2007: Historic Imperial Theatre Crumples Under Wrecking Ball

The Imperial Theatre, a once important vaudeville house on Vancouver's Main Street (see here http://bcentertainmenttrivia.blogspot.com/2007/09/frank-william-hart-opened-what-he.html), was demolished. Until it's demise, it had a long stretch as a porn theatre called the Venus.
Rumor has it that two gay men once rented the theatre to watch movies alone in and one was found dead the next morning, tied, gagged and with a curling iron inserted in his anus.

1914: English Hussy Banned

The mayor of Vancouver banned performances by visiting English music-hall performer Marie Lloyd. At one point in her show she had lifted her floor-length gown up two inches to reveal a watch on her ankle. The shameless hussy!

Lloyd's songs, although perfectly harmless by modern standards, began to gain a reputation for being "racy" and filled with double entendre, ("She'd never had her ticket punched before" for example) largely thanks to the manner in which she sang them, adding winks and gestures, and creating a conspiratorial relationship with her audience. She became the target of Vigilance or "Watch" committees and others opposing music-hall licenses. She liked to claim that any immorality was in the minds of the complainants, and in front of these groups would sing her songs "straight" to show their supposed innocence.

1912: Comedy Legends Take on Vancouver

An English revue company called Karno’s Comedians performed in Vancouver. Included in the cast: Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel.

1909: Boxer Would Later Hit the Big Screen

World heavyweight boxing champ Jack Johnson fought a six-round exhibition bout in Vancouver with boxer Victor McLaglen, who would later become an Oscar-winning movie actor. This was Jackson's first bout after winning the crown.

McLaglen starred in over 120 movies including the 1935 film The Informer which earned him an Academy award.

Spouse Margaret Pumphrey (1948 - 7 November 1959) (his death) Suzanne M. Brueggeman (1943 - 1948) (divorced) Enid Lamont (1919 - 1942) (her death)

Trivia

Father of film director Andrew V. McLaglen.

Brother of actor Clifford McLaglen.

Brother of actor Cyril McLaglen.

Brother of actor Kenneth McLaglen

Brother of actor and sculptor Arthur McLaglen.

Father-in-law of actress Veda Ann Borg.

Daughter Sheila McLaglen born 1920.

Interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California, USA.

Grandfather of Mary McLaglen.

Brother of actor Leopold McLaglen.

As a carnival boxer, if anyone could stay in the ring with him for one round and not be knocked down, they won a box of cigars.

He was quoted as saying:

"Acting never appealed to me, and I was dabbling in it solely as a means of making money. I rather felt that the grease paint business was somewhat beneath a man who was once a reasonably useful boxer."

Complete bio here...

1908: Jeff, the Boxing Kangaroo Hits Town

In 1908 “Jeff, the Boxing Kangaroo” amused big crowds in Vancouver at the Pantages Theatre.

ed. note: After a quick Internet search I found evidence that "Jeff" spent his retirement years on the Ruhe Animal Farm in New York State. I don't know for sure that these two "roos" are one and the same, but how many boxing kangaroos named Jeff could there be?

http://home.att.net/~Berliner-Ultrasonics/ruhefarm.html