Friday, March 04, 2011

Ray's Circus Revue #7


Scan13284, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Posted by Buckles at 3/04/2011 05:55:00 AM

8 comments:

Chic Silber said...

Some of my earliest circus light

hanging fixtures were developed

from wash tubs just like these

04 March, 2011 08:46
Harry Kingston said...

Chic,
I remember in the early 1960's on Clyde Beatty Cole Bros the light over Beatty's act was a number 2 tub with the safety net tied to it.
This sure the heck beats the two by four criss cross fixture that Gopher used with small light bulbs in it.
Harry in Texas

04 March, 2011 14:37
Anonymous said...

There is gorgeous multimillion dolar theater in Rochester built by the founder of Kodak. When it opened in the 1920's several light fixtures were missing and workmen put up washtub lights over the balcony - they are still there\
cc

04 March, 2011 15:46
FRANK CURRY said...

TO CHIC!
I am blessed to have a set of "wash tubs" made by the late, great Carl Stephens.

NO SHADOWS !!!!, which I then supplemented with the more sophisticated lighting.

Paul Kaye does the same thing at the wonderful Evansville Circus!!!!

04 March, 2011 17:27
Chic Silber said...

I made up 4 of them in the 1st go

3 hung centered over the rings

with fairly narrow pattern

reflectors & 1 was with wider

patterned reflectors for Beatty

as it hung much lower

When I brought them to the show

Irwin Kirby from Billboard (AB)

was there & did a story with a

photo of me with the lights

Primitive but practical

There just happen to be a few

similar looking fixtures at a

local seafood joint

04 March, 2011 17:39
Harry Kingston said...

I have a Beatty Cole light that Charlie Harris gave me the type they used in the marque.
I use it in my Beatty Cole marque tent Johnny Pugh gave me for parties in the backyard.
The marque is a Leaf made tent.
Harry in Texas

04 March, 2011 19:49
FRANK CURRY said...

TO CHIC!

Irwin Kirby was a real New York City man, whom I first met as I was working for RBBB in the winter of 1964, during my rodeo off-season.

Irwin moved to Nashville, when Billboard moved there and became Amusement Business.

He was not too pleased with life in Music City and moved to Miami, Florida to work for some kind of Showmen's entity down there.

He was replaced,as editor, by the legendary Tom Powell, who had previously worked for the "Tennessean" newspaper.

While at the "Tennessean", Tom had done a story on me clowning and fighting bulls at the Nashville Tommy Steiner World Championship Rodeo, also in 1964, but in the fall.

In later years, while at AB, Tom covered my years at RBBB and then my Ronald McDonald Circus.

He now writes a regular column for the OABA.

04 March, 2011 20:55
Roger Smith said...

Beatty's light tub also had CB front, back and sides, the letters formed in a diamond shape, like the CB inside the Big Top over the rings. The light tub initials were made by 3/8" holes expertly drilled.

The light tub I worked under for Castle was sturdy and well engineered, but its four headlights had one drawback--the shaft of light shone straight down like a flashlight, and lit a spot on the ring mat about 4 feet across.

Irwin Kirby was Editor of AMUSEMENT BUSINESS when I flew to Washington to present my paper and testify for the Animal Welfare Act of 1970. He met me at the Nashville airport and did a feature interview about my contributions, the law, and alas, the changing times that brought us this first law in the first place.

06 March, 2011 03:17

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