Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Shorty Hinkle (From Bill Strong)


Shorty Hinkle #1, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Downie Bros. 1929.

Posted by Buckles at 9/18/2007 12:48:00 PM

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

In 1964 I spent 2 separate weeks on CBCB and met Shorty for the first time. He drove the band sleeper and Pete the Porter rode shotgun with him. One day Pete asked me to get something for him, but I couldn'd under stand anything he said, so Shorty interpreted Pete wanted 2 puonds of swiss chese, which I got at the nearest grocery.
The story on Pete was thaqt he joined the Barnum and Bailey show as train car porter (thus his name) and that he was 13 at the time he joined. Pete was the night watchman and I would see him fall asleep during the day by leaning on the bed of the arena truck. Roger, you can probably add some other comments on both Pete and Shorty.

18 September, 2007 19:59
Anonymous said...

I met Shorty in 1960 on the train; I was on the way to Sarasota to join the Cristiani advance and Shorty got off in Deland to join Beatty-Cole.

Very nice man, trouped in an old fashion Taylor trunk.

Does anyone out there know his real name?

18 September, 2007 21:12
Harry Kingston said...

Dave,
I think it was Milton "Shorty" Hinkle was his real name.
Harry

19 September, 2007 12:04
Anonymous said...

Merlin "Shorty" Hinkle spoke lovingly of 34 Wagon (the band sleeper with wardrobe trunks) as "My twuck". He was badly crippled and had a hard time walking across the lot, but with the needed pedal extensions, he was as good a truck driver as the show had, and as you note, Pete the Porter rode shotgun.

Pete doubled as nightwatchman on the show, and with his flashlight guided the arriving trucks to their spots on tomorrow's lot. He also supervised connecting Beatty's tunnel into place for the cat act. The first section swung left against the bandstand to clear the track for Spec. When the last spec performer paraded by, Pete shouted, "ALL RIGHT! CHUTE!", and we dutifully swung it toward the animal gate and lashed in to the bars with rope. I remember Pete could down a gallon of milk and a whole loaf of bread along with whatever Billy McCabe had in Cookhouse. I'm scanning Buckles a photo of Pete asleep on 77 Cat Wagon. It's from a slide by Bob Good, and I hope it's not too dark to post.

20 September, 2007 15:50
k. T. Hinkle said...

Merlin "Shorty" Hinkle was my uncle. The middle of three sons, he was my father's brother. Unfortunatley, we knew very little about his life in the Circus. If anyone has any information about his life and career we (his family) would love to hear about it.

thank you--

24 September, 2007 16:32

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