Buckles Blog: Circus Cameos #5

Monday, June 27, 2011

Circus Cameos #5

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22 comments:

John Whitfield said...: Frank Mcclosky and Tuffy Genders.; 27 June, 2011 06:45
Mike Naughton said...: The big grand prize from the top shelf for the first one to report McCloskey's authentic surname. CHIC SILBER, you and I are automatically excluded.; 27 June, 2011 08:19
Chic Silber said...: You lose points for misspelling

"McClosky" Mike & Tuffy's 1st name

was Harold; 27 June, 2011 10:26
Ole Whitey said...: Mike: No "e" - McClosky.

Chic already gave the other name awhile back.; 27 June, 2011 11:13
Chic Silber said...: Wasn't Tuffy part of Art's flyers

from Bloomington (maybe a catcher); 27 June, 2011 12:12
Roger Smith said...: CHIC: Tuffy was born and raised in Bloomington, Illinois, home of the revered Ward flying act barn on East Emerson Street. He and Concello were friends for life. Tuffy married Gracie Moore, and at various times they went up for the seven flying acts owned by Art, who bought the barn in 1936. Tuffy usually served as catcher. I last visited with him when he was General Manager of RB in the 1960s. He was content to depart with the advent of the Felds.; 27 June, 2011 17:22
Chic Silber said...: Tuffy actually stayed on for

several of the Feld years acting

as the Uber Technical Supervisor

with Dean McMurray & Baker Brown

He also was brouht into Haines

City with a group of seasoned

folks to do some very needed

mopping up along with Don Foote

Harold & Bob (& myself) but we

had very few pesos to play with

The big bucks had long been spent

I'm sure the Brigadier remembers

The Circus Day Theater tin roof

leaked worse than a 5 season top; 27 June, 2011 18:47
FRANK CURRY said...: TO ROGER SMITH;
I first saw evidence of Tuffy's "lack of contentment with the Feld Era" at a cocktail party that Irvin, thoughtfully, held at his apartment in 1968, during the Washington,DC RBBB engagement, for specific artists and staff.

Tuffy was drinking at the bar and I was visiting close by.

Irvin made repeated, fruitless, trips to the bar to attempt to engage Tuffy in conversation.

Finally, Irvin said "Tuffy PLEASE TALK TO ME".
Tuffy responded by swilling down the drink that he was holding and ordering another one. No further comment.

It was at that moment that I think Irvin determined that, from this point forward, he would never again have an employee that he could not IMMEDIATELY replace!; 27 June, 2011 19:56
Ole Whitey said...: Well, if nobody else is going to do it, I'll quote Chic here regarding McClosky's name:
"Something like Michelshewski but pronounced Mikelshevski."

But Walter "Punchy" Forbes Kernan was in the words of Dave Mullaney
"Pure Shanty Irish."; 27 June, 2011 22:09
Chic Silber said...: Bobby Snowden was a good friend

of Walter's & has great jackpots; 27 June, 2011 23:39
Chic Silber said...: Did Bobby Yerkes also train there

or was it somewhere else Roger

Our Property Master on Wicked's

1st National Tour is a friend of

his & mentioned that he is well

I hadn't seen him in many years; 27 June, 2011 23:58
Anonymous said...: almost looks like a young tim holst on far right.; 28 June, 2011 00:28
johnny said...: McClosky was a polack from up in New England and his name was Kloski and I guess Mac was a first nickname. From what I heard way bac when. Johnny; 28 June, 2011 07:28
johnny said...: I was with and close to Tuffy as a Perf. Direcotor and on tear down Tuffy would get a 12 pack and we would jackpot and wait for Charly Smith to call us to ride on the last run to the train. He always reeferred to Feld as Irv and I neverb saw any animosity. In fact he was Gen. Mgr. when Feld bougt the shows and had his cadre of ex-flyers in cushy money jobs that Feld was aware of. He became quite fond of Baker Brown personally and was a great inspiration to Baker in learning the ropes a Manager. Tuffy was his own person and never liked to have ass kissers and stool pigeons around him. I think he was comfortable around Feld. If he didn't like him I do not know. I was there at the last of Rudy Bundy as well and Trolle Rhodin and they seemed to all get along. All were very intelligent guys with commom bsense and Irvin knew and needed them at the time.johnny; 28 June, 2011 07:47
johnny said...: Irvin added alot of stuff to his shows and Tuffy had to fit all in. Not easy with me and all the animals from Baraboo, Wofgang with 20 lions. More floats, etc. But it got done. Dean McMurray was a good assistant in many ways. Tuffy had great bosses. Freddy White. Carly Smith. Jeanne Carson and others. Antonnete was naturally an old favorite and friend as was Bob Dover. Great people. Merle, Nina, etc. Johnny; 28 June, 2011 07:53
johnny said...: kHere is a true Tuffy story you all might enjoy. When in the fifties when North fired the "sneeze mob" of Concello, McClisky, Lawson, Tuffy. Lawson and Tuffy went to go out with Floyd Kings struggling shows in Central City Park in Macon, GA.

Forward a few years. We were setting up the day before with R Red at the State fair coliseum in Montgomer, Ala. Old building with dirt floor arena. They were rigging the high wire act a would tie off on big pillrs ay both ends. But Tuffy wanted some 2by4s to put up and then wind the cable around them. Show did not have any but World of Pleasure Carney had wintered there and left a junk pile to e picked up. I saw Tuffy scrounging thru the pile picking up pieces of twobyfour and helped him carry them in the bldg. As a Jackpot I laughingling said to Tuffy, "here you are scrounging a Carney junk pile for the GSOE. He laughed and said "you know one year I went up to take over the frnt door for King bROS. fLOYD Kimg in Macon, Ga. When I got there the show was tapped out. No scratch. Everybody broke. I scrouged some plywood to fix up some ticket boxes and then opened up my car trunk and took out a bag of nails. I became the most poular guy in qtrs" true Tuffy story.Johnny; 28 June, 2011 08:40
Anonymous said...: How'd the nickname "sneeze mob" originate?; 28 June, 2011 10:50
Richard Reynolds said...: That's the gorilla cage in the background. I had not realized it was painted blue in 1951. They left old Toto back in quarters that year and took out only the two babies.; 28 June, 2011 11:55
FRANK CURRY said...: NOTHING that "johnny said" about Tuffy, changes what I saw, heard and concluded.

The proof is in the facts. Look at what credentials it took to become a GM in later years.

Furthermore, as I stated, my anecdote took place in 1968, Irv's first year in control, and before Johnny joined RBBB.

Therefore, Irvin and Tuffy had a season to get to know one another.
But that still did not change Irvin's long term conclusion to never again be at the mercy of an employee. SMART BUSINESS!; 28 June, 2011 17:44
Roger Smith said...: CHIC: I just returned to this one today, July 3. Doubt if anyone else will, but Fay Alexander broke Bobby Yerkes in during their very early days around Ted DeWayne.; 03 July, 2011 04:32
Chic Silber said...: Thanks Roger & over the years

Bobby put quit a few acts together

& has trained countless folks to

do stunt work at his place in

Northridge California; 04 July, 2011 20:08
johnny said...: To Roger; Not quite right but close. Fay, Donny Johnson, Bobby Yeres were among others young fellows that broke in with Ted DeWayne in acrobatics [Risley, Teeterboard, etc.] They had all been with Ted on the Beatty Show and were great friends as well. During our stay in Disneyland [Gil Gray-Mickey Mouse Circus] Fay flew from Trapeze movie in Paris to appear in flying act put together by Ted DeWayne. Gil hired the catcher and his wife and hired Fay to be a flying act for the coming season. At the same time Donn and Bobby proposed to put together a teeterboard act as well. Donny agreed to go in the flying act [had minimum flying experience] and Fay was delighted to join Bobby and Donny in their teeterboard act. So we opened the season and shortly thereafter catcher Bill Dunn became disgruntled and up and blew the show. We had the Easter time two weeks off and laid off in Lincoln, Neb. at the fairgrounds. They put the flying rigging up in a small buiding. Bobby had absolutely no experience with a flying act but being the superb preformer he was with amazing practice work ethics in those two weeks Fay broke him in to be a catcher. General routine of donny and Fay and Bobby catching. No triple to be sure. Cleowould announce the triple and Fay would do a double. That is how it happened and they would all go on from there. I was there and good friends with all parties from then and forever. Bobby and Fay were remarkable circus athletes of the highest degree. Quite a story and I am proud to tell it.johnny; 05 July, 2011 09:28

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