Variety (May 1909)

14 VARIETY THE TWO BILLS' SHOW. .The union of Col. William F. Cody and Jeaj. Gordon W. Lillie has made little dif- ference $a the show. A twenty-minute display of Far Eastern natives in their sports and pastimes was the only depart- ure from the established routine of the popular exhibition. "Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Pawnee Bill's Far East, Combined" is the new title; ,A* haa been previously announced ttaj. Ltllie'e activities are all behind the seines. * At the opening performance in Madison Square Garden Tuesday night he did not ride in the arena, but watched the performance from a box on the Madison Square end of the auditorium, accompa- nied by Mrs. Lillie. Aside from an enlarged exhibit of Ori- ental features, the big novelty for the 1900 tour is Frenzieo ("Desperado" re- named), a high diver. Frenzieo earns his title. He invites a broken neck by mak- ing a hair-raising plunge from a cross gir- der in the Garden roof to an inclined board resembling the run above a "loop-the-loop" apparatus. This chute ends in an upward eurve at the ground, and the diver fin- ishes his flight by an upward leap. Frenxieo does not drop straight down from his perch. He takes off eight or ten feet behind the top of the slanting run- way and describes a dizzy arc in the air before landing with a jolt on the rigging. Under the present arrangement a good deal of the thrill is lost from lack of parade. The chute is moved intact from behind the curtain to its position and ad- justed. Frensieo follows without announce- ment, strolling slowly across the tanbark. He was half way to his position before the crowd recognised him as the intrepid diver. Poor dressing helped to make him inconspicuous. A white sweater covered the diver almost to the knees and black satin knickerbockers completed the cos- tume. Jfe might have been a workman with the show for all the distinguishing marks he bore. He was slowly hoisted to the roof bj the supers "walking away" with a line, and after a pause of a half minute made the plunge. The feat should be worked up with all sorts of fanfares, announcements, a pa- rade around the ring and every other known trick device to arouse interest. Even when handled with nonchalance the feat is a most striking one, and should make no end of talk. The proceedings start with the grand review, the Wild West riders emerging frdm the southwest corner of the arena and the Far Bast people from the north- east, mingling in a riot of color and mo- tion that fills the field completely. Then comes the assemblage of "Bough Riders of the World" with the introduction of Ool. Cody as its climax. Mounted on a gingery little piebald pony the Colonel is the same picturesque figure, and Tuesday night's big audience hailed him with the noisy enthusiasm that has come to be an annual incident in the Garden. Hie Pony Express episode ("episode" is filched from the program) is a fine, ex- hilarating exhibition of rough riding, fol- lowed by the usual U. S. Artillery drill. "Perils of the Plains" brought the cow- boys out in a spirited display of horse- manship involving the "Virginia Reel" by the riders and Ray Thompson's wonderful- ly trained high-school horses. An octet of sweet voiced singers made harmony as the camp sank to rest and darkness fell under the skillful hands of the Gar- den electrician. The prairie fire, rather more convincingly worked than last year, brought this episode to an end. Lasso throwing by "Mexican Joe" and his riders, "Attack on the Deadwood Stage Coach" and Devlin's Zouaves were familiar features which kept the audience amused and interested. For "The Battle of Summit Springs" a set of scenery has been provided, quite the prettiest the show has had. The In- dians make their entrance from a moun- tain pass, much in the manner shown in "The Round-Up." The lighting effects on the stage are splendidly worked and the whole display is given a fascinating pic- turesqueness. Football on horseback has undergone a revision of rules. There is no longer a "kick-off." Instead the ball is left mo- tionless in the centre of the field and the riders plunge against it at a signal. This scheme helps the speed of the game. In- deed the game was much too short Tues- day evening. It was over almost before the audience had had time to warm up to partisanship. At the opening the cow- boys scored twice on their redskin oppo- nents within five minutes and the match was over. Rough riding by a detachment of the Sixth U. S. Cavalry filled ten lively minutes and then the big feature—big in interest if not in elaborate stage setting —"broncho busting" by the cowboys and girls. The Far East occupied the whole arena for the Fourteenth Episode. Rossi's Musi- cal Elephants made the feature. Others were a troupe of Bedouin acrobats and tumblers, a first-rate display; Japanese acrobats, jugglers and single-stick fight- ers; Singhalese musicians and dancers, Russian dancers, Dahomeans, with out- landish dances and barbaric "music"; an Australian boomerang thrower who couldn't get his range and dropped his weapons several times among the arena seats; and (curiously out of place) a pair of Scotch Highlanders with their skirling bagpipes. The centre of the big display was a platform drawn by four black horses on which a Hindu fakir took up a lot of time with the familiar levita- tion trick. The elephant act was reserved for the last and occupied the erena alone after the departure of the other performers. It ran through smoothly and the presence of the four dancing girls, who are hand- ling their animals much better than for- merly, gave it a pretty spectacular effect. Frenzieo had next call. Although the whole show had gone before and the roughest kind of rough riding had been on view, the Cossacks were turned into the arena just before the close. The wonders of the steppes seem, however, to hold their popularity, for the audience still had enthusiasm and to spare for their remarkable feats. A final salute from the whole organiza- tion and a final whoop by the audience for Buffalo Bill brought the evening to a close. It was then 10:40. The perform- ance started at 8:20. "An Attack on the Overland Train" was programed but not given. It will be a feature on the road. Ruth.* BILLING AGAINST HAGENBBCK SHOW • Logarisport, Ind., April 29. The Barnum-Bailey Circus is billed in Logansport without any date of appear- ance in the city mentioned on the paper. It is supposed the move is directed against the Hagenbeck-Wallace Shows, due in town shortly. The H-W combina- tion is a strong Indiana favorite. When the first billing of "The Big Show" start- ed, town people did not accept it as serious, believing it was done only for the purpose of annoying the opposition. Lately, however, the activity of the (Barnum-Bailey billers has convinced Logansport the Big Show is really coming. The Hagenbeck-Wallace people had some trouble here securing the show grounds. Several lots, each owned by a different person, were required for the necessary space. Most of the consents were obtained by a "pass for two." POLICE RAID "PRIVILEGE CAR." Los Angeles, April 20. A week ago to-day the police raided the Sells-Floto "privilege car." Six patrol wagons were necessary to remove the liquor found in it. The circus left town dry, the authori- ties holding the wet goods for evidence. F. J. Worrell, assistant manager of the circus, admitted liquor was sold in the car, but to no one not connected with the show. L. Groth and W. E. Daudell, proprietors* of the Log Cabin Cafe in Denver, the police were informed, ran the "privilege car," with the Sells-Floto people inter- ested. GOT ACTS NEARER HOME. Dick Bell, Jr., and his brother, Albert, who came to New York about a month ago looking for acts for the Circo Bell in Mexico, left the city without having en- gaged a single number. Dick Bell, St., filled up his show from the acts closing in Havana, Cuba, with the Pubillones organization last Saturday. The Bell show opens Monday and will tour all summer. A new show will be organized December 1 next and will open in Merida, Yucatan, Central America. The acts transferred from the Pubil- lones to the Bell circus are: Ortaney Fam- ily (6), Mme. Dio, Castrillions (10) and Delmar and Delmar, aerial teeth act. The Bell family, and a troupe of Japs com- plete the show. MILLERS MAY COME EAST. During the presence in New York this week of Eddie Arlington, general bgent for Miller Bros.' "101 Ranch," the report got abroad that the Wild West outfit might make an excursion into the east this season. Mr. Arlington did not vouch for the truth of the report, but it was persistent among circus people. Mr. Arlington re- turned to the show on Tuesday • evening. He will be in the city again in ten days or so. The Ringling Bros,' Circus opened-fairly welj . under canvas at Brooklyn Monday. The. closing days ^at the Madison Square Garden were npt entirely satisfactory to, the■;manage.ment. During the engagement: the evening crowds far exceeded those at the matinees. FOUR CIRCUSES IN COLUMBUS. Columbus, 0., April 29. Lively times portend here. Between April 30 and May 20 four circuses are due to play this town. The Wallace Hagenbeck people lead the procession. The town is fairly plastered with their paper announcing performances on May 5. Barnum & Bailey CSrcus are almost as elaborately billed for <May 20. Miller Bros.' "101 Rarch" will be here May IS', although they have not found very much space to hang their announcements. The fourth organisation is Lambrigger*s Wild Animals, which arrive tomorrow. C. I. NORRIS HAS OWN CIRCUS. Santa Crux, April 29. While he was here recently with his show "The Norris Bros.' Trained Animal Show," C. I. Norris gave out a statement to the effect that he was no longer con- nected in any way with the old Norris & Rowe Circus. "The Norris & Rowe Circus," he said, "is using my name and lithos, and I am not with it. I have absolutely no inter- est either with the circus or with H. S. Rowe." SUSPENDED FOR SEEING CIRCUS. Nashville, Tenn., April 29. Sixty-six students of the Castle Heights School gave their guardians the slip last week and attended the perform- ance of the Van Amberg & Howe circus here. They were caught, the whole three-score odd being suspended for the rest of the school *erm, and sent home. MILEY A. EDWARDS DEAD. One of the most popular circus men known in the advertising department of that world, Miley A. Edwards, died of pneumonia at St. Barnabas Hospital in Minneapolis, April 17. For the. past five summers Miley Ed- wards has been ahead of the Ringling Bros.' shows, traveling with "Car No. 3." For one year he was with Cole Bros.' Circus. He is survived by his two broth- ers, William, manager of the Northern Display Ad. Co., and Harry, the advertis- ing agent of the Minneapolis Orpheum. ALLEN'S S. A. SHOW. The show booked by J. Harry Allen for a South American tour, sailed Saturday last for Caracas. It. included Alfreno Swartz Family, wire act; Vida Sisters, aerial; He were, perch; Le Centre and La Rue, comedy musical; Les Jundts, equi- librists; Three D'Estelle Sisters, singing and dancing; Capt. Webb's Seals, Two Nelson Brothers, Two Youmas and Amora and Co., illusionists. The show will play eight weeks, four of them in Caracas. Belle Clark and Her "Dancing Horse" will join the Frank Robbins show. The act has just completed a tour of the Sheedy Circuit. The third annual convention of the show printers will be held at the Havlin Hotel, Cincinnati, . commencing May. 12. Charles. W. Jordan is president of the association.