DOUGLAS WATT - CHRISTMAS / HOLIDAY CARD SIGNED - HFSID 316857

DOUGLAS WATT
The actor sends a Christmas card, presumably to Daniel Blum or John Willis of Theatre World
Christmas/holiday card signed: "Merry Christmas/Ethel and Doug Watt", in blue ink, 5½x8¼. Douglas Watt (1914-2009) worked for the New York Daily News for half a century, beginning as a copy boy and becoming one of America's most influential theatre critics. He also wrote a classical music and opera column for The New Yorker. Watt urged a Broadway revival of Porgy and Bess after its unsuccessful first run. He promoted Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar after he had received a negative review in The New York Times. He promoted the careers of Eugene O'Neill and Tennessee Williams, attending the 1949 premiere of Death of a Salesman and also its 50th anniversary revival. Watt also wrote popular music, including songs recorded by Doris Day and Frankie Laine. He was a founder of the Drama Desk Awards, and served on the nominating committees for the Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. Theatre World, founded in 1945 by Daniel Blum, is America's oldest annual record of Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional theatre, referenced by industry professionals, historians, students and theatre fans worldwide. Until 1998, when a separate nonprofit corporation was established, Theatre World's editorial staff bestowed the prestigious Theatre World Awards for outstanding Broadway and Off-Broadway debuts. Screen World (from 1950) and Dance World (from 1966), administered from the same office, and furnished comprehensive information on those entertainment genres. Pencil notes (unknown hand) on verso. Corners slightly worn. Fine condition.