 The elephants were generally watered at a fire plug on the way to the lot each day then lined up near the hay pile and fed as you see here. They will remain here until the menagerie tent is up but work teams will come and go as needed. The youngster standing in the foreground is Robert Kitto, aged 7, whom we hear from occasionally on the Blog.  |
Monday, February 05, 2007
Cole Bros. Circus- Janesville, Wi (7/19/45) #2
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6 comments:
Just curious about something. The dates of the Janesville and Beloit, WI photos are a month apart. But those two Wisconsin towns are within 15-20 miles of each other. Did the Cole show really hopscotch like that in '45?
I checked the 1945 Route Book and it's true. They jumped from Janesville to Madison, Portage and LaCrosse and a tour of Minnesota and S. Dakota followed bringing them back to Superior, WI on Aug. 5.
After wandering around the State for a week, they played Beloit, coming in from Racine.
AS most of you know,Charley Kitto took mostly pictures of the show setting up. wagons, equipment and didn't care so much who the performers were. Both the Janeswville and Beloit pictures were taken by him. As
Buckles probably metioned previously, the Aug 14,1945 pictures were taken on VJ Day. The show still had system flats and many unpainted wagons following the train wreck in Northern Minnesota. Train arived around Noon in Beloit, and show didn't start until around 4:30 PM. Joe Taggart, Bill Wookcock and my dad spent quite a while going thru a collection of circus memorabila that Bill had just acquired.
Hope you enjoy these pictures from the Charley Kitto collection.
The behind the scenes life of the circus was just as fasanating as the show. Thats were the fun was and most of the excitment. How on earth all this was done with no modern conviences was a wonder in itself. Not much excitment watching fancy motorhomes pulling on a lot now a days. Just like a KOA campground. I really miss the guady splashes of color and different transportation of the animals. A WHITE TOP is all but gone. Just colored plastic. Some things should have been left alone if you advertise an old fashion circus. Thats what it should be. Including the back yard.
I don't believe you need to BE old fashioned to LOOK old fashioned
this blog is an historical article,
it could not be done chiseling our comments on rocks
I believe there are circuses that retain a classic feel with modern facilities
Historically circuses have been purveyors of modern invention,i.e.;the electric light,generators,truck and train transportation systems AND music !
Many circus fans, and I consider myself one,forget that when the circus was playing Sousa style marches etc., Sousa was still alive ! and it was CONTEMPORARY music ! It has always been difficult to always work on the forward edge of the entertainment industry. I personally like the flair and color of the Feld produced extravaganzas of the late 60's to early 90's, with their big band sound,and the feather and sequins,in those air conditioned arenas, with dressing rooms and showers others prefer the tented circus days with marches and gallops.It seems that different segments of circus fans will arbitrarily pick an era and claim that THAT was the LAST of REAL circus.
I beleve that even though I see "the BIG ONE" as in a bit of a lull I believe they are striving to find a NEW "good ole days"
the circus has survived as a mode of entertainment for a long time
and I remember people sounding the death nell when I first came along and I still see a market for a fresh and innovative show, even WITH animals!
let us not forget the new Red unit has a quite good NEW cat act
and Joe Friscoe just started.There's hope yet !
It read like you brought The Death Nell Larry. One or two acts does not a circus make. It takes good attmisfere/attitude/animals/airerialist to make a circus. Good thing spelling doesn't count.
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