Thursday, February 04, 2010

Bailey Bros. Circus #2

Posted by Buckles at 2/04/2010 05:36:00 AM

13 comments:

Buckles said...

These gentlemen are unloading "star backs".
Any one know what they were used for?
Nothing to do with coffee!

04 February, 2010 06:25
Frank Ferrante said...

Would that be the 'Reserved' seat section? ~frank

04 February, 2010 09:24
Hal Guyon said...

Reserved seats on many shows where starback, they had a small back board that folded up from the planks.

04 February, 2010 09:26
Dick Flint said...

I'd hate to think I sat on a cup of coffee! Can anyone pinpoint when they last were in use?

Peru may have the only surviving examples thanks to a barn that was partially constructed with them though I was once told CWM has an example. Peru had so many that many were cut up into individual units and sold/given away as souvenirs.
Dick Flint
Baltimore

04 February, 2010 09:43
Chic Silber said...

I recall seeing some old hardwood

(and I still have some) that had

white stars stenciled on the back

and was told that they were for

"special" reserved seats in the

grandstand so maybe these were

aisle parts for that area

04 February, 2010 10:49
Buckles said...

Me and my folks were on this show in 1949, I worked for the A&E Concession Co., Laura Anderson and Frank Ellis.
She bank rolled the show to get it out and the title was changed to Robbins Bros., no doubt due to heat the previous season.
I worked with such concessionaires as Jimmy Devine, Big City, Fergie, Puddin Head and E Flat and for some reason we didn't do much Chinese.
We put up the marquee and a few more things but we didn't have to hump any lumber so my experience with star backs was nil however I remember them what did complaining about mashed fingers.
This was the first time I met Odie Dodie who worked the Auction Jam on the blow off at night.
In those days he worked very strong and when he had collected sufficient funds the light would go out and he would make a dash for his car. E Flat had unplugged the light and I would pick up his table after the scuffle had subsided.
Lots of heat over this folly, fortunately most of the show was already off the lot by the time the law arrived.
I remember while in Canada Odie got greedy and caused the show to blow the second day of a two day stand as we were escorted out of town.
Pretty exciting stuff for a fourteen year old.

04 February, 2010 12:03
Chic Silber said...

Reminds me of stories that Banjo

(Benjamin Contrata) would tell

around the late night card & crap

games about his old buddies

Frank kept him around to keep

much of the help broke and there

were times that things got pretty

rowdy & out of control

04 February, 2010 13:20
Roger Smith said...

By the time I had been around the Beatty show a few weeks, I had a clear overview of who was who and what they did. One nagging curiosity was noticing who had the softer jobs. I kept my mouth shut, but wondered how a select few were never seen involved in the back-breaking Chinese that beset the rest of us. Naturally, my observations landed on Banjo, whose fingers were lifted only to turn a card. My great pal was First Trumpeter Tommy Napoli, of Italian descent, meaning in this case, he had an inside track on the skinny around there. One day I ventured the inquiry of exactly what Banjo did. "Banjo," Tommy muttered under his breath, "is a necessary evil." I never asked again.

04 February, 2010 17:04
Chic Silber said...

Roger you must have also come

to know that one of the best

slots to fill was to take care

of Tommy Clark's "Blue Room"

and to assist in any of his

other endeavors

Tommy had been ring 1 props boss

under Bob Reynolds on Big Bertha

and came with the McClosky team

Reynolds became Superintendant

with Tommy as Boss Props (with

the #1 inside ticket box and the

Blue Room)

04 February, 2010 22:29
Roger Smith said...

I never got in on a side business, but after I returned from getting Mr. Beatty's Airstream from Rochester, Minnesota, and parking it at Weeping Willow Trailer Park, in Chicago, where he was first recovering from surgery, I did earn $2 a night dropping blocks for Tommy Clarke. Without the Beatty family to drive for, I rode in 96 Bible Wagon with Tommy Napoli. At tear-down, I walked up the laces of the Big Top, and went from pole to pole, dropping blocks to John Schweitzer, the Boss Rigger. One night I nearly gave Clarke a heart attack, when I chanced sliding down Four Pole to the ground. He explained if the wind caught the Big Top, and slammed the bail ring against the pole with me trying the slide, I'd be cut in half. Lesson learned. From then on, I walked down the laces to the bull rope, and dropped down in relative safety.

04 February, 2010 23:50
Chic Silber said...

John Schweitzer was a better

rigger (and could splice anything)

stone drunk than anyone I've ever

known when they were sober

In his last years in retirement

he used to come by my shop and

look to be helpful as he cut up

jackpots in his gravel voice

he did more talking then than

I ever recall in his show years

I also remember how dedicated he

was to his little dog John John

05 February, 2010 09:28
Anonymous said...

One time when the staff trailer was taken to the factory in Indiana for repairs, I was asked if I would drive Banjo overland since his ride was the vehicle pulling the trailer. I think that I got $2 or $3 for taking him to the next town and to a hotel downtown. One time he told me he wouldn't need a ride the next night as he had a game lined up in the town.
He was quite a character and he told me many stories of his life, working for some very well known people, including Gumpertz who had had hired him to straignten out the gambling problems on the Ringling show.
Bob Kitto

05 February, 2010 18:08
Anonymous said...

John Schweitzer was a brilliant man concerning many things.
As an example in the mid 70's (and I'm sure before and after) John would share an occasional sip of wine with his drinking buddy Gamble from the big-top crew.
On this particular day Gamble asked John for a swig from his wine bottle. John took a regular pencil from his pocket and put it pointy side up into to the bottle, and then handed it to Gamble who took a short sip.
I asked him what was the purpose of the pencil and he said that if he had tried to guzzle the wine the point would stick Gamble right in the back of his throat.

That Schweitzer-ism always stayed with me.

05 February, 2010 20:26

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