Monday, March 16, 2009

Geographic Insider #1


Scan11332, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Dated November 1988, this publication covered what appears to be a company outing. Looks like the lot in Shelbourne, Vermont.

Posted by Buckles at 3/16/2009 06:26:00 AM

3 comments:

Mike Naughton said...

Using the highly-stylized make-up seen on a performer in another photo in this series, I believe it is the "Chinese Monkey King" edition of BAC.

The lot in Vermont is the SHELBURNE MUSEUM, a great place to spend an "hazy, lazy, crazy day of summer".

Their link:
http://www.shelburnemuseum.org/


BAC had two great lots in that part of the country, Shelburne Museum (Vermont)and the date for Paul Binder's alma mater, DARTMOUTH (New Hampshire).

These dates have been eliminated from the BAC route for several years.

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My theory, and the emphasis is on MY, for things to fizzle out in show business, it is because of 1. Money or 2. Personality. It usually ends up being 1. because if the money is OK, then people will tolerate each others' intolerable personality for the sake of the All-Mighty Dollar.

Everyone has a price.

This theory has nothing to do with BAC and those dates. Those towns have limited population even in the summer; it probably proved too costly for the hosting organization to underwrite.

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While in the northern part of New Hampshire I complimented a city official on the beautiful scenery and majestic White Mountains; a picture postcard beauty. The official, disappointed that summer tourism was sluggish, grumbled, "Vermont has a better press agent."

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16 March, 2009 07:41
Mike Naughton said...

Another great lot was the fairgrounds in Great Barrington, Masssachusetts which suffered a fire in the grandstand and who's board of directors gave Boston (the Capital) a run for their money.

The BAC lot was moved to quaint location by a collection of shops, I recall JENNIFER COMMONS as a possible name.

On the 4th of July in Great Barrington while visiting with Buckles, I was introduced to a NYC patron of BIg Apple. A delightful gentleman and supporter of the circus. He gave me some fantastic advise, "Get away from the desk and go out and make the deals. Have a secretary do your paperwork and type those letters, BUT she must be first-class." He continued that her salary would be not be an "expense" but an "investment" because I would be more valuable to my company doing "the deals" than I would be sitting in a chair.

BIg Apple certainly has great donors, advisors and a brain trust of experience and know-how.

16 March, 2009 07:57
Howard Wahlberg said...

Yes, it was the Monkey King--that was the year we had the Nanjing acrobatic troupe, which was a wonderful addition to the show, only problem was that a half an hour later you really wanted to see another show. ;-)
I attribute that bad pun to Robbie Libbon who broke the nervousness a few months before this engagement when they were rehearshing this show and it wasn't going well.
This engagment, November 1988, was, if I'm not not mistaken, the very same wherein I was given the unenviable task as marketing person to ask Buckles to bring "Anna May" to downtown Burlington--a little pedestrian only street of shops, specifically. Buckles was agreeable, as he always was, provided, he stated to me in no uncertain terms, that there was plenty of security and cones and cops to prevent little kids from running out into the street. Of course, that's exactly what happened. I paid for my transgression (well, almost had to pay) later that evening while guarding an enormous cake in 4 huge pieces that was to be assembled in the shape of an elephant to celebrate a birthday of the New England Culinary Institute after the show in the ring. The cake very nearly never made it out the chute because Buckles had "Anna May" come within inches of striping a huge gash along all 4 sections with her trunk while I stood by in utter horror. You can bet that I never scheduled another promo off-lot appearance without double and then triple-checking with the promoters and the town that there was proper precautions in place. One of my fondest memories of working on that show. --Howard Wahlberg

16 March, 2009 10:00

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