“The Girl with the Million Dollar Personality” Conquers Bloomington — April 1925
The Herald-Times, Bloomington, IN
April 23, 1925, p. 5.
When Donna Darling and her “Bathing Girls’ Revue” swept into the Harris Grand Theatre in Bloomington, Indiana for a three-day engagement beginning Thursday, April 23, 1925, the Herald-Times had already been building anticipation for days. The paper described the production as a “vaudeville extravaganza” — a novelty musical revue organized in Hollywood and brought east for a tour of the nation’s principal cities, where it had already proven itself a Keith Circuit headliner.
The revue was unlike anything Bloomington audiences had previously seen on the Harris Grand stage. Donna led a company of eight versatile performers, each a vaudeville artist in their own right, presenting individual specialties alongside their ensemble numbers. The show featured Donna’s cast portraying bathing beauties from many nationalities, in costumes representing the fashionable bathing centers of countries around the world, with dances from each nation woven throughout. A comedy sequence featured the evolution of swimwear from her grandma’s day, with Donna resplendent in an elaborate silver-and-orchid gown and Betty Bryant, of the Follies, appearing as Miss America.
The Chicago Tribune’s Mae Tinee, quoted in advance notices, captured Donna’s appeal perfectly: she was not only beautiful but sang and danced with unusual ability, earning her title, “the girl with the million dollar personality.”
The engagement closed Saturday, April 25th, hailed as the biggest vaudeville number ever seen on the Harris Grand stage.
It is always exciting to discover another venue where Donna Darling performed. Each new theatre we can add to her itinerary helps us piece together the remarkable scope of her touring career and confirms just how widely traveled and well-regarded she was on the vaudeville circuit. The Harris Grand engagement in Bloomington is a wonderful addition to that growing record.
Sources (All via Newspapers.com):
- “Bathing Beauties Coming.” The Herald-Times (Bloomington, IN), April 21, 1925, p. 6.
- “‘Bathing Beauties’ Is Vaudeville’s Extravaganza.” The Herald-Times (Bloomington, IN), April 22, 1925, p. 6.
- “Donna Darling Photo and Caption.” The Herald-Times (Bloomington, IN), April 23, 1925, p. 4.
- “Novelty Show at Harris Grand.” The Herald-Times (Bloomington, IN), April 23, 1925, p. 5.
- “‘Bathing Girl’s Revue’ Big Vaudeville Act at the Harris Grand.” The Herald-Times (Bloomington, IN), April 24, 1925, p. 7.
- “Harris Grand Theatre Advertisement.” The Herald-Times (Bloomington, IN), April 25, 1925, p. 2.
- “‘Bathing Girls’ at the Harris Grand Tonight.” The Herald-Times (Bloomington, IN), April 25, 1925, p. 6.
Disclaimer: This article was researched and written by the author. Claude (Anthropic) was used as a research and drafting aid, and Grammarly was used for editorial review and copy editing.
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