Friday, July 29, 2011

1941 Ringling Performance #5

The camera does not lie. Contrary to what some of the old time fans used to claim, saxophones WERE used in the under-canvas Ringling band prior to the arrival of Izzy Cervone in 1956.
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Posted by Buckles at 7/29/2011 05:51:00 AM

8 comments:

johnny said...

Sure doesn't appear to be Merle Evans from the backside shot. Anybody else have the same thought? johnny

29 July, 2011 10:09
Anonymous said...

Merle played his cornet with his right hand and conducted with his left hand, no baton!
Bob Kitto

29 July, 2011 13:18
Ole Whitey said...

This may be the year he was at that women's college in Texas.

29 July, 2011 20:43
Eric said...

Merle Evans and the band were pulled off the show in 1942 because of some dispute between the Musicians Union and the Circus over the pay scale. (They themselves had no complaints with what the show was paying them.) For the rest of the season, the Circus used canned music (i.e. records.) In 1943 Robert Ringling settled with the union so that Merle and the band could come back.

What is shown here is probably Evans conducting the National Anthem or some sort of "overture" patched together from production number music that was played prior to the start of the performance, and which didn't required him to be facing away from the band.

30 July, 2011 00:56
Dick Flint said...

On orders of the musicians’ union, Merle Evans and his band struck the show at the start of the June 1, 1942, Philadelphia two-week stand. The strike action was much against the band's wishes as they were satisfied with their weekly wage of $47.50. After doing the Fitch Bandwagon radio show, by July he had secured a job as band director at Hardin-Simmons college in Texas and stayed there until the start of the 1943 season when Robert Ringling, having taken over from John Ringling North, settled with the union in time. Earlier in 1942, the show had been recorded and for the remainder of the 1942 season it was Frank McCloskey who played the records through a sound system during the show.

As to the picture, can we establish that this is, in fact, the Ringling band? The background doesn’t suggest either a tent show or the Garden. The hats on the band are unique so can anyway find a photo of the band for 1941 showing these (or different) hats?
Dick Flint
Baltimore

30 July, 2011 01:25
Roger Smith said...

I agree with Bob--this isn't Merle. That's not his haircut, and he was thinner through the shoulders, plus the fact there would be a cornet in that right hand.

Merle was at Hardin-Simmons University, in Abilene, Texas,as interim Band Director of their famed Cowboy Band, in 1943. Their Professor Marion B. McClure enlisted in the service and was sent to the Pacific war. With wartime enrollment down at HSU, Merle was only there for 7 months, when the band was discontinued for the duration. Among his pastimes around the sparse environs of Abilene was scruffing through the sand dunes, plinking jackrabbits with his trusty .22.

30 July, 2011 01:27
Chic Silber said...

Eric's note reminds me of a time

in the late 70s when Irvin had a

big blowout with 802 in NY over

a bone of contention for years

In order to have a rehearsal of

the band prior to opening it was

necessary to pay big overtime

The spring in question after

going through the entire score

with a fairly large band they

broke for dinner & a totally

different group of musicians

showed up for the performance

Irvin rightfully went ballistic

The next day he met with his

senior staff (not me) to come

up with a retaliation plan

Somehow an alternative musicians

union was created & 2 bands were

hired under the title of "Caspet

Music" & traveled in seperate

busses protected by a security

team hired to protect them

They entered each building at

different entrances than we did

It did not take very long for

802 to capitulate & Irvin won

Someone else must recall it

30 July, 2011 11:05
Chic Silber said...

Doesn't anybody remember Caspet

Music & have any of the stories

31 July, 2011 10:43

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