Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-23
FREDERICK BELASCO
TALKS OF His PLANS
MANAGER is OPTIMISTIC OF
NEW MERGER VENTURE
Declares He Has Best of Feelings for
His Former Associates and Says
Local Field Is Big Enough
for All

Frederick Belasco arrived in Los An
geles yesterday from New York city
by way of San Francisco to direct next
weeks production of his brothers.
play ",rhe Girl of the Golden West"
at the Burbank theater, and to talk
over business matters with Oliver Mo
rosco. He directed q rehearsal on the
Burbank stage in the morning, and at
the close of a conference with his as
sociate announced that Mr. Morosco
and himself would leave Los Angeles
early next month to make an extend
ed trip. which Will include all the larg-
er cities of the west, and TO secure
theaters for the Belasco- Morosco cir
cult at points between the Mississippi
valley and the coast.
"Outside of the theaters we already
control and those held under option"
Mr.. Belasco said, houses have been
offered to us in Portland, Seattle, salt
Lake and Kansas City. We shall visit
all of them on our swing around the
circle. In addition we will go to other
cities where we hope either to secure
theaters already built or to have them
built for us. 1t was to establish this
circuit that / sold out my interest in
the Beiasco theater here and joined
forces with Oliver Morosco. There has
been an unfortunate misunderstanding
regarding my withdrawal from that
house. 1t was brought about for this
reason. and this only. We shall have
important eastern backing Personal
ly | have no feeling whatever against
Mr.. Blackwood. ] want that thorough
ly understood. We shall, of course, do
the best we can to give the public the
best plays obtainable. I have no doubt
that MIR. Blackwood will take care of
himself and that he will find a way to
please his patrons. There should be
plenty of room in Los Angeles for two
stock houses.
"The Burbank theater here, my AL
eazar theater in San Francisco and the
new theater there. for which / shall
break ground before leaving on our
TRIP. will be the producing houses for
all the Belasco- Moroseo enterprises.
That is to say, the new plays viii be
presented first at these theaters and
then Will be placed in other houses of
the circuit As an adjunct to our
chain of stock houses we may decide
to send plays on the road. In fact,
preliminary arrangements To this end
were made before l left New York,
Messrs. Klaw e. Erlanger, heads of the
theatrical syndicate, having assured us
OF the use of all their plays I'm our
houses and having also agreed to play
our attractions in their houses. With
our facilities for trying out plays in
stock theaters all over the west we
should be able TO discover what the
public wants and to give IL to them
To-day we are so well fixed with
plays-good plays-that / cheerfully
challenge any stock manager In Amer
lea to compare his list with ours. Our
first aim always will be to make the
San Francisco houses and the Burbank
here the foremost stock theaters OF
America. In San Francisco my Alcazar
is outside the downtown district, while
the new theater will be right in the
heart of that district.
LOS Angeles theater-goers have a
surprise in store for them next week.
They are going to see the greatest
stock leading woman who has ever been
associated with a Los Angeles stock
theater Frances Nordstrom is the
best of the lot. She's a genius, that
girl; and you won't have to take my
word for IT after you have seen her.
Il expect to remain here next week
TO stage "The Heart of Maryland" at
the Burbank, with Miss Nordstrom in
Mrs. Leslie Carter's old role of Mary
land Calvert Then l will return TO
San Francisco to get things in readi-
ness' for that trip. When we get back
from that we expect to bring with us
news of the practical completion of our
organization throughout the western
part of the country"