September 18, 2025
JAMES O'NEILL SEES THE CITY.
For the First Time, Although He's
Been Coming Here 25 Years.
James O'Neill, the veteran actor, who is appearing at the Willis Wood theater this week, has been coming to Kansas City for something like twenty-five years. He even recalls that his first appearance here was during the boom days, when he invested in several pieces of property for speculative purposes. That he was successful in his speculations is not particularly pertinent, but during the twenty-five years he had never had a more extensive view of the city than that which was necessitated through his daily trips from his hotel to the theater.
Yesterday, accompanied by George R. Collins, an old friend, Mr. O'Neill rode over the boulevards and through the parks of the city. It was a revelation to him.
"I was absolutely astonished," he said last night immediately after the last act of the "Abbe Bonaparte." "The cliff drive, particularly, is a thing of remarkable beauty. It reminds me very much of the Palisades in New York. There is something about the boulevards and parks, and again I say particularly the cliff drive, that relieves one of that feeling of the 'made' drive. By that I mean the boulevards and parks that are literally constructed."
Labels: Cliff drive, theater, visitors
