Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Carson & Barnes 1970's #1 (From Bob Cline)


C&B1, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.


I mentioned a few days ago, I had some photos of D.R.'s herd in the 1970's. This doesn't show it as clearly as I remember it. I remember this being a double picket line with all the large females in the back line and all the younger females and Africans on the front line. Unfortunately, I didn't date these photos. However, the ever popular Bobby Gibbs can be seen in one which might provide a clue as to which year of the 1970's these were taken. I included one of their Rhino, and one of the largest Big Tops I ever saw in my life. For those that never saw it in person, you missed two flying acts in the short sections and five rings of performing elephants among some of the greatest circus acts ever presented on this massive a scale for a daily mud show operation in modern times.
Bob

Posted by Buckles at 6/12/2007 06:18:00 AM

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Who was responsible for the Carson and Barnes elephants training the babies etc.

12 June, 2007 06:32
Anonymous said...

Are you sure on your dating of these photos? My guess would be early 1980's.

12 June, 2007 07:23
Anonymous said...

What year did D.R. start using the vinyl tops? I'm guessing about 1980 or '81 but it may have been a bit earlier.

12 June, 2007 07:35
Anonymous said...

These were taken in the early 1980's. Bobby was on the show in 81 and 82. They got thier first vinyl tent in 1980. It had 5 rings and 2 15' sections for the flying acts. Sometimes they would have a third flying act working in front of center ring. I don't remember when the rhino was on the show or when they got the three africans, "Kristin", "Tony" and "Britney".
Maria Vonderheid

12 June, 2007 07:39
Buckles said...

With the advent of the Endangered Species Act in 1974, D.R. started stock piling baby elephants and had built the overall herd up to 33 by 1976. Kenny Ikert and Oakie Carr ran the elephant department and managed to come up with several baby elephant acts that were worked by Mexican ladies who didn't speak a dozen words of English among them.
I knew this was too good to be true and sure enough, as soon as they found out they were elephants and not ponies with long noses, they were off to the races.
Things got so bad that I had to loan Chico Williams to the show one year while Okie was in the Hospital and he returned to me in a state of Shell Shock.
I had more or less written the whole operation off until one Fall when Chico, Gary and I were heading south from Baraboo, we camped on the C&B lot in Tennessee and saw one of the neatest and most precise elephant displays (five rings)I had ever seen, headed by Johnny Walker and assisted by Joe Frisco.
The elephants have remained at that same standard thru the years as anyone who sees the Evansville Shrine Circus will agree.

12 June, 2007 09:04
Bob Cline said...

Maybe it is 1981. I told you I didn't date them. I think Jim Peterson and I have the same filing system. We sort of remember?
Bob

12 June, 2007 12:12
Anonymous said...

Donnie was very short handed with all the new punks in those years. John Carroll I think had gone to Mexico by 72-73 with another group of bulls. Kenny had gotten pretty sick and couldn't work and in 74-75? Dory got him a small trailer to stay in and someone pulled it for him from lot to lot. Kenny loved his girls and just had to be around them,even if he couldn't work. Harry and I had a friend "Tex" Dreyfus, and he would spend alot of time around the lots in those days and would watch Barbara and the other work bulls so Donnie could get a cup of coffee and something to eat during a break when setting up. They always had some ruff lots in the spring, sometimes working all night to get off them. They played Baycity,Tx one spring on a old rice field. I have been on bad lots before and since,but that black gumbo would stick to everything.Couldn't use wreckers or bulldozers,only elephant power could move it off the lot. After getting the trucks on the farm to market road,they used a wrecker and pulled them a coulpe of hundred yards to get the wheels to turn as the gumbo would lock the wheels up on the trailers and even the drive wheels of the tractors. Harry and I made many trips with Tex and if anyone has the photo history of Carson and Barnes,its got to be Mr.Kingston.
Dory and his family always made you feel at home on his show.
P.J.Holmes

12 June, 2007 20:28
Harry Kingston said...

Pete,
Does Bay city, Texas bring back alot of memories.
Pete, Tex and I go to see Carson and Barnes Circus at Alvin, Texas and no circus. We ask Joe Wright CB's long time 24 hour man where the heck was the circus. He says stuck in the mud in Bay city. So of we go to find them. Folks when we go there they were in that rice field down deep in the mud.
Getting to the circus you had to walk in the truck ruts and they were two and half feet plus deep or more.
When trying to spool up the heavy rain soaked tent one of the large chains broke. What a mess.
Then when the trucks hit the road there was a mud slick for 3 miles down that country road.
They had to side wall in Alvin and what a photographers field day it was. But the show went on and D. R. Miller made sure the locals got there monies worth.
Tex Dreyfus, loved helping out in Carson and Barnes elephant department and Pete and I were just young kids enjoying the circus and having fun seeing what made it tick.
We have many stories from the show and D. R. would hold court and we would listed to the master.
We all were treated so nice by the Miller family and Ted Bowman.
Harry

13 June, 2007 07:14

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