Buckles Blog: 1950's KM #1 (From Buckles)

Wednesday, April 02, 2014

1950's KM #1 (From Buckles)

17 comments:

Harry Kingston said...: Mr. Circus, I never met anyone that liked it as much as D. R. Miller did.
His jackpots were priceless.
He was a great friend to me during the years and knowing him was my great thrill of a life time.
When he started the ark foundation he called me and asked for a donation, do you think I would turn D R down, I had the money in the mail right then.
His daughter Barbara Jane and her daughters are carrying on a long time circus tradition, the American tented circus the way it should be seen under the big top.
Harry in Texas; 02 April, 2014 08:05
John Herriott said...: The Dory we remekmber. Correct me if I am wrong, and i DO NOT BELIEVE THIS IS PUBLISHED CIRCUS HISTORY. Obert had a little dog and pony act on my Uncles Zellmar Bros. in the twenties and Dory was just a youth with him. We have photos of Obert on the show and Dory and Obert recalled it well. In fact Dory knew the Engesser family that were with the show at that time and 6thru the years was always couteous to them,us. Later Dory would bbe with Lindeman Bros. Seils Sterling as wire walker Don Steel and the same, in fact a number of Lindeman family would be in principal jobs on KM. I recall when our family was on KM that old retired "Pappy Campbell" of the former Campbell Bros. circus visited and Obert was quite pleased as he had at one time been on that circus.

Now when Obert, with son Dores, [he always called him by his bgiven name] took out a tiny little rag bag of just a little Dog and Pony show, the older son and brother Kelly was working as a butter maker in hometown of Smith Center, Ks. He was not so enthused about animals and show biz as those other two, but when they survived abnd even prospered it was a better place and he and wife joined and he became a vital part 6to the bgrowth and operation as a builder and office mgr.

Now it intrigues me in that what name did they call this very early small show. the long rich title of "AlGKelly and Miller Bros. Circus" would probably come a few seasons into operation. Dory said that in early days when jumping at night time he would ride in back of the load holding a lantern as clearance light. So to sum up. what was its title in those early years. PS. Obert loved his ponies and would end up with a huge herd of ponies i nlate yrs. in HUGO.We know little about wife and mother of two sons, but that Obert was married some three times, but thats another story. Thanks, Johnny; 02 April, 2014 08:30
Anonymous said...: He was Mr. Circus, and in '72, when I was the show announcer, I road overland every day with him and Isla; what a memory--Obert may have loved ponies but Dory loved the elephants and we had 35 of them in '72.; 02 April, 2014 17:44
Chic Silber said...: Was the show title reduced to

"Kelly Miller" when Buddy's son

bought it some years back; 02 April, 2014 22:44
Chic Silber said...: Was or is there a relationship

between the Millers & Carson &

Barnes shows; 02 April, 2014 22:45
Buckles said...: Art Miller once told me that "Al G. Kelly & Miller Bros. Circus" was the worst circus title ever conceived. The towners couldn't even say it much less remember it.
Sometime around 1960 D.R. decided to sell the show to Joe McMahon but the venture turned out unsuccessfully and with the death of Jack Moore (Carson & Barnes another show D.R. partly owned) and with two shows to combine he opted for the latter title as it remains today.
When Kelly Miller was framed in 1987 they opted for a simpler title.; 03 April, 2014 06:02
Harry Kingston said...: Chic,
There were 3 parties in the Kelly miller show when it came back out.
Jess Jensen the one that got the name again and Barbara Byrd and David Rawls.
David Rawls after a few years shorten it to KM.
When the show was sold to John Ringling North II the above 3 all got there share of the $$$$$$$$$.
D. R. Miller owned 1/2 of Carson and Barnes and Jack Moores wife had the other half.
Then later D R bought her out and was sole owner.
D. R. always had elephants on many shows out of Hugo and a very good income.
Isla,told me at first Obert would not give them any money as they would spend it.
Obert was as tight as they come.
Whitey Black saw him out on the junk pile looking for another half of a door hinge.
D. R. said when they first started they were some place and it was cold and the monkey they had was cold and they put him in an oven to warm him up.
I wish I had recorded many of D. R.'s tails from yester year as they all are laugh busters.
I liked Buckles $10,000 in cash elephant story, all new 100 bills.
From this day on D. R. Miller ideas are carried on by Barbara Jane, Kristin and Traci and there husbands and they are a circus family, with it and for it till the end of time, the circus as it should be seen under the big top.
Harry in Texas
Harry in Texas.; 03 April, 2014 06:23
John Herriott said...: I am still waiting for some historian to tell what the original little show was titled. I dout if it was that long drawn out title.; 03 April, 2014 08:40
Chic Silber said...: Thanks gentlemen for the info

I never had much knowledge of

the Hugo compliment & I would

love to see the tangled family

trees of the show hierachies; 03 April, 2014 08:44
Chic Silber said...: I think David Rawls brother was

married to Tommy Clarke's

daughter Mardi (little Maria)

& became the show painter for

a few years & also worked in

management but the end stories

weren't very pretty; 03 April, 2014 09:59
Anonymous said...: If you do not already know about, Oklahoma State University has an oral history project on the Circus in Hugo. The link is:
http://www.library.okstate.edu/oralhistory/circus/

Many written and video interviews were conducted and are available. A great resource on the history of the "Hugo Shows"; 03 April, 2014 10:44
4pawfan said...: I think Joe McMaahon was later then 1960, maybe 1966-1968 ???

Dory told me that when Kelly joined him and his dad, they came up with the new name of the show. They had out grown the "dog and pony" show name that Obert had started with. Kelly didn't go out with them till later in the 30's as Mr.Herriott has stated. Didn't want to use just "Miller" as they didn't want to be confused with the Miller Bros Wild West, with both the show and the 101 ranch going down the tubes during the early years of the depression. The "Al G" came because of the play off Al G Barnes. The Barnes show being so strong for so many years in midwest and western part of the United States.

Thanks for sharing the photos of the show in the 1950's and wish I could have seen it. They still had a few of the trailers in the bone yard up to the early 1970's.
And I am like Harry and wished we had recorded some of the stories that Dory would tell of the early days on the road.
I feel very fortunate to have know him.
p.j.; 03 April, 2014 10:58
Ole Whitey said...: Chic: Show painting was in the Rawls boys genes. I remember their father Harry painting the Carson and Barnes show one year. Harry's dad Willie was also a show painter. The Rawls boys' mother was Mary Fraser and her family also did show painting for years.; 03 April, 2014 11:43
Harry Kingston said...: P J,
You tell the folks about when Dory let us dig though a semi half full of old posters and take it from there.
It was both our pleasure to have known D. R. Miller
Harry in Texas; 03 April, 2014 12:01
Buckles said...: Smokey Jones told me that when he ran away from home for the last time he hopped a freight and the next morning found himself parked next to the Dailey Bros. train.
He walked to the lot and the first person he saw was Willie Rawls who ran the midway garbage joint and asked for a job and Willie replied,"We don't hire dirty neck punks around here! to which answered "I been riding a freight train all night."
Willie took him to the canvas crew and told Ralph Noble, "Train Smoke here needs a job."
And the rest is history.; 03 April, 2014 12:07
Ole Whitey said...: There are some good Willie stories not suitable for this blog.

Mary didn't want the kids around him because of his language.

But despite the wild and true tales you hear about him, Willie had a good heart.; 03 April, 2014 13:45
Ryan Easley said...: Jerry,
Did the new import group of elephants come that year in 1972 or the following year ?; 03 April, 2014 17:08

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