Thursday, September 28, 2006

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.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love the photos,...
I am wondering does anyone remember if the cole Beatty shows in the late 1940's to the 1950's had an elephant act (Elephants named Babe and Willie) worked by a lady?
Or Any info on Herry Ritley's Table and Chair act?
Any info on Eleanor Velarde and the Great Velarde's?
Please contat me;
Tom Holbrook at bozo_history@yahoo.com

Buckles said...

In 1950 and 1951 Luke Anderson had two elephants with his show (Wallace & Clark Circus), "Gentry Babe" and "Wilhelmina". The latter was often called "Willie" or simply "Will".
No idea whom the Elephant Empress might have been.

Anonymous said...

THE FIRST YEAR I WAS ON THE BEATTY SHOW I RECALL REX WILLIAMS DID AN ACT ON A WHITE HORSE, THERE WAS A TV SERIES AT THE TIME CALLED"COWBOY IN AFRICA" WITH CHUCK CONNORS. REX EXPANDED THAT THEME BY RIDING INTO CENTER RING WITH THE ELEPHANTS. IT WAS ONE HELL OF A SPECTACLE. WE ASKED REX IF THE HORSE WAS SPOOKED BY THE ELEPHANTS AND HE SAID AFTER THE HORSE KICKED THEM IN THE TRUNK A FEW TIMES FOR SNIFFING, THE ELEPHANTS LEFT THE HORSE ALONE.
THE ELEPHANT DEPARTMENT WOULD DO CHERRY PIE AND HELP US LOAD BIBLES AT NIGHT. I WAS THE TOP LOADER ON THE TRUCK AND WE WOULD TEAR DOWN THE GRANDSTAND IN 20 MINUTES. I WOULD BE DRENCHED IN SWEAT..TOUGH BUNCH OF GUYS ON THE ELEPHANT CREW.
I CAN THINK OF A LOT OF ANECDOTES ABOUT THOSE GUYS BUT SOME ARE UNPUBLISHABLE. AT LEAST NOT IN MIXED COMPANY. MAYBE I'LL MENTION THEM WHEN I PUBLISH MY MEMOIRS.
I RECALL BENNY WHITE WAS A PARTNER OF PETE THE TRAMP IN A USED CLOTHING BUSINESS FOR AWHILE...THAT'S A BIG JACKPOT IN ITSELF.

Buckles said...

Ah yes! Pierre Le Trop! I remember him well.