Variety (August 1924)

w«aii|M<i«r, Antwt W'lMi OUTDOORS VARIETY sa CARNIVAL OWNERS HAVE (mPLAINT AGAINST FAIRS M (MRAa BREACH ndttidnt at Fair Grounds on Rides Not Always ■ as Fair Man's Contract Calls For—Carnival Own- &**< er Can't Protest—Showman's Side ■.' Chicago, Aug. 19. A lot said In these columns about carnivals breaking contracts with (airs and not always giving the tair men an even break with reference to their attractions could have In- eluded subBtltutioas In the way of (air aots, complained of by the fair men and Juatlflably. 1.There la another side to the story tlvtt a.i prominent carniyal man bBougbt to Variety's attention that is little heralded in print, but which nevertheless is aa Taig a menace to carnival interests as the substitu- tion of acts or the overrating of at- tractions! is-jto the fair roan; this Is the bringing in of rides and other attractions when the carnival Is supposed to have the exclusive on them. ■ permanent rides located on the thii grounds and having an alt-sum- ihsr run iare not referred to. These ttrt as a rdl« stipulated, or at least understood when the contract is made'. Th*re are (airs tha* when the contract was signed had at the ttaost two or.three peimaTient rides, but when Mr. Carnlvalman arrives with his' organlratlon he finds sev- eral others not mentioned,, to aay nothing of mechanical devices in- stalled tliat materially lh|ure the drawing; capacity of Ms attractions aiid hurt him nrianclaliy. ' Rids*. Money Makers Every one knows that the rides are the principal money makers at fairs as elsewhere, and take that source of revenue away from the carnival, anfl the loM is considerable, but nevertheless tlie fair-men do su-h things after they have con- tracted for the shows and rides to be brouf ht in, and the carnival man can faV tSoth'lng or be compl.-xlned of at the'ncntt general meeting. If the understanding when con- tracts- ar* signed is tJhat there shall be but ijstlpulated numbtx'of other devices or rfdes on the grounds, none others should be introduced, or if introduced the carnival should be allowed a considerable reduction on the percentage terms of the originc contract. Variety advocates riding devices on fair grounds as all summer at- tractions, but it does not advocate the paying of the same percentage for mfdway privileges as existed be- (ore the said tiding devices and other attractions were installed. BAR GAMES AT CHAHANOOGA Chance Not Allowed at Inter*State Fair CLASHOFDATES; FAIR ADS OUT Peculiar Attitude As- sumed by New York !'. State Dailies - Ogdensburg. N. T., Aug; H. Gouverneur weekly newspapers— •The Free Press and "The North- ern New York Tribune"—hav* re- fused to publish paid, .advertise- ments .concerning the Ogdensburs Pair. Advertising matter was sent to both Oonverneur newspapers last week (6r insertion in the Issues of l).st and this week. Both «ews- papsrs went to press minus these advertisements. ., ,Wbep B. G. Parker, owner and publisher of "The Free Pr?£fi."„,wa8 asked why he had not publiah^d the advertisements. It was stated from his oRIce that both newspa- pers, after a conference with Qou- verneur Fair offlctal<!, had decided not to publish advertisements con- cerning the Ogdensburg Fair, nor an.' other matter pertaining to the local Inir. Gouverneur Fair dates are the same as OgdiensbUrg. President John Wert pf the' Og- densburg Fair stated that he failed 't6 understand the prerogative of Gouverneur newspapers In reject-- Ing legitimate display . advertising at space rates. Both local ne.wsr papers, the Ogdensburg ''News" and the "Repnbllcan-i'ourhai?* tb- gether with the "Advance," have in ths past few weeks published facts concerning, the , Gouverneur" Fair, casting aside the thought entirely tt.at dates for both the Ogdensburg and Gouverneur fairs conflict. The attitude of the Gouverneur newspaper editors has oceated a stir. In local business circles and it was indicated that business Arms here ii\aX have been U3lng space in Gouverneur newspapers would cancel their contracts. As viewed here, the advertising of the Ogdens- burg Fair was rejected for purely ae'.flsh reasons, and the clash of dates and the facts leading up to it will probably be made public by President John A. Wert, who has soms Interesting Information on the subject. IONIA FREE FAIR BREAKS RECORD Big Fair, Big Time and Big Attendance >■ Chattanooga, Tenn., Aug. 19. All games, whether of chance or otherwise, are barred at the Chat- tanooga ^ntet-^tate Fair,. jvith the midway attractions furnished by the JohYihy'J.'Jones shdwS. the' Western Vaudeville Man- agers' Associdtloh has a nta'Aiber of aet^ bo6ked 'for fhe fair .and to- gether with fethM Roblnc-n, th- two afeenciesf combined will furnish about 25 attractions. The Gordon Flrteworks Company! of Chicago, will provide the fireworks features. The business men of Chattanooga are against the running of games, and since their discontinuance have given heartier support and financial backing to the fair, of which Joe Curtis has been secretary for years. Beavdr Darn's Brochure Chicago, Au^. 19. 3' F. Malone, secretary of what is known as "The World's Greateftt County Fair," held at Beaver Dam, Wis., Sept. 29-Oct. 3, has put out an attracttve brochure. It 'is 12 pages, 15x10, printed on heavy! glased, paper, with pictorial covBr. and illustrated pages. It Is quite the most pretentious adver- tisiing, q««dlup:i ,ffen ^hjfj'ew ^n )^ '»4f-^9»*4fl i, 111 /.i. a , j> v,.iiiv.: SHEESLEY'S FIRST FAIR Opened at Springfield Last Week to Good Business Springfield, O., Aug. 19. The Sheesley Greater shows played their first fair date here last week. In spite of the small attend- ance on the opening day, the shows did a tlrst-Class business through- out the week ,and gave the greatest of satisfaction. Sheesley has a long list, of fairs to play this season; and is one of the shows against which there have been no complaints wherever they have appeared. They are operated under the direct personal supervis- ion af Capt. John M. Sheesley. Orange Show Bonds Selling . San Bernardino, Cal., Aug. 19. More than $90,000 of the $125,000 National Orange Show bond issue have been sold. R. H. Mack, gen- eral manager of the show, says tho balance will b« disposed of within the next 10 days. Bids for the new Orange show building are to be opened this week. The plans call (or an exposition type structure of frame and con- crete construction, 135x800 feet, and designed In the Spanish Colonial sjtxlA vCow«tir((kslif? iUi..«0 .•tart, p*9h\lt .1 ■ ••••(.■n'.)'rti ».it -^ »o I ' Ionia. Mich., Aug. 19. Fred A. Chapman, secretary- manager of the Ionia free fair, the big'grest and best free fair In this (ectloh, says: "Ctlv'e the ii^aii fcr the Wimense attendance-rfor Ionia has broken all records afeain this year—to the en- ter^alriirlient anl athusem^nt fea'- ^ures,' That is what draws the peor pie, find I b^lieva in giving a st^te fair'pfogran^ at' a county fair.'' Chaj>inan did it agailii .this yeari. He' reaped/tb«i bene^t of, his ex*- perieiice, tot. every ^fternoon and eveijlng the grounds were packed Vit;ti' dlf htseers, and, as many .as ^S,p6(l| at,tep^e'd on onp. of the days. , W.,J., polUns has. b^en tbe amuse- ment di^ectQ^f of ,tl.e Ionia,.free, falf for .tbi? past fpur yeart;. p.oUlns is a vetei;ai) in this respect,,^nd...ran the shofv' with, clQck-Uke precision. . In .the free. act line th<a Flying ^odpnas, ,.opIy troupe executing a triply, somersault, . tp a catch, tjhrilled the audience. ,Tb» Robin- son Elephants,. trained, nnd {>re- sented by Dan Noonan, -were favorites as .ever. The Riding Rooneys performed in a ring on the racetrack and gave perfect satis- faction, while the Three Melvlns and .tha>: Castin; Lameys further strengthened the bill. ■ The track record *as brokeii Thursdiy in ""the harness ractrig. ^very Stall was filled'in th« cattle, swine and shVp department, stock parr.d*k W^ere held ddlly and auto races last Saturday concluded the most' stitcessful fair evef held at Ionia, • itfodel 'fn br^iy respect, clean, full of interest, and abound- ing in entertalnmetit features. OPENED PORT ARTHUR Jones* Expo. Played There 11 Days—First in Three Years Port Arthur, Ont., Aug. 19. The Johnny J. Jones shows played Port Arthur 11 days and nights, which made a record-breaking en- gagement there for a still date. After three years, during which there had been no carnival in Port Arthur, Jones mad« the community feel that carnivals of the better kind are assets when properly con- ducted. The shows played under the aus- pices of the Port Arthur Rotary Club, and were contracted by A. H. Barkley, to whom much credit Is due for opening up this lucrative date. The beneficiaries were the "Y" Boys' Camp Fund, sponsored by CoL BMvard. Makay, manager of the News' Chronicle, of Port Arthur. CANADA'SCROPS FAU WAY DOWN Forecast for Season Very Discouraging ■Washington, JVug. 19. Canada may not be so good tbU sefasott. Acc.'raiiig. to ,a t^legrai,! received by the b.epartn^ent ot Agriculture, the official forecast of the' Canadian wheat crojps will be 50 per cent, u.ider the usual rum- :ber of bushels of previous years. •HarvMting has not yet begun, arid' this rather <^aves, tbis forecast "Up Ih the air"' and subject to re- vision. The oat c^ops is o'ft 32.8 per cent, und^'r usual. Barley is oft also, while the rye crop Is sched- uled to be 60 per ent. lower than itt' 1923. VA. STATE'S RACES $10,000 in Purser—Biggest Entertainment ..., Richmond, Va., Aug. 19. Although the Virginia State Fair managemcfnt is featuring its racing programs to the extent of giving over $10,O0A in purses for four days of racing, at the same time It is presenting the largest program in the way of amusements in the history of the fair. Hippodrome acts auts races. Wild. West features and lU-eworks will be Included In the grand stand show» while the midway will be filled by the Greater Sheesley shows. W. G. Saunders is secretary-man- ager. Two Fairs Pass Up This Season*s Dates ■^- tiafayette. 111., Aug. 19. Two fair associations last week threw up the sponge in face of the disaster-spelling weather and arbl- trarllyahnounded the calling off of their fair*. The l^f^yette fair, scheduled for Aug. 25, s'wltc^hed Its date to'follow the Kewanfee. fair and announced Sept. 9-12 as the dates. The Galena fair association, hoping for an eleventh-hour angel to finance the 1924 show, announced that its fair had passed into history. Took "Clipper's" Suggestions Hastings, Neb., Aug. 19. John T. Biglin, secretary of the Adams county fair, Hastings, Neb., gives credit to "Clipper" for the suggestions • Jntained in a late number with reference to auto races and the engagement of Rae Samuels, a big vaudeville star, as features of his fair. Both of these engagements were innovations brought about by read- ing articles in that paper, and both proved to ba the biggest klQd of suc.4e*9e8|, at, |;)i« >.Ad<uB« epunty K. of P. Circus Youngatown, Ohio, Aug. 19. The Frank Mclntyre Circus Com- pany has the contract for the pro- motion here of the Knights of Pythias exppEltion and circus to be held at Wright . field, the regular circus lot, Sept.' 1-6. BUSINESS MEN PAY PREMIUMS FORFIASCO Bad Weather Ruins Tri- State Fair at Bur- lington Burlington, la., Aug. 19. A group of 20 ' Burlington busi- ness men not associated withr the Trl-State fair have undertaken ta raise funds to the amount of neaHjr $4,900 to pay premiums awards winners ' ih' various exhlbit'orir' classes. ' ' 's The fair alssbcfa'tion v^as so badt]^ Hit by last WeeK'ii adverse, we^atj^tir arid cond^que'rit slllnl atteiidAn64t that It had announced that reput- ation of tHtf prebiium lUt ,Wal necessary to 'preV^ht an absolute financial cra^h. ,', Burlington business qien agref4 that ibis wpiild be a^ impr^d^nl m'o.ve and.haVe und^rt^en to fnt(t^ the a,\|rar4 lannouttqetaRonts fpoOi, ' I I . ,_ ... ..'.;. .,. ' .' '; --■.•. ■ J . 7 Mich. Fair IndBipector ;'f*. Reports Against CanMmd Jackson, Mich., Adgi i»; '* F. 3. Warner, inhpebtor of f&tiv for the dtate' Department of.A^I^ (Culture, skyii the Hehry XmMM<iui^ti\ Company operated at C&ss City lairt week' with Set sptridtes, h\iir badUi and other prohibited features. Thejr ,had two rides,' a" merry-gq-ro«did and ferrla wheel, a'nfd Ova''or, six concessions. About the best stocked was' tlif. blanket wheel, which had ajlof ft dozen blankets for a flash.' 'W'tjen it player won, he was ofteredi 'tbft, money in place o(. the merchandiiW Parker's Kiddie Ride Cblcafto, Au|t. 19, C: W. Parkel- Is tnanUfacturfh^ a'hovMty In the way <Jf « new lH<J» die ride, tie has a C(intriv1an6e lii .the shape ' bt a bdxed-lh itltHM Wheel, With six cars, ea6h 6dr iUit- ing four. It is but 18 feet liigh kM can T6ad 14 children' lA thfee stdpa. WILL HAYS, FILM CZAR, ALONE AIDED OUIDOOR SHOWMEN Phoney Credit Claim Made in Matter of California Picture Men Withdrawing Opposition to Outdoor Amusements • •.M «/ii ■» * ,v^^(l btiiwl :'1 oi eat^if ' l>».M( t>* .t;''! .» )rt.'iviH' L.OS Angeles, Aug. 19. There will be no more endeavors, at least so far as the near future is concerned on the part of the >Iotlon Picture Theatre Owners, to bring about the enaction of regu- latory or 'new license measures by which tented shows of all kinds would be affected In this state. It Is Understood that this week the Health and Sanitation Commit-, tee of the City Council, of which Walter' Mallard is chairman, will cortiply with the wishes ot the Southern California ibfotlon Picture Theatre Owners and place in the, discard a proposed city ordinance, which the Iktter had Introduced and recently requested witlidrawn. Though there Is no obvious reason for the change of heart on the part of the picture men In this matter. Variety upon good source of iif- formation had It brought to Its at- tention that Will Hays, "Czar" Of the picture Industry, did not at all approve of the Idea of one branch of the show business trying to make regrulatlohs for another competitive branch, and had his opinion con- vey(^d to th'jm.' ' When the Hays message was given to the picture men It Is said they liad rto alternative "but to comply with the wlish'es of the "Czar" despite they had bent'every energy In the direction of "ostra- cizing" the tented opposition irt this city and section of the' state. Though' the picture men at thfc time they* asked the ept>ovtunlty to iri*h<ra4«') the> prbiibseO Ardinahi*^ f|ib*litt«i''to «M iC<Hin«tn Mi«g«Mt^d that a new license f«e be invoked for all outdoor attractions, but'ths large circuses, their ii^erest In this matter has alsd W&ned, and no efforts will be made on their part In this direction. . Spuriou* Credit Claim Numerous people who claimed |;o represent outdoor attractions lay claim to Hkvlng; flked the proiilaiiii* tloii witli Hays. ' Investigation- «ry Variety discloses none, who assert they; came into contact with li^ya when the latt'er was here e'irer saw fclm or spoke io hint on' the tele- plM»e. The VDlctator" of the pie" ture ibuslness.ls the o»Iy one w)h» engineered the job single-handed, and did so without suggestion from any local interests or individuals, If the outdoor showmen have, any one to thank,for the withdrawal of. opposition to their interests. Will H. Hays is the person. lios Angeles, Aug. 19., .•■ The ordinance by which the picr ture men hoped to keep tented 8how4 Mi,t of this £ity h^ been disapproved by jt'be Qlty,(;ouncil, aqd In 4ta place the heattti ti\A sanitation cotnmittee has recomm,ended that an ordinance be passed setting a license fee of $175 for the first day for all tent show* excepting, c;ircuses andi %IM for each subsequent day. They ttfj^ disapproved Itie ordl- iiance^ stjbmitted bV the pirtuf*' oMiA. Trte'flnimM coWifaiUtce'tef^n'M'the ' matter to Werb*W Ivtibx, 't'rtlcij-hcy'^ director, ttid askedfor an 'iiivp*fl(t«i' t dM< ittid r«|tt)rt'At<khl S^At'ttlelfftQF;)^' '/(utotSJn '>'»0't'J'X^»^; II i« lll-l iKiJ M»V 1 tt-a