Saturday, December 07, 2013

Smiley Faces #6

12 comments:

Chic Silber said...


Elaine with her hubby & dear old

dad J C Hall (don't know others)

I guess 2 didn't finish lunch

JC Hall said...

Elaine's Cousin David Zoppe and her Mother Tepa

JC Hall said...

This Photo was taken by Paul at a grease joint we visited with Paul & Diane Guthiel on a few occasions in Morristown NJ.

Chic Silber said...


Sorry I didn't recognize Tepa

Is David a brother of Roger

JC Hall said...

David is brother to Johnny Zoppe. RBBB did a Space aerial number Johnny Zoppe Jr. Rocket ships during the Irvin Feld era.

Paul Gutheil said...

And as Jimmy knows I pick the finest subjects and most terrific people for my photos.

Paul

Chic Silber said...


Thanks Jimmy I certainly recall

that rocket routine that he did

with his wife & their kid ran the

controls for it on Big Bertha

The kid would spout out some very

nasty comments about his folks

during the act to anyone around

When Johnny stopped performing he

worked for several shows & also

the Circus Museum in Sarasota

designing & building equipment

When he split with his wife he

moved into Dave Merrifield's

Airstream behind Machino's park

John Herriott said...

Yes Jimmy Zoppe Hall Your cousin for many years was David Laddie named as a family name during thje career of father Johnny Laddie who did a fine well recognized in the show world act known as Unsupported ladder, hence the affiliation. After Johnny sr. demise the family would be known as the given circus family name of Zoppe.I am still one of a few that refers to him as David Laddie. Well I guess I have rambled on for no reason. Guess thats a sign of old age "whats that name again "? I hear that word Dementia and I think it refers to Senile. I am more comfortable with old age. I have also, by the way, heard old time showfolks refer to that uncle as Johnny Zavatta. your truly Tanglefoot Herriott

John Herriott said...

A few years back I went to a big metal fabricater biz. here in SAra. to get a Slab of metal ent to a certain size as replacement roof on a horse trailer and I was turned over th the shop foreman who was very skilled at this sort of thing. We talked and then this nice looking young fella said, "You do not remember me but I am [blank mem] of the Johnny Zoppe that ran the controls when we were at Circus World [Haines City] with you. What a nice surprise and then I rrealized he had inherited those genes in the family as excellent builders and fabricators of just about anything. Amazing family trait.

JC Hall said...

Well here goes; Zoppe married Gilda Bele; Sons were Secondo, Chico, Raphalle, Giovanino, After old man Zoppe passed on, Gilda remarried to Zavatta. Then came Oglie and Aurelia Zavatta, my mother.
Secondo Zoppe and wife Diana had Orazio, AKA Joe, Enrico, Yolanda and Gilda. So the story goes. So I would Be closer to being Jimmy Zavatta Hall than Zoppe. Never the less my dad, Mel Hall told me on many occasions that he was so proud of all his kids as he thought we were the second generation on his side of the family that walked upright?

JC Hall said...

To Herriott
Yes, Mario Zoppe, Johnny Zoppe's son. When he was 4 years old he was in our shop and wanted to try to weld so to shut him up I gave him a helmet to see how & what to do. That's when I got pissed at the kid. On the first try he laid down a damn near perfect bead. His dad also was shocked. By the time he was 15 I found myself asking him how to weld SS and Alum.

Chic Silber said...


A clean welding bead at 4 sounds

to me like a better ring 2 act

than that xylophone punk