Billboard advertising (Sept 1910)

'T5e Billboard- AMERICAS IBADING AMUvSEMENT WEEKIY Volume XXn. No. 36. CmCINNATI—NEW YORK—CHICAGO September 3, 1910. le^K 111 On Anrmsement Life „ . ^ _ andEnwromnefii A group of troupers, made up of burlesque, circus and vaudevillians. were seated In the office of the Century Hotel, Kansas City, when the subject of "hits" came up. After eight or nine fellow "prors" Ixad told how they had knocked them stUt ait the "Buck." la liOulBTine, or had them puUIner up, the "flop benches", at People's in CS^in- n&tC one ^t 'the group-turned|t<>:;IjOule Xia Clede who. by- thd* way^^'i^^ ning through Kanaan Clty{on'hl% 1 to Join the Cole SAd Rogera Sh<>W8^>'ap in Minnesota, and said: : : "Say, Iwoie, you've liad inore than a quarter of a century's coqperience in Hhi8-gsme;-axiir'1niTe "ptagreft^fhem all. froin,^._JU[ed.. .4I^oa'pe to~ fii^^ when and where did- Ton- T io i»J i Wi m'Tiaag c at^ Hy Removing a big blaclt c ignr .i fiw i Ill s uiuuth . he said "I like to hear you yonngitnni iMOHm "■boBt-yonr litta along the line, tia lX scored heaviest. ' Xtemember herS; Well, we they remind me of my experiences. I was worlcing with jny ism wMe. q . _ _ were playing the Unique lii Brooklyn (our home town) and, of -coitf^ always had:a big^foUowlng, with the Sowers, etc, over theifooaightsi'when playing Brooklyn. Say, boys. I have played every house In that burg with some, buriesque or other for the past twenty years, hut never did our act go as It did that week at 'the old TTnlque. I was the principal comedian with The Qay Girls or Greater New Tork Comitany at that time. RooBeTelt lwd Just cleaned up in Cuba and was running for governor.' Say; fello^^^ me. after! finishing our act we took fifteen to twenty bows;'. We tried to .make a speech of thanks, but couldn't stop that volcano'of-applause long enough to do so. And, would you believe me. It took us until Thursday night to discover that on the drop we used in closing our act was a three-sheet Of Colonel Roosevelt; reading, 'Our Next Governor, CoL Teddjr Roosevelt' '?Well.\8o long, boys. Tve got to blow for my rattler;*'^^:% Youi: could have heard a pin drop as Xouie Ijo. Clede made a hasty exit. After a mlnutei of: reflection, one of the youngsters cuts In: with;- "Say, what kind of dope do-you.suppose he uses?"" = K. E!. Ooodell; twenty-four-hour man with the Hagenbeck-Wallace Show, tells of walking from the lot to the depot one stormy night with the lato Martin. J. .:I>owns. ' It -was in the days of the Cole Brothers' World Toured Shows, and Qoodell was then with that mue^'^traveled organisation. Passing a swell'home? with-^ large windows^ .they caught a glimpse of a happy .family .who had not yet retired. It was minings "outside and the night was-as dls- agr«eable a one,ais showmen ever encounter. Ooodelt looked In the window 'and:-made rav Temark- indicating'that he envied the."toWner". his lot in Ilto. .'Martin-Downs endfed the discussion with one sentence: • "H—ii-1! that fellow can't throw a half-hitch." lAdyv Gwnen and her manager, H. H. Welsh, had an experience with an: Atlantic' City-photographer, which "deyeloprwell for the aforesaid party. proved a . bad negative and did not Last summor, V lAdy. Carmen, the wellTkhontt^>«l»tllf^'d<m^ to I have c twb' iMTga £;aa graphs taken of herself,^^ her pythons and of. herrattendahts^ while she rwas In the; popularr coast town. .It; cwas a little vitedlous:>j!tor :<:her« because* the |'~r||^RUMCCf| ? snakes squirmed so-restlesaily.'c a fact I 1^ HhS^^-s:^^^^ 'i^ which greatly disturbed the composure- 1Ck3Bb&j-55^?<<>-^ vV.\^B/, of the photographer, although not tO any. great degrQ.e. '.'Very good! I So far all is well!' This season she returned toV Atlantic City with the same act, but at 'Touiic^ Hinton OOIIai^ ;Pleri Imagine her surprise and anger when she recognises herself, her snakes and attendants reproduced'upon postal cards selling two for a nickel. With Mr. Welsh, she-agreed that her exclusive and high-class act was being infamously;derogated, not to mention the fact that they had :been. unjustly gouge.d'by being charged three dollars for each photo. Think of the out- rageous profits the demon was makingi ' 'They determined upon immediate action and, accordingly, made oft for the impostor without delay. Indeed, such was their excitement that Welsh unintentionally carried a sack of smaller reptiles In his hand. They ap- proached the photographer, boldly and sharply accused htm of illegal profit and unauthorised use of theijt- pictures by placing them on post-cards. ' ■:. Th»;.argumeM and furious, until the bag containing the snakes became unfastened, whereupon each one. by a queer and unexplainable coincidence, flanked the guilty artist completely In. - Casting all valor to the wind; he made one bound through the window without taking one' back look at his infested atudiou Now that the villain had made his escape, LAdy Carmen picked up.her pets as she remarked to her husband: t ."Come over to -the pier, my Toreador, and watch me develop the negative 'Ot'-the>.'posltlve'.'Buccef&"r':":':.'" • ' . Press agents are great fellows, tactful, original, and usually endowed with , a- superabundance of wit. Among their other accomplishments may be mentioned nerve, resourcefulness,- and utter disregard for truth. A show- man, not long ago, advised hla press agent that a certain, automobile' aalea- man would: call upon him'for the pur- pose of ha'Vlng his (the showman's) Indiana take a ride in one of the latest model machines, made by the firm he represented. The details of the ride were to be arranged by the' press afeent and the' salesman, but the showman. In leaving the matter In the hands of ;hls agent, indl«$ated that his show should be .. mentioned on the machine, "miea tbe: agent and representative got together the latter refused tO allow the name of the show to be put on the streamers he had prepared, mentioning that the machine in which the Indians were riding was a — , 1910 mode].. The press agent'then said: 'MVell, our.vlndianav can not ride in your car unless our show can be mentioned.'*' ' Big-Snake-Rattle-BuU, the Interpreter, told his associates what the decision of the press agent 'was, and immediately a number of protests were made;.'in guttural tones.-; After much persuasion,' the agent finally agreed to'let:; them ride;* but assured the. doughty salesman that be would regret having refused to mention the show. The auto started down the princli>al thoroughfare, but didn't get very far. before they were stopped by a guardian of the law. "Where Is your license, tag, sonny?" inquired the .big cop. "On.:the back: of the machine;-where it belongs;*' responded the salesman. "Say, don-'t-try:.to-'kId me,"::came from the'coK in the mild, sweec- language usually employed by persons of his gentry. "Come along."' he sug- gested. ."I want to hear you tell that to the Judge." There 'Was no alternative, so :Jlfr. Auto Salesman went to the station hou$e, Where, in addition to receiving a severe reprimand for not having his license tag bn' the machine, he iras given the maximum fine. About-the Indians? Oh,' you-s«le, the press agent got to the station hottse about the-same time they did,-and-had them liberated immediately. But this is the question: 'Who do you thlnk,took that license tag oft the machine? £xpressIons of speech are often made 1>y some of our mo3t scholarly- men Which, to the person addressed or a third party, might seem excru- ciatingly :tfunny, or absolutely ridiculous. These errors, as we may a>ll them, are sometimes.tacetlous]y:made; again, absentmindedness: may be' the cause, or even * a lack of knowledge of the; subject under discussion is responsible. Not long ago, a^well-known; park man-, ager was .the subject of a Joke which ^his'^frlends take: every opportunity-^ to!- remind:'him of: Shortly before the soason'ar hls park opened, he and the owner of the resort were .-deciding as to~what special attractions; ;t,hey' ^uld: offer their patrons.-'- The' park sup?.. p(n;{ted a. beautiful-lagoon,'andrthe'imanager was in-favor of placing-launches '0{t>!l$9 placid waters, his contention being that a water ride would be an enjojratble;? feature and one the park's clientele would be likely to patronize. The owner thoroughly concurred In'-thish belief, and said: V "The launch will be.^i|v fine. nOvelty-for us and, in addition to It. we wni place slx -or seven gondolas'on the lakel" "Why six or seven?' X think it would be a good idea for us merely t>»: buy a male and'a female gondola and let nature take Its course," answered the manager, who was noted for his economy. Thit gondolas were placed on the liwoon. and now. every time .tlfaLnwwf-' ager meets one of his friends, he hears something like this: ' "Has nature taken Its course ?"