Oliver Morosco

Oliver Morosco

Oliver Morosco (1876 - August 25, 1945) was an American theatrical producer, director, writer and theater owner.

Contents

Biography

Born Oliver Mitchell in Logan, Utah, Morosco was raised in San Francisco, California. He worked as a child in an acrobatics act led by Walter Morosco, from whom he took his stage name.

He went on to work in and manage theaters in San Jose, San Francisco and Los Angeles, California. He began producing plays in 1909 and mounted over 40 productions on Broadway including Peg o' My Heart and The Bird of Paradise both starring Laurette Taylor. He contributed lyrics to a Victor Schertzinger song he had added to L. Frank Baum and Louis F. Gottschalk's musical, The Tik-Tok Man of Oz, which he produced in 1913. Through this show he discovered Charlotte Greenwood and made her a star.

In 1926 the once successful Morosco filed for bankruptcy, his fortune lost in part due to a large speculative purchase of land in California where he planned to create a development called "Morosco Town".

At the age of 69, Morosco was struck and killed by a streetcar in Hollywood. He had been married four times and was the father of Walter Morosco the film producer.

See also

Further reading

  • Life of Oliver Morosco; The Oracle of Broadway, Written from His Own Notes and Comments. Morosco, Oliver, Helen McRuer Morosco, and Leonard Paul Dugger. Caldwell, Id: Caxton Printers, 1944.

External links

References

  • "Oliver Morosco Accused by Wife". The New York Times, May 9, 1920
  • "Oliver Morosco Weds Miss Selma Paley". The New York Times, April 2, 1922
  • "Morosco Bankrupt, His Debts $1,033,404". The New York Times, February 19, 1926
  • "Mrs. Oliver Morosco Sues". The New York Times, September 15, 1928
  • "Divorces Oliver Morosco". The New York Times, October 11, 1928.
  • "Morosco Gets License to Wed". The New York Times, November 17, 1929
  • "Wife Sues Oliver Morosco". The New York Times, August 7, 1934
  • "Divorces Oliver Morosco; Wife Says Producer Had Too Many Facets to His Nature". The New York Times, September 6, 1934
  • "Heyday on Broadway." The New York Times September 17, 1944.
  • "Morosco Killed Under Street Car". The New York Times, August 26, 1945.
  • "Top Slander" Time Magazine, September 3, 1945