Friday, November 04, 2005

Kirby Grant #1


Jimmy Cole sent me this material on Kirby Grant, this picture taken in 1969. He mentioned that the account of his death in the Orlando Sentinel on 10/31/85 failed to include that his invitation to the Spaceship Launching that day had been made by one of the Astronauts whose interest in flying had come as a child from watching "Sky King" on Television.

Posted by Buckles at 11/04/2005 07:00:00 AM

16 comments:

GaryHill said...

Buckles, Do you remember when I took Modo to Lakeland for a parade, and Kirby Grant rode her. He was quite the nice guy, too bad about his wreak! Best, Gary

04 November, 2005 08:10
Buckles said...

Barbara also mentions that he came to Circus World and they posed for pictures. I don't remember either incident.

04 November, 2005 08:19
Anonymous said...

Buckles, now it is not a smart thing to say, I don't remember. People will start looking for a nursing home for us, I try to say A senior moment. It does not work either. With all that knowledge you have stored in your mind there is only so much to remember at the drop of a hat. Maybe you were in Baraboo at this time.

04 November, 2005 08:48
Buckles said...

Being old has it's advantages tho.
Having outlived most of my contemporaries I can put most anything on the Blog Site I want and who's left to refute what I say.

04 November, 2005 09:01
TheShaz said...

I think we created a monster!

04 November, 2005 09:26
Anonymous said...

Barbara remembers. You are not old. Experienced is the word. Still quite the hunk.

04 November, 2005 10:45
GaryHill said...

Way I see it Buckles, as you loathed the elephant ride part of the business, and you put me in charge of the ride and the guys. That way you got out of doing the parade stuff. I remember they (CW) sent me down to Miami, with Moodo again and it was some Spanish festive- I thought I was goin to be in the Orange Bowl Parade. Anyway it was so Hot during that long hot walk, Moodo started reguriateing water to cool herself and she drenched me and the riders! Fond memories? Gary

04 November, 2005 17:01
Anonymous said...

Ah Moodew, Buckles must have given her that accurate name. She would toss a luggie from that thumb thing on her trunk over her head and coat us ride goof’s left shoulder with a crusty funky smelling glaze. No wonder Sammy would stand in the middle of the ride and prefect that soft commanding authoritative voice that brought him to greatness.

04 November, 2005 21:26
Anonymous said...

He was dressed like this, in his exquisitely tailored Western dress suit, in this very setting, on the front end of Carson & Barnes, when I met him. He was a gentleman, a class act with his public, and an asset to the show. We talked like old neighbors, and he put me onto the source for .38 blanks used when they shot SKY KING. Rumor had it DR didn't like him exposed out on the front end, and wanted him in the backyard until the show. But Grant seemed anxious to have people approach him. Many greats we remember discovered how tough it is to be a star and have your show cancelled. This star left good memories. Its nice to see him respected here.

05 November, 2005 01:26
Anonymous said...

Roger, I made my own blanks for my 38 used in my cage act. black powder and toilet paper. For real. I had a gadget to put those little balls on the empty shell caseing and everything. An Oklahoma state trooper showed me this. Wonder I did not blow the show to smithereens. The things I learn on the Circus!! Priceless

05 November, 2005 13:22
Anonymous said...

That was before my time,but I heard it was a really popular show.Jay Leno on the Tonight Show makes a joke about it every now and then,thats how I heard about it.

05 November, 2005 14:56
Anonymous said...

Hey Rebecca, at CW we packed our own shells with black powder and toilet paper; we made blasting caps for blowing up the safe in the safe gag and for fire on our ass from steel wool and 9 volt batteries, and that was just yesterday in the seventies. Ops, I guess that was a generation ago. The 45 cal. worked best because the shells also worked in a 4-10 shot gun, and the standard 38 blank starter pistol was too sharp of a bang, the 45 had more boom, better for the ears. I had a sweet sawed off 4-10 clown prop that was built to look like a pistol. I wonder what you Oklahoma trooper would think about that gun? One of the cool things about Circus World was that in the beginning the clowns were “Old School.” Before Clown College showed up, many old mud show road dogs came through and shared their tricks.

05 November, 2005 19:34
Anonymous said...

Between you guys and Dave Hoover and his famous blanks, it's wonder you didn't blow up half the lot.

06 November, 2005 00:40
Anonymous said...

Roger, do you know if Dave Hoover played the CNE in the year 60, 61 or 62. I can not remember (senior moment). If so I have a funny story about the blanks. I get the lion trainers mixed up. There were three cages acts. I was one of them. Sure wish I had paid more attention in my misspent youth.

06 November, 2005 08:21
Anonymous said...

I may be thinking of Mel Koontz. If I could find a copy of the news paper artical I would know. My picture was in that newspaper. It was the year DR had bought the Wild Animal Fantasy cage act. Al Dobridge was the producer of The Canadian National Exabition that year.

06 November, 2005 15:17
Anonymous said...

No, I don't know Dave Hoover's bookings for those years, or if he played the CNE. You might ask him directly. I believe he still lives in DeLand. But what is the funny story on the blanks, anyhow?

10 November, 2005 04:16

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