Buckles Blog: #2 Parks

Tuesday, March 07, 2017

#2 Parks

8 comments:

Richard Reynolds said...: Does anyone know when and where this was? It looks to be in the '30s. African elephants were very rare then. Perhaps St Louis. I believe its zoo got a young African in the early '30s, and I believe it was obtained though Martín and Osa Johnson. They were African explorers and early wildlife cinematographers.; 09 March, 2017 18:07
Jim Alexander said...: Richard's correct about the St. Louis Zoo getting an African elephant in 1937 from Osa and Martin Johnson. Tembo, a little male, was claimed to be the first elephant flown to America. Don't have the records available but I don't think he survived very long, about a year or two. Beside the name, the theatre and newspaper don't sound familiar to this former St. Louisan.; 09 March, 2017 19:06
4pawfan said...: "Little Hip" Smallest Elephant In The World

Started out at the Hippodrome Theatre Nov 28, 1906 to Aug 1907 and this photo must be at one of the many Mission Theatres somewhere after it closed at the Hippodrome.
( note "all week" on the bottom of the banner )

Production at the Hippodrome was composed of the following three shows:
Neptune's Daughter
Pioneer Days
Circus Events (288 performances at the Hippodrome)

Below is the staff and performers for " Circus Events "

The Equestrian Director- Frank Melville

The Curzon Sisters
Eight Flying Jordons
The Four Holloways
Herzog's Performing Stallions
" Little Hip "
Power's Elephants
The Rowlands
The Seven Dollar Troupe

I was surprised to see this show run this long into the summer season at the Hippodrome as I have been doing research on a another matter in the early trade papers, and because of the lack of ac, most theatres would close for the summer time in New York.

And before coming to the Hippodrome, Frank Melville had been a very prominent bareback rider of his time.
Sands, Nathens & Company 1857-1858
Nixon & Company 1859
G.F. Bailey
P.T. Barnum 1872-1874
Howes Great London
Cooper & Bailey 1876
Great London 1877
Adam Forepaugh 1878
Cooper & Bailey 1879-1880
Barnum Bailey & Hutchinson 1881
Equestrian Director W.C. Coup
Barnum and Bailey same duties as with W.C. Coup
and starting in 1904 at the Hippodrome ( Hippodrome opens to the public in April 1905 )

thank you for sharing the photos,
p.j. holmes; 10 March, 2017 00:48
Richard Reynolds said...: Were the Hippodrome and Mission Theaters all in NYC? The vehicle looks later than 1906-07.; 10 March, 2017 19:24
Chic Silber said...: There were (& still are) Hippodrome

theaters in many cities accross the

country but the NY Hippodrome was on

Sixth Avenue at about 43rd Street &

was the largest theater in NY when

it 1st opened with over 5000 seats

It was torn down before I was born

There is a magnificently restored

Hippodrome in Baltimore; 10 March, 2017 21:19
Chic Silber said...: Billy Rose's Jumbo played

the NY Hippodrome Theater; 10 March, 2017 21:22
4pawfan said...: The Hippodrome Theatre was on Sixth Ave between W 43rd and w 44th in New York city.
Built by Frederic Thompson, Elmer Dundy and John Gates, the creators of Coney Island's Luna Park.

It was the largest theatre in New York seating over 5000 people for 14 shows a week.
It had circus rings, aquatic effects which included a 8000 gallon vanishing pool that would come from under the stage for water and driving events. Plus a moving stage.

The cast at times would reach a 1000 people, plus all of the live animal performers.

The Hippodrome's large running costs kept it from making money over the years and it changed hands many times.

The new movie palaces on Broadway signed its demise, but not before Billy Rose's "Jumbo" took its stage. But because of the depression, it lasted only five months because of the depression and that was that.

The Hippodrome was built in 1905 and was demolished in 1939.

I looked up the "Mission Theatre" on the banner and it was a common name or maybe a chain of sorts of theatres as I found a lot of them across the country with that name. I tried with the "Evening Telegram" newspaper, and again, there must have been dozens if not hundreds of evening newspapers with the name of Evening Telegram. We forget that when they speak of news coming "off the wire" or a "wire service" that newspapers got their national news from telegrams from the wire services. If you wanted the public to think of your paper being first with the news, then I guess you called yourself the Evening Telegram. In the days before wide use of the telegram, news services mailed news stories to rural newspapers, thus it could be several days or even a week old.
As to the car in the photo, I could not see a badge on the car, but with the wooden spoke wheels, brass windshield frame, brass side running lamp and the gas fired head lamp, I think it is correct for the period of 1905-1906. It is a beast of a car looking at the bottom of it and wish I could see a little more of it.

I got some of the information from the Broadway Data Base regarding the dates of "Little Hip" and it being in "Circus Events" and the running dates of "Circus Events" at the Hippodrome in New York.

I think you could look in the New York Clipper of this time period to find out more information regarding elephant. The CHS website has some of the Clipper available, but it is only in regards to circus and wild west news.

p.j. holmes; 10 March, 2017 21:49
4pawfan said...: After looking in the Stoddard-Dayton archives, I think this is either their touring or limousine built in Dayton Ohio between 1905-1913. This is the 1906 model I believe as it used a true square carriage lamp at the cowl. The Peerless Tonneau, Jackson Model G, and the American Mercedes which look a little like the Stoddard-Dayton did not use this type of side marker lamp. The finial on this lamp is different from the other cars.; 11 March, 2017 17:40

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