| This is not a very good picture and it is taken from an odd angle because of glass reflection, but this 1900 Forepaugh-Sells litho does show the Madison Avenue front of the old Garden. At the right is the Jerome home, where Winston Churchill's mother was said to have been born. |
Thursday, September 25, 2008
From Dave Price
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This special venue paper, for the Forepaugh-Sells engagement in the Garden sometime 1899-1902, brings up another point. It must have been overt honesty and respect for his customers that caused James A. Bailey not to re-label Forepaugh-Sells as Barnum & Bailey from 1898-1902, when his flagship show was touring in Europe. It was a time when an actual, living person's name substantiated brand value in the marketplace and media, and especially to customers.
Barnum and other showmen before him had been taken to task for having split their circuses, putting portions under lease to others, having leased out their names, etc., all in ways that were intended to dupe the public into patronizing lesser operations.
The Ringlings were essentially the equal of B&B by the time Bailey took it to Europe in late 1897. The Ringlings routed wherever they desired between 1898 and 1902, fearing no other show, including Forepaugh-Sells and Buffalo Bill's Wild West.
One deceptive practice that was continued without end was the use of "Bros." in show titles, a tribute to the overwhelming success of the Ringlings. There was one sisters troupe, Kemp Sisters Wild West, but a guy ran it.
Come to think of it, though they clearly announced having bought the B&B show, I don't ever recall any publicity such as "Ringling Bros. present Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth." Either they assumed that was a known fact or it didn't matter to them. It did to staff and performers, who took an immediate 10% pay reduction starting with the buyout.
Why was the elephant strangled?
Adaline
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