Donna in the News
99 Years Ago
by Don Taylor
Last May, in “Two clippings and three photos,” I reviewed a clipping from my grandmother’s scrapbook showing she played at a Rivoli theatre, probably in either Grant’s Pass or Portland, Oregon. I still haven’t found the same article; however, I encountered new clippings from the Oregon Daily and the Oregonian that show the same movie and vaudeville shows played at the Rivoli in Portland “all week” starting November 6th.
This week from the Oregon Daily Journal (Portland, Oregon) dated Nov 7, 1926, I learned that at the Rivoli theater:
On the vaudeville bill, the headline attraction is the Donna Darling Revue, featuring the well-known musical comedy juvenile, Sammy Clark. Miss Darling recently headed an act which lately toured the Keith circuit, while Clark has appeared in many musical shows on Broadway.
Three others in the act are Barring and Lazur and Hal Dixon, this group providing a full house of song, dance and fun.
And from the Oregonian (Portland, Oregon) dated Nov 8, 1926, I learned that:
Headline honors at the Rivoli theater this week go to the Donna Darling revue, which has a nice balance between song and dance, with a good dash of comedy thrown in for seasoning. Miss Darling is a personable young woman, and she has gathered about her a group of youthful talent, with Sammy Clark in the main line of support. Clark has a couple of comic songs that really are funny; Miss Darling sings engagingly, and the dancing members of the company are well equipped for their work.
Finally, though only an ad, the Oregon Daily of November 11th indicated Donna and Sammy were still at the Rivoli.
Because of those newly available online articles, I could confirm this venue of Donna’s exciting vaudeville career.
New information added to her career list:
Line for Schedule: November 6-11, 1926 – Portland, Oregon – Rivoli Theatre – “Donna Darling Review.”
Endnotes
My thanks to Newspapers.com for providing access to this clipping.
