The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

Reporter's note: "I know this will sound like an odd question, but..." opened a letter from Stephen Stratton of Astoria, New York. The letter was emailed in early March to the Blaine County librarians in Chinook. After studying the letter a bit, the librarians handed it off to me suggesting, "This might be something that would interest you." It had to do with an event that might have occurred in the summer of 1940 in Chinook.

Not necessarily by my own choosing it seems my interest in local history has given me a reputation for chasing down answers for those "this might sound odd" kinds of questions. I don't always get it right, but what I write usually stimulates an alert reader to point out the error of my ways. Here's a little story about the latest odd request I've pursued, as I understand it at this time.

Did the Hilton Siamese Twins perform at Chinook's Orpheum Theatre in August, 1940?

Stephen Stratton wrote to the local librarians: "My grandfather was part of the Hilton Sisters' vaudeville act from late 1929 to 1935." Stratton wrote that as he learned about the act's crossing America, he decided to expand his search for information past the time his grandfather associated with the act. That brought him to wondering if the Hilton Sisters (conjoined twins) had performed at the Orpheum Theatre in Chinook during August, 1940. The Twins toured the Midwest that summer. He provided specific dates of interest which always helps since I can easily check specific dates in the archives of Chinook's old newspapers.

Stratton pinpointed locations and dates when the Hiltons toured our area. He wrote, "I know the Twins played that summer (1940) in Roundup, Polson, Havre, Baker and Glendive. An appearance around that time in Chinook (August 1-3 or 6-12) would make sense." He verified the Twins did perform at the Orpheum in Havre on August 4-5 and guessed a stop at the Orpheum in Chinook on their way to Baker and Glendive would make logistical sense. Per Stratton, Chinook's Orpheum was a part of the W.A. Simons Amusement Company based in Missoula, the same owners of the Havre theatre.

The saga of Violet and Daisy Hilton

Violet and Daisy Hilton, conjoined twins (popularly called Siamese Twins a hundred years ago) were born in England, in 1908, to a single mother who worked as a bar maid. Their survival past a few weeks was medical history for the period. Violet and Daisy were joined at the buttocks and pelvis, shared a circulatory system but did not share major organs. Mary Hilton, the birth mother's employer, saw the commercial value of the twins for entertainment and, for all practical purposes, bought them from their mother. Hilton bequeathed the twins to her daughter who continued to manage the Twins for several years after Mary Hilton's death.

In 1911 the twins toured England, then moved on to the U.S. in 1916. They were basically treated as slaves by their 'owner' and all the earnings from their appearances went to Hilton's daughter and son-in-law. Later, as adults, the Twins tap danced with an act put together by Bob Hope called the "Dancemedians." During their earlier years they learned to dance and play musical instruments. In the early 1930's the Twins sued their managers and gained their freedom. They began performing in vaudeville as "The Hilton Sisters' Revue." As vaudeville waned they performed at burlesque reviews.

The Twins appeared, in 1932, in the film "Freaks." As their popularity began to fade, they tried several stunts to get their name back in the headlines. Violet married an actor and, on paper, the marriage lasted 10 years. Daisy married a dancer, a marriage that lasted only 10 days. In 1951 they starred in a film loosely based on their lives.

They were finally reduced to making public appearances, their last occurring in 1961 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hilton Sisters were abandoned in Charlotte by their manager and worked as grocery clerks in Charlotte until their deaths in 1969. A number of Broadway plays, musicals and a documentary (in 2012) celebrated the famous conjoined twins.

Did the Hilton Sisters perform at the

Chinook Orpheum in 1940?

The short answer is, "Yes," but there's a bit more to the story. For many years the Orpheum's building was owned by the local Masonic Lodge, which had its meeting rooms on the second floor. Locals of a certain age recall attending dances in the Orpheum, many sponsored by the Rainbow Girls and DeMolay, youth groups associated with the Masons. Stephen Stratton, who got this inquiry going in the first place, said he found the Orpheum was owned by an amusement group in Missoula. As far as I could find locally the building belonged to the Masonic Lodge, but perhaps there was some lease agreement between the theatre company and the Masonic Lodge.

I asked Frank Sharples, a lifetime resident of Chinook and a longtime Mason, whether he recalled if there was a stage at the Orpheum suitable for live performances. He couldn't remember for sure, but thought not. Others I questioned were of the same opinion. I was operating on the assumption, at the start of my search of the old newspapers, that the famous Twins were likely never here because there was no stage that anyone could recall.

Stratton had specific times he guessed the Twins might have visited Chinook so I searched the archives of the "Opinion" feeling confident if such a famous act came to the Orpheum there would be an ad promoting their appearance and maybe even a news story. In the August 1, 1940 "Opinion" I found the movie schedule as well as a special ad about the Hilton Sisters' appearance-only one night, on August 6. That was the night following the Twins' appearance at Havre's Orpheum. The movie schedule showed "The Hilton Sisters" as an added attraction to the regular movie...and all at regular prices--40¢-28¢-15¢. Per the ad, it was "PAL NIGHT WEDNESDAY," even though the Twins appeared on a Tuesday night.

The demise of the Orpheum

Just so readers have the entire story, the Orpheum was torn down in the early 1960's. The old building stood at the corner of Indiana and 4th Street, in what is now the northwest corner of Finley Food Farm's parking lot. Dick Conrad's father, Richard Conrad, tore down the all-wooden building for the lumber.

Daisy and Violet Hilton appeared in Chinook, August 6 at the Orpheum Theatre.

Dick told, "My dad had a crew that he used one winter to tear down the old building. They were heavy drinkers and he split the crew so one half worked a day, did their drinking after work, then spent the next day sobering up at the hotel while dad worked the other crew." Dick Conrad said there were some huge beams in the old building. The lumber was used for various projects around Conrad's farm. Ardis Conrad said her father-in-law installed the flooring from the old theatre in his house at the farm.

I found one local (in his early 80's) who had a vague memory of the Hilton Sisters but he never said if he saw the live performance. I would be very interested if some alert readers might have attended the Twins' performance and would share their recollections for a follow up story. Secondly, could someone describe what the stage area of the Orpheum Theatre was really like? Finally, what was "PAL NIGHT WEDNESDAY" at the movies all about? Contact me through the "Journal" office, 357-3573.