Toma Hanlon

Toma Hanlon
Toma Hanlon, from a 1909 publicity photo
Bornabout 1867
DiedNovember 11, 1929 (age 62)
New York, New York, U.S.
Other namesToma Hanlon Kershaw
OccupationsActress, singer, comedian, male impersonator

Toma Hanlon Kershaw (about 1867 – November 11, 1929) was an American actress, singer, songwriter, and male impersonator[1] who performed on vaudeville programs and in Broadway shows, mostly in the 1890s and 1900s.

Early life and education

Hanlon was the daughter and namesake of Thomas Hanlon.[2][3] Her father was born in England, and a member of the Hanlon Brothers, an acrobatic and comedy troupe.[4] She was on stage from childhood, playing children's roles at Booth's Theatre in New York.[5]

Career

Hanlon appeared in the original production of Hendrik Hudson in 1890,[6] with Fay Templeton in the title role.[7][8] She sang in musical revues including He, She, Him, and Her (1888–1889),[9][10][11] Her Fidelity (1893),[12][13] Nadjy (1894),[14] At Gay Coney Island (1898),[15] Paris By Night (1904),[16][17] The Maid and the Millionaire (1907),[18] and The Belle of Avenue A (1908).[19] "She has considerable dramatic talent, unusual to one accustomed to playing musical comedy, is pretty and vivacious and a great favorite wherever she appears," reported The Tammany Times in 1908.[20] In 1909 the Houston Post said that "Miss Hanlon makes a very handsome man" in her act, singing "chappie" songs.[21] In 1909 and 1910 she toured nationally in vaudeville with her impersonation act,[22][23] and performed while recovering from a bout of ptomaine poisoning.[24] She also wrote songs.[15][25]

In 1904, she was called to testify at an inquest when a saloon keeper named Frank McNally died by gunshot in his apartment in Brooklyn. She admitted that they were involved, but denied having a key to his apartment or being in his company when he died.[26][27]

Publications

  • "The Bird's Reply" (1889, words by Hanlon, music by J. Clarence West)[25]

Personal life

Hanlon was rumored to be engaged to an English actor, Gerard Warriner, in 1891.[5] She was also rumored to be involved with her costar, George H. Adams, in 1893.[11] She married an actor named Charles H. Clarke before her involvement with Frank McNally.[26] She was later married to Arthur Kershaw.[28] She was a widow when she died at Bellevue Hospital in 1929, at the age of 62, from the effects of alcoholism.[29][30]

References

  1. ^ "Toma Hanlon Does Some Clever Impersonations at Bell Theater". Oakland Tribune. 1909-06-24. p. 5. Retrieved 2026-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "A Hanlon Matinee". Brooklyn Eagle. 1921-02-13. p. 38. Retrieved 2026-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Returns to the Stage". The Times. 1919-10-12. p. 26. Retrieved 2026-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "At the Academy To-Night; Miss Toma Hanlon to Appear in 'Her Fidelity'". The Roanoke Times. 1893-09-26. p. 8. Retrieved 2026-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b "To Wed Toma Hanlon; Gerard Warriner, Howell Osborne's Chum, taken by Actress". Grand Rapids Herald. 1891-05-25. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Ganzl, Kurt (2014-03-18). William B. Gill: From the Goldfields to Broadway. Routledge. p. 236. ISBN 978-1-135-35831-0.
  7. ^ Brown, Thomas Allston (1903). A History of the New York Stage from the First Performance in 1732 to 1901. Dodd, Mead. p. 503.
  8. ^ "Fay Templeton in Town". The Kansas City Star. 1891-01-12. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Fiske, Harrison Grey (1888). The New York Mirror Annual and Directory of the Theatrical Profession for 1888. New York Mirror. p. 31.
  10. ^ "Amusements". Grand Rapids Eagle. 1889-05-11. p. 4. Retrieved 2026-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b "Toma Hanlon; Mrs. Adams Doesn't Want it Understood that Toma is George H. Adams' Wife". The Topeka Capital-Journal. 1891-03-17. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Miss Toma Hanlon and 'Her Fidelity'". The News and Observer. 1893-10-01. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "'Her Fidelity'; To Be Presented at the Academy Tuesday Night by Miss Toma Hanlon". The Roanoke Times. 1893-09-24. p. 4. Retrieved 2026-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Star Theater". The Buffalo Enquirer. 1894-06-23. p. 3. Retrieved 2026-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ a b "At the Theaters". The Capital. 8 (19): 10. November 5, 1898.
  16. ^ Benjamin, Ruth; Rosenblatt, Arthur (2025-10-01). Who Sang What on Broadway, 1866–1996. McFarland. p. 334. ISBN 978-1-4766-3232-2.
  17. ^ "'Paris by Night' in Little Old New York". Broadway Weekly. 3 (74): 8. July 14, 1904.
  18. ^ Dietz, Dan (2022-07-15). The Complete Book of 1900s Broadway Musicals. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. pp. 225–226, 427–428. ISBN 979-8-8818-8027-9.
  19. ^ Boziwick, George (2025-10-14). The Music of Baseball: A History and Catalog of Selected Works. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-5469-0.
  20. ^ "Amusements: Toma Hanlon" The Tammany Times (April 18, 1908): 11.
  21. ^ "Toma Hanlon". The Houston Post. 1909-10-31. p. 39. Retrieved 2026-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Toma Hanlon". Variety. 15 (5): 8. 1909-07-10 – via Internet Archive.
  23. ^ "Toma Hanlon Back in Vaudeville". The Kansas City Star. 1910-04-04. p. 5. Retrieved 2026-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Amusements". The Commercial Appeal. 1910-08-22. p. 5. Retrieved 2026-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ a b "Ditson & Co.'s Choice Sheet Music Publications for February". The Musical Record: 28. February 1889.
  26. ^ a b "Toma Hanlon at M'Nally Inquest; Tells of her Relations with Dead Man". The Brooklyn Citizen. 1904-10-03. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved 2026-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Toma Hanlon Goes Out; Notifies Captain First; Tells Reporters of her Relations with McNally". The Brooklyn Citizen. 1904-09-26. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved 2026-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Kershaw's Ex-Wife Cut Off In His Will; Bulk of Estate Goes to Widow, Former Toma Hanlon". The Republican. 1927-04-08. p. 25. Retrieved 2026-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "Deaths". The New York Times. November 14, 1929. p. 24. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  30. ^ Hofeller, Leo (1929-11-13). "Victim of Ruin, Once Feted Star of Miner's Dies". Daily News. p. 315. Retrieved 2026-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  • Antoine D'Arcy, "Tootsie Brant", an 1889 poem dedicated to Hanlon and named for her character in He, She, Him, Her
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