Friday, April 12, 2013

Aerialists #14

Posted by Buckles at 4/12/2013 05:12:00 AM

8 comments:

Bruce the Clown said...

"Mr. Sensation" and Mae . . .

12 April, 2013 06:58
Bob Swaney said...

Also spun a good mystery yarn..."Past Murder Imperfect."

12 April, 2013 10:47
Anonymous said...


Billy loaned me the negative for this photo so I could make copies.
He said it was taken on the Pollack
show about 1974. He shared a number of fun stories about Mae.
Still miss his column in Circus Report.

Paul

12 April, 2013 11:16
Anonymous said...


PS Bruce: "Mr. Sensation" AKA
"Mr. Sinsation"

Paul

12 April, 2013 11:18
JACKIE said...

I had heard that Billy Barton was close friends with Mae West, but this is a fantastic untouched photo, and she sill looked sensational.

12 April, 2013 12:08
Wade G. Burck said...

When I first joined the circus in Fargo, North Dakota in 1974, a scared, terrified 19 year old teenager, completely alone in this strange new world I had entered, Billy and his partner Bobby, along with Lottie Brunn and Ted Cherrick were the kindest, most helpful people in the world to me. I didn't know "WHO" they were, and didn't realize until a few years later "WHAT" they were. Kinda like entering politics and being mentored and looked after by Abraham Lincoln. The day I walked on to the lot,in this case building, Billy was the first person I saw. I asked him who was in charge. He replied, "It's easy Mary, he's the one cleaning Chimp shit"(Show Manager Andrew Kirby.)
Billy Barton and I became great friend's from that day on, working on a number of shows together.
In 1980, I was foolish enough to think I could write a book on life in the Circus. Billy who had recently published his "Agatha Cristie type who-don-it", kindly offered to proof read and critique the 356 page manuscript. In my archive of cherished garbage I have kept the manuscript, with the first 3 pages, cut, slashed, sliced and diced in Billy's on hand, before he threw it back at me, with the personalized notation of, "I hope you learn to train animals, better than you can write, Mary. Other wise you will not live to the age 25." Once a week, Billy and Bobby picked my up at the crummy in the elephant truck and took me to the laundry mat and grocery store. Lou Regan used to tell me, "Show business isn't what it used to be, you should have seen it in 1935" and I thought he was nut's as it was awful grand in 1974. Year's later, in 2006, I old my sons,"Show business isn't what it used to be, you should have seen it in 1974." There was only one, there will never be another Prince Navez, Mr. Sensation, Billy Barton.

Wade Burck

12 April, 2013 12:52
Roger Smith said...

I last saw Billy on the Plunkett show, in San Antonio, in 1990. He was still working his star cloud-swing turn. Cleo's blow-off announcement, at Billy's dramatic closing style, included how great he was at 64. On this site, I have previously told the story of how Billy took Pat Anthony to visit Miss West in her Ravenswood apartment, in Hollywood. He laughed that he had never seen Pat Anthony so quiet.

12 April, 2013 18:13
John Herriott said...

Billy's father and uncle were rough tough Wild West concert cowboys and Billy was around lots of "Mud shows" growing up. They w ere George and Lou Barton. johnny.P.S. Billy did a great "high yellow" drag in Howard Suesz Minstrel show. Also on the cast were Cleo Plunkett, Happy Kellums and Alvie Maddox, later known as Austin Miles. I saw the show in Texas years ago.Billy sang "Bill Bailey won't you please come home. johnny

13 April, 2013 08:59

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