The New York herald., 1921-11-20
Irish StOker in
Play Comes by His
Brogue Naturally
Frank Shannon Of Anna
Christie Has Played Many
Roles on Stage.

Tie production ae Eugspe O'Neip's
pIny Of the sea and the water frons,
Anna Christie" has aroused a quesuc<.
tha. is not easily answerable. Who is
this Frank Shannon whom Arthur Hoy,-
kins has entrusted with the role of ti,s
lusty Irish stoker in the play at the
Vanderbilt?
The seeming discovery" of Frank
Shannon though is only another psoc-
Of the tickle memory Of those who fol-
low the theatre. 1t Is not so many
years since Shannon was playing i'm
portant roles in the Frohman companies
and ever since those days he has been
steadily engaged at his calling in one
stock company and another over the
country. His return to Broadway is due
partly to accident in finding the ris,-
opportunity at the right moment and
partly to the ability of Arthur Hopkins
in looking behind half forgotten name
to the ability that lay beneath it.
Shannons rich Irish accent is not cul-
tivated. for he was born in Sligo and
ran away from school In Dublin as q.
youth to this country. After odd occu-
pations in Boston and elsewhere he en-
listed in tho regular army and saw ser
vice at the time Of the Pullman strike
in Chicago. He also served In the Phil
ippines during and after the Spanish
American war. While back In Ireland
to settle a legacy he received an offer
through one Of his former soldier mates
to play a part In Shenandoah" and
cabled acceptance, although In all his
life he had never been inside a theatre
except to see Temperance Town" and
one or two other productions.
After Shenandoah" came an engage
ment under Lee Morrison in Boston.
where he played in Held by the
Enemy and Under Sealed Orders"
The Pedlar." "A Race for Life" and
1.-THE Fatal wedding" succeeded. with
then he Joined Daniel r. Ryan's COM
tany and played Shakespeare in all
parts of the country for sixty weeks.
Next was years engagement in a
sketch with William Hawtrey, and then
his first appearance under Charles
Frohman as the color sergeant in AN
Englishman's Home" the only man in
the company who had the bearing OF a
real soldier, according to one Of the
critics.
Miss Maude Adams then engaged him
for her production of Joan of Arc" In
the Harvard Stadium. Frohman again
commanded his services in The FLAG
Lieutenant" and with Miss Hattie Will
Jams In Detective Sparkes," and also In
1.-THE Speckled Band" With Miss Marie
Tempest he played the title role In "a
Thief in the Night" although the play
did not come to New York. His own
path and that Of George Marion, along
side of whom he now appears In Anna
Christie" crossed first under the Saw
age direction in Rupert Hughes What
Ails Your" which Marion staged. Shan
mons role was that which William
Courtleigh played at first.
With very few breaks, stock claimed
him in the years succeeding. a sum
mer in Washington in support OF Miss
Julia Dean was soon followed by perma-
nent occupation In the capital as n
member of the Poll stock company.
where for three years, with only one
week of In the entire time, he played
all sorts and conditions of roles From
washington he went out to Sioux City.
Iowa, for a seven weeks engagement.
and instead remained three years.
Since the days in Sioux City. where he
met his wife and married her, he has
appeared as leading man for Miss
Bertha Kalich in THE Riddle Woman"
on the road and in various motion psct-
ure productions In spite of his equip
ment both physically and linguistically
to play Irish roles. he can recall only
one in his varied career preceding that
of Matt Burke in the new O'Neill play.
That one was Muldoop In the farce.
What Ails You?" Perhaps that Is ono
reason why his portrayal of the Irish
stoker in Anna Christie smacks not
at all of the stage Irishman.