Wednesday, March 20, 2019

MORE SHOW TRUCKS


Posted by Chic Silber at 3/20/2019 12:12:00 AM

3 comments:

Chic Silber said...


Reminds me of that horrible lot

on Street Road just North of Philly

20 March, 2019 00:27
Chic Silber said...


Looks to me like a 2

elephant retrieval

Roger might recall

what was loaded in

this Side Show truck

20 March, 2019 10:47
Roger Smith said...

In '64, #30 Side Show truck, or Wagon, as I like to say, carried Clyde Beatty's three young tigers. I'd go over every day with George Scott to help him, clean out, feed, and water them. On our jump between East Alton and Belleville, Illinois, a drunk hit the wagon and sent it into a ditch, turned hard on its side. Mr. Beatty was off the show recovering from his 1st cancer surgery, so I was riding shotgun with trumpet-player Tommy Napoli, in #96 Bible wagon. We stopped at the wreck, and with a flashlight borrowed from a highway patrolman, I climbed up to find 3 pairs of eyes looking back at me. A big wrecker got the wagon upright, and towed it in. We could not know then, but one young tigress sustained fatal injuries, and died much later, in Killeen, Texas. I phoned Mr. Beatty at home in California, and he gave me the skin. In those days, I felt this was a trophy, and had it given a full head-mount and made into a rug. This prize was later donated into private hands. Shortly after this, my attitude became to bury the full animal without taking parts for souvenirs, but at the time other viewpoints prevailed.

This #30 Wagon carried the Side Show canvas, poles, lighting, sound equipment, the banners, the marquee, and of course the stages and props for the acts.

20 March, 2019 19:36

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