Show World (July 1909)

6 THE SHOW WORLD July 10, 1909. WHITE CITY CLOSES BIGGEST FOURTH IN ITS DOORS TO PUBLIC PAR KER’S HISTORY Leopold E. Wagener, Manager of Binghamton’s Amusement Con T. Kennedy Authority for the Statement That That Show Resort, Files a Petition in Bankruptcy is Prospering in a Season which is Far From Good BINGHAMTON, N. Y„ July 6.— After a struggle against unfavorable conditions of nearly four seasons, the White City Park closed its gates, fol¬ lowing the filing of a petition in bankruptcy by the proprietor, Leo¬ pold E. Wagener. Mr. Wagener in¬ vested a considerable amount in the park and had plans for a successful season this year, despite previous fail¬ ures. The unfavorable weather con¬ ditions of the early summer pre¬ vented any large attendance at the park and the management was unable to meet expenses. The White City Park covers eleven acres, and is covered by a first-mort¬ gage of $10,000. It is reported to have cost Mr. Wagener over $30,000 to put this place into the condition in which it is at present. Next door is another tract of seven acres, cov¬ ered with a first mortgage of $2,400, that cost him $4,000. On Washington street Mr. Wagener owns a block, mortgaged for $5,000, that cost him between $8,000 and $10,000. On Wal¬ nut street is another hotel mortgaged for $1,200, that cost $3,500. In addi¬ tion all this property is covered by two mortgages, one for $3,700 and an¬ other for $6,000. Outside of these liabilities the schedules show that Mr. Wagener owes not over $6,000. The assets in¬ clude the above named property and about $2,500 to $3,000 of personal property at the White City. JAKE WELLS QUITS AT MONTGOMERY, ALA. M6NTGOMERY, Ala., July 6.— Jake Wells is about disgusted with his vaudeville ventures here. He put in that form of amusement at the Grand, after the regular season had closed, but it failed to draw. He then opened the Casino at Pickett Springs with vaudeville, but has been forced to give up there.—LONG. Dreamland’s Big Fourth. NEW YORK, July 7.—In the three days that made up the Fourth of July holidays, Greater Dreamland broke all its records for large attendance. From early in the morning until late at night the park was thronged with people, and every concession played to the limit of its capacity.—HAWKS. Talent Recognized. NEW YORK, July 8.—Charles Robinson, known in burlesque, has been added to the cast of “The Fol¬ lies of 1909” and impersonates the Emperor William. AN AERONAUT KILLED AT PORTLAND, MAINE. PORTLAND, Maine, July 5.—Mis¬ taking the promiscuous firing of re¬ volvers by the crowd below as a sig¬ nal for the climax of his aerial act, James Corcoran, an aeronaut, 28 years old, of Lowell, Mass., cut loose with his parachute when but 500 feet from the earth at the Fourth of July cele¬ bration here today. He was dashed to the ground, meeting almost instant death at the feet of 5,000 horrified spectators. VAUDEVILLE ROUTES. Four Woods.—Broadway Theater, Logansport, Ind., July 12-17. Edward Reno.—Homer, Ill., July 15. Casad, Deverne & Walters.—Coney Island, Cincinnati, Ohio, July 12-17. Marritt Sisters.—Chester Park, Cin¬ cinnati, Ohio, July 12-17. Lee J. Kellam.—Delphus Theater, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, July 12-17. Gilroy, Haynes, Montgomery.— Orpheum, Rockford, Ill., July 12-17. Jack Symonds.—Pantages Theater, Tacoma, Wash., July 11-17. Wilbur Mack.—Orpheum, Spokane, Wash., July 18-24. Nella Walker.—Orpheum, Spokane, Wash., July 18-24. McCallums “Sunny South.”—Orphe¬ um, Salt Lake City, Utah, July 25-31. McLallen — Carson Duo. — Empire, Grand Forks, N. D., July 12-17. Carnival business has not been big this season and when one show does the biggest business in its history it causes showmen tp wonder what the secret is. Con. T. Kennedy, manager of the Parker show No. 1, who was in Chi¬ cago this week, stated that his at¬ traction had had the best season in its history, and that the Fourth of July business at Sterling, Ill., last Monday was the greatest business ever done by that show on Inde¬ pendence Day. The Parker No. 1 had a Fourth at Bloomington, Ill., on Saturday and from 7 o’clock in the morning until the police forced them to close down at midnight the crowds thronged the grounds in spite of the rain, and when Monday’s business at Sterling was still better Kennedy concluded that his show was “in luck” this season. The show opened at Oklahoma City in April and has been doing big right along. The jumps have been large many times and there is a pos¬ sibility that this is the key to the prosperity for Kennedy selects the towns very carefully. Next week the Parker No. 1 goes to Dubuque, Iowa, and later it plays La Salle, Ill., Quincy, Ill., and at Boonville, Mo., the first week in August. Town Looked Good. JASONVILLE, Ind., July 5.—The Cosmopolitan shows arrived here on good time Sunday afternoon, and as all the mines are working, a good week’s business is expected. —LUDLOW. Lugar in Bankruptcy. CINCINNATI, Ohio, July 6.—Jo¬ seph A. Lugar, a showman of Eaton, Ohio, filed a voluntary petition in bank¬ ruptcy in the District court. He owes circus performers and other employes $447.55. His total indebtedness is given at $4,574.15. His assets, consist¬ ing mainly of horses and mules, are given at $3,000. Risinger & Risinger were the attorneys for the petitioner. H. W. Curry, of Eaton, was appointed temporary receiver and his bond fixed at $7,000. The property is at present in charge of a constable of Milford, Ohio, on attachment proceedings.® RUNEY. More Concessions. JASONVILLE, Ind., July 8.-Sev- eral new attractions joined the Great Cosmopolitan shows here this week. —LUDLOW. HIGH DIVER FALLS AND BREAKS HIS LEG. BLOOMINGTON, Ill., July 4.- Straul, the high diver with the Parker shows, who makes a jump of 110 feet off of a fire truck, broke his leg here yesterday. He is now in the hospital,, but is expected to be able to rejoin the organization shortly. Some time ago he broke his arm and did not lose a single performance in conse¬ quence. CARNIVAL COMPANIES. Parker No. 1 .— Dubuque, Iowa, July 12-17; La Salle, Ill., 19-24; Quincy, 26-31; Boonville, Mo., Au¬ gust 2-7. A1 G. Barnes Animal Circus.— Lethbridge, Alb. Can., July IE-17; Brandon, 19-24; Regina, 26-31. ’ ] Cosmopolitan Shows. — Robinson,'/ Ill., July 12-17. Frank & Wrights.—Childress, Tex., July 12-17. Herbert A. Kline Shows.—Winnir peg, Man., July 12-17. Maryland Amusement Co.—Prince¬ ton, W. Va., July 12-17. New England Carnival Co.—Nash*, ua, N. H., July 12-17. C. W. Parker Shows.—Lethbridge, Alb. Can., July 12-17. Great Patterson Shows.—Washing¬ ton, Iowa, July 12-17. St. Louis Amusement Co.—Abing¬ don, Va., July 12-17. Sunflower Amusement Co.—Wichi¬ ta, Kan., July 12-17. BRIEF NEWS NOTES GATHERED IN CHICAGO The Four Woods are at Kokomo, Ind., this week, with Logansport to follow. They are playing “Country Cousins,” and the act is said to be a hit. W. J. Woods and Wayne Nunn have charge of the act. Archie Schatz left for the East Wednesday and will open at Keith’s for two weeks, beginning July 19. Van Hoven, the “Mad Musician,” is proving one of the surprises of the Majestic bill this week. The act is going splendidly and led to his being booked for next season on the Orphe- Louise Dressier, who is at the Ma¬ jestic this week, is singing “Take Me Back to Babyland,” “Something That the Cat Brought In,” and the inimit¬ able “Queenie Was There with Her Hair in a Braid,’-’ which was one of the song hits of “The Girls of Got- tenberg.” E. A. Warren, star and manager of “Nobody’s Claim” in its palmy days, will take out “A Race for a Widow” this fall and states that he will have a strong cast. The company will open about Sept. 1 in the middle states. Jeanette Patterson was here from Milwaukee this week taking in the points of interest. The performance of “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” given at Ravinia park last Sunday by the Ben Greet players, will be repeated on Saturday, July 10. This is done beccause the weather was so unfavorable last Sat¬ urday night that many people wish¬ ing to attend did not do so. Arline Baling, late of “The Alas¬ kan,” has joined the musical stock company at Sans Souci and is seen this week as “Queen Lili” in “King Dodo.” Jules Treat sold the book, lyrics and music of “The Promised Land” to Richard Carle on July 2, which makes the second play and four vaudeville acts he has sold since No¬ vember. He is arranging to produce a new farce comedy from his own pen, entitled “My Wife’s Baby,” fea¬ turing N. K. Cills, who has been prin¬ cipal comedian at the New York Hip¬ podrome. Ollie Eaton, who headed the stock company at the Alhambra Theater in Milwaukee, which closed recently, was in Chicago a couple of days this week en route for Benton Harbor, Mich., where she will pay a visit to Jack Ward Kett’s company. Later she will go to Napoleon, Mich., where she will be the guest of Mrs. M. C. Rogers. Delmar and Dexter, who were the producers at the Archer burlesque theater in Chicago for forty-two weeks, are at the Cosy theater at Gary, Ind., for the summer. They will open September 1 with George F. Belfrages’ “French Folly” company to. put on the burlesques and play principal parts. Sam Edwards, who is playing the role of Lewellyn in “The Blue Mouse,” received a telegram just be¬ fore the holiday matinee July 5, an¬ nouncing the death of his brother, Maze Edwards, in Plainfield, N. J. Maze Edwards was one of the well known old-time managers. He was associated with Henry E. Abbey, with John Stetson and Edwin Booth, and personally conducted the tours of Ed¬ win Booth, the elder Sothern and Sara Bernhardt. The Rev. C. A. McHenry, who was arrested recently at Cincinnati on a charge of performing a marriage cere¬ mony illegally, was a member of one of the Marvin stock companies last winter. “I remember him well,” said Mr. Marvin. “He played several minor parts in the late winter and early spring. He used to hold relig¬ ious services in the West Side Ma¬ sonic temple, on Sundays. He wasn’t bad as a beginner, but showed no ex¬ traordinary talent.” The Morgan and McGary vaude-v ville act, under the direction of Jake Sternad, closed at Terre Haute, IndH last Saturday night and the little com¬ pany is now in Chicago. Helen* Ward, Henrietta Lane, Bessie Gray, May Stokes, Violet Fisher and Babe Drees were in the support of the featured performers. Dot Maynard® who was formerly with that act, is now with “Creation” at Riverview. ■ When the curtain goes up on “Lo,® the new musical comedy by Franklin* P. Adams, O. Henry and A. Baldwin® Sloan, in which John E. Young will.f be starred by the Harry Askin com-* pany, a truly Chicago production wifi be seen. John C. Becker, the Chi-.* cago scenic artist, has completed the i models and is now at work on the ’ production. Fritz Schoultz will pro--* vide the costumes, the Royal Tailors* will make the men’s costumes, Jacques* the millinery, Wm. Hepner the wigs, and the Aiston Shoe company the foot j wear. Harry Askin left Tuesday for# New York to consult with the au¬ thors and it is expected that Julian Mitchell will stage the piece. While# in the East Mr. Askin will engage ft some of the principals, but the chorus# will be Western in its entirety and is now in rehearsal and a big surprise# will be handed out at the opening, as all the old familiar choristers have# been supplanted by fresh new faces. ■