Belasco, David, 1853-1931; Theater -- United States
Belasco was, during one period of his life, closely allied to Charles
Frohman. Later, after Frohman had, with others, formed the iniquitous
Theatrical Syndicate, he was, for many years, resolutely and rightly,
antagonistic to him. Age and change, however, sometimes wear out
antagonisms, and those estranged friends were reconciled not long before
Frohman’s death in the Lusitania murder: the last production made by
Frohman was a revival, at the Empire Theatre, New York, April 7, 1915,
in association with Belasco, of “A Celebrated Case.” The first meeting
of those managers occurred in San Francisco, while Belasco was
rehearsing “American Born.” He has made this record of that significant
incident:
“Charles Frohman came to San Francisco at the head of the Haverley
Minstrels. Gustave Frohman told me he thought his brother and I
should meet. The artists of the town had a rendezvous at a
Rathskeller at the corner of Kearny and Sutter streets, where we
were in the habit of gathering after the theatre. Gustave Frohman
and I were at a table, when he exclaimed: ’There’s my brother
Charlie!’ I looked at Charles, our eyes met. We bowed. That was our
introduction. We never had a formal one, Charles Frohman and I; we
just knew each other.... He came to see ’American Born,’ was
favorably impressed by it, and conceived the idea of forming a
company and taking the play East. We selected Chicago as the best
starting point for an Eastern tour and set busily to work to
organize our company and arrange details of the business.”
EASTWARD, HO!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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