Los Angeles County
Biographies
OLIVER MOROSCO
MOROSCO, OLIVER, Theatrical Enterprises, Los Angeles, California, was born in Logan, Utah, in 1875 and as a child went to San Francisco. At the age of nine years he began working at nights in the box office of the old Morosco Theater, on Howard street, going to school in the daytime. At the age of fourteen he became a full-fledged theatrical manager, alternating between the management of the first-class combination theater in San Jose, the Auditorium, and acting as treasurer, business manager and press agent of the old Grand Opera House, San Francisco, California.
In 1899 Mr. Morosco came to Los Angeles, bringing his wife and son, and took the Burbank Theater, after thirteen people had failed in it. He inaugurated the first high-class stock company in Southern California, and ever since has met with consistent success. He is now known all over America as one of the most successful theatrical men of America. After the success of the Burbank was assured Mr. Morosco began adding more theaters to his holdings, and built the handsome Majestic Theater, which is conducted as the first-class combination house of the city. Afterwards he acquired an interest with Frederick Belasco of San Francisco, George Baker of Portland, Oregon, and Harry W. Bishop of Oakland, California, in stock theaters throughout the Northwest, numbering six in all.
During Mr. Morosco’s brief career, for he is still a young man, he has not only managed theaters, but has written plays which have had long and successful runs, and recently he entered the Eastern field as a producer, but he religiously sticks to Los Angeles as his home. It is due to Oliver Morosco that stock company work has reached such a high plane of excellence. He produces the best class of high royalty plays, and his company is the highest salaried organization of its kind in the world. In addition to maintaining this expensive company, Mr. Morosco has instituted the custom of bringing stars to the Burbank for special engagements. Among these are Richard Bennett, formerly leading man for Maude Adams and now one of the Liebler and Company stars; Edgar Selwyn, the successful author-actor, and Margaret Illington.
A unique feature of Mr. Morosco’s career as a producing manager is that he has never met with failure, every new play that has received its premiere at the Burbank having been enthusiastically received. Every new play he produces must first be gone over thoroughly by himself, and at times he changes manuscripts for authors or makes suggestions for improvements. His farsightedness in these matters is proved by the success of Burbank first productions, which always have enjoyed runs.
Mr. Morosco, aside from controlling the play market of America for the West, also has the franchise for the high-class traveling attractions for his home city, Los Angeles, and also the franchise for the medium priced traveling attractions, the former going to his Majestic Theater and the latter to the Lyceum, which was remodeled this summer (1911) from the former Orpheum.
In the spring of 1911 the Morosco-Blackwood Company was formed, in which are consolidated all of Mr. Morosco’s Los Angeles theatrical interests mentioned, and also the Belasco Theater interests, which include the present Belasco Theater and a magnificent new theater to be completed in 1912 on Broadway, near Eighth street. Mr. Morosco is president of the Morosco-Blackwood Company and has absolute control of the productions on each stage controlled by the organization.
Apparently the only field which this indefatigable manager has not entered is vaudeville.
Transcribed
by Joyce Rugeroni.
Source: Press
Reference Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page 747,
International News Service, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles,
Boston, Atlanta. 1913.
© 2011 Joyce
Rugeroni.
GOLDEN NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES
BIOGRAPIES