Show World (July 1909)

July 10. 1909 - THE SHOW WORLD 5 BUFFALO BILL COMING OBJECT TO “BARKERS” TO RIVERVIEW PARK OUT AT WHITE CITY “Creation” Opened Last Saturday, and Other Attractions Are Proving Popular. Law and Order League Waging a Crusade Against Announce¬ ments Made in the “Openings”. “Creation” the spectacle so anxious- t&raited—opened at Riverview Ex¬ position last Saturday night and in spite of the minor defects which must be expected at early performances, the production was favorably re¬ ceived by those who had seen the of¬ fering of the same name in the east. “Creation” is a fitting attraction for Riverview and proves another of the moral shows which put the exposition in a class by itself and out of the list of ordinary amusement parks.- It would be difficult to describe “Creation.” It is so different from “The Monitor and the Merrimac” that it may well divide the honors as the chief feature of the world’s greatest amusement resort. The coming of the Buffalo Bill Wild West and Pawnee Bill Far East to Riverview is now the main topic of conversation among showmen and the consensus of opinion is that the engagement will prove profitable to both the park and the show. Buffalo Bill’s name is a great draw- ingicard, and every report indicates that he is backed up by a splendid performance. This happy combina¬ tion is expected to prove a record- breaker for Riverview, where big crowds are common. The human roulette wheel continues to be a center of interest at Riverview andfalways gets more than its share of people. The ladies get on the tffltel as well as the men and boys, K seem to enjoy the fun, for they ^^jways anxious for a second ride. -^He witching waves, which opened recently, is proving popular and the other attractions make up an evening’s entertainment which it is impossible to" duplicate. . Business so far this season has not been big for the concessions, with the exceptions of Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Vaudeville Man Arranges for Many Novelties for His Music Halls. ”1 had no difficulty in booking any number of American acts,” asserted Mr.tMorris regarding his European trip. “Felix & Caire were eagerly taken, and Juliet was grabbed with similar avidity. James J. Jeffries every one held out their hands for. I booked Amelia Bingham at the Pal¬ ace, and no sooner was it announced that she would appear than I under¬ stood she was offered a part in the “Cinderella” pantomine by George Edwardes, while Miss Carus was of¬ fered the principal boy’s part. I made immediate arrangements for booking Bob Fitzsimmons and his wife there for another year after they filled their engagements with us in this country. Joe Welch was placed there by our London office. 9 -'“Finding talent of sufficient impor¬ tance to book into this country was more difficult than booking American acts in Europe. Consul, the chimpan¬ zee that was a sensation at the Lon¬ don Hippodrome, I found in a small town near London, after chasing him wl through the provinces. Then our time was so short that had it not been for the kind offices of Byron Chand¬ ler, who brought Consul from Rams¬ gate to London by automobile in five hours just in time to make the train for Southampton, I would not have been able to bring the chimpanzee with me.” New “Buster Brown.” The musical comedy, “Buster Brown,” will be an entirely new enter¬ tainment next season, as the Buster Brown Amusement company has ac¬ cepted a new play written around the familiar characters of Buster, Tige and Mary Jane. The book is by George Totten Smith and the music by John W. Bratton. The scenery will be new and is being built at the studio of P. Dodd Ackerman. Manager Fined. IOWA CITY, Iowa, June 30.— Manager Pocock of the Bijou was fined twice for violating the Sunday labor law in operating his theater. Changes Hands. FREMONT, Neb., June 30.—J. W. Glenn is once more proprietor of the Bijou Dream, having bought out the interests of the Clark Brothers. Shaw Play Forbidden. LONDON, Eng., June 26.—Again has the censor disapproved of a play by Bernard Shaw. It is called “Press Clippings.” FALTYS AND GILLMAN IN JAIL? ASHEVILLE, N. C„ July 5.—J. C. Faltys and G. M. Gillman, who are renorted to have skipped from For¬ rest Park, Little Rock, Ark., without paying salaries to their people, and who are also alleged to have accom¬ plished the same thing in the con¬ duct of their park at Jackson, Tenn., were arrested and placed in jail here. —COLLINS. _ A certain Chicago firm of attorneys in an attempt to collect an old ac¬ count from E. J. Faltys, who is prob¬ ably the same as is mentioned in the foregoing, reported to their client: “Our attorney is returning this collec¬ tion as absolutely worthless.” The Chicago Law ond Order League is waging a crusade against the vulgar spiels on the part of “barkers” at White City and other places of amusement; a sort of an echo of the recent uprising which led to the principal dancer leaving the Salome show at that place. It is only one of a string of an¬ noyances which has beset the man¬ agement of White City recently. Last Sunday a week there came near being a strike by the Italians working in “The Destruction of Messina.” It ap¬ pears, from the reports current, that an interpreter engaged the Italians and was to get 75 cents a week from each one which would total some¬ thing like $30 a week for him. The park management dispensed with the interpreter’s services and he wanted to take the Italians with him. Half of them can’t speak English and there was some uneasiness for a time. At length a copper is reported to have put the interpreter off the ground and peace reigned again. Recently several people have been cut off of the “Messina” show, accord¬ ing to rumor. Crowds have not been very large at White City this year although Leon¬ ard Wolf is quoted as saying that Saturday and Sunday let the park out. Last Wednesday night there was a rather small crowd, and Thursday night of last week is reported to have seen a still smaller attendance. Patronage is said to be not nearly so good as in previous seasons by those who have been connected with the amusement place and ought to know. Buffalo Bill will begin an engage¬ ment just across from the White City entrance Saturday of this week, and this ought to help the park. It will provide an attraction to draw people such as the park stands in need of, in the judgment of men who have been connected with parks. Buffalo Bill exhibited some distance from White City on his last visit to Chi¬ cago, but was forced to go right op¬ posite it to get a lot this time. The Buffalo Bill advance department ex¬ pect his coming will aid White City. The Finney Family continues to be drawing attractions and the perform¬ ance is greatly enjoyed by those who sit on the high seats or are provided with mackintoshes. There is a sign Phoenix Theater on the building occupied by the “De¬ struction of Messina” which it would be well to paint over if there is a desire to obtain credit for a well- managed park. IN CHICAGO THEATERS. “The Climax” will come to Powers on August 1. McVicker’s will open Augfist 28 with “The Circus Man.” The Princess will reopen in the fall with “The Goddess of Liberty.” Catherine Clark is Mabel Barrison’s understudy in “The Blue Mouse.” The stock company at the Alham¬ bra is doing an average business. The Great Northern will reopen on August 1 with “Follies of the Day.” “A Gentleman From Mississippi” is in its eleventh week at the Grand opera house. The Bijou and the International will play Stair & Havlin melodramas the coming season. No matinee was given last Monday at the Studebaker where “The Candy Shop” is prospering. The court will determine the Askin- Singer controversy in regard to the La Salle theater next Tuesday. The new Court theater is being rapidly erected and will probably be ready to open on schedule time. “The Traveling Salesman” is now in its thirteenth week at the Illinois, and is still playing to fair houses. The Chicago opera house, the Great Northern, McVicker’s, Powers’, the Princess, and the Whitney are now dark. The American Music hall closed with two performances on July 5. It will undergo improvements before re¬ opening. Vaudeville appears to be just what was needed at the Columbus theater. The house is now attracting fair patronage. “The Golden Girl” gave 203 consec¬ utive performances in Chicago be¬ fore going to Milwaukee, between visits to Milwaukee. The Bush Temple closed last Sat¬ urday night. The Herman Lieb play¬ ers did not draw sufficient patronage to warrant a continuance. It is possible that a stock company will be put into the Garrick which will produce new plays, like the com¬ pany the Shuberts have at Washing¬ ton, D. C. Richard Carle’s judgment seems to have been good in reviving “The Ten¬ derfoot” at the Colonial. It is doing a nice business and is deserving of patronage. The monkey and the maid in “Danced to Death” is the title of a sketch that was offered at the People’s theater last week. The playlet was offered for the first time in America, and Charles H. Weston, formerly playing the dog, “Nana,” in “Peter Pan” with Maude Adams was feat¬ ured. J, H. Yeo, of Milwaukee, is the manager of the sketch. FRANK E. FOSTER “That Newspaper Man” of Iowa Falls, Iowa, who enjoys a wide acquaintance with one-night stand folks through his interesting letters to theatrical publications.