The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1909-07-06
ACTORS UTTER CURSES
LOUD AND LONG TO-DAY
Former Colonial Theater Manager
Owes Theatrical People, Film
House, Stage Employees, Newspa-
pers, Lessee Wingfeld, and as Re-
suit Venture Comes to Grief.

There are a lot Of mourning crsaff-
ors of Tow1es opera houses summer
vaudeville and the Idlehour theater to-
day.
The cheap show business in Hammond
received a bad Jolt last week as a re-
suit Of er-competition. Some time
ago J. c. Heron, the rormer manager
of the Colonial theater on State street,
secured a lease on Towle's opera house
and announced that he was going to
put the other shows in the city out OF
business with his vaudeville program
This strenuous competition closed the
Idlehour theater on State street and the
Wonderland on West State street. and
then was himself compelled to go out
of business because of his inability to
pay his bills.
Towle's was closed last evening for
the first time since the plan to give
summer vaudeville was amor ..sed, a.
the Surprising tEsiIaf. 49, the cIosinl
is the fact that on Saturday and Sunday
the place was packed with people.
1t Was HerrOn's Failure.
However. Hammond people should not
confuse Herron's failure with the real
management Of Towle's Manager Nye
and Lessee Wingfeld simply leased the
on summer vaudeville was Herron's
failure and not Nye's. Complaints are
coming in from all sides today of Her
ron's action, and his creditors are so
numerous that it is hard to see what
became of the large box office receipts
he had since starting his venture.
It is reported on the streets today
that the last vaudeville aggregation
that was sent to Hammond was not
paid for its work; that the attaches OF
the theater have various sums OF mon
ey coming from Heron; that the NOV
ing picture people are still waiting for
some money, and that there are a num-
Der of other people in the city to whom
Heron owes money. 1t is said that
Herron's picture machine was gather
ed in by theatrical people.
Extrava gance and mismanagement
are said to have accounted for Herron's
downfall in his latest enterprise. There
will be no further amusements at
Towle's until along in August. when the
regular opening of the theatrical sea
son will occur It was known for some
time that Heron was not paying his
bills, as he has not paid some of his
creditors since he started in at TowIe's.
Too Many Fheaters.
The Idlehour was doomed to failure
from the very first for the reason that
there was not enough business on East
State street to support two theaters
of the kind The theater went out Of
business without paying its bills. Tho
Bijou has weathered all Of the eompe-
tition that 1t met and is still doing a
big business. The crowds that gath
cred Saturday. Sunday and Monday TO
see the show at this theater were so
Of the time and the crowds could not
be accommodated.
The Princess theater was also crowd
ed all day long and is still the popular
five-cent theater of the city. The Won
derland, II is understood, VIII be opened
again. now that Towle's is closed.
The Colonial is doing fair business
but Heron, who formerly ran it, claim
ed that Manager Brooks owes him
money He. too has felt the competi-
tion of the ten-cent shows. The effect
of the closing Of two of the well known
theaters in this city is expected to have
the effect of lettering others from at
tempting to open cheap theaters and
indicates that the limit has been reach
ed in the number OF these amusement
houses.
The vaudeville on the Lake Front
park and the fact that many people
have gone there for amusement during
the hot summer days is also said to
have affected the small show business
in Hammond