Friday, November 25, 2005

Russell Bros. Circus/ Claude and Pauline Webb


I suspect this picture was taken not long before they sold the show to Art Concello.
Maybe 30 years ago Barbara and I went to the Showfolks Club and I was delighted to see that Mr. Concello was holding court in one of the round booths actoss from the bar, almost right away Bobby Johnson came over telling us that we were invited to join the group, in fact several people were rousted to make room for us.
I had always heard that Mr. Concello was not one to dwell on the past but on this night he was in rare form answereing all my questions about being manager of the Ringling Show while strill in his 20's, later his purchase of Russell Bros. Circus, his association with Clyde Beatty and his triumphant return to the Ringling Show, supplying funds to John Ringling North to gain control of the show and so forth. Pretty heady stuff for a mud show guy such as myself.
I naturally assumed that this outpouring of information was due to my charm and wit but later Bobby Johnson told me that when we entered the club that night Concello leaned over to him and said "Who's the red headed broad?".

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's these little things that take us down a notch or two. My thing was delivered by margret. Mr Webb looks right out of a Gangster Movie. Al Capone movie with Robert Stack. Did the chimp belong to Barbaras family or Mrs Webb? There was always one wiser person that you could go to for council on the show. For me it was your mother, Babe.

Buckles said...

No "Topsy" belonged to Mrs. Webb.
When Barbara told about the chimp's living accomodations, she also mentioned that her family lived in a fifteen foot house trailer and she and her four sisters slept in the breakfast nook.

Anonymous said...

The Web! The most basic act for the showgirls. Were any pictures taken of this lovely act? I still have scares from one of the trickes Barbara showed me how to do. It was a beautiful sight to see 10 to 20 girls doing the same thing 20 feet in the air. Jenny Walenda showed me the basic act that morning and that evening I was in the show. I was such a sucker to learn everything I could to be in the circus. It doesn't seem like the girls got enough credit for this act.