"First time I ever met Charlie Smith was in the cook house. He had a couple of stitches in his lip and he said it had happened the previous night during the dismissal of a couple of big top hands." |
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
King Bros. Circus 1954 #5
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3 comments:
Was that the same Charlie Smith
and was he big top boss on King
When did he join Ringling
Same person. I think he worked on Transportation for Whitey Haven.
Don't remember who had the canvas, those guys all worked together in anticipation of a beef.
John Herriott would know more about this.
Charlie Smith
In 1934, joined with Princess Iola Variety Fair Co. Princess Iola was Eva Billings and she was married to Ben Davenport who taught Charlie to be "generally useful." Before the medicine pitch, he did (Toby & Black Face). Ben also taught him to throw 12 knives, balance chairs on top of one another - 5 chairs high.
After 3 years, Ben Davenport changed the name of the show to Daily Bros. Circus. In 1944, the show was put on rails.
Charlie left the show and became a rigger of parachutes at a training school and then was drafted into the Navy.
In 1946, fresh out of the Navy, he was contracted to build the Rogers Bros. Circus. After 3 1/2 years he went to Gonzales, TX ad bought a tavern.
In 1949, he joined the Mickey Dale Circus as Lot Superintendent and Boss Canvass Man. He also had the pie car. In mid 1950, he joined Little Bob Stevens Circus. After the 1951 season, he returned to Ganzales and worked in a used appliance store.
In 1955, Charlie was hired to move the side show and at the end of the season, he joined Ben Davenport's Street Show where he worked a single chimp act, worked concessions, novelty joints and a kiddie ferris wheel. He stayed until July 1956 and left to join Clyde Beatty Circus which was a railroad show.
He helped move the train and sold side show tickets. The show closed at the end of the season in Sarasota. Art Concello needed help in framing or building the Ringling show so it could perform in ball parks and buildings.
In 1956 Charlie married Kitty and she was given a job in wardrobe.
In 1981, He left the road on a semiretired status and he checked and repaired equipment at Winter Quarters in Venice, FL. In 1992, while the trains were in Quarters, Charlie was working six days a week.
(these are excerpts from TRAINMASTER - newsletter of the Charlie Smith CFA Tent #131)
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