The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-12-09
BORN To STAGE
IS THIS ACTOR
Frank Cooley, Now Performing
at 0rpheum, a Son of
Alice kingsbury.

or the Golden West derived their the
atrieaI amusement from stock compa-
MES permanently located in their midst
and reinforced by New York stars who
came either by way of the Isthmus of
Panama or the longer and more peri
lous journey around Cape Horn. I'm
doubtedly there are residents of Ho-
nolulu who recall the old days of the
Metropolitan theater, where John Me
Cullough first made his name famous;
where Booth and Barrett, Tom Keene,
Edwin Forrest and host of others
played engagements that viii never
be forgotten. And those who do re-
member those days will not have for
gotten one name that blazed high in
the histrionic frmament,-that of Alice
Kingsbury, the greatest "Fanchon the
| Cricket that the stage has ever seen.
The story of Alice Kingsbury's sue
cess, following upon the failure of one
of the greatest tragedians of the time
and upon spell of adversely during
which she had almost despaired OF
recognition, would be of interest at any
time. It is of particular interest just
now, because Alice Kingsbury's son,
Frank Cooley, is delighting the people
| of Honolulu with his clever acting at
| the Orpheurn theater. Mr.. Cooley had
| his first experience on the stage with
/ his mother, having toured the country
with her when he was but five years
of age. From that time to this, he
| has seen but few idle years away from
the stage, and has helped, with the
| Barrymores and the Drews and the r.
wings to prove that the art of acting
is hereditary.
When Alice Kingsbury first came to
! San Francisco, Tom Mcclure was man
ager of the Metropolitan theater. Nc
! CURES Eastern agent had engaged
Miss Kingsbury, who had been big
! success in New York, and she made the
journey to California with her mother
and maid. Of retiring, unpreten-
tious disposition, she did not bring
with her the blare of trumpets and the
! columns of gossip that had accom-
panied the arrival of other stars, and
Manager Mcclure promptly came to
| the conclusion that his Eastern agent
had sent him second-rate performer
who would not, in present-day parlance,
"make good" By excuse after ex-
cuse he postponed the first appearance
of Miss Kingsbury, until it became
evident to her that he did not intend
to put her on at ALL
After she had been in San Francisco
several weeks. Edwin Forrest, consid-
cred at that time the foremost TRACE
dian in the country, arrived and was
announced for long season in legit-
innate productions. Forrest for some
reason failed to please. To use modern
parlance again, he proved decided
FROST Brought at big expense from
the opposite side of the continent, he
| appeared for a few nights only and
had to be taken off the boards. There
was no one available at the time to
succeed him except Miss Kingsbury
and Mcclure of necessity put her on,
announcing a week s engagement. She
appeared first in "Fanchon, and 50
tremendous was her success that the
engagement ran ON for three straight
PLAYED in San Francisco by any single
| star up to that time. She appeared
as 'sFanchon thirty-nine times during
these three months and each time to
crowded house. Following this en-
| oagement she toured the mining towns
| and such interior cities as afforded
theaters and, returning again to San
| Francisco, played another long season.
With Edwin Forrest there had come
| to San Francisco John Mccullough,
then practically an unknown actor,
though he was playing leading parts
| with Forrest. When Forrest retired
so hastily, the majority of his com
pany remained to support Miss Kings
bury, and Mccullough was her leading
man. 1t was while he acted in her
support that Mccullough laid the
| foundation for his subsequent great
ness. In after years he did no work
that brought him more friends and
admirers than his work with Alice
Kingsbury-
Alice Kingsbury still lives, having
a comfortable home near San Francisco.
She has seen the race of actors OF her
day pass away one by one; the theaters
of her day were torn down years be-
fore San Francisco modern play
houses of couple of years ago were
laid in ashes. But she has seen, too
among the great actors of the present
dav the children aud grandchildren OF