The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-10-19
A COMING WOMAN
Career Of Star Actress Soon to Be
Here.
HOW THE START WAS MADE
Five Years Ago-A San Francisco
CIrl-Has Worked Hard-Op-
position of Father.

This i what an Examiner writer
saws Of Nance O'Neil, the actress soon
70 he here supported by the Mckee
Rankin Company in repertoire:
rive wears ago-to be exact, on the
night Of October 16, 1864 tall, gaunt'
fair-baired Oakland girl made her hrSI
anpearance on any stage in sara at
the Alcazar
sara" was a mediocre melodrana
founded on the story OF Sophie Lyons
= notorious female thief, and the part
that the Oakland girl played was
small one-an entrance. few words
and an exit.
To the world at large it had not even
the Importance of an incident 10 the
girl it was an event.
She was but nineteen. fresh from
ecbooI with all the desire of her young
heart set on becoming an actress-a
great actress.
Mckee Rankin was king at the Al
cazar then. and this is how the chance
of her life came to her, as he tells II:
THE cast of the play calls for TWO
nuns, and. TO realize the picture hdu
in NV mind, | needed a tall girl TO play
ona of the nuns. Who can | get? L
asked myself. and then l thought
.whv there's that tall girl with the
fair hair who came to me with q letter
from, Peter Robertson. She'll do. II
send for her.
Mckee Rankin acted on his impulse
He hunted up the letter to make sure
of the name. and sent for the girl, ana
so it came about that on the night OF
October 16. 1898, she walked on the
stage of the Alcazar in the somper
garb of a nun. spoke few words ana
walked off, and that there was line
on the Alcazar program that read:
SISTER Elise. Miss Gertrude Lamson.
Mckee Rankin, Mrs. Mckee RANKIN,
PHYLLIS Rankin, who is now mere as
Mrs. Sidney Drew; Hereward Hoyt,
Mrs. F. NJ. Bates and Blanche Bates
were all in the cast and were all dulE
mentioned in the notices or the next
mornings papers. Among them, OF
course, Miss Gertrude Lamson's name
did not appear, but the girl was salts
fed. She had made a start in her
career.
Having made a start, she stuck UNI
swervingly to the road she had chosen.
I'D and down the country, from Mon
tana to Texas, through the South ana
the East, she has gone with the Mckee
Rankin Company, playing every part
that was given her and doing the best
with each that she knew how. Gap
tain Tommy" in The Danites, was
the first part she showed any ability
in. She made a hit in the old melo-
drama storm Beaten" at the Bur
bank Theatre in Los Angeles. She
bank Theatre in Los Angeles. She
Lewis left vacant in huff, and last
winter she captured New York com
pletely.
And now, after five years, she has
come back as Nance ONell.
About her going there is a little story
with more of New England than Cali
fornia flavor.
She is the daughter OF George +
Lamson of Oakland, auctioneer anC
Baptist, a conservative man OF rlglt
religious principles, a man who set hi
lace T6SOlutSlS against iiC StnSO ~'S
place for his daughters-and who's
daughters went on the stage.
Through the years of their absenc'
he did not become recOnciled to tn
stage: he still believed it would hav'
been better for his daughters 10 liY
the orderly commonplace life OF con
ventional respectability-to marry, I
set grandchildren on his knee, TO d
their duty as he saw ii in church an
home. On Tuesday night he say
Nance ONeil-his daughter Gertrude
on the stage for the first time. II
sawthe splendid woman who had lain
helpless babe on his arm sway the au
dience with the tumultuOuS passions {
the Jewess, move them to tears an
win their applause. He sat quite still
his face mask and only once he mad
a move. whether to applaud his daugt
ter's power or 70 go out only he can tel
After the performance he felicitate
her on her success with calm polite
ness. She did very well.
81 didn't think it was in you. &c
trude." and, fatherly solicitude comm
to the surface, You'll wear yOurse
out, I'm afraid"
What he said to his pillow, wheth'
his heart filled and overlooked, 1t
not for us to know. On the night
her first appearance he prayed publ
1v at a church meeting, that she wou
fail.
ONE or THE WORKMF\