A Two-Day Engagement on Michigan’s Eastern Vaudeville Route
Vaudeville News of 11 December 1925 indicated that,”Donna Darling and Girls have finished their western tour and are going to spend Christmas at Miss Darling’s home in Detroit, Mich.” There is a possibility she played at the Miles Orpheum Theatre in Detroit over the New Year (Dec 28-Jan 1), but I’ve not been able to confirm that venue. In either case, she and “Her Girls” headed the 60 miles north to Port Huron, Michigan, to play at the Majestic Theatre for two days, starting Saturday, January 2nd, 1926.
The Shows
At the Majestic that week were two movies and five vaudeville acts.
- Movies: Ben Turpin in “Raspberry Romance” and The Spats in “Rubberneck.”
- Vaudeville: Vander & Haighe – Artists De Luxe
- Vance & Allen – “Mary”
- Moore and Horton – “The Waiter and The Dumb Waiter”
- Three Harmony Pals
- Donna Darling and Her Girls
I haven’t found any reviews or other information about the Vaudeville.
Majestic Theatre
The Majestic was a legitimate vaudeville and motion-picture house. In the mid-1920s, it featured silent movie shorts and vaudeville acts that were suitable for family audiences. Bookings were handled by the Bijou Amusement Company, which controlled and booked multiple houses. They typically booked short, two or 3-day engagements, so Donna’s 2-day engagement was usual. This type of booking was supplemented by vaudeville. Seating capacity: Lower floor, 549; Balcony, 419; Gallery, 500; Boxes, 24, Theatre on Ground floor[i].
History of the Theater
Opened in 1906, the Majestic Theatre was one of Port Huron’s principal amusement houses during the height of the vaudeville era. For two decades, it presented a steady stream of professional touring acts, later transitioning to motion pictures as live vaudeville declined. By the time “Donna Darling and Her Girls” appeared there in January 1926, the Majestic was a mature, well-established theatre serving both local audiences and cross-border patrons. The theatre closed in 1952 and was demolished several years later.[ii] Today, it the site is a walkway and parking lot.
Opened in 1906 and demolished in the late 1950s, the Majestic once stood at this location as one of the city’s principal vaudeville and motion-picture houses. Today, the site is occupied by a pedestrian walkway and parking area, with no visible trace of the former theatre.
Specifications for the Majestic Theatre, Port Huron, MI [iii]
The following specifications provide a sense of the Majestic Theatre’s physical scale and technical capabilities, offering insight into the type of productions it could accommodate during the height of the vaudeville era.
- Proscenium opening: 34×30 ft
- Front to back wall: 36 ft
- Between side walls: 75 ft
- Apron 5 ft
- Between fly girders: 45 ft
- To rigging loft: 56 ft
- To fly gallery: 24 ft
- 12 Dressing rooms
Endnotes
[i] Book – The Julius Cahn–Gus Hill Theatrical Guide 1913-1914.
[ii] CinemaTreasures.org – Majestic Theatre, 512 Grand River Avenue, Port Huron, MI 48060.
[iii] Book – The Julius Cahn–Gus Hill Theatrical Guide 1913-1914.
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