Billboard advertising (Jan-June 1900)

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THE B1LLR0ARD. 5 fe the Circus Season. up on edled ere this. The blues are ten tiers high and the reserves e.gbt tiers high. There are two side shows, one the regula- tion museum, the other a hooche-coochee joint generally, uptown-. The concert is fairly good, as concerts go. Bunk Allen and John Barton have all tai privileges. John Talbert does the fixing. Genial Nobby Clark is selling belts. John Hummel is manager in the absence ot Mr. Sell s,who is perforce obliged to jump on the advance frequently. Shorty Green has the stock, and it is all good stock, teb. It was nearly all furnished by Gray, who, by the way, has had several seasons' experience in a small way, and bids fair to develop into a very able showman. There are ten cars, and. resplendent in new pnint, they make a very brave pppearance Mr. Sells is deserving of g.eat credit. Every one who knows the disadvantages un- der which he labored, and the difficulties that he bad to encounter, will acknowledge that he has accomplished wonders. He has succeeded in organizing a show that will make money it it is kept in the towns in which it belongs and it gets its share of good weather. Now the merry circus season spreadeth o*er the land: Mark the flaming posters looming every band; Maiden with the six-foot tresses; Trapeze girls in scanty dresses; Beasts from unknown wildernesses; Girl who llbh fierce caresses; Birds that no known land possesses; Calliope that nerves distresses; Clown who ancient jokes expresses; Farmer who at shell game guesses: Procession that with pomp progresses; All of which our wealth assesses; See the people throng the sidewalks when they bear the band. Note the fearless bareback rider dashing TfOllbleS at NeWDOrt. Ky. 'round the ring; r ' J See the ancient damsel from a lofty trapeze swing; See the red lemonade a-flowing; Mark the last year's peanuts going; Scent the jungle zephyrs blowing; Hear the sacred white bull lowiug: See the strong man make a showing That a half-ton we'ght he's throwing; Mark the rural lad. all-knowing; Hear the scores of babies crow.ng; Watch the cowboy's lasso-throw.ng; And the baby lion growing; Crane your neck and strain your eyes at every wondrous thing. Hear the small boy's fervent pleading to at- tend the show; Pater says the kid needs guard! uy-*zo he'll also go; Even mater gets excited When the big white tent is sighted. Hints until she is invited; Pink shirt-waisted girls delighted; Stingy dad is much affrighted: Urchin's face with joy is lighted: Slties with rain clouds are benighted. Hopes of sunshine always blighted. Every other thing is slighted When the circus has alighted; Might as well pull down the shades and lock _, ... ^ , the door and go There was a wild scare and almost a pan c '—Colorado Springs Gazette. on the German steamer Pisa, on board of which a consignment of camels fcr the Zoo has just arrived. Among the other animals, which are from the Hagenbecks in Hamburg. Germany, was a large panther, which escaped from its cage, which was located between decks forward of the bridge. Before the steamer landed the panther got out of its cage in some way, and efforts to-catch it proved fruitless. The passengers became frightened, and it became necessary fcr the captain to shoot and kill the animal. In ad- dition to the camels for the Cincinnati Zoo there were ten elephants, six Royal Bengal tigers, three ostriches, 100 monkeys. The consignment of camels includes five .fine specimens. They will reach the Zco Monday. —Cincinnati Times-Star. For a short time during the even'ng per- formance of W. H. Harris* N.ckel Plate Shows at Newport. Ky., May 7, it looked as if all kinds of trouble was brewing. The cir- cus was playing to capacity, and people were being turned away in crowds, when a fight started between some white and colored c r- cus employes, in which the tough element of the town, who were refused admittance to the show, took a hand and bombarded the tents with stones. Just as a sm2ll-siZ3d riot was impending, a mad dog, a b:g N;wo nl- land, made its appearance and created addi- tional dtstrubance. The police finally dis- posed of the mad dog and scattered the riot- ers, hut the concert at th? close of th? circus had to be dispensed with, and the manage- ment refunded the money to all those who had purchased concert tickets. George Peck has one of the nicest, cl-anes* sideshows on the road, and is getting all kinds of coney with it. . Doc. Colvin's Troubles. life SelIs*Gray Shows. If there is any one show in America about wii.cn more cui-ios.vy is manueai than an- other it is the Sells- Gray Snow, whica opened at Elwood, lnd.. May 5. Every one in the business knows Will bells, and a.l are keenly interested in his venture. - The show made Aurora, lnd.. May 12, and the Cincinnati contingent was present in force. Among the visitors were Dan R. Rob- inEOn and wne, Jas. Hamilton and wne, Kud Hynika, Chas. Arnold, Mike Mueller, Mrc. Nobby Clark and many others. The weather was all that could be desired, but the show was not seen to. the best advan- tage. An accident to one of the cars had spilled a lot of stringers, only four of whica had been recovered, and the accident, coupled with extremely bad weather for four nays previous, had resulted In many of the wo.k- in'gmen deserting. As a consequence they were slow In getting up. fcarnum haB the canvas. There are six cages lu the menagerie, but these are supplemented by three tableaux wagons and a water buffalo, and the ar- rangement of the candy stands doss away with all suggestion of bareness, and conveys an impression that is satisfactory to the av- erage visitor. The tops arc by Murray, the menagerie being a 63 with two 30-foot middle pices, ani the big top 110 (whtch lays out 103), with two 50-foot middle pices. - The ring performance, however. Is great, and proved not only a great surprise, but a source of wonder to all present. It is a safe bet to assert that it is the best offered by any ten-car show oh the road. "Stick" Dav- enport is riding in great form. Rose Marretta Is at her "best, and her protege. Miss Edna, is certainly, a wonder. A Igreat many mar- velous things have been saia about this young lady's riding lately, some of which have seemed at times to have been over- drawn or T»t least over enthusiastic. Since witnessing Jier act. however, we ore able to state unequivocally that. it Is the most finished, graceful 'and daring lady prin- ciple act In America. The ease with which she throws somersaults and the lack of ef- fort with which she regains her balance and easy poise are unequaled. Description or adulation, however, are 'of no value fn con- veying the many merits of her turn. It must he seen to Be 'cither \inflerBtood dp appreci- ated. r "Stick" Davenport Is also 'entitled to un- bounded praise. His riding this year Is far and away above the average. He has Im- proved most Wonderfully. - The clown band is another pleasing feat- ure of the performance, and Harry Tyler's high diving dog. "Charlie," Is fairly entitled to recognition as such also. This dog climbs a perpendicular ladder of 40 round's to »'plat- form right under the hood 'of. 'the canvas and jumps to a net. His work Is -all 'done Jnvously, barking and with tall "wagging. He en toys it and requires no orders 'or cues from Tyler from the tfede he starts up the ladder. The seating capacity, as we said before, was rather limited, but this "has been rem- Turned them Away. Buckskin Bill's Wild West turned 2 000 peo- ple away at the night show at Memphis, Tenn., Wednesday, May 10. They got roasted in the papers for not carrying more seating capacity, although they had up fifty-six lengths of seats. The crowds were so dense that no one could see the show to advantage, •hence the newspaper criticisms. Whitey Larkin now has the stock (14G head), and Jack Pheiffenberger has the canvas, and the show is now handled with ease and certainty. George Fisher is the twenty-four-hour man. J. A. Robinson Dead. James A. Robinson, formerly a contracting agent for circuses, died at Philadelphia May 6. For several years he was in the employ of John O'Brien, afterward enlisting under the banner ot the late Adam Foreoaugh, with whom he remained as long as be cared to travel, having inherited a considerable for- tune. In 1891 be was made the lecal manager of John A. Forepaugh's Temple Theater, Bal- timore, "and in 185*2 was connected with the Forepaugh Theater, Philadelphia. Notes. Lenten Brothers played Attica, lnd.. May J4. The Taylor Shows "make Hamburg, Iowa, shortly. The M. I.. Clark Shew "will 'be In Atkins, Arkansas. .'dr. H. D. -Rubker opens Vis tenting season at Defiance, O. B, B. & H. Circus opened &e season well at Aritlago, Wis., May 12. The Buckskin Bill Show opened to big business at Faducah, Ky.. May 5. The circus pantomime, ''"Persia,'" will play Vienna till the end 'of June. Athens. Tenh.. "wants : a circus. None has showed there for five years. . William Slotnan has signed as contracting agent with Buckskin Bill's Wild West The Wallace Show has a window and b " board showing in' WTlkesbarre and Scranton that is simply wonderful. J. A. W. Jones, at present with the Rice ft Davis Sbowsf -will open with Ind.an Bill's Historic Wild West shortly. Dan S. Vernon is handling Cowslip Farm in the capacity of business manager. It is a play on the order of "Way Down Bast." Spaun's Railroad Show opened at Port Jervis, N. Y., May 14 for one week to good business. Mr. Gordon Wrighter is manager. Albert L. Blodgett, formerly in advance of W. H. Harris' Nickel Plate Shows, is now the manager of the New Haven Bill Posting Company. Tom Hanley will put out a small circus without riding shortly. He is organizing' at North Adams, Mass., and may he addressed at that po.nt, care of the Wilson Theater. Charles H. Day met the man who put him in the circus business at the Ringlings at New Haven, Conn. If Charles H. is "the oli circus man," for sake's alive how old is Mike Coyle? Dr. John E. Healy. who once conducted a circus at the Aquarium, New York City, is largely interested in real estate at New Haven, Conn. His former partner, Charles Bigelow, is president of the Kikapoii Indian Medicine Company. . The final hearing the case of the Donaldson Lithographing Company against J. H. La Pearl occurred at Canandaigua, N. Y., May 9. Judgment was rendered in favor of th - ? Donaldsons. La Pearl did not appear, and his attorney threw up the case. The Frank C. Bostock Midway Carnival Company showed at the National Ball Park, Washington. D. C. May 8, and d.d good business there for the remainder of the week. Harrison's New and Ancient South (under canvas) also played Washington at the same time. The following performers are with the W. H. Harris Nickel Plate Shows: The St. Leon Family, acrobats; Emma Latae, slack wire: the Smiths, flying trapeze; Al Orton. bare- back: the Conklins, limber-limb acrobats; Barney Shay, clown; Pete Jenkins ani Claude Orton. The Forepaugh-Sells Show goes 10D per cent better under canvas, than it did in the garden, despite the fact that there are—well, several less people in the dressing room. The difference is hot only noticeable, but is truly r?p»'kahle. The performance as now given is full of ginger, dash and go, and the enter- tainment pleasing in every detail. The Tennessee hill posters are beginning to realize that the heavy circus tax in their State means a loss in dollars and cents to them. There is some talk of legislation to reduce the tax. It is about time that the people of other States, also, began to see the tax question in its proper light, not only: the bill posters, but citizens in many other branches of business as well. Thomas H. Davis, the theatrical manager, was at one time a circus agent after the manner of his brothers, "Jumbo" and Char- ley. Tom is now also the publisher of a 1 t- erary home journal, and the only, one in the country giving a bottle of whisky with every • fifty-cent subscription, and, as an offset to the booze premium, will shortly present John Kernell as a lecturer on temperance. Mr. Davis is versatile as well as enterprising. Circus Routes. In Advance of a Circus. B., B. & H. SHOWS—Whittenberg, Wis., May 15; Sigerton, Wis., May 16; Marion, Wis., May 17; Clintonville, Wis., May 18; Sha- wano, Wis., May 19. BARNUM & BAILEY—Running at Ham- burg, Germany. BUFFALO BILL'S WILD WEST—Philadel- phia, Pa., May 14-19. ' CLARK'S, M. L.. CIRCUS—Coal Hill, Ky., May 19; Paris, May 20; Greenwood, May 22. DOWNIE'S. ANDREW, NEW RAILROAD SHOWS—Medina, N. Y., May 19. FOREPAUGH & SELLS, SHOWS—Holy- oke, Mass., May 16; Waterbury, Conn.. May IT; Bridgeport, Conn., May 18; New Haven. Conn.. May 19. GOLMAR BROS., WAGON SHOW—Viro- qua. Wis.. May 16: Cashtown, Wis., May 17;' Sparta, Wis., May 18. HARRIS' NICKLE PLATE SHOWS—Cov- ington, Va.. May 16; Clifton Forge, Va., May 17; Craig City, Va., May IS; Lexington, Va., May 19. LOWERY BROS." NEW OLYMPIA SHOWS —Mahoney City, Pa., May 14-15; Hazleton, Pa., May 16-17. M'DONALD'S. WALTER J., SHOWS — iCelson.. Neb., May 16: Edgar, Neb., May 17; Clay Center, Neb., May 18; Howard, Neb., May 19. REED'S EUROPEAN SHOWS—Walesbor.- o'hgb, lnd.. May 15: Jonesvllle. lnd.. May 16: "Way'mrinsville, -lnd.. May 17: Free Town, lnd., Mav 18: Kurtz. lnd., May 19. RICE & DAVIS SHOW—Gallitzin. Pa.. May 12: felly. Pa., May 14: Portage, Pa., May 15; South: Fork, Pa.. May 16; Altoona. Pa., May 18. -RtNGLJNG BROS." SHOWS—Salem. Mass., May 16; Haverhill. Mass., May 17; Man- chester, "N. H.. May 18: Lowell, Mass., May 19: Pittsfield, Mass.. May 23. SPANN'S RAILROAD SHOWS—Port Jer- VIs. N. Y.. May 14-20; Middletown, N. Y., May 21-26. TAYLOR'S. P. J.. SHOWS—Panama. La., May 15: Woodbine. La.. May 16; Logan, La., May T7; Persia, La., May 18; N/eoIa, La., Way 19. WALLACE SHOWS—Akron O., May "W: Youngstown. O., May 15: Sharon. Pa., May 16: McKeesport. Pas.-May 17; Braddock. Pa.. May.. 38: -Jeannette. Pa.. May 19. -WBL8H BROS.* SHOWS— Allentown. Pa., May 15, 16; South Bethlehem- ,Pa., 'May 17; Easton, Pa., May 18, 19. Advertising contributes so importantly to the success of a circus that, from the general advance agent and special press representa- tive to the meanest bill poster, the work ac- tually employs more men than iheie are per- formers in the "arena" when the "show" is "on the road," Bays the "New York Evening Post." One of the largest traveling circuses now l» this country spends more than 1200,000 in a seaBon or 200 days, and employs 80 men ror a much longer time tot nothing but to announce its coming and boom its attrac- tions. In this circus's roster of performers in the rings for last season these were 75 names. The number of "people" with the "show," of course. Was very much larger. From the traveling proprietor to the cook, and including the canvasmen, the sleeping-car quarters, the sideshow "orators," the black- smiths, and the smallest groom, who does what be is told and sleeps when and where ho can, there were 627 employes. Nevetthe- less. the proportion of advertising agents is surprisingly large. There are three kinds of advertising- newspaper, bill board and "freak." .The bill board announcement of the coming of the circus is the first. To advertise the circus referred to, no less than 2,400,000 lithograph "sheets" were posted on' bill boards and dead walls, and hung in shop windows, through a season of 215 days—an average ot I.2U0 a day. The lithograph bill of a c reus in a year is one of the largest items ot ex- pense the -proprietors are put to. It cost the proprietors of one circus more than $100,000 to "paper" the "show" for appear- ance in 164 cities and towns. This sum was the cost of printing alone, the whole cost of transportation, posting and distribution was considerably mare. For that season, accord- ing to the proprieor himself, there were ordered from the printers about 1,200,000 sheets of "pictorial matter," 700,000 copies of two "illustrated pamphlets," and 1,200- 000 "folders." The circus has four advertising cars, to distribute this "paper" and keep it "mov- ing" and "fresh." Three of them go over the same route at intervals of one week to the very day; the fourth is an "emergency" car. to meet unexpected circumstances. The first advance car leaves the winter quarters, fully .stocked with bills, three or four weeks, ahead of the show. It has a gorgeous ex- terior, and is always stalled in a conspicuous place in the railroad yard, if the chief agent knows his business. It carries a general advance agent to oversea the work, a con- tracting press agent to arrange for adver- tising space in the newspapers, and a "boss" bill poster and his "gang." All this work is inspected by the second advaucs car, wheh arrives a week later. i It is the dutr of the men oii -his car to "cover" the "excursion" routes—that is to say, the towns within a radius of fifty miles not "covered" by the general advance agent in the first car. They not only put up the paper, but interest- the newspapers and ar- range for and advertise the excursions to the show town on the show day. The third car- arrives in the week following to freshen the "paper" which the other two hava posted. The emergency car is a very important factor in the advertising. It is ssnt any dis- tance at any time where it may appear to the managers that a wedge should be driven in. If, for instance, wind or the intention or an oppostion circus to appear at any point on the route comes to the proprietor, the emergency car is immediately dispatched to that point. They are sometimes Bant over queer routes, now attached to a cattle train, and again to a through express. "The first work 'in advance' of a circus, however." said Frank O. Miller, an advance agent, "is done when the route is being lata out. months before the start is made from winter quarters. Men are sent out to discov- er the business conditions In the territory through which it is planned to take the show. Where the crops are poor, or where any ex- ceptional circumstances have arisen to keep the people poor, the show never goes. This first advance work is very Important, and it takes an intelligent, careful man to do it. The last advertising is done on the morning when- the show enters the town, by three or four press agents, whose duty it 1b to. lobs: ' after the newspaper men. see to the distribu- tion of the final announcements, and provide for notices of the afternoon show in the even- ing papers. The men in this work must be keen, companionable fellows; their, duty is not so easy as it would appear,, and they are btisv the whole day long." The "fake" advertising, by which is meant a sensational plan to attract attention to the circus, is done whenever the oppor- tunity arises. The agent who can conceive the -schemes is a valuable -man and draws a good salary. The "elephant's bath" is a favorite device. It 1b well advertised that the elephants are to be taken to the rhrer at a certain hour, and as Surely as the hour comes the townspeople crowd the banks. One circus nearly lost a huge beast at To- peka, Kan., last year; the animal got In soft -sand, and 'was nearly drowned—all of which was excellent advertising, in that it gave the local reporters something to -write about. "The old-fashioned advance agent is dis- appearing." said James De Wolf, another agent. "The new men are men of easiness from the ground up. who can make a good contract qulckdy and interest a man of good manners. -Most of 'the work is done with newspaper editors and reporters, who can see through an affectation of good fellow-ship as quickly aa most men. The prlprietor of the circus I am with, though "he ts liberal, frowns -on 'expenses* for drink, and it -fa simnly -for the -reason that 'that way of doing business Is not the best way. Time was. no doubt, when the circus -man could Twy •* drink J *nd -get a paragraph. It can't oe'^on* now, however." i • . i V r I:; III