Donna in Glens Falls, NY, at the Empire Theatre – June 5-7, 1922

Vaudeville
Donna Darling & Co.
Empire Theatre, Glens Falls, NY
By Don Taylor

Donna Darling & Company had finished a series of shows at several F.F. Proctor’s theatres in New York City (23^rd Street, 125^th Street, & 58 Street) before heading north to Glens Falls, New York, where they played at the Empire Theatre.

Ad – Glens Falls Post-Star – June 7, 1922, Page 7

The Glens Falls Post-Star newspaper of Saturday, June 3, 1922, reported that “Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday” was another “Great Vaudeville Show.” The feature picture was Dan Scully’s Greatest Stage Success, “THE PARISH PRIEST,” starring William Desmond. Vaudeville included:

• Hughie Flynn and Miller & Rock in “Something Irish.”
• Donna Darling and Boys in a musical, dancing and singing skit;
• Bell Sisters in singing and pianologue;
• Leonard, Gardner and Green in comedy, singing and talking.

A June 7^th article, on page 7, mentions that “Donna Darling and Boys head the bill,” as Donna always wanted to be the headline of the shows she starred in.

After the show, Donna left for Detroit, where her tonsils were taken out, and then she took a vacation until July.

Empire Theatre

Postcard: Empire Theatre & Hotel Ruliff.

I was lucky to find a postcard of the “Hotel Ruliff and Empire Theatre, Glens Falls, NY.” Although the theatre was distant in the photo, I later learned that there was an underground passage between the hotel and the theatre[i].

The Empire Theatre opened on October 6, 1899, and closed in 1950, when it was converted to offices[ii].

Specifications for the Empire Theatre[iii]

The population of Glens Falls in 1922 was 16,638.
Seating Capacity: 1,200.
Manager: John A. Fitzgerald.

• Stage: 70 ft wide, 34 ft Deep, 65 ft high
• Newspapers: “Post-Star” (M) and “Times” (E).
• Hotels: Rockwell, Ruliff, Madden, Peabody, Fitzgerald, & Globe.
• Railroad: D&H (Delaware and Hudson Company[iv]).

Empire Theatre Today

The Empire Theatre & Hotel Ruliff today.

The Empire Theatre building today.

Endnotes

[i] Cinema Treasures, Empire Theatre, 11 South Street, Glans Falls, NY 12801. https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/16857
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] Julius Cahn—Gus Hill Theatrical Guide and Moving Picture Supplement, 1921 Edition, Page 61, Glens Falls.
[iv] Wikipedia – Delaware and Hudson Railway.