THE BALLOON MAN: 2008-08-10

Friday, August 15, 2008

Rogers Bros Circus 1953

I remember this show playing Salisbury , MD in 1953!

It proably helped light Bill and Me's circus fire!

And I can remember a cage act, not sure whose.

Any comments on this show would be greatly appreciated.

Maybe some history of the show.p

Rogers Bros Circus 1953

Five Center Pole- 4 ring top
Looks like the Bulls are Ready to raise that canvas!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Circus Althoff

Our Friends Bunny and Conrad Pratt had the concessions on the short lived Circus Althoff.

Elephants, Elephants and More Elephants!

This is Carson & Barnes back in the 70's.

Take a good look you'll proabably never see the likes of this again!

Hoxie's Lewis Bros Circus

When I first found these pictures I thought they were of John Lewis' Lewis Bros Circus.

But the more I looked at them I beleive on year or maybe two Tucker took out a Lewis Bros title.

If I'm wrong I stand to be corrected.

I HAVE BEEN CORRECTED--

This was John Lewis's Circus. Hoxie and Lewis were partners in the Lewis show he had out, and was later changed to Great American when he and Lewis split up.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

HOXIE TUCKER

I remember a saying everyone had back in the 70's

"THE PURPLE HAS THE RED ON THE RUN"

In other words Hoxie supposedly had the Beatty show on the run!

And I supposed that was partially true. He did have a heckva show in the 70's.

Hoxie Bros Circus 1967 #1

I beleive the first picture, the Bull truck was 1/2 of the side show banner line.

And in the Bottom picture that has to be Kenny Ikert,with the two Franco Richard Bulls that Hoxie got from Franco Richards.

These pictures were supplied by Fred Hoffman, Pottstown, PA circus agent and fan.

Thank You Fred!

Hoxie Bros Circus 1967 #2

The top photo looks like a semi that Hoxie used to haul Dinah, his first elephant , leased, in 1961.

The bottom picture looks like maybe a section of big top canvas.

Hoxie Bros Circus 1967 #4

Looks like Elephant Power in Top picture.

Fred identifies Jelly Roll Rogers in the bottom picture

Dick Kohlriser

I received your e-mail yesterday. It was great to hear from you.
Please send Me some pictures of the acts so that I can post them here.
Thanks, Dick

A Fine Lady!

I couldn't post any pictures of Roberts Bros if I didn't include a snapshot of Mrs Bob (Doris) Earl.

She passed away a few years ago and the circus world lost a wonderful business lady.

This wasn't taken in 1995 but I beleive it was when Bill and I visited the show around 1993 in Hurlock, MD.

Roberts Bros Circus #1

The Foillowing pictures were from my last tour with an under

canvas circus.

It holds many memories for Me, some good and some very hurtful.

I can say the Earl Family were really nice to Me, especially after Brother Bill passed.

I was very disappointed that I could not go back the next season.

But in Show Business I guess nothing is forever!

We opened that season in South Georgia, in March, went up the East Coast to Maine and as far west as Ohio. We closed in Mid-October in Arcadia, FL. Arcadia was the winter home of the show. I wish I had pictures of evryone that was on the show that season but as you can well imagine I didn't have the time to take them. If one of you guys are out there I would really appreciate receiving some pictures and other things from that 1995 season so that I could post them here.

Roberts Bros Circus 1995 #2

Here's part of the Midway

Roberts Bros Circus #4

Here's a long shot of the midway

Roberts Bros Circus 1995 #5

Now this picture has Turtle's Elephant ride in operation and on the bottom is my assistant

"Stumpy."

Don't ask me his real name because I didn't know it!

Roberts Bros Circus 1995 #6

Well these were taken not long before Brother Bill had to leave the show.

Somewhere in North Carolina.

In the top picture There's Gregory Earl, Me and Bill.

And the bottom one is Bill straigtening up the table getting ready for the Blow-Off.

We were really lucky to have Greg and Danny Schreiber helping us.

Roberts Bros Circus #7

These two pictures were taken in Goshen, CT.

And why I can remember that it's the hometown of Mr Bob Commerford who gave me a tour that day of his beautiful Farm and Winterquarters.

The bottom picture is of my faithful companion Heidi. Bill picked her out of a litter in 2 hours.

She was with me up to three years ago and passed at the ripe old age of 13.

Heidi and I put a lot of miles in together!

Ken "Turtle" Bemson really took a linking to her and used to say "That Dog's got Moxie!"

Gee Gee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utTkTAwNIiM

Monday, August 11, 2008

Patches

In 1996 in Gibsonton I had a Concession Manager from a pretty good size show approach

me with a proposition to frame a Picture on the Pony concession stand.

Well I'm not much for working for someone else so I decided to try it myself.

I had a nice backdrop painted for me, called Phillip Morris in Charlotte and ordered the costumes for the kids to wear. And went to Sam's Club and bought one of those flimsy fold up tops. But one thing remained to get and that was the right pony for the job.

Well I got up north and had to work getting my goldfish game ready but still no pony.

Well not to far from the shows winterquarters Roberts Bros. Circus was playing a one day stand.

So I went to visit friends that I was with the year before. And what do you think they had a pony off the pony ride that they had retired. She had been with them since she was a baby and only worked in the pony ride. Her name was Patches and I fell in love with her right away.

So I promised to give her a good home. And that's how I wound up with the pony.

She was great, nothing spooked her after all she had been around noise and crowds all of her life.

She was around 11 or 12 years old and in great shape. So we put her to work.

The hardest thing I ever did was at the end of the season I didn't know how I would get her home or where I could keep her. So I sold her and the joint to a friend of mine who had horses in Delmar, DE and he promised Me that if I ever wanted her back she was mine.

So I took my equipment home to Florida and had to come back for a truck. But a friend of mine in Gibsonton who had animals told me to bring her down and keep her at his place.

Well just my luck when I got back up ther to pick up the truck I knew that he still had her.

Well to make a long story short He didn't. He gave Patches to a little girl who had been very sick.

Now I was sick. I really missed that pony! But I found out she did get a nice home and some loving people to take care of her. That did make me feel better but I kicked myself all the way back to Florida!

Allentown PA 1980's

"FLASH IS CASH!"

Since all of the following posts are in black & white I thought I'd start off with a little color!

This was at The Great Allentown Fair in the 1980's.

We were booked with S & S Amusements. In fact this might have been the first year of their contract with them. S & S had that Fair for at least 20 years!

Just giving it up last year.

Yankee Doodle Flyer

Sorry Mike this is the best I could do.

Had to get something on here for you!

Royal Ranch Wild West Circus Ad

This show was owned by Ozzie and Lila Scheelntz.

It was out of Colts Neck, NJ and then Valdosta, GA.

I'm not sure of the exact date but it had to be in the early '70's.

Corporation Shows

You might say that these shows were "sister shows" to Clyde Beatty Cole Bros.

At that time all were owned by the same company of owners.

More Circus Ads

Circus Ads

Again a reminder that if you click on the image it will enlarge it so that you can read the copy!

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Little Pete at New Jersey State Fair 2008

Interesting Local News Story

I have an Elephant in My Backyard - 1943Kirk Mariner, who writes books and stories about the Virginia Eastern Shore, wrote this story in his book "True Tales of the Eastern Shore". I am going to simply shorten it. It seems in 1943 the Chincoteague Naval Auxiliary Air Station was a training station for young pilots. They liked to show off their flying skills to the local population by flying low over people houses and flying under power lines. One pilot decided to impress a girl, Jackie Sterling, who lived in Crisfield. He buzzed in low over her house in his plane. The problem was there was a circus playing in town, next to her house, the plane created panic among the circus animals and a number of them took off around town. One woman called the Mayor of Crisfield to report an elephant in her backyard, the mayor called the Chincoteague Naval Air Station and the pilot, one George Herbert Walker Bush (later president) was reprimanded and grounded for causing an elephant stampede.

This story was posted on my friend Howard's blog this morning and he's letting me post it on mine.
Thanks Howard!