Bernard Sobel

Bernard Sobel (1887–1964) was an American playwright, drama critic, publicist, and author whose career spanned several decades of American theatrical life. Born in Attica, Indiana, he died in New York City.

Sobel worked as a drama critic for the New York Daily Mirror and built a substantial career as a theatrical publicist. Among the prominent figures he represented were producer Florenz Ziegfeld, Charles Dillingham, A. L. Erlanger, and the Shubert brothers — Lee, Sam, and Jacob. His Broadway performing credits include an appearance in the 1928 play Killers.

As a playwright, Sobel authored several works in 1913, including Jennie Knows, Mrs. Bompton's Dinner Party, and There's Always A Reason. He also contributed criticism and commentary to publications such as The Bookman, where his 1929 article "The Language of the Theatre" appeared.

Sobel produced a substantial body of writing on theatre history and related entertainment forms. His books include Burleycue: An Underground History of Burlesque Days (Farrar & Rinehart, 1931), The Indiscret Girl (Grosset & Dunlap, 1933), The Theatre Handbook and Digest of Plays (Crown Publishers, 1940), Broadway Heartbeat: Memoirs of a Press Agent (Hermitage House, 1953), A Pictorial History of Burlesque (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1956), The New Theatre Handbook and Digest of Plays (Crown Publishers, 1959), and A Pictorial History of Vaudeville (Citadel Press, 1961).

His papers from 1923 to 1962 are held by the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Additional papers spanning 1823 to 1965, with the bulk dating from 1901 to 1965, are held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.