New Cole Bros. #1 (From Joe Giordano)

CB09 -108, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Buckles Attached are some photos of the New Cole Bros Circus which were taken during their recent Long Island/ New York City tour. Business was up and down but overall better than last year. Cole's Brooklyn date was only 6.4 miles parking lot to parking lot from RBBB "Boom-A-Ring" showing Coney Island. On Weds. July 29th Cole had 10:30am & 8pm shows. I joined what seemed like the entire cast and crew of the Cole show for the 2pm Boom-A-Ring performance.

New Cole Bros. #2

CB09 -109, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

New Cole Bros. #3

CB09 -110, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

New Cole Bros. #4

CB09 -105, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

New Cole Bros. #5

CB09 -103, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

New Cole Bros. #6

CB09 -101, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

New Cole Bros. #7

CB09 -102, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

New Cole Bros. #8

CB09 -107, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

New Cole Bros. #9

CB09 -106, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

New Cole Bros. #10

CB09 -104, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

From Sue Lenz

!cid_X_MA1_1251130228@aol, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Hi Buckles: I thought you would like the enclosed photo, It's from the Scottish Pinder Circus family. This act performed for Queen Victoria at Balmoral Castle by Royal command on June 6. 1899. In the photo are George Ord Pinder and Susie Ord Pinder. The bull elephant "Bosco" joined the Pinder family in 1897 until 1923 when he died from eating poisoned grass. This information is from George Pinder from UK. (I believe George is the Grandson)

Bertram Mills Program 1925-26 (From Buckles)

Scan12080, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Bertram Mills Program 1926-27

Scan12079, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Bertram Mills Program 1927-28

Scan12084, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Bertram Mills Program 1928-29

Scan12083, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Bertram Mills Program 1929-30

Scan12081, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Some years ago I was introduced to Cyril Mills at the Club in Sarasota. During our brief chat he mentioned the Adele Nelson elephants and how well they were received in England.

Bertram Mills Program 1931-32

Scan12082, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Bertram Mills Program 1932-33

Scan12077, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. All of these "programmes" are encased in covers like the one above. A few still bear the tassels. The art work on these (jackets?) sometimes exceeds the drawing on the cover.

Bertram Mills Program 1933-34

Scan12086, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Bertram Mills Program 1934-35

Scan12085, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Bertram Mills Program 1935-36

Scan12078, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Bovril

Scan12087, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. The entire back cover of every one of these programs was devoted to an elixir called "Bovril". The same character was always used but in different situations. I think the product was, or maybe still is, beef broth.

1944 Ringling-Barnum #1

Scan12073, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1944 Ringling-Barnum #2

Scan12078, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1944 Ringling-Barnum #3

Scan12076, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1944 Ringling-Barnum #4

Scan12074, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1944 Ringling-Barnum #5

Scan000011105, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Gordie Orton, Tex Elmlund and Arturo Konyot.

1944 Ringling-Barnum #6

Scan12077, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1944 Ringling-Barnum #7

Scan12075, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1947 News from Home Magazine #1

Scan12072, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1947 News from Home Magazine #2

Scan12071, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

From Frank Ferrante

Buckles - Since you were on the show at that time, what is your take on how much Mattel invested in the show? I remember the show before Mattel and after, and although I agree with John that the show was always self-sustaining, it did appear to have been blessed after the purchase. Irvin had brought in the best designers and craftsmen, but it appeared that they had MORE spangles to work with after Barbie and the Hot Wheels started showing up at the garbage stands. ~frank "I have no way of knowing the inner workings of the Feld/Handler connection however I will submit that of the two costumes shown below, one was made during the Mattel Era, the other one wasn't." Buckles

Costume #1

SAVE1162, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Costume #2

SAVE1697, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

From Richard Reynolds

!cid_X_MA1_1251399751@aol, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. The recent postings of African elephant photos were excellent. Here is another of the male Mike on Forepaugh-Sells. It too is a Glasier picture. According to my figuring, Sells Brothers had more African elephants at one time than any show until Garden had 7 of them on his Toby Tyler in the mid-1980s. At the end of the 1887 season, the Sells Bros. decided to take their no.2 show off the road. It was dubbed the S. H. Barrett Circus after their brother-in-law whom they persuaded to run it. They decided to merge the best of Barrett with their own outfit while selling off the surplus. Thus they had a big sale in Columbus, Oh where their winter quarters were located. In advance of it, the Sells ran an ad in **Clipper** (24 Dec. 1887) offering to sell - - 6 AFRICAN ELEPHANTS, three of which are very large, and all are fine specimens.” I can identify four of these Africans, to wit: (1) and (2) Mike and Topsy, the well known and often photographed pair as shown in many recently posted pictures. They seem to have joined Sells about 1878. What may be a clue to their acquisition may be this squib in Clipper for Feb 16, 1878 (p.375) . . “Sells Bros bought 5 elephants last week and sent them west.” This was at a time when the German animal collectors were bringing out a lot of African elephants. Mike and Topsy lasted into the 20th century with Forepaugh-Sells. Mike died on December 19, 1907 at Bridgeport from burns suffered in a train wreck, apparently as he was being shipped to Bridgeport after the close of F-S. The Ringlings had decided to shutter F-S after they had bought B&B in October 1907. They shifted a lot of stuff to B&B as it was somewhat run down, physically.Otto Ringling went to the Bridgeport quarters right after the purchase was consummated. His letters to his brothers point out the poor state of B&B's equipment - -even so the name still had more magic than any show. Mike was to become a B&B feature for 1908. Topsy made it to B&B OK and saw service on that show at least through the 1909 season. [Howard Tibbals has a photo of her in a B&B street parade in Knoxville on October 7, 1909.] (3) Fannie was another of the six Sells Africans. She was one of two elephants sold in 1888 by Sells to the Ringlings to become the Baraboo brothers’ first two elephants. The other was an old Asian named Babe. The story about the Ringlings getting their first two elephants from a show in distress down in Missouri is just so much bunk. The Baraboo Republic for March 4, 1888 (p.5.) plainly said they were bought by Al Ringling from Sells Brothers in Columbus Ohio. Walter L. Main also wrote the same. He had once owned Babe and made a recommendation to Al Ringling that he buy her in Columbus. As for Fannie, tradition holds (a favorite Joe Bradbury expression) that she died around 1908. However, I never seen any concrete proof. The late elephant fan “Sabu” Moreau wrote - - “Fannie, an African female, died at winter quarters after the season (1908) was over.” He cited no source for the statement. (4) A fourth African was a male named Zip. He was sold to the Shelby Circus which was auctioned in Richmond, VA at the end of the 1889 season. Charles Andress bought him and put him on his show in 1890. He seems to have been a rough customer. Andress in turn sold him to Ringling in late 1890. He died in Baraboo winter quarters on Jan 2, 1893.

Museum of Natural History

DSC00059, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Here a Photo of the African male Chic was talking about From Dave Powell

Ringling Golden Jubilee Scrip (1933)

Ringling Golden Jubilee Scrip (1933), originally uploaded by bucklesw1. From Chris Berry Scrip issued by Ringling-Barnum to mark the "Golden Jubilee" of "Ringling Bros Shows" in 1933.

Ringling Bros. 50th Anniversary #1 (From Buckles)

Scan12067, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. A shot of the 41 elephants marching thru downtown Bababoo on their way to the Fairgrounds

Ringling Bros. 50th Anniversary #2

Scan12070, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. I lifted this out of my 1933 July-August White Tops. I later trouped with both Lew Bader on the Kelly-Miller Show and Henry Kyes with Polack Bros. And to think that Mr. Evans had already been with the Ringling Show for 14 seasons.

From Harry Kingston

Buckles, would you be so kind as to run those pictures of Tusko being unloaded by the drag chain method as some of us never have seen anything like that. Thank you. Harry

"Tusko" #1

Scan12062, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

"Tusko" #2

Scan12063, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. What a procession this must have been. Imagine the sound all that metal must have made. Quite an attention getter. Not to mention the commotion of manouvering around corners down town, interrupting traffic.

"Tusko" #3

Scan12069, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Finally on the lot with Elephant Boss, J.O ('sippi) Nance.

"Tusko" #4

Scan12068, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. This is a tiny photo that I have passed over for years. On enlargement I see that someone had identified both elephants. Certainly wasn't my dad, to him writing on the face of a photograph was sacrilegious. On the other hand I can envision somebody with a camera sending this to a friend on another show saying, "Look at the size of these guys!"

Hanneford #1 (From Hal Guyon)

Hannerford-100, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Buckles, Warren Adams posted some comments on your blog the other day about the Hanneford Circus playing Jamil Shrine Temple in Columbia, SC. Here are a couple of pictures I took in the early 80`s. The first is the Grand Lady Herself being interviewed by a local TV Reporter, Mrs. Hanneford was always gracious and a pleasure to be around. The next 2 were taken late at night before the opening the next day, I don`t remember who was on the trapeze but the other is Gaylord practicing. As you can see the arena wasn`t large but you will also see in the next picture that we really packed them in at all 7 shows. For those that were on the show during this time you may remember that at the first show on Saturday we brought in several hundred recruits from nearby Fort Jackson. Some of these soldiers had never seen a circus in their life and really enjoyed it. The last is of Mark out front of the elephant ride, I remember the guy loading the kids but can`t recall his name, maybe Warren can help. I was always proud to be associated with the Jamil Circus as a Co-Chairman,and we always treated the show folks like family. You were there yourself a couple of time Buckles, I hope you enjoyed it. I have many more photos that I have taken of the show in Columbia over the years and will send more if you`d like. Keep up the good work on the blog, it`s one of the first things I check every morning. Hal Guyon

Hanneford #2

Hannerford-101, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Hanneford #4

Hannerford-103, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Hanneford #3

Hannerford-102, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Hanneford #5

Hannerford-104, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Royal Hanneford in Michigan #1 (From Buckles)

Scan12058, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Here are some snap shots of our days with Tommy and Struppi in the 1980's. No idea what's going on here. If I had to guess it would be me and "Anna May" interrupting a pizza eating contest.

Royal Hanneford in Michigan #2

Scan12060, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Looks like Judge Riker, myself and Rick Pfening in deep thought.

Royal Hanneford in Michigan #3

Scan12061, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. The kiddies get the thrill of a lifetime by being afforded the opportunity to ride the big circus elephant. We would get yelled at (kiddies included) by Struppi if we ran overtime at intermission.