Rex Williams/Beatty-Cole Circus 1960's

These Jimmy Cole pictures didn't quite match up but I find them interesting none the less. One evening at the Show Folks Club, many years ago, John Herriott and I, while discussing the deeper meaning of life, decided that the Ringling Show was the goal we all strived for yet the Cadillac of our profession was Polack Bros. Circus. However, if your tastes ran toward mud shows, Beatty-Cole was the class act. One evening while visiting Rex, after the elephant acts, he explained while they were being watered that his center ring 5-act (smaller elephants) would leave for the next town immediately. The two end ring acs of 3, worked by Benny White and Bill Cox would alternate. One group would remain until the show was down and loaded , should a harness elephant be needed. The other would follow the first truck and after arriving, lay out the picket lines and unload the first eight. When the final 3 elephants arrived, all he had to do was unload and feed. The operation had to be well organized since the show moved every night. All bets were off if the lot was extremely muddy, all elephants remained until everything was off the lot.