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{{Short description|American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright}}
[[Image:David Belasco, circa 1898-1916.jpg|thumb|left|250px|David Belasco, between 1898 and 1916.]]
{{About|the stage producer born in 1853|his uncle, whose birth name was David Belasco|David James (actor, born 1839)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox person
|name= David J. Belasco
|image=David Belasco, stage producer (SAYRE 11635).jpg
|caption=Belasco in 1909
|birth_date = {{birth date|1853|07|25}}
|birth_place = San Francisco, California, U.S.
|death_date = {{death date and age|1931|05|14|1853|07|25}}
|death_place = New York City, U.S.
|occupation = [[Theatrical producer]], director, playwright
|yearsactive = 1884 to 1930
|spouse = {{marriage|Cecilia Loverich|1873|1926|end=her death}}
|known_for = [[Belasco Theatre]]; pioneer of modern stage lighting and stage effects; stage naturalism
|credits = ''Madame Butterfly''
|signature = Signature of David Belasco.png
}}
'''David Belasco''' (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American [[theatrical producer]], [[impresario]], [[theatre director|director]], and [[playwright]].<ref name=obit/> He was the first writer to adapt the short story ''[[Madame Butterfly (short story)|Madame Butterfly]]'' for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of many actors, including [[James O'Neill (actor, born 1847)|James O'Neill]], [[Mary Pickford]], [[Lenore Ulric]], and [[Barbara Stanwyck]]. Belasco pioneered many innovative new forms of stage lighting and special effects in order to create realism and naturalism.<ref name=Osnes>Osnes, Beth, and Gill, Sam. ''Acting: An International Encyclopedia'', ABC-CLIO (2001) p. 34</ref><ref name=Marker>Marker, Lise-Lone, ''David Belasco: Naturalism in the American Theater'', Princeton Univ. Press (1975)</ref>


==Early years==
'''David Belasco''' ([[July 25]], [[1853]] - [[May 14]], [[1931]]) was an important [[United States of America|American]] [[playwright]], [[theatre director|director]] and [[theatrical producer]].
David Belasco was born in 1853 in San Francisco, California, the son of Abraham H. Belasco (1830–1911) and Reyna Belasco (née Nunes, 1830–1899), [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardic]] Jews who had immigrated to the United States from London's Spanish and Portuguese Jewish community during the [[California gold rush]].<ref name=Marker/>{{rp|13}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=David Belasco |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/david-belasco |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230820071847/https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/david-belasco |archive-date=August 20, 2023 |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org}}</ref> He began working as a youth in a San Francisco theater doing a variety of routine jobs, such as [[call boy (theatre)|call boy]], script copier, or as an extra in small parts.<ref name=Marker/>{{rp|14}} He received his first experience as a stage manager while on the road. He said, "We used to play in any place we could hire or get into{{mdash}}a hall, a big dining room, an empty barn; any place that would take us."<ref name=Marker/>{{rp|14}}


From late 1873 to early 1874, he worked as an actor, director, and secretary at [[Piper's Opera House]] in [[Virginia City, Nevada]], where he found "more reckless women and desperadoes to the square foot…than anywhere else in the world". His developmental years as a supporting player in Virginia City colored his thoughts and eventually helped him to conceive realistic stage settings.<ref>Eichin, Carolyn Grattan, ''From San Francisco Eastward: Victorian Theater in the American West'', (Reno: University of Nevada Press, 2020), 181</ref> He said that while working there, seeing "people die under such peculiar circumstances" made him
Born in [[San Francisco, California]], to which his [[Sephardic]] [[Jewish]] parents had moved from [[London]] during the Gold Rush, he began working in a San Francisco theatre doing a variety of routine jobs such as call boy and script copier. He eventually was given the opportunity to act and serve as a stage manager, learning the business inside out. A gifted playwright, Belasco went to [[New York City]] in 1882 where he worked as stage manager for the Madison Square Theater while writing plays. By 1895, he was so successful that he set himself up as an independent producer.
<blockquote>"all the more particular in regard to the psychology of dying on the stage. I think I was one of the first to bring naturalness to bear in death scenes, and my varied Virginia City experiences did much to help me toward this. Later I was to go deeper into such studies."</blockquote>His recollections of that time were published in ''Hearst's Magazine'' in 1914.<ref>Belasco, David. ''Gala Days of Piper's Opera House and the California Theater''. 1914. Sparks, NV: Falcon Hill Press, 1991: v–vi, 18, 42</ref>


By March 1874, he was back at work in San Francisco, eventually managing Thomas Maguire's Baldwin Theater. When Maguire lost the theater in 1882, Belasco relocated to the East Coast, bringing his practical western experiences with him. The West allowed him to develop his talents as not only a performer, but in progressive production design and execution.<ref>Eichin, Carolyn Grattan. (2020), ''From San Francisco Eastward'', pp.180-182</ref>
During his long career between 1884 and 1930, Belasco either wrote, directed, or produced more than 100 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] plays including ''Hearts of Oak'', ''The Heart of Maryland'', and ''Du Barry'', making him the most powerful personality on the New York city theater scene. Although he is perhaps most famous for having penned ''[[Madama Butterfly]]'' and ''[[La fanciulla del West|The Girl of the Golden West]]'' for the stage, both of which were set as operas by [[Giacomo Puccini]], more than forty [[motion pictures]] have been made from the many plays he authored, including [[Buster Keaton]]'s [[Seven Chances]].


A gifted playwright, Belasco went to New York City in 1882. He worked as stage manager for the [[Madison Square Theatre]] (starting with ''[[Young Mrs. Winthrop (play)|Young Mrs. Winthrop]]''), and then the [[Lyceum Theatre (New York, 1885-1902)|old Lyceum Theatre]], while also writing original plays. By 1895, he was so successful that he was considered America's most distinguished playwright and producer.
[[Image:Belasco's The Heart of Maryland.jpg|thumb|Poster for ''The Heart of Maryland'']]
Belasco is also recognized for bringing a new standard of [[naturalism (literature)|naturalism]] to the American stage. Sets used in his stage plays were lavish, with great attention to detail, and sometimes spilled out into the audience area. In one play, for instance, an operational laundromat was built onstage; in another, there was a reproduction of a [[Childs Restaurant]] kitchen where actors actually cooked and prepared food. Belasco's original scripts were often filled with long, specific descriptions of props and set dressings.


==Career==
Belasco was further known for his advanced lighting techniques and use of color to evoke mood and setting. He was one of the first directors to eschew the use of footlights in favor of follow spots and realistic lighting. Often, Belasco tailored his lighting configurations to compliment the complexions and hair of the actors. In his own theatres, the dressing rooms were equipped with lamps of several colors, allowing the performers to see how their makeup looked under different lighting conditions.
[[File:David Belasco 1873.jpg|thumb|Belasco in 1873]]
During his long creative career, stretching between 1884 and 1930, Belasco either wrote, directed, or produced more than 100 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] plays, including ''[[Hearts of Oak (1879 play)|Hearts of Oak]]'', ''[[The Heart of Maryland (play)|The Heart of Maryland]]'', and ''Du Barry'', making him the most powerful personality on the New York City theater scene. He also helped establish careers for dozens of notable stage performers, many of whom went on to work in films.


Among them were [[Mrs. Leslie Carter|Leslie Carter]], dubbed "The American Sarah Bernhardt,"<ref name=Wilson/> whose association with Belasco skyrocketed her to theatrical fame after her roles in ''[[Zaza (play)|Zaza]]'' (1898) and ''Madame Du Barry'' (1901).<ref name=Wilson/> [[Ina Claire]]'s lead in ''Polly with a Past'' (1917) and [[The Gold Diggers (1919 play)|''The Gold Diggers'']] (1919) similarly propelled her career.<ref name=Wilson/> Belasco wrote a lead part for 18-year-old [[Maude Adams]] in his new play ''[[Men and Women (play)|Men and Women]]'' (1890), which ran for 200 performances.<ref name=Wilson/>
Both of Belasco's New York theatres were built on the cutting edge of their era's technology. When Belasco took over the Republic Theatre he drilled a new basement level to accommodate his machinery; the Stuyvesant Theatre was specially constructed with enormous amounts of flyspace, hydraulics systems and lighting rigs. The basement of the Stuyvesant contained a working machine shop, where Belasco and his team experimented with lighting and other special effects. Many of the innovations developed in the Belasco shop were sold to other producers.


Other stars whose careers he helped launch included [[Jeanne Eagels]], who would later achieve immortality as Sadie Thompson in ''Rain'' (1923), which played for 340 performances.<ref name=Botto>Botto, Louis; Viagas, Robert. [https://archive.org/details/atthistheatre10000bott ''At this Theatre: 100 Years of Broadway Shows, Stories and Stars''], Hal Leonard Corp. (2002) p. 28</ref> Belasco discovered and managed the careers of [[Lenore Ulric]]<ref name=NYT-obit>"Lenore Ulric, Broadway Star of Belasco Era, Is Dead at 78", ''The New York Times'', December 31, 1970</ref> and [[David Warfield]], both of whom became major stars on Broadway. He launched the career of [[Barbara Stanwyck]], and was responsible for changing her name.<ref name=Wilson/>
David Belasco was married to Cecilia Loverich for over fifty years; they had two daughters, Reina and Augusta. He died in 1931 at the age of 77 in [[New York City]] and was interred in the Linden Hills Cemetery in [[Queens, New York]].


Belasco is perhaps most famous for two works that were adapted as highly popular operas. He adapted the short story ''[[Madame Butterfly (short story)|Madame Butterfly]]'' as [[Madame Butterfly (play)|a play with the same name]]. He also wrote the play ''[[The Girl of the Golden West (play)|The Girl of the Golden West]]''. Both of these works were adapted as operas by Italian composer [[Giacomo Puccini]] (''[[Madama Butterfly]]'' 1904—twice, after revision) and ''[[La fanciulla del West]]'' (1910).
===Theatres===


In other adaptations, more than forty [[motion pictures]] have been made from the many plays that Belasco wrote.
The first Belasco Theatre in New York was located at 229 West 42nd Street in the [[Times Square]] district. Belasco took over management of the theater and completely remodeled it in [[1902]], only two years after it was constructed as the Theatre Republic by [[Oscar Hammerstein I|Oscar Hammerstein]] (the grandfather of the famous lyricist). He gave up the theater in [[191]] and it was renamed the Republic. Under various different owners, it went through a tumultuous period as a [[burlesque]] venue, hosted second-run and, eventually, pornographic films and fell into a period of neglect before being rehabilitated and reopened as the [[New Victory Theater]] in [[1995]].
{{quote box|align=right|width=25em|quote=To me, David Belasco was like the King of England, Julius Caesar and Napoleon rolled into one.|source=[[Mary Pickford]]<ref name=Wilson>Wilson, Victoria. ''A Life of Barbara Stanwyck: Steel-True 1907-1940'', Simon and Schuster (2013) ebook</ref>}}


Many prominent performers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries sought the opportunity to work with Belasco; among them were [[D. W. Griffith]], [[Helen Hayes]], [[Lillian Gish]], [[Mary Pickford]]<ref name=Wilson/> and [[Cecil B. DeMille]].<ref name=Wilson/> DeMille's father had been close friends with Belasco. After DeMille graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he began his stage career under Belasco's guidance.<ref>Wallace, David. ''Lost Hollywood'', Macmillan (2001) p. 21</ref> DeMille's later methods of handling actors, using dramatic lighting and directing films, were modeled after Belasco's staging techniques.<ref name=Wilson/>
The second [[Belasco Theatre]] is located at 111 West 44th Street, only a few blocks away from the New Victory. It was constructed in [[1907]] as the Stuyvesant Theatre and renamed after Belasco in [[1910]]. The theater was built to Belasco's wishes, with [[Tiffany]] lighting and ceiling panels, rich woodwork and murals. His business office and private apartment were also housed there. As of [[2006]] the Belasco is still in operation as a Broadway venue with much of the original decor still intact.


Pickford appeared in his plays ''The Warrens of Virginia'' at the first Belasco Theatre in 1907 and ''A Good Little Devil'' in 1913. The two remained in touch after Pickford began working in Hollywood; Belasco appeared with her in the 1914 film adaptation of ''A Good Little Devil''. He is credited as giving Pickford her stage name as well. He also worked with [[Lionel Barrymore]], who starred in his play ''[[Laugh, Clown, Laugh]]'' opposite [[Lucille Kahn]], whose Broadway career Belasco launched. Belasco was a member of [[The Lambs]] from 1893 to 1931.
Belasco Theatres also existed in several other cities. The Los Angeles Belasco was built in 1926, is located at 1050 S. Hill St downtown and has been used as a church in recent years. The Shubert-Belasco Theatre was located in Washington D.C.


== Trivia ==
==Marriage==
David Belasco was married to Cecilia Loverich for over fifty years. They had two daughters, Reina (who later married producer [[Morris Gest]]) and Augusta.


==Death==
* Known informally as "the Bishop of Broadway" for his penchant for dressing in black clothing that made him resemble a priest.
Belasco died on May 14, 1931, at the age of 77 in Manhattan.<ref name=obit>{{cite news |title=David Belasco Dies. Dean Of Theatre, 76, Had Long Been Ill. Stage Genius Who Is Dead At 76 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1931/05/15/archives/david-belasco-dies-dean-of-theatre-76-had-long-been-ill-stage.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 15, 1931 }}</ref> His funeral was held at [[Central Synagogue (Manhattan)|Central Synagogue]], Manhattan.<ref name="The New York Times 1931 w244">{{cite web | title=Throng at Funeral of David Belasco; Edwin Milton Royle and Rev. Dr. Jonah B. Wise Eulogize Famous Producer | website=The New York Times | date=May 18, 1931 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1931/05/18/archives/throng-at-funeral-of-david-belasco-edwin-milton-royle-and-rev-dr.html | access-date=April 25, 2024}}</ref> He was interred in the Linden Hill Jewish Cemetery on Metropolitan Avenue in [[Ridgewood, Queens]].<ref name="The New York Times 1931 w244"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Actors Eulogize Belasco. At Meeting of Jewish Guild Frohman Recalls Early Days |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1931/05/20/archives/actors-eulogize-belasco-at-meeting-of-jewish-guild-frohman-recalls.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 20, 1931 }}</ref>


==Influence on American theatre==
* Credited with giving [[Mary Pickford]] her stage name. Pickford appeared in his plays ''The Warrens of Virginia'' at the first Belasco Theatre in [[1907]] and ''A Good Little Devil'' in [[1913]]. The two remained in touch after Pickford began working in Hollywood; Belasco appeared with her in the 1914 film adaptation of ''A Good Little Devil.''
{{more citations needed section|date=March 2023}}
[[Image:Belasco's The Heart of Maryland.jpg|thumb|Poster for ''[[The Heart of Maryland (play)|The Heart of Maryland]]'' with [[Maurice Barrymore]] and [[Mrs. Leslie Carter]]]]


Belasco demanded a natural acting style, and to complement that, he developed stage settings with authentic lighting effects to enhance his plays. His productions inspired several generations of theatre lighting designers.<ref name=Cox/>{{rp|29}}
* In [[The Great Gatsby]], when Nick encounters "Owl Eyes," Gatsby is called "a regular Belasco," in reference to his giant (apparently just for-show) library.


Belasco's contributions to modern stage and lighting techniques were originally not appreciated as much as those of his European counterparts, such as [[André Antoine]] and [[Constantin Stanislavski]]. But today he is regarded as "one of the first significant directorial figures in the history of the American theatre," writes theatre historian Lise-Lone Marker.<ref name=Marker/>{{rp|xi}}
* Rumored to have often used, or even originated the "casting couch."


[[Image:David_Belasco_Monogram.jpg|thumb|Belasco's monogram]]
== See also==
He brought a new standard of [[Naturalism (theatre)|naturalism]] to the American stage as the first to develop modern stage lighting, along with the use of colored lights, via motorized color changing wheels, to evoke mood and setting.<ref name=Marker/>{{rp|xi}}<ref name=Cox/> America's earliest stage lighting manufacturer, [[Kliegl Brothers Universal Electric Stage Lighting Company|Kliegl Brothers]], began by serving the specialized needs of producers and directors such as Belasco and [[Florenz Ziegfeld]].<ref name=Cox/>{{rp|157}} With regard to these modern lighting effects, Belasco is best remembered for his production of ''Girl of the Golden West'' (1905), with the play opening to a spectacular sunset that lasted five minutes before any dialogue started.<ref name=Cox/>{{rp|29}}
[[Belasco Theatre]]

Belasco became one of the first directors to eschew the use of traditional footlights in favor of lights concealed below floor level, thereby hidden from the audience. His lighting assistant, Louis Hartmann, realized Belasco's design ideas.<ref name=Cox/>{{rp|29}} He also used 'follow spots' to further create realism and often tailored his lighting configurations to complement the complexions and hair color of the actors.<ref name=Cox>Cox, Jim. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=RwVkMMLqMdkC Sold on Radio: Advertisers in the Golden Age of Broadcasting]''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2008; reprint 2013. {{ISBN|9780786433919}}.</ref>{{rp|135}} He ordered a specially made 1000-watt lamp developed just for his own productions. He was the only director to have one for the first two years after its introduction (1914–1915).<ref name=Cox/>{{rp|135}}

In his own theatres, the dressing rooms were equipped with lamps of several colors, allowing the performers to see how their makeup looked under different lighting conditions.

Belasco was said{{by whom|date=March 2023}} to put appropriate scents to set scenes in the ventilation systems of the theaters, while his sets were highly detailed and sometimes spilled out into the audience area. In one play, for instance, an operational laundromat was built onstage. ''[[The Governor's Lady]]'' had a reproduction of a [[Childs Restaurant]] kitchen, where actors cooked and prepared food during the play. [[File:Childs Restaurant Scene in The Governor’s Lady.jpg|thumb|Childs Restaurant Scene in ''The Governor's Lady'']] In his 1919 book ''The Theatre through Its Stage Door'', Belasco relates the following incident:

<blockquote>When I produced ''The Easiest Way'' I found myself in a dilemma. I planned one of its scenes to be an exact counterpart of a little hall bedroom in a cheap theatrical boarding-house in New York. We tried to build the scene in my shops, but, somehow, we could not make it look shabby enough. So I went to the meanest theatrical lodging-house I could find in the Tenderloin district and bought the entire interior of one of its most dilapidated rooms—patched furniture, threadbare carpet, tarnished and broken gas fixtures, tumble-down cupboards, dingy doors and window-casings, and even the faded paper on the walls.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/theatrethroughit0000davi/page/76/mode/2up?q=cheap&view=theater |title=The Theatre through Its Stage Door |last=Belasco |first=David |date=1969 |publisher=Benjamin Blom |access-date=2 March 2023}}</ref></blockquote>

Belasco's original scripts were often filled with long, specific descriptions of props and set dressings. He has not been noted for producing unusually naturalistic scenarios.

Belasco both embraced existing theatre technology and sought to expand on it. Both of Belasco's New York theatres were built on the cutting edge of their era's technology. When Belasco took over the Republic Theatre, he drilled a new basement level to accommodate his machinery. He had the Stuyvesant Theatre specially constructed with great amounts of flyspace, hydraulics systems and lighting rigs. The basement of the Stuyvesant contained a working machine shop, where Belasco and his team experimented with lighting and other special effects. Many of the innovations developed in the Belasco shop were sold to other producers.

[[F. Scott Fitzgerald]] refers to Belasco's reputation for realism in his novel ''[[The Great Gatsby]]'' (1925). A drunken visitor in the library of Gatsby's mansion exclaims in amazement that the books are genuine: "See!" he cried triumphantly. "It's a bona-fide piece of printed matter. It fooled me. This fella's a regular Belasco. It's a triumph. What thoroughness! What realism! Knew when to stop, too—didn't cut the pages."<ref>F. Scott Fitzgerald, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=uRVGCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT33 The Great Gatsby]'', 1925, chapter 3.</ref>

==Theatres==
{{See also|Belasco Theatre}}

===New York===
The first Belasco Theatre in New York was the [[New Victory Theater|Republic Theatre]] at 229 West 42nd Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues, in the [[Theater District, Manhattan|Theater District]] of Manhattan. Belasco took over management of the theater and completely remodeled it in 1902,<ref name="p571138427">{{cite news |date=January 15, 1902 |title=Mr. Belasco's New Theatre: He Will Take Charge of the Theatre Republic at the Close of This Season |page=2 |work=New-York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|571138427}}}}</ref> only two years after it was constructed by [[Oscar Hammerstein I|Oscar Hammerstein]] (the grandfather of the famous lyricist) constructed it.<ref name="nyt-1900-09-28">{{Cite news |date=September 28, 1900 |title=Dramatic and Musical; Mr. Hammerstein's New Theatre Republic Opened Last Night. James A. Herne's New Rustic Drama, "Sag Harbor" – "A Million Dollars" the New Spectacular Piece at the New York. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1900/09/28/archives/dramatic-and-musical-mr-hammersteins-new-theatre-republic-opened.html |access-date=September 20, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924232313/https://www.nytimes.com/1900/09/28/archives/dramatic-and-musical-mr-hammersteins-new-theatre-republic-opened.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He gave up the theater in 1910 and it was renamed the Republic.<ref name="n144999004">{{cite news |last=Schrader |first=Fred F. |date=September 25, 1910 |title=Producing Week in New York; Many Changes Are Announced: Producing Week in Gotham. |page=MT2 |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286 |id={{ProQuest|144999004}}}}</ref> Under various owners, it went through a tumultuous period as a [[burlesque]] venue,<ref name="nyt-1931-01-29">{{Cite news |date=January 29, 1931 |title=Republic to Become a Burlesque House; Former Home of 'Abie's Irish Rose,' Now Film Theatre, to Enter Upon New Policy Feb. 12. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1931/01/29/archives/republic-to-become-a-burlesque-house-former-home-of-abies-irish.html |access-date=September 21, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930233941/https://www.nytimes.com/1931/01/29/archives/republic-to-become-a-burlesque-house-former-home-of-abies-irish.html |url-status=live }}</ref> hosted second-run and, eventually, pornographic films.<ref name="p220578129">{{Cite magazine |last1=Coe |first1=Robert |last2=Stayton |first2=Richard |date=July 1994 |title=LETSMAKEADEAL |volume=11 |page=14 |id={{ProQuest|220578129}} |magazine=American Theatre |number=6}}</ref> It was rehabilitated and reopened as the [[New Victory Theater]] in 1995.<ref name="nyt-1995-12-11">{{Cite news |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |date=December 11, 1995 |title=An Old Jewel of 42d Street Reopens, Seeking to Dazzle Families |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/11/theater/an-old-jewel-of-42d-street-reopens-seeking-to-dazzle-families.html |access-date=September 19, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324104928/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/11/theater/an-old-jewel-of-42d-street-reopens-seeking-to-dazzle-families.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The second [[Belasco Theatre]] is located at 111 West 44th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues, only a few blocks away from the New Victory. It was constructed in 1907 as the Stuyvesant Theatre<ref name="nyt-1907-04-29">{{Cite news |date=April 29, 1907 |title=Light Like Day in New Theatre; Electrics Screened Behind a Ground Glass Ceiling in the Stuyvesant |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1907/04/29/archives/light-like-day-in-new-theatre-electrics-screened-behind-a-ground.html |access-date=October 26, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026183619/https://www.nytimes.com/1907/04/29/archives/light-like-day-in-new-theatre-electrics-screened-behind-a-ground.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and renamed after Belasco in 1910.<ref>{{Cite Broadway At This Theatre|pages=27–28}}</ref> The theater was built to Belasco's wishes, with [[Tiffany glass|Tiffany]] lighting and ceiling panels, rich woodwork and murals. His business office and private apartment were also housed there.<ref>{{Cite report |date=November 4, 1987 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1318.pdf |title=Belasco Theater Interior |page=14}}</ref> The Belasco is still in operation as a Broadway venue with much of the original decor intact.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/theater/29isherwood.html?pagewanted=all|title=Belasco Theater Is Burnished, and Back|first=Charles|last=Isherwood|website=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 24, 2010 |access-date=October 1, 2018}}</ref>

===Other cities===
Belasco Theatres also existed in several other cities.

{{anchor|Belasco Theatre, Los Angeles, 1904}}In Los Angeles, the first Belasco Theatre was located at 337 S. Main St. The theater, which hosted the Belasco Stock Company, opened in 1904 and was operated by David Belasco's brother, Frederick. This theater was renamed twice: as the Republic in about 1913 and as the Follies, circa 1919. The theater eventually became a burlesque venue in the 1940s, fell into sharp decline, and was demolished in May 1974.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/downtownlosangelestheatres/follies|title=Follies Theatre |work= Historic Los Angeles Theatres - Downtown}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/2202|title=Follies Theatre|work=[[Cinema Treasures]]}}</ref>

The second, and perhaps more well known theatre in Los Angeles, [[The Belasco]] is located at 1050 S. Hill St in [[Downtown Los Angeles]]. The theatre, which was built by Morgan, Walls & Clements, opened in 1926, and was managed by Edward Belasco, another of David's brothers. Many Hollywood stars with theatrical roots, as well as Broadway stars who were visiting the West Coast, appeared at the theatre.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/downtownlosangelestheatres/belasco|title=Belasco Theatre |work= Historic Los Angeles Theatres - Downtown}}</ref> The theater declined after the death of Edward Belasco in 1937. After closing altogether in the early 1950s, the theater was used as a church for several decades.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogdowntown.com/2007/09/2854-historic-belasco-theater-awaits-its-next|title=Historic Belasco Theater Awaits Its Next Act|work=blogdowntown.com|access-date=February 7, 2015|archive-date=July 19, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090719180614/http://blogdowntown.com/2007/09/2854-historic-belasco-theater-awaits-its-next|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2010 - 2011, the theater underwent an extensive restoration, and is currently in operation as a nightclub and convention venue.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/bringing-back-the-belasco/article_b4dfa8ea-6c73-5b68-aa9e-751d7884321e.html|title=Bringing Back the Belasco|work=Los Angeles Downtown News|date=August 6, 2010 }}</ref>

The Shubert-Belasco Theatre, located in Washington, D.C., was purchased by Belasco in September 1905. Originally built in 1895 as the [[Lafayette Square Opera House]], at 717 Madison Place, across from the [[White House]], the theater was razed in 1962 and replaced by the [[U.S. Court of Claims]] building.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://library.thinkquest.org/2813/white/east.html |title=White House Area - Sites on the East side of Lafayette Park |publisher=Library.thinkquest.org |access-date=January 24, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015040930/http://library.thinkquest.org/2813/white/east.html |archive-date=October 15, 2012 }}</ref>

==Selected plays==
*''[[Hearts of Oak (1879 play)|Hearts of Oak]]'' (1879), by [[James A. Herne]] and David Belasco<!--November 17, 1879-->
*''La Belle Russe'' (1882), by David Belasco<!--May 8, 1882-->
*''May Blossom'' (1884), by David Belasco<!--April 12, 1884-->
*''Lord Chumley'' (1888), by [[Henry Churchill de Mille]] and David Belasco<!--August 21, 1888-->
*''[[Men and Women (play)|Men and Women]]'' (1890), by [[Henry Churchill de Mille]] and David Belasco<!--October 21, 1890-->
*''The Girl I Left Behind Me'' (1893), by [[Franklin Fyles]] and David Belasco<!--January 25, 1893-->
*''Pawn Ticket No. 210'' (1894), by [[Clay M. Greene]] and David Belasco<!--October 1, 1894-->
*''[[The Heart of Maryland (play)|The Heart of Maryland]]'' (1895), by David Belasco<!--October 22, 1895-->
*''Zaza'' (1898), by David Belasco (based on the play ''[[Zaza (play)|Zaza]]'' by [[Pierre Berton (playwright)|Pierre Berton]] and {{Interlanguage link|Charles Simon (playwright)|fr|3=Charles Simon (dramaturge)|lt=Charles Simon}})<!--December 1898, Lafayette Square Opera House in Washington, D.C.-->
*''[[Madame Butterfly (play)|Madame Butterfly]]'' (1900), by David Belasco (based on the short story ''[[Madame Butterfly (short story)|Madame Butterfly]]'' by [[John Luther Long]])<!--March 5, 1900-->
*''Du Barry'' (1901), by David Belasco<!--December 25, 1901-->
* [[The Auctioneer (play)|The Auctioneer]] (1901)<ref name="DB">{{cite web |title=Belasco, David, 1853-1931 |url=https://snaccooperative.org/view/69595757 |website=Snacooperative |publisher=Social Networks and Archival Context |access-date=July 18, 2020}}</ref><ref name="BW">{{cite web |title=David Belasco Broadway and Theatre Credits |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/David-Belasco/ |website=broadwayworld |publisher=Wisdom Digital Media |access-date=July 18, 2020}}</ref>
*''[[Sweet Kitty Bellairs (play)|Sweet Kitty Bellairs]]'' (1903), by David Belasco (based on the novel ''The Bath Comedy'' by [[Agnes Castle]] and [[Egerton Castle]])<!--December 9, 1903-->
*''[[The Music Master (play)|The Music Master]]'' (1904), by [[Charles Klein]]<!--September 26, 1904-->
*''Adrea'' (1905), by David Belasco and [[John Luther Long]]<!--September 20, 1905-->
*''[[The Girl of the Golden West (play)|The Girl of the Golden West]]'' (1905), by David Belasco<!--November 14, 1905-->
*''Rose of the Rancho'' (1906), by [[Richard Walton Tully]] and David Belasco<!--November 27, 1906-->
*''The Warrens of Virginia'' (1907), by [[William C. deMille]]<!--December 3, 1907-->
*''[[A Grand Army Man]]'' (1907)<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T4SftwAACAAJ | title=David Belasco Presents David Warfield in a Grand Army Man, a New American Play by David Belasco, Pauline Phelps and Marion Short | year=1908 | publisher=F.V. Strauss }}</ref>
*''The Fighting Hope'' (1908), by [[William J. Hurlbut]]<!--September 22, 1908-->
*''The Easiest Way'' (1909), by [[Eugene Walter (playwright)|Eugene Walter]]<!--January 19, 1909-->
*''The Lily'' (1909), by David Belasco (based on the play ''Le Lys'' by [[Pierre Wolff]] and [[Gaston Leroux]])<!--December 23, 1909-->
*''[[Just a Wife]]'' (1910), by [[Eugene Walter (playwright)|Eugene Walter]]<!--February 1, 1910-->
*''The Woman'' (1911), by [[William C. deMille]]<!--September 19, 1911-->
*''The Return of Peter Grimm'' (1911), by David Belasco<!--October 17, 1911-->
*''[[The Governor's Lady]]'' (1912), by [[Alice Bradley]]<!--September 10, 1912-->
*''The Case of Becky'' (1912), by [[Edward Locke]]<!--October 1, 1912-->
*''A Good Little Devil'' (1913), by [[Austin Strong]] (based on the play ''Un bon petit diable'' by [[Rosemonde Gérard]] and [[Maurice Rostand]])<!--January 8, 1913-->
*''[[Seven Chances (play)|Seven Chances]]'' (1916), by [[Roi Cooper Megrue]]<!--August 8, 1916-->
*''Tiger Rose'' (1917), by [[Willard Mack]]<!--October 3, 1917-->
*''[[The Gold Diggers (1919 play)|The Gold Diggers]]'' (1919), by [[Avery Hopwood]]<!--September 30, 1919-->
*''The Son-Daughter'' (1919), by George Scarborough and David Belasco<!--November 19, 1919-->
*''Kiki'' (1921), by David Belasco with music by [[Zoel Parenteau]] (based on the play ''Kiki'' by [[André Picard (playwright)|André Picard]])<!--November 29, 1921-->
*''Shore Leave'' (1922), by [[Hubert Osborne]]<!--August 8, 1922-->
*''Laugh, Clown, Laugh'' (1923), by [[Tom Cushing]] and David Belasco (based on the play ''Ridi, pagliaccio!'' by [[Fausto Maria Martini]])<!--November 28, 1923-->
*''Ladies of the Evening'' (1924), by [[Milton Herbert Gropper]]<!--December 23, 1924-->
*''The Dove'' (1925), by [[Willard Mack]] (based on a story by [[Gerald Beaumont (writer)|Gerald Beaumont]])<!--February 11, 1925-->
*'' Lulu Belle'' (1926), by [[Charles MacArthur]] and [[Edward Sheldon]]<!--February 9, 1926-->
*''Tonight or Never'' (1930), by [[Fanny Hatton]] and [[Frederic Hatton]] (based on the play ''Ma este vagy soha'' by {{Interlanguage link|Lili Hatvany|hu|3=Hatvany Lili|lt=Lili Hatvany}})<!--November 18, 1930-->

==Filmography==
*''[[Lord Chumley]]'', directed by [[James Kirkwood Sr.|James Kirkwood]] (1914, based on the play ''Lord Chumley'')<!--Based on the play Lord Chumley by Henry C. De Mille and David Belasco (New York, August 21, 1888).--><!--June 14, 1914-->
*''{{Interlanguage link|La Belle Russe (1914 film)|it|3=La Belle Russe (film 1914)|lt=La Belle Russe}}'', directed by William J. Hanley (1914, based on the play ''La Belle Russe'')<!--July 1914-->
*''[[Men and Women (1914 film)|Men and Women]]'', directed by [[James Kirkwood Sr.|James Kirkwood]] (1914, based on the play ''[[Men and Women (play)|Men and Women]]'')<!--August 1914-->
*''[[Rose of the Rancho (1914 film)|Rose of the Rancho]]'', directed by [[Cecil B. DeMille]] (1914, based on the play ''Rose of the Rancho'')<!--November 15, 1914-->
*''[[The Girl of the Golden West (1915 film)|The Girl of the Golden West]]'', directed by [[Cecil B. DeMille]] (1915, based on the play ''[[The Girl of the Golden West (play)|The Girl of the Golden West]]'')<!--January 4, 1915-->
*''{{Interlanguage link|The Girl I Left Behind Me (film)|it|3=The Girl I Left Behind Me (film 1915)|lt=The Girl I Left Behind Me}}'', directed by [[Lloyd B. Carleton]] (1915, based on the play ''The Girl I Left Behind Me'')<!--Based on the play The Girl I Left Behind Me by David Belasco and Franklyn Fyles (New York, January 25, 1893).--><!--January 1915-->
*''[[DuBarry (film)|DuBarry]]'', directed by [[Edoardo Bencivenga]] (1915, based on the play ''Du Barry'')<!--January 18, 1915-->
*''[[The Heart of Maryland (1915 film)|The Heart of Maryland]]'', directed by [[Herbert Brenon]] (1915, based on the play ''[[The Heart of Maryland (play)|The Heart of Maryland]]'')<!--March 20, 1915-->
*''[[May Blossom (film)|May Blossom]]'', directed by [[Allan Dwan]] (1915, based on the play ''May Blossom'')<!--April 15, 1915-->
*''[[The Case of Becky (1915 film)|The Case of Becky]]'', directed by [[Frank Reicher]] (1915, based on the play ''The Case of Becky'')<!--September 13, 1915-->
*''[[Madame Butterfly (1915 film)|Madame Butterfly]]'', directed by [[Sidney Olcott]] (1915, based on the play ''[[Madame Butterfly (play)|Madame Butterfly]]'')<!--November 7, 1915-->
*''[[Zaza (1915 film)|Zaza]]'', directed by [[Edwin S. Porter]] and [[Hugh Ford (director)|Hugh Ford]] (1915, based on the play ''Zaza'')<!--Based on the play Zaza by Pierre François Samuel Berton and Charles Simon, as adapted by David Belasco (New York, January 9, 1899).--><!--November 11, 1915-->
*''[[Sweet Kitty Bellairs (1916 film)|Sweet Kitty Bellairs]]'', directed by [[James Young (director)|James Young]] (1916, based on the play ''Sweet Kitty Bellairs'')
*''[[La Belle Russe]]'', directed by [[Charles Brabin]] (1919, based on the play ''La Belle Russe'')<!--September 21, 1919-->
*''[[Harakiri (1919 film)|Harakiri]]'', directed by [[Fritz Lang]] (Germany, 1919, based on the play ''[[Madame Butterfly (play)|Madame Butterfly]]'')<!--December 18, 1919-->
*''[[The Heart of Maryland (1921 film)|The Heart of Maryland]]'', directed by [[Tom Terriss]] (1921, based on the play ''[[The Heart of Maryland (play)|The Heart of Maryland]]'')<!--May 1921-->
*''[[The Case of Becky]]'', directed by [[Chester M. Franklin]] (1921, based on the play ''The Case of Becky'')<!--October 9, 1921-->
*''Pawn Ticket 210'', directed by [[Scott R. Dunlap]] (1922, based on the play ''Pawn Ticket No. 210'')<!--Based on the play "Pawn Ticket No. 210" by David Belasco and Clay M. Greene (production undetermined).--><!--December 24, 1922-->
*''[[The Girl of the Golden West (1923 film)|The Girl of the Golden West]]'', directed by [[Edwin Carewe]] (1923, based on the play ''[[The Girl of the Golden West (play)|The Girl of the Golden West]]'')<!--May 3, 1923-->
*''[[Zaza (1923 film)|Zaza]]'', directed by [[Allan Dwan]] (1923, based on the play ''Zaza'')<!--Based on the play Zaza by Pierre François Samuel Berton and Charles Simon, as adapted by David Belasco (New York, January 9, 1899).--><!--September 16, 1923-->
*''[[Tiger Rose (1923 film)|Tiger Rose]]'', directed by [[Sidney Franklin (director)|Sidney Franklin]] (1923, based on the play ''Tiger Rose'')<!--December 9, 1923-->
*''[[Forty Winks (1925 film)|Forty Winks]]'', directed by [[Paul Iribe]] and [[Frank Urson]] (1925, based on the play ''Lord Chumley'')<!--Based on the novel Lord Chumley by Henry C. De Mille and David Belasco (New York, August 21, 1888).--><!--February 2, 1925-->
*''[[Seven Chances]]'', directed by [[Buster Keaton]] (1925, based on the play ''[[Seven Chances (play)|Seven Chances]]'')<!--March 11, 1925-->
*''[[Men and Women (1925 film)|Men and Women]]'', directed by [[William C. deMille]] (1925, based on the play ''[[Men and Women (play)|Men and Women]]'')<!--March 23, 1925-->
*''[[Kiki (1926 film)|Kiki]]'', directed by [[Clarence Brown]] (1926, based on the play ''Kiki'')<!--April 4, 1926-->
*''The Lily'', directed by [[Victor Schertzinger]] (1926, based on the play ''The Lily'')<!--Based on the play The Lily by David Belasco (New York, December 9, 1923), which was based on the French play Le Lys by Pierre Wolff and Gaston Leroux (Paris, December 18, 1908).--><!--October 3, 1926-->
*''[[The Return of Peter Grimm (1926 film)|The Return of Peter Grimm]]'', directed by [[Victor Schertzinger]] (1926, based on the play ''The Return of Peter Grimm'')<!--November 7, 1926-->
*''[[The Music Master (1927 film)|The Music Master]]'', directed by [[Allan Dwan]] (1927, based on the play ''[[The Music Master (play)|The Music Master]]'')<!--January 23, 1927-->
*''[[The Heart of Maryland (1927 film)|The Heart of Maryland]]'', directed by [[Lloyd Bacon]] (1927, based on the play ''[[The Heart of Maryland (play)|The Heart of Maryland]]'')<!--July 23, 1927-->
*''[[Laugh, Clown, Laugh]]'', directed by [[Herbert Brenon]] (1928, based on the play ''Laugh, Clown, Laugh'')
*''[[Ladies of Leisure]]'', directed by [[Frank Capra]] (1930, based on the play ''Ladies of the Evening'')<!--April 5, 1930-->
*''[[Sweet Kitty Bellairs (1930 film)|Sweet Kitty Bellairs]]'', directed by [[Alfred E. Green]] (1930, based on the play ''Sweet Kitty Bellairs'')<!--August 9, 1930-->
*''[[Du Barry, Woman of Passion]]'', directed by [[Sam Taylor (director)|Sam Taylor]] (1930, based on the play ''Du Barry'')<!--October 11, 1930-->
*''[[The Girl of the Golden West (1930 film)|The Girl of the Golden West]]'', directed by [[John Francis Dillon (director)|John Francis Dillon]] (1930, based on the play ''[[The Girl of the Golden West (play)|The Girl of the Golden West]]'')<!--October 12, 1930-->
*''[[Kiki (1931 film)|Kiki]]'', directed by [[Sam Taylor (director)|Sam Taylor]] (1931, based on the play ''Kiki'')<!--March 14, 1931-->
*''[[Tonight or Never (1931 film)|Tonight or Never]]'', directed by [[Mervyn LeRoy]] (1931, based on the play ''Tonight or Never'')<!--Based on the play Tonight or Never by Lili Hatvany, as adapted by Frederick and Fanny Hatton and staged by David Belasco (New York, November 18, 1930).--><!--December 17, 1931-->
*''[[Girl of the Rio]]'', directed by [[Herbert Brenon]] (1932, based on the play ''The Dove'')<!--Based on the play The Dove by Willard Mack, as produced by David Belasco (New York, February 11, 1925).--><!--January 15, 1932-->
*''[[The Hatchet Man]]'', directed by [[William A. Wellman]] (1932, based on the play ''The Honorable Mr. Wong'')<!--February 6, 1932-->
*''[[The Son-Daughter]]'', directed by [[Clarence Brown]] (1932, based on the play ''The Son-Daughter'')<!--December 23, 1932-->
*''[[Madame Butterfly (1932 film)|Madame Butterfly]]'', directed by [[Marion Gering]] (1932, based on the play ''[[Madame Butterfly (play)|Madame Butterfly]]'')<!--December 30, 1932-->
*''[[The Return of Peter Grimm (1935 film)|The Return of Peter Grimm]]'', directed by [[George Nicholls Jr.]] (1935, based on the play ''The Return of Peter Grimm'')
*''[[Rose of the Rancho (1936 film)|Rose of the Rancho]]'', directed by [[Marion Gering]] (1936, based on the play ''Rose of the Rancho'')<!--January 10, 1936-->
*''[[Follow the Fleet]]'', directed by [[Mark Sandrich]] (1936, based on the play ''Shore Leave'')<!--Based on the play Shore Leave: A Sea-goin' Comedy in Three Acts by Hubert Osborne, as produced by David Belasco (New York, August 8, 1922).--><!--February 20, 1936-->
*''[[The Girl of the Golden West (1938 film)|The Girl of the Golden West]]'', directed by [[Robert Z. Leonard]] (1938, based on the play ''[[The Girl of the Golden West (play)|The Girl of the Golden West]]'')
*''[[Zaza (1939 film)|Zaza]]'', directed by [[George Cukor]] (1939, based on the play ''Zaza'')<!--Based on the play Zaza by Pierre François Samuel Berton and Charles Simon, as adapted by David Belasco (New York, January 9, 1899).--><!--
The Italian film "Girl of the Golden West" (1942) is not based on David Belasco's play. -->
*''[[Lulu Belle (film)|Lulu Belle]]'', directed by [[Leslie Fenton]] (1948, based on the play ''Lulu Belle'')<!--Based on the play Lulu Belle by Charles MacArthur and Edward Sheldon, produced by David Belasco (New York, February 9, 1926). -->
*''[[Madame Butterfly (1954 film)|Madame Butterfly]]'', directed by [[Carmine Gallone]] (Italy, 1954, based on the opera ''[[Madama Butterfly]]'')
*''[[Madame Butterfly (1995 film)|Madame Butterfly]]'', directed by [[Frédéric Mitterrand]] (France, 1995, based on the opera ''[[Madama Butterfly]]'')

===Producer===
*''[[A Good Little Devil]]'', directed by [[Edwin S. Porter]] (1914, [[Famous Players Film Company]])<!--The film was produced by arrangement with David Belasco. According to several sources, the film contained the "entire Broadway cast" of the Belasco production-->
*''[[Rose of the Rancho (1914 film)|Rose of the Rancho]]'', directed by [[Cecil B. DeMille]] (1914, Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Co.)
*''[[The Girl of the Golden West (1915 film)|The Girl of the Golden West]]'', directed by [[Cecil B. DeMille]] (1915, Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Co.)<!--January 4, 1915-->
*''[[The Warrens of Virginia (1915 film)|The Warrens of Virginia]]'', directed by [[Cecil B. DeMille]] (1915, Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Co.)<!--February 15, 1915-->
*''[[The Governor's Lady (1915 film)|The Governor's Lady]]'', directed by [[George Melford]] (1915, Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Co.)<!--March 14, 1915-->
*''[[The Woman (1915 film)|The Woman]]'', directed by [[George Melford]] (1915, Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Co.)<!--May 3, 1915-->
*''[[The Fighting Hope]]'', directed by [[George Melford]] (1915, Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Co.)<!--July 19, 1915-->
*''[[The Case of Becky (1915 film)|The Case of Becky]]'', directed by [[Frank Reicher]] (1915, Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Co.)<!--September 13, 1915-->
*''Her Accidental Husband'', directed by [[Dallas M. Fitzgerald]] (1923, Belasco Productions, Inc.)<!--April 16, 1923-->
*''[[The Gold Diggers (1923 film)|The Gold Diggers]]'', directed by [[Harry Beaumont]] (1923, [[Warner Bros.]])<!--The January 12, 1923 FD announced a partnership between theatrical impresario David Belasco and Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc., to film several of Belasco’s most successful productions, the first of which was The Gold Diggers by Avery Hopwood. More than three months later, the April 21, 1923 Motion Picture News reported that Belasco approved the adaptation by scenarist Grant Carpenter.--><!--September 22, 1923-->
*''[[Tiger Rose (1923 film)|Tiger Rose]]'', directed by [[Sidney Franklin (director)|Sidney Franklin]] (1923, [[Warner Bros.]])<!--December 9, 1923-->
*''[[Welcome Stranger (1924 film)|Welcome Stranger]]'', directed by [[James Young (director)|James Young]] (1924, Belasco Productions, Inc.)<!--August 24, 1924-->
*''[[Friendly Enemies (1925 film)|Friendly Enemies]]'', directed by [[George Melford]] (1925, Belasco Productions, Inc.)<!--March 16, 1925-->
*''Fifth Avenue'', directed by [[Robert G. Vignola]] (1926, Belasco Productions, Inc.)<!--January 24, 1926-->
*''[[The Prince of Pilsen]]'', directed by [[Paul Powell (director)|Paul Powell]] (1926, Belasco Productions, Inc.)<!--May 2, 1926-->

===Films about David Belasco===
*''[[Lady with Red Hair]]'', directed by [[Curtis Bernhardt]] (1940), with [[Claude Rains]] as David Belasco

==See also==
* [[The Auctioneer (film)|The Auctioneer]] (1927)
* [[William Ziegler House]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*''Broadway Theatres: History and Architecture'', William Alan Morrison, Dover Publications, 1999, {{ISBN|0-486-40244-4}}
*''Sunshine and Shadow: An Autobiography'', [[Mary Pickford]], Doubleday, 1955<!-- http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/152222%7C108778/Mary-Pickford/ -->
*''The Shuberts Present: 100 Years of American Theater'', Maryann Chach, Reagan Fletcher, Mark Evan Swartz, Sylvia Wang, [[Harry N. Abrams, Inc.]] 2001, {{ISBN|0-8109-0614-7}}
*''Theatre through Its Stage Door,'' David Belasco, New York and London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1919, published Sept. 1919. Also Ayer Co. Publishing (reprint), 1919, {{ISBN|0-405-08261-4}}
*{{cite book |last1=Gulden |first1=Leslie Sue |title=A stage full of trees and sky: Analyzing representations of nature on the New York Stage, 1905 – 2012 |date=May 2021 |publisher=[[Texas Tech University]] |url=https://ttu-ir.tdl.org/handle/2346/87506 |quote=Dissertation, Doctor of Philosophy, Theatre Arts}}
*{{cite book |last1=Bisaha |first1=David |title=Developing the Modern Scene Design Process: Cognition and the New Stagecraft |date=17 June 2015 |publisher=University of Pittsburgh |url=http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/24855/ |language=en |quote=Dissertation, Doctor of Philosophy, Theatre Arts}}


==External links==
==External links==
*{{gutenberg author|id=David_Belasco|name=David Belasco}}
{{commons category|David Belasco}}
*[http://www.jimsdeli.com/landmarks/42-51_w/belasco-theater.htm Belasco Theatre history] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215203328/http://www.jimsdeli.com/landmarks/42-51_w/belasco-theater.htm |date=December 15, 2017 }}
*[http://www.newvictory.org/newvicMain.m New Victory Theater history]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120722001058/http://www.newvictory.org/newvicMain.m New Victory Theater history]
*[http://www.jimsdeli.com/landmarks/42-51_w/belasco-theater.htm Belasco Theatre history]
;Works
*[http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?ID=4974 David Belasco at the Internet Broadway Database]
*{{Gutenberg author |id=6401| name=David Belasco}}
*''Broadway Theatres: History and architecture'', William Morrison, Dover Publications, 1999, ISBN 0-486-40244-4
*{{Internet Archive author |sname=David Belasco}}
*''Sunshine and Shadows'', Mary Pickford, Doubleday, 1956, AISN B0006AU3U6
*{{Librivox author |id=9998}}
*''The Shuberts Present: 100 Years of American Theater'', Maryann Chach, Reagan Fletcher, Mark Evan Swartz, Sylvia Wang, [[Harry N. Abrams, Inc.]] 2001, ISBN 0-8109-0614-7
;Papers
*''Theatre through Its Stage Door,'' David Belasco, Ayer Co. Publishing (reprint), 1919, ISBN 0-405-08261-4
*[http://www.nypl.org/archives/4198 David Belasco papers, 1868-1967], held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, [[New York Public Library for the Performing Arts]]
*[http://archives.nypl.org/the/22724 Stephen Schwartz collection of David Belasco materials, 1904-1965], held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, [[New York Public Library for the Performing Arts]]
*[http://www.nypl.org/archives/xxxx The Belasco collection of incidental music and musicals] in the [http://www.nypl.org/locations/lpa/music-division Music Division] of [http://www.nypl.org/locations/lpa The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts]
*[https://scua.uoregon.edu/repositories/2/resources/9518 Thomas Albert Curry, Sr. papers, 1918-1933] at the University of Oregon Libraries.
;Encyclopedias
*{{Cite EB1922|wstitle=Belasco, David |short=x}}
*https://www.britannica.com/biography/David-Belasco
*https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/theater-biographies/david-belasco
*https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2799-belasco-david
;Data
*{{IBDB name|id=4974|name=David Belasco}}
* {{LCAuth|n50006483|David Belasco|153|}}
*https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095456449


{{The Girl of the Golden West}}
[[Category:American theatre directors|Belasco, David]]
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:American theatre managers and producers|Belasco, David]]
[[Category:American dramatists and playwrights|Belasco, David]]
[[Category:Jewish American writers|Belasco, David]]
[[Category:Jewish-American businesspeople|Belasco, David]]
[[Category:People from San Francisco|Belasco, David]]
[[Category:1853 births|Belasco, David]]
[[Category:1931 deaths|Belasco, David]]


[[fr:David Belasco]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belasco, David}}
[[pt:David Belasco]]
[[Category:1853 births]]
[[Category:1931 deaths]]
[[Category:American theatre managers and producers]]
[[Category:American theatre directors]]
[[Category:19th-century American dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:American impresarios]]
[[Category:American entertainment industry businesspeople]]
[[Category:Writers from San Francisco]]
[[Category:19th-century American Sephardic Jews]]
[[Category:20th-century American Sephardic Jews]]
[[Category:Jewish American dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:20th-century American dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:American male dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:20th-century American male writers]]

Latest revision as of 01:03, 16 December 2024

This article is about the stage producer born in 1853. For his uncle, whose birth name was David Belasco, see David James (actor, born 1839).

David J. Belasco
Belasco in 1909
Born(1853-07-25)July 25, 1853
San Francisco, California, U.S.
DiedMay 14, 1931(1931-05-14) (aged 77)
New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)Theatrical producer, director, playwright
Years active1884 to 1930
Known forBelasco Theatre; pioneer of modern stage lighting and stage effects; stage naturalism
Notable creditMadame Butterfly
Spouse
Cecilia Loverich
​
​
(m. 1873; died 1926)​
Signature

David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright.[1] He was the first writer to adapt the short story Madame Butterfly for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of many actors, including James O'Neill, Mary Pickford, Lenore Ulric, and Barbara Stanwyck. Belasco pioneered many innovative new forms of stage lighting and special effects in order to create realism and naturalism.[2][3]

Early years

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David Belasco was born in 1853 in San Francisco, California, the son of Abraham H. Belasco (1830–1911) and Reyna Belasco (née Nunes, 1830–1899), Sephardic Jews who had immigrated to the United States from London's Spanish and Portuguese Jewish community during the California gold rush.[3]: 13 [4] He began working as a youth in a San Francisco theater doing a variety of routine jobs, such as call boy, script copier, or as an extra in small parts.[3]: 14  He received his first experience as a stage manager while on the road. He said, "We used to play in any place we could hire or get into—a hall, a big dining room, an empty barn; any place that would take us."[3]: 14 

From late 1873 to early 1874, he worked as an actor, director, and secretary at Piper's Opera House in Virginia City, Nevada, where he found "more reckless women and desperadoes to the square foot…than anywhere else in the world". His developmental years as a supporting player in Virginia City colored his thoughts and eventually helped him to conceive realistic stage settings.[5] He said that while working there, seeing "people die under such peculiar circumstances" made him

"all the more particular in regard to the psychology of dying on the stage. I think I was one of the first to bring naturalness to bear in death scenes, and my varied Virginia City experiences did much to help me toward this. Later I was to go deeper into such studies."

His recollections of that time were published in Hearst's Magazine in 1914.[6]

By March 1874, he was back at work in San Francisco, eventually managing Thomas Maguire's Baldwin Theater. When Maguire lost the theater in 1882, Belasco relocated to the East Coast, bringing his practical western experiences with him. The West allowed him to develop his talents as not only a performer, but in progressive production design and execution.[7]

A gifted playwright, Belasco went to New York City in 1882. He worked as stage manager for the Madison Square Theatre (starting with Young Mrs. Winthrop), and then the old Lyceum Theatre, while also writing original plays. By 1895, he was so successful that he was considered America's most distinguished playwright and producer.

Career

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Belasco in 1873

During his long creative career, stretching between 1884 and 1930, Belasco either wrote, directed, or produced more than 100 Broadway plays, including Hearts of Oak, The Heart of Maryland, and Du Barry, making him the most powerful personality on the New York City theater scene. He also helped establish careers for dozens of notable stage performers, many of whom went on to work in films.

Among them were Leslie Carter, dubbed "The American Sarah Bernhardt,"[8] whose association with Belasco skyrocketed her to theatrical fame after her roles in Zaza (1898) and Madame Du Barry (1901).[8] Ina Claire's lead in Polly with a Past (1917) and The Gold Diggers (1919) similarly propelled her career.[8] Belasco wrote a lead part for 18-year-old Maude Adams in his new play Men and Women (1890), which ran for 200 performances.[8]

Other stars whose careers he helped launch included Jeanne Eagels, who would later achieve immortality as Sadie Thompson in Rain (1923), which played for 340 performances.[9] Belasco discovered and managed the careers of Lenore Ulric[10] and David Warfield, both of whom became major stars on Broadway. He launched the career of Barbara Stanwyck, and was responsible for changing her name.[8]

Belasco is perhaps most famous for two works that were adapted as highly popular operas. He adapted the short story Madame Butterfly as a play with the same name. He also wrote the play The Girl of the Golden West. Both of these works were adapted as operas by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (Madama Butterfly 1904—twice, after revision) and La fanciulla del West (1910).

In other adaptations, more than forty motion pictures have been made from the many plays that Belasco wrote.

To me, David Belasco was like the King of England, Julius Caesar and Napoleon rolled into one.

Many prominent performers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries sought the opportunity to work with Belasco; among them were D. W. Griffith, Helen Hayes, Lillian Gish, Mary Pickford[8] and Cecil B. DeMille.[8] DeMille's father had been close friends with Belasco. After DeMille graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he began his stage career under Belasco's guidance.[11] DeMille's later methods of handling actors, using dramatic lighting and directing films, were modeled after Belasco's staging techniques.[8]

Pickford appeared in his plays The Warrens of Virginia at the first Belasco Theatre in 1907 and A Good Little Devil in 1913. The two remained in touch after Pickford began working in Hollywood; Belasco appeared with her in the 1914 film adaptation of A Good Little Devil. He is credited as giving Pickford her stage name as well. He also worked with Lionel Barrymore, who starred in his play Laugh, Clown, Laugh opposite Lucille Kahn, whose Broadway career Belasco launched. Belasco was a member of The Lambs from 1893 to 1931.

Marriage

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David Belasco was married to Cecilia Loverich for over fifty years. They had two daughters, Reina (who later married producer Morris Gest) and Augusta.

Death

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Belasco died on May 14, 1931, at the age of 77 in Manhattan.[1] His funeral was held at Central Synagogue, Manhattan.[12] He was interred in the Linden Hill Jewish Cemetery on Metropolitan Avenue in Ridgewood, Queens.[12][13]

Influence on American theatre

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Poster for The Heart of Maryland with Maurice Barrymore and Mrs. Leslie Carter

Belasco demanded a natural acting style, and to complement that, he developed stage settings with authentic lighting effects to enhance his plays. His productions inspired several generations of theatre lighting designers.[14]: 29 

Belasco's contributions to modern stage and lighting techniques were originally not appreciated as much as those of his European counterparts, such as André Antoine and Constantin Stanislavski. But today he is regarded as "one of the first significant directorial figures in the history of the American theatre," writes theatre historian Lise-Lone Marker.[3]: xi 

Belasco's monogram

He brought a new standard of naturalism to the American stage as the first to develop modern stage lighting, along with the use of colored lights, via motorized color changing wheels, to evoke mood and setting.[3]: xi [14] America's earliest stage lighting manufacturer, Kliegl Brothers, began by serving the specialized needs of producers and directors such as Belasco and Florenz Ziegfeld.[14]: 157  With regard to these modern lighting effects, Belasco is best remembered for his production of Girl of the Golden West (1905), with the play opening to a spectacular sunset that lasted five minutes before any dialogue started.[14]: 29 

Belasco became one of the first directors to eschew the use of traditional footlights in favor of lights concealed below floor level, thereby hidden from the audience. His lighting assistant, Louis Hartmann, realized Belasco's design ideas.[14]: 29  He also used 'follow spots' to further create realism and often tailored his lighting configurations to complement the complexions and hair color of the actors.[14]: 135  He ordered a specially made 1000-watt lamp developed just for his own productions. He was the only director to have one for the first two years after its introduction (1914–1915).[14]: 135 

In his own theatres, the dressing rooms were equipped with lamps of several colors, allowing the performers to see how their makeup looked under different lighting conditions.

Belasco was said[by whom?] to put appropriate scents to set scenes in the ventilation systems of the theaters, while his sets were highly detailed and sometimes spilled out into the audience area. In one play, for instance, an operational laundromat was built onstage. The Governor's Lady had a reproduction of a Childs Restaurant kitchen, where actors cooked and prepared food during the play.

Childs Restaurant Scene in The Governor's Lady

In his 1919 book The Theatre through Its Stage Door, Belasco relates the following incident:

When I produced The Easiest Way I found myself in a dilemma. I planned one of its scenes to be an exact counterpart of a little hall bedroom in a cheap theatrical boarding-house in New York. We tried to build the scene in my shops, but, somehow, we could not make it look shabby enough. So I went to the meanest theatrical lodging-house I could find in the Tenderloin district and bought the entire interior of one of its most dilapidated rooms—patched furniture, threadbare carpet, tarnished and broken gas fixtures, tumble-down cupboards, dingy doors and window-casings, and even the faded paper on the walls.[15]

Belasco's original scripts were often filled with long, specific descriptions of props and set dressings. He has not been noted for producing unusually naturalistic scenarios.

Belasco both embraced existing theatre technology and sought to expand on it. Both of Belasco's New York theatres were built on the cutting edge of their era's technology. When Belasco took over the Republic Theatre, he drilled a new basement level to accommodate his machinery. He had the Stuyvesant Theatre specially constructed with great amounts of flyspace, hydraulics systems and lighting rigs. The basement of the Stuyvesant contained a working machine shop, where Belasco and his team experimented with lighting and other special effects. Many of the innovations developed in the Belasco shop were sold to other producers.

F. Scott Fitzgerald refers to Belasco's reputation for realism in his novel The Great Gatsby (1925). A drunken visitor in the library of Gatsby's mansion exclaims in amazement that the books are genuine: "See!" he cried triumphantly. "It's a bona-fide piece of printed matter. It fooled me. This fella's a regular Belasco. It's a triumph. What thoroughness! What realism! Knew when to stop, too—didn't cut the pages."[16]

Theatres

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See also: Belasco Theatre

New York

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The first Belasco Theatre in New York was the Republic Theatre at 229 West 42nd Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues, in the Theater District of Manhattan. Belasco took over management of the theater and completely remodeled it in 1902,[17] only two years after it was constructed by Oscar Hammerstein (the grandfather of the famous lyricist) constructed it.[18] He gave up the theater in 1910 and it was renamed the Republic.[19] Under various owners, it went through a tumultuous period as a burlesque venue,[20] hosted second-run and, eventually, pornographic films.[21] It was rehabilitated and reopened as the New Victory Theater in 1995.[22]

The second Belasco Theatre is located at 111 West 44th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues, only a few blocks away from the New Victory. It was constructed in 1907 as the Stuyvesant Theatre[23] and renamed after Belasco in 1910.[24] The theater was built to Belasco's wishes, with Tiffany lighting and ceiling panels, rich woodwork and murals. His business office and private apartment were also housed there.[25] The Belasco is still in operation as a Broadway venue with much of the original decor intact.[26]

Other cities

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Belasco Theatres also existed in several other cities.

In Los Angeles, the first Belasco Theatre was located at 337 S. Main St. The theater, which hosted the Belasco Stock Company, opened in 1904 and was operated by David Belasco's brother, Frederick. This theater was renamed twice: as the Republic in about 1913 and as the Follies, circa 1919. The theater eventually became a burlesque venue in the 1940s, fell into sharp decline, and was demolished in May 1974.[27][28]

The second, and perhaps more well known theatre in Los Angeles, The Belasco is located at 1050 S. Hill St in Downtown Los Angeles. The theatre, which was built by Morgan, Walls & Clements, opened in 1926, and was managed by Edward Belasco, another of David's brothers. Many Hollywood stars with theatrical roots, as well as Broadway stars who were visiting the West Coast, appeared at the theatre.[29] The theater declined after the death of Edward Belasco in 1937. After closing altogether in the early 1950s, the theater was used as a church for several decades.[30] In 2010 - 2011, the theater underwent an extensive restoration, and is currently in operation as a nightclub and convention venue.[31]

The Shubert-Belasco Theatre, located in Washington, D.C., was purchased by Belasco in September 1905. Originally built in 1895 as the Lafayette Square Opera House, at 717 Madison Place, across from the White House, the theater was razed in 1962 and replaced by the U.S. Court of Claims building.[32]

Selected plays

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Filmography

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Producer

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Films about David Belasco

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "David Belasco Dies. Dean Of Theatre, 76, Had Long Been Ill. Stage Genius Who Is Dead At 76". The New York Times. May 15, 1931.
  2. ^ Osnes, Beth, and Gill, Sam. Acting: An International Encyclopedia, ABC-CLIO (2001) p. 34
  3. ^ a b c d e f Marker, Lise-Lone, David Belasco: Naturalism in the American Theater, Princeton Univ. Press (1975)
  4. ^ "David Belasco". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  5. ^ Eichin, Carolyn Grattan, From San Francisco Eastward: Victorian Theater in the American West, (Reno: University of Nevada Press, 2020), 181
  6. ^ Belasco, David. Gala Days of Piper's Opera House and the California Theater. 1914. Sparks, NV: Falcon Hill Press, 1991: v–vi, 18, 42
  7. ^ Eichin, Carolyn Grattan. (2020), From San Francisco Eastward, pp.180-182
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wilson, Victoria. A Life of Barbara Stanwyck: Steel-True 1907-1940, Simon and Schuster (2013) ebook
  9. ^ Botto, Louis; Viagas, Robert. At this Theatre: 100 Years of Broadway Shows, Stories and Stars, Hal Leonard Corp. (2002) p. 28
  10. ^ "Lenore Ulric, Broadway Star of Belasco Era, Is Dead at 78", The New York Times, December 31, 1970
  11. ^ Wallace, David. Lost Hollywood, Macmillan (2001) p. 21
  12. ^ a b "Throng at Funeral of David Belasco; Edwin Milton Royle and Rev. Dr. Jonah B. Wise Eulogize Famous Producer". The New York Times. May 18, 1931. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  13. ^ "Actors Eulogize Belasco. At Meeting of Jewish Guild Frohman Recalls Early Days". The New York Times. May 20, 1931.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Cox, Jim. Sold on Radio: Advertisers in the Golden Age of Broadcasting. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2008; reprint 2013. ISBN 9780786433919.
  15. ^ Belasco, David (1969). "The Theatre through Its Stage Door". Benjamin Blom. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  16. ^ F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, 1925, chapter 3.
  17. ^ "Mr. Belasco's New Theatre: He Will Take Charge of the Theatre Republic at the Close of This Season". New-York Tribune. January 15, 1902. p. 2. ProQuest 571138427.
  18. ^ "Dramatic and Musical; Mr. Hammerstein's New Theatre Republic Opened Last Night. James A. Herne's New Rustic Drama, "Sag Harbor" – "A Million Dollars" the New Spectacular Piece at the New York". The New York Times. September 28, 1900. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  19. ^ Schrader, Fred F. (September 25, 1910). "Producing Week in New York; Many Changes Are Announced: Producing Week in Gotham". The Washington Post. p. MT2. ISSN 0190-8286. ProQuest 144999004.
  20. ^ "Republic to Become a Burlesque House; Former Home of 'Abie's Irish Rose,' Now Film Theatre, to Enter Upon New Policy Feb. 12". The New York Times. January 29, 1931. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  21. ^ Coe, Robert; Stayton, Richard (July 1994). "LETSMAKEADEAL". American Theatre. Vol. 11, no. 6. p. 14. ProQuest 220578129.
  22. ^ Goldberger, Paul (December 11, 1995). "An Old Jewel of 42d Street Reopens, Seeking to Dazzle Families". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 24, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  23. ^ "Light Like Day in New Theatre; Electrics Screened Behind a Ground Glass Ceiling in the Stuyvesant". The New York Times. April 29, 1907. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  24. ^ Botto, Louis; Mitchell, Brian Stokes (2002). At This Theatre: 100 Years of Broadway Shows, Stories and Stars. New York; Milwaukee, WI: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books/Playbill. pp. 27–28. ISBN 978-1-55783-566-6.
  25. ^ Belasco Theater Interior (PDF) (Report). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. November 4, 1987. p. 14.
  26. ^ Isherwood, Charles (August 24, 2010). "Belasco Theater Is Burnished, and Back". The New York Times. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  27. ^ "Follies Theatre". Historic Los Angeles Theatres - Downtown.
  28. ^ "Follies Theatre". Cinema Treasures.
  29. ^ "Belasco Theatre". Historic Los Angeles Theatres - Downtown.
  30. ^ "Historic Belasco Theater Awaits Its Next Act". blogdowntown.com. Archived from the original on July 19, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  31. ^ "Bringing Back the Belasco". Los Angeles Downtown News. August 6, 2010.
  32. ^ "White House Area - Sites on the East side of Lafayette Park". Library.thinkquest.org. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  33. ^ "Belasco, David, 1853-1931". Snacooperative. Social Networks and Archival Context. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  34. ^ "David Belasco Broadway and Theatre Credits". broadwayworld. Wisdom Digital Media. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  35. ^ David Belasco Presents David Warfield in a Grand Army Man, a New American Play by David Belasco, Pauline Phelps and Marion Short. F.V. Strauss. 1908.

Further reading

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