Variety (Sep 1935)

OUTDOORS Variety 63 Canadian Exposition, Biz Barometer, Plays to Big and Spending Crowds 10. With fiUQh attractlpn.a, as Rudy Vallee and his floor show, the grand- stalnd pageant and the horse ^how .d,plnfir.. capacity business^ ^nd the midway receipts up .25 per cent over last year, there are no squawks from concessionaires, exhlliitOra' or ofSclals regarding the current Ca- nadian National Exhlbittoil. Attend- A«ce at-the; tw®"W&efts' sho'JT^to^'date. Handles his colors and mass effects. In an eye-fllllng manner. Pulling the Juice - Indica;tlve of the mammoth pro- par tJons. .of the..ahO.W.: Iff, the set-up of lights. The east and west gal- leries above the grandstand carry twenty-four l,060-watt flood lamps; the top gallery has thlrty-slx 1,000- watt floods and a movable center- chiater--6f eight •1,^00 w«;t4-a. ■ -Th&. ■ has-■seen^-ar^8;000-Hncrease--ln-a*--kiTicaridescent-Bpo^^ missions^ 1,312,000 persons having visited this annual exposition as compared with 1,244,000 for the cor- responding period last year. The C. N, B. has long been held In Canada as a 'reliable barometer of business conditions. Noticeable Is the carnival spirit at the 1935 show.^ People are definitely spend- ing money, as witness the heavy idiway business, the standee and turnaway business at many of Vallfeie's twice-daily shows, and the capacity" business for- the grand- stand pageant; a situation wiiich has not been enjoyed for the past five years.. Vallee Gets ' For Vallee, the building which formerly housed .the National Motor Show, bas been transformed into a, huge ballroom. The floor accom- modates 1,800 couples; The sur- Tbunding bleachers' .seat around 1,400 people. The fashion show, throwTlh for Valleo's matinees are turning them away. The tariff for this Is 60c; no dancing. The floor show ind dancing each night costs $1;15 per person ;ahd the natives are lining up an hour beiJore the doors open. This woiild place the esti- mated papacity gross at $7,750 a day, although VaJlee did not start out with capacity audiences.. Too early yet to estimate the two-weeks' gross, but that $30,000 nut for yalleVs fortnight, plus the. reported 50 per cent of the matinee gross, will still leave a good proflt for the C. N.. E. find Impresario Beasley. The money-getting stand-by for the C. N. E., iiowever. Is the grand- stand pageant. This combination vaiide-spebtacle starts at 7:30 and runs to 10:20. Grandstand seats approximately 25,000 and is scaled at 30c. to $1.65. There is also room n'.ln. .the;:.na(ld,<)cl« fof. ;«j.nother .cctyjle, of thousand at the rush 30c. tariff. The pageant is doiing capacity busi- ness aifternoon and evening," That's an estimated dally gross of $24,100. Charles. Ross wrote and directed the pageant which uses some 1,200 performers. George Hamid, up for the show, booked the 17 vaude acts doing the two-a-day here. Worked Into the pageant Is Ed. Schooley's revue. Schooley also here. Brilliant Pageant Show starts off with the musical ride of the Royal Canadian Dra- goons, always a thriller irrespective of the visitor's nationality, Then the pageantry of the four seasons, a new type of presentation here'. Pour sets used, these painted by Fissl, a Royal Academy brought over from Covent Garden for the Job. Stagei Is 260 feet long and 70 feet deep, but sets are 720 feet in lengtii and 50 feet high outside the wings^ THey'ro built on flat cars and run on a maze of railway tracks backstage. Summer scene reveals a lake 'stretchinp back to the mountains, with -several hundred performer.s, on in bathing suits and summer togs for beach sports. Schooley's 24- girl line do a Parisian ballet and, finale, has Lottie Mayer's diving troupe on in' a huge glass tank'for disappearing dives and costuine changes. Autumn scene is a village hai'vest feistival, with the hunt In pinks later riding in to be followed by a travelling, circus. \Vhlch is Blanche McKenny's liberty horses; Will .Kill's elephants and Wllbiir'.s. Circus. Winter scehe is Christmas Eve in a. Canadiian village and works in .figure-sjtatlng, Siegfried for spectacular ski-jumping, and another ballet by the 24-girl line. Garden .scene for spring, a Jenny Llnd ballet with Florence Tenny- son as " prima donna , and then a straight pageant finale for Jubilee Year as. troops from.ail parts of the Empire gather to pay homage as the 'King' takes the salute in the march ' tRlst.' A thrilling and colorful finl.sh which set.s the customers cheering. Hand it to the Influence of the movie.s-v^the Bengal Lancers get the iggest hand! Ross, who hag. been in the pag- eiintry hu.siness for 35 years, has done perhaps his best Job this year. watt Kliegs and two 6,000-watts, There are two carbon spots of 125 aniperes and ten of 46 amps. All are equipped with color frames, boomerangs, irises, etc. Alsp equip- ped witii dimmers are a bank of twenty-four 3,00p-watt plates and two additional - 6,600^atts. Down front, the footlights have 198 out- lets-of 200 watts each, three colors all on dimmersr while the back and wings lighting has fifty 60b-watt lamps. The afternoon vaudeville before the grandstand has Willie, West and McG-inty;. Blanche McKenny's horse acts which include: her liberty tro.up^, JumPiAg horses, push-ball on iiorseback, two'-horse-hltch and three-horse-hitch Roman races and the chariot races; Wilbur's Circus, dogs, ponies and elephants; the Edith Siegrist Troupe and tlie Flemings, flying acts, the latter back later with the Derwelis for cloud swings; Daisy, .the Wonder Horse, comedy act; Reynolds and lioriegan f6r roller-sltatlng and the Seven Wonder ^Glrls for a; skating act; Will Hill's baby elephants, the Demenatis, Arab tuml^lers; and Lottie Mayer and h^r diVihg ballet of 16 girls, Tops by 10,000 Vancouver, B. C, Sept. 10. Canada Pacific Exhibition closed today with a seVen day attendaince total of 313,305, about 10,000 over last year's total. Labor Day saw more than "80,000 In grounds, ah all-tiihe dally high mark. LEGION IN BUSINESS Veta Will Build and Operate Amuae- ment Park Gulfport. Miss., Sept. lO. Development of Siilp Island, oft the Mississippi Gulf Coast, as an a4nasem«nt resert^befieine m0r7« t'Ar- tain Saturday (6) wfaeii it was an- nounced here that President Roose- velt signed a bill , ordering; a appraisial of the federal property which has been taken over by the Joe Graham Post .of-ihe., Ainerlcajo. Legion here. It Is the plan of the legion to build a restaurant, dance pavilion, bathhouses tor bathing, and to pro- vide facilities for fishing. It Is hoped to: niak« this a'recreatltiil-'center for fife Vrillro"?Rnf CiSuSt, ■ fdf tIfiW pr= leanians, and tourists and visitors froni nearby states. Corners Like Ringlmg pes Moines, Sept. 10. Ofilcials of Rlhgling Bros.-Bar- num & Bialley's circus reported here, that business In their three Iowa stops this year was 25% better than Idst year. ShOws were in Des Moines, Iowa City and Ottumwa. With capacity of 15,000 every seat was taken for the two performances here Sept. 4. Carney Man Killed Lincoln^ Sept. 10; Russell Broadstbne, 26, known on United Shows of America, Carney, as Harry Hurley, foreman of the Whip, -was Instantly electrocuted last weeic while pperatliig an elecr trie drill when he stepped on a ilve wire In thei muddy midway. Show gave him a funeral, Rey. Guy Sharp, ordained minister who lectures in the Dlllinger show, mak- ing the funeral oration. Body was shipped to Moscow Mills, Mo. Show was playing the State Fair here. May Go to Dallas New Orleans, Sept. 10. A replica of the million dollar amusement center'Tiow being pro- moted for this city, may be iristaUed in the Texas exposition in 1936. Bob Paige, desiglner, has been called to Dallas for a conference with ex- position concession men.' Ottawa Fair's Record Ottawa, Sept. 10. Final "count of patronage to the recent Ottawa fair, shows that the turnstiles clicked for 307,000 admis- sions during the six days for a mod- ern attendance record. Only twice before has the local exhibition shown slightly higher patronage, and even at that there is some doubt about the previous figures. Fair made money; it Is an- nounced, but the actual net will not be announced until returns are made to the city government, which holds a big stake In the undertaking. N.Y. Rodeo Starts Oct. 9 Opening Oct. 9, the 10th annual Iridbpr rodeo will hold forth at Mad- ison Square Garden until Oct. 27. There will be 26 performances, 19 night shows and seven matinees, An estimated number of 200 roughriders Will participate for the $40,000 in prizes. Last year's con- testants numbered 173. Bust but- Black Dayton, p.. Sept, 10, Though continuous rain made one out of four days of Montgomery county fair, opening Labor day, a complete loss, gate admission", numbering 35,2il3, were nearly 1,000 ahead of last ye^n . Both pari-mutufel betting and sale of beer were banned this year. CIRCUS ROUTES Week Sept. 11 Al G. Barnes Sept. 11, Alamoha; 12, Ifrlnldad; LuB "Vegas; lA, SRnta Fe. Cole Bros. Sept. 11, StuHgart; 12,.: BIythevllle; U, Slke.ston, ' Rubin ^ Cherry Expo. Toronto. Sept. 10. Midway was a medley of mathe- maticians, with dazed ofllclals and cashiers frantically trying to work out an admission scale, following Premier Hepburn's ukase that amusement tax would not be lifted on midway attractions dur- ing the two-weeks' stay of the Rubjla,& Cherry.Expogltloj}, here for the! Canadian NatibnaV Ezhibitioh. Final result was that natives are seeing the shows for less than ever before. With the tax scale Jump- ing when' the admissions reach 9c. a:nd 18c., shows which previously charged 10c. and 20c. were cut to Sc; and 17c., plus tax, this elimi- nating handling of coppers. The 25c. shows which, with the 6c. tax. would have cost the customers 30c., were cut to 20c. . Was thought at ^rst that, If these prices showed figures in thfe red, prices would be upped. No squawks; however, and Rubin. Gruberg, coni- plete with stick and cigar, is begin- ning to catch up on sleep a. little. Despite 'government tax collection inroads, midway gross is reported to be up 25% over last year, with gross of the baby-rides division up 30%, these exclusive of tax which amounts to about 15% of the total; New Rubin & Cherry edition is spick and span. Noticeable are the modernistic fronts and the heavy use of neon-tubing. Barkers are all using the p.ia. system. Expo car- ries 17 shows and 15 rides; also 3 baby rides and 2 pony tracks. New canvas as well as new fronts. Atf tractions being broken In here In- i elude the elaborate Auto-Scooter. ' the Loop-the-Loop,and the Loop-b'- Plane. li^ead attraction Is 'Old Mexico,' with Cella Villa, daugliter of Pan- cho, as featured singer, and Mer- cedes de Velasco for sacrificial dances. Show carries 10 femmes and 8 men, latter doubling in the marimba band. Top grossers, how- ever, are Cash Miller's 'Believe It or Not' freaks, the Motor Drome and the Russian midgetis, in that order. On the rides, the Skooter and the Loop-o'-Plane are doihg big business; ditto the baby rides. Show Is triivelling in 30 72- foot cars, personnel totalling around 700. Staff consists of Rubin Gru- berg, prez; Frank Reed, secretary; Arthur Sharpe, treasurer; Joe Red- ding, manager; Frank Winchell, press; Louis Hoffman, agent; Paul McLane, trainmaster; W.m. Cain, chief elect; Eddie Marconi and Bo)) Tobias, scenic artists; Ed. Relder, superintendent of construction; Earl Klotz, lot superintendent. Fair Stripper Shocks Iowa Solon; Now He Wants to Write a Bill SAVES THE PATRONS Carney Showma'h "Leads' 90' /roriT Flaming Conpesaion 13, 13, ONE BAT FAIB Evasion, ., Sept. 10, The one-day fair at Gllbcrtort near Easton drew 30,000 this y*;ar'. Fair largest ever held. Toronto, Sept. 10; • ■ Oyer 50 men, women and chil- dren escaped from a roaring blaze when lire swept rapidly througii the 'Jester's Palace,' a ride in the Rubin ft,..CheEry m.ld\yay..kt.the..Canadian National Jlxhliaitionliierfi. _. . "William Col.llson, foreman of the operating crew, inanaged to escort the customeirs from the canvas and wooden structure unharmed. He carried out two youngsters and was burned on both hands. Tents.' on either side of th^ blaze were quickly struck, Cpllison had quickly pulled all electric switches as others, of the crew cut loose a large gasoline- tank and hauled this beyond the flaines. Machinery and irrors Wer6 completely ruined, estimated loss being put at $8,000,' No Insur- ance carried. Fire. department claimed blaze was caused by a lighted cigarette butt. Ringling and Cole Hit Southeastern Territory "Blr Ingham, Sept. 10. Cole Brothers has hit the solid south, being the first circus to dd so. Coming in through Arkansas the show is due to hit the cotton territory at Memphis Sept. 16. The show lays over Sunday at Memphis and plays Monday. Ringling Show is also slated to hit Tennessee and Alabama some- time in September or October and both the Cole and Ringling are try- ing to arrange for a Birmingham date. However, a definite date has been held up because of the Ala- bama State Fair Sept. 23, Neither show, "will likely come in before the fair is held. Substitute for Fair Cedai: Rapids, Sept. 10. Strip women .who entertain the rattlves out in the •territory v.'hpre the tall corn grows may be an issue In the next session of the Iowa state lisgislat-ure-- If a t threat Issued--this week by Representative. Gus Alesch of LeMitrs is made good. He at- tended the annual statei j;alr, which closed a few days ago In D.es Moines, and he is riled over what he saw on thi".'mid^w"ay"r——-.• " Curious to' know If the promises of a barker that the ladles would dance In their birthday clothes without using their feet was all that It sounded to be, he took a chance and risked at least one eye. "That barker's promise sure was made good," the Solon says in a letter of protest, which he sent to the state fair board. "She didn't have so much as a patch of court plaster be- tween her epidermis and this goggle- eyed public." Presumably-Rep, Alesch's remarks were directed to a sh9\y In which Jade Rhodora, strip dancer, was featured, although Secretary A; R. C3orey of the state fair board insists that all midway shows were cen- sored by himself and that nothing out of line had his approval. Time magazine recently quoted Miss Rho- dora as saylhg that she wouldn't think of dbliig a strip before a stag or at a night club, but that she con- sidered it okay to give the boys out in the tall uncut a thrill occaslbn- ially. Corey said Alesch wals deceived by mirror lUusIohs. S. C. Dates and Shows Dallas, Sept. 10. State fair directors are lining up every amusement house in Dallas for a city-wide 'carnival' week, Oct. 10-19. Events iare supposed to re place the State Fair's two-week run,.ruined by construction of Ccn tcnnlal expo. Directors have hooked theatres, nite clubs, hotels and others into the sciieme, and all are offering gala programs. Idea is that horse races aiid football games, if amuse- ments are thrown in, would draw a crowd about the same as the fair would. Wiping Out Wortham Dallas, Sept. 10. Wortham Shows may be near their existence's end, Mrs, Carrie Worth- am, owner, Is dickering for a farm near Dallas to assemble some of her State Fair of Texas devices, and plan.-) to bring'her 18-car show, now somewhere In Kansas,, to the scene. She doMn't know whether she will idlspose of the entire show. Mrs. ■\X^ortham was awarded V-- .- 000 by the State Fair of Texas wlien fair canceled her 20r.year contract at thc end of 14 years, .She got $1,- 250 for demolition contract, but gave 450,000 feet of lumber with-it Sold two devices to an amu.vcment park, and is holding a Lindy Loop, merry-go-rou nd and others. She said the' permanent carnival repre.sentcd a 1200,000 investment. Mrs. Wortham's pernianent rides are being razed for site of Centen- hlal expo midway. DUNKS IN BLACK iJes Moines, Sept. 10. Iowa state fair came out of the red tliis year. Total receipts to Thursday preceding the closing day, Friday, wore $232,274.00, compared with $1.1(5,777 for the 1934 fair. At- tendanfie was belter than that of any fair sinco 19;iO. Althfiu.tjh the v.iy c midway at- tractions wc-rf at the 3 931 (;v(?ht. gro.ss r(-c<;ipt.<< this yar wfre C") percent higher. Spartanburg, S, C, Sept. 10. The following schedule of main North and JSquth Carollnas Septem- ber and October fair dates has been announced through Glen W. Naves, publicity man: ■ South Cavollna; Spartanburg County, Sept, iiS-lff; Darlington, Sept. 30-Oct. 6; Newberry County, opens Oct. 5; Orangeburg opens Oct. 17; ' • North Carolina: Rutherford County, Sept, 24-28; Toe River trl- county, Sept. 17-21; Wilkes County, •Sept; -'K^if ff«;''-=S^r/t'."'-2ff-2t.'- " • Greater Krause Shows booked for Toe River ^air, L, C- Prlcie has been named presi- dent, of Hollls Fair Association, and George E, Evans is Hominy (N. C.) fair contact, dates later. Gibson's. Rlue Ribbon Shows skedded with all week. Rutherford •fair booking. Hamlet (N. C), Oct 7-12: Green- ville. County (S. C.) at Greenville, Oct. 7-12, midway bookings in charge of Greenville County Pair Assn., New Buncombe Road, Green- ville. Plus ^Ight more N, C, county and 10 more community fairs placed In slate license exemption list. But levies on carnivals not In- cluded in tax exempt ruling, only tax-free amusementij, such as rid- ing devices and concessions, which leaves a loop hole for a large part of set-up of many carnivals and shows now playing Cai^Qllna fair circuits or enroute for fall bookings. Here and There (Continued from page 44) die Columbia U. football tilts this year over WHN, New York. Scries heglnH. oh Oct. 5. Duo not to gag, hut will stick to play-by-play and ')tl-,(-r flrst-hand gleanings, Charles ranoon, formerly of WCLO,,Jane8Vlll.e, Wis., and George Kovell, who comes from WTA^, r3au Claire, AVls., havia joined the f)))eratlng staff of WDAY, Fargo, N, D- MilMard Dunkirk, WDAY, Fai-go, N, D,, ..commerciai depart ent, is on-a two-Weeks' motorjr/.trip with Hofltbn as hi: main objefllvc. ANOTHEE BLACKIE IndlanapoTLs, Sept, 10, The 83rd .Indian.a Annual State F.'ilr, concludlnif,'. Friday (6), hung up a n('V/ all-time attendance rec- ord with a. total of .300,000 persons passlntf through the turnstUos. This oxfrfcdwl last yc'ur's total by 72,0C0, 'ind the previous record scored In 1928' of 254,587.