Sunday, December 29, 2013

From Dave Price



A nice Strobridge window card I have on the Klaw & Erlanger
production of Ben-Hur. They played the old Vendome here in Nashville.  

13 comments:

Chic Silber said...


Althouh I've seen odd size window

cards I never saw a horizontal

Thanks Dave previously Ol Whitey

Eric said...

The original stage version of BEN-HUR opened in 1899 and was done on a mammoth scale. (For a long time, it could only be performed in eight cities that had theaters large enough to hold it.) For the chariot race, eight horses pounded a treadmill while a painted panorama of the Circus Maximus revolved behind them. Incidentally, the role of Messala was originally played by William S. Hart who later became a major star of silent Westerns.

Eric said...

I read somewhere that a new stage production of BEN-HUR was recently done in London using state-of-the-art stage effects. This production also had a chariot race that was done using live horses. Chic probably can tell us more about it.

Chic Silber said...


A few years back Eric there was a

grand epic live production of Ben

Hur done in London's O2 Arena for

a very short run as I recall &

ever since there has been much

noise about bringing it back but

it seems the chances are slim to

none unless Feld Entertainment

takes it on for the concessions

They did have lots of real horses

I'll send Buckles an image or 2

GaryHill said...

When Great Adventure in NJ opened in 1974 after driving through the Safari was the rides and shops part of the park. They had a Great Arena where two chariots raced and one would do the crash. The Nocks did 3 sway poles at the top of the arena also. It really was a good show and I have it on film and might be on my youtube video? Gary Hill Great Adventure..5 parts to it..

Ole Whitey said...

Chic: Write this down: On the advance of my day we didn't say "vertical and "horizontal;" we said "upright" and "flat." We had a flat window card on the original Kelly-Miller show right up into the sixties showing Miss Oklahoma the Hippo.

Chic Silber said...


Thanks Dave I will write it down

but the the problem becomes where

did I put that note hmmmm maybe

I think I know that Hippo image

you refer to but I thought it was

only lithoed on paper

Ole Whitey said...

When I managed the Texas Prison Rodeo I contracted Canadian Cliff Claggett to bring both his chuck-wagons and his chariots to race as a special attraction. This must have been about 1969 or so.

Then in 1978 my son and I were working on the prairies of Western Canada for Al Stencell and I heard that Cliff had been injured and died several years before.

JACKIE said...

Don't remember to much hearing the words Ben Hur around the dressing tent, but certainly remember hearing the words "Get Hur" quite often, Must have been some connection some now.
Jackie LeClaire

Chic Silber said...


Ya musta had a pretty punk lawyer

or was it a public defender Dave

Just how much hard time did you

have to do pal

Chic Silber said...


I don't think everbody will get

that conotation Jackie but I do

recall that expression very well

Often regarding a nose in the air

& the emphasis on the "her"

Ole Whitey said...

Chic: for the record I never passed a bar in my life.

Bob Cline said...

That's a beautiful litho Dave!
Bob