Hassard Short
Hassard Short | |
---|---|
lighting designer, actor | |
Years active | 1895–1953[1] |
Partner | Billy Ladd |
Hubert Edward Hassard Short (15 October 1877 – 9 October 1956), usually known as Hassard Short, was an actor, stage director,
After 25 years acting on stage and in films, Short turned to directing and designing in 1920. He made many innovations in stage lighting and design, including the first permanent lighting bridge (Music Box Revue, 1921) and first the use of a revolving stage in a Broadway musical (The Band Wagon, 1931).[3][7] He continued to direct until 1952.
Early life and acting career
Short was born in Edlington, Lincolnshire into the English landed gentry, the elder son of Edward Hassard Short and Geraldine Rachel Blagrave.[8] He left school aged fifteen to seek a career on the stage.[9] He made his first acting appearance in London in 1895 before being brought to New York City by producer Charles Frohman in 1901, where he continued to appear on stage until 1919.[10][11] He also acted in five silent films between 1917 and 1921, the last being Woman's Place.[1]
Directing and stagecraft career
Short's first experience of directing was the 1908 hit Broadway play The Man from Home.
His first major hits as a stage director came with the series of Music Box Revues from 1921 to 1923, which showcased Irving Berlin's songs.[1] As well as innovative lighting, he included mechanical effects such as moving stages and elevators, though these were not received with universal approval: the critic Gilbert Seldes complained that "Hassard Short, confusing the dynamics of the theatre with mere hoisting power, moves everything that can be moved except the audience."[13] In 1921 he staged a historic Shakespearean pageant with many of Broadway's leading men and women in a fundraiser for Actor's Equity.[14]
Short adapted well to the more limited budgets of the 1930s by staging
His
Private life
A homosexual in a
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1917 | The Moth | A. Valentine Spencer | Incomplete film |
1918 | The Turn of the Wheel | Wally Gage | Lost film |
1919 | The Stronger Vow | Bibi Leroux | Lost film |
1919 | The Way of a Woman | Johnnie Flinch | |
1921 | Woman's Place | Freddy Bleeker |
Stage productions
Among the more notable productions that Short staged are the following (original productions unless stated otherwise):[4]
Year opened | Title |
---|---|
1921 | Music Box Revue |
1925 | Sunny |
1931 | The Band Wagon |
1933 | As Thousands Cheer |
1934 | The Great Waltz |
1935 | Jubilee |
1937 | Between the Devil |
1939 | The Hot Mikado |
1941 | Lady in the Dark |
1941 | Banjo Eyes |
1943 | Something for the Boys |
1943 | Carmen Jones |
1944 | Mexican Hayride |
1945 | Marinka |
1946 | Show Boat (revival) |
1948 | Make Mine Manhattan |
References
- ^ IMDb
- ^ a b c d Kenrick, John. Who's Who in Musicals: Short, Hassard Musicals101.com. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
- ^ a b c "Milestones, Oct. 22, 1956". Time. 22 October 1956. Archived from the original on 14 December 2008. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
- ^ a b c d Hassard Short at the Internet Broadway Database
- ISBN 0-415-93704-3.
- ^ a b c Kenrick, John. History of The Musical Stage. 1930s - Part II: Legendary Revues. Musicals101.com.
- ^ "Hassard Short, Director, Dead". The New York Times. 10 October 1956. p. 39.
Staged 50 Broadway Shows—Made Many Innovations in Lighting and Designing—Born in England—Used Traveling Platform.
- ISBN 978-0-7884-1872-3.
- ^ ISBN 9780810857476.
- ^ a b [Hubert] Hassard Short. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Oxford University Press, 2004. Accessed via Answers.com 13 August 2009.
- ^ )
- ^ "Enter Hassard Short". The New York Times. 25 July 1920. p. 66. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
- ISBN 0-486-41473-6.
- ^ Historical Ziegfeld Group, Memories 1921 Shakespearean Pageant... Retrieved 16 July 2018
- JSTOR 1567635.
- ^ "First Annual Donaldson Awards". Billboard. 8 July 1944 – via Google Books.
Further reading
- Sederholm, Jack Paul (1974). The musical directing career and stagecraft contributions of Hassard Short, 1919-1952 (Dissertation, 621 pages). ETD Collection for Wayne State University. Paper AAI7513386.