The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-10-03
.SUPERS AFTER
M'KEE RANKIN
THE O'NEILL SEASON IN LONDON
WAS A FROST AND THE THEA
TIRE CLOSED.

WAS A FROST AND THE THEA
TIRE CLOSED.
Mckee Rankin is up against it, in
London, with a crowd of clamorfng
supers looking for their wages. The
reason is the failure of Nance O'Neil's
season. The clever Californian girl who
made a furore out west and in Austria
liza by the intensity of her acting found
her career damned with faint praise"
by London press and public and the
season closed $4,000 to the bad. This
does not necessarily mean that Man
ager Mckee has lost $4,000 however.
The "clamoring super situation is not
new one to Mr.. Rankin. The change
of scene is the only variety to him.
Mckee Rankin, admittedly a good ac-
tor of his time and prime, was wise in
his generation and forsook the foot
lights for the foyer after experience OF
managerial methods. He belonged to
the school that held for their motto,
PAY nothing and nobody. We need it
worse than they do" A slang pro-
fessional term for them was that Of
spectacle managers, not from the ma
ture of their show, but from the reason
that local and confding creditors re-
quired spectacles after the performance
Mckee Rankin has had many ups
and downs. Up to the time of his dis
covery of Nance O'Neill they were prin-
cipally downs. He had worked hard
and had worked everybody. His VEN
lures We're numerous and scattered. 1t
was a hard matter to find a travelling
company which did not boast at least
one member who held a nyte OF hand
against Mckee or who had dispensed
/, r31,.,
the memory. Young actors would claim
that Rankin owed the money in an en-
deavor to show themselves full hedged
professionals. Supers, electricians,
stage hands, actors from stars to uti-
lily men, theater managers, printers,
railroad companies, all were creditors
of Rankin.
The payment of an actor would have
been criminal from Rankin's standpoint
Timorous members of his company
would approach him for cigarette and
laundry money and if their bill for
the latter necessity was more than fifty
cents, the manager would be likely to
| reprOach them for their extravaganza,
| though many weeks in arrears with
4 their salary. He always affected a gen.
erous air however and would pull out
from a pocket, carefully prepared be-
! forehand what he declared was the
!
was usually about eighty cents and
| from it he would tell the applicant for Il
! dollar to help himself. He would tell a
star playing under his management,
| that all he had in the world after pay
! ing expenses was 81 and generously Of
fer to share with him.
But with all this Rankin accumulated
nothing but fat as the years rolled by.
He attempted Trilby in Denver and was
stopped for piracy against authors
| rights. He played Svengah and his
death across the table with his fat
stomach rising behind his staring eyes
| like mountain convulsed the audience.
/ The company We're composed of h I'D
over actors trying to get back to Chi
J cago or San Francisco.
Then for a brief space he went on the
! vaudeville stage with an act taken
! from the telegraph scene in the Long
! Strike" in which Rankin played very
! successfully the part of old Money
penny, big hearted lawyer, the very
antithesis of his own nature.
Then he found Nance O'Neill. She
! was an actress of merit and unframed
force and the public liked her. All went
well for a while. Unless one was ac-
tually with a Rankin company however
| there was no means of judging the
| financial success. To those he had to
pay business with Mckee was always
| rotten" to the outside public BOOM
| ing" At all events he was strapped
in San Francisco several years ago at
| the time he was wished t. come to
Honolulu. Manager Stockwell put up
the fares. The company was recruit
ed from the Snakes and coffee" actors
of the Paris of America" so called be-
cause their usual diet consists OF
! snakes, a species of California dough-
nut, and coffee, and the combination
| came down here. Nance O'Neilps UNI
| doubted cleverness caught the Homo
| lulE public and the management made
money. True to his adage however, the
actors got just what he chose to give
them. To his manager, MacVicllar. he
gave nothing to until the latter applied
to a local law firm which -bluffed
Rankin. Then the company went on TO
| Australia.
| Nance O'Neill went well in the colo
MES though Mckee had many troubles
with his managers and exchanged va
rious compliments with them. In Lon
don "Magda", Camille" and ELIZA
beth of England failed to draw. Stage
hands wanted money between acts and
supers appeared for glory only. The
London super does not take to glory as
a diet and kicked. 1t is safe to say
that costumers. actors, and a long list
of others are also kicking. And it is
safe to say that Mckee, corpulent and
serene, minds their clamors no more
than the 'mouthings of petulant babes"
He is in his element. He is the Colonel
Sellers of theatrical life in many par
ticulars. If Mckee lost money he stop
ped with his fare to America still in
his pockets.
The general sympathy of the profess
sion extends to Nance O'Neill. who is
recognized as a clever actress who
will eventually make her way, but few
are wasting sympathy over Rankin who
for his part cares as little for 1t. The
announcement from London that INC
Kee is engaged in settling the claims of
the supers" will raise many smile to