“San Francisco, like all other cities, was not over-anxious to welcome the product of one of her sons. There was much more drawing power in something of foreign authorship.... Knowing that the critics would welcome anything from France, and knowing how hypercritical some of the writers of the press were becoming of my own efforts, ’La Belle Russe’ was announced as being by a French author. The programme for the opening announced that the drama was from the French. However, Maguire had posters ready to placard the town, were ’La Belle Russe’ a success. This time the name of David Belasco was blazoned forth in the blackest type. And it all worked as I had devised. The play met with instant success, and on the morning after, when the critics had come out in columns of praise for such technique as the French usually showed, on their downward travel to the offices they were faced with the startling announcement that the anonymous author was none other than David Belasco.” The first presentment of “La Belle Russe” was made at the Baldwin Theatre, to mark “the inauguration of the regular dramatic season” there, on July 18, 1881. During the rehearsals of it Tearle had several times spoken to Belasco, signifying doubt about the “French origin” of the play and, finally, remarking that Belasco showed an astonishing familiarity with every word and detail of the drama. “Well, whatever you may think,” Belasco assured him, “please believe _you are mistaken_ and say nothing about it--just now.” His wishes were observed: one contemporary comment on the day before its production remarks that “of the play little seems to be known. It is said to resemble ’Forget Me Not.’ The actors say it is strong.” The first announcement I have been able to find of the actual authorship is in a newspaper of July 26, 1881, where it is advertised as “The strongest play of modern times, ’La Belle Russe,’ by D. Belasco, author of ’Hearts of Oak.’” After all question of the acceptance of his play was ended and his authorship acknowledged Belasco asked Tearle to inform Lester Wallack about it, “if he thought well enough of the play to feel justified in doing so.” “Oh,” answered Tearle, “I’ve done that long ago; I telegraphed to him after the first performance: it will be just the thing for Rose Coghlan.” Thus Belasco felt he was in a fair way to accomplish his purpose of securing a New York opening. This was the original cast of “La Belle Russe”: