''The Girl of the Golden West'' is a theatrical play written, produced and directed by

David Belasco David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright. He was the first writer to adapt the short story ''Madame Butterfly'' for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of m ...

, set in the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

. The four-act melodrama opened at the old Belasco Theatre in New York on November 14, 1905 and ran for 224 performances.

Blanche Bates Blanche Bates (August 25, 1873 – December 25, 1941) was an American actress. Early years Bates was born in Portland, Oregon, while her parents (both of whom were actors) were on a road tour. As an infant, she traveled with them on a t ...

originated the role of The Girl,

Robert C. Hilliard Robert Hilliard was an Olympic boxer, Irish republican, Church of Ireland minister and communist. Robert Hilliard may also refer to: * Robert C. Hilliard (actor), American stage actor * Robert C. Hilliard (attorney), American civil rights and pers ...

played Dick Johnson, and

Frank Keenan Frank Keenan (born James Francis Keenan; April 8, 1858 – February 24, 1929) was an American stage and film actor and stage director and manager during the silent-film era. He was among the first stage actors to star in Hollywood, and he pur ...

played Jack Rance. Bates was joined by Charles Millward and Cuyler Hastings for two-week

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

runs in 1907 and 1908.

William Furst William Wallace Furst (March 25, 1852 – July 11, 1917) was an American composer of musical theatre pieces and a music director, best remembered for supplying incidental music to theatrical productions on Broadway. Biography Furst was born i ...

composed the play's incidental music. The play toured throughout the US for several years. The play has been adapted numerous times, most notably as the 1910 opera ''

La fanciulla del West ''La fanciulla del West'' (''The Girl of the West'') is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by and , based on the 1905 play '' The Girl of the Golden West'' by the American author David Belasco. ''Fanciulla'' followe ...

'' by

Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini (Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long li ...

. It was also made into four films, all titled ''The Girl of the Golden West'', in

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...

, 1923,

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

and

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

.American Film Institute, ''Feature Films: 1911-1920'', p. 328; ''Feature Films: 1921-1930'', p.293; ''Feature Films: 1931-1940'', p. 768. In 1911, Belasco wrote a novel based on the play.

Characters

The theatre through its stage door (1919) (14578174940)

* The Girl (Minnie) * Jack Rance, gambler and Sheriff * Dick Johnson, a stranger * Sonora Slim * Trinidad Joe * Nick, bartender at The Polka * The Sidney Duck, a faro-dealer * Jim Larkens * Handsome Charlie * Happy Halliday * Deputy Sheriff * Ashby, a Wells-Fargo agent * José Castro, member of Ramerrez's band * Rider of the Pony Express * Jack Wallace, a traveling camp minstrel * Bucking Billy, from Watson's * The Lookout * A Faro-dealer * The Boy from the Ridge * Joe, Concertina Player * Citizens of the Camp and Boys of the Ridge * Wowkle, the fox, Billy Jackrabbit's squaw

Footnotes

Bibliography

* Mantle, Burns and Garrison P. Sherwood, eds., ''The Best Plays of 1899-1909'', Philadelphia: The Blakiston Company, 1944. *''The Girl of the Golden West'' theatrical program folder held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
"The Girl of the Golden West", Internet Broadway Database, ibdb.com
*American Film Institute, ''Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films, 1911-1920'', Berkeley, University of California Press, 1988. *American Film Institute, ''Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films, 1921-1930'', Berkeley, University of California Press, 1971. *American Film Institute, ''Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films, 1931-1940'', Berkeley, University of California Press, 1993.

External links

(1911 novel based on the play) Plays by David Belasco 1905 plays American plays adapted into films Plays set in California California Gold Rush in fiction Plays adapted into operas {{1900s-play-stub