Variety (February 1913)

VARIETY CODY-TAMMEN COALITION, NEW DEA L IN C IRCUS WORLD Denver Newspaperman Announces Buffalo Bill Will Be Associated In 1914 With Sells-Floto Shows, Offering Competition at 25 Cent Scale For Big Triple Exhibition. Denver, Feb. 6. Agreements have been entered into and the signatures have passed by which Col. William F. Cody will per- sonally be allied with the Sells-Floto shows operated by H. H. Tammen, one of the proprietors of the Denver Post. A report was current that this coalition would go into effect during the cur- rent season, but that arrangement has been changed, and the new circus com- bine does not become effective until 1914. H. H. Tammen's statement is une- quivocal. "It is positively agreed and contracts signed/' he says, "that Buf- falo Bill will be personally associated in combination with the Sells-Floto Cir- cus in 1914 and thereafter. "In addition to which the best known wild animal exhibition will be added to the above combination, and the general admission price will be 25 cents. "This consolidation proposes to out- do in size and quality and with three performances combined in one to bid for the patronage of the country in competition with the biggest amuse- ment enterprises of the United States." What part Gordon W. Lillie (Paw- nee Bill) will play in the new line-up of forces, remains a subject of specu- lation in the East. There have been rumors among circusmen in this ter- ritory for some weeks, forecasting a division between the two Bills, but they were for the most part dis- counted, due to the supposition that Lillie and Cody were tied up by means of a long term contract under which Col. Cody was prohibited from ap- pearing in public, except in association with Pawnee Bill. It appears from an investigation that the Cody-Lillie agreement is indefinite in its operations. It is possible to can- cel it at any time upon the demand of either party, but a time limit is set upon the notice of the cancellation. The understanding is that it was this "notice clause" in the contract which interfered with the closing of an agree- ment between Tammen and Col. Cody for a coalition this year. The Eastern representatives of the Two Bills outfit had been notified that Col. Cody was to be in Denver Mon- day and Tuesday of this week, leaving for the East Tuesday night. None of the New York circus authorities, in- cluding those affiliated with the Two Hills show, was in possession of the tacts of the Tammen-Cody deal, and although ni.ist of them affected to dis- believe that any such transaction had really gone through, the Tammen an- nouncement was so convincing, taker in connection with the presence in Denver of Col Cody, as to create the suspicion they had had intimations that something of the sort was about to be put through. Major Gordon W. Lillie, after a short visit to Pawnee, Okla., is expect- ed to return to New York the latter part of this week. He started from Pawnee Wednesday. After his arrival here he will give his exclusive attention to the forthcoming Madison Square Garden and indoor Philadelphia exhi- bitions of the Two Bills show. It is reported currently among circus people in the east that the Two Bills show comes into Madison Square Gar- den after the Barnum-Bailey show only by an accident. The Ringlings had the town tied up, as they thought, but all that gave them first showing here was the failure of negotiations between the Two Bill outfit and another party which had engaged time in March at the Garden. This last-named party has been standing pat on his contract with the Garden and would under no con- sideration let it go. They insisted on playing. It was this consideration of an obli- gation long since entered into which caused them to insist on their engage- ment. Had this engagement been abro- gated, it would have been entirely pos- sible for the Cody organization to have beaten into New York the Baraboo out- fit. POX TURNS BACK DEWEY. The Dewey (Fox theatre) on East 14th street has been turned hack to Sul- livan & Kraus by William Fox. It is said the rental for the Dewey, as agreed upon by Fox, was $50,000 yearly. Of late it has been playing pop vaudeville after having had a season of stock. While making money the story is the various departments which have super- vision over theatres have been so vig- ilant and annoying to the Dewey man- agement Mr. Fox concluded the trouble was not worth it. The rental of the Dewey and Gotham livan & Kraus property, leased by Fox at the same time he secured the Dewey, may be returned to its owners also, it is reported. The rental of tne Dewey and Gotham by Fox some years ago was a sensa- tion at the time, the rents he secured them at for a picture policy as an- nounced in those early days of the film business greatly surprising show people. SHOWS REROUTED. Chicago. Feb. 6 When the new Sullivan-Considine'^ Fmnre" at TTalsted and 63rd sheets opens Foli 10 (as nt present scheduledV the show billed in for the other S.-C Empress here (Cottacre Grovel will ne shifted to the new house. The S.-C. road show that would have closed its tour at Kansas City, ordinarily, will have the route extended a week, into the Cottage Grove Empress WILD WEST AFTER BIG SHOW. The Two Bills' Wild West will fol- low the Barnum-Bailey Circus into the Madison Square Garden. After the for- mer, the Sportsmen's Show will be held there. The circus opens its season in New York, as usual; the Wild West starts at Philadelphia. MARIE PAVEY WAITING. An oflfer from Evelyn Blanchard to present Marie Pavey in vaudeville upon request is said to have been received by the agents. Miss Pavey is now playing Joe in "Little Women" at the Playhouse. Formerly she appeared in stock leads. Since playing for William A. Brady, Miss Pavey has become locally quite famous. ABOUT CIRCUS PEOPLE. Matt Saumers, who was for many years an official of the Buffalo Bill or- ganization, has become affiliated with the Poli forces. La France Brothers, who are doing a balancing act at Loew's American this week, have abandoned the white tops They made a recognized bareback team of riders with the Barnum-Bailey and other outfits for half a dozen years This year they have booked up enough on the small time to more than make up for the loss of circus engagements. John Ringling made a hurried trip late last week to Sarasota, Fla., where his brother Charles makes his winter home. John is expected back in New York before next Monday. The circus- man has lived rather continuously on his private car, having returned from his ranch in Montana only two days before his departure for Florida' Al. W. Martin, an old-time circus man, and lately operator of half a dozen "Uncle Tom" shows, sailed for Lon- don Tuesday in company with Pete Simmons, a moving picture operator of Chicago. Simmons's mission is to se- cure 9,000 feet of feature film which he will exploit in Chicago. Martin goes as his guest, making the trip a pleasure journey. 5 CONTEST MRS. BAILEY'S WILL. Proceedings have been begun in tlie Supreme Court of Westchester Count v. N. Y., by which Anna lsabclle Hutch inson, sister to the lair Mrs. James A. Bailey, attacks Joseph T. and Theodore D. McCaddon. executors of Mrs Bai- ley's estate. Under the Mrs. Bailey will an an- nuity of $10,000 was left to Anna I Hutchinson, the mother of Frederick Bailey Hutchinson, manager of the Sells-Floto Circus, of Denver, and of Charles F. Hutchinson, treasurer of the Barnum-Bailey and other shows owned by the Ringling Bros. Mrs. Hutchinson contends in this will contest that Joseph McCaddon wrong- fully influenced Mrs. Bailey, because of a determination that her two sons should not share in the wealth of the late circusman, amounting to a sum es- timated at between $5,000,000 and $8,- 000,000. She is represented in the con- test by John T. Bottom, a Denver lawyer; Johnson & Mills, of Brooklyn, and Frank L. E. Carstarpen, of New York. TILFORD THE HI.\r;iNC. VENTRILOQUIST NKXT WEKK <F»t> I'Ji. 6TH AVE, N. Y. LION-HEADED BOY COMING. Among the new freaks to be intro- duced for the inspection of Wonder- land patrons is said to be a lion headed boy from the other side, also the duplex or knotted twins so successfully ex- ploited by Ike Rose on the Continent for a long while. Besides these is a giant girl, while several of the oddities Sam Gumpertz observed while abroad will be brought for a showing to the new amusement venture in the re- named New York theatre. Last week Wonderland lost its "wheel" "Teddy Bear" concession The police ordered it out on the lottery- complaint. The next day the Roof hail the "Teddy Bear" man back with a new way of doing it, dropping balls into a triangular shaped box with a hole in the centre. About thirteen balls are sold at ten cents each. The first to go through the hole, upon all being sold for that round being dropped together, gets a bear. The "wheel" scheme was five cents a chance, forty numbers on the wheel, and at the whirl, the holder of the number the wheel stopped at was the winner. Sunday night the police made a comment on the "Oriental Show" (which could have been called a "Cooch Dance" just as well) on hie Roof. Monday morning the Persians or Parisians Sam Gumpertz discovered somewhere were no longer wiggling up in the air. In their place on the plat- form in the southeast corner Mn.c. Hermann will display her line • >:' assorted illusions. The Oriental concession did be- tween $50 and $60 daily it is said, and with a heavy week-end play, got about $450 on the week. The best paying concession just now is the Tanagaia show. It is doing around $650 on the week, according to a statement made A troupe of monkeys has been in- stalled, to draw the curiously inclined. Next week Saseha, "The Iron-Healed Man." will make hi.-i first appearance m America. Jules Larvett leaked Saseha for the week only, when he goes <>n the vaudeville 'ours.