Flashback: SwingMan in Tombstone - Saturday, May 18, 2013 - The Bird Cage Theatre скачать в хорошем качестве

Flashback: SwingMan in Tombstone - Saturday, May 18, 2013 - The Bird Cage Theatre

Now, below is a brief history of The Bird Cage Theatre, but not one word of it can even come close to describing how thick it is when you walk in there..... ----------------------------------------------- The Bird Cage Theatre was opened on December 26, 1881, by William "Billy" Hutchinson and his wife Lottie. Its name apparently referred to the fourteen "cages" or boxes that were situated on two balconies on either side of the main central hall. These boxes, also referred to as "cribs", had drapes that could be drawn while prostitutes entertained their clients. The main hall contained a stage and orchestra pit at one end where live shows were performed. Its name was briefly changed to the Elite Theatre after it was acquired by Joe and Minnie Bignon in 1882 before being changed back to the Bird Cage Theatre. The Bird Cage Theatre operated continuously – twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year – for the next eight years. It gained a reputation as one of the wildest places in the country, prompting The New York Times to report in 1882 that "the Bird Cage Theatre is the wildest, wickedest night spot between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast". More than 120 bullet holes are evident throughout the building. Aside from Lillian Russell, many other famous entertainers of the day were alleged to have performed there over the years, including Eddie Foy, Sr., Lotta Crabtree and Lillie Langtry. In 1882, Fatima allegedly performed her belly-dancing routine at the Bird Cage Theatre. The basement poker room is said to be the site of the longest-running poker game in history. Played continuously twenty-four hours a day for eight years, five months, and three days, legend has it that as much as $10,000,000 changed hands during the marathon game, with the house retaining 10 percent. Some of the participants were Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, Diamond Jim Brady, and George Hearst. When ground water began seeping into the mines in the late 1880s the town went bust, the Bird Cage Theatre along with it. The poker game ended and the building was sealed up in 1889. The building was not opened again until it was purchased in 1934, and the new owners were delighted to find that almost nothing had been disturbed in all those years. It has been a tourist attraction ever since, and is open to the general public year-round, from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm daily.