Saturday, July 15, 2006

Circus World Museum 1966


I received this wonderful picture from John Herriott yesterday, along with the following information:

From left No. 1- Paul Luckey, CWM Ringmaster, formerly band member with Parker & Watts Circus and friend of Merle Evans.
No. 2- Chappie Fox, Director of Circus World Museum.
No. 3- David (Deacon) Blanchfield, 50 years Transportation Supt. with RBBB having started as a teamster with the John Robinson Circus.
No. 4- Dick (Rocko) Lewis, famous clown who died while doing the table rock in San Antonio on the Texas Shrine dates.
No. 5- Mayme Ward, who started the Bloomington Flying Act School with husband Edward.
A famous flyer and catcher and now Wardrobe Mistess at CWM and the Milwaukee Parade.
No. 6- Edna Curtiss Christianson, former wife of Denny Curtiss (First Shrine Circus Producer along with John Agee) and former Ringling horse trainer.
No. 7- Jorgen M. Christianson, greatest liberty horse trainer of all time. Trained two 24 horse liberty acts, RBBB in 1924 and Cole Bros. in 1939 as well as a 72 animal tableau for the Ringling Show.
No. 8 & 9- John and Mary Ruth Herriott
No. 10 & 11- Julia and Mauricio Droguett.

Posted by Buckles at 7/15/2006 06:32:00 AM

6 comments:

Down the Road by Jim said...

what a line up of GREATS !

15 July, 2006 07:32
Bob Cline said...

WOW! You can't get too much more history in one photo. Thankfully the pople were aware of the group's careers to take such a celebrated photo. Thank you Mr. Herriott. My best to you, Mary Ruth, Roy and Cindy and the rest of the family.
Bob

15 July, 2006 07:38
Anonymous said...

I swear the wardrobe RUTH is wearing is the same that Barbara and I made on Kelly Miller!!! The famous one HEY TARZAN in a parade where a youth shot me with a pea shooter.

15 July, 2006 08:00
Anonymous said...

Skip that last comment. It was leapord skin and one shouldered. TOO early for me to return to blogging.

15 July, 2006 08:03
Anonymous said...

Lady Curtis; I believe she did a comedy mule act with a buggy in tow among her many other horse talents. Many moons ago, this extremely well dressed gentleman in his three peice suit along with his wife dressed in her sunday best, would come pulling up to our gate in his new Buick electra, open the trunk of his car, remove two lawn chairs , set them under a shade tree in our pony pen and proceed to give my sister ( who I didn't think was to bright)pointers on how to train a variety of monkey shines to her ponies. I asked my mother " Who is that old man in the fancy suit and new car ?" My comment was ," He must be as goofy as my sister" !my mother promptly introduced me to the man and lady as Jorgen Christiansen and Edna Curtis. Mr Christiansen quickly replied " That would be Edna Christiansen now" He would show up at least three times a week dressed to the hilt . How weird I thought then. My sister was twelve and I was eleven years old. Just a couple of left over generations of Cole show brats from Rochester ,IN

16 July, 2006 10:38
Buckles said...

Also included in Herriott's letter, was a mention that Mrs. Curtiss started off both Sonny and Dwight Moore in the dog business.

16 July, 2006 11:48

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