The Life of David Belasco Author:William, Winter Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: more than a small part of his salary. Besides discharging his other duties Belasco acted, in this engagement, Santo, in "Gaspardo; or, The Three Banished Men of ... more »Milan"; Signor Meteo, in "The Miser's Daughter," and Gilbert Gates, in "The Dawn of Freedom." "The Fool's Revenge,"— Thorne as Bertuccio and Kate Denin as FiordeUsa, —"The Forty Thieves," "Who Killed Cock Robin?" and "Faustus, a Romantic Spectacle," were also produced, and, in one capacity or another, Belasco took part in all those productions; but I have not been able to find programmes. On January 7, 1876, the house was reopened, as the Palace Theatre, under the management of Col. J. H. Wood, presenting Frank Jones, in "The Black Hand; or, The Lost Will," in which Belasco performed as Bob, a Policeman. Jones' engagement lasted for about three weeks: thereafter Belasco drifted back into the employment of Maguire. BALDWIN'S ACADEMY AND BARRY SULLIVAN. In 1876 Edward J. Baldwin, locally known as "Lucky Baldwin," in a business association with Thomas Maguire built a theatre in San Francisco which was named Baldwin's Academy of Music. Baldwin had been an hostler, Maguire a cab-driver;both had prospered and become wealthy—Baldwin to an astonishing degree. The theatre, which was incorporated with an hotel, called the Baldwin, was built on land owned by Maguire, at the corner of Market and Powell streets, and it was an uncommonly spacious and commodious edifice. Baldwin and Maguire, although associated in this enterprise, were not friends, and Belasco has assured me that most of their business transactions were carried on through him, as an intermediary. Baldwin's Academy of Music was opened March 6, 1876. Maguire was announced as "proprietor," James A. Herne as stage manager: Belasco, although not advertised as such, offi...« less