Variety (November 1922)

• >'..'^*-' OT Friday, November 24, 192t »V7'v'..■!*; OUTDOOR AMUSEMENTS •^i-yi-:*^ »v •'•Mvir 'um!tv*iT*tr\"- ■ • ■ * • • * , ,^ ',* •g-/":T?>-*^'^»i'fifsssRP». NEW TYPES OF CARNIVAL SHOWS PLANNING FOR NEXT SEASON? ^^Out^oor Managers Discussing Probabilities—Differ- ent Ideas—Combination Tickets—^Toronto Con- vention Will Draw Big Men of Amusement Field '-";■ V i*. /•** •; With all of the big ahows closed (t%nd in winter quarters, the carnival world is turning to the new floason. Will tho shows carry concessions * or will they limit their cntcrlain- tanent profcrams to riding d(>viccs ^*rd Hhows nlorte? 1^/ AH arc reticent on the sul>ject, «.,liiUhough several have come out With varlcms statements as to new ideas and policies for the cofhing ■^i^*easr>n. ■,;'"^-'' Some tell of new ideas in the way of lay-oiK and methods of working. One of the schemes is to includ,- the advance sale of tickets by th<> mm- ' mittee and the abcll.lon cf ticket • »cller3 on the lot, exceptin:^ ;it cen- tral stations, where combination .tickets, such as are in vogue ar ■> Steeplechase. Coney Island, and -Which V ill be good at all riding de- ■''^rli^es and side shows, will be sold. A manager who owns all of his , irides, shov.'s and concessions is said | [[g^j^ swings. -:,, %o have decided to Include conces- 3«ion tickets. These will be sold r|»«par.'-.tely and not on the regular ;. combination, '• Th5_ idea is to. elir";iate the risk .Of crocked ticket sellers and short "^change as we'l as to lessen c::ponse. vWith one or two combination ticket ^iboxea at the front door and with %pi b^bly four or Ave othera located rin convenient spots about the ~ jrrounas. it is figured that with eight ;f ticket sellers any sired crowd could be easily handled. As 1,. is. tickets are sold at each attraction, and a '; big carnival always carries, at Jenst, C from 60 to 100 ticket sellers on side ^hows and riding devices. The advance sale of tickets is to |.b« handled by the local committee. & tinder whose auspices the shows are I to exhibit, and each member will be &Slven a number of the combinatij.i ^-books. It is contended this system ''Win be of convenience to the public, saving inconvenience and annoy- ^ ance of fighting through the crowds Ito reach a ticket box. %,' Th0 combination ticket sellers, ^"^iir be women, and a strict watch i; Will be kept for short changers. This scheme has been widely dis- eus.sed .' carnival owners and man- ^agers, and while some seem to re- Igard the idea as practical, others -are inclined to ridicule the whole system. They ask how the shows are going to draw audiences with- out the talking ticket seller, but .this argument is outweighed by the r use of one or two all-day grinders \ on each bally, as has always been '^the mode. '■• The objectors say the public will never buy tickets for shows and \ rides under the combination meth- ' od as fast as they would independ- •ntly, and most all who have offered an opinion appear positive that the acheme would work and react only in cases where all of the attractions ;,'With the carnival were owned by I one man. How feasible the scheme '? is can probably better be told after : practical experiments have been ;' made. Shows and Rides Only "^ Another manager who has gained ' wealth and a reputation for clean I , shows an* legitimate conccs.=ftons 15 cal girls are to be used. They will receive a bonu.s of 20 per cent, on all tickets sold in advance of the opening of the show. To attract the public a ti«f program of free attrac- tions win be offered and presented at intervals right on the midway. On entering the show grounds the public will puss from the entrance pavilion d roclly into a large tent in which freaks of nature and living curio:Mties will bo exhibited on draped platforms and pits with plu&h inside pit cloths and n'ckel- plated r.'iillngp. There will te no charge for admissicn to this show, which wil! form the main free at- traction. Ourr on the midway, the same old j< » r.one will be there minus the cc n(«.^siona^*, ; ^^. The manager proposes to carry a bg thrce-abreast carrousel or mer- ry-go-round, a full-sized Coney Is- land whip, a Ferris wheel, a six- plane seaplane and a eet of Vene- Illa shows will be mostly of the walk-through or stand-up type, so that there will be no tiresome waiting between bally- hoos. : •'• ^ -•.; ' Mechanical shows, fun houses working model?, crystal mazes and shoAYS of this type will form the main part of the midway lineup. Two or three ballyhoo or sit-down shows will be all that will be car- ried, and these will doubtless in- clude a trained wild animal arena, a •fast-working colored . minstrel show and a spe.:ta^ular scenic and lighting display with illusions and vaudeville combined. He Intends to offer clean shows and believes that will) the riding devices and the shows' share of the front gate he will be ab'e to move the shdws, pay salaries, keep up his equipment and still show a satisfactory balance on the credit side of the ledger. Money Prizes with Tickets Incidentally it should be men- tioned that, where local laws will allow, money prizes will be given away t*) the holder of those tickets which bfar the lucky number. It is even proposed to give away an automobile every week, a scheme which has been worked with quite some success at indoor fairs, fetes, bazaard, etc. Special days will be set aside for local organizations and all children will be admitted at half the ticket price. Carnival Without Shows Out of the middle west comes an independent promoter and carnival manager who submits the following plan: He proposes to operate a car- i)ival without a single show, relying entirely upon riding devices and concessions. Of riding devices, he claims to have secured a llne«up pf the beat and most modern on both American and European markets. He further claims that his conces- sions will be limited In number and of the legitimate type only. He ex- pects the merchandise wheels to operate and admitted that without them he was not so certain of the practicability of his plan, ^e ,wlll sell no excluslves on concessions but figures on selling no more than two of each kind. The show, from every standpoint outside of conces- sions« will be the same as any other carnival, although this manager fig- ures on placing a huge dancing floor in the cenier of the midway. Here dancing will be permitted at inter- vals, but* thrre will be no women dancing instructors, neither will any ^ and who owns outright a iB-car f outfit, now in winter quarters in the ^ south. Is said to be framing a show ; without a single concession outside ;. of the usual eating tents, ice cream. '- popcorn and candy. Ballpens, toys and novelties may be included, but . ^. ^ . , there will be no games of any sort. | loose o. suggestive dancing be per- Hls Idea is to surround the show "^'l****'- , » u i ui grounds with an eight-foot colored- I ^he plan appears to be workable striped side wall. The main en- , and the manager has tried It out trance will be made attractive with on a small scale throughout the a large marquee pavilion, which 1 "11(1(1 le west. Considering the gen- will have a painted portable floor- ing, orn.Tmental brass railings, cir- cus style, and crimson plush or painted tapestry ln«?lde wall. A bandstand w'll be built back of the marquee wall. It is proposed to eral depression and national short- age of cash, the season, on the they will be enabled to test the ground and feel their way without any heavy ifivestraent. A block party consists of conces- sions, a band and a danoe floor, "j^he party is usually put in under the auspices of some local church or society, who secure all local licenses and permits., .The concessions pay a substantial rental and the dance floor is usually a profltable invest- t^nt. It at least pays for the band, and on paved streets there is no expense for lumber. The conces- sions are usually protected by the committees,«and, with good weather and a populous neighborhood, the "block party" is. as a rule, a success. Tlie community car nival or fete is the same as ihe "block party," ex- cepting that one Is held on a vacant lot and the other on an enclosed section of a back street. A certain type of show is worry- ing, and it is hard to tell what action its managers will take. Many will materially change their tactics or not go out at all next season. It is equally certain there will be many late openings among the smaller shows. Of the really big shows there will be no changes, either in policy (jtc methods of booking. There may be some changes in the execu- tive staffs which will bring forth surprise, but otherwise it is doubtful if there will b^much to chronicle. $200,000 TO IHFBOVE FAIB Wheeling, W. Va.. Nov. 22. The West Virginia State Fair As- sociatlon held its annual meeting here last week and voted to make improvements to the fair ground at a cost of $200,000. Work is to be completed before the opening of the 1923 season. George W. Luts, pres- ident of the association, stated this seasons fair was the biggest in at- tendance in the history of the event. The policy of the State association is not to divide profits on^airaand exhibitions, but to reinvest earn- The rtieeting voted an appropria- tion of $15,000 for a frpe attraction program for next season's fair. The contract was awarded Frank Wirth, a guest of the meeting. He repre- sented the Wirth, Blumenfelt fair booking office. lii .'t' ^-'— ■.'i^ OBITUARY. V,. kA*. •;'■ • ,.vl.\ -•■»> FRANK BACON Frank Bacon, creator of Bill Jones in his own play, "Lightnin'." which ran more than two years at the Gaiety,*'New 'York, died in Chicago last Sunday after a week's illness, brought on by over-work. The fa- mous character had played in more than 2,000 performances of his greatest play. , / . v "-„ - Mr. Bacon was compelled to re- linquish his part in "Lightnin"' Xov. 11 and left the Blackstone Hotel last Sunday and went to the Del rrado. to be near hl.s personal friend and physician, Dr. Robert A. Black. ' Not until the following Friday night was his illness considered dangerous. On Saturday morning, his nurses say, he discupsed general topics of the day. Although con- fined to his room throughout the week. Mr. Bacon was able to move about. At about 11 o'clock Saturday morning Mr. Bacon suffered a heart attack and fell into a coma. He never recovered consciousness. With him at the end were his wife, who yshared his yeass of struggle, and ms daughter, Mrs. Bessie AUen, who arrive^ Saturday night from Kans'as City, where she had been playing the leading woman part in her father's play with the road com- pany. A son, Lfbyyl Bacon, is di- rector for Lloyd Hamilton. Mr. Bacon went to w6rk on a sheep ranch at 14, where he re- mained for three years, until he actors who held the services. The stage of the Alcazar was the first on which Bacon won dramatic suc- cess years ago. BURTON GREEN James Burton Green, husband of Irene Franklin, died Nov. H at his homo In Chester Hill Park at Mount Vernon, N. Y.. from Bright's disease and heart trouble. Miss Franklin, who sped to his bedside from Chi- cago, and their two daughters were with him at the end. A 20-year old son by a former marriage is in Mexico. Mr. Green became unconscioua about 24 hours before death. Ha "grew up" with present-day vaude- ville. It was at Tony Pastor's ha IN FOND MKMORY or MT PAnTNHR Patrick Joseph Boyle Pas8«?d~ November Md, l^tl SINDE DALE ''BINGLING-BARNnM nmOOR" Syracuse, N. Y., Nov. 22. In spite of the announcement, made through the advertising columns of Variety, that the Ring- lings would prosecute any parties tiding the Ringling-Barnum name for an indoor circus, the forthcom- ing indoor circus to be given here as a benefit for Tigris Temple of the Mystic Shrine is being adver- tised through window cards as the "Ringling-Barnum Indoor Circus." The affair is to be staged in the Jefferson street Stat« Armory. Standard circus acts are oa the program. .• SIMPSON, OEir. MGB. B. ft C. Savannah, Oa., Nor. 22. It fa arranged that the Rubin A Cherry shows will again winter at the Trf-^ate Fair Grounds here. The shows, now at tiie Florida State Fair at Jacksonville, will leave there at the close of the fair, moving direct to Savannah. James C. Simpson has been en- ; iged 03 general manager. Simp- son is widely known among the secretaries of the larger fairs. "SPICE" UNDER COST (Continued from page 1) die of the week to whip It back Into something like Its former shape be- fore it gets to Chicago Dec. 3. Brendel and D*rt entered the show here, replacing Georgle Price, %ho had been billed, but didn't open with It. Instead Price came in as the added feature of the Shubert unit at the local State. It wasn't that his absence sidetracked the whole, wan In all ways satisfactory, trade, because his presence didn't Block Parties Safe Many of the smaller carnival man agers, those who do not own equip give band concerts during the early . ment, scared and uncertain of the Tart of the rvrtHlng when the band outlook, arc laying low and few are *' returns from the regular downtown showing any efTort toward prcpara- ballyhoo p^'^rade and before It Is needed to play at the dlfforont at- tractions. A charge of 25?. admission will be made at the front door. Those tic- kets will also be sold by the mem- bers of the local committee In con- nection with the advance sale. Tx>- tions for a new season, and many of them have openly declnred them- selves. Faying that they will take no chances until they can see for them- selves Just how conditions are and how the land lies. Many are figur- ing on promoting block parties and .seem to draw anything unusual at the other house. But, somehow, the town seemed to sense that "Spice" was "shot," and wouldn't come rear it. . \ P.ig shows at the Hanna have been ranging from $11,000 to $21,000 this season. There are no abnormal :()ndi(iona here except that the new Keith Palace is drawing heavily, but that Is not regarded as enough to kill traveling attractions. "Spice" Is said to cost something became an apprentice to a San Jose photographer. Eventually he estab- lished a studio of his own. At the end of four years he decided to do newspaper work. His first job was an advertising solicitor for the San Jose Jlercury. Two years later he bought the Napa Reporter, Napa City, Cal. Dissatisfied with newspapers and poUL'cfli, he returned to . San Jose and joined a stock companyr*or to put It in his own words, he "turned respectable and became an actor." TheiS came years of drudgery In stock and repertoire, and incident- ally, seventeen years at the Alcazar theatre in San Francisco. Mr. Bacon was born in Marys- vlUe, C&l., 68 years ago. He was 54 years old before he tnade his big hit. Most of his life was spent in com- parative obscurity, playing charac- ter parts In small theatres in Cali- fornia. He played more than 700 parts In 17 years with a stock company at the Aiacasar In San Francisco. In 14 more years he added hundreds to this, and altogether he had prob- ably played a thousand parts. Bacon might have played in stock in San Francisco to the end of his career, but the earthquake* jolted him out of that community in 1908. He came t* New York then and played in "The Fortune Hunter," but took the road with It. Then followed New York engagements In "Stop Thief," "The Miracle Man" and "The Cinderella Man.** He made his first real success here in the last. < '■* Then came 'Xlghtnln'," the thea- tre success of the generation. In its final shape It appeared in New York in September, 1918, and was a huge success. It had taken in all thirty years to write it, ac- cording to Bacon himself. He had started working on the play in the late '80s, put It aside, revived it. added new ideas to it, dropped it again and finally accumulated the rich stock of ideas and dramatic situations which made the chiracter of Bill .Tones one of thp gr<atp.=?t oa the modern stage and tno jlay the greatest of all popular hits. It was an unprecedented hit In CJii- cago as well as in New York, b.eak- Ing all records there. AItogct>.pr Bacon playcfl the part about 2.000 times, his manager said list Right. Two road oompanlos are now play- ing "Lightnin"' about the country CiONB TO BTBRNAI. KK8T MRS. H. EARNEST Beloved Mother of DOKA KABLT BYAL Paeeed on Pridar Nltht, November 17th, l>tS gained his first intlmi^te knowledge of Variety. Mr. Oreen was the first pianist of note engaged by Pastor, who paid him $75 a week to play the shows, the salary being con- sidered phenomenal In those days. He played only tha main shows In the afternoon and avening. He joined Miss Franklin shortly after she left the legitimate for vaude- ville as her accompanist and the composer of her song numbers. The pafr became famous within a season and Miss Franklin w&s conslderea one of the biggest draws In the two-a-day, commanding one of the highest salaries. During the war Franklin and Oreen were one of the first acts to volunteer for overseas duty, and re- mained In France entertaining the A. E. F. for many months. Mr. Green's song compositions al- ways seemed ideally suited to Mlas Franklin. One number In-particu- ular, "Redhead." became Identified with Miss Frfinklln's atage appear- ances. The deceased waft 4fi years of age. He was formerly married to Helen Green-Van Campen, a writer.. Fun- eral services were held last Sunday at Mount Vernon, the body later be- ing cremated, which was his re- quest. Mr. Green's last Illness was abcut four months In duration, but he had been ailing for about four years and was twice stricken with nervoua prostration. GEORGE* BR0N80N HOWARD George Bronson Howard killed himself November 20 by inhallni gas through a tube in his apart- ment in Los Angeles. He was about 38 years of age. had written several plays and books, and was well known on Broadway before leaving for the coast to take up picture writing. His best known pla}' of some years ago was ''The Only Law,' written in collaboration with Wll; son Misner. Howard also did the book for one "Passing Show" at the Winter Garden, Accounts of Howard's death con- nected his name with Teddie Ger- ard, the American actress now in London, where she has been ap- IN If EMOBT OF MARGARET HAVEN whp paraed on November 14th, Iftf Her former partner, SUZANNE FRANCE pearing in a ballroom dance act for some time. It was while Howard was living on Staten Island that he was acquainted with Miss Gerard, about the time she married Joe Ray- mond, who recently died on Ward's Island, New York. Raymond was J mentioned in the daiiiea as an artist I and it was said Miss Gerard had I been his model, which was incari*; rect. Raymond had been an advert is- Ing solicitor on a couple of theatri- cal trade papers. He never agaiit^ met Miss Gerard after she became his wife. community fetes, by which means lil<e 18,500 weekly to operate. San Francisco. Nov. 22. Memorial services were hold here at the Alc.Trar the.T're st noon to- day for Frank Bacon. Franlc Keenan headed the committee of JULES LLOYD FISHER Jules Lloyd I'Msher, brother and partner of Bob Fisher (Fiahcr ami Lloyd), vaudeville, died at ths Lenox Kill Hospital last week. Mr* Fisher was 27 years old. He is sur- vived by a mother, father on0 brother, the latter now playing tl»a LocM Circuit (Fisher aiul 0«NrUonv The mother of Irene FTngcihiirdt, .secretary to Francis Reld, of ti«*^ A. L. Krl-inger oflRcc, died at he home in New York, Nov. 17. mm