Mr. Herbert Kelcey and Miss Effie Shannon in William Gillette's Original Version of Sherlock Holmes -- November 23, 2015

Town Talk, 03-August-1907

The first actor to become famous for playing Sherlock Holmes was American William Gillette. He played Holmes more than 1300 times, in a play he wrote himself, from 1899 to 1932. Other people toured in the play during times when Gillette was busy elsewhere or retired.  He retired frequently.  I wrote about him on my other blog:
http://bigvriotsquad.blogspot.com/2014/03/sherlock-holmes-looks-exactly-like.html

Town Talk, 03-August-1907

"This is the first time in history of stock in San Francisco that this great play has been essayed."  A stock company would perform several different plays during a period, often during the summer.  The September, 1902 Theater Magazine said Herbert Kelcey and Effie Shannon would tour with Sherlock Holmes in cities that had not yet been visited by William Gillette in the play.

Herbert Kelcey played Sherlock Holmes.

Effie Shannon played the heroine, Alice Faulkner.