Variety (November 1907)

VARIETY 9 GIRGUS NEWS Al Ringling left for Europe yesterday (Friday). It is stated he goes to the other side for the purpose of concluding arrangements, or looking the ground over, for the presentation of the Ringling Broth- ers' Circus abroad. The sale of the Barnum- Bailey show to the Ringlings, as exclu- sively predicted in Variety long before the actual sale occurred, gives the brothers the control of the tented field here. The Bar- num-Bailey show has toured Europe as has Buffalo Bill's. The big circuses re- maining controlled by the Ringlings are their own and the Forepaugh-Sells. If plans are satisfactorily made, the Ringling show will be the one to visit the other side, but if not it is not improbable that the same circus will open at Madison Square Garden next spring, laying out the better part of its season's route in the East, a territory to which it has been a stranger for continuous time. In the event of the Ringling show remaining East, the Barnum-Bailey Circus will open in the West and stay there. London, Oct. 19. At the Coliseo, Lisbon, Herr Henrick- sen was giving a performance with ten full-grown Bengal tigers, when one sprang on him and bore him to the ground. Shots were fired and red-hot irons applied to the tiger, which, however, refused to release its hold. Finally Henricksen managed to seize a trident which had been thrown into the cage and pushed it into the animal's open jaws. Amid a scene of wildest ex- citement the trainer was dragged from the cage. His injuries* though severe, are not believed to be fatal. The tiger, named "Czar," is the same animal that some time ago killed a man in New York. At the Cardiff Empire (England) the little daughter of Ando, head of the Ando Japs, fell from a 13-foot shoulder bal- anced perch pole, at the top of which she pedalled a bolted bicycle. In trying t(, regain her equilibrium the girl put a peculiar pressure on the bicycle, the lev- erage being great enough, with the cycle at an angle, to cause it to break where fastened to the pole. Ando instinctively broke her fall, and though she was mo- mentarily unconscious from the bicycle falling on top of her, no bones were broken, and she is all right. The Mirza-Golem Troupe, Risley act, which has been a feature of the Ring-ling Brothers' show this season, has been booked for a long engagement at the Hip- podrome, beginning the third week in November. The act returns to the show for 1908. The Grunatho Sisters, acrobatic act, consisting of six girls and a man, which closed with the Barnum & Bailey circus in Tennessee, will also be a number in the circus portion of the new Hippo- drome show. Both acts were brought over by H. B. Marinelli and booked for the big New York playhouse through that agency. Frank Williamson, who was with the Barnum & Bailey show the season just passed, will go into vaudeville shortly. Frank ("Slivers") Oakley, principal clown with the same circus, opens at the New York this month with Charles Siegrist, and now comes the announcement that Steve Miaco, who closed with the "Big Show" Oct. 17, is playing in the continuous with his partner, Dublado, in a novelty act. When the Barnum & Bailey Circus opened in Madison Square Garden last spring Variety ventured certain observa- tions as to the makeup of the show which were not relished by the management. As a punitive measure orders were given to the man who handled the newspapers on the road that no Variety be brought on the lot wherever the circus played. Several performers so strongly objected to the rul- ing that the paper was later admitted. The exclusion order is said to have been given by Harvey Watkins. In this connection it is said that Watkins will not be with the Big Show next season. This is one of the changes in the active management follow- ing upon the transfer of the property to the Ringlings. Charles Hutchinson, of the Barnum & Bailey show, and Fred Hutchinson, of Buf- falo Bill's, will open a big skating rink in Bridgeport this fall. The establishment is all ready for its opening, which will take place within the next few weeks. Circus managers threaten reprisals upon certain towns through the country which have made a practice of holding up tent shows for unreasonable license fees. The Ringling show paid several licenses under protest the season just passed and sought relief in court, but one of the worst cases of "holdup" heard of is that which the Forepaugh-Sells show struck in Toronto. There a daily toll of $1,400 was exacted for lot rent and license. Acting under gen- eral instructions from the Ringling head- quarters the fee was paid under protest, and an adjustment is understood to be still pending in the courts. The mayor of Sid- ney, Canada, invariably exacted the highest possible license under the local law which gave him discretionary powers in fixing the sum. The Hargrcavee Circus closed its tour Saturday and returned to Hammond, Ind., where new winter quarters have been es- tablished. Hargreaves has been wintering in Chester, Pa. He owns a large tract of land there. This season the show played nearly the whole time in the general vicinity of Chicago, avoiding the crowded territory in the East. It played Chicago several weeks, shifting the stand to dif- ferent sections of the city, and made short trips about the suburban towns. With the idea of developing this territory Har- greaves moved his winter quarters. He has taken over a lease of 15 acres belonging to the Hammond Packing Company, to- gether with the former buildings of the plant, which has recently moved into the Chicago stockyard section. He holds an option on the property and may purchase It outright, disposing of his Pennsylvania real estate. This year's tour is understood to have shown only a small profit. Fred Longbotham closed with the Har- greaves Show, of which he was treasurer the season just passed, and will sail for Cuba to spend the winter season with the Pubillones Circus in Cuba and Mexico. BANKS STAYS WITH S-C. San Francisco, Nov. 1. It is now emphatically denied by the Sullivan-Considine office here that the Em- pire Theatres of Los Angeles and Bakers- field, controlled by Wm. Banks, will turn from them to the Western States Circuit as reported. The probabilities of the situation are that Banks, who plays the S. & C. acts without the usual franchise, and is there- fore free to choose from any source, will take his pick from both circuits. The fact that the People's, Los Angeles, owned by Sullivan & Considine, maintains a stock company for the production of one act farces, deters that house from playing the full strength of the S. & C. shows, and the Empire has served to break the jump for a portion of the combinations between California and the towns of the Rocky Mountain district. The Unique, Los Angeles, which rumor placed in the ranks of the newly-formed Alpha Circuit, develops a situation of the same sort. Though in the main the major portion of their bills has been made up of Western States acts, the house is inde- pendent as to its bookings, adding acts of its own choosing when occasion demanded. This they will no doubt continue to do, using both the Western States and Alpha Offices. MYERS' DORIC FOR SALE. Henry Myers' Doric Theatre, Yonkers, N. Y., was placed on the market this week and several persons became imme- diately interested in the property. It is understood that the house was first offered to Henry B. Harris, but other investors also looked over the property. It is said that a sale will be effected by to-day. Mr. Myers' physical condition is given as the reason why he wishes to dispose of his theatre. It is controlled by a stock company in which Myers is the majority holder. GRACE CAMERON WILL RETURN. The comic opera prima donna, Grace Cameron, will return to vaudeville under the chaperonage of Jack Levy. Miss Cam- eron is in New England somewhere, play- ing the star part in "Dolly Dimples." The call from the varieties, which Miss Cameron has listened to before, once again had a pleasant sound, and Mr. Levy stepped in as the gentle conductor to the single singer. WHOLE SHOW SUING MANAGER. In obedience to a letter of instructions from the Sullivan-Considine office a second company of artists appeared at the Em- pire, Des Moines, la., this week and re- ported for work. These acts were booked into the house by Sullivan-Considine. The artists were all refused admittance to the theatre, another show having been booked by the William Morris office. The Morris show played the week. The same thing happened last week, and as a result six damage suits have been in- stituted against Manny Karger, the man- ager and proprietor of the Empire. This WOMEN FORMING COMPANY. A company has been formed for the pro- motion of the 10-20-30 form of vaudeville entertainment in small towns and cities by Jenie Jacobs, Rose Stahl and the Misses Cooke and Clinton, sharpshooters. They have an abundance of capital, sub- scribed by themselves, and are on the look- out for favorable locations. Miss Jacobs will be the active director of the enter- prise, which may also include the "picture Show" end of amusements. ; Cressy and Dayne will probably remain in vaudeville for the remainder of the sea- son. They anticipated a starring tour un- der the Shubert management, but this has been deferred. process will continue, says Chris O. Brown, Sullivan & Considine's Eastern representative. MANAGERS' VACATION OVER. Broadway is a regular street again since L. Lawrence Weber, Sam. H. Harris, Wal- ter Moore and Ed Seymour, who, with Bert Cooper, were in Maine for a couple post office in one of the New England towns, also cast along $40 in bills which had been resting in the same pocket. When about twenty miles from the town Cooper discovered his loss. Returning to of weeks, returned, although Mr. Seymour is an out-of-town manager. The quintet spent a week on the estate of Thos. E. Shea, the tragedian, at Belfast, Maine. - Their return trip was made by automobile, the only exciting and humorous incident occurring when Mr. Cooper in the flurry of throwing mail hastily into a small the post oflice, Mr. Cooper inquired of the postmaster if the money had been found, but all he received was the laugh from bis companions. Readinf from right to left are L. Law- rence Weber, Sam II. Harris, Walter Moore, W. J. Moore, Bert Cooper and Jack Welch.