6th Year September 19, 1977 Number 38

Exciting DebutThe Early American Circus, produced by Jerry P. Booker, made an exciting debut into the

"big time" operation with an Aug. 29 to Sept. 5 engagement at San Mateo, Calif. The show'sdate was heavily promoted under the sponsorship of the local Fire Dept. and M/D. Funds goingto the M/D campaign were presented on the Jerry Lewis Telethon late on the night of Sept. 5thand were credited with helping to push the annual drive to a new record.

The circus performances and the wild west after show concert were presented under a redand white big top (80x130) with matching marquee made by Leaf Tent £ Sail of Sarasota, Fla.Seating consisted of bleacher type seats and folding chairs, although there were no reserved seats.A four piece band, positioned in a special wagon, backed all performances of the show. A special"guest box" was roped off at one side of the center ring. Special inside and outside lighting pro-vided an almost day-time appearance for all evening programs.

The show's marquee was trimmed withflowers and banners and included an old sun-burst circus wagon wheel.

The midway featured an old-time circusside show, handled by John Day, with five

banners, a ticket box and a bally platform. In-side the side show were a variety of animals, in-cluding a hyena, plus fire eater, sword dancer,

(Continued on Page 15)

HOLLYWOOD ELEPHANTSContact

PAUL V. KAYEe 519 • 1680 North Vine Street • Hollywood,

Area Code 213 • 462-6001

Page 2 September 19, 1977

Musicians WantedTRUMPET and TROMBONE PLAYERS

For Fall Tour Opening Sept. 5th and clos-ing Dec. 19th. Transportation and accom-modations furnished.One Show A' Day - All Indoor Dates.Good Readers Only. We will have 40 weeksor more in 1978.Send Resume, Photo If Possible To'

DAVID EPPERLYInternational All Star Circus

Circus Plaza Building1770 Wood Street

Sarasota, Florida - 33577Phone: (813)366-1434

FLORENCE STANCLIFF of 4 Westlane, Hous-ton, Texas 77019, wants to acquire early edi-tions of the White Tops, BandWagon and LittleCircus Wagon magazines. If you have some extraback issues and think you can help her out dropher a line at the above address.

CIRCUS ORGANIST after Nov. 1st.Contact: RAY HARTZELL, 404 So.Meadow Valley Drive, Las Vegas,Nevada 89107.Phone: (702)873-5093

SHOW VISITThe program presented by the Royal DanishCircus at the Michigan State Fair featured: TheClown come-in with Dan and Paxton, and Zop-pi and Tag-a-long; Dan and the balloon gag;Charmine and her Pets; Bongo, the Almost Hu-man Gorilla; The Aristocrats, trampoline; TheAlmiros, juggling; Dan and the rope gag; Prin-cess Mi Imba's Baboons; Rosita & Alberto, inplate spinning; The Pizzani's, acrobats; Cronas,King of the Cosmos, aerial sensation.

The program was produced by Alberto Almir-os who also handled the ringmaster and announ-cing chores. George Da Deppo

IF YOU WANT THE JOB DONE RIGHT!

CARL E.CONLEY(30 YEARS IN CIRCUS BUSINESS)

JUGGLING-LIBERTY HORSE ACT

ANNOUNCER

'77 SEASON WITH ROYAL BROS. CIRCUS

.

A-1 CONCESSION MGR. and SIDE SHOW MGR.

Year Round Address: 2635 Norton Road Kent, Ohio 44240

The Circus Report Page 3

S C A N D I N A V I A N R O L L E R SKATING C H A M P I O N S

The Rolling Diamonds

Phone: (815) 366-5336

M a n a g e r : John Hansen3070 - 8th StreetSarasota, Fla. - 33577

ROUTESAlzafar Shrine Circus

Sept. 20-25 San Antonio, TexasClyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus

Sept. 19-21 Terre Haute, Ind.22-25 Kokomo

Carson & Barnes CircusSept. 19 Salem, Ohio

20 McKeesport, Pa.21 McConnellsville,()hio22 Chillicothe23 Georgetown24 Erlanger25 Danville, Ky.

Circus VargasSept. 21-25 St. John, N.B.

Dobritch Int'l CircusSept. 22-25 Detroit, Mich.

Hall & Christ Circus UniqueSep. 23-Oct. 1 Memphis, Tenn.

Hoxie Bros. CircusSept. 19 New Providence, N.jJ.

21 Egg Harbor City22 Pennsville

23-24 Fallston, Md.

Ringling-Bamum - Blue UnitSept. 20-25 Detroit, Mich.

Ringling-Bamum - Red UnitSept. 20-25 Seattle, Wash.

Hoxie's Great A -ican CircusSept. 19 Isehii, N. J.

20 So. Plainfield21 Cape May C.H.22 Mantua23 Hillsborough24 Howell25 Union Beach

King Bros.-Cole Cmbd. CircusSept. 19 Atmore, Ala.

20 Columbia, Miss.21 Pascagoula22 Gulfport23 Slidell, La.

24-25 Baton Rouge

Sells & Gray CircusSept. 19 Salem, 111.

20 Centralia21 Mt. Vernon22 Harrisburg23 Metropolis24 Murray, Ky.25 Fulton

Stebbings Royal European CircusSep. 22-Oct. 3 Richmond, Va.

John Strong CircusSept. 19 Chico, Calif.

20 Quincy21 Susan vi lie22 Sparks, Nev.23 Fallon24 Hawthorne25 Bishop, Calif.

Sudan Temple Shrine CircusSept. 17 Fayetteville, N.C.

Swan Bros. CircusSept. 24 Palo Alto, Calif.

25 SunnyvaleTNT & Royal Olympic Circus

Sept. 21-25 Sioux Falls, S. D.OTHER ROUTES

Amusement Park Assoc. MeetSept. 22-24 Santa Clara, Calif.

Bakers MarionettesEach weekend at Los Angeles

(Calif)Century 21 Shows - Blue Unit

Sept. 19-24 Columbus, Miss.Century 21 Shows • Red Unit

Sept. 19-24 Rome, Ga.James H. Drew Shows

Sept. 19-24 Marietta, Ga.Foley & Burk Shows

Sep. 22-Oct 2 Bakersfield, Ca.The Gong Show

Sept. 24 Tucson, Ariz.;Ice Follies

Sept. 20-23 Denver, Colo.Magictime USA • Prof. Miller

Sept. 23 Harrington, R. I.24 Fall River, Mass.

Passport to Magic MeetSept. 24-25 Malton, Ont.

This Is Hawaii... On IceSept. 21-25 Adelaide, Aust.

*•IHIGH WIRE DAREDEVILJ Outstanding| Feature

Acts!

* .......

PRESENTED BY REX

302 17th St.San Diego

Calif. 92101 •(714)238-1375 \_._._._.*

Page 5

BILLY BARTONTHE BRIGHT PROMISE shown by the intrepidCHISTOPHER JAMES will come to full focus whenthe wirewalker opens with CIRCUS VARGAS on Dec.26th. The Plunkett Family, comedy trampoline, willalso be center-ringed on the mammoth tenter whichseems to be changing its program and adding a num-ber of outstanding new features. Incidentally, CircusVargas lays off only five days this year before launch-ing its new season.

TOMMY BENTLEY and CHUCK CLANCEY have setnew Johnstown (Pa) dates which are now Oct. 8-9th.Some of the talent set includes LILLI-ANA, the BU R-GERS, and PRINCE NAJVEZ. A number of top actsspark the ROYAL HANNEFORD Circus biggies inNovember... .GAYLORD MAYNARD, The BAUERS,the PALACIOS, Sir VICTOR JULIAN, ANDERSON'SWhite Horse Troupe, the URIAS TROUPE, Miss AER-IALETTA, LOS LATINOS, the RAMOS Family, SA-TANI, to name but a few.

SNAPSHOTS: JEANNINE HALL, suffering an oddskin ailment, is now working single-0 with her Javan-na's Jungle lubilee (baboons)....EDNA ANTES wascalled home from Beatty-Cole due to her mother'sillness The WAZZAN's and MIKE NAUGHTONwere spotted visiting the HANNEFORDS at Story-town USA WIMPEY, the English clown, just backfrom Japan, is playing fair dates The "stage coach"DAVIDE ZOPPE engineered for his wife, SUSAN andher Afghan dog act is a work of art. The lighted coachis pulled into the ring by canines with Susan doing ac-robatic routines on the moving prop SONJA ZOP-PE recovered from a broken wrist only to fall heir toa severe eye infection The DAVIDE ZOPPE Fam-ily will be with Castle in '78 - that show is rumoredto have signed the St. Louis Police Circus....BARBARALUXEM's night club opening (as an organist) this win-ter was so successful the management wants her fulltime....VICKI TAYLOR, well known femme ventril-oquist, recently visited with good friend TOTIEFl ELDS. Miss Taylor is winding up a lengthy fairroute for BETTER BOOKING.

NEWSMAKERS: Glamour Boy JIMMY CAVARETTAis encored in this month's issue of PLAYGIRL, and arecent issue of the National Enquirer carries a photo

• of Circus World's JEWEL NEW riding a motorcycle'with his lion.

WHERE, WHO and WHEN: The ZAMPERLA's makethe New Jersey State Fair....The PISANIS and MYAMBA's Baboons duet at the Michigan State. Fair for

the ROYAL DANISH CIRCUS The MinnesotaState Fair heads up the Hanneford Circus Thrill Showspotlighted by Eddy Ventura, Miss April, The FlyingViennas, Schmitt-'Albulet, the Geraldos, Louis Muril-lo and a slide for life....TONY STEEL debuts his newYMCA training center in Elkhart (Ind) this monthCIRCUS CAROL resumed operations on the 10thJOHNNY and BETTY ZOPPE wound up their Canad-ian Fairs with their Space Odyssey aerial sensation.QUICKIES: JOHN CUNEO's father passed awayJIMMY HALL was clawed in the face by HERTACUNEO's Himalayan, required stitching....VASHEKplayed a Rhode Island Park, booked in at the lastminute by ED MIGLEY....KAY PITTENGER is backin the air on Beatty-Cole DIANE, of the FLYINGVALENTINES, broke her hand practicing a standingback, is out of the act PETER HAUBNER is backin the Hanneford Riding act and is featuring a for-ward somersault DIANO's Elephants preceded arun with EMMETT KELLY, Jr. by playing fair datesfor HUBLER JO ANN JENNIER is now using anElton John routine with Sunny in her seal act Shebuilt a new "seal cart" for the animal and he likes itso much she has problems luring him OUT of it!....GUNNAR AMANDIS continues his busy schedule bysetting acts with fairs and dates for Hanneford, EddieZacchini and others The CAROEN-JOHNSON ele-phants are now presented by BILL GOLDEN Horsetrainer DON McCLELLAN, who is making new ele-phant headbands for TOMMY HANNEFORD is orhas undergone open heart surgery....Ringmaster RAYORSZAK resembling either a young Col. Sanders or aHopalong Cassidy (take your pick) is making fabu-lous new wardrobe for himself, for the Hannefords,for Aerialetta, as well as elephant blankets for theHanneford herd....KAY ROSAIRE is also thick intothe bugle-beads, updating her wardrobe for an out-standing lion act which is soon to make "big news"....The Clever HERMINES midgets featured at GaslightVillage (near Lake George, NY) this summer as wellas an Ice Revue staged by Illusionist RON URBANAt Stroytown USA, along with the Hanneford Circuswas a very good Water Show, featuring Championdiver TIM McLAUGHLIN (seen on ABC's Wide Worldof Sports) who plans to tour a high-dive into firethri l ler on c i rcuses and fairs in '78 (and we could useone) G E O R G E HUBLER told me TOMMY BENT-LEY and CHUCK CLANCEY have tripled the pre-vious promotions for his Carson & Barnes date at

(Continued on Page 13)

Page 6 September 19, 1977

LOLA ENGESSER, of the Western Wild CatsBand and Show, recently celebrated her 14thbirthday. She is a singer and does magic withthe show. However, this was one time whenthe magician was more surprised than the aud-ience.Each time that Lola reached in for a "load" tomake something appear, instead of a dove, silkor flowers she found it was another birthdaypresent. It had all been prearranged with theClub Manager and for the finale she found a"Fire to Flowers" pan and instead of flowersit produced her own birthday cake.

THE CIRCUS REPORT is published each week byDon Marcks, 525 Oak St., El Cerrito, Calif. 94530Phone: (415) 525-3332.SUBSCRIPTION RATE: $12.00 for the year; $15.00for overseas via surface mail.ADVERTISING RATES (per Issue): Minimum Ad Is$5.00; Quarter Page $10.00; Half Page $15.00; FullPage $25.00 (No Color Work)

THANK YOUCentury 21 Shows - Kunz Equipment Co.ALFRED and ESTHER KUNZ, OwnersFor your purchase of a Southern Cook

House Trailer and Truck

"SAVE MONEY WITH JOHNNY"

JOHNNY CANOLE

465 N.E. 102nd StreetMiami Shores, Fla. 33138(305) 751-0206

7100 Sixth AvenueAltoona, Pa. 16602(814) 944-9347 or(814) 943-0003

Ih MemoriamHOWDY AHRHART (63) general agent for theCarson & Barnes Circus since 1969 died at Sara-sota, Fla., after a bout with cancer. His wife hisbeen carrying on his work with the C&B show.

COL. OTTOMAN JOSEPH HERMANN (69)famed Lipizzan horse rider and trainer, died atFreehold, N. J. on Aug. 4th. He was bom inAustria and came to the U. S. during WorldWar II and settled in Florida.

ROBERT E. BAUDY, Owner-Director Phone: <904) 793-2109P O Hox 132 Cable: ANIMALCENTERCenter Hill, Florida 33514 STATE OF FLORIDA Game and Fresh Water

Fish Commission No. 130U. S. D. A. License 58-EL-119MEMBER of A. A. Z. P. A.

- SPECIALIZING IN CAPTIVE-BREEDING AND SALE'OF SELECTED SPECIMENS -All cats vaccinated against Feline Panleukopenia, Pneumonitis and Rhinotracheitis

ON HAND AT ALL TIMES: BLACK-MANE AFRICAN LLON ; AFRICAN, ASIAN,CHINESE and BLACK LEOPARDS; CLOUDED LEOPARD; SNOW LEOPARD; BLACKand SPOTTED JAGUAR; BAY, CANADIAN and SIBERIAN LYNXES; BENGAL andSIBERIAN TIGERS; WESTERN and SOUTH AMERICAN COUGAR; SERVEL; GOLDENCAT; OCELOT; M A R G A Y .

ALSO BREEDING: WHITE, BROWN, SPOTTED FALLOW DEER; SPOTTED andSTRIPED HYENA; LLAMA; GUANACO; DROMADERY and BACTRIAN CAMEL;CAMEROONESE PIGMY GOATS; FALLABALA MINIATURE HORSES; APPALOOSAHORSE; WHITE ELK; WHITE RHINOCEROS and more . . .

P L E A S E V I S I T OUR 45 A C R E S -IMPORTANT: "The offer for sale of Endangered Species is contingent upon the receipt bybuyer of a U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service Permit." (For non-Florida residents only).

The Circus Report Page?

>-YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYVYYYYYVYYYYY'

Internat ional ly Famous

*•

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*•E

3 Horses £

16 Dogs

1 Cat £

1 Duck

1 Roos ter ££

1 Lioness

3 C h i l d r e n t

and £

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££E£

/9fl!fAWL iSH 1>V X

J O C K E Y R I D I N G DOGS.

C A R L A a n d G I O V A N N I B A R E B A C K RIDERS

U N C A G E D R I D I N G L I O N

C O M E D Y R I D I N G M E C H A N I C

A L B E R T O Z O P P E

2931 G a r d n e r St. , S i m i V a l l e y , C a l i f . 93065

Phone : (805) 526-8706

M4•4

•4•4•44J•4•4•4•4

•4•4•4

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•4.4 Garden Bros.•4

^ Circus

1 • * ••4^ 505 E g l i n t o n•4

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Page 8 September 19, 1977

BLOWDOWNHoxie Bros. Circus suffered a blowdown of itsbig top and side show when 80 mph wind gustsswept through Sussex, N. J., at 4 p.m. on Sept.2nd. The only injury reported was to a work-ing man who suffered a slight bump on thehead.

The show's three year old round top was com-pletely demolished and the steel pipe flyingact rinnging frame was bent double. All otherequipment, including the high wire rigging, theseats and stringers, and most of the poles weresalvaged. The side show top, which was new inthe spring of '76, is salvagable. The main showwill be held in the open until the old single cen-ter pole round top, last used in 1974, can beshipped in from Florida.

Through the combined efforts of performersand crew, the big top area was cleared and twoperformances, starting an hour late, were pre-sented under the open sky, to full nouses. Theonly act unable to work was the flying act.

NOW AVAILABLECOMEDY CHIMPANZEE ACT

- Also Booking for 1978 -

Three and Four Year OldsCan Perform Anywhere

Phone: (414) 452-6567

Carson & Barnes Circus returned to Wisconsinfor several days of good business early thismonth . At Portage (Sept. 3) the show drewone of the largest crowds of the season, thusfar, with people sitting right up to the ring curbs

New York agent, Rose Adair, arrived an hourafter the storm and braved the mud to take inthe first performance. She marvelled at the ef-forts of the crew and performers who, in spiteof mud and inconvenience, were still able to puton a show as usual to a very appreciative andresponsive attdience. _ Linda Chjmd,er

WANTEDMan to Work and Care for six (2 yearold chimps. Act well broken and nowworking. Year around work for rightperson in South America.

Man wanted to train and produce bearact. We will pay all production fees,props, feed, cages, etc., plus trainingfees would be interested in buyingtrained act of two or three bears.

Send Resume and Photo

Training Quarters now open for 19771978 season.

Write For Terms:

JACK JOYCEJohn Ringling Towers

111 North Tamiami TrailSarasota, Florida - 33577

Phone: (813)958-8881

WILLIAMGOLDEN

- W I L D A N I M A L T R A I N E R -

Experienced

Handl ing — Training•

and

First Class Presentation

of

Tigers, Lions, Elephants

f o r m e r l y w i t hH a w t h o r n ' s P e r f o r m i n g Tigers

C u r r e n t l y t o u r i n g withC a r d e n - J o h n s o n - C l y d e Bros . C i r c u s

30 Commercial St., Cranston, R.I. 02905

Phone: (401)941-7549

The Circus Report Page 9

NONA/ BOOKING

SHOW ORGANISTA V A I L A B L E AFTER N O V E M B E R 1, 1977

IFF MULONEVC U R R E N T L Y WITH GATINI CIRCUS

B O O K I N G CHRISTMAS DATES AND FOR

THE 1978 SEASON

- D R U M M E R A V A I L A B L E -

Permanent Address:

L E E A . M A L O N E Y2216 M a y f i e l d AvenueJo l i e t , I l l i n o i s - 60435

P h o n e : ( 815 ) 725-8770

Member American Federation of Musicians

Page 10 September 19, 1977

CONTRACTINGAGENTS

NORTH AMERICAN PRODUCTIONS

MAGIC TIME 'USA'

For 1978 Season

Start Immediately Top Pay

Call: MEARL JOHNSON

(814)443-4644

151 W. Union St., Somerset, Pa. 15501

A V A I L A B L E F O R W I N T E R D A T E S

Rucker'sPerforming Animals

RUCKERS K-NINES

UNCLE RALPH'S BARNYARD REVUE

Two Colorful and Comical Animal Actsto spruce up any show

Both acts are clean and well cared for

For Information Contact

RALPH RUCKER

11154 Phillippi AvenuePacoima, Calif. - 91331

AL and SUE DAWLEY visited the StebbingsCircus at the Greenville, S. C., Fair and reportthat CARL LINARES and the TABAKS areon the show. Al is announcer for the free actsat the fair.

RUCKER'S K-NINES and UNCLE RALPH'SBARNYARD REVUE will play Shrine sponsor-ed dates for Beck's Circorama Sept. 21-Nov. 2,then play a series of winter dates through Dec.

10th for Ron Bacon and Dick Johnson. Theywill be working with the BOBBY LANG Family.

DAVE PITTENGER (Lodi Duo) and SHERIMcNUR from Lyons, 111., were married on Aug.23rd at the Springfield Lake K.O.A. grounds.Standing up with the couple were RAY andSUE MAREK, of the Flying Lar-Rays.

TOM UPTON, circus photographer, spent lastweek with the Ringling-Barnum Red Unit inFresno, Calif.

mCTTTMCC Anything From AnimalLUu 1 UlVlLj Costumes to Miniature Cars

Largest Store Of I t 's Type In The WorldWrite To 3108 Monroe Road

Phil ip Morris Charlotte. N.C.SEND S2.00 FOR COMPLETE CATALOG

The Circus Report Page 11

GEORGE WEEDOIM7 Y E A R S R O Y A L L I P I Z Z A N STALLION SHOWS

- NOW A V A I L A B L E -

Conductor — Organ — Piano — Arranger

702-736-0574702-734-8294

3794 Las Vegas Blvd., So.Las Vegas, Nevada 89109

The TNT & Royal Olympic Circus played theSouthwick Mall in Toledo (Ohio) Aug. 24-28.Performances were at 1, 4 and 7 p.m. This wasthe 4th consecutive year the show was set forthe mall and owner Earl Tcgge says the date hasbeen resigned for next year.The fast=paced free show consistently drawslarge crowds, holds them for a 35 minute per-formance, then releases them to patronize theMall's merchants. Tegge said most dates havebeen inked for '78 and several new ones havebeen added, which will have the show openingin Southern California in early January. Thisyear's tour will close in late October at Madi-son, Wise.The Toledo performance began with a five min-ute overture featuring Louise Tegge (Earl's wife)at the organ and son Tim on Drums. Earl is in-troduced as "Mr. Circus" and then brings onthe Raija balancing duo. They are followed bya clown break with Tim Tegge, juggler DickFranco, a color book pitch and Marse Begaryon the single trapeze.Tegge says Hunkie Johnson's bears are used onsome dates. In most instances the shoppingmalls refuse to allow animals in their buildings,

The Wonderful World of Circus will be present-ed under a new red, white and blue big top(70x110 ft) made by the United States Tentand Awning Co. of Sarasota. The 40 ft. office/concession trailer was bui l t by E. B. Anderson.

even performing animals.Tim Tegge has designed a new program/coloringbook, which in the opinion of this writer, is oneof the finest offered by any show. It combinespictures of the acts, historical sketch of theAmerican circus, biography of the Tegges andtheir show, and a section of pages for coloring.The book is sold for 75c and is printed by cir-cus fan W. H. Hohenadel, of Rochelle, 111. Theart work and most of the photos were createdby Tim Tegge.Juggler Dick Franco, who recently left his homein Youngstown, Ohio, to travel with the show,keeps the "close-up" audience entertained withan outstanding routine. He concludes his actwith three ping pong balls which he blows outof his mouth to a height of about 20 ft. andcatches them again - in his mouth. He sustainsthe routine for about a minute.

... Tom Morrison

Available After Sep. 20DOG and PONY ACT - TRICK ROPING ACT - HIGH SCHOOL HORSE

LANI(916) 547-4277(916) 243-5491 ( f o r messages)

I R O N B E R GP. O. Box 866R e d d i n g , C a l i f . - 96001

Page 12 September 19,1977

They're MarriedA special wedding ceremony was held underthe Circus Vargas big top for Mary and Joe Da-vidson on Aug. 19th.The bride wore a traditional white gown andcarried a boquet of pink and white carnations.Mr. Cliff Vargas acted as best man and Jan Joy-ner was the Matron of Honor.The center ring and arch were specially trim-med in white flowers for the occasion by Mr.Vargas.

The ceremony was followed by a champagnereception attended by Circus Vargas employeesand members of the bride and groom's families.Anna Fritz caught the bridal boquet.

Jan Joyner

MiscellaneousThe Wonderful World of Circus, which is ownedand operated by John Jordan and the DubskyBros., Janos and Harry, will have its official op-

SHOWMEN LOOK!WINTER IN THE BEAUTIFUL RIOGRANDE VALLEY - A choice HalfAcre*lot adjacent to the Expresswayin Mission, Texas.

Has 3 new concrete patios, walks andhook ups for travel travel trailers.

- Palm trees, shrubs, grass -THIS IS A TOP LOCATION

Will Sacrifice for $10,000R. E. LEONARD

P. O. Box 332Manhattan, Kansas - 66502

ruing on Sept! 21st at Charlotte, N. C.The Wonderful World of Circus will be workinga string of malls and sponsored dates in theNorth and South, until its Circus Hall of Fameopening on Dec. 13th. At the CHF the showwill be presented under its former title, RoyalPalace Circus.

AVAILABLEFor Select 77-78 Bookings

JEFFRIES CALIFORNIA SEA LIONSPLUS

R O Y A L L I P I Z Z A N S T A L L I O N A C Tand

A R R A P A H O E T H E T R I C K P A I N T S T A L L I O Na n d A U S T R A L I A N B U L L W H I P A C T

L A R R Y J E F F R I E SRte. 2 - Box 605-MBranch M i l l RoadArroyo G r a n d e , C a l i f . 9 3 4 2 0

•Ci

Phone : (805) 481-1939

The Circus Report Page 13

AVAILABLE FOR XMAS '77 DATES NOW BOOKING FOR '78 SEASON

MARCANSMALE AFRICAN LIONS

(First Time to Tour U.S.A.—Best Male Lion Act Available)Contact

JOSIP MARCAN818 - 13th Avenue - Green Bay, Wisconsin 54304

Phone: (414)432-5692

Big ShowThe entire collection of Circus Model BuilderMilo Smith, of Herkimer, N.Y., was displayedfrom Aug. 3 to 27 at the J. F. Kennedy CivicArena in Rome, N.Y., as part of an exhibit com-memorating the 200th anniversary of the Re-volutary War Battle of Oriskany. This was thefirst time his entire collection has been display-ed in its entirety and is the result of his 1 inchscale building, dating back to the mid-1940's.

Featured was the Smith Bros. Circus train whichextended for 72 ft. all mounted on track. Itconsisted of locomotive, caboose, 2 stock cars,a Ringling sleeper and 6 flats, all loaded withvarious wagons. Also on display was his twoSig Sautelle Canal Boat Show (each boat 7 ft.long) and complete in every detail. Many tab-leau wagons with hitches and carvings of manyperformers and models of their acts.

The collection was insured for $100,000 whileit was displayed and it was the first time thetrain had been displayed in its entirety.

.. Elbert L. Wert

ROY ROGERS "King of the Cowboys" washit in the face with a pie last week while enter-taining at the opening of one of his family res-taurants in Fairfax. Va.

B I L L Y B A R T O N (Continued)

Covington (Ky).

NEWS FROM SELLS & GRAY: SAMPION's motheris back in Paris....MIMI ZERBINI has been out of theshow with a dislocated shoulder....The KARLTONMagic Show was a recent visitor....Biz has been verygood....JOHN STRONG visited....HENRY THOMP-SON has added Tarantulas to the side show and ele-phant handler HEADDOWN HARRY sez he's train-ing them to do web!ASIDE TO JOANNE PINSON: Your "freight train"semi-trailer,'a duplicate of AURELIA HALL's losesout kids. Aurelia says tier's is longer. Sorry about thatl

FLASH: MAFALDA ZAMPERLA married JAMESZOPPE in Atlantic City this summer, now watch forwedding bells to chime load and clear for JEANNETTERIX, very, very soon!

See you down the road, luvs.

BOBBY GIBBS hosted a birthday party for hiswife, ROSA, at the Circus World Museum onAug. 31st. Hundreds of friends, Circus Fansand Museum staff members attended the eventwhich included a live band, refreshments and ofcourse a cake.

MILONGA CLINE is now teaching school inFlorida, working with the multi-language unit.

INTERNATIONAL ANIMAL TRAINER

R O Y A L C O N T I N E N T A L P E R F O R M I N G S T A L L I O N S

— L i b e r t y — L o n g Re in — H i g h School —.

N O W T R A I N I N G F O R R . B . B . B . N E W C I R C U S W O R L D

P. O. Box 2006 - H A I N E S C I T Y , F L A . 33844 - Phone: (81 3) 424-2421

Page 14 September 19, 1977

Burger's Animal RevueD O G a n d P O N Y R E V U E A F G H A N S CHIMPS

P h o n e : (609) 2 2 7 - 5 4 3 3

J A N E T a n d F R A N K B U R G E RR . D . I - B o x 431-AB l a c k w o o d , N. J. - 08012

CLYDE BEATTY-COLE BROS.A solid campaign of radio, television and news-paper advertising garnered six % to straw housecrowds for the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circusat Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 29-31st. The mediareciprocated with front page coverage of theshow's activities before, during and after its ar-rival. Radio and TV stations carried stories andinterviews, including the play-by-play of an"elephant race" with local news people in thesaddles.

The show played on a paved lot adjoining thelarge Belden Village Shopping Mall, locatedwithin eye shot of heavily traveled 1-77, be-tween Canton and Akron. Publicity began threeweeks prior to the show's arrival when an ad-vance ticket booth was set-up in the mall's mainlobby. The booth was flashed with circus lithosand pictures of the acts. Tickets were sold at$4.00 and $2.50 with children eleven years andunder getting a free ducat when accompaniedby an adult. Gate prices were $5.00 and $3.50with reserves going for an extra dollar. Twodays before the show's arrival advance clownTroy 'Buppa' Strait worked the mall and re-ceived front page coverage from the Cantonnewspaper.

Animal trainer Dave Hoover says the shopping

ROUTESTip Top Shows

Sept. 23-25 La Crescent, Wise.Western Wild Cats

Sep. 18-21 Inverness, Fla.22-24 Inn Between Lounge

Windjammers Regional MeetSept. 23-25 Indianapolis, Ind.

40 Horse HitchSept. 18-24 Centerville, Mich.

,

center format has been totally successful to thisdate. Only two non-mall dates were played thisyear, the annual Shrine spots in Philadelphiaand Wilmington. He quoted co-owner FrankMcClosky as saying he hopes the show will ne-ver again have to regress to phones.

The fast paced two hour show gives patronstheir money's worth. Hilighted by such topdrawer acts as Ron aird Mitzi's iron jaw produc-tion number, Hoover's cats, the herd of nineelephants, Rayall's aerial motorcycle and theGaona family, the show will have little troublein resigning dates for next year.

... Tom Morrison

the chris alberti'sA l l N e w Pood le A c r o b a t s

giovanni s pizza supposeSide Spl i t t ing P a n d e m o n i u min the Pizza P a r l o r

- NOW B O O K I N G FOR 1978 -

C H R I S A L B E R T I1959 W e l w y n A v e n u e Des F lames , I l l i n o i s - 60018

P h o n e - ( 3 1 2 ) 8 2 4 - 5 1 7 8

The Circus Report Page 15

FOR SALECIRCUS CALLIOPE R E C O R D

14 Different SongsOld Time Circus Music$5.85 Tapes $6.00

Mailed Post PaidSPENCER STINE

Rte. 1 - Box 479-AGambrills, Md. - 21054

EXCEPTIONAL CHIMP ACT

- With A Touch Of Comedy -

CAN USE DATES IN DEC. '77

Contact: KURT SCHIMAN2022 Dodge AvenueSarasota, Fla. 33580

Phone:(813)959-4065

MiscellaneousThe Chinese Circus played in Miami Beach, Fla.,on Sept. 8-11 to reportedly good crowds.The Lions Clubs Circus, out of Penna., has of-fered to sell its equipment. Reason for the sale,says an official, is that the organization's goalshave been realized.The Buffalo Bill Wild West Show was advertis-ed for a Sept. 17-18 engagement at Uniondale,N. Y.

PARLEY BAER has just been released;fromthe hospital after suffering from an attack ofnervous exhaustion.

CLARK McDERMOTT has a new permanentmailing address which is: 4515 Harrison, Red-ding, Calif. - 96001.

PEPPY, the Chimp & Co. are closing the 1977season with Xmas Shows, after a successfulyear of engagements with Voorheis Bros, andVariety Attractions, appearing mostly in mid-western states. Engagements included fairs,circuses, shopping centers and celebrations.

WANTEDTwo Good Butchers or Man and Wifeteam who want to make some seriousmoney in Concessions.

Contact: DON and MARY BULLITTc/o Stebbings Royal European Circus

The State FairRichmond, Virginia - Sept. 22-Oct. 3

EXCITING DEBUT (Continued)belly dancer, Makes, etc.A novelty stand and concession unit coperatedby Fritz Lauber were lontod on the left side,as were an Indian Village and two former oldHagenbeck-Wallace wagons, each painted redand lettered in white and blue with the show'stitle. The circus ticket wagon was located inthe center, at the entrance to the midway.

The program featured: Harry Thomas and histigers; Sue McMillan with a tiger, dog and horse;Mark on the bounding rope; Victoria's libertyponies; Chris, juggling and slack wire; Tex'strained chimp; Tina's Pets; The Young Duo,aerial cradle; Lani Ironberg, high school horse;Miss Evita, single trapeze; The Sumidas, highwire; Jeffries California Seals and a large con-tingent of clowns.

The Wild West Concert and Indian Vilage weredirected by Dale M. Yearian while the announc-ing and ringmaster chores were handled by Jer-ry P. Booker.

WANTEDASSISTANT ELECTRICIAN

andDIESEL DRIVER

- LONG SEASON -

- Able To Join October 1977 -

Contact: CIRCUS VARGASP.O.Box 4356

Burlingame, Calif. - 94010

Page 16 September 19, 1977

An unusual physical set-up tited "RinglingBros. Barnum & Bailey Thrill Circus, The Great-est Thrill Show on Earth" played at the OhioState Fair Aug. 22-28. Patrons expecting to seea slick polished spectacular Ringling show withbeautiful wardrobe, lights and pageantry, weredisappointed.To the credit of Producer Kenneth Feld, thebest possible high acts were booked, but thephysical set-up was definitely a liability. As oneveteran performer remarked, "Any other pro-ducer would have insisted the Fair clean out theinfield." This was probably easier said than doneas a typical Ohio State Fair Grandstand attrac-tion is presented on a stage across the wide racetrack, centered in front of an average size grand-stand. In recent years this big fair has spent$250 to $300,000 on big name acts, all playingto over capacity at the Free Grandstand, andcompletely filling the track in both directionsuntil nothing could be seen. Such big namestars demanded and received a number of hugehouse trailers and auxiliary vehicles for dress-ing rooms, etc. There was no compromise vis-ible for the Ringling produced Thrill Circus.The infield was litered with an estimated 100vehicles concerned with the Fair, plus the manytrucks and trailers owned by the circus acts.Aerial riggings were erected to the convenienceof the excess vehicles, rather than the otherway. The big show set up one flashy semi trailerloaded with not the expected circus equipment,but with three year old programs from one oftheir regular units, and having nothing to dowith the Grandstand attraction. T-shirts andother novelties were sold in the stands, and in

the bleachers erected some half mile away onthe far side of the race track.Each of the four elephant acts had to supply itsown ring curb and the acts worked at the sametime with Jeannette Rix's caged bear act andGeorge Barreda's excellent lion act. Unfortun-ately this great number could not be seen in itsentirety unless one was at the top of McPeak'srigging. Patrons sitting in the far side bleacherswere on top of the elephants, but in no waycould they see through the stage and "used carlot!' to see the two big cages which were spot-ted on the Grandstand side of the Infield, butstill quite far from the audience. Rix's cage wasspotted especially deep and worked to a dis-advantage.Announcer Johnny Herriott worked from theroof of the Infield covered stage, did an excel-lent job, and pulled every stop. In addition toHerriott who came over from Ringling Red, thebig show had on hand executive Allen Bloom ofWashington, act coordinator Rhodeen, TuffyGenders and a crew from winter quarters. BillPruhn was on the scene with a good band. Thisreported at first thought the music was record-ed, but due to the unusual set-up, the band wasset-up back stage, so they could not be seenfrom the Grandstand. It is doubtful that theycould have been nestled among the cars andtrailers from the fair side bleachers, either, butundoubtedly their weird setting was to give theleader a clear view of the outstanding high acts,all of which have been seen individually at cir-cuses and fairs across the country, but probablynever as many as this at one time.Many of the acts in the show were booked by

(Continued on Page 17)

A V A I L A B L E F O R W I N T E R D A T E S A N D 1978 S E A S O N

LAWRENCE GRANT |A MOST S E N S A T I O N A L LION ACT

Contact : L. J O Y N E R , c/o M. J. Sampson1534 N. W. llth Ave., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33311 - Phone: 305 763-3636 (evenings)

The Circus Report Page 17

OHIO FAIR REVIEW (Continued)Gil Miller. The rumored budget charged to theFair was in the vicinity of $150,000 to $200,000. The high tower for McPeak's long wirewalk reportedly cost $12,000 and all acts re-ceived approximately double their normal sal-ary.When reviewed at the 6 p.m. show (Aug. 22)the 4:30 performance of the Sylvers, a blacksinging group played to overflow crowds. Assoon as the singing show was over, the standswere emptied and a new crowd admitted. Forthe circus, the grandstand was about half full,with a few on the track and a nice crowd in theother bleachers some half mile across the infield,Anyone sitting more than half-way up, couldnot see the top of the sway poles or McPeak'srigging and everyone sitting more than ten rowsup were unable to see the helicopter act ofMichaele and Michelle, until the climax of theact, when the big bird flew over the horizonback to its nexting spot.When people had settled in their seats and withfive minutes to go until showtime, Johnny Her-riott announced the time and that the bestseats were in the far away bleachers. Most pa-trons had stood up to an hour in the hot sunto get into the grandstand and once seated weretoo exhausted to walk the half mile to betterseats.All acts appearing with the show were stand-ard American acts, with the exception of theremarkable Vickie Unus, who should be con-sidered a "Ringling" act from her long associa-tion with that show. Vickie had her uprightsguyed out on the top of the stage roof, nearHerriotts mike. Tuffy Genders, wearing his fa-miliar western hat, pulled her to the top of therigging for her spectacular and marvelous 65one arm swings, a fine climax to an excellentaerial number.Bypassing the techinical difficulties was the

BETTY WENDANY'SFUNS-A-POPPINPackage Shows to Fit Your Needs

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top talent. Show opened with Geronimo's highdive on one side of the stage and Miss Winn'sslide for life on the other. Then came the ele-phant and cat acts, followed by the Helicopterthrill. Next was Jordan's upside down unicycle,the Reynosa Bros. Pirates of the Sky, Evy Fos-sett's high revolving moon, climaxed with Vick-ie Unus in the center. The Great Wallendas,with Karl, Delilah and husband, Reitta and oneother male, performed their usual high wirenifties, as two sets of Winn Brothers aerial mo-torcycles roared up and down the inclined ca-bles. A great sway pole display found the Fos-setts.Swaying Stars at one side, Nocks trio nearthem. The very high and dangerous actingWong Brothers were spotted far away at theother end of the infield. With great bookingluck, both Zacchini acts were able to play thismuch talked about date. Unfortunately, theywere located some distance from each other,and made relatively short jumps. How terrificit would have been if the "used car lot" couldhave been reshuffled, so the cannons faced eachother and had a criss crossing shot into eachother's nets, perhaps firing over someone's highrigging- (Continued on Page 18)

A M E R I C A ' S NO. 1 M A G I C S H O W

18239 N. E. 182nd Ave.Brush Prairie. Wash.

98606

Phone: (206) 256-6178

Page 18 September 19, 1977

OHIO FAIR REVIEW (Continued)A few years back it was common to see

a cannon or cannons criss cross firing over se-veral ferris wheels. This critic will outspokenlysay some one goofed on the cannon set-up, formaximum effect.A long or shot cannon shot is a tough act to *follow, but Unique McPeak did that with excel-lent results. His wire was stretched from onefar end of the infield far across to the other,rigged to what must have been at least a 200ft. scaffold, specially erected for this date. Oncehe started his journey upwards and the crowdsrealized the distance, and eventual height andsteep incline at the last 75 ft., they froze intheir seats. The early walkers stopped and stoodin hushed silence. An approaching black thun-der storm added to the suspense. If the rain hadhit at say the % mark one has to wonder if MePeak would have tried to turn around and slideback down, climb down a supporting guy line,or erect a pocket umbrella and wait it out. Onebit of McPeak showmanship consists of noncha-lantly walking up the inclined wire, whistling,looking out at the audience and carrying hisbalancing pole over his shoulder like a rifle orfishing rod. Once nearing the top, he gas up anear fall, and adds considerable suspense. Atthe top of the high pedestal, he takes his fare-well style then waits for the crowd to head out,before donning coveralls and climbing downthe scaffold, after first lowering his balancepole. The audience ate up every second of this,and many still waited until he finally got backto the ground. Without doubt, Unique McPeak

FOR SALEROUTE CARDS

Sells Floto 1924 - No. 6 - $8.00R.B.B.B. 1933 - No. 2 - $4.00

1935 No. 3, 7,8 $3.00 ea.1941 - No. 1, 2, 3 , 4 . 5 , 6 , 7 ,

8 and 9 - $3.00 ea.(Far Western Tour)

1935 (last LARGE full-season0 e route of its kind) $20.00

,&>* JERRY BANGS^o<^ Colonial Circle* Lisbon. N. H. - 03585

Show ActsVisited the Kelly Bros. Circus at Pittsburg, Kans.on Aug. 30th and enjoyed the day. The showwas short of help, but Supt. Nick Bengor got itup in time for the matinee. They were schedul-ed for two shows and had to give three to handlethe crowds.Nick Bengor has the novelties, Heinz Fraun-stein, concessions, the Canestrellis run the bigMoon Walk and Neil Franzen has the elephantride. Ray Hartzell handles the show music.The program includes the Canestrellis wire act,Gorilla Jargo,.Sue Franzen, chimps, Canestrellion rola bola, Mich Miller, clown, Neil Franzenand trained dog, Miss Fabi, trapeze, Canestrellion teeterboard, Clowns, Heinz Fraunstein, spin-ning plates, Miss Fabi, Spanish web, Sue Fran-zen and Sheena the elephant.

... Jack Bennett

(when weather permitted) was the hit of the"Greatest Thrill Show on Earth".

Ringling and Fair officials did a superb job ofposting the area with small posters in every Oh-io Rest Camp (one patron remarked that Gov.Rhodes should spend less money on circusesand more on improvements at the camps). Theposters were beautiful full-color jobs showingBig Tommy leading the Ringling bulls, Wallen-da's high wire, Winn's motorcycles on slantedwires, twin 1770 cannons, Barreda's lions, Rix'sbears, Jordan's upside down unicycle and a nos-talgic drawing of A?fredo Codona in his famousone arm pose.

While some 18 State Fairs were reportedly in-terested in a comparable unit (the same actswould never be available at the same time in afuture year) it is doubtful that many if anywould pay the high price offered by Ohio. Also,most of the big Fairs that might afford this as-tronomical budget are located in big cities thatalready have one of the regular units of theundisputed Greatest Show on Earth.

... Glenn Martin

The Circus Report Page 19

NEWS THAT FT. STEUBENIS HIGHLY

HAS FALLEN,EXAGGERATED

THANKS to a few "wunnerful" fans who reduced our telephone billby announcing Ft. Steuben had 1. Perished to Pollution; 2 Falleninto the Ohio River; 3 Moved to Las VegasACTUALLY, Steubenvi11e, home of Dean Martin, Jimmy the Greek,,Telley's Lolipop Factory, and Tanja Ticklers Turkish Steam Saunais. Alive and Well!NOW BOOKING FOR MARCH 18-19, 1978: Elephants wid big tooth (Lt .Lee Dino answer) - Flashy riding act doing 22 or more (TJ Ospreycall) - Big Comedy Cat act with cordless mike and mirror ball(Jane answer) Combination man eating horned toad and mixed upAnimal Act (Gabby Bibbs get up & Boogie) Good MC and Ballet gumchewing checker -(Johnny Chariot write) Big Time Illusionist withvanishing blonde assistant, doubling on bongo drums S 24 hr . man.Must furnish own beer bottles for arrows (Great Dallas cable)Aerial Ballet Producers adherring to our policy: "One girl in blueis better than 32" -OR- "You're still ahead with one girl in red"Irvken Duo answer)... Peanut Priviledge Pending - J. Carter callone more time).. Noveltry agents report to Ronnie Rj.nginn.FoxyLady Secretary report to Dirty Ole Manley in Committee Office.(Reading or writting not required) - Funny clowns with new gagssuch as firecracker, big balloon, pay day/•envelope, etc.ATTENTION COMMITTEES: We have exhausted our supply of GreyhoundBus tickets and box lunches, but would b^ happy to visit YOURShow; kindly forward return airline ti&krets and luxury suitereservations. ALSO NEED 300 CIRCUS FANS (fried or Parboiled)with strong necks capable of carrying 19 unloaded cameras at onetime, completely filling in back door area (so our acts can learnhow to enter via the front door,) . Fans must not be bashful butfeel free to ask:Promotor how much he grossed} Performer's Salary;tell agent he booked town wrong time of year - tell press how muchbetter it was in good old days with Adam Forepaugh, also eat yourlunch while sitting on ring curbs firing flashbulbs ataudience. Preference to those wearing open toed Desert Sandalsand participating in new Super Spec "Hannibal crossing theAlps in -40° Blizzard"WRITE: "Old George" 5275 Denise Dr. Dayton 0. 45429, or when in

Sarasota call Special Agent Gunnar, Collect!