Wednesday, January 30, 2008

H.H. Tammen and Buffalo Bill Cody


Scan000010797, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

This picture taken on the Kansas City station platform in 1913.
Possibly it relates to the deal made for the Col. to be featured with the Sells-Floto Circus for the next few seasons.
This would be comparable with the engagement of Tim Mix with the Floto Show fifteen years later.

Posted by Buckles at 1/30/2008 06:37:00 AM

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tammen really torpedoed Cody, who didn't know better. He presented himself as a nice guy making a loan, but it was really a subterfuge to secure his personal presence. A tough guy that didn't fear the Ringlings, especially on his home turf of Denver [where he an Fred Bonfils owned the sheriff], Tammen likely assured that Cody would never be financially secure by causing the break up of the Two Bills show in 1913. After two years with Sells-Floto, Cody would likely have wanted to paint a large red bullseye on Tammen, same as was painted on the show's baggage wagons 1914-1915.

30 January, 2008 16:10
Anonymous said...

Not exactly sure how you torpedo somebody like Cody. He'd been swimming with sharks for thirty years before Tammen and managed to go broke more than once. I believe that Gordon Lillie owned the larger stake in the Two Bills show, and Tammen's money came in to play when Lillie (Pawnee Bill) got tired of playing "angel" to the enterprise. Cody's financial problems associated with Wyoming real estate had led to the Bailey partnership in the 1890's so he wasn't unfamiliar with "cash flow" difficulties. I think 1912-1913 was also about the time that Cody tried to form a motion picture company, another failed venture.

There's a great book called "The Busines of Being Buffalo Bill" published about twenty years ago, a collection of Cody's business correspondence from 1879 until his death. Fascinating stuff.

30 January, 2008 18:24
Annalise Kendrick said...

Ironically, Harry Tammen is a relative on my Dad's side, and Buffalo Bill on my Mom's. My Dad and my Mom hate eachother and have had numerous arguements on who owes whom what, lying, etc.

20 May, 2012 21:13

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