Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Circus Vargas #16

Posted by Buckles at 2/14/2012 05:18:00 AM

9 comments:

Harry Kingston said...

This had to be the worlds largest big top back them as 5 center poles and 50 foot middles.
Leave it to Mr. V.
Harry in Texas

14 February, 2012 06:17
Hal Guyon said...

Thanks for the pictures Jerry, It must have been a great show ! Living here on the east coast it`s a shame I never got the chance to see it in it`s glory days. But in the early 70`s thru the 80`s my wife and I were dealing with raising 2 kids and paying for college. In other words, Broke as Hell !!!

14 February, 2012 09:00
Chic Silber said...

What a terrible shame we don't

have any full sized traditional

American circus tops in use today

How fortunate that many (some)

of us had our great opportunities

Traditions in all forms of show

business are badly eroded away

14 February, 2012 09:17
Chic Silber said...

When the term "plastics" was used

in the film "The Graduate" as the

future it never occured to me that

circus tops might be included

14 February, 2012 09:20
Harry Kingston said...

Chic,
Yes I agree as it is a real shame for no real 3 ring big top shows.
But I gues the owners look at it why have 3 rings and pay for 3 acts when you can do it in 1 ring.
Nuts must be out of sight.
Pugh said Cole was $16,000 a performance.
Give me a 150 by 300 foot tent any day.
That orange tent of Circus Vargas was 160 by 300.
Hal,I luckley got to see Vargas when it was Miller-Johnson to Circus Vargas and helped them in any way when they came my way.
Mr. V put on the best circus I ever saw under canvas and he took care of us fans.
If there was ever Ringling under a tent again it was circus vargas.
They had two cat acts Pat Anthony and Thomas.
Harry in Texas

14 February, 2012 12:32
Jim Zajicek said...

Best Circus under a Big Top I ever saw was Cliff Vargas's "Circus Vargas"...

14 February, 2012 21:51
Bob Cline said...

With four middles, were there four rings? a stage? an arena set-up? I only ever remember seeing the traditional three ring show on Vargas.

Bob

15 February, 2012 06:31
Harry Kingston said...

Bob,
Circus Vargas had two complete big top set ups, one for the dirt lots and one for the malls.
Cliff called me and said I need a favor and I said ok what can I do.
He wanted a complete set of poles and all that went with it.
I had a machine shop here in town I knew real well built the whole thing.
They shortened the centers like 2 1/2 feet and I have one of the cut off sctions in my collection.
I wonder to this day where all that went.
So Cliff had 8 center poles and all that went with it.
Like Jim said the best circus under canvas I ever saw.
Harry in Texas

15 February, 2012 07:35
Jerry Cash said...

Bob
I took the picture during the 1980 season,in east Los Angeles, and there were four rings.
Harry
In the years that I saw Vargas, they used the same big top for malls and dirt lots. I have photos of them setting up in Monronia, in 1983, in the mudd with a new big top. They put plastic on the ground first, then the big top.
Jerry Cash

15 February, 2012 13:48

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