 Commissary Wagon 1934 This was sort of a General Store on the lot where the show's personel could buy anything from underwear to writing paper. Most frequently used for the sale of Dukie Books, a policy still in use today.  |
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Hagenbeck-Wallace Office Wagons #8
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If you are broke and need something from the Commissary, you can sign up for a Dukie Book (an advance on your salary). A payment booklet containig maybe 40 tickets, worth 5 cents apiece. The amount drawn will be held out of your salary.
With the Cole Show, when we had a long jump on an off Sunday, it was called a "Dukie Run" since a porter would come thru the cars handing out "Dukie Bags". This consisted of a sandwitch, apple, candy bar. etc.
My folks shared a lower berth while I had the upper and at the foot of each, mounted on the wall, was a "crumb box" where my mother would always stash some extra food for the run.
On the advance we didn't have dukies but we did have to draw against our pay from the car manager- if he felt like it. Nobody ever managed to join with any dough and we anxiously awaited that first pay day.
On some shows we were two weeks ahead, meaning that the show didn't make a red cent until we had been posting bills for two pay periods.
One year the car manager went to the Western Union for the first payroll and there was just a wire there saying, "You boys will have to wait til the band starts playing."
Buckles,
Thank you very much for explaining what a Dukie Book was and the other circus terms also.
We hear these names but never know the real meaning of what it is in circus lingo.
I met Joe McKennon at the circus fans convention in Dallas and we had many a discussion of circus terms.
We hit it right off as he did not care for Ringling and neither did I.
Thanks again so much.
Harry Kingston
Dukie Book seems like an early version of a credit card. Who wore underwear on the mud shows?
Cole Bros. Circus was not a mud show.
Now see I learned something this morning. I assumed any circus under canvas was a mud show. What made the difference?
Now that I think about it, A railroad circus did not travel muddy roads. But there were plenty of muddy lots. I did not think of it as getting there from here. Just being on the grounds.
I can remember as a child having a wooden box built in a window to store milk, butter, etc. in the winter time. No icebox in the stable.
"Mud Show.....Mud Show Man...I wanna be a Mud Show man!"
Yeah, Buckles,
I'd vote you in as the 5th Village person !
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