Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Barnum & Bailey Daub (1916)


Barnum & Bailey Daub (1916) v1, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

From Chris Berry

When this picture was taken about 94 years ago this week (give or take a few days) Oklahoma had been a state for less than a decade. No doubt this pair of pioneer women were a hardy lot...and no doubt they were pleased to have offered up the walls of their General Store in exchange for a couple of tickets to a performance of The Greatest Show on Earth in Shawnee on November 4, 1916.

Posted by Buckles at 12/01/2010 06:24:00 AM

10 comments:

Harry Kingston said...

Chris,
Thanks for a great old pic to start the day off.
Sure hope Dave tells us how many sheets total.
Looks like 3 sheet date plus a 1 on top so 4 sheets high.
Keep them coming Chris.
Harry in Texas

01 December, 2010 07:57
Anonymous said...

Sure saves painting the wall for another year.
Bob Kitto

01 December, 2010 08:42
Anonymous said...

Also kept out the drafts, like "wrapping up a donniker."

01 December, 2010 10:09
Ole Whitey said...

Harry: Right, this paper is 4-high, so we have 4-sheets of dates with two 12-sheet pictorials.

Regarding keeping out the drafts, sometimes with old shacks the residents would let you post the outside if you would post the inside to seal all the cracks.

01 December, 2010 11:04
Harry Kingston said...

Dave,
Thanks for your expert reply.
It just amazes why circuses will play real small towns as Coup put them on rails to pass up the small ones.
Then the large Ringling circus of 1923 played De Ridder, Louisiana that is maybe 4 blocks long and still small today.
Then Al G. Barnes-Sells Floto with Ringling features 1938 played Pittsburgh, Texas also maybe 4 blocks long today and maybe between the side sreets you could post large posters.
Both real small towns for shows that size.
Harry

01 December, 2010 14:07
Roger Smith said...

BRUCE ROYAL, author of SPEAKING OF ELEPHANTS & THE CIRCUS UNDER CANVAS, told me of his fond memories of Ringling's 1939 stop in Cuero, Texas. It was generally realized small town stops often broke up long jumps, chancing to take what revenue possible from them and remote communities in the surrounding sticks. Some of these, like Cuero, very much in the hinterlands, produced amazing crowds, lured in part by stands like this one, inflaming imaginations with little else to excite them.

Bruce revelled in making the acquaintance of Terrell Jacobs, heavily featured that season with his Big Act. He related that when he asked Jacobs if indeed he had 52 cats in the act, he "gave that Terrell Jacobs grin, and said, 'That's what they advertise.'"

02 December, 2010 01:54
Anonymous said...

Even today, small towns can turn out to be winners. All it takesi s either a good sponsor or a show that knows how to advertise.
Bob Kitto

02 December, 2010 19:07
Anonymous said...

Dave,
It sure would be a good way to use up yesterdays date sheets, instead of throwing them in the river or whereever.
Bob Kitto

02 December, 2010 19:15
Harry Kingston said...

Bob,
you are right on with a good sponsor and good advertising.
But in todays world with the way it is now the sponsors are struggling with making money for there business and time is money for them.
The circuses put up very few posters not like the old days and put out free kid tickets in a few spots and then hoping they will come.
What ever the answer is Johnny Pugh must have done it right as what I have heard and seen on blogs he had a winner of a season this year a real winner for him.
Harry












you Are right

03 December, 2010 05:38
Anonymous said...

Harry is correct.I am sick of seeing shows come to town with no front end.THen all you hear is the owner complaining about the sponsor.It amazes me how every so often a new show hits the road with much promise and it shuttered soon after.
There are plenty of small towns even in a bad economy that money can be made in.But it cannot be business as usual the old way.Just come to town with no real plan to get the towners in the seats.
Hoxie Tucker once told me the easy part was setting the show up.But getting the people to the lot another story.
Times change and marketing must as well.You got to create excitement and a liitle pzazz.Nobody is just gonna open their wallets and say have at it.
The people marketing shows today havent got a clue and it more than shows.Those who know the business cant do it all.But those hired need to learn it aint like running a Mickey Ds.
Last new show I saw you wouldve sworn they were their to loose money.I doubt 500 saw the show over the multi day stand.
The one before that did a ten day stand in a town that has always been bad for any show.
Look I am no Johnny Come Lately but this stuff aint rocket science.

03 December, 2010 09:08

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