The Vidette-Messenger Centennial EditionThe 1936 special edition celebrating Porter County's centennial year . . . .
The following article has been transcribed from the August 18, 1936, issue of The Vidette-Messenger, published in Valparaiso, Indiana. This particular special edition focuses on Porter County's centennial celebration and contains a 94-page compendium of Porter County history up to that time.
Return to the index of articles from The Vidette-Messenger's Porter County Centennial special edition.
Source: The Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso,
Porter County, Indiana; August 18, 1936; Volume 10, Section 1, Page 19.
Valparaiso Was Once a 'Bright Spot' On Theatrical Map; Many Stars Appeared
William A.
Brady, Pat Rooney, Sr., Henry E. Dixie, Walker Whiteside, Frederick Ward, Thomas
Jefferson, Jennie Yeomans, Minnie Maddern Fiske, Thomas Wise, Joseph Murphy,
Madam Janascheck, Vaughn Glaser, Noah Beery and a host of other internationally
famous actors and actresses have played to Valparaiso and Porter county
audiences in the old Academy of Music, the Grand Opera House, and Memorial Opera
House.
The Academy of Music was destroyed by fire in 1926. After it had been abandoned
for show purposes it was taken over by the Masonic lodge for its quarters. The
Grand Opera House had an up and down life after the Memorial opera house was
built in 1891 and later it was taken over by the Odd Fellows' lodge for its
home, but not after it had enjoyed a long era of theatrical history.
With the advent of moving pictures back in the early years of the present
century, a number of theatres flourished about the city in addition to those
named above. They were the Lincoln, Bitju, Vaudevue, Lyric and others. All
finally disappeared with the development of the picture business.
Albert F. Heineman, now engaged in the real estate business, is the veteran
theatre man of Valparaiso and Porter county. He can related many interesting
anecdotes of the old days - recalling the names of the old plays and players
which thrilled local audiences in those days.
Mr. Heineman's first experience in the show business was in 1889. James McVicker
McGill then owned the Academy of Music and wanted some one to run it. Mr.
Heineman took over the theatre and ran it one winter when the Masonic lodge took
it over. The first show booked by him was the elder Pat Rooney, father of the
Pat Rooney now a big stage star. The show did a big business.
The same year Mr. Heineman leased the Grant Opera House, the second floor to the
present Sears, Roebuck building. The entrance was outside the building in the
alley. One day he received a telegram from Milwaukee that "Crocker's Horses"
wanted a date. He wire back: "Sorry, can not use them as the house is upstairs."
They wired back just what they wanted. There were nineteen beautiful, full-sized
sorrel horses, wonderfully trained. During the three-day performance, matinee
and night, six performances, the theatre was crowded. People came from Elkhart,
South Bend, LaPorte and other neighboring communities.
"I booked many great attractions in that house," Mr. Heineman added. "Some that
I remember were Joe Murphy, Madam Janascheck, Hi Henry's Minstrels, Frank I.
Frayne with his Indian band and wild animals in cages; and Daniel Boone in the
play "On the Frontier." Graham Earle was a great favorite in Valparaiso as was
Bryan's comedians, with Felix A. Vincent and Morris B. Streeter. Maude Atkinson
in "The Spy," was another head liner. Robert Ingersoll, De Witt Talmadge and
Elbert Hubbard gave lectures. The Columbian Society under the leadership of P.
W. Clifford and P. O'Sullivan also gave a number of fine home talent dramas
which were also repeated in other cities. James Whitcomb Riley, Bill Nye and
Opie Read also appeared before local audiences.
In 1891 Mr. Heineman took over Memorial Opera House which had just been built.
In this theatre he maintained a nine piece orchestra for all performances. Prof.
August Wolf, formerly of Valparaiso university, was the leader, and under him
were some of the city's finest musicians.
Among the attractions that came to Valparaiso and played in the old Memorial
opera house were Sousa's and Creator's bands. Other attractions were Wm. A.
Brady, the father of Alice Brady; Henry E. Dixie in "The Man in the Box,"
Frederick Ward, Thomas Jefferson, a son of Joe Jefferson in "Rip Van Winkle,"
Walker Whiteside in "Hamlet," and Jennie Yeomans in "The Home That Jack Built."
The latter play was brought to Valparaiso direct from New York City and from
here went to the Grand Opera House in Chicago. A carload of Chicago reporters
came to Valparaiso to see the play.
Other notables were Minnie Madden, later known as Mrs. Harrison Fisk; Harrison
J. Wolfe, a Shakespearian actor; Thomas A. Wise, the great English actor; John
Griffith in Macbeth; Nell Burgess in "The County Fair," Otis B. Thayer and
Gertrude Bondhill in "Sweet Clover," Porter J. White in "Faust," Ogden Stevens
in "When Knighthood Was in Flower," Knute Erickson in "The Man From Sweden,"
Henry Miller in "The Little Christian," Rose Melville in "Sis Hopkins," J. C.
Lewis in "Si Plunkard," Joseph Conyers in "Our New Minister," Miss Jane Corcoran
in "A Doll's House."
Other attractions were "The Isle of Spice," and "Holty Tolty" musical comedies;
H. H. Frazee's "Honeymoon Trail," with a company of sixty people; Stetson's
"Uncle Tom's Cabin", a yearly attraction for more than thirty years; H. H.
Frazee's "Josh Perkins," David Belasco's "Heart of Maryland," and "The Girl of
the Golden West," the Lyman Twins in "A Merry Chase," the four Huntings in "The
Fool House," William A. Brady's "Way Down East," Felix Haney, in "When the
Harvest Days Are Over," Sol Smith Russell's "A Poor Relation," Charles H.
Clark's "The Little Christian," Fred Wright's "York State Folks," Lottie Blair
Parker's "Under Southern Skies," and Quincy Adams Sawyer.
The first moving pictures ever shown in Valparaiso were given at Memorial Opera
House. These were projected by the Edwin Stuart Repertoire company. Later James
D. Hollett opened a store room picture show on Main street, now Lincolnway.
After that a Mr. Rock, who had a vault full of picture films in Chicago, came to
Valparaiso, and with Mr. Heineman ran pictures for a long time, with 5 cent
admission. Then pictures came in strong and Mr. Heineman purchased an up-to-date
outfit and ran pictures until after the war. For the pictures a nine piece
orchestra furnished the music. In its membership were Prof. August Wolf, Madge
Bell Lindall, Frank Wilson, Roger Wilson, Marion Bell, Doc Nicholls and George
Marquardt. Frank Wilson and George Marquardt are now radio performers.
Mr. Heineman also went to New York City to book his shows for the season. He has
his headquarters in Walker Whiteside's office on Broadway. It required two weeks
to do the bookings. The motion pictures came and replaced the stage shows.
Those who worked under Mr. Heineman in his theatrical ventures were: Grant
Mitchener, Andy Reiter, George Hankinson, Clarence Drown, Eugene Willits, Henry
Caswell, Ernest Butler and Earl J. Salisbury. Clarence Drown later went to Los
Angeles, where he became manager of the Orpheum theatre. His daughter, Hope
Drown, made good in pictures.
In 1920, Mr. Heineman took over the management of the Schelling Music Hall which
had been built by August Miller for Mr. Schelling and opened on Nov. 25, 1914
with the feature picture, "The Spoilers." The two men operated the Memorial and
the Schelling for four years, using the Memorial for vaudeville and Schelling
for pictures.
In 1922, G. G. Shauer & Sons of Chicago, purchased the Hotel Spindler property,
and razed the building. The building was razed and the present Premier Theatre
building, seating 1,200 people. Later the firm acquired the lease for Memorial
Opera House, the Lincoln Inter Tivoli, and Schelling theatres. The later had
been operated under the name of the Varsity by Joliet, Ill., interests prior to
its acquisition by the Shauers. With the sale of his interests to the Shauers,
Mr. Heineman retired from the show business.
The Shauer interests now control the Premier, Memorial Opera House and Lake
theatre, formerly the Schelling.
No theatrical performances were given in Valparaiso prior to 1860, but
occasionally a circus, a traveling concert company, or a magic lantern
exhibition would put in an appearance. June and Turner's circus was the first to
show here and Joseph Robinson's next. Barnum's circus and menageries, with Tom
Thumb and a big giant came here about 1854 and drew a big crowd. In 1864, the
Academy of Music was started and opened the next year with a fair by the ladies
of the Presbyterian church. For many years shows were given in this building.
Article transcribed by Steven R. Shook