Sunday, December 16, 2018

LET'S EAT #8


11 comments:

Charles Hanson said...

I have always wondered why DeMille didn't do a quick scene of the cookhouse in the movie GSOE.....He covered all other aspects of the circus business so well.....

Paul Gutheil said...

Good point Charles. Anybody have an answer?

Chic Silber said...


Perhaps he did but maybe

was lost in the editing

Many sad stories on the

cutting room floors

Chic Silber said...


This was from the King Show

Charles Hanson said...

Chic: Napoleon Reed had the cookhouse on King Bros Circus during the Floyd King years....Don't believe this is the King Show.....I have seen a lot of photos in the King Bros Programs which were lifted from the Ringling Show. This photo shows a much larger cookhouse than I recall seeing........

Chic Silber said...


I went by the note that

came with this Charles

No idea who sent it

Charles Hanson said...

Chic: I found this same photo in the 1954 King Bros. Circus program...which is understandable as to why the note read King Show.....Having said that, there were other photos in that same program, including this one, that were lifted from other shows....Mainly Ringling Show..... Mr. Floyd King wheeling and dealing....bigger and better each year....Never mind the photos are from other shows....You had to love him for never "giving up"....

Roger Smith said...

This is the 1st shot I've seen of that long table down the center. When I was first on the Beatty show, in '64, the Long Table was the workingmen's table, to which I was relegated. We'd get a 6 oz. scoop of ravioli most days. There would be 2 loaves of bread set out and 1 stick of butter, along with a short jar of peanut butter to compliment the ravioli. Pete the Porter would sit down and slop a whole loaf of bread through his tin of milk, leaving 1 loaf for 3 dozen consumers to covet. Once these condiments were gone, it was tough luck if you had to continue work and arrived while the flag was still up. You might get the scrapings of the ravioli. Day by day, my eyes scanned the comparative luxuries crowding the staff and performers tables, and to this very writing, I cannot stand ravioli.

Charles Hanson said...

I helped out on a small tent circus one day and was invited to eat in the cookhouse. The meal consisted of coffee, cinnamon roll, and banana soup....which was basically hot water with sliced bananas. True story.....This was a mid day meal...Can only wonder what was served for the evening meal....

Chic Silber said...


One year (can't recall which)

Billy McCabe had the Beatty

CookHouse & he did a nice job

Roger Smith said...

The one day I helped Enoch Brafford with that push-pole top Suesz had, lunch was a ladle of lukewarm beenie-weenies and a slice of white bread.