Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Circus Vargas #10

Posted by Buckles at 2/14/2012 05:26:00 AM

9 comments:

John Herriott said...

These two photos say it all. What a terribly run circus. No shelter for animals. That is why I blew. Also no semblance of circus type operation. No ryhyme or reason is spotting the lot. Vargas trailer and crap took up the whole back door, plus they parked people long ways around the tent. Never had the same back door. No set time for payday. No timekeeper or Duckie books for working men. No cookhouse. Horses hooves were rock hard from standing on hard black top.Ferrier could not rasp them. Rex didnot want animal tent. Elephants could stand out and when it got too cold he would just load them. VargAS ALSO DID NOT want animal tents as he wanted the public on the mall to see the animals. I never had any humane groups or animal lovers question the poor animals standing out side. Ring rubber consisted of rolls of stair stepping. No tie dow, groumets,etc. Horses fell down every show. I had awning and sidewall for my horses and in the hot Calif. sunshine, we [MR and daughters would take poor albino {General Vargas} and fit him under our awnining as his pink skin around his mouth would blister. We had one ramp to load two trailer full of horses and would struggle to carry it from one trailer to the other. Vargas was the biggest "heat merchant" on the show and enjoyed his many "stool pigeons". You could never tell who was "geared or straight" Good looking young men that worked on front door were hand picked by owners Joe Masrcorella and Vargas. Bill Biggerstaff was front door boss but was not responsible for those auditions. The F word was the main verbal communication and Vargas excelled in its usage among other distasful terms that he frequently shouted in a fit of rage. We never did a matinee on opening day because tent crew could never get it up on time and frequently before 7pm doors VargaS WOULD COME TO ME AND rEX TO SEND OUR GUYS IN TO HELP FINISH SETTING UP THE SEATS. sUPERINTENDANT came to me and saID HE AD SOME GALLONS OF WHITE AND cARNEY orange paint and that I should get it and have my guys paint the horse trucks. That did it and I went to vargas with my two week notice and told him that I was a good horse trainer but lousy truck painter so he said forget it but it was never the same and it built up to where in Chico, Clif. I took my family and "blew" after the closing night. No place to go but I could not stand it. With young daughters being around perverted people and filthy mouths it was not family friendly, so we drove from Northern Calif. to Sarasota. Incidentally I had been there six months. Soon after I got home friend and agent Raul Parada called me that he heard I left Vargas and Atayde Circus in Mex. could sure use me to straighten out their elephants, horses, camels, etc. I made a deal and was there for some seven months and they werte just great. First class in every way. real gentlemen. MR got the girls booked with Tommy and she held down the fort and trained a fine new Giant Poodle act. We got booked folr a return to the Circus World Museum and we were off and running with a next season contract With Beatty-Cole and the rest is history. I guess Vargas realized his Tissy mistakes and over the years greeted us cordially. So that is the story, so there Wade you have seen my return to comments. Johnn herriott

14 February, 2012 09:12
Wade G. Burck said...

John Milton,
You are special Col. Herriott!!! As special as special can be!!!! LOL,LOL.
That Frank, is how you write a by God nut's and bolt's review!!!!
You are dead on about his stool pigeon's, John Milton. The show was crawling with them. We used to say "those that can, excel. Those that can't, report to V and keep him posted on what those that can are doing. :)
He/she was a madman, and if he/she had been in any other profession besides the circus, he/she would have been certified and institutionalized. Because birds of a feather flock together a certain personality meshed and got along with him. Other.s didn't.
I made 9 months the second time around on the Vargas show. After a brutal 600 mile overnighter(Rex always said the 1981 season was the toughest he ever did there)we were unloading cages in a blinding rain storm, when a "new on the show one week goof" tripped the winch cable and sent the last cage off the ramp and on to it side. Nine months of unspeakable hell exploded and I went to Def Com 3 in an instant and pummeled the goof with all my frustration and misery. Rex and my brother Mike pulled me off the poor soul and Mike said, "I don't know how to tell you this brother, but that is V's new boyfriend you just hammered." All I could do was groan, and say "oh, s**t, let's start loading the cat's back up." Rex gave me a couple of his guy's and we had 4 cages loaded back up by the time V came screaming around the tent, yelling "get that Fing shit off my lot." I looked at him and said, "if you had come 10 minutes later I would have been gone, I've got one cage left."
Show business is all right, isn't it Col. :)

Wade Burck

14 February, 2012 21:30
Frank Ferrante said...

Well put Col. I don't think that you can compare the three shows - they were all of different times, cultures and management styles. I was there and I agree with a lot of what you and Wade have testified, all I'm saying is don't judge the current owners, by the sins of the past. ~frank

14 February, 2012 23:55
Jim Zajicek said...

The Best Circus I have ever seen under a Big Top is Cliff Vargas's Circus Vargas...When I purchased my ticket..How they treated the Horse wrangler and Cat Guy never really entered the equation...

15 February, 2012 10:17
Jim Zajicek said...

Besides didnt Col. Castle tell Ben in "Toby Tyler"..."Whats the use of ownin my own Circus if I can't go off on the help once in awhile!!"..(or somethin like that)..which he then said "Now Ben, are you gonna stand around in a Bankers suit!..we've got a Show to move!!"..(or somethin like that!)..In all honesty, I thought bein abused by Circus Producers was the norm...or did I miss something?....

15 February, 2012 13:19
Wade G. Burck said...

Frank,
No disrespect was intended, and I am by no mean's suggesting you, but over the years there have been many counterfeit review given/written about a circus, that had little to do with the content of the show and more to do with how the reviewer was treated.
I fear that show's like Vargas, Ringling, C & B etc., in fact every show for that matter will be remembered when they were something big and grand. That's just human nature. Most every thing starts out small and grows, very few things that started out big and crashed to small will be remembered or revered the same as the day's of wine and roses.
I am forever grateful I was able to catch the tail end of the grandeur of the past. It motivated and inspired. If I were 18 years old again and seeing my first circus, without fear of contradiction, there is nothing out there today that would inspire a young person to want to be of that special world, and make it their life's pursuit.

Wade Burck

15 February, 2012 15:11
Wade G. Burck said...

Zych,
You are dead on friend, that is the norm. Possibly one of the reason's there is such a long line at the admission's desk to enroll. :)
I dealt with two 100% class producer's in my life, Irvin Feld and Paul Kaye. Both had the rare ability to motivate you and inspire you bringing out your best. It is a rare ability not taught in "management school." They are both dead now, and I can only wish good luck to the kinkers still out there getting it done.

Wade Burck

P.S Don't forget I rode along on the "Baraboo cattle drive", and I witnessed you manhandle your 5 legged(4 normal and one money) cow. Don't be so eager to cast the first stone, pal!!!!!!!

15 February, 2012 15:20
Jim Zajicek said...

Wade
I am a Big Fan of you and the Col.,
Surely had I known you both (back then)...I still would of enjoyed the Show, However, after visiting, I would have stormed to the Office and personally gave Cliff a piece of you and the Col.'s mind!!!...

15 February, 2012 16:12
Frank Ferrante said...

Wade -

Thanks for the note. I've been around long enough not to be thin skinned and I KNEW you weren't referring directly to me. No offense taken, my friend.

However, I will say that I will always paint my stories on the side of the Circus and the Performers.

Be well. ~frank

15 February, 2012 22:06

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)