Phyllis Rankin
Encyclopedia
Phyllis Rankin was a Broadway actress and singer from the 1880s until the 1920s. Her full name was Phyllis McKee Rankin.
. In September 1890 Elizabeth Rankin filed a motion contesting her husband's resistance to providing support for their daughter. A previous suit, in which she filed for separation from McKee, was being considered by the New York Supreme Court
. Mrs. McKee Rankin was regarded as the foremost and best-known character actress and stage artist of her generation.
Phyllis Rankin
was tutored by her father in old school drama. She made her first stage appearance as a youth of 10 with her parents in Stormbeaten. She eventually left her father's companies and was managed by Charles Frohman
.
A house belonging to McKee Rankin at 40 Edgecombe Avenue, near One Hundred and Thirty-Sixth Street, burned in the early morning of April 1, 1891. Rankin and her mother were inside when the fire began in a linen closet. The blaze was contained and put out through the efforts of a bucket brigade. Damage was estimated at $400 and was covered by insurance.
), in the summer of 1890. Sara was the abandoned wife of a French adventurer named Antoine la
Rue. Albert M. Palmer gained control of Wallack's Theatre in 1888 and produced plays in New York City through 1896.
Rose Coghlan obtained Rankin to replace Jennie Yeamans in an 1892 production of The Check Book. In April 1893 she appeared in the Arabian Nights on a variety bill at the Standard Theatre, 6th Avenue (Manhattan) between 32nd Street and 33rd Street,
Frohman's comedians were also featured performers.
In February 1897 Rankin was part of a bill at the Olympia Music Hall, 1514-16 Broadway (Manhattan) (44th Street), that included Auguste Van Biene. The same month she appeared at the Twenty-Third Street Theatre, 139 West Twenty-Third Street, of Frederick Francis Proctor. In May she entertained at the St. Nicholas Music Hall, West 66th Street near Columbus Avenue (Manhattan). She sang at Koster & Bial's Music Hall, 729 6th Avenue and 23rd Street (Manhattan)
, in June.
In July Rankin performed with Lizzie Evans and George Thatcher
at Keith's New Union Square
Theatre, near Broadway at 14th Street (Manhattan)
. During
her engagement at the B.F. Keith establishment, she did impersonations of Anna Held
. At the Casino Theatre, 1404 Broadway (West 39th Street), Rankin played Fifi Fricot in The Belle of New York, which had a one week booking in December 1897..
By August 1898 she was receiving offers from English managers of comic opera
. The Belle of New York was staged at the Shaftesbury Theatre
with Harry Davenport in the company. Davenport portrayed a doctor and Rankin, a housekeeper, in Three Wise Fools. The two met and married in the original production of The Belle of New York. In the musical they sang a famous duet, When We Are
Married.
In 1921 she had performed on stage for fifty years. Other productions in which she acted were The Rounders, It Happened In Nordland, and Fascinating Flora.
in 1934 at the age of 59. She and Davenport married and were the parents of Arthur Rankin, an actor in motion pictures from 1923 -1934. He was also a writer. He
died from a cerebral hemmorage following an extended illness in 1950. After her wedding to Davenport, Rankin left the stage for eleven years before returning in a small role in Lightnin, in August 1918. The
couple later teamed at the Criterion Theatre
for a production of Three Wise Fools. Rankin was the mother of three other children, 2 of whom acted on stage.
Family
She was the daughter of stage actress Elizabeth I. Rankin (née Kitty Blanchard) and actor Arthur McKee Rankin Her older, married sister, was named Gladys. A younger sister was named Doris who married into the Barrymore familyBarrymore family
The Barrymore family is an American acting family.The Barrymores are also the inspiration of a Broadway and West End play called The Royal Family....
. In September 1890 Elizabeth Rankin filed a motion contesting her husband's resistance to providing support for their daughter. A previous suit, in which she filed for separation from McKee, was being considered by the New York Supreme Court
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in thestate court system of New York, United States. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
. Mrs. McKee Rankin was regarded as the foremost and best-known character actress and stage artist of her generation.
Phyllis Rankin
was tutored by her father in old school drama. She made her first stage appearance as a youth of 10 with her parents in Stormbeaten. She eventually left her father's companies and was managed by Charles Frohman
Charles Frohman
Charles Frohman was an American theatrical producer. Frohman was producing plays by 1889 and acquired his first Broadway theatre by 1892. He discovered and promoted many stars of the American theatre....
.
A house belonging to McKee Rankin at 40 Edgecombe Avenue, near One Hundred and Thirty-Sixth Street, burned in the early morning of April 1, 1891. Rankin and her mother were inside when the fire began in a linen closet. The blaze was contained and put out through the efforts of a bucket brigade. Damage was estimated at $400 and was covered by insurance.
Acting career
Rankin was in the supporting cast of Sara, a play performed at the Palmer Theatre (Wallack's TheatreWallack's Theatre
Wallack’s Theatre , located on 254 West 42nd Street in New York, United States, was opened on December 5, 1904 by Oscar Hammerstein I. Wallack’s was Hammerstein’s 8th production theatre and was originally known as the "Lew Fields'", a name that Hammerstein gave it in recognition of his favourite...
), in the summer of 1890. Sara was the abandoned wife of a French adventurer named Antoine la
Rue. Albert M. Palmer gained control of Wallack's Theatre in 1888 and produced plays in New York City through 1896.
Rose Coghlan obtained Rankin to replace Jennie Yeamans in an 1892 production of The Check Book. In April 1893 she appeared in the Arabian Nights on a variety bill at the Standard Theatre, 6th Avenue (Manhattan) between 32nd Street and 33rd Street,
Frohman's comedians were also featured performers.
In February 1897 Rankin was part of a bill at the Olympia Music Hall, 1514-16 Broadway (Manhattan) (44th Street), that included Auguste Van Biene. The same month she appeared at the Twenty-Third Street Theatre, 139 West Twenty-Third Street, of Frederick Francis Proctor. In May she entertained at the St. Nicholas Music Hall, West 66th Street near Columbus Avenue (Manhattan). She sang at Koster & Bial's Music Hall, 729 6th Avenue and 23rd Street (Manhattan)
23rd Street (Manhattan)
23rd Street is a broad thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is one of few two-way streets in the gridiron of the borough. As with Manhattan's other "crosstown" streets, it is divided at Fifth Avenue, in this case at Madison Square Park, into its east and west sections. Since...
, in June.
In July Rankin performed with Lizzie Evans and George Thatcher
George Thatcher
George Thatcher was an American lawyer, jurist, and statesman from the Maine district of Massachusetts. His name sometimes appears as George Thacher. He was a delegate for Massachusetts to the Continental Congress in 1787 and 1788...
at Keith's New Union Square
Union Square
Union Square may refer to:Asia* Union Square * Union Square station on Dubai MetroCanada* Union Square, Nova ScotiaUnited States* Union Square, Baltimore, Maryland* Union Square * Union Square, San Francisco, California...
Theatre, near Broadway at 14th Street (Manhattan)
14th Street (Manhattan)
14th Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The street rivals the size of some of the well-known avenues of the city and is an important business location....
. During
her engagement at the B.F. Keith establishment, she did impersonations of Anna Held
Anna Held
Helene Anna Held was a Polish-born stage performer, most often associated with impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, her common-law husband. -Early life:...
. At the Casino Theatre, 1404 Broadway (West 39th Street), Rankin played Fifi Fricot in The Belle of New York, which had a one week booking in December 1897..
By August 1898 she was receiving offers from English managers of comic opera
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
. The Belle of New York was staged at the Shaftesbury Theatre
Shaftesbury Theatre
The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End Theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The theatre was designed for the brothers Walter and Frederick Melville by Bertie Crewe and opened on 26 December 1911 with a production of The Three Musketeers, as the New...
with Harry Davenport in the company. Davenport portrayed a doctor and Rankin, a housekeeper, in Three Wise Fools. The two met and married in the original production of The Belle of New York. In the musical they sang a famous duet, When We Are
Married.
In 1921 she had performed on stage for fifty years. Other productions in which she acted were The Rounders, It Happened In Nordland, and Fascinating Flora.
Death
Rankin died in Canton, PennsylvaniaCanton, Pennsylvania
Canton is a borough in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,807 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Canton is located at ....
in 1934 at the age of 59. She and Davenport married and were the parents of Arthur Rankin, an actor in motion pictures from 1923 -1934. He was also a writer. He
died from a cerebral hemmorage following an extended illness in 1950. After her wedding to Davenport, Rankin left the stage for eleven years before returning in a small role in Lightnin, in August 1918. The
couple later teamed at the Criterion Theatre
Criterion Theatre
The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has an official capacity of 588.-Building the theatre:...
for a production of Three Wise Fools. Rankin was the mother of three other children, 2 of whom acted on stage.
External links
- Phyllis Rankin Photographic Image New York Public Library Digital Gallery