Sunday, June 02, 2019

CRISTIANI #7


3 comments:

Chic Silber said...


"No Joy in Mudville"

(From Casey at Bat)

Charles Hanson said...

After each performance of the riding Cristianis'...Supposedly, a lot of finger pointing about who did what and why...Thus the term...The Fighting Cristianis'.

Roger Smith said...

Looking at it another way, most or all performers exit the ring in varying states of exhaustion. The great Personnel Director for decades on RBB, Pat Valdo, laid down two rules: First, on a circus, never discuss age or salary--either subject sparks real heat. Next, never speak to a performer who has just come out of the ring. This photo can show us why.

As for The Fighting Cristianis, Slick Valentine told me when he had his flying act over there, it meant a full-on fistfight every time he went to get paid. He got, "Look, we're a little short on the count this week. Check us in Sunday's town." Meaning, Slick said, they'd put him off as they pleased. His demands for the act's money summoned the Cristiani brothers and the battle was on. They were conditioned athletic stars, but Slick was not only a big man, he was also a flying act catcher, and he always collected his pay.