Monday, November 10, 2014

Blue Show Pix #2


At right is Barbara's brother Leslie who visiting the show with his family 1979.

Posted by Buckles at 11/10/2014 06:19:00 AM

5 comments:

Ole Whitey said...

Elsie Kitzman told me that when they were billing the Russell show, the Ray family had such a small trailer that Rube and Buster had to sleep under it. Barbara- can you verify this?

10 November, 2014 12:43
Buckles said...

That subject came up before and Barbara said she didn't recall anyone sleeping under the trailer but if there was it certainly wasn't her father.
He ran things with an iron hand.

10 November, 2014 14:09
Buckles said...

Barbara's sister Peggy just happens to be visiting today and says they had two units a car and trailer that her father drove and Leslie drove a flat bed truck towing a trailer for the animals and props.
She added that workers sleeping under trucks on hot nights was common.

10 November, 2014 14:31
BARBARA WOODCOCK said...

I think some one is getting times & shows mixed up. When I was still married to "Rex Williams," Dad was building a small trailer for the dogs & the props for their little show. We were as they say, we were in between dates. So "Dad" changed the trailer to a living trailer for us. It was so small that to put your pants on you had to stick your head out the transom overhead, to pull your pants up. This is no joke. (To those that are not used to the word. It is a window in the ceiling.)There was only one window and it was in the door. Now that is small. NOW for the trailer we lived in on Russell Bros. Circus. The trailer we lived in I thought was quite nice. My Mother had it made special. She designed it herself. My Dad had said he was going to make it for he could make anything, and quite good. ...BUT he had a bad habit of not finishing things, if he was making it for family.....SO Mom took it to a trailer factory and laid out the plans. They did a great job on it. As I recall it was the same size as any other trailer on the show that I went in to. And I used to go to Madam Madini's trailer to have tea with her. I believe she owned the horses that "Freddie Fredricks" worked. The catcher in the flying act used to live in a small pup tent. I thought that was small. I believe that when we went onto the Russell Bros. Circus, my Dad closed our circus. At one time Ben Davenport worked for our family circus. I think he had a dog and horse or pony act. I heard Ben & my Dad talking about it when Ben came to our home on the farm that my Mother bought after they sold our circus. ( then my Mom bought a News Stand in Leesville, Louisiana.) Then sold the News Stand, to buy the farm. And that is where Ben Davenport talked my Dad into going on Dailey Bros. Circus, 1947. I DID NOT WANT TO GO ON THE SHOW. I loved school and wanted to stay. I was 12 years old. So after that I read everything I could get my hands on. I did more than "Home School." At 8 years & 9 I was reading "BOOK OF THE MONTH CLUB." ( With my handy dictionary.) The books were ordered for my older sister "Peggy." Back to the trailer. I believe my Dad put the Marque from our show over our trailer. To have more shade........Barbara.....

11 November, 2014 21:56
Chic Silber said...


Dear Barbara I just hope you are

enjoying remembering these times

nearly as much as we ALL are

My understanding of a transom is

a window or panel over a doorway

but that's not a circus version

12 November, 2014 08:46

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