Saturday, October 05, 2013

1961 RBBB TV Special #21



Stephenson’s Dogs.

Posted by Buckles at 10/05/2013 05:15:00 AM

5 comments:

Eric said...

The Stephensons’ music included “Rise and Shine,” “Just One of Those Things,” “Hallelujah,” and “Sunshine Galop.” (Those first three numbers might have been left over from Izzy Cervone’s tenure as bandleader. When Izzy first programmed them back in 1956, they were reviled by old time circus fans like S.O. Braathen as not being “real circus.” Once Merle used them, however, they became acceptable.)

05 October, 2013 10:04
Paul Gutheil said...

The well-regarded Mr. Braathen, Circus photographer supreme, must be spinning in his grave over what's being played at Circuses these days, and a lot of us aren't too happy either.

Paul

05 October, 2013 13:29
Chic Silber said...


I recall Mrs Stephenson & the girls

Flo & Dinah & maybe Alec Sebastion

worked in the act with them

They used an assortment of other act

men to play a popcorn butcher that

was the target of 1 of the dogs that

would chomp onto the seat of his

breakaway pants

Years later Flo married Jim McGarity

& when they stopped performing they

operated Holiday Tent Rental

05 October, 2013 15:33
Mike Naughton said...

Sunshine Galop can be heard on Sounds of The Circus by the South Shore Circus Concert Band, Volume 26 with Tepa Hall on the cover.

I am particularly fond of galops because in the now considered "old days" when us clowns did chases we looked for music that had that speed and punch.

The old days that I refer to are the 70s and 80s.

A couple of year ago I donated a skeleton chase made by Marc Antony, the genius of foam rubber sculpturing to the International Clown Hall of Fame in Baraboo.

From Mike Naughton
50 years behind the times

05 October, 2013 17:01
Mike Naughton said...

I forgot to mention that the Stephenson's high dive ladder was the highest I've ever seen in a dog act.

05 October, 2013 17:18

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