Salvation Nell

Salvation Nell (1908), a play by Edward Sheldon. [Hackett Theatre, 71 perf.] Nell Saunders ( Mrs. Fiske) is a scrubwoman at Sid McGovern's seedy bar on Tenth Avenue and is loved by the ne'er‐do‐well Jim Platt ( Holbrook Blinn). When Al McGovern ( John Dillon) makes advances to Nell, a fight ensues and Jim kills Al. After Jim is taken away by the police, Myrtle Odell ( Hope Latham), a prostitute who is a habitué of the bar, attempts to persuade Nell to adopt her trade. Nell refuses the offer and instead comes under the guidance of Major Williams ( David Glassford) of the Salvation Army. With her newfound fervor, Nell attempts to reform Jim when he is released from prison. He is appalled and offended at first, but her goodness and perseverance finally win him over. Sheldon's first success and one of Fiske's most memorable vehicles, Theatre Magazine wrote of it, “‘Salvation Nell’ is from the heart of the times. . . . The intent is not to entertain us with the disagreeable or to make us acquainted with vice for our amusement. It is all incidental to the pity and sympathy which it should evoke.”