5th Year June 14, 1976 Number 24

The skeptics were completely fooled about the Mexico Int'lCircus which played the Los Angeles Sports Arena last month (May21-31). Rumors that it would be a small show were wrong, for thiswas a real spectacular presentation and was, without doubt, thebest indoor circus, to play here in years.

The small crowds can be a-ttributed to a lack of publicityfor their was no TV or radio ads and only a few small ads appear-ed in the newspapers, all prior to the show's arrival.

Attendance was starting to in-crease at the end of the run asword started to get around thatthis was indeed a "good" show.

It has generally been agreed(Continued on Page 6)

Texas ReportWhen John Strong brought

his circus into San Antonio (Jun.2-3) he drew SRO crowds for every

(Continued on Page 10)

AVAILABLE FOR LIMITED ENGAGEMENTS

JACOBSHOLLYWOOD ELEPHANTS

ContactJUDY JACOBSKAYE

Suite 519 • 1680 North Vine Street • Hollywood. California • 9002bArea Code 213 • 462-6001

Page 2 The Circus Report

The matinee performance of 'Ci rcus Union 76' (May 30here at San Antoni o's Coli seum drew a small but re-ceptive crowd. The show itself was very good and waspresented in one ring, wi th the rest of the arena shutoff through the use of curtai ns.

Musi c for the show was provi ded by Ksy and Bob Par-ker (organ and drums). Costumes were all new and3 ttracti ve.

The program featured: Oresto,) uggling; Santos, lowwire; Dancing Dolls (puppet type wi th girl inside);the Lodi Duo, aerial cradle; Clown balloon gag; Onefinger stand and balancing by The Great Dante; thencame i llusions by the Santos Farm ly; followed by anintermission.

The second half opened wi th Mr. Lee doi ng a comedywi re act; Ni no Santos, j uggling: Prof. Shappi and hi scomedy pi ano; The McKay Duo, aeri al cradle; TheDubi sky Duo, unsupported ladders; the Clowns and

Gary J ohnson's elephants.

Before the show the announcer told how Ci rcus Unionhad developed after Circus Galaxy folded leaving theacts stranded here in San Antonio. These people suredeserve a break and with the ri ght promoter this showcould go places.

They have some shopping center dates set and will beat an upcoming celebration at Uvalde.

R. F. Hartman

Polack Bros, will play undera Harold Barnes tent at Puyallup(Wash.) on July 10-11

Show ProgramThe Garden Bros, program for

the Salaam Shrine at West Orange,(NJ) featured:

The Lucio Troupe and AntarTroupe, trampolines; Prince Bog-ino, Hawthorn lions; Miss Olinka,aerial; Great Huston, illusions;Characters on Parade; Miss Stein-herr, riding stallion; The Rober-tsons, juggling; The Wazzan TroupeArabian tumbling; Armando Christ-ian!, juggling; Cook's Comedy CarThe Bertini Family, unicycles;Clowns, Miss America; The FlyingArmors; The Francils, rola bola;The Clarina Twins, tight wire;The Morris Duo, rola bola; ComedyCannon; GiIda's leopards; Charon'jchimps; The Volvos, comedy lad-der; The Reginine Duo, aerial;Remo Cristiani, elephants andTino Zoppe, high wire.

.... Mike Naughton

THE VOLANTES were recentlyfeatured on TV's weekly "Vaude-ville" program.

ERIK ADAMS has his chimpsand dogs booked into Sterling Forrest Gardens (N.Y.)

'The Bale Family"ELVIN BALE and JEANETTE WILLIAMS

The Worlds Most Fabulous Thrilling Acts With RBBB Circus

Col. E.T. Bale's Continental HorsesAt RBBB Circus World - Haines City, Fla.

June 14, 1976

CIRCUSESArenas - Ball Parks - Fairgrounds

How would you like to have portable seats perman-ently mounted on trailers, that can open orclose in less than 5 minutes - ONE MAN OPERATION- NO MACHINERY INVOLVED. Once the trailer's seatsare folded the whole middle of the trailer canbe used for carrying props, rigging, parade wa-gons, etc. These seat trailers can be pulled bya pick-up; no heavy trucks required.

We can build seat wagons to fit your needs (withup to 14 rows of seats on each wagon) for legalheight and length requirements for highway trav-el. For seats not meant for highway travel we canbuild almost any size or shape required.

Don't Stop at Seat Wagons though! We build port-able stages, props, floats and other show equip-ment.

If you want to see our seat wagons and stagetrailer in action, come visit us.

THE HARTZELLS - WALLACE & ROGERS CIRCUS

or contact us by phone or mail:

WALLACE AND ROGERS

463B S. DecoturLAS VEGAS, NEVADA 89107

AC 702 • 870-5508

You will get no hassle from safety inspectors with our seatwagons.

ROUTESBeatty-Cole Circus

Jun 14 Valhalla, N. Y.15 New City16 Piscataway, N.J.17 Long Branch18 Vineland19 East Brunswick20 Elizabeth

Circus VargasJun 14 Greeley, Colo.

15 Pueblo16 Boulder19 Appleton, Wise.20 Oshkosh

Clyde Bros. CircusJun 14-15 Sharon, Pa.

16-19 Erie

Dai ley Bros. CircusJune 14 Wisconsin Dells,

15 Sparta Wsc16 Black River Falls

EuroporamaJune 14 Des Moines, Iowa

15 Freeport, 111.16 Moline17 Ottawa18 Rockford19 Janesville, Wise20 Madison

Famous Hunt CircusJune 14 Hightstown, N.J.

Hamid-Mprton CircusJun 17-19 Cumberland, Md.

Hanneford Family CircusJun 15-Sep 6 Storyland USA

(New York)-iappytime CircusJun 14-26 Vallejo, Calif.

Holiday HippodromeJune 14 Lafayette, Ind.

15 Kokomo16 Marion17 Muncie18 Richmond19 Hamilton

Hoxie Bros. CircusJune 14 Portsmouth, Ohio

15 Ironton16 Gallipolis17 Parkersburg,W.Va18 Cambridge, Ohio19 Martins Ferry20 Beaver Falls,Pa

Hoxie*s Great American Cir.June 14 Oley, Pa.

15 Bangor16 Summit Hill17 Moosic18 Shenandoah19 Bloomsburg

Kaye's Royal Cont'l CircusJun 18-Sep 6 Laguna Hills,

King Bros. Circus Ca.1.June 14 Martinsville, Ind

King Bros. (Continued)June 15 Columbus, Ind.

16 Franklin17 Tipton18 Greentown19 Marion20 Bluffton

Lewis Bros. CircusJune 14 Lawrence bur g,Tenr

16 Summertown17 Hokenwald18 Linden19 Parsons20 Camden

Polack Bros. CircusJune 14 Ogden, Utah

Ringling-Barnum - Blue UnitJun 17-20 Huntsville, Ala

Ringling-Barnum - Red UnitJun 15-16 Memphis, Tenn.

18-20 Mobile, Ala.

Sells S, Gray CircusJune 14 Harrisonburg,Pa

15 Shippensburg16 Waynesboro17 Littleston18 Manassas, Va.19 Edgewood, Md.20 Parkersburg, Pa.

John Strong CircusJun 19-20 Lexington, Ky.

TNT & Royal OlympicJun 15-19 Cleveland Hghts,

Ohio

Page 5

BILLY BARTON - - •A FAMOUS HOLLYWOOD biographer is doingthe li fe story of TRUDE LU VAS enti tied ONCE,AND NEVER AGAIN (Sounds like a JacquelineSusann novel, doesn' t it') Trude and her husbandGARY STRONG, have a shopping center unit, andi'rude has suffered enough years of heartache toearn the right to a "long run" of happiness.

long-time friend TONY CONWAY wrote to tellme I erred in saying J CANNE DAY is the ward--obe mistress at Ci rcus World, rather 11 is PeggyDay, daughter of Frank Sheppard. She and Eldonhave a home near the tourist attraction. Tony re-minds me of my family's association with severalof hi s uncle'5 shows, namely RED and DIX Bros,and of my friendship with hi s late, first wifeCLAIRE FAWCETT, author of "We Fell In LoveWith The Ci rcus.'' They met on a circus, cour-ted or. a circus and honeymooned on one.

BILL GOLDEN, new worki ng the Cuneo ti gers i sleaving at the end of the Mamid-Morton tour tcloin Royal Manneford and is being replaced byWADE BURKE, a young man who worked cats onClyde Bros....HAROLD HALL will be with theKaye show at Lion Coun try in L.I ...Rumorsthat thi s funspot would not have a circus arefalse....ROY BUSH, whom I ran into visiting onHamid-Morton, is looking very well consideringthe serious illnesses he has suffered of late.

ELOISE BERCHTOLD will fill in for the Cuneos! at Manneland in Ontario until J ohn and Herta

WANTEDAll types of Animal Acts tostart July 1st.

Contact: GORDON WALSHMid America Circus

5973 East 31st StreetTulsa, Okla. -- 74145Phone: (918) 836-7761

wind up their tour with Hamid-Morton....J IMMYHALL, now out of the hospital, will have hisbear act at Manneland

Also had long talk with HARRY HUNT who, when it. was ever, showed me the personal automobile thatonce belonged to the late Emperor of EthiopiaHAILE SELASSIE. Harry told me he bought thecar in London for J49.000, and it is worth triplethat amount.! can honestly say it is the most im-pressive, most beautiful auto I have ever seen. Thecar is in a special Wells Cargo trailer and Harryexhibits ;! at shopping malls.

Harry is busy contracting towns for daughter MARSHAHUNT JONES' new Hunt's Circus, but in Augusthe starts his own shopping center circus which runsuntil late fall. THE GREAT ERIC, high wire, andPETER LUVAS' Globe of Death, are two acts setfor the show.

BOB ATTERBURY starts his shopping center tourJu[y 26th for a run of six weeks....Bass player ED-DIE" MATHIAS, now with H-M is only moonlighting,his regular job is with the MIKE DOUGLAS orches-tra.. ..Animai trainer i_OU REGAN was brought outof a two year reti rement to work the Clyde Bros,tiger act....Catcher PAUL MCLAUGHLIN is nowwith the Donnie Johnson flying act.

AL DAWLEY tells me they DO take the 15% Can-adian Tax out of salaries unless other arrange-ments have been made. If an act earns less than$5000 the money will be returned.Over $5000 youmust file. The whole thing is very messy, appar-ently, and it looks as if the Canadians will seeless American talent in the future. God knows, wehave enough tax headaches here!

TRUDE LUVAS has created a new entrance forher Poodle Review involving a turn-of-the-century antique auto bearing herself in a periodcostume and her caboodle of canines. She re-

cently made tri p to Cleveland to obtain brassfittings for the vehicle.

(Continued on Page 12)

Page 6 The Circus Report

SKEPTICS FOOLED (Continued)

a mistake was made in aiming theshow only towards the Spanishspeaking community. The acts camefrom throughout the U.S. to ap-pear in the program. Promoterswere pleased, nevertheless, andhave promised to return next yearwith an even better show.

The circus reportedly has en-gagements in Salinas and Ventura(Calif.) plus Tucson (Ariz.) thenwill head out on a nation-widetour.

Announcements in both Englishand Spanish were handled by Sal-vador Murillo. The band was dir-ected by Russell Darr, while Blinko and Maran worked the warm-upsession with balloons.

•»

CLARK McDERMOTT had his ColdNose Five act at Austin, Texas,for a couple of days.

FRANK McCLUSKY and MR. LEAF(Leaf Tent Co.) spent several

ClassifiedWANTED: Extra small ponies for aliberty act. PRICE MUST BE RIGHT.Contact: Hal Haviland, King Bros.Circus as per route.

WANT: Anyone remember the BananaMan act? We want to buy the act(props and music). Anyone havingknowledge of its whereabouts con-tact: John R. Hartzell, Wallace &Rogers Circus, 463-B So. Decatur,Las Vegas, Nev. 89107 - or call:(702) 870-5508

Will design your letterhead,card,envelope, etc. Write: BeverlyAllen, P.O. Box 91, Pixley, Califor call: (209) 757-3501.

MODEL CIRCUS WAGONS BUILT: Kits,scratch, repairs, running gears,S.A.E. for full particulars. ArtSpellman, Cross Creek Apt. B-61,1500 No. Congress Ave., West PalmBeach, Fla. - 33401.

days last month on the Sells &Gray Circus.

tflnimol CostumesEverything from Gorilla Suits. Clown Shoes

to Miniature Cars.V ^-*. Ph.lip Morris /S^ ^wE|)>

*r f& an- » * s* /wSf9&COSTUMES

3748 Monroe RoadCharlotte, North Carolina 282O5

SEND S2.00 FOR A COMPLETE CATALOG.

June 14, 1976 Page 7

...by MIKE SPORRERW&R Draws Big In RainDespite a heavy rain storm the Wallace & Rogers Circus did ex-

cellent business at Sumner, Wash. (May 29). This was the first cir-cus to show in Sumner since Carson & Barnes played here in 1962.

The blue and white big top,now in its fourth year, showssigns of wear, but is in remark-ably good condition. The bluemarquee, two years old, looks asif it were new and displays theshow's title on the front.

The show has a calliope onthe midway, which is played priorto each performance. Also on themidway is a combined ticket andconcession trailer. Other unitsinclude a canvas spool and horsetruck, the stage trailer, seatunits and several pick-ups andhouse trailers.

The performance runs one hr.and ten minutes and was priced at$3.00 and $1.50. Elephant ridesare offered after each perform-ance.

The program included: Pre-show clown warm-up; Double Trap;Trained Macaws; Seals (2); ClownExpando Box; Spanish web; Trunk

escape; Sword Balance; Baby ele-phant; Clown's strong man; Revol-ving loop-the-loop, aerial motor-cycle.

Show StaffStaff for the Hamid-Morton Ci rcus consi sts of:Geo. Hamid, J r . - Executi ve producerJ immy Hamid - Assistant managerBowi e Hamid - Electri c/soundEmie McLean - announcerJohn Tonelli - musical directorBob Atterbury - general supt.

Wanda Ward - aerial directorDime Wi Ison - producing clownPaul Duke - prop bossRay Valentine, Jr . - Concessions

ournA phone call from Kenny Dodd

brought clown Bernie Kallman backto Beatty-Cole Clown giantBuck Nolan is romping with Hoxiethese days Ron & Mitzie haveadded a fireworks finale to theiriron jaw act The Wazzan's goto the Texas dates after theirGarden engagements Tino andOlinka Zoppe's Yellowstone wasrobbed during a recent showPan American Mini Unit into WestOrange (NJ) for July 5th DonStambaugh is working mall dates.

. Mike Naughton

Thank YouL. B. "Hoxie" TUCKER, owner

Hoxie Bros. Big Top and Hoxie*sGreat American Circus, for yourinnumerable purchases over thepast twenty years.

"SA VE MONEY WITH JOHNNY"

JOHNNY CANOLE

465 M E . 102nd StreetMiami Shores. Fla. 33138(305) 751 0206

7100 Sixth AvenueAltoona, Pa. 16602

(814) 944-9347or 943-OO03

Page 8 The Circus Report

A First Class Show JIM SWAPFORD

The Mexico Int'l Circus (Los Angeles, Calif., May 21-31) hasjust got to be the best show presented in this area in years. Theycertainly offered a program of top acts, virtually all new to thewest coast.

The program featured:-

Historical Pageant Spec - all ofthe performers and four float*

Barreda's wild animals - 7 femalelions and one male lion

Pharoahs - aerial cradle and Kayand Kurt Leah - perch act

The Connoers, ponies; Tony Fagun-das, camels; Michaels, llamas

Cucciolo, trampoline - a veryfunny act

The Clowns (8)Princess Kayleah - dovesPrincess Omar - one finger stand

and head balancingThe ClownsAerial ballet - 6 webs and 4 on

laddersJoselito - high wire number

— Intermission —The Flying Dells, with Kurt Dell,

Betty and Billy Wood; alsoThe Flying Lar-Rays (4 people)

Murillo and Ulises - head to headbalance

The ClownsRucker's chimps;

act; Connors,Al's Lemon-Zene - comedy carThe Wong Bros. - two sway polesThe ClownsFagundas elephants (3) and the

Rucker elephants (3)The Quassors - high actFinale with all performers and

flags and then the ZacchiniHuman Cannon Ball feature

Barreda's chimpdogs

CFA NotesA wide variety of feature at-

tractions were provided for thos-eattending the CFA Convention atDallas last week (June 9-12).Thegathering, the organization's50th anniversary, was one of itslargest with more than 240 regis-tered before the first day.

Among the features was a cir-cus band concert directed byMerle Evans, performances by theGrimaldis and Karl Wallenda, theStebbing Royal European Circus, aTexas Rodeo, circus seminars, andtrips to local zoos, Lion CountrySafari Park and Six Flags OverTexas park.

Keynote speaker for the fourday event was circus owner andproducer Hubert Castle. Dr. PaulFitzpatrick, CFA President, pre-sided over the convention.

HELP WANTEDThe Ross Bear Act is lookingfor a young man who has workedwith a bear act. Experience isnecessary!

Write or Call:

GEORGE ROSSRte. 1 - Holmes, N. Y. - 12531

Phone: (914) 878-6757

June 14, 1976 Page 9

AVAILABLE - NOWCOMPLETE SIDE SHOW - Including as follows:

30/40 tent with 68 ft. New Bannerline

1234567

SHOW INCLUDES:

Fire eater 8 -Sword Swallower 9 -Pin-headed Man 10 -Devil Fish Man 11 -World's Largest Dog 12 -Human Block Head 13 -Human Candle-stick

Human BalloonTwo Headed CowSnake CharmerPretzel GirlIndian Rubber GirlHuman Shrunken Head

(real)

Also have: Juggling and Hat Act

Contact:

JOHN A. J. STRONGPhone: (805) 495-3102

Int'l All StarThe Int'l All Star Circus

came to Michigan Center (Mich) or.June 3rd, to play to a strawhouse. They offered a great per-formance and certainly Hine andPatty Rucker make the fans feelright at home. Surely no showcould have been a better host.

The exciting band consistsof: Robert Amato (leader) trumpetHoward Brady, drums; Wm. Hastingstrombone; Gene Holms, trumpet andWm. Davis, organ.

The program included: TerryO'Brien, slack wire; Coco & Co.,clowns; Randon's chimps; Hines,vent; Miss Ivey, trapeze; Hinesand Patty, magic; Carey Brown

Duo, rola bola; The Rucker's leo-pards; Coco, Jr., stilts; Randonsdogs; The Diamond Duo, Frenchtraps; Miss Patty, foot juggling;Carey Brown Duo, hand balancing;The Terry's, unicycles; Mike Rioeand his elephant.

Fans attending the show wereRobert Reinhart, Hayes Ganiard,Dave Reddy, Julian Wheat, ClaytonMcNaughton (formerly with the or-ginal Lew Bros. Circus), and thewriter, Clarence Hastings.

BROWNIE SILVERLAKE, formerlyon Fisher Bros., is recuperatingfrom recent knee surgery. You canwrite him at: Rte. 1 - Box 385-D,Donna, Texas - 78537.

Page 10 The Circus Report

TEXAS REPORT (Continued)

performance. The show looks goodand the audience likes it. Theyare using a three ring formatand also have three webs and lad-der acts.

Some of the folks from Cir-cus Union visited the show and onJune 3rd, Big John told his au-dience about the folding of Cir-cus Galaxy and how it left manyacts stranded in Texas. He thenintroduced the Bishops (represen-ting Circus Union), the JC pres-ident and other officials, afterwhich he presented the Bishopswith $200 from the JC's and JohnStrong Circus, for the CircusUnion folks.

By the way, none of the lo-cal dates were profitable forCircus Union and the folks arepretty discouraged. Guess it willnot be long and the whole effortwill be abandoned.

Ralph Hartman

THE WAL-TIMS will work theEmmett Kelly, Jr. Circus at Min-neapolis, plus shopping centers,before reopening with the GeorgeMatthews Circus.

STEVE BAKER (Checkers) andGARY RAY (Patches) worked CircoImperial in Mexico City for How-ard Suesz last year. The show'sclowns also included: Goyo, Juan-ito and Murello.

Horse ShowThe Northern Division of the

Bicentennial Wagon Train campedfor several days in the IrishHills area of Michigan, where avariety of entertainment was pro-vided for these hardy folks. Thetrain consisted of 43 covered wa-gons, plus several hundred mules,horses and ponies. They expect tobe in Valley Forge on July 3rdwhere they'll spend the summer.

A feature of the entertain-ment program was a performance byChuck Grant's Horse Capades,whose members live in Michigan.They wear green and white mili-tary uniforms and are a highlypolished professional group ofLipizzan riders.

The director, Clarence Has-tings introduced the group andgave a brief history of this typeof riding, and said the perform-ance presented was very similarto the first circus performancesin America. It was pointed outthat President George Washingtonwas interested in the circus,which was presented by his friendBill Ricketts. Pres. Washingtonoften visited the show and loan-ed his favorite horse for the ex-hibitions.

Members of Horse Capades in-clude: Chuck Grant, Judy Thocker,Jake Donahue, Shirley Moody, PamMoody, Dutch Miller, Ellen Hull,Joane Clark and Clarence Hastings

Don Smith

June 14, 1976 Page

HAMID-MORTON CIRCUS by BILLY BARTON

An old-time "bi Ming war" kicked off Hami d-Morton's

outdoor stand at the New J ersey State Fairgrounds i nTrenton (May 21-23). The May 31-J une 6 Shri ne spon-sored Garden Bros, (scheduled under canvas for adowntown appearance beh> nd the ci !y hall) offeredweighty flack-opposition by way of 'wait1 ads in thedaili es. They also erected i huge sign j ust outsidethe fairgrounds.

Hamid-Morton people took the episode in stride andveteran producing clown Di ne Wi Isan laughingly sai d"I haven't seen anything li ke thi s in 20 years."

The Sunday matinee found the grandstand j ammedwith some 5000 spectators who shared this review-er' s enthusiasm for a double-barreled program of toodrawer talent.Viewed under adverse outdoor conditions, the hamid-Morton Circus stood up well without the i cing-on-the-cake advantages of indoor lighting and special effects.

There's not a bad act o.i the bill, and i f one or twoseems weak by compari son, i n ether programs thesesame acts would be stand outs.

Superlatives won't do j ustice to the Hawthorn Ci rcusCorp. Animal attractions owned by John and HertaCuneo; the flying skills of the Valentines, or theversati lity of the talented Zamperla Fami ly. These

slick pros are strongly supported by Dime Wilson' sexcellent clown alley, the smooth announcements ofErni e McLean and the well directed circus band withJohn Tonelli handling the baton.

George Hamid, Jr. personally greets the audi encewith an opening message that precedes spec and Bi IIGolden's wild animal presentation - 12 tigers andblack-maned Nubian lion. The cage act, owned byCuneo, is lightning-paced, featuring great pyra-mids, a four tiger laydown, rollover, a 12 tiger lay-down, and a nice closing routine with the lion. Thecenter pyramid prop i s operated electrically, elimi n -atmg prop-shi fti ng, whi ch in turn helps the act'smomentum.

Herta Klauser Cuneo's Whi te Ti ger ri di ng a large

elephant is a show-stopper. Here again, speed is ac-centuated when the white tiger makes incredible highflying leaps from pedestals to the back of the runningbull and goes on to spectacular high f i re hurdles't hree are attached to the upper regions of the cage)from the back of the runni ng bull, over the fi re

hurdles, landing again on the elephant. Closer i s arevolving mirrored prop on which the tiger does a sit-up. The prop is operated by remote control from out-sio? the arena. Herta bows to heavy applause.

The Zamperla s first appearance is in a whirlwindtrampoline turn featuring 13 yr. old Otto in a series ofdouble fulls and a triple twister to his father'sshoulders. Three girls and 8 yr. old Ermes round outthe five people troupe.

The Italian family returns in the second half with anexceptional 7 person riding act called The Napoleans.T*ie act is costumed in colorful Roman wardrobe, be-gins with pyramids, muscle grinds, various carryingroutines and again spotlights Otto with a single somer-sault, horse-to-horse somersault, and a somersaultfrom teeterboard to horse. This act, too, moves ra-pidly augmented by very effective'music.

The Flyi ng Valentines are the first half closer. Astrong act, starting with the passing leap, closingwith a triple somersault, blindfolded by Ray Jr.Interspersed are Oebbi e's one and a half, a full twis-ting double and double cutaway-half by Ray, J r., andthe comedy skill of Scott Plunkett.

Herta i s the intermission curtain-rai ser with a fine.bi g bear act - 3 Hi malayans, 1 Gri zzly, and 3 Syr-ians. The bears dance with dolls, ride scooters, highbikes, motorcycles; walk on their front paws withHerta. roll globes with Herta and finish up in anaerial carousel with four bears on perches.

Additional highlights include John Cuneo's baby ele-phant (flanked by two more in end rings) doing afront foot stand on a revolving pedest al; the Cuneo

big five bull act with twin one foot stands, leg carryand mounts by Miss Debbie Lockhart: the one-arm

(Continued on Page 14)

Page 12 The Circus Report

BILLY BARTON (Continued)

RAY VALENTINE, Sr., complained ofpains in the stomach during the Oklahoma Cityrun with H-M, was finally taken to the hospitalwhere it was discovered he had a ruptured appendix.The flying act was out of the show for severalweeks. On one occasion BILL and TRUDY STRONGfilled in with their cradle and rocket shi p aerialnumbers.

Visited HAZEL and MARVIN CASE a! the Hunt'sCircus Farm. Also ran into RAY SINCLAIRE andside-kick JOHN who retired from the businessyears ago. John i s fully retired but Ray managesa Hilton Inn. The team did a dog act and wereclowns on all the major shows.

SID KELLNER reopens his G-M Circus July 9thin Louisiana....Young RICK PASCA is workingthe three elephant act on Hoxie's Great American....GEORGE HUBLER has joined the "tent bri-gade" with a fair circus date in August....Spec-ial Big Tops were designed by HAROLD BARNESfor the Disney PETER PAN uni ts utilizing fourcenter poles set sideGbyGside, with four additionalcenter poles - somewhat like a flying act's uprightsThis created a "path" for the "flying effects".Viewed from outside, the tents resemble barns.Thecanvas was made by Leaf. The rigging was builtby Banes.

Beatty- Cole almost lost their big top opening dayin Phi My. Had to vacate the audience. The HUNT'SCl RCUS peaked their top day in and day out forseveral weeks due to unusually high and gustywinds. Weather was also abnormally cold in theEast during May whi ch hurt business for all thetent shows.

HERTA CUNEO showed me two bear cubs born inJanuary. The mother will have nothing to do withthem. In fact bit the ear of one almost in two. Aspecial steel brace was put on the cub's ear andHerta takes them to an animal specialist.

The rash of trainers clawed this year is un-believable/ BILL GOLDEN was clawed, acci-dentally, at Wilkes-Barre during the bit wherethe lion puts its claws on Bill's shoulders andkisses him. The lion clawed the trainer's neck;

CIRCUS ACTSFeatured with the Kaye Cont1' Circus at Jackson (Mi ss)on May 28-29 were:

J ack Cervone, musi cal di rector; Circus on Parade speqRaul, loop; Roberto, cloud swing; Ramon, balancing

trapeze: Baron Von Uhl. wild animals; The Jupiter Triotrapeze; Ron Perry, j ugglmg; Paulette Braun, baton;Great Valdez; Kaye's elephants; Aerial ballet withGreat Arturo; Lena's Pets; Katinka's Kanines; TheCold Nose Five; Ri anos Duo; Caddy & The Pro: Mi'zi Troupe; Sensational Leighs, space wheel; The FourFlying Ramos: Baby Dolly, elephant; Antalek's chimpsMiss Peggy; Gene Mendez, high wire; Norbu, almosthuman gorilla; the Nock Bros.. ;way poles and a Salutetc America finale.

HUGO ZACCHINI will have hiscannon act at the Kennywood Amusement Park (Pa.) for July 5-25.

MIRE GORMAN and his fatherJOHN, treated some 80 performersand staff of Circus Vargas to acatered Yugoslavian dinner onMay 23rd at Carson, Calif.

infection set in and BI H missed most of the date.

IGNIO BOGINO is out of the hospital but needsrest and will not go back to work tor some time....ALFREDO LANDON decided not to sell hisSarasota home after all....RAY DIONNE told meit took several weeks to get used to workingunder canvas. The top moves and he was goingcrazy trying to balance the perch pole....andDI ME WILSON, reviving hi s famous table rockthis year, said "I never knew the human bodycould hurt in so many places."

BEAUTY TIP: Film star DORIS DAY confessesshe sleeps "coated in oil" one ni ght a week.Too bad ram and mud doesn't accompli sh thesame purpose - we'd all be GORGEOUS!

See you down the road, luvs.

June 14, 1976 Page 13

Holiday PartyFormer and retired show

folks of the Rio Grande Valley ofSouth Texas, got together for acookout on Memorial Day Weekendat the old Little Bob Stevens*winterquarters, south of Alamo.The event was hosted by Jim andKathleen Davis.

Attending the party were:Brownie and Josephine Silverlake,Fred and Ruby (Haag) Brown, Ralphand Naomi (Haag) Carpenter, andCharles and Jeanette Tracy. Theywere associated with Carson &Barnes, Clark & Walters and Fish-er Bros. Circus.

ROUTES"American Freedom Train

June 15-17 Louisville, Ky.19-21 Charleston, W. Va.

Blake's Country FairJune 19-23 Burlington, Iowa

Century 21 Shows - Blue UnitJune 14-19 Burlington, Iowa

Century 21 Shows - Red UnitJune 14-19 Keokuk, Iowa

James H. Drew ShowsJune 14-19 Richlands, Va.

Foley & Burk ShowsJune 14-26 Vallejo, Calif.

Rose City RidesJune 14-16 Owensville, Mo.

18-20 New HavenRoyal Lipizzan Show

June 14 Manhattan, Kans.15 Hays17 Casper, Wyoming19 Denver, Colo.20 Colorado Springs

MiscellaneousA crowd of 100,000 people

turned out to watch the arrivalof Ringling-Barnum for its dateat Troy, N.Y. (May 25-30).

DON and MARTHA SMITH planto visit several Wild West Mus-eums in Oklahoma on their wayback to Michigan from the CFA's50th anniversary convention.

ROUTESWenatchee Youth Circus

June 19-20 Milwaukie, Oregon

Tip Top ShowsJune 17-20 West Allis, Wise.

FOR SALEWe offer a rare opportun-ity to purchase an 18month old, male big redkangaroo.

The animal has been leashtrained and will eat outof your hand.

Ideal for a petting zooor for breeding purposes.

For Information Contact:

TONY FOSSETT637 Conrad Ave.

Sarasota, Fla. - 33580

Page 14 The Circus Report

Show VisitHad an opportunity to visit

Hoxie Bros. Circus at Covington,Ind. (May 21) and Springfield,111(May 23) and really enjoyed it.Other writers have already men-tioned the show and its acts, butI do want to say that Mongo, thegorilla is a fantastic feature.Possum Red (Leo Harsh) is incharge of caring for it.

At Covington the circus had amost unusual visitor - a groundsquirrel that ran back and forthalong the track, then would pauseto look at the audience and the

HAMID-MORTON (Continued)swings of Wanda Ward; the tightwire somersaulting ofRay Valentine, Jr.; Princess Mafalda's sword balance;the unusual gorilla parody by Dave Costello, featur- .ing a sponge plunge finish; and thr breath-takinghigh foot revplves and breakaway slide-for-life by

the Reynosa1 s "Pirates of the Air" thriller.

Dime Wilson's clown contingent is effective in sev-eral well produced numbers featuring the "revival"of Dime's great table rock. The alley consists of DimeDime, Jr., Connie Wilson and Fred Lavine.

Ernie McLean lends his dulcet singing tones to theNational Anthem, Spec, Aerial Ballet and closing Pa-triotic Finale.

WANTEDAdvance Agents for small goodoutdoor show.

Write:DAVE KNAPP

P. 0. Box 311Acton, Cal. — 93510

performers. In fact it stayed atthe circus all day long.

On May 24th, at Clinton (111)the show's gas truck collidedwith a semi-trailer at an inter-section and exploded into flames.The driver, Dewey Boyd, and pas-senger Frank Cleveage, were takento the Decatur Memorial Hospital,with Frank put into the intensivecare unit. Another passenger,Gerald Lee, was killed.

On May 27th, Norman Schulerand I drove to Petersburg (111.)to see the Franzen Bros. Circus.Then caught the show again on May30th. This is a small show, butthe people like it and they havelots of animal acts. The sideshow has been brought under thebig top.

.Allen Babcock

Thank you Edith Johnston • ..Sheldon, Illinois, for your two

circus photo orders

CIRCUS PHOTOSCUSTOM COLOR CIRCUS PHOTOS

Scenics, Stop-Action PerformanceShots, Lot Views, Equipment,

Band Photos. All in Full-Color.

Send $1.00 for a beautiful 5"x7"sample, and detailed listing //I

JAMES D. KALIVODACFA - CHS - CMB - WU

1509 South Clinton AvenueBerwyn, Illinois 60402

June 14, 1976 Page 15

Both Royal Hanneford andGeorge-Matthews Circus will playLouisiana dates at the same time.Other shows are also planning onplaying within the state.

The sponsor backed out andso Showtime Follies scratched aJune 10th date at Monroe (La.).

Magicians Bob and Brendawere recently featured on TV'sweekly "Vaudeville" show.

Aerialist Gloria Null, withDailey Bros., fell recently andwill be unable to perform forsome time. She is the daughter oforganist Peggy Null.

Jon Friday, recently closedwith Patterson Bros. Circus andshould now be working with thecircus at Storyland, USA in NewYork. He reports the fans reallyenjoyed Patterson Bros.

Cliff Day, only CFA memberwith a membership number under

C.V. NotesCircus Vargas recently increa

sed its herd of elephants to 10with the purchase of an 8 yearold male.

At Carson (Calif.) an addi-tion to the program was made withGeneral Vargas, a purebred, snow-white Arabian stallion, riddenand presented by Christine.

Circus performers and workingcrews were kept busy during theSouthern California engagementswith various crews moving in andout to film commercials, documen-taries and other specials.

100 is attending the conventionin Dallas. So too, is the writerand Big John Strong.

Earl Allen, long time CFA'ris unable to attend the convent-ion because of two recent oper-ations. He celebrated his 83rdbirthday in May.

.... M. L. Dupont

SUBSCRIPTION ORDER FORMHere's my check for $12.00 - start my wsubscription to Circus Report immediately.

THE CIRCUS REPORT525 Oak Street, El Cerrito, Calif. - 94530

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