The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-04-01

for The Times goes where he pleases.
when he pseases, in search Of odd stories
about this and that.
TORT WORTH, Tex, April 1. -
II Billy Rose looked small and
white among all those tall Texans.
It's long way from Broadway to a
Texas ranch.
He had on a bright blue suit, and
wide-brimmed Stetson that Anon
Carter had given him. And he's only
five foot three, you know.
He seemed tinid, too. But that's
Just his way, guess, for he isn't
really. He had those Texans
wrapped around his thumb. He was
the toast of all the big men who
run Fort Worth, that day.
him. Out at ranch party, on the
rolling plains north of Fort Worth.
Ali forenoon Billy had been talking
to the committee that is running,
Fort Worth's part in the Centennial.
Fort Worth was up against the
proposition of doing something to
get its share of the crowds that will
come to Texas for the Centennial
celebration this summer.
Like Dallas at first, Forth Worth
had its plans in the hands of an
inexperienced committee, which
wasn't getting much of any place.
What they needed was a real show
man. So they sent to Broadway.
OILY ROSE came down and
ID looked around. In two days
he had the whole thing in his head,
even down to minute financial de-
tails. He went before the Fort
Worth committee.
He talked for three hours. He
had them spellbound. He electri-
fled them. He had their mouths
hanging open. He told them what
he could do.
He told them he would come to
Fort Worth and take charge of
their show. Absolute charge, or
he wouldn't come. He'd build
frontier show town in four months;
he'd have real cowboys and bar
f1ys and hitching posts.
And he'd have lots of pretty girls.
No fan dancers or nudist camps.
Everything would be clean. Well
take the show away from Dallas,
he told them.
He went into details. He told
them he must have absolute charge,
and they'd have to gamble on him.
He told them he was gambling,
too, but that he couldn't lose. His
whole future depended on it, he
said. 1t would be bigger than his
Jumbo"
LIE told them he would think up
IL catch phrase that would
draw people here by the millions.
Something like Dallas for edu-
cation, Fort Worth for entertain
ment." That wouldn't be it exactly,
but that was the idea; he'd polish
it up later.
He told them that if he didn't
put on a show that would make
every one who saw it go back home
and tell five other people they must
see it, then his show. would be a
failure. =.
He told them he would do the
job for 100000 salary, and mil
lion to work with. When he sat
down they hired him, and consid-
cred themselves lucky.
/ sat on the edge of feed trough
out. behind the ranch barn, and
talked with the skyrocket from
Broadway. asked If he had been
in Texas before.
ooh, yes" he said. II tramped
all over Texas when L was 90. Made
little towns that nobody. ever heard
Of"
do you think people may not
like the idea of Broadway hot
shot putting on a Wild West sfow?"
Il told them they'd just have to
have confidence in me. 1 know the
Southwest well enough"
TIE has Just three months to do
l. l. what he considers bigger job
than Jumbo" He must have
Frontier Town" open by the Fourth
of July. He will build it on a great
open space, a sort of city commons
not far west of Fort Worth's bust
ness center.
Fort Worth is all agog. 1t sees
itself coming from far behind to
take a place right alongside Dallas
in the Centennial Celebration. And,
as they say, little Jew boy from
Broadway will do it."
1t seems ironical. And yet. You
remember Billy the Kid" the
Southwest's most glamorous bad
man, who killed 20 men before he
was 20 years old? The tough two
gun murderer who was the front