Monday, February 18, 2008

Clyde Beatty Circus 1958


Clyde Beatty Circus 1958, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Posted by Buckles at 2/18/2008 05:24:00 AM

3 comments:

Bob Karczewski said...

I remember this truck and all of the others for that year of the show. I earned my first free pass when they played Traverse City, Michigan in 1958. I can still picture in my mind what the circus looked like when it was set up on the lot adjacent to the neighborhood I lived in. I could hear all of the sounds of the matinee show taking place. The sounds of the band, Clyde Beatty's cats and his act in progress, the sideshow talker, and best of all the sounds of the endless tape of the pitshow for "Big Otto the blood sweating Hippo from the Upper River Nile" Alive! Alive! Alive! I attended the evening show when my Dad could take me after work. This was the show that started my love of the circus. My sister Kathy remembers seeing Clyde's car with Leopard skin seat covers, but she can't remember what year it might have been. He appeared in Traverse City, Michigan in 1956 (the last year of his railroad circus), 1958 and 1960. The old truck pictures are great Buckles, we really enjoy seeing them. They must have been pretty scary to drive back before airbrakes, more powerful engines, two speed rear axles and some of the other things available now on new semi tractors. Driving one of those old trucks with the elephants shifting around in the trailer must have been real interesting.

18 February, 2008 06:53
Anonymous said...

This photo, and the following from Hunt Bros., show that cut down auto carriers were often used for show trucks. I believe these were the cage wagons from the Clyde Beatty RR show that were modified and placed on to the semi. Dave Price should be able to clarify that...he can always call JZ if he's not sure!

18 February, 2008 07:09
Anonymous said...

Beatty had four new cage wagons built for use on the 1946 Concello rail show, which that year was to go out as Clyde Beatty Circus.

He used all four most of the life of the rail show but by 1956 his act was carried in three; the fourth was left at Deming where it eventually burned in a fire.

In 1957 when the new owners converted the Beatty show to trucks these three wagons were still used for the act: two were mounted as you see here and the third was at first used on a long flatbed, leaving room for props, and later on a short bed.

These weren't entirely satisfactory and once one of them bent badly when it was driven over a bumpy railroad crossing. The new cage trucks were built for the act in 1959.

This announcement was approved by both JC and JZ.

18 February, 2008 13:08

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