Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Al G. Kelly & Miller Bros. Circus 1944 #1


Scan10078 - Copy, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Advance Brigade.

Posted by Buckles at 7/18/2007 06:44:00 AM

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I note the sign that says tread and tubes. You could not buy a new tire during the war, but could go to the ration office and get a permit for a retread. Now any old bald tire would get a retread no matter how old they were, so when you put that tire on usually the tread would come off or it would blow from being rooten. Thats why Isla and all show people drove fourty miles an hour. Roosevelt did declare that circuses and carnivals were essential for morale and the shows could get gas ration stamps to keep moving. There also was a big black market in gas ration stamps. Lots of flat tires every jump. Lots of patches on the tubes. For you younger folks; there was no such a thing as tubless tires.I remember that those retreads sure looked nice and that was about it. Everyone kept a couple spares.

What a joke when I see these big SUVs with a sticker on the back "support our troups". That seems to be the modern day war effort and "feel Good".

18 July, 2007 14:53
Anonymous said...

A personal observation and I will get off my high horse.
ANY TIME ANY PRESIDENT AND OR THE CONGRESS decides to go to war, immediately every ablebodied slinging dick should be drafted from eighteen to thirty five for the duration. No deferrments period. Absolutely NO mothers should be allowed to join any military service org. period.

We should have universal service i8n some sort of benefit to our country for a period of two years for all people over eighteen. Either peace corp, military, etc. I doubt if there would be any wars provoked by our politicions and if we were attacked the wrath of the country would be awesome.

18 July, 2007 15:13
Anonymous said...

No more spiked hair, trinkets in their nose, mouth or other areas. no ear rings and NO dope for two years. Dress code and personal hygiene. Even the pro athletes would be part of it.

18 July, 2007 15:27
Anonymous said...

I was 12 or 13 when I earned a pass to Al G. Kelly & Miller Bros in my hometown of McAlester (about 1952 or '53)by unloading saddles and harnesses from a truck and placing them on saw horses. Easiest free pass I ever earned. The K&M lot, on the west side of town, was a very sloping and rocky one, and playing conditions must have been miserable for the animal trainers. The miracle to me was that the workmen were able to put up the big top at all. Although the big top was long, the main poles did not seem very tall--certainly not as high as Clyde Beatty's big top a few years before. Col. Tim McCoy IN PERSON was the after-show feature, but I didn't stay, not having the two bits extra. The other thing that really impressed me was the pre-circus-day special supplement in my hometown paper advertising the arrival of the "great white fleet" of Chevys and an elephant-tractor pull. The original Kelly & Miller and its succeeding Carson & Barnes fleets have always had some of the most colorfully painted trailers.
Lane Talburt

18 July, 2007 16:24
Anonymous said...

Johnny:

Francis Kitzman used to say that Paul V McNutt in his role as chairman of the War Manpower Commission had a lot to do with the Circus being able to continue during the War.

Surely someone even older than I am can remember the details.

18 July, 2007 19:51
Anonymous said...

John
I will climb on that high horse with you. Our city streets would probably be a whole lot safer if the invincible boys with all the hormones had to be in the armed forces for a couple years . cc

19 July, 2007 22:55

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