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">her impersonation of <i>Adrea</i> critically considered and qualities of specified, <a href="#page_148">148</a>, <i>et seq.</i>; <a href="#page_182">182</a>; <a href="#page_184">184</a>; <a href="#page_185">185</a>; <a href="#page_184">184</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">marriage of—professional association of, and B. ended—<i>Adrea</i> her best performance—and qualities of it, <a href="#page_185">185</a>; <a href="#page_186">186</a>; <a href="#page_187">187</a>; <a href="#page_277">277</a>.</span><br /> - -Caruso, Enrico (It. singer: 1874-19—): <a href="#page_214">214</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Case of Becky</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (play): <a href="#page_320">320</a>; <a href="#page_322">322</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produced—and writing of, <a href="#page_343">343</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">described and considered, <a href="#page_344">344</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s recollections <i>re</i>, <a href="#page_345">345</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of—unexpected success of—plagiarism charged in, <a href="#page_346">346</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B. vindicated <i>re</i> same—decision quoted, <a href="#page_347">347</a>.</span><br /> - -Castle, Agnes (Mrs. Egerton Castle): <a href="#page_94">94</a>.<br /> - -Castle, Egerton (Eng. novelist and newspaper man: 1858-19—): <a href="#page_94">94</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s letters to, <i>re</i> “Sweet Kitty Bellairs,” <a href="#page_106">106</a>, <i>et seq.</i></span><br /> - -“Cataract of the Ganges” (“The Ganges”): <a href="#page_82">82</a>.<br /> - -“Catherine” (play): burlesque of, <a href="#page_10">10</a>.<br /> - -Catherine the Second, Empress of Russia (1729-1796): <a href="#page_29">29</a>.<br /> - -Celebrated Case,” “A: <a href="#page_363">363</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">first produced, <a href="#page_363">363</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">considered, <a href="#page_364">364</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">revived by B. and C. Frohman—cast of, <a href="#page_365">365</a>.</span><br /> - -“Charles I.” (drama): <a href="#page_264">264</a>.<br /> - -Children of the Ghetto,” “The (play): <a href="#page_87">87</a>.<br /> - -Chimney Corner,” “The (play): <a href="#page_249">249</a>.<br /> - -Chester, George Randolph (Am. writer: 1869-19—): <a href="#page_289">289</a>.<br /> - -Choice,” “The (play): <a href="#page_323">323</a>.<br /> - -Chronicle,” “The S. F. (newspaper): <a href="#page_133">133</a>.<br /> - -Cid,” “Le (play—Fr.): <a href="#page_317">317</a>.<br /> - -City Directory,” “The (farce): <a href="#page_9">9</a>.<br /> - -Civinni, C. (It. librettist): <a href="#page_213">213</a>.<br /> - -Claire, Ina (Am. actress and mimic): B.’s attention directed to—and first appearance under, <a href="#page_464">464</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">quality of, revealed in <i>Polly Shannon</i>, <a href="#page_465">465</a>.</span><br /> - -Clarke, John Sleeper (Am.-Eng. actor and th. man.: 1833-1899): <a href="#page_153">153</a>.<br /> - -Clemens, Samuel Langhorne (Mark Twain: Am. author: 1835-1910): <a href="#page_67">67</a>.<br /> - -“Coal Oil Tommy” (song): <a href="#page_206">206</a>.<br /> - -Cohan, George M. (Am. actor, th. man., and playwright: 1878-19—): <a href="#page_430">430</a>.<br /> - -Cohan & Harris (Am. th. mang’s.): <a href="#page_289">289</a>.<br /> - -Collins, William Wilkie (Eng. novelist and dramatist: 1824-1889): <a href="#page_164">164</a>; <a href="#page_234">234</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">comment on his “No Name,” <a href="#page_286">286</a>.</span><br /> - -Colman, John (Eng. th. man. and dram.: 1732-1794): <a href="#page_313">313</a>.<br /> - -Comedy of Errors,” “The: <a href="#page_317">317</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Concert</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (farcical comedy): adapted by L. Ditrichstein and produced by B., <a href="#page_289">289</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">theme of—and critically considered, <a href="#page_290">290</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of, <a href="#page_290">290</a>.</span><br /> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_551" id="page_551">{551}</a></span>Congreve, William (Eng. dramatist: 1670-1729): <a href="#page_313">313</a>.<br /> - -Conners, “Chuck”: <a href="#page_395">395</a>; <a href="#page_396">396</a>; <a href="#page_397">397</a>; <a href="#page_398">398</a>.<br /> - -Convention Hall, Wash., D. C.: converted by B. into a theatre, <a href="#page_178">178</a>, <i>et seq.</i><br /> - -Cooper, James Fenimore (Am. novelist: 1789-1851): <a href="#page_164">164</a>.<br /> - -Cope, John W. (Am. actor: —— - 19—): <a href="#page_233">233</a>.<br /> - -“Coriolanus”: <a href="#page_318">318</a>.<br /> - -Corneille, Pierre (Fr. dramatist and poet: 1606-1684): <a href="#page_313">313</a>; <a href="#page_317">317</a>.<br /> - -Couldock, Charles Walter (Eng.-Am. actor: 1815-1896): <a href="#page_249">249</a>.<br /> - -Courtleigh, William (Am. actor: 1869-19—): <a href="#page_190">190</a>.<br /> - -Cowl, Jane (Mrs. Adolph Klauber: 18— - 19—): B. comments on, <a href="#page_283">283</a>.<br /> - -Crabbe, George (Eng. poet and clergyman: 1754-1832): <a href="#page_318">318</a>.<br /> - -Crews, Laura Hope (Am. actress): excellent performance by, <a href="#page_406">406</a>.<br /> - -Cricket on the Hearth,” “The (play): <a href="#page_123">123</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Criticasterism</span>, “eunuchs of”: Goldsmith quoted <i>re</i>, <a href="#page_304">304</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">author on, and authorship of “Peter Grimm,” <a href="#page_305">305</a>.</span><br /> - -<span class="smcap">Crosman, Henrietta</span> (Mrs. Maurice Campbell: 1865-19—): <a href="#page_35">35</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">engaged by B., <a href="#page_94">94</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">her personation of <i>Kitty Bellairs</i>, <a href="#page_100">100</a>, <i>et seq.</i>; <a href="#page_103">103</a>; <a href="#page_108">108</a>; <a href="#page_321">321</a>.</span><br /> - -Crushed Tragedian,” “The (satirical farce): <a href="#page_123">123</a>.<br /> - -<br /> -<a name="D" id="D"></a><span class="lettre">D</span><br /> - -<span class="smcap">Daly, Augustin</span> (Am. journalist, th. man., dramatist, and stage man.: 1838-1899): <a href="#page_48">48</a>; <a href="#page_49">49</a>; <a href="#page_61">61</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">opponent of the Th. Syndicate, etc., <a href="#page_154">154</a>; <a href="#page_161">161</a>; <a href="#page_244">244</a>; <a href="#page_269">269</a>.</span><br /> - -Dampier, Captain William (Eng. buccaneer and explorer: 1652-1712): <a href="#page_317">317</a>; <a href="#page_318">318</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Darling of the Gods</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (tragedy): <a href="#page_68">68</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">its existence due solely to B., <a href="#page_69">69</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">founded on B.’s early adaptation of “Il Carabiniere,” <a href="#page_71">71</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">first productions of—and original cast of, <a href="#page_72">72</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">described and critically considered, <a href="#page_73">73</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">beauties in production of, <a href="#page_80">80</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">fine acting, <a href="#page_81">81</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s recollection of creating scenic effects in “The D. of G.”—the River of Souls, etc., <a href="#page_83">83</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Tree’s impression <i>re</i> same, on reading description, <a href="#page_84">84</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B. accused of plagiarism in connection with, <a href="#page_88">88</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">186th performance of, <a href="#page_90">90</a>; <a href="#page_91">91</a>; <a href="#page_94">94</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produced in London, <a href="#page_108">108</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B. breaks with Syndicate over—and presents independently in St. Louis, <a href="#page_113">113</a>; <a href="#page_129">129</a>; <a href="#page_170">170</a>; <a href="#page_181">181</a>; <a href="#page_247">247</a>; <a href="#page_312">312</a>; <a href="#page_333">333</a>.</span><br /> - -Davenant, Sir William (Eng. soldier, th. man.: 1605-1668): <a href="#page_419">419</a>.<br /> - -Davenport, Edward Loomis (Am. actor and th. man.: 1815-1877): <a href="#page_214">214</a>.<br /> - -“David Garrick” (comedy): <a href="#page_123">123</a>.<br /> - -Dean, William (gen. st. man. for B.: 1868-1913): <a href="#page_222">222</a>; <a href="#page_223">223</a>; <a href="#page_224">224</a>.<br /> - -de Belleval, Comte ——: on character and person of du Barry, <a href="#page_34">34</a>.<br /> - -de Bergerac, Savinien Cyrano (Fr. novelist, dramatist, duellist, soldier, and poet: 1620-1655): <a href="#page_317">317</a>.<br /> - -Defoe, Daniel (Eng. author: 1659 [or 60?]-1731): <a href="#page_318">318</a>.<br /> - -“Delicate Ground” (satirical farce): <a href="#page_290">290</a>.<br /> - -De Mille, Cecil Blount (Am. actor and playwright: 1881-19—): <a href="#page_306">306</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">De Mille, Henry Churchill</span> (am. Playwright: 1850-1893): <a href="#page_260">260</a>; <a href="#page_320">320</a>; <a href="#page_321">321</a>; <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">De Mille, William Churchill</span> (Am. playwright: 1878-19—): <a href="#page_260">260</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s production of his “The Woman,” <a href="#page_306">306</a>, <i>et seq.</i>; <a href="#page_322">322</a>.</span><br /> - -Destinn, Emmy (Aust. singer: 18— - 19—): <a href="#page_214">214</a>.<br /> - -de Valois, Marguerite (1492-1549): <a href="#page_29">29</a>.<br /> - -Dewey, George (Admiral of the Navy, U. S.: 1837-1917): at first performance of “Adrea,” <a href="#page_183">183</a>; <a href="#page_185">185</a>.<br /> - -Dickens, Charles, Sr. (the novelist and dramatist: 1812-1870): <a href="#page_162">162</a>.<br /> - -Discovery,” “The (play): <a href="#page_313">313</a>.<br /> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_552" id="page_552">{552}</a></span><span class="smcap">Ditrichstein, Leo</span> (Aust.-Am. actor and playwright: 1867-19—):<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his adaptation of “Die Thür ins Freie,” <a href="#page_281">281</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">adopts “The Concert,” <a href="#page_289">289</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his adaptation, “The Concert,” critically considered, <a href="#page_291">291</a>, <i>et seq.</i></span><br /> - -Dittenhoefer, Hon. Abram Jesse (Am. lawyer: 1836-19—): <a href="#page_51">51</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">statement by, <i>re</i> outrage at Belasco Th., <a href="#page_93">93</a>; <a href="#page_320">320</a>.</span><br /> - -“Divorçons” (comedy): <a href="#page_290">290</a>.<br /> - -“Dolce” (play): <a href="#page_68">68</a>.<br /> - -“Don Juan” (poem): <a href="#page_35">35</a>.<br /> - -Dragon-Fly,” “The (play): <a href="#page_68">68</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Dramatic Mirror</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The N. Y.</span> (th. newspaper): H. G. Fiske’s arraignment of Th. Syndicate in—and Syndicate suit against, <a href="#page_175">175</a>, <i>et seq.</i>; <a href="#page_320">320</a>.<br /> - -Dryden, John (Eng. poet, dramatist, etc.: 1633-1701): <a href="#page_313">313</a>.<br /> - -“Du Barri” (play—Richepin’s): produced in London—and a failure, <a href="#page_44">44</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">du Barry, Countess</span> (Marie Jeanne Bécu: Fr. courtesan: 1746-1793): <a href="#page_29">29</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">influence of—slaughtered, <a href="#page_30">30</a>; <a href="#page_31">31</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B. on character of—author on same, <a href="#page_33">33</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Voltaire on—and Comte de Belleval on character and person of, <a href="#page_34">34</a>; <a href="#page_35">35</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">execution of, <a href="#page_36">36</a>; <a href="#page_42">42</a>.</span><br /> - -“<span class="smcap">Du Barry</span>” (play—B.’s): <a href="#page_32">32</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">quality of—and described and critically considered, <a href="#page_34">34</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">first produced—and same in N. Y., <a href="#page_38">38</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">C. Frohman refuses “a half-interest” in—B., and author, on production of, <a href="#page_39">39</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">splendid setting of—and original cast of, <a href="#page_40">40</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Richepin’s lawsuit against B. <i>re</i>, <a href="#page_42">42</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">that lawsuit discontinued, <a href="#page_44">44</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">ceremonies, and speech after New Year’s performance of, <a href="#page_45">45</a>, <i>et seq.</i>; <a href="#page_47">47</a>; <a href="#page_48">48</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">reason for presenting at Criterion Th., <a href="#page_50">50</a>; <a href="#page_52">52</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">revived for opening of the first Belasco Theatre, <a href="#page_60">60</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">souvenir programme of, <a href="#page_62">62</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">souvenir book about, <a href="#page_66">66</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">immense investment in, <a href="#page_70">70</a>; <a href="#page_89">89</a>; <a href="#page_91">91</a>; <a href="#page_108">108</a>; <a href="#page_181">181</a>; <a href="#page_320">320</a>; <a href="#page_321">321</a>.</span><br /> - -Dunlap, William (Am. th. man. and historian: 1766-1839): <a href="#page_150">150</a>.<br /> - -Dunn, Emma (Am. actress): in “The W. of V.,” <a href="#page_265">265</a>.<br /> - -<br /> -<a name="E" id="E"></a><span class="lettre">E</span><br /> - -<span class="smcap">Easiest Way</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (play): quality of, <a href="#page_267">267</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">critical strictures on, <a href="#page_268">268</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">author’s attitude toward, <a href="#page_269">269</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">perfection of production of, <a href="#page_270">270</a>; <a href="#page_423">423</a>.</span><br /> - -Edwardes, George (Eng. op. and th. man.: 18— - 19—): <a href="#page_128">128</a>.<br /> - -Effects, dramatic: creation of—and representative, cited, <a href="#page_82">82</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B. on, in “The M. M.,” <a href="#page_119">119</a>.</span><br /> - -Elliott, William (Am. actor and th. man.: 18— - 19—): meeting of, and B.’s daughter—their marriage, <a href="#page_294">294</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">same at first opposed by B., <a href="#page_295">295</a>.</span><br /> - -Elizabeth, Queen of England (1533-1603): <a href="#page_30">30</a>; <a href="#page_31">31</a>.<br /> - -English Gentleman,” “An (play): <a href="#page_123">123</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Erlanger, Abraham Lincoln</span> (Am. speculative th. man. and th. “booking agent”: 1860-19—): abstract of B.’s testimony <i>re</i>, and the Theatrical Syndicate, <a href="#page_17">17</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his <i>flat denial</i> of B.’s testimony, <a href="#page_20">20</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">author’s reasons for not believing “the things he swears to,” <a href="#page_21">21</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s statement <i>re</i> threat of, quoted, <a href="#page_22">22</a>; <a href="#page_154">154</a>; <a href="#page_155">155</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">statement by, <i>re</i> early th. man’s., actors, the Th. Syn., etc., quoted, <a href="#page_156">156</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">course of, <i>re</i> B.’s booking of “The D. of the G.” in St. Louis, <a href="#page_168">168</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">H. G. Fiske’s allegation against, <a href="#page_174">174</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">power of—S. Untermyer’s arraignment of—and author’s opinion of it, <a href="#page_176">176</a>, <i>et seq.</i>; <a href="#page_113">113</a>; <a href="#page_278">278</a>.</span><br /> - -Eudoxia, Roman Empress (—— - 462): <a href="#page_146">146</a>.<br /> - -Euripides: <a href="#page_317">317</a>.<br /> - -“Etelle” (play): <a href="#page_322">322</a>.<br /> - -<br /> -<a name="F" id="F"></a><span class="lettre">F</span><br /> - -Fanciulla del West,” “La (opera—on “The Girl of the Golden West”): produced, <a href="#page_214">214</a>;<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_553" id="page_553">{553}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 1em;">original cast of, <a href="#page_215">215</a>.</span><br /> - -Farquhar, George (Eng. dram.: 1678-1707): <a href="#page_313">313</a>.<br /> - -Fielding, Henry (Eng. novelist and playwright: 1707-1754): <a href="#page_313">313</a>.<br /> - -Fields, Charles J.: <a href="#page_274">274</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Fighting Hope</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (melod.): produced by B., <a href="#page_206">206</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of, <a href="#page_207">207</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">“rectified” by B.—critically considered, <a href="#page_208">208</a>, <i>et seq.</i></span><br /> - -Fiske, Harrison Grey (Am. journalist and th. man.: 1867-19—): <a href="#page_49">49</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">conflict of, with Th. Syndicate, <a href="#page_154">154</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his arraignment of Th. Syndicate—and is sued by, <a href="#page_175">175</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his answer to suit, <a href="#page_176">176</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Syndicate suit against, discontinued—and author’s comment thereon, <a href="#page_177">177</a>, <i>et seq.</i>; <a href="#page_275">275</a>; <a href="#page_320">320</a>.</span><br /> - -Fiske, Minnie Maddern (Mrs. Harrison Grey Fiske: Am. actress: 1865-19—): <a href="#page_49">49</a>; <a href="#page_154">154</a>.<br /> - -Fitzgerald, Hon. James J. (Judge, N. Y.): decision of, against B., quoted—and author on same, <a href="#page_23">23</a>, <i>et seq.</i><br /> - -Flying Dutchman,” “The (play on—by B.): <a href="#page_300">300</a>.<br /> - -Flying Scud,” “The (melod.): <a href="#page_221">221</a>.<br /> - -Forbes-Robertson, Sir Johnston (kt., cr. 1913: Scotch-Eng. actor, th. man., and playwright: 1853-19—): <a href="#page_260">260</a>.<br /> - -Ford, James Lauren (Am. journalist and story writer: 1854-19—): <a href="#page_66">66</a>.<br /> - -Ford, John T. (Am. th. man.: 1829-1894): <a href="#page_153">153</a>.<br /> - -“Forget-Me-Not” (melod.): <a href="#page_312">312</a>.<br /> - -Forrest, Edwin (Am. actor: 1806-1872): <a href="#page_214">214</a>.<br /> - -Freedman, Hon. John Joseph (Judge, N. Y. Sup. Ct.: 1835-19—): decision of, for B., against Richepin, <a href="#page_44">44</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Frohman, Charles</span> (Am. spec. th. man.: 1860-1915): <a href="#page_1">1</a>; <a href="#page_19">19</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">refuses “a half-interest” in B.’s “Du Barry,” <a href="#page_39">39</a>; <a href="#page_49">49</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">not exempt from B.’s arraignment of Th. Syn., <a href="#page_50">50</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">significant letter of, to B., <a href="#page_92">92</a>; <a href="#page_93">93</a>; <a href="#page_156">156</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">statement by, <i>re</i> alleged purpose in formation of the Th. Syn., quoted, <a href="#page_158">158</a>; <a href="#page_171">171</a>; <a href="#page_191">191</a>; <a href="#page_361">361</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">reconciled with B.—and death of, <a href="#page_362">362</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">revives “A. C. C.” with B., <a href="#page_363">363</a>; <a href="#page_429">429</a>; <a href="#page_430">430</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">brief sketch of character of, <a href="#page_431">431</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">not a true th. man.—quality of, revealed, <a href="#page_432">432</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">relative rank of, contrasted with B., <a href="#page_433">433</a>.</span><br /> - -Frohman, Daniel (Am. th. man.: 1839-19—): <a href="#page_432">432</a>.<br /> - -Fyles, Franklyn (originally, Franklin Files: Am. journalist and playwright: 1847-1911): <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> - -<br /> -<a name="G" id="G"></a><span class="lettre">G</span><br /> - -Gall, Charles F.: <a href="#page_274">274</a>.<br /> - -Galland, Bertha (Am. actress: 1876-19—): <a href="#page_103">103</a>.<br /> - -Gallinger, Hon. Jacob H—— (U. S. Senator: 1837-1918): helps B., <a href="#page_178">178</a>.<br /> - -“Gallops” (play): <a href="#page_221">221</a>; <a href="#page_224">224</a>.<br /> - -Garrick, David (Eng. actor, th. man., and dramatist: 1716-1779): inspiration of dramatists of era of, <a href="#page_147">147</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">unjustly stigmatized, <a href="#page_310">310</a>; <a href="#page_419">419</a>.</span><br /> - -Gatti-Casazza, Giulio (It. op. man.: 1869-19—): <a href="#page_214">214</a>; <a href="#page_215">215</a>.<br /> - -Gay Lord Quex,” “The (play): <a href="#page_269">269</a>.<br /> - -Gest, Morris (Rus.-Am. th. man.): marriage of, to B.’s daughter, <a href="#page_298">298</a>.<br /> - -Gilbert, John Gibbs (Am. actor and st. man.: 1810-1889): <a href="#page_249">249</a>.<br /> - -Gilbert, Sir William Schwenck (Eng. dramatist and poet: 1836-1911): <a href="#page_85">85</a>.<br /> - -Gilfert, Charles (Ger.-Am. th. man.: 1787-1829): <a href="#page_152">152</a>.<br /> - -Gillette, William Hooker (Am. actor and playwright: 1855-19—): <a href="#page_192">192</a>.<br /> - -Girl I Left Behind Me,” “The (melod.): <a href="#page_312">312</a>; <a href="#page_333">333</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Girl of the Golden West</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (melod.): <a href="#page_67">67</a>; <a href="#page_129">129</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter to Mrs. Bates—and another to B. Bates, <i>re</i>, <a href="#page_194">194</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">first performance of—and story of, epitomized and critically considered, <a href="#page_197">197</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">original cast of, <a href="#page_201">201</a>;</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_554" id="page_554">{554}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 1em;">great dramatic merit of chief passage in—and origin of same, <a href="#page_202">202</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">production of, “a masterpiece of stagecraft”—and wonderful storm in, described, <a href="#page_205">205</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">success of, <a href="#page_208">208</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">selected by Puccini as subject for opera—and that opera produced, <a href="#page_214">214</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of Puccini’s opera about, <a href="#page_215">215</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s reminiscence of operatic production of, <a href="#page_216">216</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">tribute to B. <i>re</i> opera production of, <a href="#page_217">217</a>; <a href="#page_260">260</a>; <a href="#page_336">336</a>.</span><br /> - -Gladstone, William Ewart (Eng. statesman: 1809-1898): <a href="#page_163">163</a>.<br /> - -Goelet, Robert Walton (Am. capitalist: 1880-19—): <a href="#page_216">216</a>.<br /> - -Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von (Ger. poet, th. man., etc.: 1749-1832): <a href="#page_239">239</a>.<br /> - -Goldknopf, Abraham: his assertion that “The Woman” was stolen from his “Tainted Philanthropy,” <a href="#page_309">309</a>; <a href="#page_322">322</a>.<br /> - -Goldsmith, Oliver (Eng. poet, dramatist, etc.: 1728-1774): <a href="#page_239">239</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">quoted, <i>re</i> eunuchs of criticasterism, <a href="#page_304">304</a>.</span><br /> - -<span class="smcap">Good Little Devil</span>,” “<small>A</small> (extravaganza): <a href="#page_267">267</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produced—and considered, <a href="#page_348">348</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of, <a href="#page_349">349</a>.</span><br /> - -Gordon, Mackenzie, <a href="#page_274">274</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Governor’s Lady</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (play): <a href="#page_373">373</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produced—described and considered, <a href="#page_377">377</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of, <a href="#page_380">380</a>.</span><br /> - -“Grandfather Whitehead” (play): <a href="#page_249">249</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Grand Army Man</span>,” “<small>A</small> (drama): <a href="#page_124">124</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">writing of—first produced—and classification of, <a href="#page_249">249</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">story of, described and critically considered, <a href="#page_250">250</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Warfield’s impersonation in, <a href="#page_250">250</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of, <a href="#page_256">256</a>; <a href="#page_259">259</a>; <a href="#page_423">423</a>.</span><br /> - -Greene, Clay M. (Am. playwright: 1850-19—): <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> - -Greenberg, Joseph: <a href="#page_274">274</a>.<br /> - -Gressit, Henry (Am. th. man.): <a href="#page_92">92</a>.<br /> - -“Guillaume Tell” (opera—It.): <a href="#page_317">317</a>.<br /> - -Gunter, Archibald Clavering (Am. novelist and playwright: 1848-1907): <a href="#page_324">324</a>.<br /> - -<br /> -<a name="H" id="H"></a><span class="lettre">H</span><br /> - -Hackett, James Henry (Am. actor and th. man.: 1800-1871): <a href="#page_150">150</a>.<br /> - -Hamblin, Thomas Sowerby (Eng. Am. actor and th. man.: 1801-1853): <a href="#page_419">419</a>.<br /> - -Hammerstein, Oscar (Ger.-Am. spec. th. and op. man.: 1847-19—): oppressed by Th. Syndicate—and offers th. to B., <a href="#page_50">50</a>; <a href="#page_51">51</a>; <a href="#page_52">52</a>; <a href="#page_55">55</a>.<br /> - -Hare (Fairs), Sir John (kt., cr. 1907: Eng. actor and th. man.): <a href="#page_14">14</a>.<br /> - -Harris, Henry B. (Am. sp. th. man.: 18— - 1912): <a href="#page_429">429</a>.<br /> - -Harris, William (Am. th. man.: 1845-1916): <a href="#page_429">429</a>.<br /> - -Harte, Francis Bret (Am. poet and journalist: 1839-1902): <a href="#page_66">66</a>; <a href="#page_203">203</a>.<br /> - -Hartman, Louis (el. expert): <a href="#page_245">245</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Hayman, Al.</span> (Am. spec. th. man. and th. proprietor: 18[52?]-1917): <a href="#page_19">19</a>; <a href="#page_156">156</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Fiske’s allegation against, <a href="#page_176">176</a>; <a href="#page_191">191</a>; <a href="#page_429">429</a>.</span><br /> - -<span class="smcap">Heart of Maryland</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (melod—B.’s) : <a href="#page_47">47</a>; <a href="#page_67">67</a>; <a href="#page_151">151</a>.<br /> - -Heart of Mid-Lothian,” “The (play): <a href="#page_253">253</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Heart of Wetona</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (melodrama): <a href="#page_368">368</a>; <a href="#page_369">369</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produced and critically considered, <a href="#page_372">372</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of, <a href="#page_373">373</a>.</span><br /> - -“Hearts of Oak” (melod.): <a href="#page_312">312</a>.<br /> - -Heir-at-Law,” “The (comedy): <a href="#page_123">123</a>.<br /> - -Henry the Eighth, King of England (1457-1547): <a href="#page_242">242</a>.<br /> - -Herald,” “The N. Y. (newspaper): <a href="#page_158">158</a>.<br /> - -Herne, James A[lfred] (James Ahearn: Am. actor, playwright, and stage man.: 1839-1902): <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> - -Hoadley, Rev. John (Eng. dramatist: 1711-1776): <a href="#page_313">313</a>.<br /> - -Holinshed, Raphael (Eng. historian: 1520-1580): <a href="#page_317">317</a>; <a href="#page_318">318</a>.<br /> - -Holland (Joseph, Jr.) Benefit: <a href="#page_193">193</a>.<br /> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_555" id="page_555">{555}</a></span>Holmes, Oliver Wendell (Am. poet, author, physician, lawyer: 1809-1894): <a href="#page_36">36</a>; <a href="#page_62">62</a>.<br /> - -Holt, Hon. Henry Winston (Am. judge, 18th Jud. Dist., Va.: 1864-19—): <a href="#page_322">322</a>.<br /> - -“Home” (comedy): <a href="#page_123">123</a>; <a href="#page_221">221</a>.<br /> - -Homer: <a href="#page_317">317</a>.<br /> - -Hopwood, Avery (Am. playwright: 1884-19—): <a href="#page_207">207</a>; <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> - -Horace: <a href="#page_317">317</a>.<br /> - -Howard, Bronson (Am. dramatist: 1843-1908): speech of, at laying cornerstone of B.’s Stuyvesant Th., <a href="#page_236">236</a>; <a href="#page_319">319</a>; <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> - -Howe & Hummel (attorneys): <a href="#page_42">42</a>.<br /> - -Hughes, Grace B. (Mary Montague): suit of, against B.—and decision against her, <a href="#page_104">104</a>, <i>et seq.</i>; <a href="#page_321">321</a>.<br /> - -Hummel, Abraham (lawyer): attorney against B.—and imprisonment—disbarment of, <a href="#page_42">42</a>; <a href="#page_44">44</a>; <a href="#page_91">91</a>; <a href="#page_92">92</a>; <a href="#page_93">93</a>.<br /> - -Hurlbut, William J. (Am. playwright): <a href="#page_206">206</a>; <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> - -<br /> -<a name="I" id="I"></a><span class="lettre">I</span><br /> - -Illington, Margaret (Mrs. Daniel Frohman—Mrs. Edward J. Bowes: Am. actress: 1881-19—): <a href="#page_90">90</a>.<br /> - -“In Gay New York” (extravaganza): <a href="#page_9">9</a>.<br /> - -Inspector,” “The (play): <a href="#page_9">9</a>.<br /> - -Iroquois Theatre, Chicago: destruction of—and lawsuit growing out of comment thereon, <a href="#page_173">173</a>, <i>et seq.</i><br /> - -<span class="smcap">Irving, Sir Henry</span> (kt., cr. 1895: Eng. actor and th. man.: 1838-1905; originally, John Henry Brodribb): <a href="#page_82">82</a>; <a href="#page_161">161</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s tribute to memory of, <a href="#page_196">196</a>, <i>et seq.</i>; <a href="#page_216">216</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">unjustly stigmatized, <a href="#page_311">311</a>; <a href="#page_428">428</a>; <a href="#page_429">429</a>.</span><br /> - -“<span class="smcap">Is Matrimony a Failure?</span>” (farcical comedy): produced by B.—and, critically considered <a href="#page_281">281</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of—and J. Cowl’s performance in, <a href="#page_283">283</a>.</span><br /> - -<br /> -<a name="J" id="J"></a><span class="lettre">J</span><br /> - -“Jack Sheppard” (novel): <a href="#page_336">336</a>.<br /> - -Jackson, Helen Hunt (Helen Maria Fiske, Mrs. Edward Bissell Hunt, Mrs. William S. Jackson: Am. novelist and poet: 1831-1885): <a href="#page_226">226</a>.<br /> - -James, David, Jr. (Eng. actor): letter of B. to, <a href="#page_128">128</a>; <a href="#page_129">129</a>.<br /> - -Japanese Nightingale,” “A (story): <a href="#page_88">88</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">dramatization of, produced, <a href="#page_90">90</a>.</span><br /> - -Jefferson, Joseph (the fourth: Am. actor, playwright, and stage manager: 1829-1905): <a href="#page_14">14</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">performances by, <a href="#page_123">123</a>; <a href="#page_124">124</a>; <a href="#page_214">214</a>.</span><br /> - -Jerome, Jerome Klapka (Eng. novelist and dramatist: 1859-19—): injustice of, to B., <a href="#page_257">257</a>; <a href="#page_258">258</a>; <a href="#page_259">259</a>.<br /> - -“Jesse Brown; or, The Relief of Lucknow”: <a href="#page_312">312</a>.<br /> - -Jilt,” “The (play): <a href="#page_221">221</a>.<br /> - -Journal of a Modern Lady,” “The (satire): <a href="#page_316">316</a>.<br /> - -“Just a Wife” (play): <a href="#page_281">281</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">authorship of—and critically considered, <a href="#page_287">287</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of, <a href="#page_289">289</a>.</span><br /> - -Justinian (Roman Emp.: 483-565): <a href="#page_144">144</a>.<br /> - -<br /> -<a name="K" id="K"></a><span class="lettre">K</span><br /> - -Kadelberg, Gustav (Ger. dramatist: 1851-19—): <a href="#page_281">281</a>.<br /> - -Kahn, Otto Hermann (Am. banker and th. patron: 1867): <a href="#page_216">216</a>.<br /> - -“Kassa” (play): <a href="#page_68">68</a>.<br /> - -Kean, Charles John (Eng. actor, th. man., and st. man.: 1811-1868): <a href="#page_420">420</a>.<br /> - -Keenan, Frank (Am. actor): <a href="#page_203">203</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">in “The W. of V.,” <a href="#page_265">265</a>.</span><br /> - -Kemble, John Philip (Eng. actor, th. man., and dramatist: 1757-1823): unjustly stigmatized, <a href="#page_310">310</a>; <a href="#page_419">419</a>.<br /> - -Kendal, Madge (Margaret Robertson, Mrs. William Hunter Kendal [Grimston]: Eng. actress and th. man.: 1849-19—): <a href="#page_268">268</a>.<br /> - -Kendal, William Hunter ([Grimston] Eng. actor and th. man.: 1843-1917): <a href="#page_268">268</a>.<br /> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_556" id="page_556">{556}</a></span>“King Henry VIII” (play—S.’s): <a href="#page_318">318</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Klaw & Erlanger</span> (Am. speculative th. mang’s. and booking agents): <a href="#page_17">17</a>; <a href="#page_18">18</a>; <a href="#page_19">19</a>; <a href="#page_20">20</a>; <a href="#page_22">22</a>; <a href="#page_23">23</a>; <a href="#page_24">24</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">accusation against, by Warfield, <a href="#page_26">26</a>; <a href="#page_89">89</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">they produce “A Japanese Nightingale,” <a href="#page_90">90</a>; <a href="#page_126">126</a>; <a href="#page_156">156</a>; <a href="#page_157">157</a>; <a href="#page_172">172</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">libel suit of, against “Life”—cause of—lost by—and significance of decision against, <a href="#page_174">174</a>; <a href="#page_175">175</a>; <a href="#page_176">176</a>; <a href="#page_191">191</a>; <a href="#page_275">275</a>.</span><br /> - -Klaw, Marc (Am. spec. th. man.: 1858-19—): <a href="#page_22">22</a>; <a href="#page_429">429</a>.<br /> - -Klein, Charles (Am. dramatist: 1867-1915): engaged by B. to work on “The Auctioneer,” <a href="#page_11">11</a>; <a href="#page_12">12</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">engaged by B. to work on “The M. M.,” <a href="#page_114">114</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter of B. to <i>re</i> “The M. M.,” <a href="#page_122">122</a>; <a href="#page_325">325</a>; <a href="#page_341">341</a>.</span><br /> - -Knoblauch, Edward (Am.-Eng. dram.: 1874-18—): B.’s pride in producing his “Marie-Odile”—and that play considered, <a href="#page_356">356</a>, <i>et seq.</i><br /> - -<br /> -<a name="L" id="L"></a><span class="lettre">L</span><br /> - -Lacombe, Hon. Emile Henry (Judge, U. S. Cir. Ct: 1846-19—): decision by, for B., in G. B. Hughes’ “plagiarism” suit, <a href="#page_104">104</a>; <a href="#page_105">105</a>; <a href="#page_321">321</a>; <a href="#page_324">324</a>.<br /> - -“Lalla Rookh” (poem): <a href="#page_74">74</a>.<br /> - -Lancashire Witches,” “The (novel): <a href="#page_336">336</a>.<br /> - -“Lend Me Five Shillings” (farce): <a href="#page_123">123</a>.<br /> - -Leroux, Gaston (Fr. dramatist): <a href="#page_283">283</a>.<br /> - -Leslie, Henry (Eng. dramatist: 1829-1881): <a href="#page_312">312</a>.<br /> - -Leventritt, Hon. David (Judge, N. Y. Sup. Ct.: —— -19—): grants receivership for “The Auctioneer,” <a href="#page_25">25</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">refuses mandate against Warfield, <a href="#page_27">27</a>; <a href="#page_28">28</a>; <a href="#page_90">90</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">decision of, in favor of B., <a href="#page_127">127</a>.</span><br /> - -Levinsky, Arthur L.: <a href="#page_274">274</a>.<br /> - -Liebler & Co. (Am. spec. th. mang’s.): <a href="#page_87">87</a>.<br /> - -“Life” (N. Y. weekly): cartoon in, <i>re</i> burning of Iroquois Th.—and lawsuit against, by K. & E., <a href="#page_172">172</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Lily</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (play): <a href="#page_281">281</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">adapted from Fr. by B.—produced—and critically considered, <a href="#page_283">283</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of, <a href="#page_287">287</a>.</span><br /> - -Lincoln Grammar School, S. F.: <a href="#page_271">271</a>; <a href="#page_272">272</a>; <a href="#page_273">273</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Little Lady in Blue</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (play): story of—and produced, <a href="#page_413">413</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter about, by W. W., <a href="#page_414">414</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of, <a href="#page_416">416</a>.</span><br /> - -Livy: <a href="#page_317">317</a>.<br /> - -Locke, Edward (Am. playwright): <a href="#page_325">325</a>; <a href="#page_343">343</a>; <a href="#page_347">347</a>.<br /> - -Löhr, Marie (Mrs. Anthony Leyland Val Prinsep: Eng. actress: 1890-19—): acts <i>Yo-San</i> in London, <a href="#page_109">109</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Long, John Luther</span> (Am. novelist and playwright: 1861-19—): <a href="#page_67">67</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">a collaborator with B.—and plays associated with, <a href="#page_68">68</a>; <a href="#page_69">69</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">collaboration with, in a Japanese tragedy proposed by B., <a href="#page_71">71</a>; <a href="#page_89">89</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">writes “Adrea” with B., <a href="#page_134">134</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter of, to B., <i>re</i> “Adrea,” <a href="#page_135">135</a>; <a href="#page_185">185</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter to, by B., <a href="#page_193">193</a>; <a href="#page_325">325</a>.</span><br /> - -Longson, Lila: <a href="#page_323">323</a>.<br /> - -“Lord Dundreary” (“Our American Cousin”): <a href="#page_123">123</a>.<br /> - -Louis the Fifteenth (King of Fr.: 1710-1774): <a href="#page_29">29</a>; <a href="#page_30">30</a>; <a href="#page_35">35</a>.<br /> - -Lucretius, <a href="#page_317">317</a>.<br /> - -Ludlow, Noah Miller (Am. th. man.: 1795-1886): <a href="#page_152">152</a>.<br /> - -“Lycidas” (poem): <a href="#page_314">314</a>.<br /> - -Lys,” “Le (play): 283—and see Lily,” “The.<br /> - -<br /> -<a name="M" id="M"></a><span class="lettre">M</span>c—M<br /> - -McBride, J. J.: <a href="#page_274">274</a>.<br /> - -McCullough, John Edward (Ir.-Am. actor and th. man.: 1832-1885): <a href="#page_48">48</a>; <a href="#page_153">153</a>; <a href="#page_420">420</a>; <a href="#page_428">428</a>.<br /> - -McKay, George L.: <a href="#page_322">322</a>; <a href="#page_323">323</a>.<br /> - -“Macbeth”: <a href="#page_162">162</a>; <a href="#page_318">318</a>.<br /> - -Mack, Willard (Am. actor and playwright): <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> - -Mackaye, James Steele (Am. actor, th. man., playwright, inventor, etc.: 1842-1894): <a href="#page_244">244</a>.<br /> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_557" id="page_557">{557}</a></span>“Madame Butterfly” (tragedy—B.’s):<br /> -<a href="#page_68">68</a>; <a href="#page_71">71</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">effect in, devised by B., <a href="#page_82">82</a>.</span><br /> - -“Magda” (play): <a href="#page_268">268</a>.<br /> - -Maguire, Thomas (Calif. th. man.: died, 1896): <a href="#page_319">319</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Man Inside</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (play): <a href="#page_387">387</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">reason of B.’s interest in, <a href="#page_389">389</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">critically considered, <a href="#page_392">392</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produced—and cast of, <a href="#page_393">393</a>.</span><br /> - -Managers, theatrical: accomplishment by early, <a href="#page_152">152</a>.<br /> - -Mansfield, Richard (Am. actor: 1854-1907): <a href="#page_48">48</a>; <a href="#page_82">82</a>; <a href="#page_268">268</a>.<br /> - -Mapes, Victor (Am. journalist and playwright: 1870-19—): <a href="#page_323">323</a>.<br /> - -Marbury, Elisabeth (Am. play broker): suggests part for Mrs. Carter—and brings B. and Richepin together, <a href="#page_31">31</a>; <a href="#page_259">259</a>.<br /> - -Margaret, Queen of Scotland: <a href="#page_29">29</a>.<br /> - -“<span class="smcap">Marie-Odile</span>” (play): method of lighting used in, by B., <a href="#page_248">248</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produced—and critically considered, <a href="#page_356">356</a>, <i>et seq.</i></span><br /> - -Mariner’s Compass,” “The (melodrama): <a href="#page_312">312</a>.<br /> - -Marks, Prof. Bernhard: <a href="#page_272">272</a>; <a href="#page_274">274</a>.<br /> - -Matthews, Fannie Aymar: <a href="#page_320">320</a>.<br /> - -Maude, Cyril (Eng. actor and th. man.: 1862-19—): <a href="#page_128">128</a>.<br /> - -“May Blossom” (melod.): <a href="#page_67">67</a>; <a href="#page_320">320</a>.<br /> - -Mayer, Hon. Julius M. (Judge U. S. Dist Ct: 1865-19—): <a href="#page_322">322</a>; <a href="#page_323">323</a>.<br /> - -Merry Whirl,” “The (extravaganza): <a href="#page_9">9</a>.<br /> - -Middleton, George (Am. playwright): <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> - -Miller, Charles A.: <a href="#page_274">274</a>.<br /> - -Millionaire’s Daughter,” “The (melod.): <a href="#page_319">319</a>.<br /> - -Milton, John (the poet: 1609-1674): <a href="#page_314">314</a>; <a href="#page_317">317</a>.<br /> - -“Mr. Bluebeard” (extravaganza): <a href="#page_172">172</a>.<br /> - -Modjeska, Mme. Helena (Helen Opid—Mrs. Gustave S. Modrzejewska—Mrs. Charles [Karol] Bozenta Chlapowska: Polish-Am. actress: 1840-1909): <a href="#page_268">268</a>; <a href="#page_431">431</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s view of, <a href="#page_449">449</a>.</span><br /> - -Molière, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin de (Fr. actor, th. man., and dramatist: 1712-1763): <a href="#page_239">239</a>; <a href="#page_313">313</a>; <a href="#page_314">314</a>; <a href="#page_317">317</a>.<br /> - -Molineux, Roland Burnham (chemist and playwright: 18— -1917): charged with murder, <a href="#page_387">387</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">trials of—and acquitted, <a href="#page_388">388</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B. appealed to by his parents and agrees to read play by, <a href="#page_389">389</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">revises his play—and distressing experience with, <a href="#page_390">390</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">creates disturbance—and ordered out of th.—death of, <a href="#page_391">391</a>; <a href="#page_392">392</a>; <a href="#page_395">395</a>.</span><br /> - -Moore, Eva (Mrs. Henry V. Esmond [Henry V. Jack]: Eng. actress: 1870-19—): <a href="#page_103">103</a>.<br /> - -Moore, Thomas (Ir. poet: 1779-1852): <a href="#page_74">74</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">quoted, <i>re</i> “plagiarism,” <a href="#page_311">311</a>.</span><br /> - -Morse, Salmi (Samuel Morse: Ger.-Am. playwright: 1826-1883): <a href="#page_247">247</a>.<br /> - -Morton, Paul (Secy. Navy, U. S. A., railroad man): <a href="#page_183">183</a>.<br /> - -Murphy, Mark (actor): <a href="#page_9">9</a>.<br /> - -Murphy, Thomas (dramatist): <a href="#page_313">313</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Music Master</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (play): <a href="#page_8">8</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B. employs C. Klein to work on, <a href="#page_114">114</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">first produced—authorship of—and described and critically considered, <a href="#page_115">115</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s recollections <i>re</i> writing and early performances of, etc., <a href="#page_118">118</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">original cast of, <a href="#page_120">120</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s speech on first night of, in N. Y., <a href="#page_121">121</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter by B. about, <a href="#page_122">122</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">amazing record of, <a href="#page_125">125</a>; <a href="#page_126">126</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Brooks’ claim <i>re</i>—and decision in favor of B., <a href="#page_127">127</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s feeling about, and Warfield, <a href="#page_128">128</a>; <a href="#page_192">192</a>; <a href="#page_254">254</a>.</span><br /> - -<br /> -<a name="N" id="N"></a><span class="lettre">N</span><br /> - -New Magdalen,” “The (play): <a href="#page_312">312</a>.<br /> - -Newnes, Sir George (bart. cr. 1895: publisher: 1851-19—): <a href="#page_128">128</a>.<br /> - -Nicholson, Donald G. (Am. journalist): <a href="#page_160">160</a>.<br /> - -Nickinson, John (Can. actor): <a href="#page_249">249</a>.<br /> - -Nirdlinger, Samuel Frederick (known as S. F. Nixon: Am. spec. th. man.: 1848-19—): <a href="#page_19">19</a>; <a href="#page_156">156</a>; <a href="#page_429">429</a>.<br /> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_558" id="page_558">{558}</a></span>Nixon & Zimmermann (Am. spec. th. mang’s.): <a href="#page_191">191</a>.<br /> - -Nixon, S. F.: see Nirdlinger.<br /> - -“<span class="smcap">Nobody’s Widow</span>” (farce): produced—and cast of, <a href="#page_207">207</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">critically considered, <a href="#page_209">209</a>, <i>et seq.</i></span><br /> - -“No Name” (novel): <a href="#page_286">286</a>.<br /> - -Nutmeg Match,” “A (farce): <a href="#page_9">9</a>.<br /> - -<br /> -<a name="O" id="O"></a><span class="lettre">O</span><br /> - -“Ode on Immortality,” etc. (Wordsworth’s): <a href="#page_314">314</a>.<br /> - -“O’Dowd’s Neighbors” (farce): <a href="#page_9">9</a>.<br /> - -Olcott, Hon. William Morrow Knox (Am. lawyer: 1862-19—): made receiver for “The Auctioneer,” <a href="#page_25">25</a>; <a href="#page_27">27</a>.<br /> - -“Old Dog Tray” (song): <a href="#page_206">206</a>.<br /> - -“Old Friends”: literary recollections by W. W., <a href="#page_314">314</a>.<br /> - -“Olivia” (play): <a href="#page_253">253</a>.<br /> - -O’Neil, Nance (Gertrude Lamson: Am. actress: 1874-19—): characterized, as actress—and her performance in “The Lily,” <a href="#page_286">286</a>.<br /> - -Only Levi,” “The (title): <a href="#page_11">11</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">see Auctioneer,” “The.</span><br /> - -Opera Singer,” “The (play, unfinished by B.): <a href="#page_192">192</a>.<br /> - -<br /> -<a name="P" id="P"></a><span class="lettre">P</span>-(Q)<br /> - -Paine, Albert Bigelow (Am. writer: 1861-19—): disparagement of B. by—and comment thereon by author, <a href="#page_67">67</a>, <i>et seq.</i><br /> - -<span class="smcap">Palmer, Albert Marshall</span> (Am. th. man.: 1839-1905): <a href="#page_48">48</a>; <a href="#page_61">61</a>; <a href="#page_268">268</a>; <a href="#page_319">319</a>; <a href="#page_320">320</a>.<br /> - -Parisian Romance,” “A (play): <a href="#page_268">268</a>.<br /> - -Parsons, Theophilus (Am. lawyer: 17— -18—): expounds Swedenborgian views <i>re</i> death, to author, <a href="#page_299">299</a>.<br /> - -Passing of the Third Floor Back,” “The (play): B. causes to be written, <a href="#page_257">257</a>, <i>et seq.</i><br /> - -Passion Play,” “The: in S. F., <a href="#page_247">247</a>.<br /> - -“Patrie” (melod.): <a href="#page_81">81</a>.<br /> - -Payne, William Louis (th. agent): marriage of, and Mrs. Carter, <a href="#page_187">187</a>.<br /> - -“Peter Grimm”: see Return of Peter Grimm,” “The.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Phantom Rival</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (play): <a href="#page_248">248</a>; <a href="#page_402">402</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">critically considered, <a href="#page_403">403</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produced—and cast of, <a href="#page_406">406</a>.</span><br /> - -Phelps, Pauline (Am. playwright): <a href="#page_249">249</a>; <a href="#page_256">256</a>; <a href="#page_259">259</a>; <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> - -Pickford, Mary (motion picture perf.): <a href="#page_266">266</a>.<br /> - -“Pizarro” (tragedy): <a href="#page_82">82</a>.<br /> - -Placide, Henry (Am. actor: 1810-1870): <a href="#page_14">14</a>; <a href="#page_249">249</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Plagiarism</span>: decision <i>re</i>, for B., <a href="#page_104">104</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">charges of, against B.—and whole subject thereof examined in detail, <a href="#page_310">310</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">C. Reade quoted <i>re</i>, <a href="#page_315">315</a>, <i>et seq.</i></span><br /> - -Plautus: <a href="#page_317">317</a>.<br /> - -Plutarch: <a href="#page_318">318</a>.<br /> - -Polk, Willis: <a href="#page_274">274</a>.<br /> - -“<span class="smcap">Polly with a Past</span>” (farce): <a href="#page_325">325</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">considered, <a href="#page_462">462</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">first produced, <a href="#page_463">463</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of—performances in, <a href="#page_464">464</a>.</span><br /> - -Pompadour, Jeanne Antoinette Poisson Le Normant D’Étioles, Marquise de (Fr. courtesan and political intrigante: 1721-1764): <a href="#page_29">29</a>.<br /> - -Poor Gentleman,” “The (comedy): <a href="#page_124">124</a>.<br /> - -“Pop Goes the Weasel” (song): <a href="#page_206">206</a>.<br /> - -Porter’s Knot,” “The (play): <a href="#page_249">249</a>.<br /> - -Post,” “The Washington (newspaper): letter to, by B., <a href="#page_180">180</a>.<br /> - -Potter, Mrs. James Brown (Cora Urquhart: Am.-Eng. actress and th. man.: 1859-19—): produces “Du Barri” in London—and fails in same, <a href="#page_44">44</a>.<br /> - -Potter, Paul Meredith (Am. journalist and playwright: 1853-19—): employed by B. to make ver. of “Under Two Flags,” <a href="#page_2">2</a>; <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> - -Price, Edward D. (Am. th. agent): <a href="#page_130">130</a>.<br /> - -Pride of Jennico,” “The (novel): <a href="#page_94">94</a>.<br /> - -Puccini, Giacomo (It. composer: 1858-19—): seeking characteristic subject for “American” opera, <a href="#page_213">213</a>;<br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_559" id="page_559">{559}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 1em;">selects B.’s “The Girl of the Golden West”—letter from, to B.—and writes “La Fanciulla del West,” <a href="#page_212">212</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the same produced, <a href="#page_214">214</a>; <a href="#page_216">216</a>.</span><br /> - -<br /> -<a name="R" id="R"></a><span class="lettre">R</span><br /> - -Rachel, Mlle. (Rachel Félix: Fr. actress: 1820-1858): M. Arnold’s admiration of, <a href="#page_160">160</a>.<br /> - -Racine, Jean (Fr. dramatist and poet: 1639-1699): <a href="#page_239">239</a>; <a href="#page_314">314</a>.<br /> - -“Ramona” (novel): <a href="#page_226">226</a>; <a href="#page_231">231</a>.<br /> - -Reade, Charles (Eng. novelist, dramatist, and th. man.: 1815-1884): quoted <i>re</i> plagiarism, <a href="#page_315">315</a>; <a href="#page_316">316</a>; <a href="#page_318">318</a>.<br /> - -Redding, Joseph D.: <a href="#page_274">274</a>.<br /> - -Referee,” “The London: letter to, by B., <a href="#page_191">191</a>.<br /> - -Regular Fix,” “A (farce): <a href="#page_124">124</a>.<br /> - -Reinhardt, Max (Ger. actor, th. man., and stage man.: 1873-19—): <a href="#page_247">247</a>.<br /> - -Relph, George (Eng. actor): <a href="#page_109">109</a>.<br /> - -“Repka Stroon” (play—B.’s): <a href="#page_187">187</a>.<br /> - -Republic Theatre, N. Y.: that name restored to first Belasco Th., <a href="#page_289">289</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Return of Peter Grimm</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (play—B.’s): <a href="#page_67">67</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Tree arranges to produce in London, <a href="#page_111">111</a>; <a href="#page_124">124</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">stage lighting in, <a href="#page_247">247</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">fragmentary, unrevised notes on, <a href="#page_298">298</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">critically described and considered, <a href="#page_299">299</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">first produced—and first time of, in N. Y.—cast of, <a href="#page_304">304</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s sole authorship of, questioned, <a href="#page_305">305</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">and letter by B., maintaining his claim, <a href="#page_306">306</a>; <a href="#page_336">336</a>.</span><br /> - -<span class="smcap">Richepin, Jean</span> (Fr. poet, novelist, and dramatic author: 1849-19—): introduced to B.—proposes to write play about du Barry, <a href="#page_31">31</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">resultant play by, unsatisfactory to B.—and “advance royalties” paid to, <a href="#page_32">32</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his play rejected by B., <a href="#page_33">33</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his “Du Barry” lawsuit against B., <a href="#page_42">42</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">decision against, in same suit—and his “Du Barri” produced in London, <a href="#page_44">44</a>; <a href="#page_321">321</a>.</span><br /> - -Richman, Charles J. (Am. actor: 1870-19—): <a href="#page_233">233</a>.<br /> - -Rivals,” “The (comedy): <a href="#page_123">123</a>.<br /> - -Robertson, Peter (Am. journalist: 1847-1911): letter of B. to, <a href="#page_130">130</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter of, to B., <a href="#page_132">132</a>; <a href="#page_325">325</a>.</span><br /> - -Robertson, Thomas William (Eng. actor and dramatist: 1829-1871): <a href="#page_221">221</a>.<br /> - -“Robinson Crusoe” (romance): <a href="#page_317">317</a>; <a href="#page_318">318</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Roeder, Benjamin Franklin</span> (general business manager for David Belasco): <a href="#page_19">19</a>; <a href="#page_20">20</a>; <a href="#page_66">66</a>; <a href="#page_112">112</a>; <a href="#page_114">114</a>; <a href="#page_188">188</a>; <a href="#page_190">190</a>; <a href="#page_259">259</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">beginning of association with B., <a href="#page_437">437</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s tribute to, <a href="#page_438">438</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">author’s comment on, <a href="#page_439">439</a>.</span><br /> - -Rogers, —— (explorer): <a href="#page_317">317</a>; <a href="#page_318">318</a>.<br /> - -Rogers, Samuel (Eng. poet: 1763-1855): <a href="#page_36">36</a>.<br /> - -“Rosalie, the Prairie Flower” (song): <a href="#page_206">206</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Rose of the Rancho</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (melod.—B.): <a href="#page_212">212</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">origin of—B.’s stipulation <i>re</i>, <a href="#page_224">224</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">first produced—quality of—B.’s purpose in, <a href="#page_225">225</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">resemblance of, to “Ramona”—and synopsis of, <a href="#page_226">226</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">critically considered, <a href="#page_229">229</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of, <a href="#page_231">231</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Miss Starr’s performance in, <a href="#page_232">232</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s recollections <i>re</i> “lighting effects” in, <a href="#page_234">234</a>; <a href="#page_235">235</a>; <a href="#page_260">260</a>; <a href="#page_273">273</a>; <a href="#page_294">294</a>.</span><br /> - -Russell, John H. (Am. th. man.): <a href="#page_9">9</a>.<br /> - -<br /> -<a name="S" id="S"></a><span class="lettre">S</span><br /> - -Salvini, Tommaso (It. actor and th. man.: 1829-1916): <a href="#page_9">9</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s estimate of, <a href="#page_449">449</a>.</span><br /> - -“Sam” (farce): <a href="#page_123">123</a>.<br /> - -Sardou, Victorien (Fr. dramatist: 1831-1908): <a href="#page_312">312</a>.<br /> - -Savoy Th., London: first th. lighted by electricity, <a href="#page_245">245</a>.<br /> - -Scarborough, George (Am. playwright): <a href="#page_325">325</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letter of, to B., <a href="#page_326">326</a>.</span><br /> - -Schiller, Johann Christoph Friedrich von (Ger. poet, dramatist, and philosopher: 1759-1805): <a href="#page_239">239</a>.<br /> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_560" id="page_560">{560}</a></span>Schley, Winfield Scott (Admiral, U. S. N.: 1839-1911): <a href="#page_183">183</a>; <a href="#page_185">185</a>.<br /> - -Schrader, Frederick Franklin (Am. journalist: 1857-19—): letter to, from B., <a href="#page_195">195</a>.<br /> - -School for Scandal,” “The (comedy): <a href="#page_105">105</a>; <a href="#page_311">311</a>.<br /> - -Schumann-Heink, Mme. Ernestine (Ger.-Am. opera singer: 1861-19—): proposes that B. undertake her management and introduce her on dramatic stage—play planned for, etc., <a href="#page_192">192</a>.<br /> - -Scott, Hon. Francis Markoe (Judge, N. Y. Sup. Ct.): <a href="#page_94">94</a>.<br /> - -Scott, Sir Walter (the poet and novelist: 1771-1832): <a href="#page_164">164</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">remark of, <i>re</i> originality, <a href="#page_313">313</a>; <a href="#page_317">317</a>; <a href="#page_318">318</a>.</span><br /> - -Seaver, William (Am. journalist: died, 1883): <a href="#page_133">133</a>.<br /> - -Second Mrs. Tanquerey,” “The (play): <a href="#page_268">268</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Secret</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (play): B.’s reasons for producing, <a href="#page_350">350</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">qualities of—and critically considered, <a href="#page_352">352</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">performance of—cast of, <a href="#page_355">355</a>.</span><br /> - -Secret Orchard,” “The (novel): <a href="#page_94">94</a>.<br /> - -“<span class="smcap">Seven Chances</span>” (farce): <a href="#page_373">373</a>; <a href="#page_410">410</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">described—produced—considered, <a href="#page_411">411</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of, <a href="#page_412">412</a>.</span><br /> - -Shakespeare, William: <a href="#page_239">239</a>; <a href="#page_313">313</a>; <a href="#page_317">317</a>; <a href="#page_318">318</a>.<br /> - -“Shenandoah” (melod.): <a href="#page_92">92</a>.<br /> - -Shepherd, Hon. William Bostwick (Judge, N. Dist. Fla.: 1860-19—): <a href="#page_323">323</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Sheridan, Richard Brinsley Butler</span> (Ir.-Eng. dramatist, th. man., orator, etc.: 1751-1816): <a href="#page_105">105</a>; <a href="#page_239">239</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">defended against charge of plagiarism, <a href="#page_311">311</a>; <a href="#page_313">313</a>; <a href="#page_314">314</a>.</span><br /> - -Shiels, John Wilson, M. D.: <a href="#page_273">273</a>; <a href="#page_274">274</a>.<br /> - -Short, Marion (Am. playwright): <a href="#page_249">249</a>; <a href="#page_256">256</a>; <a href="#page_258">258</a>; <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> - -Shubert, Lee (Am. spec. th. man.: 1875-19—): statement by, <i>re</i> Syndicate, B., and Fiske, <a href="#page_278">278</a>; <a href="#page_429">429</a>.<br /> - -Shubert, Sam. S. (Am. th. man.: 1873-1905): arranges alliance with B.—and B.’s recollection and estimate of, <a href="#page_216">216</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">death of, <a href="#page_217">217</a>.</span><br /> - -Shubert, the Messrs. Sam. S. & Lee, Inc. (Am. spec. th. mang’s.): B.’s alliance with, <a href="#page_218">218</a>.<br /> - -Simon, Charles (Fr. journalist and playwright: 1850-1910): <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> - -Simpson, Edmund (Am. th. man.): <a href="#page_150">150</a>.<br /> - -Singers, operatic: true histrionic impersonation not possible to, <a href="#page_214">214</a>.<br /> - -Smith, Mark, Sr. (Am. actor: 1829-1884): <a href="#page_250">250</a>.<br /> - -Smith, Winchell (Am. playwright: 1872-19—): <a href="#page_289">289</a>; <a href="#page_323">323</a>; <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> - -Smyth, William G. (Am. th. agent): <a href="#page_113">113</a>.<br /> - -Sothern, Edward Askew (Eng. actor: 1826-1881): performances by, <a href="#page_123">123</a>.<br /> - -Sophocles: <a href="#page_314">314</a>.<br /> - -Stage aspirants: B.’s admonition to, <a href="#page_398">398</a>, <i>et seq.</i><br /> - -Stage: characteristics of, in the Present, <a href="#page_290">290</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">view of, author’s—and subscribed to by B., <a href="#page_427">427</a>.</span><br /> - -Stage lighting: in “The Rose of the Rancho,” <a href="#page_234">234</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">pioneer achievements in, <a href="#page_244">244</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s study of—and influence on, <a href="#page_245">245</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">in “Peter Grimm,” <a href="#page_247">247</a>.</span><br /> - -Star Dreamer,” “The (novel): <a href="#page_94">94</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Starr, Frances Grant</span> (Am. actress: 1886-19—): <a href="#page_212">212</a>; <a href="#page_294">294</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">birth—first appearance of, on stage—first seen by B., <a href="#page_221">221</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s recollection of—and his engagement of, <a href="#page_222">222</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">first appearance of, under B., <a href="#page_224">224</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">performance of, in “The R. of R.,” <a href="#page_232">232</a>, <i>et seq.</i>; <a href="#page_235">235</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">presented in “The Case of Becky”—and B.’s recollections <i>re</i>, <a href="#page_345">345</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">method used by, in, <a href="#page_346">346</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B. casts, as <i>Gabrielle</i>, in “The Secret,” <a href="#page_352">352</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">her performance of, <a href="#page_355">355</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">as <i>Marie-Odile</i>, <a href="#page_360">360</a>; <a href="#page_416">416</a>.</span><br /> - -Steele, Sir Richard (Eng. dramatist: 1672-1729): <a href="#page_313">313</a>.<br /> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_561" id="page_561">{561}</a></span>Stevenson, Charles A. (Am. actor): presents loving cup to B., on behalf of “Du Barry” Co., <a href="#page_46">46</a>.<br /> - -Stuart, Mary, Queen o’ Scots (1542-1587): <a href="#page_28">28</a>.<br /> - -Stuyvesant Theatre, David Belasco’s: name changed to Belasco (<i>q.v.</i>), <a href="#page_289">289</a>.<br /> - -Sudermann, Hermann (Ger. dramatist and novelist: 1857-19—): <a href="#page_268">268</a>.<br /> - -Sullivan, Sir Arthur Seymour (Eng. musical composer: 1842-1900): <a href="#page_85">85</a>.<br /> - -“Sweet Jasmine” (play): <a href="#page_331">331</a>.<br /> - -“<span class="smcap">Sweet Kitty Bellairs</span>” (comedy—B.’s): first produced—and in N. Y., <a href="#page_95">95</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">described and critically considered, <a href="#page_96">96</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">original cast of, <a href="#page_102">102</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">various productions of, <a href="#page_103">103</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B. accused of plagiarism in connection with—trial of suit—and B. vindicated, etc., <a href="#page_104">104</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">letters <i>re</i>, <a href="#page_106">106</a>, <i>et seq.</i>; <a href="#page_111">111</a>; <a href="#page_320">320</a>; <a href="#page_321">321</a>.</span><br /> - -Swift, Jonathan (Dean of St. Patrick’s, Dublin: satirist: 1667-1745): <a href="#page_316">316</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Syndicate, The Theatrical</span> (or “Trust”): beginning of B.’s conflict with, <a href="#page_16">16</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">abstract of B.’s testimony <i>re</i> A. Erlanger and, in lawsuit by J. Brooks, etc., <a href="#page_17">17</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">membership of, <a href="#page_19">19</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">menace of, to B., <a href="#page_49">49</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">same, <a href="#page_50">50</a>; <a href="#page_112">112</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B. breaks with, over “The D. of G.,” <a href="#page_113">113</a>; <a href="#page_128">128</a>; <a href="#page_129">129</a>; <a href="#page_130">130</a>; <a href="#page_133">133</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">climax of B.’s conflict with, reached, <a href="#page_151">151</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">an examination of the whole subject of, <a href="#page_152">152</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">value of B.’s opposition to, <a href="#page_153">153</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">fight against, by Mr. and Mrs. H. G. Fiske—Daly opposed to, <a href="#page_154">154</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B. opposed by—Mrs. Fiske, Mme. Bernhardt, and—strove to exclude B. from Washington—and general ignorance concerning, <a href="#page_155">155</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">what it was—composition—methods, <a href="#page_156">156</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">substance of pretensions of, epitomized, <a href="#page_157">157</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">A. L. Erlanger on, <i>re</i> early th. mang’s., actors, etc., quoted, <a href="#page_158">158</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">author begins to be conscious of oppugnant influence of, in “N. Y. Tribune,” <a href="#page_161">161</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">provisions of the covenant binding members of, <a href="#page_167">167</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">specific instance of oppression of B. by, <a href="#page_170">170</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">divergent views of, set forth, <a href="#page_172">172</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">H. G. Fiske’s arraignment of, in “N. Y. Dramatic Mirror”—and sues Fiske for libel, claiming $<a href="#page_100">100</a>,000 damages, <a href="#page_175">175</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Fiske’s answer to that suit, <a href="#page_176">176</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">accusations <i>made</i> against not <i>proved</i>—and reasons for believing Fiske’s accusations true, <a href="#page_177">177</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Washington closed against B. by, <a href="#page_179">179</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">denounced by B. in speech, <a href="#page_185">185</a>; <a href="#page_189">189</a>; <a href="#page_191">191</a>; <a href="#page_195">195</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">surrenders, <a href="#page_274">274</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">arrangement of, and Fiske and B., <a href="#page_275">275</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">author’s view, <i>re</i>, <a href="#page_276">276</a>; <a href="#page_277">277</a>.</span><br /> - -<br /> -<a name="T" id="T"></a><span class="lettre">T</span><br /> - -“Tainted Philanthropy” (play): <a href="#page_309">309</a>; <a href="#page_322">322</a>.<br /> - -Taylor, James J.: <a href="#page_274">274</a>.<br /> - -Taylor, Howard P. (Am. journalist, playwright, etc.): <a href="#page_320">320</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Temperamental Journey</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (satirical farce): produced—theme of—and critically considered, <a href="#page_383">383</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of, <a href="#page_385">385</a>.</span><br /> - -Tennyson, Alfred, first Lord (the poet: 1809-1892): <a href="#page_29">29</a>; <a href="#page_239">239</a>.<br /> - -Thackeray, William Makepeace (Eng. novelist: 1811-1863): <a href="#page_162">162</a>.<br /> - -Theatre: first lighted by electricity, <a href="#page_245">245</a>.<br /> - -Theodora (Rom. Empress): <a href="#page_144">144</a>.<br /> - -Ticket-of-Leave Man,” “The (play): <a href="#page_8">8</a>.<br /> - -“<span class="smcap">Tiger Rose</span>” (melod.): <a href="#page_325">325</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">how written—first produced, <a href="#page_465">465</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">story of, <a href="#page_466">466</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">L. Ulric in, <a href="#page_469">469</a>.</span><br /> - -Tosca,” “La (melod.): <a href="#page_81">81</a>; <a href="#page_319">319</a>.<br /> - -Toscanini, Arturo (It. musical conductor: 18— -19—): <a href="#page_213">213</a>; <a href="#page_214">214</a>; <a href="#page_215">215</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Tree</span> (<span class="smcap">Sir Herbert Beerbohm-Tree</span>, kt.: Eng. actor and th. man.: 1853-1917): produces “The D. of G.” in London—and acts <i>Zakkuri</i>, <a href="#page_109">109</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">speech of—and tribute to B., <a href="#page_110">110</a>;</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_562" id="page_562">{562}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 1em;">arranges to produce “The Return of Peter Grimm” in London—sudden death of, <a href="#page_111">111</a>; <a href="#page_138">138</a>.</span><br /> - -Tribune,” “The N. Y. (newspaper): author begins to be conscious of power of Th. Syndicate in, <a href="#page_161">161</a>.<br /> - -Tully, Richard Walton, (Am. actor, playwright, and th. man.: 18— - 19—): <a href="#page_224">224</a>; <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> - -“Twelfth Night”: effect in, devised by A. Daly, <a href="#page_82">82</a>.<br /> - -Tyler, George Crouse (Am. sp. th. man.: 1867-19—): <a href="#page_429">429</a>.<br /> - -<br /> -<a name="U" id="U"></a><span class="lettre">U</span><br /> - -<span class="smcap">Ulric, Lenore</span> (Am. actress: 189- - 19—): <a href="#page_325">325</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s opinion <i>re</i>, <a href="#page_366">366</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">birth—childhood—early appearances of, <a href="#page_367">367</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">impression made by, on B., at rehearsal, <a href="#page_368">368</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">in “The Girl,” <a href="#page_369">369</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">“The Heart of Wetona” produced with, <a href="#page_370">370</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">her performance of <i>Wetona</i>, <a href="#page_372">372</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">her performance of <i>Rose Bocion</i>, in “Tiger Rose”—and qualities of, <a href="#page_469">469</a>; <a href="#page_470">470</a>.</span><br /> - -“Under Two Flags” (melod.): B. determines to revive, <a href="#page_1">1</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">quality of—and B.’s production of, <a href="#page_2">2</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of, <a href="#page_6">6</a>; <a href="#page_204">204</a>.</span><br /> - -Untermyer, Samuel (lawyer: 1858-19—): on contradictory testimony of B. and Erlanger, <a href="#page_21">21</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his arraignment of Erlanger and the Th. Syndicate—and author’s opinion thereof, <a href="#page_178">178</a>, <i>et seq.</i>; <a href="#page_179">179</a>.</span><br /> - -<br /> -<a name="V" id="V"></a><span class="lettre">V</span><br /> - -Valentinian (Rom. Emp.: 321-375): <a href="#page_146">146</a>.<br /> - -“Van Der Decken” (drama—B.’s): <a href="#page_67">67</a>; <a href="#page_124">124</a>.<br /> - -Vanishing Bride,” “The (play): <a href="#page_373">373</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produced—and B.’s reasons for discarding, <a href="#page_374">374</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of, <a href="#page_375">375</a>.</span><br /> - -“Vathek” (“The History of the Caliph Vathek”: romance): <a href="#page_74">74</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Very Minute</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (play): author’s comments <i>re</i>, <a href="#page_416">416</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">first produced—and cast of, <a href="#page_417">417</a>.</span><br /> - -Villiers, Barbara (—— - ——): <a href="#page_29">29</a>.<br /> - -Virgil: <a href="#page_317">317</a>.<br /> - -Voltaire, Jean François Marie Arouet (Fr. philosopher, dramatist, etc.: 1694-1778): on du Barry, <a href="#page_34">34</a>; <a href="#page_316">316</a>.<br /> - -<br /> -<a name="W" id="W"></a><span class="lettre">W</span><br /> - -Wallace, Hon. William James (Judge, U. S. Cirt. Ct.: 1837-19—): <a href="#page_174">174</a>.<br /> - -Wallack, James William (the Elder: Eng.-Am. actor and th. man.: 1795-1864): <a href="#page_150">150</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Wallack, Lester</span> (John Johnstone Wallack: Am. actor, th. man., and dramatist: 1820-1888): <a href="#page_48">48</a>; <a href="#page_49">49</a>; <a href="#page_61">61</a>; <a href="#page_151">151</a>; <a href="#page_159">159</a>; <a href="#page_268">268</a>; <a href="#page_420">420</a>.<br /> - -Walter, Eugene (Am. journalist and playwright: 1876-19—): <a href="#page_267">267</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">writes “Just a Wife”—and preoccupation of mind of, <a href="#page_287">287</a>; <a href="#page_325">325</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his “The Easiest Way,” <a href="#page_268">268</a>.</span><br /> - -<span class="smcap">Warfield, David</span> (Am. actor: 1866-19—): <a href="#page_6">6</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">engaged by B.—and stipulations of their contract, <a href="#page_7">7</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s recollections of, in youth—birth of, and sketch of career of, <a href="#page_8">8</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">probable standing of, without B.’s direction, <a href="#page_10">10</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">“The Auctioneer” written for—and appearance of, in same, <a href="#page_11">11</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">comment on, by B., <a href="#page_13">13</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s estimate of, and author’s, as an actor—immense obligation of, to B.—as <i>Simon Levi</i>, <a href="#page_14">14</a>; <a href="#page_16">16</a>; <a href="#page_17">17</a>; <a href="#page_18">18</a>; <a href="#page_19">19</a>; <a href="#page_22">22</a>; <a href="#page_24">24</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">refuses to act in “The A.,” except under management of B.—statements by—and judicial cognizance of same taken, <a href="#page_25">25</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">mandatory injunction to, denied, <a href="#page_27">27</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">long period of idleness through fidelity to B., <a href="#page_28">28</a>; <a href="#page_48">48</a>; <a href="#page_49">49</a>; <a href="#page_51">51</a>; <a href="#page_86">86</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">refutes charge that B. “stole” his services, <a href="#page_87">87</a>; <a href="#page_112">112</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B. engages C. Klein to work on “The Music Master” for, <a href="#page_114">114</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">wisdom of devising <i>von Barwig</i> for, <a href="#page_117">117</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his performance of that part, <a href="#page_118">118</a>; <a href="#page_119">119</a>; <a href="#page_120">120</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B. on, as <i>von Barwig</i>—not a “one part” actor, <a href="#page_123">123</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">plays acted in by, <a href="#page_124">124</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">amazing record of, in “The M. M.,” <a href="#page_125">125</a>;</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_563" id="page_563">{563}</a></span><span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s feeling about, and “The M. M.,” <a href="#page_128">128</a>; <a href="#page_172">172</a>; <a href="#page_192">192</a>; <a href="#page_235">235</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">felicitous vehicle for, <a href="#page_250">250</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his treatment of situations in “A G. A. M.,” <a href="#page_253">253</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his impersonation in “A G. A. M.”—and quality of, as actor, <a href="#page_254">254</a>; <a href="#page_255">255</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">“The Passing of the Third Floor Back” for, <a href="#page_257">257</a>; <a href="#page_258">258</a>; <a href="#page_259">259</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his only approaches to realm of imagination, <a href="#page_300">300</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his personation of <i>Peter Grimm</i>, <a href="#page_302">302</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">quality of that performance, <a href="#page_303">303</a>; <a href="#page_306">306</a>.</span><br /> - -Warren, William, Jr. (Am. actor: 1812-1888): <a href="#page_14">14</a>; <a href="#page_249">249</a>.<br /> - -Warren, William, Sr. (Eng.-Am. actor and th. man.: 1767-1832): <a href="#page_152">152</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Warrens of Virginia</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (melod.): first produced—story of—and critically considered, <a href="#page_260">260</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of, <a href="#page_266">266</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">B.’s recollections of, <a href="#page_267">267</a>.</span><br /> - -“Washington Life” (play): <a href="#page_321">321</a>.<br /> - -Weber & Fields (Am. vaudeville mang’s.): <a href="#page_7">7</a>; <a href="#page_10">10</a>; <a href="#page_87">87</a>.<br /> - -Wemyss, Francis Courtney (Eng.-Am. th. man.: 1797-1859): <a href="#page_152">152</a>.<br /> - -“What’s Wrong” (play): <a href="#page_373">373</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">produced, <a href="#page_374">374</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of, <a href="#page_375">375</a>.</span><br /> - -Wife,” “The (play—Knowles’): <a href="#page_320">320</a>.<br /> - -Wife,” “The (play—B.’s): <a href="#page_321">321</a>.<br /> - -Wills, William Gorman (Ir.-Eng. poet, dramatist, and novelist: 1830-1891): <a href="#page_93">93</a>; <a href="#page_264">264</a>.<br /> - -Winthrop, Henry Rogers: <a href="#page_216">216</a>.<br /> - -Wood, William B. (Am. actor, th. man., and th. historian: 1779-1861): <a href="#page_152">152</a>.<br /> - -“Woodcock’s Little Game” (farce): <a href="#page_124">124</a>.<br /> - -Woodes, —— (explorer): <a href="#page_317">317</a>; <a href="#page_318">318</a>.<br /> - -Woods, Al. H. (Am. spec. th. man.: 18— -19—): <a href="#page_430">430</a>.<br /> - -Wolff, Pierre (Fr. dramatist: 18— -19—): <a href="#page_283">283</a>.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Woman</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The</span> (melod.): B. works on—and produces, <a href="#page_306">306</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">characterized—described—critically considered, <a href="#page_307">307</a>, <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of—and A. Goldknopf’s charge of plagiarism in, <a href="#page_309">309</a>; <a href="#page_320">320</a>; <a href="#page_322">322</a>.</span><br /> - -Wooing of Wistaria,” “The (story): <a href="#page_88">88</a>.<br /> - -Woolsey, Col. Charles W.: <a href="#page_296">296</a>.<br /> - -Wordsworth, William (Eng. poet: 1770-1850): <a href="#page_314">314</a>.<br /> - -Worthing, Frank (George Francis Pentland: Scotch-Am. actor: 1866-1910): admirable performance by, <a href="#page_282">282</a>.<br /> - -Wycherley, William (Eng. dramatist: <i>cir.</i> 1640-1716): <a href="#page_313">313</a>.<br /> - -<br /> -<span class="lettre">(X)-Y-Z</span><br /> - -<a name="Y" id="Y"></a>Yaco (or Yakko), Mme. Sada (Mrs. Otto Kawakani: Japanese actress): <a href="#page_109">109</a>.<br /> - -“<span class="smcap">Years of Discretion</span>” (satirical farce): produced—and theme of, <a href="#page_281">281</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cast of, <a href="#page_282">282</a>.</span><br /> - -“Young April” (novel): <a href="#page_94">94</a>.<br /> - -Young, Waldemar: <a href="#page_274">274</a>.<br /> - -Young, William (Am. dramatist): <a href="#page_325">325</a><br /> - -<span class="lettre"><a name="Z" id="Z"></a>Z</span>angarini, G. (It. librettist): <a href="#page_213">213</a>.<br /> - -“Zaza” (play—B.’s): <a href="#page_43">43</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">revival of—and outrage on first night of, <a href="#page_91">91</a>, <i>et seq.</i>; <a href="#page_92">92</a>; <a href="#page_269">269</a>; <a href="#page_270">270</a>; <a href="#page_423">423</a>.</span><br /> - -<span class="smcap">Zimmerman, J. Frederick</span>, Sr. (Am. spec. th. man.: 18— -19—): <a href="#page_19">19</a>; <a href="#page_156">156</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">H. G. Fiske’s allegation against, <a href="#page_176">176</a>; <a href="#page_429">429</a>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><p class="cb">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> And, preëminently, William Winter, who was not only the -friend but in many instances the guide, adviser, and assistant of all -those managers, as well as of many others: no other single person has -ever, directly and indirectly, exerted a greater or more unselfish -influence for the good of the Theatre than that of Winter.—J. W.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> Whence derived I do not know: obviously, it was not written -by Mr. Winter,—but it is accurate.—J. W.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> The first recorded instance of a theatre lighted throughout -by electricity is that of the Savoy, in London, 1882,—but I think it -probable that practical stage lighting by electricity had been achieved -in this country at an earlier date. Electric light was used to illumine -a cyclorama in Paris, France, as early as 1857,—but that, of course, -was light from a primitive arc lamp.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> At which time Mr. H. Granville Barker was two years -old!—J. W.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> In the original cast: this character was cut out of the -play before the New York opening.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> Several other names could appropriately be added to that -list—notably, those of Willard Mack (whose play of “Tiger Rose” owes -its extraordinary success entirely to the revision and stage management -of Belasco and the remarkably interesting and sympathetic acting of Miss -Lenore Ulric), George Middleton, and Guy Bolton. Messrs. Middleton and -Bolton figure as authors of “Polly with a Past,”—which, though it is an -extremely slender farce, was one of the few substantial successes of the -current (1917-’18) theatrical season: it was entirely reshaped and made -practicable by Belasco.—J. W.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a> Lester Wallack’s last appearance on the stage occurred May -29, 1886, at the Grand Opera House, New York, and Wallack’s Company was -then disbanded. He was born January 1, 1820, and died September 6, 1888. -He surrendered his theatre into the hands of Theodore Moss in 1887, -being then sixty-seven years old. Moss had a considerable part in the -management of Wallack’s Theatre for several years before that. -</p><p> -Beerbohm-Tree, referred to above as “Belasco’s only competitor,” died, -July 2, 1917, in his sixty-fourth year. He was five months younger than -Belasco was at that time.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a> At Wallack’s Theatre, March 19, 1896, by Mr. and Mrs. -Robert Taber (Julia Marlowe): see “Shakespeare on the Stage—Third -Series,” page 370.—J. W.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a> <b>GRAND OPERA HOUSE, CHICAGO, THURSDAY MATINEE</b>:— -</p><p> -April 19, 1906. A special performance in honor of Mme. Sarah Bernhardt. -David Belasco presents Mrs. Leslie Carter in “Adrea.”</p></div> - -</div> -<hr class="full" /> -<pre style='margin-top:6em'> -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIFE OF DAVID BELASCO; VOL 2 *** - -This file should be named 63624-h.htm or 63624-h.zip - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/6/2/63624/ - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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