Wednesday, June 16, 2010

NY Worlds Fair (Continued)


Scan12995, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Well, we finally got our picture in Life Magazine but not quite
as we had imagined. We were "Exhibit A" as an example of the
shows nobody went to.

One day Wayne Larey came up and asked it we could walk the
elephants around the fair and maybe drum up a little business.
They showed up with a convertable sporting a cardboard sign
on each door with the handwritten words "Continental Circus".
The artists took turns waving and smiling at puzzled fair-goers
while I followed with the elephants.
I have a picture somewhere of our little procession going around
the big Globe while Ernie and Maran tossed balloons.

After about a week the convertable didn't show up and that was
that. Later I was in the office wagon checking on the mail and
mentioned to Bill Perry that this was the first show I had ever been
on that caught up with it's paper and had to "wildcat".

I'll have to find that parade picture.

Posted by Buckles at 6/16/2010 06:14:00 AM

3 comments:

Buckles said...

Chappie Fox and Mayme Ward showed up in New York with an elephant blanket she had made.
Mayme was going to appear on "What's My Line?" TV Show and as a publicity gimmick they came out to the Fair to try out the blanket on "Anna May".
I think I've already shown that picture on the Blog.

16 June, 2010 07:33
Rose Acord said...

Emmet Kelly Jr. was at Kodak.

Mario Zacchini was being shot out of a cannon, somewhere, on fair grounds. ( I do remember learning that the "shoot" was sponsored by a cereal company. The "cannon" placed next to a giant box of cereal, where samples were given out to passers by.)

I'd have thought the fair could have publicized the circus through the appearances of both men. Both, circus.

So much at the 64-65 fair lost money. Many things not returning in 65, or added then. Countries not paying bills, crowds lower than expected.

The fair didn't make money, and sadly, it sounds neither did the circus.

Thank you again, Buckles

16 June, 2010 10:55
Roger Smith said...

In 1962, I was among the theatre majors at Texas Tech who won spots in Live Show at the new Six Flas Over Texas, in Arlington. They had kept our files, and early in 1964, when they were casting for the World's Fair, I received a contract, accompanied by a draconian New York apartment form. Thank God I had learned to read these things before succumbing to the glories of Flushing Meadow. We had to pay one year's rent, no matter what, for months we would not be there. The contract began in March for the show run of April 22 to October 18, but the rent ran until the next March, and just try to break a New York lease. The season meant we had to forego both Spring and Fall semesters of college. We would bunk with anyone assigned to us, we had to spring for transportation to and from the lot, the pay was held to scale, and the flag on Cookhouse was down. Upon opening our mail, we honorees consulted among ourselves, and no one could see beyond the dark side. Drawing blanks, harried casting directors phoned us, frantically extolling what New York could mean. None among the Texas Tech chosen signed. The Texas Pavilion eventually cast their show, but not from the contracts first tabled. Turning this down proved fortuitous for me. In the next few weeks, a more welcome letter arrived, expressing interest in my earnest application. It was signed by Clyde Beatty.

16 June, 2010 19:49

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