Variety (Oct 1938)

Wednesday, October 12, 1938 OUTDOORS^SPQRTS VARIETY FRISCO FAIR GRABS TOP SHOW San Francisco, Oct. 11. First smash show lor the midwpy of the 1939 Golden Gate Interna- tional Exposition was signed yester- day. Concession tabbed 'Streets of the World,' will represent an out- lay of $2,225,000, according to man- aging director B. D. Russell of the enterprise, which is. in business un- der the name of Streets of the World Corporation. Russell was formerly an exhibit salesman for the expo. Money for the enterprise was ad- vanced by a syndicatie of local mer- chants and financiers. Actual build- ing will begin Oct. 25. Concession will cover four acres and under the contract signed this week all com- petisli from similar villages will be eliminated. Gate fee will be 25 cents. A big take is anticipated. from the sale of merchandise and from Cafes, dance spots and special shows within the lot. s DRIVING ON CHICAGO FOR N. Y. WORLD'S FAIR Chicago, Oct. 11. Maurice Mermy arrived in town with a stafl of six men and immedi- ately set up concession sales offices lor the New York World's Fair. Will stick around town for a Mireek and then head back, after having gotten the local office functioning. Capt. Jack Riley, .liaison man for the Fair, was in also, with Grover Whalen and set tieups with several department stores and organizations. Jn. view of the prese nt and heated 'Keep Chicago Ahead*' campaign being put on the.city fathers, it is admitted that Capt. Riley has done and is doing an outstanding job for the New York festival by obtaining such cooperation from a city which figures to be in competition with the nation's metropolis and would likely jump at a chance to turn down all angles of cooperation. Capt. Riley has not only sold the leading organizations here on putting on actual displays for the World's Fair in New York, but even has got- ten the newspapers interested in car- rying stories and pictures about the eastern shindig. Nebraska OK Lincoln, Oct. 11. Nebraska's state fair profited $4,- 998.71 after all bills were met, to Oct. 1. This is approximately $1,000 better than in 1937, and would have been a bigger profit showing, had not $16,601 been used in excess' of the $10,000 appropriated by the state for maintenance. Pari-mutuel department was the biggest contributor, the 13% repre- sented by the 10% and breaks al- lowed from the handle amounting to $28)355 for the fair, an additional $1,474 for score cards and $690 for entries bringing the grand total to $30,519. N. Y. Fair Focusing Big Outdoor Show Business in the East A comparatively quiet area as far as outdoor bookings go, the east will hum next season, inspired chiefiy by the New York World's Fair, and partly by gradual expansion of book- ers, from other realms of show busi- ness. • Music Corp. of America is going out after bigger things next season, having supplied bands and acts for the Kansas City Jubilesta and the Canadian National Exposition, to- gether with the takeover of the Casa Manana, Ft. Worth, this past sum- mer. The William Morris office, lor- iHierly booking special attractions for fairs, etc., is also of a mind for' the grand scale, stuff. With formation of band booking department recently, Morris now feels itself in position to go after such shows and enter into direct competition with MCA on all such deals. Added to this is the return of Frank Wirth to the outdoor field this year. Latter sold out his in- terest in Wirth & Hamid to George Hamid about six years ago, stipulat- ing Wirth was not to reeenter the biz for at least six years. Hamid office is still the largest • and m o s t- activ e in- the e ast -from the 100% outdoors standpoint. Hamid took over- the Million Dollar Pier, Atlantic City, this suinmer as his first independent venture, and is also preparing for a large-scale basis for next spring. THAT BUFFALO JAM AFA HDDDLINinWTH NORTHS IN HOUSTON Houston, Oct. 11. Here for the American Federation of Labor convention, Ralph White- head, executive secretary of the American Federation of Actors, is also conferring with heads of the Barnes (Rlngling) Circus. Barnes trick took up where Ringling Bros.- Barnum & Bailey ^how left oft early in season after AFA union pressure. Circus is playing here from Oct. 10-12. During this time Whitehead Is talking to Henry North, John ingling North and Henry Dunn, lat- ter rep of the Manufacturers' Trust. Gist of talks cannot be learned, but thought to be concerning next sea- son rather than any further action this year since season is nearly over. Michigan Fair Seeks Funds for Auto Show Detroit, Oct. 11. Michigan State Fair is seeking PWA grant for erection of a huge building on grounds large enough to accommodate a national a-utomo- ^ile show. Fair board also consid- ering proposal to change name of annual event to Michigan Exposi- tion, looking to broadening scope of Bfltair. There's been considerable agita- tion for some years that national showing of new autos rightfully be- longed to motor capital, but motor moguls have held back because of Jhuch more favorable pulalicity ob- «ined throughout country from nolding display in Gotham. 13TH ANNUAL RODEO NO HOODOO TO B.O. By JACK PULASKI This is the golden anniversary of rodeo, pastime of cow punchers, and the 13th annual roimdup of the con- tests at Madison Square Garden. The arena was rather well peopled Friday (7) when the lads and girls from the western parts, also Aus- tralia and South Africa, started, kick- ing that stuff around, directed by Frank Moore, for a 24-day spell. Again it is a very good show. The routine is virtually set, but there are plenty of new faces among the 188 contestants and enough •frisky cattle to enliven any evening. There is a starting kick provided by the ensemble of riders and their maneuvers to open the perfotmance followed by the horseback quadrille. Card then quickly goes into action with the hands riding the buckers barebaek. The event was copped by Cecil Henley of Hayward, Cal., astride of Bay Bird. The bad pony called Hells Angel isn't in the herd, but there are others, such knocker- offers as Scrap Iron and one called Chinatown. The girls' bucking event at the opener found all ^stftying in the saddle, including Grace White, known as 'two. ton.' There is a change of pace through- out with the mounted basketball game providing fun, just as the wild cow milking contest does later. The i:o"pei:s are presented bettef this time" and on performance they deserve the spotting accorded to Chester Byers, Jr.,. Eskew and Verne Good- rich. The curious terms used for fancy roping stunts were amplified by Al Frazin at the microphone, adding interest to the event. Longhoms Stay Vertical Longest contest on the card is the calf roping ev«it, won by Roy Mat- thews of Fort Worth. Jake McClure, a consistent winner, was out of the money, with Clay Carr and Joe Welch getting place and show stand- ing;—If-^e bar e b a ck bucking -event Gambling: Promoter Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy; Cops on Trial Buffalo, Oct. 11. Trial in Supreme Court here this week of five present and former po- licemen on charges of bribery in connection with the Centennial- Park gambling scandal at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Conventioh a year ago brought to light the exact methods in which the gambling contingent op- erated, as testified to by numerous witnesses for the prosecution. The local V.F.W. organized a non- profit membership corporation to handle the carnival activities. The corporation contracted with James P. Sullivan to provide shows, rides and entertainments for Centennial Park where the 'gambling and carni- val outfits were to be set up. Sul- livan had disposition of all conces- sion spaces and agreed to provide shows, the V.F.W. to receive a per- centage of receipts as well as flat rentals. Concessionaires were then lined up and, according to Sullivan who has pleaded guilty to conspiracy, ar- rangements were made to bring in out-of-town gamblers with fixed wheels so that all the play was con- trolled. It is then alleged by the prosecution that police protection was enlisted and that there was a daily pay-off. Washed Out Cobleskill, N. Y., Oct. 11. Cobleskill exposition, one of the few upstate to show a consistent profit in recent years, sustained a $15,000 loss due to the September week of rains and floods. Ticket sales for the entire week amounted to only $3,000, whereas in former years they have gone as high as - $7,000 in a single day. Despite bad business, all bills will be paid. CIRCUS ROUTES Week of October 17 Barnes-Sells-Floto New OrleanP. Tm., 1»; Baton RouKe. 17: \lc\iiiKliln. n; .MoTiioe. 1!>.: .'^hreveiir.rt, Lm; Texnrk'inn. A 21; Mltle Hofk. -11. looked difficult the saddle bronc con test is even more so, bringing on more onery critters than the earlier contest. First man out, of the chute copped, he being Kid Fletcher from Hugo, jCol., riding Screw Ball. Her- man Linder, a crack Canadian hand, was figured to have a good chance with a nag named Ted Husing, but he was an alisa ran. One of the nastiest buckers of the lot is Called Suzie Q.. Another called Sukinsin is plenty bad too, but he was ridden for the 10- second spell by Jim Bridges, hailing from San Angelo, Tex. The hands found the steers hard to toss in the bulNdogging event. Nearly all the long" horns stood with front feet planted wide apart and seemed to have rubber necks. Jim- mie Downs, one more winner from Fort Worth, was the head man. The steer riding contest, the final ex- citement on program, went to Floyd Heffner, also a Texan from Wichita Falls. Aside from the cowhai^s contests th<are are diversions furnished by. Ted Allen, the wonder horse-shoe pitcher from Alhambra, Cal., and the high school horse Buck, ridden by Hardy Murphy. Also present is Billy Keen's Roman jump over a motor car; two juvenile ropers, Don- ald and Gene McLaughlin, and the clever clowns who take as many chances as the contestants. Tw9 song interludes, both pleas- ant, came over the amplifiers via microphone lowered in the center of the arena. The Ranch Boys who are on NBC in a Western program were featured. The trio rode here from the coast on horses, the journey being 3,900 miles, the warblers be- ing. Jack Rosse, Joe Bradley and Shorty Carson. Earlier Ray Whitley and his six bar cowboys entertained, and well, too, with an assortment of accompanying instruments. The rodeo is a G^trden fixture and will probably pull another clean-up. Arena secretary is Fred Alvord, tip- ping off why his kinsman Ned went to Texas a couple of summers. A, of the judges is Hub Whiteman, one of the few hands who rode Hell's Angels successfully. Maybe that is why he is on the side lines. Total 'prize money at stake this year for the meei is $43,190. Pretti- est cowgirl noticed is blond lya Del Jacobs of Mer iman. Neb. In the program and signs within the Garden the Lincoln tunnel is ad- vertised by the Port Authority,' at- tention being called that cars can ! reach Jersey within .seven minutes. Football By Nat Kahn There are 25 games on the card this weekend and there isn't a breather in the lot Here goes: Tennessee-Alabama Tennessee is the underdog in this one, but not by much. Texas-Arkansas Arkansas should snap back into the victory column. Army-Harvard Army will encounter an improved Harvard team but gets the edge re- gardless. Brown-Dartmouth The G.ree»,'s backfield should stop the up-aiicl-coming Brown Bears, but ifs going to be closer than one might expect Bucknell-Temple Bucknell gets the nod via its vie- defeating 'a favored Indiana team last week. Indiana-Nebraska Nebraska should come through, particularly since it has shown that it has more scoring potentialities than the Hoosiers. MIchlgan-lVIinncsota That limb- is becoming crowded. But we're going way out on it for Michigan. Mississippi-Vanderbilt Vandy is favored but Ole Miss gets the vote. Navy-Yale Yale might snap out of the losing column in this one, but it isn't likely. North Carolina-N. Y. U. The Violets looked good in defeat- ing Rutgers last week. But it's the Probable Football Winners And Proper Odds (October 15) By NAT KAHN ODDS vs »/5 GAMES WINNERS Tcnnesee-Alabama Alabama Texas-Arkansas Arkansas Army-Harvard Army t/5 Browtt-Dartmouth Dartmouth 8/5 Baclniell.<Tcmple Bucknell Even U. C. L. A.-Callfomla California Even •HoIy€ross*Carnerie Tech-;.. ..;. .Holy Cross ,. . ; ; i.Bvea Colgate-Colombia Columbia 0/S ComeU-SyraeoBc Cornell 7/5 Georgia Teoh-Dake Dj^e 8/5 Purdue-Fordham Fordham 8/5 niinois-Notre Dame . Notre Dame Even bidlana-Nebraska Nebraska Michigan-Minnesota , .Michigan Missbsippi-Vanderbilt JMLisslssippi Navy-Yale Navy North CaroUna-N. Y. U .North Carolina Ohio State-Northwestern ». .Northwestern Oregon-Stanford Oregon Oregion State-Washington ...;. .Washington Penn-Princetoh Penn Pittsburgh-Wisconsin Piit mce-'l'nlane'~ ".TT7".~TrT.T.. JCice 7t. Texas Christian U-Texas A&M.,.'. .Texas Christian TJ. Washington State-U. S. C U. S. C. (Predictions Based on Fair Weather) 5/8 . 1/2 5/8 . 6/5 6/5 5/8 .Even 7/5 7/5 , 7/5 —-s/s- . 7/5 8/5 tory over Penn State last week,, one of the biggest upsets of the day. U.C.L.A.-CaUfornla The Uclans are rolling but Cali- fornia gets a wavering edge. Holy Cross-Carnegie Tech The Crusaders' Osmanski brothers should march through the Skibos in a close one. Colgate^Colnmbla Colgate might get the Lions, on the rebound after the latters' 20-18 vic- tory over Army last week. Colum- bia, though, in a very close tussle. Cornell-Syracuse The big Red team is clicking bet- ter each week. The Syracusans, too, are improved but don't have enough for the win. Georgia Tech-Dnkc Duke's victory over Colgate, by only 7-0, should not be taken lightly. Colgate. is much improved, Duke should take the Georgians. Purdne-Fordham This is the first test for ths Rams and they ^ould. topple a strong de- fensive Purdue eleven, but only- after- - a close struggle. Illinols-Notre Dame N. D. has" the betting edge but Illinois didn't look like a slouch in Tarheels in this one, despite its fitdg- £;red stock after dropping a 17-14 defeat to Tulane last week. Ohio State-Northwestern Northwestern is the dark horse in the Big Ten but should upset a fa- vored Buckeye eleven. Oregon-Stanford Stanford will not have improved sufficiently to upset Oregon by Saturday. Oregon State-Washington Washington is the choice. Should give up in the event that it loses this. one. Penn-Princeton On its form in defeating Lafayette and Yale, Penn caps the laurels. Plttsburgh-Wtsoontin This might well be the upset of the day but on form—the Panthers. Both unbeaten. Rice-Tulaae Rice should come through via the air. Texac. Christian-Texa« AibM T.G.U;,- with Davey-O^Brien- pitch- ing, will eke out .a close one. Washington State-V.8.C. - The Trojans are soaring and State shouldn't be tough. Cote Bros/ No A^ets South Bend, Ind., Oct 11. A bankruptcy schedule was filed in the. United States district court here last week by Cole Bros.-Clyde Beatty circus of Rochester, Ind. Circus listed liabilities of $418,338, with no assets. Unsecured claims, notes and bills made up $319,324 of the liabilities shown. Pa. Pinball Meet Philadelphia, Oct. 11.- Coin machines operators will hold their first State-wide. convention at the Majestic Hotel here on Oct. 19. Principal point on the agenda is legislation to benefit the industry. To attain suggestions toward this end, Maurice Mitnick, prez of the Pennsy group, has invited members of the State Senate, city magistrates and leading attorneys. Anyone interested in pinball ma- chines, whether or not a member, is also invited to all sessionsi 6w;k,Ltd. Albany, U. Y., Oct 11. Frank Buck, of Amityville, is one of the directors ot Jungeland, In- corporated, chartered by the Secre- tary of State to conduct a-business in the breeding of animals, fishes and birds, with principal Office in New York. Fact that the duration of the cor- poration's existence is limited to Dec. 1, 1939—the usual duration for corporations is fixed as 'perpetual'—* indicates this one may have a World's Fair connection. Ceiling Waiker Falls San Antonie; Oct 11. Anna Merfcel, ceiling walker with the Al G. Barnes-Sells Flotd. tJtick, suffered several rib firaotured. it^.Iast performanceof the two-day-, Btand. here, Oct, 7, when she fell. I^fe net, 45 feet below, partially.;broke t:ZT fall. Upsidedown stroller is recovering in Santa Rosa hospital here.