On May 23, 1883, Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman was born in Denver, Colorado. When he was five-years old his father left the family and his mother returned to using the last name of her deceased first husband, John Fairbanks, and Douglas took the Fairbanks name as well.
The earliest evidence of [his] theatrical passion survives as a handwritten program, penned by Douglas himself in 1896. An amateur production was staged in the backyard of one Frank Hall — an all-male case in The Man from the Mountain. D. Fairbanks was fifth billed, as “John Wilson-an old miner.” Robert, who later was to find work as an electrician’s apprentice, wired the stage with footlights and spotlights. History has not recorded the reception this masterpiece received, but clearly young Mr. Fairbanks felt encouraged to try for something on a larger scale. [Goessel, Tracey. The First King of Hollywood: The Life of Douglas Fairbanks. Chicago Review Press, 2016. p. 14.]
Mary Elitch recounted Douglas Fairbanks’ first time at the Elitch’s theatre:
“The little boy, I think he was about twelve…on hearing that Shakespeare was to be given at our theatre, and not having sufficient funds to purchase a ticket, Douglas appeared at the theatre one morning and asked the janitor if there was any work he could do to earn one. On being told that there was not, the future star walked onto the stage…and suggested that a good scrubbing might help its appearance, and stated that he was perfectly willing to undertake the scrubbing if his price — a ticket to the next performance — would be forthcoming. The rough boards received their scrubbing and the enterprising little boy his ticket.” [Dier, Caroline L. The lady of the gardens: Mary Elitch long. Hollywood: Hollycrofters, Inc., Ltd., 1932.]
“By the time he was fifteen, young Fairbanks was an enthusiastic pupil of tutor Margaret Fealy and her young daughter Maude. Margaret had been the leading lady for Sir Henry Irving in London and had appeared with William Gillette on the American stage-impressive credentials. Young Maude was also experiencing professional success. Their school, on the third floor of the Tabor Theater building, was to yield many renowned students. Fairbanks and Margaret Fealy remained close until his death, and financial records document him quietly sending her funds through the Depression. He answered each letter she sent.” [Goessel, Tracey. The First King of Hollywood: The Life of Douglas Fairbanks. Chicago Review Press, 2016. p. 15.]
A decade later Fairbanks joined the summer stock cast and appeared at the Historic Elitch Theatre for the 1906 season.
“By the summer of 1906 he was back, in a sense, where he started: Denver, and Elitch’s Gardens… Elitch’s Gardens, a thirty-minute trolley ride from the heart of downtown Denver, was only sixteen years old the summer that Fairbanks played there, but already it was famous for its theater and resident stock company. …Sarah Bernhardt, and Minnie Madden Fiske had all appeared there — in fact the Divine Sarah came there for the 1906 season after the San Francisco earthquake destroyed the theater at which she had been scheduled to perform that summer, playing Camille in matinees and La Sorciere at night.” [Goessel, Tracey. The First King of Hollywood: The Life of Douglas Fairbanks. Chicago Review Press, 2016. p. 43.]
Eventually Fairbanks became one of Hollywood’s greatest leading men and he was one of the founders, and the original president, of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. (Of the original 36 founders of the Academy, four were Elitch Theatre alumni. In addition to Fairbanks, the founders included Cecil B. DeMille, Harold Lloyd, and Milton Sills.)
Seasons at the Theatre
Productions/Roles:
- 1898 – Martin in the Tabor Grand School of Acting’s production of The Two Orphans. [Goessel, The First King of Hollywood, p. 16.]
- 1906
Notable Roles, Awards, and Other Work:
- The Mark of Zorro (1920)
- Robin Hood (1922)
- The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
- He was also a founding member of United Artists as well as the Motion Picture Academy and hosted the 1st Academy Awards in 1929.
Elitch Theatre Connections:
- After appearing at the Elitch theatre, Fairbanks, Cecil B. DeMille, Harold Lloyd, and Milton Sills, would all help found the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Wikipedia Link:
Left To Right, Al Jolson, Mary Pickford, Ronald Colman, Gloria Swanson, Douglas Fairbanks, Joseph Schenck, Charlie Chaplin, Samuel Goldwyn And Eddie Cantor.
