Al Ringling Theatre – Bathing Beauty Revue

Donna Darling Collection – Part 10

Treasure Chest Thursday

By Don Taylor

For this week’s Treasure Chest Tuesday, I’m looking at a clipping from the Donna Darling Collection

This image was cropped, edited, and resized for the web.

Bathing Beauty Revue
Al Ringling Theatre

Key features:

• The venue is the Al Ringling Theatre. It is “America’s Prettiest Playhouse.”
• The show is the “Bathing Beauty Revue” staring Donna Darling and Murry Earl.
• Also on bill
  • Poli Negri in “Forbidden Paradise”
• Coming attractions include:
  • Bebe Daniels in “Dangerous Money”
  • “The Signal Tower”
  • “The City that Never Sleeps”

Analysis

It appears that the only theatre known as “America’s Prettiest Playhouse” is the Al Ringling Theatre. It was built in Baraboo, Wisconsin in 1915 and is in use today.

“Forbidden Paradise” was released on 30 November 1924.[i] The other three movies were released before “Forbidden Paradise.[ii] – [iii] – [iv] indicating that the Bathing Beauty Review occurred after that. Probably in December of 1924.

Donna’s known schedule indicates that she played three other Wisconsin venues in November and December of 1924, so she was definitely in Wisconsin at the time.

Finally, a review of the newspapers of the time yielded none currently available online. A search at Chronicling America indicated two newspapers published in Baraboo during 1924.

1. The Baraboo daily republic. : (Baraboo, Wis.) 1892-1929 – Current Holdings do not indicate any holdings from 1924.[v]
2. Baraboo daily news. : (Baraboo, Wis.) 1913-1929 – Current holdings indicate that the Wisconsin Historical Society, Newspaper Project in Madison, Wisconsin may hold issues from that period.[vi]

Conclusion

December (XX) 1924 – The Bathing Beauty Review featuring Donna Darling and Murry Earle played at the Al Ringling Theatre in Baraboo, Wisconsin.

Actions

• Visit the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison to view their Newspaper Project holdings, particularly the Baraboo Daily News from December 1924 and January 1925 looking for what played at the Al Ringling Theatre.
• Research the Al Ringling Theatre and write about Donna’s show there.
  

Sources

[i] IMDB Forbidden Paradise (1924) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0014925

[ii] IMDB Dangerous Money (1924) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0014825

[iii] IMDB The Signal Tower (1924)  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0015331

[iv] IMDB The City That Never Sleeps (1924) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0014777

[v] Chronicling America – About Baraboo Daily Republic – Holdings –   https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85041148/holdings/

[vi] Chronicling America – About Baraboo Daily News – Holdings –  https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87082039/holdings/