Thursday, October 15, 2009

Dales Bros. Circus #2


Scan12238, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Posted by Buckles at 10/15/2009 06:13:00 AM

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Photo by Gene Christian! Was he always an agent or start out doing something else?? Somewhere I have a pack of his infamous handwritten maps.
cc

15 October, 2009 07:34
john h. said...

Very interesting about this circus. It was reputed to be a heavy grift show. Even tho it was small in size. I recall Mac MacDonald telling me about training the elephants Mary and Judy for Mickey Dale and later they and Shirley temple would be an act on Rogers Bros. with Bert Pettus as capt. Note Larry Davis Elephant Supt. connected. Believe he went in concession biz after short stint with Cole Bros. Wish I could add more. Maybe a knowledgable circus historian will give us more insight about this circus.

15 October, 2009 10:03
Ole Whitey said...

Mickey Dales' real name was Dalesio. He bought the equipment from the unsuccessful King & Franklin Circus of 1947 to start Dales Bros.

In 1948 both Dave and Deacon were partners but after one year they moved on to Harold Rumbaugh's John Pawling show.

The 1948 show was called Dales bros and in 1949 it was just Dales Circus. Or at least this is my opinion.

I have always heard that Dales came from a grift background.

15 October, 2009 12:56
Anonymous said...

Charlie Smith was hired on with Dales Bros. in the spring of 1949 to serve as lot boss and superintendent. In a 2002 interview, Charlie told me that when a new big top arrived C.O.D. at winterquarters, "Mickey Dales didn't have the money to pick it up, so I loaned him the money--I got my money back later." Charlie said this was the only time his worked with a push-pole tent in his lengthy career. Dales gave Charlie the pie car privilege--perhaps in return for the favor--and Smith said he had Bob Kowen (spelling?) run it for him. In 1950, Dale brought in his brother, Leo, to take over concessions. Since this arrangement also included Leo taking over the pie car, Charlie left the show at mid-season. Smith said Dales Bros. definitely was a grifter.

From Dales Bros., Charlie jumped to Little Bob Stevens' Stevens Bros. Circus out of Hugo. Smith ran the pie car there. He said his neighbor on the midway was Bobby Hake, who had a novelties stand.

Lane Talburt

15 October, 2009 17:29

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)