Show World (September 1909)

September 11, 1909. THE SHOW WORLD 23 AMERICA’S LEADING TENTED ORGANIZATIONS GREATEST IN-DOOR CIRCUS IN THE WORLD THE RHODA ROYAL wom? and'wwe! NOW ARRANGING BOOKINGS FOR FALL AND WINTER SEASON 1909-10 Only Production of its kind in the United States playing under roof. Fraternal organizations are bidding for this mighty enterprise. Address all communications to RHODA ROYAL, managing director 61-65 GRAND OPERA HOUSE CHICAGO GREAT PARKER SHOWS Week Sept. 13-18, Milwaukee, Wis., State Fair CON. T. KENNEDY, Manager HAGENBACK-WALLACE SHOWS ABE PROSPERING Drizzling 1 and Cold Bain Does Not Keep Crowds Away when Circus Is Of¬ fered in East St. Louis. John D. Tippett, general manager of the Park Circuit and Realty company, visited the Hagenback-Wallace shows in East St Louis on Labor day. He says that in spite of a cold, drizzling rain the performances were well at¬ tended. The afternoon performance was to capacity, and at night the business was large. The Hagenback-Wallace of¬ ficials told Mr. Tippett that business had been very good this season. Mr. Tippett left for Kansas City Tuesday night Forest Park Highlands, in St Louis; Forest Park, in Kansas City; Fountain Ferry Park in Louis¬ ville, all operated by the Park Circuit and Realty company will close the sea¬ son Sept 12. East End Park, in Mem¬ phis, operated by the same company, will close Sept. 28. According to Mr. Tippett, the four parks have done busi¬ ness exceeding anything done in pre¬ ceding seasons. Forest Park Highlands, in St Louis, will next year be greatly improved. The plans now in the making call for some big additions. According to Mr. Tippett, the largest scenic railway in the world will be built and other de¬ vices of a like character will be erected on a large scale. Mr. Tippett, who is interested in the Park Film company in St. Louis, says that the moving picture business in that city is growing all the time, and that there are now 155 such theaters there, with 180 in sight by the first of next month. The tendency is to larger theaters, with massive fronts and with good sanitary accommodations. Many of the smaller theaters are being torn out and larger and more commodious houses erected. Herbert Maddy Has a Good Laugh. “X had one good, long laugh in Cleve¬ land the other night,” said Herbert Mad¬ dy, of the Rhoda Royal circus, as he smiled broadly in memory of a past pleasure. "I was in the Ohio town, and I dropped in to see Lew Dockstader’s new minstrel show, and I enjoyed every minute of It. There is one scene in the piece which Is absolutely original, and one of the funniest I ever saw. The scene takes place in the African jungle, and the chief figure is a negro, who is the head of the fire department. The members of the department are all asleep when an alarm rings in. The chief listens intently, and when it strikes thirteen, he turns over and says: "Uh, uh, no nigger gwine to a fire wif dat number.” Finally the telephone rings, and it is announced that the fire is in a young woman’s seminary, and then all Is activity, but the firemen stop to black their boots, curl their mous¬ taches and shave, and all this time, gongs are ringing, and telephone bells jangling at a great rate. It certainly is a ludicrous scene, and the people who saw It just sat and laughed all the time, r --- * minstrel 1. Morris, business manager for Ing week this season. ~?? h ?v Conners ' manager of the Calu- S!l, theater at South Chicago, feels over the excellent busl- haso wWnk —a* -playing tr and the Rays, i c. ixn.ia.ui.iuns are piaying lo and th h0 p e ' T , he Flower of the Ranch” 0 large business. “King Casey,” played FOR SALE 2 ^ A DC One 66 ft. Pullman Tourist Sleeper, 6 wheel trucks, nl\0 io sections, 2 state rooms, completely fitted. One Pullman Privilege Car, 6 wheel trucks, fully equipped with bar and fixtures, excellent baker and range, and all necessaries for a first class privilege car, in¬ cluding 2 state rooms. Both cars have large Possum Bellies and are in excellent condition. Delivery in November. Price for either EIGHTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS. Cars can be seen en route with |Q| RANCH WILD WEST. _ NO. 1 ADVERTISING CAR, JOHN ROBINSON SHOW. Side Show Notes 3 x XOl Ranch. r fifty people o heavy for tented or¬ ganizations as it is now in this city. The town has thousands of banners tacked and hanging from every availa¬ ble spot. Opposition brigades are com¬ ing and going from the city, Miller Bros. Ranch 101 is billed for Sept. 17, Hagen- beck & Wallace 28, Buffalo Bill & Paw¬ nee Bill for the 30th, and Ringling Bros. Oot. 8th. Before the opposition brigades are through in this city it will mean an outlay of hundreds of dollars spent In banners and printing. The Shawnee daily papers are reaping a harvest with the extensive newspaper advertising carried on by the various shows. The great question is which attraction will do the largest business. Contortionists Get Agency. CLEVELAND, O., Sept. 6.—The man¬ agement of the Royal Vaudeville Man¬ agers’ association, located at 235 Su¬ perior avenue, has been taken over by George and Nellie Carvette, well known acrobatic contortionists, the name be¬ ing changed to the Independent Theater exchange. Booking will he done for moving picture and vaudeville houses in northern Ohio. It is understood that Mr. Carvette has connection with book¬ ing agents in Chicago and that acts which make good on the smaller cir¬ cuits will be booked for engagements in the larger cities.—YOUNG. connected with the 101 Ranch side show under the direction of P. J. Stanton, the Gladstone of America’s side show word painters. Pete says if he ever has to work on an ordinary old time side show . again, he will he entirely lost. The show consists of Rollln’s wild animals, presenting Lidia Wilmoth and her five African lions; Elsie with five leopards and jaguars; Dresdach with bears, wolves and hyenas; Capt. Tom Wilmoth In a forest lion hunt; also the Bay- rooty troupe, four in number; Punch Allen, Zinci, Hindoo Wonderworker; Capt. Devere, tatooed man; the Ramones Mexican jugglers; Holden’s Dixie Land minstrels, 15 people; Rose and Nellie Davis and Ina Rickman, Parisian terp- sichoreans. Pete Stanton makes the openings and Arthur E. Waterman is second man. Frank Burns is zoological historian; Art Allen, inside lecturer, and William Desmond, ticket taker. The top is an 80 with two 30-foot middle pieces. Not a change has been made in the roster all season, and from all appear¬ ances, it bids fair to remain the same until the end. Weather conditions have been against out-of-door amusements In England this season. However, as high as 200 regu¬ lar and excursion trains have carried people from London to the several big suburban amusement centers. Singlings’ Closing Date. From recent advices which would ap¬ pear reliable it would appear that the Ringling Brothers’ World’s Greatest Shows will close the season November 12 th. Circus King Plans to Put Show Out in Off Season Under the Auspices of the Shrine. BRISTOL, Tenn., Sept. 9.—Rhoda Royal, known far and wide as the com¬ ing “Circus King” of the country, vis¬ ited with old friends here today while directing the performances of the Sells- Floto circus, in which his famous horses are the big feature. Royal’s Bristol friends include John E. Casey, the owner of “Wild Wood,” one of the prettiest and most extensive estates in Tennessee. Years ago when Royal and Casey were schoolmates in a small In¬ diana town called Selma they were members of the old-time volunteer fire department, and many a run they made through the village streets hauling by hand the antiquated ladder truck that composed the apparatus of the depart¬ ment. Their company was called Res¬ cue No. 1. Casey still has as a treas¬ ured possession the fire helmet he donned whenever the alarm was heard, and after the matinee performance he took Royal out to his country home to see the relic and to partake of yellow¬ legged chicken and hot corn bread. Upon his return from “Wild Wood” Royal informed the Show . World cor¬ respondent that the prospects for his winter attraction, the Royal Two Ring Circus, Hippodrome and Wild West, were exceedingly bright. Winter Attraction Planned. “I have recently had a conference with my associates in the winter proj¬ ect, and they inform me that they have the time almost fully booked,” said the circus man. "Nearly all of our engage¬ ments—in fact, all but three—will be under the auspices of the Shrine. At the present time we figure that we will only be able to show seventeen weeks, In order not to conflict with the sum¬ mer circuses, and we have had requests from over thirty cities. We will play a number of return dates, including Kansas City, St. Paul, St. Joseph and Memphis.” "What have you to say about the stories anent a monster summer circus it is reported you will put out with John W. Gates as a partner?” was “I really cannot say anything just now,” replied Royal with that famous smile of his. “I would rather Gates said something. You see, it would not be well for me to disclose secrets that might prove valuable to my opponents In the circus field. “There will be something doing next spring, however, and when authentic in¬ formation is given out I expect it will cause considerable surprise. “At present I am pretty busy getting things In shape for my winter circus. I have engaged a number of the best feature acts in the country and am still in the market for several more. My show will be much larger than it was last winter, and cannot fail to give sat¬ isfaction. “At St. Joseph, the summer quarters of the circus men are engaged in paint¬ ing the paraphernalia and tailors are building numerous modem costumes to be used in my special menage numbers. I have also purchased new Wild West outfits and have just bought a number of pitching horses which will be used in the Wild West numbers.” Twenty of the best brass bands of the north of Eifgland recently held a contest at White City in Manchester. Dresden is to have a miniature Wild West show,, which will later be seen in Berlin. It consists* of sixteen Indians, six cowboys and four girl riders.