It Happened Today in New York City

On May 14, 1931, theatre impresario David Belasco, producer of over 131 shows on Broadway, died at the age of 77, within a year of having retired from his career as a producer. Known as “the Bishop of Broadway” because of his eccentric habit of wearing priestly vestments, Belasco was devoted to high tech, extravagant, realistic productions. When he opened the theatre on 44^th Street that now bears his name in 1907, it featured double the usual amount of fly space, an electric dimmer board, and an elevating stage, all highly state-of-the-art accoutrements by the standards of the time.

• Posted in: Almanac