circus report, october 18, 1982, vol. 11, no. 42

Number 42

.

October 18,1982

H

fc

MARIO and CARLA WALLENOABreaking the World Record

Performing «t I Height of 220 fttt• • ^—^^^

BETTY WENDANY'SFUNS-A-POPPIN

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num Clown College graduate, who was onthe Ringling Red Unit has returned to col-lege to obtain her Master's Degree.

She wants to do her Master's Thesis onWomen Clowns and needs any help or in-formation that you might be able to offerher.

If you can help in any way write to:Kathleen Herb6286 Osier StreetSan Diego, Calif.-92111

FOR SALECOMPLETE Aluminum upright trapeze,extra long nylon net in good condition,outside tights.

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Acts appearing at the recent BloomsburgFair in Penna., were: The Rolling DiamondsDuval & Trina and Little Ben, Jim Stafford,The Lennon Sisters, David Frizzell, ShellyWest, Ronnie McDowell, Faron Young, R.C. Bannon, Louise Mandrell, Marty Rob-bins, Tom T. Hall, Boxcar Willie, CharlieSlavin, Eddie Jaye and John Schneider.The fair dates were: Sept. 27 -Oc t . 2nd.

ELIZABETH McLAUGHLIN, mother ofDick Mclaughlin, former circus biller andconcessionaire, died last month and wasburied in Showman's Rest in Hugo, Okla.Her late husband, Tom, was an old-timebiller and in his later years he served as anagent and part owner of several shows.

East Coast Newsby FRANK D. ROBIE

One of the highlights of the 1982 World'sFair was the model circus and memorabiliadisplay of Howard Tibbels and Harold DunnEveryone that saw it was enchanted. Nowbeing advertised is a 28 page, full-colorsouvenir book entitled "The Biggest LittleShow on Earth". It is slick and beautifullydone. The book is sponsored by UnitedFoods, Inc. and Tibbals Floor Co. and sellsfor $2.95 plus $1.00 for postage and hand-ling. You will want one of these books foryour collection. Write: Circus Book, Hart-co, Inc., Oneida, Tenn.The Big Apple Circus will open its Man-

hattan tour in December at Lincoln Centeragain this year. It is reported that the flyingtrapeze act of the Gaona's, the Spanish Rid-ing act of Katja Schumann and the trampo-line act of the Canetrelli's has been booked.Willow Grove Park, an amusement center

of yesteryear, has been converted to a highfashion shopping mall by Federated StoresReality, Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio. Abraham& Strauss, Bloomingdale's & B. Altman willbe among its 170 stores. This is a joint ven-ture with Prudential Insurance Co.

There are two new features that make thisof interest. Five years ago Federated bought,at auction, side show banners which are apart of the mall decor. Authentic merry-go-round animals have been made into a hugemobile which turns periodically to music.Willow Grove Park is just 15 miles north ofPhiladelphia.The 1983 CFA Convention will be held in

Philadelphia, July 14-17, at the Holiday InnCenter City. Situated at the corner of Mar-ket and 18th Street, this 450 room facility,is in the very heart of one of the most his-toric and exciting cities of the world.

There is more history, more museums,more restaurants and more events than youcould cram into a month of Fun-days. The

convention committee reports negotiationsare going superbly and recommends thatyou plan a vacation as well as a fine con-vention.

Nichols College, Dudley, Mass., in conjunc-tion with the Hanneford Family Circus, willconduct a two day Circus Symposium onSept. 19-20. Four subjects will be treatedduring this symposium: (1) History of theCircus - New England as frame of reference;(2) Circus Economics - Management, Finan-ce and Marketing; (3) Circus Psychology • Aview of performers and audience; (4) Logis-tics - The Circus on the move.

Some of the Panel are: Stuart Thayer, Dr.Arthur Saxon, Fred Pfening III, John MeConneJI, Cliff Lenox, Copeland McAllister,Ted Houssman, Robert Kitchen, JosephMcKennon and Jim Hoye.

Four performances of the Hanneford Fa-mily Circus will be given. Circusiana will beon display in the college Blue Room (?) andthe College Art Gallery. Tentatively sched-uled was the South Shore Circus ConcertBand. Mr. Al House and Tiny Phillips willbe attending.

SALLY and HENRY PAYNE and TheBERTLOFFS visited the TNT Circus whenit played in Louisville, Ky. in September.

JENDA SMAHA's elephant 'Tanya" isappearing in the Moulin Rouge Show at theHilton Hotel, in Las Vegas.

DR. GERALD DREW, a veterinary inspec-tor for the USD A, recently inspected theelephants at the zoo in San Antonio, Texas,following complaints by a woman visitor tothat city. He reportedly found the zoo'streatment of its five female elephants com-plies with the minimum standards of thefederal animal welfare act.

Show DatesBeany-Cole Circus

Oct 15-1 8 New Orleans,La.

Brickies Wonderland Rev.Oct 18-19 Timonsville,SC

7fl Sumtprt. U iJU 111 1CI

21 Windsboro22 Laurens

Circus KnieOct 18-19P1. d Glar,Swtz

20-21 PI. d Compt22-24 Les Potences

Hubler Int'l CircusOct 19Schenectady, NY

21 Amsterdam23-24 Glens Falls

No Elephant CircusOct 23 Pittsburgh, Pa.

Olympic Int'l CircusOct 18-23 Montgomery,

Ala.

Polack Bros. CircusOct 16-17 Charleston,

W.Va.

Ringling-Barnum- BlueOct 14-31 Rosemont, III.

Ringling-Barnum - RedOct 20-Nov 1 Boston,

Mass.

Roberts Bros. CircusOct 18 Lake Park, Ga.

- End of Season -Swan Bros. Circus

Oct 22-23 Redding, Calif

TNT& Royal OlympicOct 21-23 Killeen, Tex.

Texas Shrine CircusOct 24-31 Dallas, Tex.

Zoppe Circus ItaliaOct 18-23 Lebanon, Pa.

... OTHER DATES---

James H. Drew ExpositionOct 18- 24 Athens, Ga.

Lil l i- Ana and her LeopardsOct. 16-17

Charleston, W. Va.

Schlarbaum's Show BandOct. 18-23 Montgomery,

Ala.

Scon's Medicine ShowOct18Tamaqua, Pa.

19 Bloomsburg20 Williamsport21 Mill Hall22 Clearfield23 Punxsutawney24 Knox

•-- MAGIC - -

Pf. Miller-Magic Time USAOct 18 Douglas, Wyom..

19 Gillette21 Craig, Colo.22 Rawlins, Wyom.23 Green River

The Peanut CircusOct 2-3 Gay, Ga.

9 Sylvester11 1 A 1 1 , , > - f t r-i n12-14 Moultne14-16 Goldsboro,NC23-24 Pine Mtn, Ga.

Circus VargasOct. 18-19 Stockton, Ca.

20-21 Lodi22-24 Sacramento

PeopleFROSTY and PAT LITTLE

acquired another daughter atthis years opening of the BlueUnit of Ringling-Bamum atThe Forum in Inglewood, Ca.Frosty, who is Director of

Clowns for Singling Bros. -Bamum & Bailey Circus, wasappearing on the TV Specialwhich was filmed at The For-um Club when he put clownmakeup on Susan Richardsonastarlette from the TV show"Eight Is Enough. "In the remaining weeks the

circus was in the Los Angelesarea. Frosty, his wife PatfandSusan were constant compan-ions and before Frosty andPat left for the RBBB ClownCollege, where he is a clown-ing instructor, they adoptedSusan as their 3rd daughter.

ON THE COVERw •• • i i i_ w w V H ii

Mario and Caria Wallendabroke the world record byperforming at a height of220ft They presented a 12minute act at the Fleming-ton NJ Fair before a recordcrowd during the FreddieFender Show,Mike Morgan and Richie

Burkhardt were in chargeof the ground crew whichincluded the Clinton Town-ship Fire Dept. with manpower and lights, the Flem-ington Fair MaintenanceDept. and the Fair Police.

FOR SALEBEAUTIFUL OREGON - 6 acres, level,clear and dry. Perfect winterquarters, lowtaxes, insurance, license fees.702-733-3914 Days Jan Biggerstaff702-733-3908 Even. 3055 Talbot Circle

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Funs-A-Poppinby VIRGINIA LEE FENTON

Betty Wendany's "Funs-A-Poppin Circus"produced for Bill Ystad (Aladdin Produc-tions), played Palmdale, Calif., on Sept 16,Riverside, Sept. 17 and Indio Sept 18th.The flag was brought in by Fay Snyder

on her white stallion "Silverpants" and theperformers filled the three rings while theaudience rose for our National Anthem.

The circus overture was played by Virgin-ia Lee Fenton, organ; Chuck Gomes, drum-mer and Stuart Aptekar, trumpet.

The show then opened with three rings ofjuggling - The Willetys (Ken and Betty Wil-ier), Heidi Wendany and Charlie (Bruce)Johnson; Phil Shear presented his trainedgiraffe "Jargo"; single trapeze by Win! MeKay; Henry and Dolores, comedy trampo-line; Clowns Tim Tegge and Cheri; Displaywith Heidi's dogs and Fay's dogs; Ken Wil-ier, hand balancing; followed by three ringsof magic.

After intermission, Heidi opened the showwith her ponies; Phil & Co., clowned; Span-ish web featured Dolores; Sir Chester Cable,foot juggling; Charlie, clown balancing; HighSchool and Dressage with Heidi riding "Bil-ly Tin Gun" and Fay Snyder on "Silver-

INJURY FORCES SALEOF FLYING TRAPEZE ACT. Muchmore than what you need to start an act.Chrome indoor, 32 ft. outdoor aluminum,six 50 ft. falls. New No. 2 Star blocks, ra-chets, stakes, 52 ft. handmade net, excel-lent condition, barrels of extra cables andslings and rope.

Also wardrobe, capes, 2 boas, 4 fullrhinestoned jumpsuits for ground act,tights and more.

All set up in 20 ft. covered dual axletrailer.Worth $6,500, must set) everything

$2500

FLYING ACTP. 0. Box 302 Agoura, Calif.- 91301

pants"; La Croix Quo, cradle act (ChuckCraw and Laurie Polumbo). The show clos-ed with "Katie" the elephant presented byTex Goetsch.

Ed Russell was the show's ringmaster.The show also played the Orange County

Fair in Costa Mesa, Calif., July 9 thru 18.

Returned MailCircus Reports mailed to the following

people were returned by the Post Officethis past week:Col. E. T. Bale Tom BoleanChet Harmes Chuck KayJoseph Caputo Art Grotefent

PageS

Shrine DatesCompiled by MIKE SPORRER

Bmse, Idaho - El Korah Temple

1936 - Oct 26-31 - Polack Bros. Circus1937-1950-None1951 - June 18-20 • Polack Bros. Eastern1952 - June 23-25 - Polack Bros. Eastern1953 • June 18-20 - Polack Bros. Eastern1954-June 14-16- Polack Bros. Eastern1955 - June 27-29 • Polack Bros. Eastern1956 - June 19-21 - Polack Bros. Eastern1957 -June 18-20 -Polack Bros. Eastern1958 -June 17-19 -Polack Bros.

TAKE NOTEJust purchased a suitcase from an estate

with many rare circus items for particularcollectors.

BIDS ACCEPTED ON THESE ITEMS

2 trade cards The Great Forepaugh ShowOne shows seal and polar bear, the othera giraffe.

One lists Adam, sole Prop., J. A. and A.Jr. as managers. Lots of copy includingline 16 tour. (This card soiled).

2nd card describes giraffes working inharness, lots of press agentry copy.

SHEET MUSIC with colorful circus co-ver and featured by Ned Brill's concertband with Bamum & Bailey. CopyrightM C M X I I I Forster Music Publisher.

OH YOU Circus Day. Pictorial circus de-sign cover from stage show "Hanky Pan-ky" starring Montgomery & Moore 1912.Authored by Edith Maida Lewing & Jim-mie V. Monaco. Will Rossiter Music Pub.

SOUTHERN Pacific RR show scrip bookCole Bros, issued to Jake Newman, 1942.Contains 30 unused script tickets (theseare very rare).

ART "Doc" MILLER(author of the bigsel ler 'Li t t le 01'Show')

Rte.4-Box 1487Starke, Florida-32091

Dial: 904 964 - 6894

1959-June 17-19-Polack Bros.1960 - June 28-30 - Polack Bros.1961 June 13-15-William Kay1962 -June 26-28 -William Kay1963-June 18-20-William Kay1964-June 16-18-William Kay1965 -June 15-17 -William Kay1966-June 14-16-William Kay1967 -June 20-22 -William Kay1968-June 18-20-William Kay1969 - June 17-19 - William Kay1970-June 16-18-William Kay1971-June 15-17-William Kay1972-June 13-15-William Kay1973-June 12-15-William Kay1974-June 11-14-William Kay1975-June 24-27-William Kay1976 - June 22-25 - William Kay1977-June 14-17-William Kay1978-June 13-16-William Kay1979-June 11-14-William Kay1980-June 10-13-William Kay1981-Juoe 8-12-William Kay1982-June 8-11 -William Kay

In:1936 show played High School A uditor.1951-1969 - played Bronco Stadium1970-1978 - played Meridian Speedway1979-1980 • played Snake River Stampede1981 • played Meridian Speedway1982 • played Snake River Stampede

FRED MENKE (C Sharp the Clown) wasthe First Place Winner in the White FaceContest at the Clown Convention held inNew Mexico this past April. He placed se-cond in the White Face Competition at theMid-West Convention in Detroit, Mich.

ATTENTIONMAGICIANS-HUSTLERS

NOVELTY MENSend $1.00 for Sample Trick Dice and aWholesale Catalog. 50% mark-up. All or-ders sent same day as received.

CONTINENTAL DISTRIBUTORSP.O.Box 162 Wasco, III. 60183

The FloridiansIn

SUPERB HAND BALANCING ACT

Featuring

An Amazing One Finger Stand

also

11 yr. old Paul

and

An Exciting Foot Juggling Act

Pedro Morales, Jr.

3010 Stearns RoadValrico, Florida - 33594

(813)681 -3932 (Evenings)

Currently

FRANZEN BROS. CIRCUS

Zoppe's Circusby BILL WALTERS

Each year that Alberto Zoppe producesthe North Little Rock, Ark.. Kiwanis Cir-cus, you wonder how he can continue totop the last show • but he does just that.This was his third year to produce an out-standing show, which was held on Sept. 15at the Arkansas Fairgrounds Coliseum.

Shows were presented at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and due to Sandy Zoppe's publicity theattendance was very good.

Giovanni Zoppe warmed up the audiencewith his clowning and his new comedy carroutine.The show opened with the singing of the

National Anthem by "Camille" who hasbeen appearing on the Kenny Rodgers showTino Wallenda featured a very funny and

dangerous routine on the high wire, with-out a net and over a cage of bengal tigers.

The Great Wallendas also featured MissRietta, topping off a chair balance on abicycle pyramid - without a net.The show line up: Miss Rietta and Miss

Sa Sa on rocket traps; Ring 1, Galombo'slow wire. Center, Bertinis rola boa, ring 3Antonio's unicycle; Frank Mourousi, pre-senting five Bengal tigers; The Italos Musi-

I cal clowns; The Olmedas' Spanish RidingHorse Fantasy; Kris & Kristina, perch; theMourousi's comedy lion;The Flying For-narsaris; flying act; Intermission.The Bennito's, trampoline; The Bertinis,

bikes and Antonio's unicycle; The GreatWallendas, high wire; Buckles Woodcockpresenting "Anna Mae"; The Galombo'sand the Sky Lords in a dual motorcycletrapeze act; Hugo Zacchini, the HumanCannonball.This was a very high quality show, aided

by very strong and capable support fromLee Malone's direction of Marty Rosen'ssix piece band and the good work of ring-master Bill Vooren.

AGNES KING, ANNE BREWER, VIOLETFARMER, GERALD WHITE, ROBERTRICHTER, BERT BLANTON, HELEN8LANTON. ED KNOEBEL, SMILEYBREWER, BILL FARMER and DONSANDMAN visited Carson & Barnes whenthe show played Richmond, Indiana.

CUSTOM DISJGNCOTINTS. AwNii^ci

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FL 33$04

JAMES WALTER (Jim) HILTON, Sr. (71)passed away suddenly at his home in Yucai-pa, Calif, on Sept. 22nd. He was an uncle offormer Ringling-Bamum press agent EddieHowe and was well-known to many circusperformers and executives. His son, Jim, Jr.was a timekeeper in the Yellow wagon onRingling-Bamum in 1948. Survivors includehis son, Jim Hilton, Jr., two sisters, a bro-ther and his nephew Eddie Howe.

JAMES ("Diamond Jim" and "Jimmy")RISON (72) died at his home in Bellair(Largo) Fla. on Sept 6th. He was with thePolack Bros. Circus for 45 years as ChiefExecutive Promotional Director. He beganhis career with Polack at its beginning andis credited with helping to make the show"the major shrine circus" of America. Hepromoted the major Polack dates. Survivorsinclude his wife, Cleo, and a sister.

EARNIE M. TERRY (68), died at a Wal-nut Ridge, Ark., hospital on Aug. 29th. Heserved as an usher with Ringling-Bamumfor many years and then served in the samecapacity at Madison Square Garden for over30 years. He is survived by three brothersand five sisters. Art Miller, long-time circusgeneral agent and close friend, served as oneof the pall bearers.

S:CEG:E:L*L CANTERAttorneys at Law

Immigration• I'rrm.iru Ml KrxidcrU \ j\as *

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Shrine DatesCompiled by Mike Sporrer

Pocatello, Idaho - South East Idaho Shrine

1936 -Nov 12-18- Polack Bros.1951 • Jun 22-23 • Polack Bros. Eastern1952 - Jun 27-28- Polack Bros. Eastern1959-Jun 34-Polack Bros.I960-Aug. 15-16-Polack Bros.1962-June 23-Polack Bros.

(1936 was at the Dance Gardens, 1951 atthe Fairgrounds, 1952 1959-60 and 1962at Halliwetl Park).

A Mini Circusby ALMOND KNIGHT

Ken Allen Attractions had the "Mini Cir-cus" in the Sprots Arena at the TennesseeState Fair this year, with shows as 2 and 6p.m.The acts were as follows: Clown warm up

by Eddie the Clown; Capt. Dick and his DogPound Revue (9 dogs and a small donkey);Sir Walter, teenager juggling a little bit ofeverything; Ken Allen, magician and illus-ionist, with some outstanding illusions andmagic acts.

Capt. Dick with a monkey and pony rid-ing act; Eddie the Clown and a balloon gag;Ken Allen & Co., with more magic and illu-sions; Eddie the Clown and the Photo gag;Jerry Lipko's Comedy Chimps.

The Murphy Bros. Exposition was on themidway.

C & B Circusby R.J.BRYAN

D. R. Miller's Carson & Barnes Circus is agigantic big top circus for 1982. MovingEast from the West, they moved thru Ohioand Penna. in early September, on 70 mo-torized vehicles. This included 40 housetrailers, 30 trucks to carry equipment, menand animals, with over 70 head of stock.

The circus appeared at our hometown ofNew Castle, Pa., on Sept 7th, playing atthe Lawrence County Fairgrounds.The show under the big top runs about

an hour and 55 minutes and is a very strongperformance this year.

Carson & Barnes big circus band of 9 mem-bers really plays circus music that keeps theshow moving and is directed by CharlesStevenson.

FOR SALEKOUNTRY-AI RE, 35 ft. 5th wheel with2 bedrooms and bunks, and Ford, 1 tonSuper cab, 4 speed.702-733-3914 Days Jan Biggerstaff702-733-3908 Even. 3055 Talbot Circle

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FLORIDAHELP-HELP-HELP-HELP

ALL ANIMALS WELCOME

I am trying to put together an is-land of unwanted, sick or healthyanimals!

I live on the Gulf of Mexico and Ihave 200 acres of land. I want tostan a world-wide campaign to col-lect unwanted animals, for variousreasons!

I have amny buildings, fresh watersprings, large oak trees, palm trees.

I am open to any ideas in this area.I need the funds to get started.I leave my hope with all of the

people who love animals, or whoever had animals as a co-worker.

This type of place would be per-fect for your friend or co-workerto retire to.

Please Call

with HELP! or COMMENTS!

- FLORIDA-

9 0 4 - 6 8 3 - 9 3 2 7 Ask for Tr.sh

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People seen on the lot at New Castle were:Alice and Jack Tresser, James L. Cole andJim Banks.

They had 7 clowns working the New Cas-tle date, the four regulars - W. S. Jackson,boss clown, Buckles (from Tex), Tapper,Miss Valentine and three guest clowns -Slim, Ginger and Shansee, and he is only8 yrs. old. Besides the come-in we did threeproduction numbers, clown band, boxingand clown acrobatics.

The Clown Band and Boxing number weredone in Ring 3 and the Acrobatic numberwas in Ring 1-5 - 3 men in ring 1 and 3 ladyclowns in ring 5. We kept the audience laugh-ing with our tun - frolic for children of allages under the Carson & Barnes Big Top.

TNT Circusby DON SANDMAN

On Sept 17-19, the TNT & Royal Olym-pic Circus played the Jefferson Mall inLouisville, Ky. Eight performances were gi-ven in the Mall center where seating was putup by the mall for those who arrived early,for the seats were filled long before the per-formances were scheduled. However, therewas plenty of standing room, amounting toseven or eight rows deep.

The show as presented here was: Overture,Calliope and Broadway One Step; The Ru-wills and their Upside Down plate spinning,with Hans standing on his head throughoutthe spinning action. He has 15 plates spin-ning at onetime.The Houcs. juggling sensations with the

fastest clubs in the world.Dee Jay the Clown, Tide, Bigger, Bigger,

Bigger, Magic Camera; The Sigrid Duo, Ada-gio Balancing, beauty supports brawn; TheRingmaster is Col. Earl Tegge, Mr. Circushimself.

Music is provided by Louise (Rasberry)Tegge at the organ. Dee Jay the Clown isJim Perry, a First of May who does a greatjob with the kids. Dixie Ruwill is the gc fwer on the show and does a fine job.

The show is owned and managed by Col.Earl Tegge, who reports the season has beengood considering the many changes in theoriginal route. Balloons and coloring bookshave sold well at most malls this year, indi-cating that the economy is down, but evenso, people will spend their money.

During the engagement in Louisville a Bir-thday Celebration was held for three mem-bers of the TNT contingent - Col. Earl Teg-ge, Jim Perry and the loveliest of the three,Sigrid Ruwill whose birthday was on the19th. A German Buffet was set up for thebirthday party and their guests by the birth-day girl, Sigrid. Circus Fans Bill Rhodes,Bill Lortz, Bob Timmel, Angle Bowman,Grace Sandman and Don Sandman wereguests who would like to thank the TNTgang for the party invitation. We had aswell time!

A Free CircusThe Free Circus presented at the Fair in

Muscle Shoals, Ala., Sept 20-25, was pro-duced by Eddie Zacchini, with music bythe Keith Killinger band.

Acts appearing in the show were: Mr. Bell,chair balancing; Valla Duo, low wire; Fran-carros, foot juggling; Walt & Wendy, hand-to-hand from teeterboard; The Bertims, bi-cycles; Frank & Estreleta, aerial perch andBilly Bonn, singing ringmaster.

Band ParadesLabor Day, 1982, at Randolf, Wise., dawn-

ed cold and rainy, certainly not circus wea-ther at all. However, the annual Firemen'sFestival went on as scheduled.Robert Ludwig, of the Old Mapleton Cir-

cus Band, reports that when the band andits circus wagon rolled into town there just

Join us every Monday 11; 30 . . . til?

PAUL EAGLE'SCIRCUS LUNCHEON CLUB

"With It and For It"

at PHILLIPES RESTAURANT1001 No. Alameda, Los Angeles

Since 1961

wasn't a soul in sight After arriving andchecking in the band played a 45 minuteconcert in the downtown area.

The exciting circus music, plus Bob Lud-wig on the bull horn brought people outand they certainly showed their apprecia-tion of this fine music with their loud andlong applause.

Following the concert the band took itsplace in the parade line-up and brought hap-piness to all those along the parade route.It should be noted that the majority of thefolks watching the parade were of the younger generation and they certainly enjoyed itall.

FOR SALETHE HOLLYWOOD LIBERTY HORSES

- THE ONLY ACT OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD TODAY -

6 perfectly trained black and white pinto horses. This act has bperforming for years on the top circuses in the United States andCanada, including Ringhng Bros.. This 10 minute drill consists of the finest liberty tricksincluding hind leg walk, hind leg piroette, head and tail

Act comes complete with tractor-trailer unit and many extrasNew stabling, awning and very nice living quarters Also newlv *built 40 ft. ring curb.

This is a completely self-contained act ready to go to work A oerfeet opportunity for anyone. Will teach new trainer and supply hst-of contacts for bookings.

Will sell complete or separately - Priced to sell!

Contact: PHILIP ANTHONY32892 - 45th Ave.Paw Paw, Mich. 49079

616-657-3361

2431 So. Sheridan St.Philadelphia, Pa. 19148215-462-4825

Great Americanby ALMONV KNIGHT

On Monday, Sept. 6th, Labor Day, theGreat American Circus set its tents up inthe Austin Peay State University practicefootball field.It was sponsored by the Cops for Christ

and they did a swell job for the advance. At5:30 they had almost a full house and agood sized crowd for the late 8 p.m. show,and the concessions, side show and ridesdid a great business.Allen Hill reports that business had been

good so far this year and was all over thelot and tent making a TV tape.

The show has a big old-fashioned midwaywith elephant rides, pony sweep, MoonWalk and side show on the right side. Onthe left is Hill's big bus living quarters, tic-ket wagon and concession trailer. In thecenter of the midway there are circus no-velties.

Show is traveling on 12 trucks, trailers andsemis, plus about the same number of pri-vate trailers, vans and mobile homes.

the old-fashioned Circus Side Show haseight big banners. Inside the tent, which isalmost as big as the big top, and was set upbeside the big top, were three elephants, acamel and a midget pony. The acts featuredwere Big Foot in his Coffin, Snake Charm-er, Fire Eater, Human Pin Cushion and aBlade Box. The side show went for 50c andthe big show tickets were $3.00 and $4.00with all seats on a first come basis. Musicfor the show is furnished by Dave Milleron the organ and his wife on drums.

I did not get many names of the perfor-mers. The show opened with a spec withall animals and performers and clowns andthey went around the big top area just asin the days of yore.

They use a three ring format, but only thecenter ring has ring curbs. Show starts withboth end rings featuring juggling while on arola bola in ring one and foot juggling in theother end ring. Both are very good.

Next comes the hair hang that has been afeature of The Great American Circus forseveral yean now. This is a show stopperas the young lady is wearing about 20 silkkimonos, all flying as she makes her way tothe top of the tent and then disrobes themone at a time, very colorful.

This was followed by two girls with thecoloring book pitch.

The Gardner Family is presented in thecenter ring with a dog and pony revue, 5dogs and two ponies.

Clowns were next with the Seeing Starsroutine using 3 clowns. They feature thetallest clown in the world, Arnold Sherman.

The next presentation was a show stopperfor in one of the end rings was a head bal-ancing on a ball juggling everything you canthink of. In the center ring was a young missof 8 to 10 years old doing a contortion actShe must have a backbone that bends easilyas she does some super things.

A Peanut Pitch followed this with balloonsas prizes for the lucky winners.

Next was Ja-Ja the clown and her 5 dogs.Another good dog act. This was followedby Miss Ivy on the single trapeze over thecenter ring and was followed by anothershow stopper, Kongo the gorilla. This is agreat crowd pleaser and the tent went wildwith Kongo's antics.

Now it was intermission time with elephantrides in the center ring using two elephantsand twice around the ring for your money.The second part of the show got off with

a side show announcement with Capt. Bobgoing around the arena selling side show tic-kets.

Back for their second appearance was theGardner Family with the pony revue. Theyhave 5 ponies, well matched, light tan colorand a very excellent act.

The aerial ballet over all three rings withthree girls up on swinging ladders. This isanother of the old time acts that you don'tsee much of these days.

Next was Sherman and his clowns with thesharpshooter gag and then came a balloonpitch.

Mr. Gardener made his final appearancewith his dressage act, with a very beautifulanimal. This was a good act too.

The grand finale of this big 15 act circuswas the Great American Circus Elephants,which do an outstanding act and followingeach trick they go to the back of the ringto pose before doing the next trick.The lot here at Austin Peay State Campus

was a showman's paradise with a level greenlot with water right on it and plenty of freeon and off street parking there at the cam-pus.

Sharing the SpotlightBy Ed L«m

Anim.iU and clowns prance Into view as thespotlight focuses nn ringmaster Pinny McGuIre ofHayward.

"ladles and gentlemen and children of allages, McGulrc announces to the Oakland Arenacrowd, -introducing the 112th edition of TheGreatest Show on Earth - the Itlngllng Brothersand Barnum & Bailey Circus."

Music blares Klcphanls rumble Kids squealMcOuirr. dressed In a rainbow -colored lux

with shimmering spangles, breaks out In a songSoon he Is Joined by Alice Lynn of Castro Valley,his singtng partner and close friend since theirtorn age days at a summer camp in Santa Cruz

Lynn, adorned In sequins, feathers andrhinestoncs. blends her voice with McGulre's In arousing ditty called 'Jump for Joy for theCircus ."

Earlier, In a room next to the arena, the (wobeamed tike a couple of kids eating cotton candyAfter all. don't all youngsters dream of somedayrunning off and Joining the circus?

Not so with Alice Lynn. 28, and DlnnyMcCulre. 33

"I don't remember having that dream." Lynnadmitted. "In fact. I never saw a circus until afew years ago Dlnny and I had been free-lancing.trying to got bit parts In small company showsThen I caught the circus at the Oakland Arena. Itwas so professional, so entertaining. 1 was sold onIt I Just had to join

She attended a (tingling Brothers andBarnum & Bailey showgirl audition at theOakland Arena In 1981 — and was Immediatelysigned to a contract.

Then, during a rehearsal break. Lynn and thecircus organist were practicing a few songs "Justfor fun." she said.

Producer Kenneth Frld happened to pass byand enjoyed what he heard. He turned Lynn Into afeatured vocalist for the circus — the onlywoman singer in the show

McOuire, meanwhile, was working as masterof ceremonies and vaudeville director at atheater In Oceano. Calif

"When I heard there was to be an audition inOakland for a new ringmaster. I phoned Dlnny -and he got the Job last December." Lynn happilyrevealed Now, besides singing the opening andfinal numbers In the circus. McGulrc acts asmaster of ceremonies — introducing every act"except the clowns." he quickly explained

Although (hey now live on a train, quarteredin small compartments with no private bath orshower. Lynn and McGulrc enjoy (heir nomadiclife

Overall, Lynn assured. "It's been Incrediblefun We gel to see the country We're on a two-year tour - and we'll cover all but six states "

She confides that ft took a lot of adjustmentHaving appeared with small companies on MageIn "Cabaret." "The Music Man" and "Show Boat."she * .ml It required a different approach to singin sawdust with elephants thundering by

This is a slice iif life." Lynn philosophized"The tigers gi>i bigger billing thin we do But thaitlut -n ( bother us This is the circus As for theglamour of being a circus performer, forget itli.Mk-i.it;>' * > walk around in our old robes Andwe're always around animals and their musses

"But you put on the scquincs. rhmestones andfeathers You step out in the center ring Then itull turns glamorous I feel the excitement evenVvbcn I'm dead tired The lights go up — and 1know it's the Greatest Show on Earth."

McGuirc • tall, trim and flippant — sjys hehas done UK- same show mure than 400 times''People ask me how I can do the same things 400tunes They don't realize this is liveentertainment There are 500 people and animal*Involved That's a lot of variables Anything canhappen.

"Like the other night there was trouble withthe trapeze rigging I looked up and I could seesomething was wrong Then (he man on thetrapeze gave me a sign that (he trick was going(o be cut out of the show So I just introduced thenext acl."

According to Lynn. "Our silver train is like a(Oicrocosmlc planet The people in the circuscome from all over the world.

"These are not sleazy characters, as somepeople might think, but highly professionalentertainers We work, socialize, party and learnfrom i t i . - i i i

The circus performers have (heir squabbles.McGuirc points out, "Just like any big family Butin uur circus, the communists (from Poland andUungary) and Ihc capitalists (from Ungland andAmerica) are gutting along better than the rest ofthe world."

The circus continues through Tuesday at theOakland Arena, then moves to the Cow Palace for4 six-day run starting Sept 2

CATCHING THE QUADBy Brvnda Lan»TrlbiMM (Ufl W-ii.f

Mipiiri Vazquez Is a daring young man on aflying tr.Tfwrr but whrn he flies with the RlngllngBrothers Darnum and Bailey Circus this week althe Oakland Coliseum. It won't be with thegreatest of case

There's a good reason for that Seventeen-year-old Miguel Is the first aerlalist In the 123-year history of trapeze flying to eiecute aquadruple somersault. It's a feat that sends hisslender body hurtling backwards, one heart-stopping revolution after another. 75 miles anhour. 35 feel In the air, ending only when heplant* his wrists into the hands of hts big brother.Juan.

Obviously, there are dangers Involved. Anarrow safety net awaits them below If thedistances between each of Miguel's turns are notprecise, or If the humidity aifects Juan's grip.Miguel might fall, miss the net completely andland on the tanbark. Also, the final somersault Isforceful enough to dislocate the catcher'sshoulder or strip the skin off the fingers of theaerlallst.

"Before I begin the feat." said Miguel, "Iprepare myself with a short prayer 'Our dearFather, please be with me as ( go across, and alsohelp my brother'"

These high flying siblings are not only unitedIn prayer, they box and play soccer togetherTheir rhythms must be as one Miguel's lifedepends on It.

Last year, one of their sisters. MargueriteMichelle — an aerlalist whose specialty Ishanging by her hair — fell and broke her neckShe has recovered and has returned to work

"We are the fifth generation of a circusfamily." explained Juan "My great grandfatheroriginated Oreo Orrin a century ago '

From Mexico City, seven of the Vazquerchildren are circus performers. Feline andPatricia are part of the Ringling Brothers actPapa Vazquez has retired and is back in Mexico,but their mother files In several times a year Shesees to It that Miguel gets to bed early, drives his924 Porsche under the speed limit, and prepareshis meals of tacos, enchiladas and sopcs

"On Sunday mornings she makes us go toMas*," says Juan

Life for a circus prrfnrmrr I* a difficult oneeven under the best of conditions For a 17-year-olrl It means giving up school (Miguel dropped outof school when he was 8). living on the circustrain (he drives from town to town In his car.while his brothers live In trailers), and workingabout 49 weeks of the year . (urn after (urnafter turn

"I love the circus I'm never afraid when I'mworking." says Miguel

Instead, the audience Is afraid for himDuring yesterday afternoon's 2:30 show, (hedrums rolled while Miguel smiled and reached forthe trapeze In a minute be was swinging high,thrn higher still

"During thai moment all sound freezes forme." he had said earlier

The volume turned down, the sufficient

height accomplished, he loosened his grip on thebar and began his turns There were no foprs. nowings, no motors to keep him afloat It WM 100percent pure boy The first (urn accomplished hedid two more, then tried for another Then It waslime to reach for Juan Miguels hands went outToo late He slipped from his brother s grip Mis

body went crashing downward, mercifully intothe net

The audience, which had mentally fallen withhim. released a mass sigh And thr show wont on

Like many teen-age boys, this 130-pound. 5foot-81* inch flyer stuffs his "room" on (he trainwith records and tapes, and has a girlfriend llrrname is Theresa She lives in Florida, and despiteall the fan mail and photographs he receives fromyoung girl* around (he cotm(ry. Miguel growsmisty eyed when he speaks of her

An acrlallst since the age of 12. Miguel sayshis desire to perform the quadruple W.IH inspiredhy the 1956 movie "Trapeze " Starring HurtLancaster. Tony Curtis and Gina Lollnhrigida. IIwas a fictionalized account nf the attempt toachieve the first triple somersault The trick wasactually accomplished by Ernest and CharlesClarke in a performance of the I'ubliones Circusin Cuba

Only a dozen performers have been able todo (he triple somersault, and two F.rnie Laneand Charles Siergrjst died in an attempt

Although the quadruple somersault had neverbeen performed In an actual circus performance,before Miguel's accomplishment last month InTucson. Ariz . there is some controversy aboutwhether the trick had ever been performed Inpractice

For the immediate future. Miguel h.is m>plans (o Increase (he number of somersaults heran perform His ambitions are a little moredown to earth

He's saving his money for » Maseratiautombilc (hat he can proudly display to Thcrcs*when he's In Florida again

Gamal lives, Powder Face only missingLast year, according to news wire reports,

the famous diving horses of Atlantic City'sSteel Pier had been "sold for dog food."Since that original report the Fund for Ani-mals has located two of the horses and theyare now living on farms, in retirement

The third horse, "Powder Face" has disap-peared and it is believed that this horse wassold for slaughter and shipped to France orJapan for human consumption. Some 85 to90% of all horses now sold for slaughter endup as food on tables in Europe of the OrientThe three horses made their final dive at

Atlantic City on Labor Day 1978. The actwas started in the mid-1920's and a succes-sion of hones preceded the final three. Theyperformed six days a week, usually aboutfour shows a day, jumping from a 60 fthigh platform into a 10 ft. deep pool, witha young woman riding bareback.

Gamal, the 26 yr. old dean of the divinghorses was purchased by the Fund for Ani-mals at an auction at Tabernacle, NJ, in May1980. The horse was placed in retirment ona farm in Flemington, NJ.Shiloh, a 10 yr. old chestnut mare was ob-

tained by the Fund for Animals in October1980 and now lives at the organization'sBlack Beauty Ranch in Tyler, Texas. This isa retirement facility for animals.

Shiloh (left) and Gamal, former Atlantic City Steel Pier Diving horses are now en-joying a life of retirement In the photo above. Powder Face, the missing Divinghorse, is shown making a dive at the Steel Pier.

The Great YarmouthbyJACKNIBLETT

Great Yarmouth is to the east coast ofEngland what Blackpool is to the north-west Both big popular seaside resorts havebroad promenades, lots of theatres andmovie houses, many pubs and big amuse-ment parks - and both possess a fine histor-ical permanent circus building.

Blackpool has rather had the edge on Yar-mouth in past yean, but since the Hippo-drome was acquired by Jack and Peter Jay,impressarios who own several of the amuse-ment houses in the town, there has beentittle to choose between the quality of thetwo sumptious summer shows.

The venerable Hippodrome building, builtin 1903, has been completely refurbished inwarm traditional circus style, with restoredfoyer, antique poster display and gas-lightinspired light fittings. But most importantof all, the devices which lowered the ringsurface and enabled it to be filled with wa-ter have been over-hauled, or replaced, andthe amazing water spectacles which alwaysbrought the show to a triumphant finalehave been restored.

For the last three years the Jays have booked leading British circuses to form a firmbasis for the program, especially with re-gard to animal acts. Thus there were animalacts from Mary Chipperfield's extensive re-sources for the first two years, then follow-ed Yasmine Smart's high school and libertyhorse acts, together with family acts, whilethis year the Robert Brothers are furnishinga very strong animal content to the bill.From their ample enterprises are the inter-nationally famous elephant (6) group, theArabian liberty horses and palomino pon-ies, the Bengal tigers, the boxing kangarooand a camel, mostly shown by members ofthe family. Bobby Roberts, Jr. is also onhand with his fine Circus World Champion-ship winning western act. Also from theRoberts tenting program come 'El Hakim'(Barry Walls), fire-eater and yogi, Pam Enoswith her football dogs, and England's pre-mier clowns, Jacko Fossett and Little Willy.

Specialty acts booked in by the Jays in-clude Ken Wood (ventriloquist and com-pere), the Flying Cherokees (trapeze), OmarRabati (balancing), Duo Angelos (aerial no-

velty act) and the Rex Gray Showgirls. Geo-rge Pinder as befits a member of this oldcircus family is a good traditional ringmas-ter, while Michael Fontaine's Showband ofsix musicians contribute a splendid musicalbacking.

An excellent traditional circus program,but it is the spectacular water show whichcaptures the imagination "Neptune's King-dom and the Octupus Garden!" with itsswimming acqua-maids. Father Neptunewith his attendant fishes and a yellow sub-marine, a water slide and dancing fountains,the whole spectacle resolving itself into agrand Patriotic Finale, "Rule Britannia",sending the customers out in a "happy andglorious" condition, glowing with prideand enthusiasm.

It is good to record that all previous boxoffice records have been broken in this gen-erally uncertain year of 1982. Now, I won-der, how the Jays are going to follow thisone in 1983?

MARK PILGER finished the season atWisconsin Dells, Wise., on Sept. 11th withthe trapeze-helicopter act at the TommyBartlett Show and then on Sept. 12th hejoined the Ringling Red Unit to do hiscloud swing for the remainder of the year.

LEON PINTER, show organist, is complet-ing his second season with the Roberts Bros.Circus which will close late this month. Theoccasion marks his 53rd year in show busi-ness.

OARRELL WALLEN and his famed horse"Mr. Rythm" recently played a rodeo datein Minot, N. D. They also worked fair datesin Minnesota and Georgia.

HEIDI 80 LZ did her Roman ring act withCarson & Barnes Circus when the show wasin her hometown of Sheyboygan, Wise., onAug. 19th. She had previously played withFranzen Bros. Circus at some Wisconsin en-gagements.

Page 29

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THE FLYING VAZQUEZ, with quad-somersaulter MIGUEL, will again be featured inthe Ringling Blue Unit program next year.Also joining that show in 1983 will be theFlying Alvarez Troupe, which has been withthe Beany-Cole Circus this season.

THE FLYING ESPANAS will have twoflying acts on the Ringling Red Unit for the1982 season. They were previous seen onCircus Vargas for the past few years.

DOUG HENNING, illusionist, is planninga new TV Special which will be aired inDecember on NBC.

Wade BurckbyJOHNGAIZICK

Young Wade Burck is a man with positivethoughts concerning all creatures great andsmall, not to mention the treatment, train-ing and all around care of those animals hepersonally deals with.After spending some three hours with Mr.

Burck, it is very clear that he is a man whoabove all else is deeply concerned about theenvironment and life style provided for ani-mals that are kept in our nation's zoos,shelters and theme parks. He's one whofights for the animals' rights by doing what-ever possible to re-educate, re-train andchange the general publics' way of thinkingwhose preconceptions about the care of cap-tive animals are often misleading.

While working at the beautiful Mt. Wachu-sett Animal Forest in Hubbardston, Mass,,the 27 year old North Dakota native gavethree tiger training demonstrations per day.Working with two Siberian tigers, a five yearold male named "Washington" (who is bill-ed as the 'World's Largest Tiger'), and a fouryear old female named "Sonia". Wade pre-sented an interesting and informative twen-ty minute session on the techniques andprocedures he goes through to teach his twopals to stretch on a log, lay down and do asit-up. He explained that gaining the animal'strust and respect is the first step and bothcats acted very comfortable with theirblonde friend. His demonstration is expert-ly executed leaving his audience complete-ly satisfied. One leaves with a new outlookand respect for training animals as well as ahigh regard for Mr. Burck.

Since age five. Wade has been in love withall animals, especially tigers. He would visitnumerous zoos and didn't like the inactivitythat continual confinement causes zoo ani-mals. He believes in giving them the neces-sary training as well as the activity Godmeant them to enjoy. He has designed cagesfor each animal to duplicate their naturalenvironment while providing for all theirneeds while in captivity.At age 17, he spent four years with animal

trainer Lou Regan, who then was consider-ing retirement. Lou wanted a protege totake over his act and Wade spent his firstthree years studying tigers, elephants, ca-mels, horses and llamas. His fourth year

was in active performance with these afore-mentioned animals.Wade believes in the "reward" system of

training - a trick correctly done gets a 'treatmeat' (beef on a stick, hold the mayo).Once a trick is started one must always seeto it that the trick is fully completed nomatter how long it takes or how uncooper-ative the animal might be. If left undonethe animal remembers he got away with itonce and could easily decide to renege atanytime. He believes the "reward" trainingtechnique works with all types of animalsand is not limited to his feline cohorts. Re-spect and consideration are also key factorsin his outlook on animal training.

Television credits include several appear-ances on "Those Amazing Animals," and"P. M. Magazine." Mr. Burck spent five

(Continued on Next Rape)

WADE BURCK (Continued)

years at the Marine Land Park and GameFarm in Niagara Falls, Canada; two yearswith the Hamid-Morton Shrine Circus andwith Circus Vargas during the 1981 season.It was during that season when Wade wentthrough what he considers the most fright-ening experience of his career • one whichmade him decide to retire awhile from cir-cus life. He was chewed up and clawed atotal of eight times and for the first timeduring his career he noticed his 19 tigerswere not responding to his training. Theywere doing whatever they pleased, perfor-ming only if they were in the mood - a fac-tor he feels is caused by animals being push-ed too much, over-worked, over-traveledand not given the necessary time alone theyso badly need to cope with captive life.They were becoming too agressive, takingout their pent-up hostilities on the onlyone they could - their trainer.

He feels there are many factors whichcause such a situation. The economy beingwhat it is, circuses have a tendance to addon more daily performances. People get paidsalaries are adjusted, but animals get no compensation, their pay is continual work anddeclining consideration.

If the circumstances and conditions arefavorable, Wade would eventually like toreturn to that act which is now a part ofthe Hawthorn Circus. He still loves those 19cats which he trained since they were cubsand he cares greatly about their welfare.

Wade is most supportive of the work beingdone by both Robert Bedford and DorisDay on behalf of animals. He believes theydeserve public support and recognition fortheir dedication and involvement. "Celebri-ties can reach millions of people becausethey are names and this can only help thecause," states Wade.

Each of us has our special dream and Wadeis no different. His is to build a safari parkwith a game reserve atmosphere in the No-rth Dakota area. He would like to specializein breeding biros of prey, including eaglesand owls. Pheasants hold a special meaningfor him as well. Of the cat family, he'd liketo breed the small types like ocelots and soforth.With wife, Tracey and the couple's two

children, Adam 6, and Eric 11, the Burck's

Page 31

reside in a mobile home on the Mt. Wachu-sett Animal Farm. They love New Englandwith it's quiet atmosphere and find thepeople low key and friendly. The tranquilsetting where they stayed gave Wade num-erous opportunities to think of the future;his plans for the game reserve; the design ofcages for specific animal needs and work onthe final touches of his book - 'Tigers AreHard To Get, But I can Be Replaced." Des-scribed as "reminiscenses of life on the cir-cus and among wild animals, as he lived it."

I was most impressed with Wade Burck andhis direct straight-forward manner - perhapsit was because he talked sense, I'm not sureor perhaps it was, above all else, his respectfor animals.

(Special thanks must go not only to Mr.Burck for his generous amount of time andcooperation, but also to Cynthia and HarveyEllowitz, owners of the ML Wachusett Ani-mal Farm. They were equally friendly andcooperative in making this article possible.)

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Afifcef/zneourThe TV show "Chicago Story" aired on

the west coast on July 30th, had an out-door scene where a circus poster was seenon a brick wall in the background.

The "James A. Haley Veterans Adm. (VA)Hospital in Tampa, Fla., one of the nation'slargest VA hospitals, and formerly the Tam-pa VA Hospital, is named for the late U. S.Congressman and former President of theRingirng-Bamum Circus. He traveled withthe circus in the 1940's, first as ExecutiveVice President and then as its President andChief Operating Officer in 1947.

The Sept 17-26,1982 Barrington Fairfeatured a number of free entertainers in-cluding:

Lady Mud Wrestlers; Petting Zoo; CharlesMerrill, magic show; Barrington Fair Fam-ily Circus; Horse Draw; Middle Earth Mar-

Video Work'The No Elephant Circus', New York's

newest resident circus, became an AFTRAsignator recently. The circus will be produ-cing an industrial video program for theSony Corp., outlining health, pension andprofit-sharing programs for Sony employees.

Robert R. Daraio, artistic director of theNo Elephant Circus, will be producing theprogram, which will feature TNEC mem-bers Lenny Wright, Tony Duncan, SteveBernard, Gaetano Provenzano and MerylSchaffer.

In addition to his work with The No Ele-phant Circus, Mr. Daraio has been employ-ed as a videotape technician by various tele-vision companies in New York, includingChildren's Television Workshop, ReevesTeletape, JSL Video and NBC. This willbe his first time as a producer.

ionettes; Garden Tractor Pull; CharlesSchlarbaum's Band; 8th Avenue Revue (avariety musical group) and the Bob andMarty Show.

Circus/Jazz Dateby GLENN WELLER

The Weller family presented a mini-circusfor the 1st Annual Dixieland Jazz Festivalin Morgan Hill, Ca. It was a three day eventover Labor Day weekend. We never imagin-ed that circus would blend so well with amusic festival.The promoter also had good taste, he saw

to it that the entertainers were housed in theluxurious Hyatt Hotel each night, whichwas soothing to the ears after a day of beingsurrounded by 11 bands - always at leastthree were playing constantly.

The circus performance included, in addi-tion to the Welter's aero-balancing and rolabola with daughters Kelly (age 8) and Shan-non (age 6) made their debut on the stilland swinging high trapeze.Johnny Ryan, from San Francisco, a for-

mer 'class' high wire walker, came out ofsemi-retirement to help with the show. Inhis younger years, Johnny was a 'total cir-cus' person. Learned in all facets of thecircus business, from blacksmithing toclowning.

He was a real crowd pleaser, wearing hispersonalized clown get-up and developinghis character identity. The audience wasspellbound by his opening routine of'jugg-ling and magical illusions.

Backstage, it was a thrill watching Johnnieregain his talents, doing what he and mostall circus people enjoy doing - entertaining.

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JEFFREY, escape artist, was featured onTV's "Evening Magazine" the night of Oct.1st. That same evening, CHRIS SHAY-LUND" was featured in an ABC-TV specialwrth his escape act

Roman SchmittCircus World's elephant trainer, Roman

Schmitt, grew up in the shadow of thetrunks of the mighty mammoths, and hewas performing in the center ring of the cir-cus before he knew that was the dream ofmany would-be stars of the tanbark.

Roman accomplished these feats becauseof his father, the world-renowned HugoSchmitt, famed elephant trainer who star-red in the center ring of the Ringling-Bar-num Circus for 25 years. Under his tutelageRoman learned about elephants and thecircus.The first time Roman stepped into the

center ring to perform, he was the tenderage of five. But, his early circus career wasshort lived and ended when he was seven.At that time his parents decided it wouldbe better for him to stay at home and togo to school in Sarasota, rather than per-form on a year-round basis with the travel-ing circus.

During those years in school Roman foundother interests instead of the circus and like

millions of other American boys, he dream-ed of becoming another Yogi Berra. Aftergraduating from Riverview High School inSarasota, Roman turned his back on thecircus and joined the New York Mets farmsystem to become a baseball star.

That dream changed two years later whenhe scrapped his catcher's mitt and decidedto follow in his father's footsteps. At thattime he joined his father's act working asan assistant in an outside ring (His fatherworked the center ring with his two assis-tants working the remaining two rings).

"At that time he was working 20 elephantsbut when the circus was still being perform-ed under the big top, he worked 54 ele-phants at one time," Roman said.After his father retired, Roman branched

out becoming the only animal trainer in theUnited States to train and use zebras and arhinoceros in his act In fact, he had theonly performing black rhinoceros in theworld.

"She is retired now/' Roman said about

(Continued on Next Page)

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QuestionsQ: What is the longest circus title ever?A: As far as we know the longest title ever

used was: "Sells Brothers* World Conquer-ing and All Overshadowing 3-Ring Circus,Real Roman Hippodrome, Grand Firemen'sTournament, Indian Village and Museum,Five Continent Menagerie and Pawnee Bill'sFamous Original Wild West." This title wasused during the 1887 season.

Q: Is there any record of famous firsts inthe field of vaulting?A: On Aug. 24,1868, George M. Kelley,

at Corinth, Miss., vaulted over 17 horses.The best leap on record.

Page 35

ROMAN SCHMITT (Continued)

the rhinoceros, "but I am training a nine-month-old white rhinoceros to perform inthe show."

The unique and astounding characteristicof Roman's show is he manages to use ani-mals never before seen performing in a cir-cus in this country. At this time the zebraspull a chariot driven by him into the centerring. After they leave he puts three ele-phants through their paces with the assis-tance of his pretty wife, Jean.

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THE HAPPYTIME CIRCUSby JOHN E. LENKER

Dave Twomey's Happytime Circus openedits 1982 fair season at the National OrangeShow in San Bernardino, Calif, and thenmoved into Central and Northern California.The Orange show closed with its annual Ro-deo on May 9th.

Happytime Circus was staged for the Or-ange Show as a free attraction with threedaily performances. It made a stand out ap-pearance in its brand new red and yellowtent, a 50 ft. round top with a 30 ft. mid-dle. The 120 ft. of seats, five rows high,poles, props, 25 ft. ring curb and otherequipment are all painted brightly in redand yellow. The Happytime Circus moveson two trucks and trailers, all painted whitewith colorful lettering and decorations.

The programs, given at 1, 3 and 6:30 p.m.opened with Dave Twomey as Happy theClown, presenting his five small dogs in aseries of fast numbers, including ball walk,hind leg dance, hoop jump, barrel walk, ababy carriage and concluded with a highwire walk.

The "Whippersnappers" (Barbara and Syl-vester Braun) in western costumes present-ed a fast turn of whip cracking and cuttingpaper strips and popping balloons to pleasechildren and adults alike.

Happy presented his famous balloon ani-mal characture routine with the help of aboy and girl from the audience. The fullhouse crowd overflowed the seats and stoodthree and four deep around the tent.

Koko (Ken Twomey) presented his trainedllama followed by Happy and boy and girlvolunteers from the audience in a hilariousballoon breaking contest. It resulted in a tieso Happy gave each a prize - a ticket for acamel ride on the Orange Show midway.

Clown Koko returned with unicycle act forcrowd approval. Happy then presented hisbig spoof with one of his dogs, wearing a"baby elephant" outfit, in a walk aroundthe ring.The circus ponies Stormy and Frisky were

put through a fast routine by Happy, assis-ted by Judy Twomey for a round of ap-plause.

The western atmosphere returned againwith the Brauns rope twirling numbers. Bar-

bara won applause with her rope spins, in-cluding the "Texas skip" and Sylvester,spinning 11 loops at once, was enthusiasti-cally received.The ten-act performance is concluded with

Buttons, a small white dog, climbing a tallladder and jumping off the top into thearms of Happy for a standing ovation.

As the crowd leaves Happy is on hand tothank them all for coming to see his "oldfashioned dog and pony circus". He greetsyoungsters and toddlers with their parentsand invites them to return.Twomey said his performance was held to

30 minutes by the Orange Show authorities.In other spots he prefers to present a per-formance of 45 minutes to an hour. For thishe adds more dogs, ball balance, juggling, atrained pigmy goat and other acts.When the Brauns leave for another com-

mitment in a few weeks, the performancewill be augmented by Wally Bickmore andhis family, presenting risley and single tra-peze acts.

The Happytime Circus-photos, taken byJohn Lenker, are identified as:

1 • Clock announcing next show.2 - Happytime Circus new red and yellow

big top (50x80).3 • Animal truck and llama4 - Circus truck and trailer5 - Happy and dog rolling on globe6 - Happy and dog rolling barrel7 - Judy Twomey and ponies Stormy and

Frisky

CARLOS FARFAN, of Carlos Designs, haspurchased two tents from Canobbio of Italyfor use in Las Vegas.

SHAWN PATTERSON (Shansee the clown)has been learning about clowning while do-ing dates with Bryan's Clowns, Inc.

GARY (Yo-Yo) NOEL, along with RICKLEGG clowned the Zerbini/Castle date atWichita, Kans., Apr. 15-18 for the JimmyDouglass Clown Alley. Gary recently visitedCarson & Barnes and Scon's Medicine Show.

BOBBY YERKES is featured in a full pagephoto in the US magazine for Oct. 1982.The story is about film stuntmen and a re-cently completed film. Bobby will be work-ing with the "Circus of the Stars" showwhich will be filmed soon in Las Vegas.

HELEN and GUNNAR AMANDIS (Aman-dis Entertainment, Inc.) have acquired theoffice files and contents of the Eugene C.Lambart Agency.

MAY T. WALKER and her husband GAR-NET, of the Southern Amusements Co., aleading concession operation for fairs withsouvenir hat stands at Disney World andDisneyland, are residents of Sarasota. Fla.May served as secretary to Ringling-Barnumpresidents James A. Haley and John Ring-ling North and held down the "Silver Wa-gon" the private office wagon of the show.Garnet and his brother, Bert, toured withRingling-Barnum in the 40's and 50's withtheir "Name on a Hat" concession stand.

Pat WhitebyBOBSTODDARD

Patricia (Pat) White has worked with catsfor eight years. The last five of them havebeen with the circus. Before that she spentthree years at Cedar Point, a safari park inSandusky, Ohio.

I caught this long-haired blonde beauty onCarson & Barnes, just after she re-joined theshow in Gainesville, after her son NicholasGlenn White, was born. Nicholas was sixweeks old then and "doing fine" she said.She also apologized for not being able towear her "super-snazzy wardrobe/' becauseshe wasn't "quite down to that size yet"

Here is a circus star with no generationsof circus people in her background. Her fa-ther is a jeweler and her mother is a nurse.Bom and raised in Michigan, she was con-

vinced that, "there just had to be some-thing more to life than this." At eighteen,he was attending Western Michigan Uni-versity and looking for a summer job. Shefound one that changed her whole life.At Cedar Point she started working with

the chimps at first and then she becamefascinated with the lions. She knew then

what she had been looking for. She knewtoo, that it was foolish to pay someone toteach you how to do something she reallydidn't want to do, so she dropped out ofcollege.

Pat's philosophy: 'There is so much to doand see, and so many places to go, that it isdownright criminal to allow yourself to be-come bored."

She has found the life she wants and she ishappy.

"Circus life is exhilerating and exhausting

Page 39

and the extremes of both. Having to dealwith pressure and fatigue on a daily basisgets a little tiresome. The hours aren't great.It's too much and too hard work to do ifyou don't love it," she laughed and added,"Circus people do twice as much work for

half as much pay,-so you had better loveit"

She feels lucky not to have any excitingstories to tell about her work in the cage.She's happy to say that she has only been"nailed" a couple of times, and isn't tooconcerned about that because they wereher mistakes. 'They still have three thingsthat I have to remember: their teeth, theirclaws and their tempers. If all three of thesecome at you at once it can be a touchy sit-uation." She thought about it for a momentand then continued, "I don't think I'd liketo work with uncaged cats. I prefer the cagewhere only my life is on the line. I chose toput myself in this situation and I don't wantto have to deal with someone besides megetting chewed up."This is the first year she has worked with

horses on a show. She's doing a menage actand has a ring of liberty horses, "Theymight add a pony drill act for me later on/'she said.

She thought of something else, and laugh-ed. 'The lions each eat about ten pounds ofmeat a day. That gives me an advantage forworking with horses. If they don't act right.I threaten to feed them to the lions."

The photos on this page were taken byphotographer Jimmie Mundell, and weretrimmed down to fit the column size.

The Ringmasterby DA VID L HAMMARSTROM

They come in all sizes and styles - suaveand aloof, bustling with energy, hats on,hats off, in red or blue or gold. Some evokevisions of grandeur that far surpasses theacts immediately at hand; others, seeminglyindifferent to the honored shoes they fill,simply fail to make us believe. The onlyvoice we hear at the circus can fill us with asense of wonder... or leave us wanting.

There's a fresh and vital new spirit this yearat the American Continental Circus. It's agood show • not a retread or a clone, but anew show, what with a scintilating host offine acts, the change in personnel being longoverdue.

Best of all, the sound of the show has beenoverhauled for the better:-at the bandstand.Bill Reynolds, whose older-fashioned big-toprhythms under the Carson & Barnes bannerlast year were celebrated by circus fans, hastransferred his hurly-burly gusto to the in-door circuit for American Continental. Mostof all, at the announcer's mike there's a vitalnew voice - well, no, a vital new presence, inthe affable form of Mike Piel.

Is this Piel's first stint on sawdust? A vaguebio sketch in the program magazine fails tolist any previous credits in Spangleland. Ba-sically, Piel is a new-commer to the field.Never mind, his presence is fresh and total-ly believable (a quality that seems in scarcesupply these days), and his performance(yes, he is a performer) offers a kind ofgrand electric retrospective of various ring-mastering styles. Once the rough edge arehoned, Piel should find his sphere of influ-ence and popularity rapidly expanding.What has he that makes him so promising?A true sense of involvement.Sitting contentedly in my seat, with Piel

as my tour guide while the parade passedin review, I was reminded of somethingwonderfully dependable about the circus *it is an "ageless delight" (to quote Heming-way) to be rediscovered over and over againAnd perhaps no single force in the circuscan help revitalize our enthusiasm like adedicated ringmaster can. Seeing the showthrough his eyes can bring into greater fo-cus feats of skill long taken for granted. Agreat ringmaster is a great interpreter of the

action; let him rouse us to the importanceof the event.What I find most intriguing about Piel is

the variance of styles contained in his per-sona. Ballyhooing Kay Rosaire as 'TheQueen of the Steel Arena!", he conjures upthe bombast of days gone by when ringmas-ters were more like barkers. Hokey, yousay? Hold on • Piel, another moment, isstopping the show to elucidate seriously forus some fact of circus history in order toset into perspective the significance of atrick about to be performed. And then, heis more like the grand authority, as when -with a possible sly touch of good-naturedbravado - he utters the French words for thepassing leap on the flying trapeze, "DoublePasse! Double Passe!"With or without knowing it, and much to

my added delight, Piel combines some ofthe crowning attributes of America's twotop ringmasters • Harold Ronk, who pres-ently has left a terrible void in Spanglelandby declaring himself • only temporarily wehope, "retired" - and the lovable JohnStrong, who these days, much to the regretof us all, spends more time behind a promo-ter's adding machine than at the edge ot anenchanted ring. (Quite judiciously, the Cir-cus Fans Association of America has chosento honor both Strong and Ronk at back-to-back national conventions. Strong was toas-ted last year, and Ronk enjoyed similar ac-colades when he addressed the group at theirrecent Little Rock bash).

Piel can stretch a word to infinity in fairRonkian style; he can also stretch his warmgrin to embrace the multitudes, like JohnStrong does when he is in high spirits anddesires to paint all humanity with one bigsmile.

About the rough edges: By way of opti-mism, because Piel represents a more pro-mising talent, I've broached the subject ofhis potential on a purposely resolute note.In truth, he does posess the attributes of afine ringmaster. In actuality, he has yet toassemble them all in a completely satisfyingmanner.The true art of ringmastering involves the

deft sense of knowing when to talk andwhen to move the action on its way; mostprominently, Piel is guilty at moments ofrepetitious phrasing; of over indulgence in


Reno ActsActs appearing at the Circus Circus Hotel-

Casino in Reno, Nevada, are:The Stephensons, dogs, pony, chimps; the

Boxing Kangaroo "Boomer"; the Vargas Ma-gic/Illusions; Joachim Krause, 'Wheel of Des-tiny'; The Flying Del Steeles, featuring TonySteele; The Flying Ramos; Aerial ballerinas,Celeste Starr, Cindy Schwartz and Suzie Bennett, and Belgian balancers Gilbert and Be-nita Gilberto.

Circus ActsActs featured on the program of the Great

American Circus this year are:Billy Martin, ringmaster; Buck Nolan, the

7 ft. clown; Dave Upton, uncaged cougar;Oscar Macias, one finger stand; Carlos Abra-ham, head balancing; Elizabeth Macias, footjuggling; Ming Wong, hair hang; Billy Martinwith gorilla parody; Bonnie Bonta, dogs;Ian Garden, Jr., dressage horse; CaptainTeak, elephants; Billy Martin, rolling globe;Ian Garden, Jr., horses, ponies, dogs; OscarMacias, cloud swing; Dave Miller, musicaldirector.

Also included in the program are severalclown numbers, girls on webs and a swing-ing ladder display.

The circus is managed and produced byAllan C. Hill, the show owner is L. B. 'Hox-ie' Tucker and Jim Raab is the general agent

RON and JOY HOLIDAY and their MAgi-cal Animals are featured at Aqualand WildLife Park, Bar Harbor, Maine, from June 25to Sept. 6th.

VINCE CARMEN and his illusion show isfeatured at Harrah's Hotel-Casino in Reno inthe show "Heat's On" which also featuresjuggler FRANCIS BRUNN.

THE SIX NERVELESS NOCKS were thesubjects of an NBC-TV "You Asked For It"taping which is to be aired in Dec. 1982.

THE RINGMASTER (Continued)

hyperbole, as when he reiterates the term"champions of the circus world" far toomany times in his build-up of the Porredonperch act, a Monte Carlo Silver Award win-ner.

Circuses need to be packaged and pacedmuch tighter than most sawdust announcersin this country seem to realize. Mike Piel hasyet to master the sense of the ringmaster'spotential impact on momentum; one actshould flow into the next, and he, like mostof his counterparts on other shows, insistson stopping the program after each act toannounce the one to follow, rather than al-lowing the action to flow forward withsome of his introductions being made overthe music.

Must every ringmaster sing? Of course notPiel's vocals are amiable enough, if hardlythe essence of a seasoned vocalist.

Still in all, Piel is a figure to be enjoyed.Let's hope he stays around long enough todevelop a more accurate sense of pacing,to realize himself in contact of the greaterflow of action, to mull it all over and findcreative ways in which to apply his enthus-iasm economically, realizing a more excitingresult with fewer words and gestures. In themeantime, he is a personality to be watchedand appreciated - whether pushing an indexfinger towards a particular action, as if tosay, John Strong style, "Look folks - you'renot catching that great trick!"; or striking aclassical stance while he pierces the air witha few reverberating adjectives.Tliis ringmaster makes you believe he real-

ly cares. And, that's a Golden Beginning.

"AMERICANMUSEUM^MACIC

Wilk juruxml'in magicthroii$i its past.

Marshall.Michigan 49068 U.S.A. -,

From Floridaby MARJORY J. HACKETT

For the first time ever there was an articleon the Tampa Tribune's financial page aboutthe financial conditions of the huge carnivalindustry, usually the writers leave this kindof news for the trade papers to report, butevidentally since it is such a large industrybad news had to seep out to the readingpublic. Startling news, too is that after 62years of seeing Royal American train atfairs, that Carl Sedlmayr, Jr. has announcedthat it will no longer be used! Sedlmayr andRod Link of Amusement Corp. of Americahave joined forces for 70 engagements thiscoming season including no less than sixstate fairs, just another indications of thetimes. There will be no name change as ofnow, which ever carnival booked the datewill have their title on top with the othergetting second billing. Their first joint en-gagement will be for Joffa Shrine Temple atDavenport, Iowa, a 16 day stand. Sorryabout this, all you railroad fans.

.. + ..

Attractive Monika Kelly, daughter of thelate clown Emmett Kelly, is currently inrehearsal at the Country Dinner Playhouse,St. Petersburg. The play called Tribute" isto open June 3rd and stars Elinor Donahue(remember her from 'Father Knows Best')and Howard Morris and is directed by PatJulian.

- + -"Funny Farm" is a troupe of young actors

who perform in clubs and are currently atThe Peanut Gallery, in Tampa. Gregg Hos-feld is a member who is a spectacular jugg-ler-comic, he is also a high diver at CircusWorld here in Florida.

WANTED"LIBERTY HORSE"

Breaker/Trainer, Teach us allroutines. Have stock and fa-cilities.

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Phone: 503 - 548 - 5277

FOUNDA little known 60 page book, illustrated

on STEAM BOAT CALLIOPES, by Swan-son, a long-time calliope player. Supply isvery limited so hurry before my few cop-ies are sold $3.95

Colonel Smiley Corbin's Scrapbook "ALife-time in Show Business", apprpx. 100pages, many old photos. Out of print InMint condition .S 4.50

Hollywood, The Pioneers, 9x10, 270pages, fully illustrated. Mint copies. Justsix copies left Each $15.00The Best Musicals from Show Boat to A

Chorus Line. Over 200 pages, 9x12, His-torical, fully illustrated, Mint. 417.00

ASHMUR PUBLICATIONSRte. 4 - Box 1487 Woodland Acres

Starke, Flor ida-32091

Recent deaths:Alis Irma Rassmussen, of Brandon, former-

ly of Baraboo, Wise. She had lived in Bran-don for 5 years. Survived by her husband,Karl; son, Soren of Tampa; daughter LiliKristensen and one grandchild.

Eva Harris, 86 yrs old, of St. Petersburg.Bom in West Virginia, she lived in Sarasotawhere she was a seamstress for Ringling Br.Barnum & Bailey Circus. Survived by twosons, Gus and Jimmie, 3 grandsons and asister, Thelma Perry of Bradenton.

Author and former Clown College dean,Bill Ballantine, is on the "tube" a lot recent-ly promoting his super-book "Clown Alley"I caught him on the "Today Show" fromNew York recently. Don't pass up the op-portunity to buy this book, you will enjoyit very much.

— -f —Recent surprise visitors were Harris Rey-

nolds and Roger Cooley of Forest Park, Ga.who appeared at our house in their motorhome along with Bobby Gordon Hodgson,his wife Caroline Hodgini Hodgson and sis-ter Corrine Dearo Tarfant of Valrico. Harrisalso had his three pet dogs with him.They picked up David and me in the motor

home and Harris treated all of us to dinner


Ind. Fair CircusErnie Kerns and Associates produced a cir-

cus program which was presented at the Col-iseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, inIndianapolis, Ind. on Sept. 19th.The program, which was backed by a 15

piece orchestra, featured the following acts:Wes Harrison, warm-up and MC, Davide

Laddie, unsupported ladder act; Band num-ber "Chattanooga Choo Choo";SusanSheryll's Royal Afghan Champions; MaryEllen Tanner, vocalist; Intermission.Harry Dodd, magician; Wes Harrison, Mr.

Sound Effects Man; Davide Zoppe's Rhe-sus Monkey Revue.

MiscellaneousButler Bros, Carnival and Circus Vargas

both played Oakland, Calif., the weekendof July 9-11. The shows were set up aboutsix blocks apart, with the carnival beingsponsored by the Boys Club.

Page 43

FROM FLORIDA (Continued)

at one of the newest eateries in the area,Baumgardner's Wild West. Unique interior isdone up like an old time Western town withwestern movies running, simulated gun fightsetc. A real fun place for (big) and (little) kids

After dinner we drove to Dunedin Beach tosee the sun set over St. Joseph's Sound and Ilet the doggies out for a run. It was a shortbut pleasant visit and Harris and Roger con-tinued on to Sarasota.

BRUCE "Charlie" JOHNSON was the in-structor for a series of workshops conduc-ted by the San Gorgonio Girl Scout Coun-cil of Riverside, Calif. Bruce is featured onthe cover of a friendship card recently is-sured by the American Greetings Corp. Healso appeared on a birthday card, the firstof a series of circus themed cards.

Historical Notes(The following notes are from the book"Struggles and Triumphs" an autobiograh-py by Phinias T. Bamum. They were sub-mitted by Jack E. Franklin).

Charles S. Stratton, better known as Gen-eral Tom Thumb, was only 5 years old whenP. T. Bamum first contracted to exhibit himat a wage of S3.00 per week, plus expensesfor him and his mother.

Bamum started Jenny Lind's concerts witha 60 piece orchestra, but later increased it to100 men. She gave 93 concerts for Bamum.

James C. Adams, better known as GrizzlyAdams, came from California around theHorn on a clipper ship to New York. He of-fered to display his collection of animals forBamum. Bamum set up a tent a few blocksfrom his museum where Grizzly displayed ahalf dozen species of California Bears, Cali-fornia Lions, Tigers, Buffalo, Elk and aGreat sea lion.Grizzly's skull had been severely wounded

by the giant bears while they were beingtrained and he did not expect to live evenone more year. Actually, he spent 13 weekswith Bamum and then 10 weeks with asmall circus touring Connecticut. Too weakto carry on any more he went home to Ne-ponset, Mass., where he died.

Party TimeOn Sept. 11th, Circus Vargas was the scene

of a gala birthday celebration for George E.Clyatt. hosted by feltow clown, Bruce War-ner.The guests included: Dale Longmire, Ted

Polk, Peter Kinosh, Pam and Ron Perry,Dan Buckley, Dariene Dicker, VanessaThomas, Greg Pregor, Billy McCabe, Jpfrey Sharp; Simon Aviles-Martinez and for-mer C.V. band leader Stephen Curl.Well wishers dropping by included Ariz

Maccaggi and Dariene Williams.Entertainment was provided by Longmire-

Kinosh Productions and featured the exoticrythms of Michael "Mr. Beads" Block.A good time was had by all.

. Lila Larve

Pictured above is "Bonnie" the Ringling-Bamum Blue Unit elephant that "spooked"during the spec at Norfolk, Va., on March12th. It was a rare reaction by an otherwisedocile elephant

Bonnie had just pulled a stagecoach filledwith children around the arena, the childrenwere returning to their seats when shetrumpeted, turned and ran out of the arena.A wheel on the coach was torn off, the har-ness broke and Bonnie ended her wild runin the showgirls dressing room.

BUY & SELLDELUXE HI STRIKER $950.00

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5

A GIANT TOOTHACHEBy ANA WATS g-r/-ga

Special to The Globe and MailHAMPTON, N.B. — One night last

week at midnight, two dentists, adoctor and a veterinarian hoveredover a patient lying in a Little Leaguebaseball field.

The patient was Sahib, a 7,000-pound Asian elephant; a star of theMartin and Downs Tent Circus. Hewas getting his first filling.

The seemingly sinister hour, chosento accommodate the last performanceof the circus and the vet's harness-racing commitment, was only oneaspect of the operation that made it soforeign to the dentists.

The cavity was enormous — in theend of a broken tusk. There was nomotorized chair to tilt Sahib's head tojust the right angle; no shadowlesslight to illuminate the cavity; no littleglass table on which to mix the fillingpaste. The light came from car head-

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lights, and the filling was mixed on" acardboard grocery box perched on anold oil drum.

But the 12-year-old patient madethings as easy as he could, obliginglylying on his side for the first part ofthe procedure and standing quietly forthe rest.

When the circus set up last Wednes-day morning in this community of3,000 about 30 kilometres northeast ofSaint John, Sahib's owner immediate-ly called local veterinarian HughBaird about a chronic pulp infection inthe broken tusk.

Other vets had consistently treatedthe infection with the classic open-wound procedure, Hushing the areawith antibiotics and disinfectants andadministering antibiotics by-injection,but the infection couldn't be beaten.

Dr. Baird at first considered usingthe same treatment, but the more h^thought about it, the more he saw it asa dental problem. So«he called Ham-


GIANT TOOTHACHE (Continued)

peon dentist William Rector, who lastyear got a great charge out of im-planting a false canine tooth in atrained attack dog.

Dr. Rector was just as fascinatedby the problem of the infected tusk.His partner, Dr. Ralph Richards, fig-ured two dentists were better than onewhen, an elephant-sized cavity wasinvolved, and a doctor friend whohappened to be in Dr. Rector's chairat the time, Ed Phillips, was also fas-cinated by the case and offered to jointhe team.

The three decided that constantreinfection from external sources wasthe reason previous treatments hadfailed, so the cavity would have to besealed off to prevent more bacteriafrom getting in.

Late that night, the two dentistsarrived at the ballfield-circus groundswith a very large bottle of zinc oxideand eugenol paste, the stuff of which

fillings are made, packed with someimprovised tools in a cardboard gro-cery box labelled Elephant Kit. Dr.Phillips arrived with a syringe so bigit looked like a prop frdm a clown'sdoctor routine, and Dr. Baird broughta hypodermic needle long enough topuncture the pachyderm with antibi-otics.

Sahib was waiting for them, and thetwo dentists noted some familiar wait-ing-room behavior: pacing as far asthe huge chain around his leg allowed,occasionally stopping to rock backand forth. But when owner-trainer"Bones" Craig told Sahib to standstill, he did. When he said "trunk," upit went, exposing the broken tusk.

The dentists peered into the cavitywith a flashlight, then poked and prod-ded it, as dentists will. This obviouslyhurt Sahib, but luckily he didn't stamphis foot. Instead, he flinched an ele-


GIANT TOOTHACHE (Continued)„—^^——^^^—^—^^—^^_^__^_^__^phanr flinch and chirped a delicatetrumpet.

Flushing the cavity required thatthe elephant lie down, so he did. Dr.Baird attached the giant syringe to aplastic hose, inserted it into the cavityand sent the sodium hypoclorite disin-fectant into the infected area. Sahibdidn't move. He was allowed to standagain while the filling paste waspacked in.

When the job was done, he couldn'tresist digging at the tusk with the endof his trunk. This too was a reactionfamiliar to the dentists, although theirusual patients worry new fillings withtheir tongues.

This filling is a temporary one. Inabout two weeks, when the circus isback in the area playing a town about30 kilometres away, the demists will

Page 47

pick out the filling to* check that themfecuon has indeed been eliminated.If so, they will seal the cavity againwith a permanent filling.

Film SpecialA special hour-long television show featur-

ing the Canon & Barnes Circus was filmedat Godfrey, III., when the show played inthat city on Oct. 3rd. The movie is beingproduced by Midwestern Creative Services,Inc., of St. Louis.

"We are excited to be filming the world'slargest tent circus," says Jerry Sindberg,Midwestem's producer. "We're using localtalent. Aries Audio & Lighting provided thelighting, and the show was written by Gen-try Smith."

The Wood River Volunteer EmergencyCorps sponsored the circus for the date,and was said to be thrilled to be a part ofthe filming.

circus report, october 18, 1982, vol. 11, no. 42

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