Saturday, May 18, 2013

2009 Calendar #62 (From Buckles)


"Building plastered with Ringling Bros. posters, Manchester, New Hampshire, 1911."

Posted by Buckles at 5/18/2013 06:54:00 AM

11 comments:

Harry Kingston said...

Take a look at the bottom right hand side as Ringling out billed Buffalo Bills show.
Talk about shutting out a rival show as all you see is Ringling Bros.
Those were the days and plenty of paper to prove a point.
Harry in Texas

18 May, 2013 14:42
Chic Silber said...


Yeah Harry but Colonel Cody predated

the big 1 by 4 days & took the cash

18 May, 2013 15:15
Chic Silber said...


Maybe Ole Whitey might tell us how

many men spent how many hours to

hang (or tack) all that paper (wow)

18 May, 2013 15:29
Harry Kingston said...

I bet that is all cloth banners as there are the tack spitters setting on the ledge to the lower right above the big nines and one of there ladders is still proped on the roof.
Locals looked up and all they see is Ringling coming with that many banners.
I bet Buffalo bill took at beating there.
And this is just one location Ringling had and how many more in that town and 50 plus miles or more in every direction.
Harry in Texas
Harry in Texas

18 May, 2013 21:42
Ole Whitey said...

You can see the four guys sitting above the Buffalo Bill banners.

I imagine these are the Ringling guys and would have been up there several hours spitting tacks.

18 May, 2013 22:56
Anonymous said...

A little help please for someone who is historically challenged.

Back then, did tack spitters or bill posters wear black stockings or a certain type of black pant?

I looked as closely as I could at this and that's what they appear,
I say appear to be wearing.

I appreciate any elucidation that may be forthcoming.

Paul

19 May, 2013 02:25
Harry Kingston said...

Paul,
In the book billers, banners and bombast the banner men are shown and what they used to do there work.
They were the human flies of there time and there work was observed by the locals who looked up at them dangling from ladders etc.
One article I read they wore jump suits with cokeacola on the back. And these were given to them and it was said some money exchanged hands,extra for the banner men.
Banners were on cloth and put up and taken down show day by the banner puller.
The banner men always started early
and a good banner man was sought after by all circuses and some changed shows during the season to make more money.
To get banners on high traffic area where they could be seen by many locals, reserved seat tickets were given out to square the locations.
Great days of the circus, now gone with the wind.
Harry in Texas

19 May, 2013 08:25
John Herriott said...

The old days of the "tax box" located on a ticket stand right in front of the marquee was one of the big scams on tent shows. It had a sign hanging on it that said "all passes stop here" So if the sucker had a general admission ducat [pass] or more the person on the stand would smile and say, "that will nbe b35 cents for each pass, tax and service charge". If they had a punched reserve seat pass, the person would say," welcome to the circus. That will be 75 cents tax and service charge for each ducat. Generally a little bonfire was held behind the office wagon where these ducats were disposed of. This was a lucretive, no investment privelege and generally was operated by a "higher up" in that shows chain of power. I recall visiting Daily Bros. and Norma Daven port Cristiani was the operator. I worked on the "front door" on Cole and the Big King Bros. and recall it all quite well. Johnny.So the show even made scratch from giving out "free" passes. There were beefs to be sure and usually the operator just said, "go on in and be our guest".johnny

19 May, 2013 09:33
Harry Kingston said...

I wonder how many years Edna Antes ran a tax box???????
I think she did it on Russell Bros, Clyde Beatty railroad and Beatty Cole.
Edna was the sweatest and kindest person ever to us circus fans.
If she would have asked for $50 I would have gladly paid her.
God bless her as they do not come any better than her.
And she was followed Mari Jo Couls and Harry Hammond.
Harry in Texas

19 May, 2013 11:38
Buckles said...

Ms Antes most remembered quote was directed at Ted Svertesky and Gary Thomas, "Alcohol is unbecoming on those two young gentlemen."

19 May, 2013 13:37
Chic Silber said...


Long long before the modern forms of

communications we take for granted

Ms Edna seemed to have a telepathic

link to Frank McClosky (I've heard)

(kinda like Charly with the office)

19 May, 2013 15:11

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)