Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Olga Astley #1 (Pictures from Sue Lenz)


These are pictures taken of my mother in the 1930's, the elephant she used to present was called "Rosie". After the family finished with the circus, she was sold to the Bristol Zoo where she gave elephant rides for many years.
Mother also had a dog and pony act, as well as an act with geese.

Posted by Buckles at 10/17/2006 08:51:00 AM

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

That front elephant tub sure looks like a couple I have on the Lyni. Did you know that when the barrels fall apart you throw the rings in to the air. If them get hung up in the trees you will have good luck. Just be sure there are trees around when you throw them.

17 October, 2006 17:59
Anonymous said...

Isn't it wonderful that she used the name Astely. For you not aware he invented the circus and the circus ring as we know it today and John Bill Ricketts shortely after incorporated it into the American circus. For over 2 hundred years it has been the cornerstone of circuses worldwide until Johnny Pugh and Nicole Feld felt it was unnecessary. They should be ashamed of themselves and there is no justification for eliminating the circus ring and all the great acts that thrilled audiences for years and the fact that they have not been able to replace Poodles Hanneford, the Cristianis,Capt, Heyer, Clyde Beatty and yes, Gunther Gebel Williams no matter how hard they try, and never will. Cirque Soliel is not a circus by any stretch of the imagination in any way ,shape , manner and form and I regret that circus fans even compare it to a circus. The name cirque only gives it justification for being some sort of a show and it certainly is not for children of all ages. If the circus goes down the drain and could very well happen with so many forces working against it, but I would prefer to see it die with dignity and not with help from forces within. So lets enjoy Olga Astely, the Hartzells and maybe hope that their wonderful careers were not in vain.

17 October, 2006 18:13
Anonymous said...

When I hear the title Cirque Soliel I think of a name from many years ago. Alot of you old folks will remember. Dack in the early fifties there was a tremendous nationwide publicity campain for a new product, tonic, that was good for what ails you. Especially for older men. John Smith, Waxie, Charlie Lucky and the other older guys in wntqtrs took it.It was heavyly publicized in a radio campaign, but they found out it contained too much alcohol to be legal and was taken off the market. But during its brief heyday there was a little jingle that was sung, Now the name of the product was "HADACOL" and the jingle went like this, THEY HAD A CALL IT SOMETHING SO THEY CALLED IT HADACOL. true story.

17 October, 2006 20:21
Anonymous said...

When I hear the title Cirque Soliel I think of a name from many years ago. Alot of you old folks will remember. Dack in the early fifties there was a tremendous nationwide publicity campain for a new product, tonic, that was good for what ails you. Especially for older men. John Smith, Waxie, Charlie Lucky and the other older guys in wntqtrs took it.It was heavyly publicized in a radio campaign, but they found out it contained too much alcohol to be legal and was taken off the market. But during its brief heyday there was a little jingle that was sung, Now the name of the product was "HADACOL" and the jingle went like this, THEY HAD A CALL IT SOMETHING SO THEY CALLED IT HADACOL. true story.

17 October, 2006 20:21
Anonymous said...

It really does all go back to Astley, doesn't it? The ring exists because the horse exists, and the horse is the heart and the soul. The ring says classical circus, no matter what the acts, and the ring says that there's at least a possibility of horses. I am not a big horse fan, despite coming from a family where horses are everything. But when I look at programs from by-gone days, the cats are there, and the bulls are there, and the clowns and the aerialists -- and oh so many horses. The great reinvented circuses, the Big Apple show, or Flora remain rooted in classical circus, no matter how far afield they stray -- because the ring remains, and horse remain within the ring. Vexing though it may be when PETA and their ilk attack the role of animals in circus, i think perhaps it's even more vexing when producers and owners who should know better discard all semblance of what Astley handed down to us in a 42' circle, and still claim they believe in circus.

17 October, 2006 21:03
Anonymous said...

John, I had to take HADACOL in my youth. It was for iron when I was anemic."?" I was raised in a Methodist orphanage, so I can blame them for my love of adult beverages. I can taste the stuff just thinking about it. Kind of like prune juice with a rusty nail in it.

17 October, 2006 23:35
Buckles said...

I well remember Hadacol from my High School days in Hot Springs. It did make you feel better, in fact you felt terrific, it was about 120 Proof.

18 October, 2006 06:28
Anonymous said...

Sounds about right. They hadacol it somethin, so they called it Cirque Soliel.

18 October, 2006 08:52
Anonymous said...

Just out. Late breaking press release. Cirque Soliel announced that they will be opening yet another unit that will debut on the WAH wAH Indian reservation new casino in Frozen Prong, Alaska. It will be Titled PETA POOAH and will open under an air conditioned big top February 29, 2008. From a non-profit Gov. grant secured by Congressman Foley prior to his resignation.

18 October, 2006 09:18
Anonymous said...

John & Buckles -- about that HADACOL jingle, how about: "They had to call it something so they called it BACARDI'S". 120 proof!!

Bill Schreiber

18 October, 2006 09:51
Anonymous said...

Everybody needs a hobby, and my hobby is that fifteen minute meditation at the end of the day when the generator goes off and front-end loader is pulling tent stakes and I can just sit on the trailer steps and sip a wee dram of malt whisky. But I'm very picky about malt whiskey. It's gotta come from Islay, an island off the coast of Scotland where the malts taste like tar and smoke and salt and iodine. So every three weeks or so this season it was time to tell the 24-Hour Man that after he found grass hay and sweet feed and whatever else in a town like Scotts Bluff, NE he needed to camp on the phone and find me a bottle of Bowmore, or Lagavulin, or Arbeg, or Laphraiog. His arrows weren't always perfect, and he sometimes purchased way too much alfalfa hay, but hats off to his ability to find the perfect bottle of whisky when the time came to restock.

18 October, 2006 10:59
Anonymous said...

Now Rebecca, don't blame the Methodists for your erring ways!

18 October, 2006 14:15
Anonymous said...

I haven't done any "erring" in so long I have forgottn how. I need to press the refresh button.

18 October, 2006 21:07

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