Saturday, March 15, 2008

Pictures from Hazel Bradley


Scan000010950, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

We had lunch with Hazel last week who was on her way from her home in Ft. Myers to attend a meeting at the Club in Gibsonton.
She dropped off these pictures to be scanned for the Blog. Most of them are in pretty bad shape but interesting none the less.

This first is Seils-Sterling Circus out of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, taken 1938 or earlier. Elephants are "Billy Sunday" and "Lucy".

Posted by Buckles at 3/15/2008 06:25:00 AM

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It seems that at times the blog gets, as Big John Walker would say, "Ringlingfied" and certainly being the top banana I can understand, but back to the "little shows" and some of my novice circus history that might induce some comment. Being an avid reader and intereste3d in shows of all size and nature brings me to this ad you olod timers out there may recall and could be of interest in you New Timers.

I guess it would have been late 40s, 50s and 60s. A fellow had a show out called the "Byron Gosh All American Indoor Circus" and he usually had a tiny ad in the Billboard and later Amusement Business for family acts doing two or more. I believe he worked mostly southern-midwest and probably phoned the towns [small] himself and then played them with a small show, however I believe he did have a route of a number of weeks. Bigger than a school assembly show but in gyms, etc. Probably similar to James M. Cole indoor in the north [Now Billy Martins All Star].

Any way in his late years he was interviewed by, I believe AB, on the futere of circuses, being an old pro, and because of the heat phones were getting. Yes, phones have caused heat for some fifty years, and he suggested that he was too o9ld to try it but he felt they should do the shows "free" and depend on the concessions. Even tent shows. Looks like he was quite an envisionary. Just a little side note about an old showguy who did his thing. Anybody out there remember or are aware. Thanks, Johnny. P.S. I was never with it. just aware.

18 March, 2008 08:59
Anonymous said...

Johnny,
If the definition of "Ringlingfied" is getting whacked in the mouth at least once a day, and burned at the stake bi-weekly, then you are absolutely correct. It has become Ringlingfied. Or it has become "Ringlingfied", because like Ringling of old, some "heavy hitter's" have made it "top banana."
Regards,
Wade Burck

P.S. Do you recall this quote from 2006: "I received an interesting email yesterday from Bud C. asking why so few people respond to my blog site and the answer is quite simple. Most go through life thinking that any day now Kenneth Feld will come to his senses and give them a job and since most of our entertainment comes from Ken & Nicole bashing, being quoted here is not a smart move."

18 March, 2008 09:42
Anonymous said...

Johnny,
You have got to admit, being able to go back in to what's been salvaged of the archives is pretty effective in the pursuit of historical accuracy.
Regards,
Wade Burck

18 March, 2008 10:07

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