Donna Darling Collection – Part 37

Posted on November 22, 2018 by Don Taylor

Treasure Chest Thursday
By Don Taylor

Fay’s Theater – Providence, Rhode Island

For this week’s Treasure Chest Thursday, I’m looking at a set of clippings from the Donna Darling Collection. First, we see she received top billing of “Great Acts of Vaudeville.” Her show, “Dona [sic] Montran and her Bathing Beauties” included “Eight beautiful California girls from the Golden Gate displaying the coming summer fashions at the beaches; a carload of scenery and a satchel full of costumes. 


My immediate questions were where and when. This was the first large ad I’ve seen for a theatre where Donna played that didn’t provide the name of the theater. The when was pretty easy. The bill includes the 1920 silent short, “Wedding Blues,” which IMDB indicates was released on November 28, 1920. Also, Donna began her “California Bathing Girls” show in July 1920 and it ran until May or June of 1921.


A second ad provides information about where. The ad says Donna Montran is coming Monday 8.  It isn’t clear what the 8 means, but, if it means date, then it fits that it would mean Monday,  November 8th. I’ve seen cases before where IMDB is wrong about the release date, so I’m not too concerned about the inconsistency.

Another clipping on the same page provides a bit more insight. It reads, in part, “The act held the stage at the Broadway Theatre, New York for ten consecutive weeks coming direct to Newport from Fay’s in Providence where it established a new record for attendance.

Key features:

  • The date is possibly 8 November, but more likely December 1920 or January 1921.
  • The venue is the Fay’s Theatre, Providence, RI
  • The show is the “Donna Montran and Her Bathing Beauties. “
  • Also, on bill
    • “Wedding Blues” with the Christie Follies Girls

Analysis

I have searched all of the on-line newspaper sources I could to determine an exact date for her playing in either Providence or Newport – Ancestry.com, Chronicling America (using Elephind), Genealogy Bank, Google News Archive, Newspaper Archives, Newspapers.com, etc.  Search as I may, I was unsuccessful in finding an on-line source for newspapers from that time. The closest I found was the Google News Archive and it has a gap in coverage from Oct 8 thru Nov 15, 1920.

Conclusion

Nov 8-10 (Possibly later) – Fay’s Theatre, Providence, RI – Donna Montran and Her Bathing Beauties. 

Actions

According to the Library of Congress, “US Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present” the following Libraries hold the Providence Journal (Providence, R.I.) 1920 issues, typically in microfilm form.

  • Boston Pub Libr, Boston, MA
  • Brown Univ, Providence, RI
  • Library of Congress, Washington, DC
  • Rhode Island Hist Soc Libr, Providence, RI
  • Univ of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI
  • Wisconsin Hist Soc, Newsp Proj, Madison, WI

I will try to visit the Boston Public Library the next time I am in Boston and see if I can find newspaper article or advertising that proves the dates she played at Fay’s Theater in Providence. Alternately, I’ll add this article to my (lengthly) list of tasks when I can visit Washington DC.

Sources

Donna Darling Collection – Scan0071.

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“Chin Chin” in Regina, January 15, 1920

Posted on November 19, 2018 by Don Taylor

Donna In the News
Montran Monday
 

“Donna in the News” is my reporting of newly found newspapers articles and advertising regarding my grandmother, Madonna Montran (aka Donna Montran and aka Donna Darling). I am always excited when I find a new venue of my grandmother’s exciting show business career of the 1910s and 1920s.

 Article

I discovered several articles in the “Leader-Post” (Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada) that are newly available at Newspapers.com. The articles showed that “Chin Chin” played at the Regina Theatre for 3 days starting January 15, 1920. Because of those newly available online articles, I was able to add another venue for Donna’s “Chin Chin” tour.

New information added to her career list:

Jan 15-17, 1920 – Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada – Regina Theater

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Chin-Chin starts the new year at the Empire Theatre, Edmonton

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Don Taylor

Donna Montran and “Chin Chin” play at the Empire Theatre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 1 – 3 January 1920

 Vaudeville/Chin-Chin

We know Donna and “Chin-Chin” played at the Avenue Theater in Vancouver for three days beginning Christmas Day. There are still four days that we don’t know where the company was and it is unlikely that they would travel the 750 miles between Vancouver and Edmonton with no stops between. However, I was able to find “Chin-Chin” at the Empire Theater in Edmonton starting New Year’s Day.

Article transcription:

Edmonton Journal, Thu, Jan 1, 1920, Page 9.

BY PRESS AGENTS

CHIN CHIN AT EMPIRE

There appears to be no doubt that Mr. Charles Dillingham’s stupendous production of “Chin Chin” with Walter Willis and Roy Binder in the lead, will duplicate its record of absolute capacity audiences at the Empire theatre where it will open a three-day engagement with a holiday matinee today.

Though the title of “Chin Chin” suggests a Chinese setting, it appears that the scenes are not laid anywhere near the Celestial Land.

There is no leading lady in this organization, although a number of beautiful women, principals and otherwise, song birds and actresses are in the cast, it appears that the who is to enjoy the place of honor as first favorite is left to the choice of the public.

Tom Brown of the Six Brown Brothers’ famous Saxaphone clown band, composed “That Moaning Saxophone Rag” which is one of the hits of the play.

It is estimated that 250,000 people all from points more than one hundred miles from New York have already seen “Chin Chin” while it was presented at the Globe theatre in New York, and not Mr. Dillingham is actually bringing this his only company in its entirety to the Empire theatre.

CLEVER FANTASY
     “CHIN CHIN” HAS
           MANY BIG SCENES

Musical Comedy at Empire
Says Farewell
Today

Do you remember when you were just a tiny chap, how you would read the “Thousand and One Nights,” or the wonderful adventures of “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” and “Sinbad, the Sailor,” and all the rest of those fasci­nating characters, and how from out of them all emerged “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp’* as the prime adven­ture of them all? And now Aladdin—a very modern Aladdin—very much in love with on American girl, appears in Charles Dillingham’s “Chin Chin,” which closes its engagement at the Em­pire theatre with matinee and evening performances today. In this musical concoction, everything comes Aladdin’s way upon wishing and rubbing the won­derful lamp, thereby causing many strange and wonderful situations.

Walter Wills and Roy Binder, as the two slaves of the lamp, keep the audience in constant laughter through seven scenes and the three acts that cover one hundred and fifty minutes of the most enjoyable fun.

Among the many features in this gigantic show are also the Teddy Bear Dance, Tom Brown’s Clown Saxophone Band, a real circus tent with an “honest-to-goodness” big white circus horse circling around the ring, while Mlle. Falloffski performs the most daring and screamingly funny bareback stunts.

Empire Theatre, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

The Julius Cahn – Gus Hill Theatrical Guide 1913-1914 indicates there were three theatres in Edmonton in 1913. All three were managed by W. B. Sherman. Bert Russell was the Res. Manager at the three theaters also. The theaters were the 1700 customer Sherman Theatre, the 1200 customer Empire Theatre, and the 900 customer Lyceum Theatre. Of the three, the Empire had the smallest stage, only 27×27 and 25 feet front to the back wall.[i]

History of Theater

Empire Theatre ca. 1919. Photo from the Glenbow Archives via LostYEG. 
(The Country Cousin was released in November, 1919.)

There were three different Empire Theatres in Edmonton.

The first Empire opened in 1906 at McDougal Avenue & Cristabelle Street (100th Street and 101st A Avenue. Three years later the building was abandoned and later demolished.

The second Empire was built as the Edmonton Opera House on 103rd Street north of Jasper and changed its name to The Empire about 1909. This was the theater that “Chin-Chin” played at in January 1920.

A third Empire was built in 1920 and opened in late December 1920.

Further Research

Learn the final disposition of the (second) Empire Theatre

Endnotes & Sources

[i] The Julius Cahn-Gus Hill Theatrical Guide 1913-1914; Page 695

Edmonton Journal (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) Jan 1, 1920, Page 9 via Newspapers.com.

Today’s History Lesson – Pantages Vaudeville Theatre – Connect to Edmonton (Powered by Yeg Tel)

 

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Donna in the News – Delayed by Train Crash on way to Fort Armstrong

Posted on November 12, 2018 by Don Taylor

Montran Monday

“Donna in the News” is my reporting of newly found newspapers articles and advertising regarding my grandmother, Madonna Montran (aka Donna Montran and aka Donna Darling). I am always excited when I learn of a new venue for my grandmother’s exciting show business career of the 1910s and 1920s.

Three New Venues discovered.

Another great week of Donna in the News with three new venues discovered and an intriguing note about Donna having been in a train crash.

The Rock Island Argus (Rock Island, Illinois) newspaper dated 29 March 1924 shows that Donna Darling and company played in a song and dance revue at the Fort Armstrong theatre. In another article, from March 31st, the paper indicated that she missed her first show at the Fort Armstrong because of a train crash. I wonder how bad of a crash was it? The crash has the potential of making another great story. I’m looking forward to additional research.

Next, is an ad from the News Record (Neehah, WI) newspaper dated 5 December 1924. The ad shows that the California Motion Picture Bathing Beauties, featuring Donna Darling played at the Neehah theatre on December 8 & 9.

Finally, from the The Record (Hackensack, NJ) dated 23 February, I learned that Donna Darling and Company played at the Lyric Theatre in Hackensack, for three days beginning February 24th.

Three new venues added to her Career List:

  • March 29, 1924 – Rock Island, Illinois – Fort Armstrong – Donna Darling & Company. com
  • December 8-9 – Neenah Theatre, Neenah, Wisconsin – Bathing Beauties featuring Donna Darling. com
  • February 24-26, 1927 – Lyric Theatre, Hackensack, New Jersey, Donna Darling & Co. com
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Ancestor Bio – Sally Ann Darling (c. 1822-18??)

Posted on November 8, 2018 by Don Taylor

52 Ancestors – Week 2018-45

By Don Taylor

Tracking down women in 19th Century records is often difficult. Over the past week or so, I’ve been searching for records about Sally Ann Darling, the sister of Rufus Holton Darling as part of my Darling research in Western New York. Searching many new sources, I’ve just not been successful in finding anything new about Sally Ann. I’m only barely convinced that she existed. That said, searching for evidence of Sally Ann led me to several other facts of interest, but first, what I think I know about Sally Ann.

Darling Research 2018 –The 6th child of  #48 (Abner Darling)

List of Grandparents

Sally Ann Darling (c. 1822-18??)

Birth

I have no real proof that Sally Ann Darling existed. I have found her in several trees shared by other people, including Family Search, but have not found any record proving positively that she existed. If Sally Ann were born in 1822, she would likely be one of the two females in the household of Abner Darling of Clarkson, New York aged 5 to 9 during the 1830 Census (the other likely being Hannah).

Similarly, with the death of Abner in 1839, she would have likely shown up in the 1840 Census record of her brother Rufus Darling who took over as head of the household. Sure enough, she appears to be in his household.  Rufus’ household includes two families, 15-19 years of age whom I believe are likely Sally Ann and Hannah.

Death

Her brother, Abner C. Darling’s obituary has no mention of Sally Ann. No entry is not evidence that Sally Ann didn’t exist nor does it provide evidence that Sally Ann had passed. However, it adds to my concern that the two children in Abner (senior) and Rufus’s census records could be entirely different people.  That said, if Sally Ann did exist, I suspect that she died sometime between 1840 and 1880.

Once again, my research for Sally Ann, so far, has not yielded any positive evidence of her existence.  

Bright Shiny Objects

However, my research for Sally Ann yielded several other bits of information (Bright Shiny Objects – BSOs) regarding other Darlings in Monroe County, New York.  It is my practice to ignore BSOs while researching someone, save the information or links to the information and come back to them later. I did that in this case and learned several things.

I confirmed that there was another Rufus Darling who lived in Monroe County during 1887. Second great-grandfather Rufus Holton Darling died in 1857; Rufus Harry Darling was living in Kalamazoo at that time. Additionally, Rufus A. Darling (son of Franklin C. Darling and Ellen Norton) was living in Minnesota in the 1880s. So, the Rufus Darling residing in Monroe County in 1887 is a heretofore unknown Rufus.

I found several newspaper articles indicating that Abner Darling had mail remaining at the post office as early as April 1824.  I knew that Abner was in Paris, Oneida County in 1820 and in Monroe County in 1830. Seeing that he had mail waiting for him in Monroe County in 1824 suggests that he located to Monroe County before April 1924, I also found a “History of Clarkson” newspaper article which confirmed Abner Darling’s death as Jan 11, 1839. The article also indicates that the cemetery was named the “Kenyon Cemetery” at that time rather than “Lakeside Cemetery” as it is currently known as.

————–  Disclaimer  ————–

Sources

  • 1830 Census, Abner Darling – Clarkson, Monroe, New York – Page 271. Source Citation
1830; Census Place: Clarkson, Monroe, New York; Series: M19; Roll: 94; Page: 271; Family History Library Film: 001715 4
  • 1840 Census (FS), Family Search, New York, Monroe, Clarkson, Page 177 – Rufus H Darling.
  • Appleton Crescent (Appleton, WI), 1880-09-25, Page 3 – AN OLD SETTLER DEPARTS. – Death of Abner C. Darling. Newspapers.com., Appleton Crescent, Appleton, Wisc.
  • Brockport Republic (Brockport, NY) – 1887-02-17 – February 17, 1887, Page 3, Column 4, “Parma” – Rufus Darling. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org.
  • Brockport Republic (Brockport, NY) – 1890-07-17 – Abner Darling. The Brockport republic. July 17, 1890, Page 3, Col 2, Paragraph 14 – nyshistoricnewspapers – Abner Darling.
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