Thursday, November 01, 2018

BEATTY RUSSELL #6


Posted by Chic Silber at 11/01/2018 11:09:00 AM

2 comments:

Roger Smith said...

A nice look at the programming, keeping the arena set first for Al Fleet, then for Harriett Beatty, and lastly for the show's star. In his early days, Beatty worked these pre-lim smaller cage acts ahead of the big act, which in that time was starring the Englishman, Peter Taylor. This man was a rarity, being a European who worked a fighting act, and it was from Taylor that Beatty derived most of his dramatic showmanship.

Dick Anderson is listed among the clowns. He became a catcher for the Concello flying acts, and caught Kirk Douglas in the "Equilibrium" segment of MGM's 1953 film THE STORY OF THREE LOVES. Dick told me he was with Harold and Eileen Voise's flying act on the Beatty show, and the studio got a special contract release from Beatty to allow them to make the film. They began with 3 months of training for Ricardo Montalban, and this new movie star was doing well. But somewhere in the shadows of the studio, Montalban was moved over for the re-casting of Kirk Douglas. Dick and the Voises had to start all over with Kirk, giving them many more MGM paychecks, but requiring Beatty to further extend their contract release from his show, and to quickly hire another flying act. Dick told me Kirk actually did 3 tricks up there, but these were kept at "girls tricks"--a feets across, a hocks-off, and a bird's nest. Since another actor on the film was billed as Richard Anderson, Dick is billed as Kenneth Anderson, and won a speaking role as the catcher in scenes with Douglas.

02 November, 2018 20:22
Charles Hanson said...

Roger Smith: Good stuff....Thanks for all your added comments....Most enjoyable reading.

04 November, 2018 00:45

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