La Crosse, Great Falls, & Baby Russell

Treasure Chest Thursday
By Don Taylor

For this week’s Treasure Chest Tuesday, I’m looking at page “DSCN1452” from the Donna Darling Collection, which consists of two newspaper clippings and one photograph.

Donna Darling Revue at the Majestic Theater.

The first clipping is an ad for

VAUDEVILLE
A Dazzling Dance Fantasy.
“THE DONNA DARLING REVUE”
in 5—Scenes—5
With Donna Darling, Sammy Clark and three stars.
In a super song and dance revue with a dash of comedy.

Luckily, Donna wrote on the upper left corner, “La Cross | Dec 4-5.” From Newspaper Archive, I had previously learned that Donna had played at the Majestic Theater in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, on December 4 & 5, 1926.

The second clipping is a bit more problematic. It has a nice photo of Donna and says:

Donna began doing the “Donna Darling Review” with Sammy in April 1926, so the show must have taken place after then. The problem is that the two of them played:

• The Grand Theater in Great Falls, Montana on Nov 26-27, 1926.
• The Grand Theater in Macon, Georgia, on March 14-18, 1927.
• The Grand Theater in Montgomery, Alabama, on April 1-3, 1927.
• Plus, I have many open dates that she could have played at a “Grand Theater.”

For the clipping in question, other acts on the bill include:

• Princess Winona.
• Zehn and Dreis in “Dementus Americanos Habitat North America.”
• Billy Curtis and Lou Lawrence in “Is That the Custom.”
• Morell and Elynor (roller skating)
• The Reginald Denny picture “Rolling Home.”
• Luckily this bill was short-lived, only about two months. At every showing there was a different picture show. On November 26 & 27, the bill of these vaudeville acts played at the Grand Theater in Great Falls Montana along with the picture “Rolling Home.”  I am confident that this clipping comes from this date and place.

Donna & Russell ca. 1929.

Finally, there is a new photograph of Donna with Russell. Russell appears, to me, to be about two years old. Russell was born in 1927, so I’m fairly sure that the photo come from 1929 or so. This is a case where I wish I knew how to fix photos with Photoshop. I’d love to pluck out the white and have a nicer photo.

Can anyone help?