New Britain herald., 1930-09-19
BROOKLYN FIGHTER OF BULLS. WORRIED.
Sidney Franklin no Longer a
 Box 0fiCeAttraCtiOn

Madrid, Sept 1s P,-Hard luck has followed Sidney Franklin this summer, his second season bucking the hard game of bulllshting in its homeland, but the Brooklyn torero keeps stiff upper lip and a ready sword and hopes for better l break. Franklin was a fine box office at traction last year when he hrst ln- vaded the Spanish arena. Fans fiocked to the rings where | he was billed to appear because an American bullfghter was a great curiosity. And Franklin had the stuff. He surprised the Spaniards by being so good. He i. still good, but he is no longer a curiosity. To the Spaniard, now that the novelty has worn off. he Is just another bullfghter-and Spain is full, of bullfghters. A man has "a to be good ever to fight in a big Ting at all, but he has to be brilliant to build up follow ing that will pay good money to see him whenever he is billed.
 Strictly Business Matter Bullfghting is a professional, money-making business. The Tex Richards" of the game sign fighters who will draw a gate. Franklin has had only half a dozen contracts this summer be- cause he is no longer accepted as a foreigner but simply on his merits as bullfghter-and there are quite a few others considered be- ter fgheers than Franklin.
 So the promoters have given preference this summer to native sons who draw more crowds. Franklin has been gored twice this year. Both injuries were slight. Several Spanish bullfghters | have been killed and more than q dozen gored terribly. Franklin has | demonstrated his skill and nerve. | But it is not rare for a Spanish | bullfghter to be gored and there are no seasons in which some are | not killed.
 So the "aficionados," or fans, take | the America ls injuries as a rou- tine part of what they pay for and | in the final analysis they judge him | by whether from their standpoint, | he is a better bullfghter than the 1 home boys.
 Their answer this summer is no.
 Foreigners Not Wanted
 And they add that no foreigner can ever be the sort of bullfghter Spaniard is.s
 That is why Franklin, courage ous, skllful, powerful in the death- thrust-but without certain graces and 1.-the posturings natural to his Spanish colleagues, and, after all, a foreigner-has not had more suc- cess
 However, Franklin still hopes to get his alternative" or, so to speak, certificate of entry into the big league of buNighters.
 Until bullfighter gets his "alter- i nativa' he is not, technically, I | "matador" or killer of bulls" but is '''novillero' or apprentice. The alternative" is to bullfghting something like getting a degree in college is to a student or a conl- mission to a soldier.
 Whether Franklin gets his alter nativa or not, he plans trip to the United States this autumn where he is considering vaudeville con- tracts. He has thought of trying 10 [ introduce "bloodless bullfighting'~ in New York. He may later go to Mexico, Venezuela and Peru where he has had offers to appear as d bullfighter.
 Franklin Popular
 Franklin is we'll liked by the Spanish bullighters, the employees of the rings, the members of the teams" of . the matadors, the "monos sabios" or "wise monkeys who clean up the blood and make their living doing odd jobs around the arenas.
 He speaks bull fight talk" vita the best of them-a Spanish SO crammed with it's own singular slang, idiom3 and accents that it is lncomp prehen3i0le 10 the initiated.
 There is a dictionary Of bull fish; . slang almost as thick as the Royal . ''SASiiiS D Nl'tlOlluiS OL IlI Lll's | Spanish language.
 Franklin jabbers that, lives Tn boarding houses and hotels that | cater to the profession, hangs out | at cafes where the bull fighters and | ring attaches make their headquar- ters, plays the card games they do, | kills time with them pitching pen nies at cracks in railroad junction | stations as the teams await train | connections travelling from one fight to another. He lives the bullfghter's lifa. | He is one of them.
 He is a good fellow" they sal. / He has lots of nerve. But why on earth does a foreigner want 10 be a bullfghter in Span?" T don't know myself" says | Franklin. T just got started at it | in Mexico, and I liked it. I really did. So l just thought I'd come to Spain and take whirl at it here" French Find Only S84
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