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The Life of David Belasco; Vol. 2

Chapter 2: ILLUSTRATIONS. Volume One.
By William Winter
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About This Book

A detailed biographical volume chronicles the subject's later theatrical career, describing major productions, artistic collaborations, and innovations in stagecraft that reshaped theatrical presentation. It recounts the mounting of spectacles and intimate dramas, the cultivation of star performers, practical problems in staging complex effects, and moments of personal risk and acclaim. The narrative also examines legal disputes and controversies involving adaptations and managers, debates over business combinations in theatre, and contemporaries' testimony and correspondence. Interwoven commentary considers managerial methods, artistic principles, and the tensions between commercial organization and creative practice.

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Life of David Belasco; Vol. 2

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Title: The Life of David Belasco; Vol. 2

Author: William Winter

William Jefferson Winter

Release date: November 4, 2020 [eBook #63624]
Most recently updated: October 18, 2024

Language: English

Credits: 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 ***

Contents.
Index To Volume Two

List of Illustrations

(etext transcriber's note)

THE LIFE OF
DAVID BELASCO

VOLUME TWO

 

 

 

 

“I will not be slack to play
 my part in Fortune’s pageant!”
 —Shakespeare

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 Star1
Belasco and David Warfield:—Their First Meeting6
Warfield and “The Auctioneer”11
In the Grip of the Octopus.—Ancient Methods in Modern Business16
Testimony under Oath.—Belasco versus Erlanger20
Law versus Justice23
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 Original31
A Fanciful Fabric.—“Du Barry” First Produced34
Richepin and the “Du Barry” Lawsuit42
A Gracious Tribute.—“Remember That We Loved You”45
The Theatric Richmond “Looks Proudly o’er the Crown”47
A Dangerous Accident.—Altering the Republic52
The First Belasco Theatre55
“After Thirty Years of Labor.”—Belasco in His Own Theatre:—The Opening Night60
The First Programme62
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 Souls82
An Operatic Project.—Petty Persecutions.—An Arrest for Libel85
Second Season at the Belasco.—A Contemptible Outrage91
Henrietta Crosman and “Sweet Kitty Bellairs”94
Side-light and Commentary on “Sweet Kitty”103
A Strenuous Year109
Warfield in “The Music Master.”—An Animated Speech111
Concerning Warfield, Jefferson, the Elder Sothern and the “One Part” Custom.—An Amazing Record120
A Sheaf of Old Letters: In the Matter of the Theatrical Syndicate126
Methods of Collaboration132
Mrs. Carter and the Tragedy of “Adrea”136
BELASCO AND THE THEATRICAL SYNDICATE
Justice and Theatrical Achievement150
Belasco’s Unique Service to the Theatre151
What Are We Discussing?153
The Syndicate-Incubus Defined154
Specious Pretensions to Justify the Incubus155
Tendency to Combination in Modern Business157
Causes of Theatrical Progress158
The Right Principle161
The Obligation of Intellect162
“Those Shall Take Who Have the Power”167
Divergent Views of the Syndicate: Grounds for Reasonable Belief170
Converting Convention Hall:—“Adrea” in Washington177
Exit Mrs. Carter184
Significant Messages186
Various Letters and Incidents of 1905188
Tribute to Irving194
Blanche Bates and “The Girl of the Golden West”195
A Thrilling Story—And a True One200
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 Acknowledgment211
Belasco and the Messrs. Shubert216
The Advent of Frances Starr.—Belasco’s “The Rose of the Rancho”219
A New Project:—The Second Belasco Theatre232
In the Matter of Stage Lighting242
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 1909269
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 Spiritualism298
Belasco’s “The Return of Peter Grimm”299
Concerning the Eunuchs of Criticasterism304
“The Woman”—And Mr. Abraham Goldknopf306
BELASCO AND PLAGIARISM
“Folly Loves the Martyrdom of Fame”310
“The Trick Applied”312
An Ancient Usage313
Charles Reade on Plagiarism315
“For the Defendant”318
Concerning Benefits—Remembered and Forgot324
The Dramatic Works of David Belasco
Juvenile Efforts327
Written Before 1882-’83 (Belasco’s New York Career Began in September, 1882)328
Written Subsequent to 1882-’83329
Plays as yet Unacted332
Belasco as a Dramatist:—A Fragment332
The Goldknopf Trial—A Unique Demonstration336
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 Chinatown394
An Admonition to Stage Aspirants398
“The Phantom Rival”402
“The Boomerang”406
“Seven Chances”411
“The Little Lady in Blue.”—The Last Play Ever Seen by William Winter413
“The Very Minute”—A Memorandum416
Summary418
A Great Shakespearean Project441
Concerning Sarah Bernhardt448
Brief Extracts from Miscellaneous Correspondence452
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
Index543

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Volume One.

In Photogravure.
David BelascoFrontispiece
 PAGE
David Belasco, About 188516
David Warfield26
Mrs. Leslie Carter as Du Barry42
David Belasco60
Blanche Bates as Yo-San, in “The Darling of the Gods”76
David Belasco, About 1889-’9090
David Belasco136
Frances Starr224
Augusta Belasco, Mrs. William Elliott298
Reina Belasco, Mrs. Morris Gest300
David Belasco320
David Belasco336
David Belasco418
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 Barry34
Charles A. Stevenson as King Louis the Fifteenth, in Belasco’s “Du Barry”40
Belasco, About 190246
Belasco’s “Studio” in the First Belasco Theatre54
Belasco in His Studio at the First Belasco Theatre58
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” Curtains150
The Members of the Theatrical Syndicate168
The Crowning Room,—Belasco’s Production of “Adrea”178
Mrs. Leslie Carter as Adrea, in the Tragedy of that Name186
Henry Irving in the Last Year of His Life—1904-’05194
Blanche Bates as The Girl, in “The Girl of the Golden West”198
To David Belasco212
In Remembrance214
The Opera of “The Girl of the Golden West”—A Souvenir, to Belasco218
Frances Starr as Jaunita, in “The Rose of the Rancho”232
Belasco in His Workshop238
Switchboard of the Second Belasco Theatre, New York246
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 Meeting272
Nance O’Neil as Odette De Maigny and Julia Dean (the Younger) as Christine De Maigny, in “The Lily”282
Belasco, About 1911286
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 Belasco312
David Belasco328
Frances Starr as Becky, in “The Case of Becky”344
Belasco, About 1914352
Frances Starr as Marie-Odile360
Lenore Ulric as Wetona, in “The Heart of Wetona”372
Belasco at Orienta Point—Summer Home of His Daughter, Mrs. Gest428
Benjamin F. Roeder, Belasco’s General Business Manager438
Sarah Bernhardt450
David Warfield as Van Der Decken456
Ina Claire as Polly Shannon, in “Polly With a Past”460
Lenore Ulric as Rose, in “Tiger Rose”466
David Belasco—His Latest Portrait, 1918470
Belasco Leading the Parade of “The Lambs” up Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D. C.476