Variety (October 1907)

SUMMER PARKS GIRGUS NEWS Among the park combinations under way for next summer the most important on its face, owing to the size of the parks con- cerned, is that being engineered by Harry A. Dorsey, of "White City" fame in the West. Besides Mr. Dorsey's present chain of parks, several others in that section of the country have agreed to enter a booking combination until in about all there will be fifteen or sixteen, sufficient to guarantee a season's engagement to any act. The booking for this circuit has been placed in the hands of Hans Meyerhoff, at present commonly supposed to be connected with the firm of Reich & Cox in New York. The members of the firm are not believed to be aware that Mr. Meyerhoff has struck out for himself. Following his recent trouble with the New York Vaudeville Contracting Company, Mr. Meyerhoff joined Reich & Cox, afterwards going to Europe, where he remained a month. Be- fore leaving Meyerhoff is said to have had completed negotiations with Mr. Dorsey under which he was to be the booking agent for the new combination, then in Dorsey's mind. By the former" park book- ing system an agent buys an act, farming it out to the best possible advantage. Meyerhoff's connection with Dorsey will be that of an agent only, he receiving a percentage, and the former profit is ex- pected to be saved by t*he Dorsey chain, who will route the cast for a summer's work at a rock bottom price. Meyerhoff is reported to be at the present time in Toronto, Canada. Mr. Dorsey has a park t here. A meeting held recently at the Hotel Imperial was attended by eighteen park managers, who met for the purpose of talking over plans for an association of summer resort managers throughout the country. Of the eighteen present ninety per cent, represented parks seldom heard from. The most prominent person who attended was Manager Pratt, of the Bal- timore Traction Company. Mr. Pratt was elected president of the association formed by those present. It was called "The American Park Managers' Association." Chas. Oberheid, of "White City," Trenton, is the secretary and treasurer. The meet- ing and the scheme were due to Mr. Ober- licid. Sometime ago he sent out a cir- cular from his Trenton place calling upon park managers to give the question of consolidation some attention, and the Im- perial conclave was a result. The promi- nent parks which had their manager on hand to talk over things are located in Baltimore, Scranton and Alhanv. The others are in small Pennsylvania and New York towns. There is another meeting called for Nov. 14, but unless some of the larger summer places interest themselves in the association it does not seem likely to develop into anything of a nature which could cause a revolution of any kind in the park business. The object of the present combination is to handle at- tractions, mostly vaudeville acts, direct, eliminating the agent, who has heretofore "farmed" out the acts he controlled or placed under contract to the parks. It would require an association covering a wide area and including the larger parks within the boundaries to place itself in a position where it could Obtain all acts wanted without the intervention of an agent. Agents who offer engagements to artists the year around would not heed the attempts of a small coterie of man- agers to supply themselves in this way. As a matter of fact, the White Rats of America have received requests from more managers than are at present members of the American, to guarantee that a vaude- vill bill would 'be supplied them regularly by the order. This proposition was turned down by President R. C. Mudge, who informed the park managers the White Rats would not become a booking agent. Mr. Mudge intends to call upon the different managers with an outline of a plan he has which will tend to lessen the managers' burden as against the un- principled agent. The report is about that the formation of the American Man- agers' Association will work to the ad- vantage of Mr. Oberheid, who promoted it. He, it is understood, intends to look over the foreign countries, especially Eng- land, with a view of inducing foreign capital to invest in parks on the other side. There is a glittering example of the money in the business, when success- ful, by the "White City" at Manchester, England. It has made money the past summer, and was the only one of its kind in England. As secretary of "The Ameri- can Park Managers' Association/' Mr. Oberheid would carry a prestige with him, across the water which would not be his as an individual seeking to promote. A representative association of summer parks is admittedly a good thing by the people in the business, but it must in- clude more than the American has before it can even hope to attract others and make a showing. The Brockton (Mass.) Fair is bigger this year than ever before. The record for attendance has been left far behind and the vaudeville show is much better than last year. It includes two stages. The Flying Banvards; The Dunedins on bicycles; The Three Alvos, comedy bar act; La Frere Sisters, aerial act; Zeno, Jordan and Zeno, trapeze workers; The Three Ernesto Sisters and Ramza and Arno, grotesque acrobats. Dunraven's comedy mules; James E. Hardy on the high wire; Babcock, who "loops the loop" on a bicycle; The Melrose Troupe of Acrobats; Lamont's dogs,, baboons, etc.; Paula Piquet, equilibrist; the Metropoli- tan Sextet and the Dank mar-Schiller ( Troupe of Equilibrists are also on the Itill., A tevieur of the fair will ap- pear in this department next week. On application of Mrs. Virginia R. Burch, who has an attachment of $200 against Rudolph A. Wilhelmy and Ed- ward McNulty, Judge John G. O'Connell appointed ThomaS"~C!regory receiver for "Luna" Park, an amusement resort just outside Cincinnati. It is understood that creditors are pressing for payment of their bills. Edgar Foreman has been booked for 42 weeks on the other side, playing England during most of the engagement. The report that Barnum & Bailey will, for the third successive season, pass no dividend this year, together with the rumors of a Ringling amalgamation, even though the latter do not secure control of the "Big Show" and its subsidiaries, has given rise to a rather free discussion of the Barnum Bailey mode of financiering. The Barnum-Bailey corporation is capital- ized at $2,000,000. Of this 51 per cent, is held by Mrs. James A. Bailey and "the Hutchinson boys," Charles and Fred, Mrs. Bailey's nephews. Charles is in charge of the B. & B. show, while Fred directs the Buffalo Bill exhibition. The main portion of the rest of the capital stock is held by English stockholders. This is such a large amount that the Englishmen consider it necessary to have travelling representatives with the "Big Show" each season. This year there are said to be five, but there will be no dividend, according to report. The English stockholders are much disap- pointed over the outlook. Last year no percentage of profit was paid and the rea- son given was "big storms" down South at the closing of the season. The year be- fore the excuse was a large amount mys- teriously removing itself suddenly from the ticket wagon. The English financial papers are trying to excuse the Barnum show for passing its dividend by saying that this season has been a very poor one for outdoor amusements, which is partly true. The foreign press evidently has taken no cognizance of the immense profits made this season by the Buffalo Bill show, the largest in the history of tented organi- zations. "The Bill Show" has given out- door performances; it had a good exhibi- tion and drew money. It is a general be- lief that the Barnum-Bailey Circus would have done the same had it been "framed up" for that purpose. The latter show is in the West now. Two weeks ago from Leavenworth, Kans., when the circus played there, the report came in that it was in "a state of decomposition." And this with representatives to watch out for the English interests travelling with it. The passing of the dividend has caused the par value of the B.-B. stock abroad to drop. It is now very low. An American investor with a knowledge of the circus business might step in at the present timo with the object of picking up some of the capital stock. It could probably be • se- cured very reasonably, even lower than' the market, perhaps, for a big block. Johu Ringling is said to have kept in close touch with the conditions, and if the English in- 1 vestors are fir*nlly^"frow« out"; u would not -be a matter of •surprise 4opH tid the -Ringlings in possession of their stock and in control of the Barnum-Bailey properties, with the co-operation of Mrs. Bailey or the Ilutehinsons. Nothing has been heard lately of the announced intention of Willie Sells to take the reorganized Lemon llros.' Circus for a winter tour through Panama and South and Central America this year. If he still holds to his promise, he will find himself opposed in Panama and the terri- tory neighboring upon the canal republic by a new organization being framed up for winter work in that section by Tote Siegrist, now with the Harnum & Bailey show as manager of the Siegrist-Silbon Troupe of aerial performers. Upon the, closing of that circus Siegrist will take a troupe through Panama and South Amer- ica, opening about the middle of Novem- ber. His show will tour under canvas and will be made up of the Siegrist-Silbon Troupe; The Meers Sisters, principal riders; Danny Ryan; George Brown and Mme. Cuiletti. Caesar Giletti, now with the Barnum outfit, will act as the general advance manager for the Siegrist venture. The show will be called the Siegrist-Sil- bon Circus. Circus wiseacres are offering even money bets that the Ringling Barnum &, Bailey merger will be an accomplished fact within a month. Al Stewart sailed for England last week with the object of making a final round up of what stock is available for purchase from the English syndicate. Antonio Pubillones, owner and manager of Pubillones' Circus, which annually tours the island of Cuba, is in this coun- try engaging acts for the coming season, which opens at Havana in November. He wos in New York last week in conference with his agent, J. Harry Allen, and left on Sunday with the latter to look over the acts being given as special attractions at the Brockton Fair. The Buffalo Bill Wild West Show lost the matinee in Louisville, Ky., Saturday owing to delay in reaching the stand. The show train was held up for several hours by the wreck of a milk train just ahead of it on the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad. Col. Charles W. Seeley, legal adjuster with the Buffalo Bill show^lert, That or- ganization when it played Hagerstown, Md. His place was taken by Charles Meredith. Pain's pyrotechnical spectacle "Vesu- vius" will consolidate with one of Miller Bros.' "101 Ranch" shows next summer. The fireworks display will be given even- ings and the Wild West exhibitions in the afternoon only, both occupying the same ground. Vicente Alba, proprietor of a travelling circus which covers the interior territory of Cuba, will be in New York in a few weeks. One purpose of his visit is to ap-> pear before i-icense Commissioner John N.. PogAftr.to explain, hi* part i* th* < ancc-Ila- • tion of Margci,, fttuddeheina, * an eques- . ■ trienne who lately made complaint before the License Bureau against Agent Charles L. Sasse. According to Sasse, Mile. Stud- • lelieim was booked for the Alba Circus, but was cancelled by the manager, the cable arriving at the agent's office after the rider had sailed. Alba, says Sasse, played Mile. Sluddehcim with the circus and then cancelled her under a two weeks' clausC in the contract alleging incompe- tence. She received two weeks' salarv. Mile. St iiddchciui's complaint before the commissioner ha-* held up the granting of oil agent's license to Passe and the latter hopes that when the commissioner boars the circus manager's story he will with- draw his objection.