| Here's a picture I took nearly fifty years ago of Hubert Castle standing in front of both a Seils-Sterling poster of him as Hal Silvers and the familiar Cole Bros one as Hubert Castle. I believe his name was actually Smith. |
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
From Dave Prive
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I should have mentioned that he told me that John Ringling North came up with the name Hubert Castle.
He said he was contracted to go with RBBB and when he got there he discovered that North had already decided on that name and that posters and programs had already been printed with his new name.
When I went to work my first cage act (owned by Hubert Castle) I told him I wanted to use Larry Dean as my proffessional name. He told me that it sounded like "a guy from California, that wrote a book about quiche !" Using Dean, my son's first name, I added my son's middle name,Allen, and became America's only wild animal trainer with 3 first names !
Welcome back, Larry.
He was born James Albert Hal Smith, an Enid, Oklahoma boy. The most reliable work during the Depression came through the Jewish booking agents, so he became Hal Silvers to fool them.
He was rather surprised, and at first not too happy that His Eminence JRN had dubbed him Hubert Castle. He enjoyed his years on RBBB, and spoke of being "a Center Ring solo for four years when it was an honor to be there." He was also pleased in getting that LIFE magazine cover during the Garden run.
I was on his show for two seasons, and was a frequent guest in their expansive ranch-style home on Peavy Road, in Dallas. He and Mary both had engaging personalities, and were good bosses.
Harold Barnes wrote a great tribute to him in the March 13, 1989, issue of Circus Report.
Mr. Castle died at his daughter, Jan's, home in Newburg, NY, on January 29, 1989, of Alzheimer's. He was buried in Largo, Florida.
Roger Smith
I'm not sure who steelarena314 is, but all the information they have on Hubert Castle is correct!
I am his Great-Granddaughter and enjoy finding mementos to save other than items I already have from my Mom or Granbun (Mary, Hubert's widow). We just spent a weekend with Granbun celebrating her 97th birthday on March 8 and spent plenty of that time reminiscing about Grandad. I was only 10 when he passed away and did not have the pleasure of getting to know him as much as I would have liked, but still loved the times and I did spend with him and Granbun.
Ami Burkhalter
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