Thursday, February 04, 2010

Bailey Bros. Circus #3

Posted by Buckles at 2/04/2010 05:34:00 AM

9 comments:

Chic Silber said...

Must have been a precurser to the

infamous "silver sleeper" that may

have started life as a horse van

Pretty snappy digs but a step up

from sleeping in possum bellies

04 February, 2010 13:14
Roger Smith said...

My goodness, the storied Silver Sleeper, No. 22 Wagon. For the uninitiated, this performers sleeper had single girls in the front half, then a rather stout barrier wall, and single men in the back half. The girls were well chaperoned by Miss Ofelia, and no one dared breech her domain. I think Walter McClosky was the only one to successfully date any of the girls from there, and even he made his arrangements elsewhere, rather than approach the door where Miss Ofelia ruled from the first bunk. Trying to remember, Chic--was her last name Monteira?

05 February, 2010 00:16
Chic Silber said...

Although I don't recall her last

name I believe she was Potugeuse

and had difficulty with English

her 1st few years and was teased

by many of the show girls

They taught her to say "follow

the grilled cheese" instead of

"follow the girl please" when

stationed at a gate in the

grandstand and thought that was

funniest thing in the world

I think her brother might have

been Moisies (sp) a wire walker

At various times in its life

the sleeper housed different

groups including Margaret Ann

and her mother in the front

and the clowns in the rear

05 February, 2010 10:01
Roger Smith said...

In '64, the Silver Sleeper, sometimes referred to by a particularly rude monicker, housed showgirls we called the Limey Broads, who came from England rather hurriedly in the aftermath of the Profumo scandal that rocked Britain's parliament. Our girls may or may not have been acquainted with the frolicksome Lords, but were booked over by Digger Pugh. The unrelenting eye of Miss Ofelia monitored Sue Pembrook, Norma Wilford, Virginia, my friend Kathy Brookes, and one whose persuasion proved unpopular in this cramped community.

Kathy was kept busy as the show nurse. She was badly injured in a fall beneath the Cristiani horses during a performance. Herbie Weber gave me the insurance papers to take to the hospital with her. She returned after treatment for internal injuries, and slowly returned to her routines.

Looking back, it seemed like every day there was another tantalizing story coming out of the Silver Sleeper, a number of them originating with Boss Clown Eddie Dullem, among the denizens of the mens half.

05 February, 2010 19:58
Chic Silber said...

I think you are referring to

Sue Plumbridge Taylor and you

should remember Heather Clements

Tony Williams Both Mondo's Joan

and quiet Joan (1 of whom married

Lloyd Jr) and Jill who married

Lothar Geyer

Wasn't there another Cathy that

went with Red Hartmann

I believe it was Eileen that

was the original chaperone and

Johnny's trampoline partner

"Gone are the days when my heart

was young and gay" (pardon the

expression not a proclivity but

a song lyric)

05 February, 2010 21:45
Roger Smith said...

Well, I wasn't going to mention this, out of regard for Norma Wilford. I last ran across her tending bar in Sarasota, early in '82. We discussed that season, and many names came up. It was she who went with Red, and at the mention of his name, putting it mildly, Norma expressed her regrets for the association.

Plumbridge--that was Sue's name. I got Penbrook from another source. I heard Sue had a local TV show for some time, and was doing well with it.

In '64, by the time I knew Lothar, he and Jill were already married, so I didn't know she had any connection with the Silver Sleeper. Lothar once re-wired Mr. Beatty's Airstream when there were some threatening incidents electrically.

Heather and Eileen must have been just before my time. When I arrived, Johnny was in a leg cast from a trampoline accident. He moved readily into the Front End, and the rest, as they say...

06 February, 2010 00:57
Chic Silber said...

Funny you mention bar tending

About that same time I found

Tony Williams tending bar in a

joint on 41 just a few blocks

from my office

Shae had married & divorced a

candy butcher named Williams

and I believe Heather married

another butcher called Deacon

In my early years the Digger

Pugh ladies were of the greatest

interest to me (loved the accent)

Lothar & I remained friends after

he left the business and became

a fishing boat captain in Cortez

06 February, 2010 10:01
Roger Smith said...

I did not know Tony Williams, or the butcher whom she married.

I mentioned Virginia. I don't recall knowing her last name at the time. She married a Beatty show butcher whose name, I believe, was Big Bob Rayburn. He became Boss Canvasman on Carson & Barnes. One one set-up, some show equipment came in contact with a high-line and his son was electrocuted. As Bob tried to rush to his aid, Bob was also electrocuted. Father and son killed within seconds of one another. Carson & Barnes historians can be more specific. In '73, Virginia joined out with us for a time on Castle. She was not on the show, but was there to visit. I recall she first arrived in El Paso that year. She was a beautiful and charming woman, far too soon bereft of husband and son.

06 February, 2010 19:14
Roger Smith said...

CORRECTION RE: RABORN DEATHS

Further research tonight finds that Robert "Bob" Raborn, 53, and his 14-year-old son, Steve, were electrocuted when setting up Royal Bros. Circus, on Prince Edward Island, Canada, and not on Carson & Barnes. As described in the Biographies section of the Circus Historical Society website, the date of the tragedy is given as August, 1974. I had believed the deaths occurred prior to Virginia visiting us on Castle, in '73. I regret the error and am grateful to have found this correction.

07 February, 2010 00:41

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