Morris Gest (March 15, 1875 to May 16, 1942) was a Jewish- American theatrical producer. Born in Vilna, now
Lithuania, the son of Leon and Elizabeth Gershonovitz. Through his mother he was a member of
the middle-class Michliszanski clan which included his cousin, later renamed as Bernard
Berenson, the art historian.
His niece, Anya Teixeira, recalled that the family story went that as a teenager his
antics in imitating the Rabbi had embarrassed his devout parents as told to her friend and executor, J L Gordon in
1961.Fortunately a couple were emigrating to Boston and agreed to take him with them in 1890. Later, he attracted the attention
of Mr. Thompson, for whom he worked in the library of the United States District Court who saw to it that he went to school.
The theatre, was by his account, the first job that came his way and he gained experience of most of the skills involved. Some
years later he went to New York and worked for Oscar Hammerstein at the Manhattan Opera House. and was promoted to foreign
representative.
After some false starts in production by himself he teamed up with F. Ray Comstock and in the 1920s made his reputation by the import of Russian productions from the post-Revolutionary regime.
Nikita Balieff's Chauve-Souris company and the Moscow Art Theatre directed by
Stanislavski were to reign over New York drama despite the handicap of Russian
dialogue. In 1923 he organised the last tour of Eleanor Duse.
In 1924 he brought over Max Reinhardt to stage "The Miracle" to which Gest brought his own talents in publicity and casting.
These were well needed as the heavy costs of the sets, costumes and cast of 175 could have meant financial disaster.
The Great Depression and the parting from Comstock seem to have curbed his productions for five years but there was a last
production to come, Lady Precious Stream in 1936. The same year marked the onset of a nervous breakdown. However he recovered
sufficiently to be involved in the "Morris Gest's Little Miracle Town: with the world's greatest midget artistes". This was in
connection with the New York World's Fair of 1939. He died in 1942, leaving Reina, daughter of David Belasco, his widow. She died in 1948.
External links
- The Dearborn Independent (hostile Henry Ford tirade) 22 January 1921
- Interview with Morris Gest,THe American Hebrew, 29 December 1922
- Vladimir Nemirovitch-Dantchenko," My Life in the Russian Theatre",Geoffrey Bles,London,!937 pages 277,281
- Stanley Appelbaum,"The New York Stage-Famous Productions in Photographs" "THE MIRACLE" Dover Publications.New York 1976, Page
66
- Diana Cooper "Autobiography" Michael Russell, London 1979 (one volume) Pages
233,240,245,250,252,257,260,275,279,286,288,289,313
- Philip Ziegler’s "Diana Cooper: The Biography of Lady Diana Cooper" Alfred A. Knopf, New York(1982)
Pages129,130,132,139,140,142,146
- George Freedley and John Reeves" A History of the Theatre" Crown Publishers,New York 1941 page334
- William Weaver(Biographer),"Duse- A Biography",Thames and Hudson,London,1984 pages 349,350-8
- Gottfried Reinhardt,"The Genius- A Memoir of Max Reinhardt"Alfred A. Knopf,New York pages 38,40-41,57,162,170,248,291
- Letter from US Passport Office 8 June 1964 on emigration date and change of name
- Anya Teixeira on her Uncle Morris Gest, in conversation with J L Gordon 1960-1992.
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