Number 11 May 23,1983

THE FLYING CACERES

Page 4 May 23.1983

Show DatesBeany-Cole Circus

May 23 Vineland, NJ24-26 Atlantic City

27 Bricktown

Bentley Bros. CircusMay 24 Victorville, Ca.

26-27 Monterey28 King City29 Salinas

Big Apple CircusMay 21-30 Queens. NY

Big John Strong CircusMay 24 Rio Vista, Calif.

Carson & Barnes CircusMay 22 Castle AFB, Calif.

23 Fort Ord24 Soledad25 Morgan Hill26 Half Moon Bay27 Alameda28 Modesto29 Sonora

Circus VargasMay 24-25 Olympia, Wash.

26-29 Kirkland

Circus Variety ShowMay 21 San Bernardino, Ca.

Gerry Cottle Circusto June 26

Kallang Park, Singapore

Jules & Beck CircusMay 21 Grayson, Ga.

23 Woodstock24 Cumming25 Berford26 Duluth27 Commerce28 Dawsonville29'Dahtonegna

Pickle Family CircusMay 28-30

San Francisco. Calif.

Ringling-Bamum - BlueMay 24-30 Hershey, Pa.

Ringling-Barnum • Redto June 5 New York, NY

Reid Bros. CircusMay 22 Walla Watla, Wash.

- - -OTHER DATES---

James H. Drew ExpositionMay 22-June 3

Charleston, W. Va.

Elliott AmusementsMay 23-30 Southgate. Mich

Morris Fantasy PlayersMay 23 Slidell. La.

24 Houma25 Mandeville26 New Iberia28 Biloxi, Miss.29 Pascagoula

Sesame Street LiveMay 25-29 Oakland, Calif.

Square Dance Round-UpMay 27-30

San Francisco. Calif.

World Clown Assoc. MeetMay 25-28 Atlanta, Ga.

Simintha

Wouldn't you know it. After along drive and not much sleep,everyone has to pitch in and getthe show up. Seems like theyjust never run out of extra jobsaround this outfit.Oh, well, it won't be for long,

then I'll be back in the ring per-forming and doing somethingthat I really enjoy.

Glad you dropped by, stickaround and I'll take you in forthe matinee.

PageS

The Flying DaredevilbyALANTATE

There is something quite awe-inspiringabout watching a body spin through the airat about 100 km. an hour.

All you see is a blurred ball of flesh as itflies through the air.Involuntarily, you dig your fingernails into

something secure and hold your breath wait-ing for the end.

There is possibly no other circus act thatrivets the attention more, or holds moredanger, than the trapeze.A giant swing, a moment in space, the spin

and then the slap of hands on strong wristsas the flyer is caught. It looks simple • andterribly frightening.

But for those trapeze artists who dare tofly across the big top, it is anything butsimple and often every fait as frightening.

One of the best, some say the best in theworld, is Miguel Caceres, a 29 yr. old nativeof Colombia, brought to Australia by entre-preneur Michael Edgley for "The World'sGreatest Circus Spectacular" now in Mel-bourne.

Miguel's specialty is the most difficult anddangerous of all trapeze acts * the three anda half somersault.

He is the only person in the world perfor-ming the three and a half somersault.

Three other artists have perfected the tech-nique, but have retired.To watch the superb physique of Miguel

propelling himself across the big top in gi-gantic swings is to watch art in motion.

As the time for the leap into space nears,Miguel's face becomes frozen in concentra-tion.

All his energy is consumed in those mo-ments, he says, in the perfect timing that isrequired to see him spin through the air andinto the hands of his partner swinging on asecond trapeze.'I hear the crowd yelling and clapping out

there, but then that sound fades away whenI'm up there,," said Miguel."I've got to concentrate. If I miss just one

thing, it will be very bad for me."It is really hard. Maybe it looks easy to

some people but that is one thing I want be-cause I want people to think that this person

May 23,1983

makes it look simple, like nothing."Miguel was only eight years old when his

mother took him to see his first circus inColombia. Unlike many of his fellow perfor-mers, Miguel was not bom into the circus.During that first visit he was captivated by

the trapeze act."I was in love with it, I dreamt about it,"

he said."I remember their white tights, the lovely

way they flew through the air, the way theypirouetted."

Miguel joined the circus as soon as he wasold enough.

The star tarpeze artist at the circus begantraining Miguel, teaching him the techniquesthat were later to make him one of theworld's best.

He remembers he used to shake in thosedays when he climbed the thin wire ladderup to the top.

Under the hot lights of the big top, sweat issomething a trapeze artist simply cannot do.The hands must be tight and firm - to hangon.

The double somersault came fairly easy toMiguel. A few years later he had perfectedthe triple somersault.

But it was the three and a half that eludedhim."I used to practice and practice and almost

cried when I couldn't do it/' he said."You try and try so often and it looks as if

you will never make it."His hands became cracked and blistered

from repeated practice.And then, four years ago, it happened - he

did the three and a half somersault."It was the most beautiful feeling," he said."Like if you were very poor and you won

the lottery."Since then he has performed the trick about

3000 times. His worst injury has been a sprai-ned ankle and a sore nose.

Back in the U. S. his wife waits for his re-turn and their son, George, and daughter,Krizia.

George is already flying through the air onthe trapeze. He is five.

"He asked me if he could do a trick upthere, but I was afraid." said Miguel. Never-theless. George has already perfected the

(Continued on Paoe 7)

The Circus Report Page?

A great '83by EDDIE HOWE

What a great year '83 is for circus folks andfans alike in California!

First off, the new '83 edition of Circus Var-gas, which is the most lavish show Cliff hastoured to date, toured Southern Californiafrom early January into late April and cur-rently is in the northern part of the state.CVis a real winner this year again, plus being asurprise performance throughout.

And a big "bonus" to show people and thefans is the current California tour of the bigCarson & Barnes Circus, its first visit to thestate in 15 years, when the late Jack Moorehad the show in 1968. C&B owner, "Mr. Cir-cus Himself" D. R. Miller was last in Califor-nia with his former Al G. Kelly-Miller Bros.Circus in 1959 and 1960.

Dorey, probably the best known to circusfolk and fans for many years of any circusowner today, can be justifiably proud of hiscurrent five-ring performance (and I meanall five rings working at one time) and of hisbeautiful new big top which went up justprior to the California tour, for the firsttime.

C&B wardrobe and costumes are great andwhat a spec they have) The largest herd ofperforming bulls anywhere, plus all of thering horses and lead stock, what an impres-sive sight on each lot! The band is positivelythe best anywhere today, the show is back-ed with real circus music and scores, direct-

ANIMAL CRACKER

FEATURING

ANIMALSA VERY UNIQUE SHOW

Suitable for Parks, Fairs. Etc.P. 0. Box 2058

Canyon Country, Calif. - 91351Phone:(805)255-8614

ed by Charles Stevenson who was with MerleEvans' band on RBBB in the 1950's.Watch the spectators at this show "geared-

up" to the C&B music and keeping timewith their feet in the seats.

We professional troupers can all the moreappreciate and respect "D. R." now as al-ways. He has a big show and he is a joy toknow, as are Ted Bowman, Jim Judkins andall of his staff.

The C&B's ups and downs every day are thefastest of any show touring, Dorey and hiscrew, headed bu Geary Byrd do it and swift-ly so. All pro's!

C&B is bigtime circus in every way.

ARTURO GAONAand NAOMI ROSASGARCIA, circus performers, were marriedon a trapeze, 60 ft. in the air, during the47th annual Arabia Temple Shrine Circusat Houston, Texas, on May 6th. The newlymarried couple plans to delay their honey-moon until winter when the circus seasonis over.

ANGELA Wl LNOW and her Collies are atpresent playing dates in New England, book-ed by the Dwight Damon Agency, of Merri-mack, NH, and the Jimmy & Millie Agency,of Attleboro, Mass. Late in May the act willjoin a circus and variety show in Quebec,booked by Gastoni Attractions of Montreal.

SKIP SHAW, a dealer in stationery and of-fice supplies, is the Chief Clown of the Al-chemist Clowns of Aahmes Shrine Templein Oakland, Calif. He was featured in theOakland Tribune on May 6th.

SPENCER A. STINE is recovering from anoperation and would appreciate cards andletters. You can write him at: 1551 DefenseHighway, Gambrills, Md. 21054.

THE FLYING DAREDEVIL (Continued)

single somersault.With 16 years in the circus. Miguel reckons

he will still be doing trapeze work and triplesomersaults when he is 40.

He does not smoke or drink and says hefeels in good shape.

Page 8

East Coast newsby FRANK ROBIE

Toby Ballantine and Middy Streeter andCompany did a two day gig at Atlantic City.The troupe stayed at the Claridge Hotel, allexpenses paid while doing a stuffed toy pro-mo. Middy is attending graduate school inComputer Science, teaches school and doesbirthday parties as Middy the Clown, just tokeep his hand in. He reports there are stillcopies available of 'The I Ran Away Withthe Circus Cookbook." The book will be onsale at the CFA Convention in Philadelphia.

New Jersey has a new circus venture, theteam of Bill Phillips, Todd Robinson andTom Cathro have formed an indoor fundraising promotion called Star Spangled Cir-cus, which is currently on tour.

Ringliny's Red theme with the Pink Pan-ther caused a new Pink Panther pennant tobe made and it sells on the show for $3.00.All other pennants are still being sold. Theprogram is still $2.50, however, there is noinside poster.

Clowns on the All American Circus werefrom the Clown Club of Northern New Jer-sey. Clown Alley No. 81 and there seemedto be a baker's dozen or so.

Hamid-Morton Circus played MennenSports Areaa, Morristown, NJ, and on op-ening night was struck by a snow storm,but the show went on rather than disappointapproximately 500 hardy die-hard circusfans. Only two acts were out. Hawthorn ele-phants and Oarryl Wallen's beautiful hone"Mr. Rythm." The elephant tent was heatedwith heavy blowers but the tent was cover-ed with slush and ice. An offer was made to

May 23, 1983

the audience because of the missing acts ofgeneral admission for the following evening.Only 35 people accepted the of fer .

It was good to see Gene Randow back inaction and the Tangier Troupe of Arabianacrobats struck a nostalgic chord. Ben DeWayne handled the elephants exceptionallywell, it was pleasing to see the elephantskneel at the back of the ring whenever theywere not performing so that patrons couldeasily see all that was going on during theact. You don't see this very often and it isappreciated.

Pat Davison gave a flashy juggling displaywhich was a crowd pleaser. To the best ofrecollection. King Arthur and Goldie playedthe circus route in this area for the first timeand it was good to see this much talked a-bout duo. The Fabulous Darnells doing Ma-gic With a Touch of Class does not half de-scribe the Elkins sisters' beauty, elegant per-fection that brings magic to the audience ina mystical sense that drew breathless ohs andalis. Truly the highlight of this date.

The Pueyrredons do a perch act of excep-tional beauty and grace, and as the Olivers,they juggle rings, clubs, balls and hats. Thecostumes are good too. Then there are theGauchos from the Argentine, with their ex-citing dancing and deep thundering drums.

This was not the whole show, of course,but it's enough to show you that it was allgood circus. Take a bow, Mr. Hamid.

The Circus Report Page 9

The Polack showby GEORGE OaDEPPO

Members of the Albert Rix Tent CFA at-tended the 1 p.m. performance of the 32ndannual Zenobia Shrine Circus at the Toledo(Ohio) Sports Arena.

Veteran producer Sam T. Polack assembl-ed a fine array of talent for the pure circusevent. Mr. Polack's credits date back to se-veral years with Polack Bros. Circus, whichoriginated much of the Shrine Circus as weknow it today.Mr. Polack's staff included: Paul Kohler,

announeer, substi tut ing for Al Dawley; PtnlGranger, producing clown, substituting forToby Ballantine; William Pruyn, musicaldirector and Gary Maximena, lighting andprops.

After a warm-up by the Zenobia Shrinemobile units and the Shrine clowns, the program began with an overture by the ShrineCircus Band, under the direction of WilliamPruyn.

Opening the presentation, in the steel are-na was the artistic and exciting display ofwild animals, trained and presented byJorge Barreda. This was followed by thecradle acts of The Jennifer Duo and theVenturas.After a hilarious "Clown Wedding" the au-

dience was treated to a display of canine in-telligence with the performing poodles ofThe Albertis. T'nen on stages one and threelovely ladies presented precision sword bal-ancing.The clowns came back to offer the Tooth

Ache gag, followed by the Lucky BrothersRobert and Mario in astounding acrobatics.Musical expertise teamed with superb com-edy was next with the audience pleasingEuropean Clown Band Fantasy of ItaloFomasari.The bareback riding of the Robert Zerfaini

Troupe was followed by Intermission.An aerial feature with Miss Sa Sa and Miss

Mia opened the second half, after which anumber favored by children of all ages waspresented, Naud's Performing Chimpanzeesand they were followed by the clowns anda Balloon Chase.The titans of the teeterboard, the Zerbini

Family were next, followed by the Star Ga-zing Clowns.

The Shrine Circus Elephants were present-ed by Col. Lee Keener, assisted by Jeanetteand Tanya Keener and featuring 'Tommy"the only full grown male performing ele-phant in this country.

The Circus World Champions, Italy's Starson the Trampoline, the Sensational Foma-sari Troupe, were followed by the closingnumber, an excellent flying trapeze act pre-sented by The Remarkable Flying Larrays.

Members of the Rix Tent and most showpersonnel gathered (after the performance)in a building adjourning the arena, for coffeeand cake and conversation, and to view thefine display of circus photos, programs, pos-ters and memorabilia beautifully mountedon boards (museum style) by Rix Tent pre-sident, Tom Hendricks.

This fine show was presented for four daysApril 27 to 30th.

AUSTIN MILES and his wife ING RID vis-ited the Spanish Riding School in Viennaand were remarried in Austria on April 30.

USDA ReportThe Utica Zoological Society, operators of

the Utica Zoo in New York, has resolved U.S. Dept. of Agriculture charges of animalwelfare violations in the zoo's elk and yakexhibits.

According to Dr. Wm. F. Nape, veterinar-ian in charge of USDA's Animal and PlantHealth Inspection Service in New York, thezoo was accused of providing substandardshelter for its elk and unsanitary housingfor its yak. Also, APHIS inspectors foundthat the yak feed was contaminated.

Nape said the zoo was able to satisfactor-ily correct its deficiencies involving the yak,but chose to discontinue its elk exhibit. Theelk have been sold, but are currently at thezoo pending the arrival of warmer weather.They will be removed from the zoo by May1st, Nape said.

Page 10 May 23,1983

WILLIAM D. ALSTRAND (81), known as"Poogie Alstrand" the magician, died MayGth, For yean he was one of the busiest pro-fessional magicians on the west coast. Hewas a Life Member of the Oakland MagicCircle (Calif.) and for years he toured, play-ing military bases, schools, stage shows, etc.He is survived by his wife, Inga and two sonsand a daughter.

Big John's PlansSeveral shows are scheduled to tour under

the direction of Big John Strong, whose tentcircus is currently enjoying good business.During May the show suffered as a result ofheavy rains and two days were lost when thelots were flooded and unable to be used. Onthose days the entire crew turned to and allwere seen repairing the big top.

A Circus Variety Show will open May 21stat San Bernardino, Calif, and will close on

June 21st at Salt Lake City. People set forthis show include: Leo and Marsha Griep,Dave King, illusionist. The Wainwrights, bal-ancing/trampoline; Neil Armstrong, organist;T. J. Howell, juggler/unicycle; Mike Fleming,drummer and Poko and Joe, clowns.

A show called 'Clowncapades' will open inSan Bernardino, Calif., on Aug. 14th and isgoing to feature Phil Shear, Cindy Page, TimTegge and wife, Jeff Stone and partner, Patand Gwen Davison, Lydia Burkett, Jim Sum-mer, Neil Armstrong and Mike Fiemming.Starting Oct. 20th, John will tour two illu-

sion shows and in December he will havetwo Christmas shows on the road.

FRED REED is reportedly setting dates forBig John Strong's shows in Arizona for thiscoming winter season.

The Circus Report Page 11

Jutes & Beckby MICHYL THOMAS

Exactly who and what are the GiganticJules & Beck Combined Big Top Circus?Well, the circus is owned and operated by

F. Patrick and Pamela Sue Guthrie, of thefamed Guthrie Carnival Shows. Three yearsago. Pat got a bee in his bonnet to buy anelephant and 'Myrtle' was procured from theHoxie organization. Since that time. Pat (36yrs. old) and Pam (34 yrs. old) have beengetting more and more into the scheme ofcircus.

In 1982 they took the Jules & Beck Circus(named after their daughters Julie and Bec-ky) out for a trial run through Georgia andKentucky. Although the show was success-ful the decision was made to close after thefirst month or so. Now, in 1983 the GiganticJules & Beck Combined Big Top Circus, isready to roll again. This time it is under a 90ft. big top, rented from Hoxie Tucker andthey are using a combination of 9-high seatsand 5-iiigh seats on the ends. The show is carried on 5 semis and several pickup trucks. .The show has been totally painted red andwhite and is looking really sharp.

The Midway consists of a Side Show andMenagerie, housed in a 50 ft. x 20 ft. tent, aSnake Show, owned by B. K. and Melvin Sil-veriake, a Miniature Pony Show, a MoonWalk and the Concession Stand, managed byJimmy Kernan.

The Booking is being handled by B. K. Sil-verlake, Christian Johnson and John Burdette. They are doing an excellent job of book-ing the show through Georgia, Kentucky,Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia. NorthCarolina, South Carolina, Florida and Ala-bama. The office is managed by Pam Guth-rie.

JON FRIDAYMy Report of Saturday

Not Picked up Sunday at MonroeWrite Me

Monday, Tuesday or WednesdayDown Here I'm Getting Thursday

Regards,HAL HAVILAND

4505 San Bernardo Laredo, Tex. 78041

The principal performers in the show are:Melvin Silverlake (rope spinning, whip crac-king, gun twirling, Military pony); Joe Sil-verlake (cloud swing, anchor perch, juggling,goat act); Beckie Guthrie (swinging ladder,Spanish web, single trapeze); Patrick Silver-lake (elephant ride, roman rings, juggling,clowning); and last but not least, Miss JulieGuthrie, only 5 yrs old, presenting Myrtleone of the largest elephants in the U. S. to-day. The music for the show will be provid-ed by Bobby Green.This reporter will keep Circus Report advis-

ed of the route, so if you are in the area, planto drop in and see the Gigantic Jules & BeckCombined Big Top Circus. We're not theGreatest Show on Earth, we're not even thesecond Greatest Show on Earth, but we arethe best show for the money.

Int. All Stirby NORMAN ABRAHAMS

Nordmark's International All Star Circusplayed Mamaronek, NY, April 22. The datewas sponsored by the local Lions Club, ;ndthe show had a big advance sale.The program included the overture with

David Epperly at the organ, backed by fourterrific musicians. The show opened withthe Shellynn Dancers from England, thenincluded Joe Eddy and Betty, illusions fea-turing the Girl to Leopard; Phil Sadler han-dled the clown interludes; Ribichweks Bab-oons, a real children's delight; a wire per-formed by DeMille, back for the 1983 tourwas the Pork Chop Revue with GrumpyGrimes and then intermission with novel-ties, pop com, balloons, cotton candy, etc.

Lee Stevens Champion Poodles; foot jugg-ling by Miss Patti; the Zachery's; the alwayspleasing Hans Rucker and his uncaged leo-pard; Joe Eddy, whip act;.Mario and SaraDrougett, aerial act.

Credit for this past paced, 90 minute showgoes to manager Hines Rucker.

Mr. Lollipops the Klown spent the day vis-itina old friends.

Page 12

Fnnzen Bros.Franzen Bros. Circus arrived in Indiana al-

ong with the rains and mud. But it didn'tstop the crowds. It rained so Wayne Fran-zen told us 35 of the first 45 days they havebeen on the road this season.

The Franzen Bros. Circus played Osgood,Ind. on April 30th and had to give a thirdperformance. Then at Hanover on May 1st,they had two full houses. On May 2nd, inVevay, Ind., the same thing, two full hou-ses, and it rained all three days. The lotswere muddy, but it was still great circus.

The show as presented was as follows:Ferocious felines under the direction of

Wayne Franzen; A pitch for the show's pro-gram by ringmaster Paul Niebauer, assistedby teako, Chico and Miss Ami.

Wire walking by Curtis Kid Cainan andMiss Sherry Pfau; Teako and her 4 CarrotRing; Miss Heidi Bolz on the Roman rings;Chico and a bit of magic (Tide).The Circus Animal Fantasy, camel and

llama presented by Wayne Franzen; Objectsof all sizes are twirled and balanced by Cur-

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May 23,1983

tis; Chico and Teako, juggling; Amy Muller(Miss Aroya) on the slender rope.

Ringmaster Niebauer then gives a nice plugfor the circus souvenirs of Miss Marcy as aT'i minute intermission is taken.

Opening the second half is the soaring aer-ial ladder of the Pfaucains; Chico, juggling;Miss Okha, the elephant presented by WayneFranzen; Wild Bill Chico and Calamity JaneTeako present their version of the old west.

A delightful deluge of dandy dogs presen-ted by Canin's Canines; Chico and Teakoannounce the winners from the audience ofthe coloring contest; The Astro Duo (Harryand Amy Muller), aerial cradle; closing theshow is the world's greatest aggregation ofAopaloosa ponies trained and presented byWayne Franzen.

Music for the show is provided by MissHeidi Bolz at the organ with Paul Neibau-er on the trumpet.

Franzen Bros. Circus is produced and own-ed by Wayne and Kathy Franzen. Paul Nei-bauer is the performance director; DiningDept. is handled by Emma Anderson; Ward-robe Mistress, Margie Jones; Concessions,Jim and Sandy Windland. The fine coloringbook and program is the work of Nat Hull.

This is the 10th anniversary edition of theFranzen Bros. Circus. They travel on eighttrucks and will travel to over 250 cities andtowns in 15 states, with over 500 perform-ances scheduled this season.

Many thanks to the Franzen family fortheir welcome to the Fans upon the lot.A fine family show, no one should miss itif it is close at all.

May 8 - San Bernardino, Calif. - Four per-sons on a carnival ride at the National Or-ange Show were dropped 20 ft. to theground and then dragged around in a circlein a freak accident. Investigators said onearm of the Spider ride broke.

Two people were hospitalized with backinjuries, two others were treated for injur-ies and released and six people stranded onthe ride had to be rescued.

The Circus Report Page 13

Coronas CircusThe program for the Murat Temple Shrine

Circus, at the Fairgrounds in Indianapolis,Ind., April 21-24, was produced by the Cor-onas Circus and offered the following pre-entations:

Shrine Parade; National Anthem; Maya,trap, Gaona, trap, Bertini, perch, Ventura,perch, Martinez, iron jaw; Wade Burck withthe Hawthorn white tigers; Cucciolo, com-edy trampoline; Abulet Bros., high wire;Zamperlas, unicycles, Vlastek, unicycles,Gonsalves, rola bola, Zerbini, teeterboard;Stevana, rocket ship; Scott's UnrideableMule; Maya, swords, Natashia, swords. Beeky, swords, Martinez, rolling globes; MuratShrine Clowns; Count Napoleon, Lippizanstallion and Lady Cristina, Arabian dressage;Satani Demon, fire act; Erna's chimps, Mayaand the Yorkies, Inga's Chow Chow's; Geo.Coronas, gyro wheel and Serge Cornoas,gyro wheel; Intermission.

Roberto's, comedy table act; The FlyingLarrays, flying act; The Flying Christians/Gaonas, flying act; Martinez Trio, perchpole, Duo Helena, perch pole; Napoleone'sRoman Riders; The Zerbini Riders; Scott's

Boxer Dogs; Murat Shrine Clowns; JohnnyWalker, elephants, Diano elephants, Morriselephants; Serge and Stevie Coronas, motor-cycle duo; Hugo Zacchini, cannon act.William Pryun, musical director; Col. Luc-

ky Larabee, ringmaster.

Acts at MinotThe program for the Castle/Zerfaini Shrine

Circus at Minot, M D., and presented in theCity Auditorium, on May 2-3 featured:Anthem and Overture; Josip Marcan's ti-

ger act; Edwardos hanging perch; Mr. Mike,unicycle; Antonios, juggling; Davide Laddie,unsupported ladders; Elephant display in 3rings; Clowns (Telescope); Los Latinos, onthe wire; Olmedas Dressage Horses, in all 3rings; Del Moral, ground perch; Alejandro,slack wire; Susan Sheryll's Royal AfghanChampions; Clowns; Miss Sylvia and a webproduction; Intermission.

The Olmedas, bikes; The Flying Ibarras;Clowns (Balloon gag); Davide Zoppe's Rhe-sus Monkey Revue; The Great Huberto,slide for life; Patricia and Gary Thomas,elephants; Johnny Luxem, Wheel act, andFinale.

The Circus Report Page 15

The Ropers ConventionDuring the recent First Annual convention

of the I.T.F.R.A. which was held at MontieMontana's Ranch, in Agua Dulce, Calif., twoworld records were broken by members fromGreat Britain and Canada. The conventionwas held on the weekend of Apr. 16-17 andwas attended by members and their guestsfrom the U. S., Canada, England and Mexico.

The first record was broken during the con-vention banquet on Saturday evening by 22yr. old Kim Gowan, of Canada. She set outto beat the record for Women's Texas Skipsthat Joan Wells, of Lincoln, Nebr., establish-ed in 1979. Ms. Wells had successfully com-pleted 184 of the difficult maneuvers.With the enthusiastic members cheering

her on, Kim broke that mark, and set a newrecord of 222 Texas Skips in the time of 4minutes. Quite a feat for a pretty and gal-lant lady, and one which should inspire oth-er members to compete against.

The second record book achievement wasdone by an outstanding British performer,Vince Bruce, billed world-wide as the "Cock-ney Cowboy." The 28 yr. old Vince had sethis sights on a record that the immortal WillRogers had established in 1929. Rogers didan incredible 1000 Texas Skips; a recordwhich had not been seriously challenegedin over 50 years. Most veteran ropers, ex-perts themselves, believed that it was im-possible to exceed that amount.

Obviously in top physical condition andwith a positive attitude, Vince began his at-tempt under strict rules in order for thefeat to qualify for the Guinness RecordBook in the event that he would be suc-cessful. The countdown began as the crowdfell silent, but Vince encouraged his audienceto enjoy themselves, and he kept up a ra-pid-fire routine of jokes as he skipped backand forth thru the whirling loop.

At 805, a gasp went up from the crowdwhen they noticed that the right shoelaceon Vince's foot had come untied. As every-one held their breath, Vince commentedthat he was more aware of the fact than theywere and smiling, continued his rhythmicpace.When the magic numbers, 1000. were rais-

ed in victory, Vince nodded to the score-keepers and increased his speed to signifythat he was going to continue. The count

total rose steadily as the spectators beganwondering just how far he would go. A chor-us of applause let the young man know thateveryone was solidly behind him in thisawesome contest. Montie Montana tossed inadvice as Vince moved dangerously close tothe edge of the plywood platform.

Suddenly, without warning, the loop wentflat as it was caught over the edge of theplatform, and although Vince was successfulin saving the loop, he realized that bis rhy-thm had been broken, ending the count at anunbelieveable, 1,814 Texas Skips. His timefor the new record was a fantastic, 26 min.,30 sec.! The standing ovation from the wildcheering crowd had to be seen to be trulyappreciated.Although these two records were the high-

light of the ITFRA convention, there wereover a hundred performers displaying theirown specialties. Never before in history hadso many artists gathered together in oneplace at the same time to do the stunningexhibitions of skill and talent.

The list of the famous among them is al-most too long to record here, but chiefamong them were such great artists as Mon-tie Montana, Beau Hickory and Tinned, Ed-die Roscoe, Chief Grey Otter (Skeeter Vau-ghn) of the Cherokee Nation, Frank Deanand Barbara and Sylvester Braun.

Montie performed his big loop catch of sixhorses and riders with over 100 ft. of rope.Grey Otter, with his lovely and courageousassistant, Stephanie, thrilled the crowd withan exhibition of knife and tomahawk throw-ing that has been seen throughout tbe world.Beau Hickory, and the beautiful Tinned, daz-zled spectators with a demonstration of thetrick shooting that made them famous.

Frank Dean, proving that a serious ropercan spin anything, successfully spun a loopof cola cans strung together and then step-ped inside of it for the wedding ring trick.

Eddie Roscoe and Tex Hill gave exhibitionsof fancy six gun handling in a variety of ra-pid routines. Montie Montana's "GallopingGalaxy of Gorgeous Gals" lived up to theirname in a wonderful exhibition of trick ri-ding. Other specialties were presented as eachroper entered the arena to show off his art.

As soon as the Wild West shoot-out, stagedby Rawhide Rawlins and his Red River Ro-gues was climaxed in a roar of six shooters

(Continued on Page 18)

Page 18

ROPERS CONVENTION (Continued)

and clouds of powder smoke, the arena wasfilled with the entire assembly of ITFRAmembers. To the delight of the audience, theropers performed a seemingly endless var-iety of rope spinning routines at the sametime.The success of this, the first annual Inter-

national Trick and Fancy Ropers Assoc. con-vention, convinced the ITFRA Committeeto hold one every year from now on. The1984 event is planned to be held on the EastCoast at a time to be decided upon later thisyear.

At the ITFRA banquet, on Saturday eve-ning, in addition to Ms. Gowan's perform-ance, western artist, Mark Storm, of Hous-ton, Tex., gave a slide show and narration ofhis latest works. This was followed by theclassic motion picture, "The Roping Fool"starring Will Rogers. A beautiful routine, al-most like a ballet, was performed by thecelebrated lady roper, Cheryle Bacon, whileAndy Anderson strummed his guitar andsang a song about the cowboy and his spin-ning ropes. His song may become the themesong of the ITFRA. The banquet was cli-maxed by a film of Montie Montana as heappeared on the Steve Allen show.

("The Roping Fool" was shown throughthe courtesy of the Will Rogers Memorial).

From Floridaby MARJORIEJ. HACKETT

My fondness for the circus and outdoorshow business began when I was a 5 yr. oldin Duluth, Minn., where our family had thegood luck to live across from a huge lotwhere the circuses appeared.

A brother, who is 7% yrs. older, carriedwater for the elephants and earned free pas-ses, ther tiny brother Jimmie decided tojoin him and in trying to cross the street,was knocked down by a car. Fortunately itwas not going too fast and was driven by adoctor, who stopped and brought him in tomy Mother. It was that summer when Mo-ther took Jimmie and I to see "Miller's 101Ranch Show" and from the first look at thecowboys, Indians and Cossack riders, I wasready to "join out". That did not happenuntil I was in college, in Detroit, Mich.,where I became a part of the local ballet

May 23, 1983

Hal Haviland Soz:MILESTONES - Cesareo Pelaez production

Le Grande David, the 53 person opulent ma-gic spectacular at Cabot St. Theatre, Beverly,Mass., does it's 750th in-residence full even-ing performance on Sunday, May 22nd. Alsofor the 2nd year in a row, the entire com-pany participated in the annual White Houseegg roll as the President and First Lady wat-ched. Capital Entertainment!

IN THE AIR - LeMoine Trio did their mo-torcycle on the high wire act over Boston,Mass., and recently made the AP newspaperphoto service.

ROLLBACK - Interesting, Charlie Camp-bell, Atlanta, Ga., based route sheet withnostalgic circus commentaries is now beingpublished every other week instead ofonce a week.

HELP FOR UNEMPLOYED ACTS - Sara-sota based Jerry Swartz of EntertainmentAssociates is advertising a computer locationservice to aid acts, producers and agents.Now, I can't say that this scientific bookingbreak-thru is really a first. For years I've su-spected that my artists representative wasnothing but a robot!

group with Moslem Shrine Circus.A rather short circus career has. however,

provided me with a life long hobby. I am a26 yr. member of Circus Fans of America.

Did you readers know that the 1st ele-phant was brought into the U.S. on April13.1796?

A news note from Royal Oak, Mich., (De-troit suburb) announced that a lady namedBess Moses Edwards, age 60, plans to sell a16-guage double-barrel I shotgun that oncebelonged to her great-aunt, sharpshooterAnnie Oakley. Mrs. Edwards says she'll takethe best offer she can get and diet Parker,director of the Michigan Antique Arms Col-lectors, said he thinks the weapon will fetch$40,000 to $60,000. Anyone interested?

Merlin Stanton is a tile layer and was hon-ored by fellow members of his union in Mil-waukee as a 75 yr. card carrying member!So, why am I mentioning him in CR? Be-cause in 1930, Charlie Ringlimj brought hintto Sarasota, along with other tile layers towork on his opulent mansion on SarasotaBay (now part of the Ringling Museum).Stanton is 93 yrs. old.

Page 20 May 23,1983

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The Caria Wallenda Fan Club will hold afestival at Butler Park in Washington, NJ,an July 8-10, at which time Helen Wallen-da is to be honored.

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lice report that two men were mauled by atrained bear that might have been provokedby thunder. Brian Grieser was visiting afriend, while enroute with his circus bear.His friend, Mike Morrissee, went into thelarge step-van to feed the bear and after herlet the bear out of the cage it attacked him.Grieser heard the cries for help, went intothe van and was injured himself before hecould get the bear back into the cage.

Morrissee was bitten on the lower legs andwas released from the hospital after receiv-ing treatment. Grieser was listed in seriouscondition at University Hospital. He receiv-ed a bit on the ankle.

Apr. 30 - Terre Haute, Ind. • Aerialist An-dreas Ramos fell to the floor of HullmanCenter when a trapeze platform collapsedduring a Shrine circus program. Witnessessaid the aerialist had just returned to theplatform when a supporting cable broke.As Ramos hit the net he was flipped to thefloor and later hospital attendants said hehad suffered a back injury. A girl aerialistalso fell, but she landed safely in the net.

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The Circus Report Page 21

Florida showsby Circus Joe VALENCIANO

Here are some of the attractions whichshowed in and around Tampa, Fla.. this fallwinter and spring season.

The Franzini Family Circus was featuredat Fairyland Park in Tampa, Sept. 11th."Hello Dolly" starring Carol Channingwas

presented in the Bayfront Center at St. Pe-tersburg, Nov. 23-28.

Then to round out the year, on Dec. 2nd,Holiday Hippodrome made an appearanceat Tampa's Curtis Hixon Hall.

The New Year of '83 brought RinglingRed, Jan. 4-10, to the Bayfront Center atSt. Petersburg.

On Feb. 2-13, the Florida State Fair madeit's run, presenting the Eddie Zacchini BigTop Circus and also Deggeller Amusementson the midway. The fair is at Tampa. Ashort time later, Feb. 25-Mar. 5, the FloridaStrawberry Festival was held in nearby PlantCity. On that midway was the very fine pet-ting zoo of Commerford & Sons and the

Mighty Blue Grass Shows.A week later, Mar. 12th, at the University

of South Florida's Sun Dome, by Tampa,was TV's Bob Barker's Fun-A-Games Show.This was followed by the Chinese Magic Cir-cus which also appeared in the USF SunDome, Mar. 24th.April 9th, the Roberts Bros. Circus was at

Riverview, playing in the rain. Then in mid-April Royal Hanneford played for the EgyptTemple in St. Petersburg-Tampa, Apr. 14-17.

May brought a "May Festival" to the Bay-front Arena in St. Petersburg, which featur-ed carnival rides, a circus and rock musicbands. May 5-8. This was followed by a runof the Walt Disney's Great Ice Odyssey May19-22, at the same arena.And another year went by without "Circus

Joe" getting to see the big top of the ClydeBeatty-Cole Bros. Circus. Hopefully, theymay play the Tampa area next winter asthey used to do.

Page 22

Shrine ShowThe official program for the 38th annual

Tadmor Shrine Circus, produced by Ron J.Kelroy and Associates, Inc., lists the follow-ing acts:

La Grande Entree, entire cast and featur-ing Melte. Marleen; The Kneisley Duo, aerialcradle; Les Diannes, hand balancing; TheGonzalves, rola bola; Karl Mikardo, chairbalancing; Royal White Liberty Ponies andDiane's Mixed Animals; The Delagardos,Wheel of Fortune; Cimse's Wolfhounds andPomeranians; Clowns "Duck Hunting"; TheRuwills, upside down plate spinning; Frau-lein Christianne, sword and ladder balance;Great Dietrich, sword balance on rollingglobes; The Karinas, trampoline; The WinnBrothers, inclided wire; Alan Gold's RoyalBengal Tigers; Intermission.

Lee Maloney, overture music from circuspast; Althoff's Bears; Aerial Skills and Ac-robatics by Princess Morningstar, SenorRogerio and Melle Na Jean; Clowns "Star-gazing"; The Shrine Circus elephants pre-sented by Miss Enchantraz;Sir Chadwick

May 23, 1983

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MARQUEEN SCHLARBAUM is recuper-ating at home after a 6 week stay in thehospital. Letters and cards can be sent toher at: 685 Harbor Lane, Key Biscayne,Fla.33149.

The Circus Report Page 23

Chinese Magic Circusby GORDON TAYLOR

The Chinese Magic Circus of Taiwan is acompany of five men and 13 women, six ofwhom are dancers, who do dance, magic,juggling, bicycling, kung fu and, especiallyacrobatics. As seen in Charlotte, NC, April16th, the company presented a program oftraditional circus skills but with highly dis-tinctive Asian styling, music and costumes.

The show opens very effectively with theappearance of a masked figure in an ornateand rich red satin robe who unfurls bannersprinted in English and Chinese; "GoodHealth" and "Good Luck." A pretty youngwoman comes on stage and waves and dipsa large banner and the air is filled with hu-mans who jump, leap and tumble around,under and across her huge flag. The ratherwell dressed and mostly adult audience re-sponded with strong applause.

In one of the acts a contortionist whostands on her two extended arms and arch-es her back to bring her legs in front of herface and then to life a stack of bowls that isbalanced on her head.

One of the men seemed to have a red fore-head and early into the show it became ob-vious why; in the Kung Fu sequence, usinga folded towel as a pad, he splits in half four

LORENZO PICKLE (Larry Pisonil.thefounder, director and star clown of the Pic-kle Family Circus which is now touring thewestern states. The current schedule will bekeeping the show busy until early in 1984.

bricks with his forehead. Later, one of theKung Fu artists will place a long metal rodinto the hollow of his throat to bend therod. He then literally wraps a metal rodaround his neck much in the manner of thespecialty act seen in Siegfried & Roy's Ve-gas show.

In another act a woman balances up sidedown on the palm of her hand which restson the top of the head of a second womanwho climbs up and down a 12 ft. ladder.Two blindfolded men leap through revolv-ing flaming metal hoops studded with gleaming knife blades. One woman spins six plateson wooden rods. From her perch atop astack of benches piled on a table, she doesa back bend and reaches with her teeth topick up a rose from a boquet.An orange and yellow dragon dog visits

the audience and five women magiciansin stunning costumes do a turn - one ofthem is hypnotized by peacock feathersand balances on the points of three swords.When eight people all pile on one bicycle itis impressive, but eclipsed by the sheer showmanship of the moment when they all popopen large red fans.

Chinese acrobatics, the program states,"was formed by centuries of tradition. Mostof the acts were created and performed inChina as long ago as 200 B.C."

None of the performers were identifiedeither in the show or in the ($2) 12 pageprogram. Chinese circuses, if this one isrepresentative, do not use ringmasters.

It would be unfair to mention the ChineseMagic Circus of Taiwan without stressingthe great beauty of some of their omateheadresses and robes and the great grace oftheir movements. The show ran 90 minutesplus an intermission, with tickets priced at$9.00. Music seems to be recorded and sup-plemented by live gongs and drums.

VisitorsSeen on the lot at the April 23-24. Bert

Backstein Ring 72. CMB Spring Show inBloomington, III., were Allen Babcock, ofDecatur, III., Ken McKinney, of Oreana, IIILouise Flesch of Decatur. III.. Mr. & Mrs.Frank Meyers, of Pekin, III. and Hugo Zei-terof Danville, III.

Page 24

From Floridaby MARJORIEJ. HACKETT

On Sunday, Apr. 13th, we had reservationsat the Holiday Inn, across the road from Cir-cus World where the Circus Model Builderswere having their convention. The HoxieTucker Tent CFA had originally scheduled ameeting in conjunction with this meet, butit was cancelled. Although we are not mem-bers of the Model Builders w* decided to at-tend anyhow as so many people belong toboth groups as well as Circus Historical andWindjammers.

It is about 80 miles plus one way, but apleasant drive on a cool, sunny and windyday. At the park entrance there was a realcir.us office wagon with Circus Model Buil-ders Convention lettered on it and mannedby two ladies who between them have a lotof years experience in circus office wagons,Edna Antes and Mari Jo Couls. They werehandling the registration and over 100 mem-bers from various parts of the country sign-ed in ... the models and other exhibits werescattered about in various buildings and therailroad cars (many of which are now vacantsince the change of management, pendingthe many renovations being done). We knewsome of the model builders but made somenew friends, also, the mood was warm butthe weather began to turn cold and foul !

Monday was even colder and after lookingat everything and attending the participa-tion circus, the regular circus performanceand the very good Wild West Show andwatching the parade; after a merry-go-roundride, we headed home to the West Coast.

Norm Riggins, who was announcing for

May 23, 1983

Joann and Don Anderson's Wild West Showat Circus World, told us he was enroute toDuluth and the circus exhibit at The TweedMuseum on the campus of the University of(Duluth branch) Minnesota.

Mae Noell, author of the book 'The His-tory of Noell's Ark Gorilla Show" appear-ed on a recent Wednesday program sponsor-ed by Dunedin Public Library. Mae andhusband Bob, operate the Chimp Farm nearTarpon Springs where many of your much-watched chimps, gorillas and other perform-ing primates have retired.Joseph Lopez and his trained monkey, Her-

man, make local appearances. Lopez, considered to be the world's oldest organ grinder,has appeared on the Ed Sullivan, WalterCronkite and "What's My Line" TV shows.

Modern Maturity magazine, in the April-May issue recounts the Ringling fire of July1 o44. (This is the magazine us old retiredfolks get..).

I've told you a lot about the horrible wea-ther Florida has experienced this past win-ter (other parts of the country have hadmore than their share of problems, too) butthe Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus had tocancel a show at Jacksonville in early Aprilwhile firefighters spent an hour hosing downthe canvas to give it added weight and toprevent it from being collapsed by the wind.

CHRISTOPHER STARR's "Ktd-0-Rama"show of magic was presented at Winfield,Kans., on May 14th. The program's climaxfeatured the magical appearance of TV's In-credible Hulk (Lou Fengno).

The Circus Report Page 25

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Show actsby JOHN W. BEARD

The program presented by the HannefordCircus at Houston, Texas, for the Shrine isreported below. The show runs smooth andis fast moving and the performance that thiswriter caught had a good % house.

Mark Trellis and Triska; Ada Smieya, cats;

Elephants, Cristiani, Hanneford. Steele; Sa-bu, Lucios leopards; Gerard Soules, dogs;the Karoly Riders; Garzas, living statues;The Flying Braytons (double rigging); Cortez and Gaonas; Mark Wright and S. Jones,stiltwalking clowns; Two specs, one at midshow and one at finale; Globe of Death;Gaylord Maynard and Chief Bearpaw, thehorse.

The Circus Report Page 27

Novelty actsSeveral novelty acts have been booked by

Simone Firmer Enterprises, Hollywood-bas-ed theatrical agency specializing in varietyacts for revue shows including:

Mark Kalin, illusionist in "Razzle Dazzle"at the Hilton Hotel, Reno; loni, Frenchautomaton and Carol Buckley and Tarra,roller skating elephant in "Viola" at theSheraton Hotel, Korea; The Thuranos, com-edy low wire act and Jean-Jean, Frenchcomedy plate spinner in "C'est Magnifique"Sheraton Hotel, Valley Forge, Pa.;Senor

Wences in "C'est Pahs" at the El San JuanHotel, Puerto Rico; Dancing Mud in "LesGirls a la Mud" at the New Fujiya Hotel inJapan; The Great Tomsoni & Co., Poland'sfinest magician in "Allez Lido" at the Star-dust Hotel in Las Vegas; Otto Wessely &Christa, French comedy magicians and Da-vid Rosaire's Perky Pekes in "Bal du Mou-lin Rouge, at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel,Las Vegas and Nino Frediani, juggler in"City Lights" at the Flamingo Hilton Ho-tel, in Los Vegas.

Page 28 May 23,1983

At the LidoNovelty acts currently appearing at the

Lido Club in Paris are pictured above.They are: Johnny Martin, trained dogs;Picasso, juggler; Jean Lemoine, plate spin-ner and Roberto Gasser, trained seals.

TARZAN ZERBINI, of the Hubert CastleInt'l Circus, GUNNAR AMANDIS, of Aman-dis Entertainment and agent TIBOR ALEX-ANDER were seen visiting the HannefordCircus during it's Detroit engagement.

The Circus Report Page 29

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KIT HASKETT, former Ringling circusringmaster, was featured in a full page arti-cle in Decision magazine (a Billy Grahamorganization). The story tells about someof his experiences. He and his wife and adaughter live in Orlando, Fla.

Page 30

About Criticismby HERBERT CLEMENT

The recent flack-in-print regarding RayOrszk not being credited with the creationof costumes and props for the MannefordCircus production "Aladdin and His Won-derful Lamp," together with Sally Payne'sapology for having boobed in referring toa male elephant as the "only" when it shouldhave been "oldest" both indicate a multi-sided facet: that reviewers make mistakes,that show people are very much aware of thefacts, and that they may, in some instances,over-react.

I'm sure that the last line will engender alot of feedback (which I welcome) just assure as I am that I fully believe whdt! havejust said. But, the reaction does somethingmore. It opens up the interesting question -why criticism?

Indeed, Paul Binder, director of the BigApple Circus, recently discussed the value ofcriticism with me during which he pointedout that the so-called biggies (the Broadwaycritics of New York City) are often circum-vented in their efforts by the simple expe-dient of shows having long - run, pre-open-ing performances, thereby permitting anaudience to build by word of mouth repu-tation. Critical value is then blunted andproducers can recoup their investment re-gardless of critics' opinions.That's fine for a show that has something

going for it; but it applies principally tostationary shows, to theatrical offeringsthat aspire to hunker down for long runs.It applies less to traveling entertainmentlike circuses (although the circus is art, andit is business, as well as entertainment).

I prefer to consider myself a reviewer,rather than a critic, because the latter im-plies a negative attitude exclusively. It al-so implies such a vast backlog of know-ledge that I doubt any man or woman canfill the bill.

Is there anyone who is fully aware of everyiota of form and style that makes every cir-cus turn perfect? Among reviewers, who isthere who knows in minute detail the bio-logical requirements of circus animals, theirpsychological reactions at varying periodsof their lives (which alter with age, of course)facts like these that make their routines wellor poorly performed, and indeed, the nature

May 23, 1983

of their lives as performers fulfilled? Who isthere to cite perfection or flaw of produc-tion without the inevitable disagreementfrom those in the profession?

Particularly in New York City, where thereis a surprisingly large segment of the publicthat is knowledgeable about the circus, re-views ought to be reasonably sophisticatedaffairs; yet they are often mere run-downsof general impressions, geared to the parentsof children, citing the obvious. To me thisdoes a disservice to circus artists, who havedevoted their lives to their acts and workeddamned hard at their craft.

A single level of assessment does not per-tain, when a reviewer writes about oneshow compared to another. For instance,when the Hannefqrd Circus played StatenIsland while Ringling played the Garden,different criteria had to be used in consid-ering each circus. This was not due to differ-ent levels of expertise in each show. It wasbecause each had to be reviewed on its ownmerits - principally on two levels; what eachwas attempting to do, and how well it suc-ceeded in doing it. In a kind of sub-depart-ment, one had to consider the resources ofeach show that may (or may not) enableeach to achieve its desired goal. I attendedRingling Red on opening night, when it us-ually runs longer than later, when it has beenin residence for a while; but the HannefordCircus was reviewed from its earlier stand inWhite Plains, on its third or fourth showing.Additionally there is the matter of opinion.

It cannot be ignored, because it enters everyreview, whether the writer is a towner or afull fledged member of the profession. Any-one is entitled to it, and anyone clearly de-serves the right to speak it or write it. Whe-ther it is based upon solid knowledge or amisconception is another matter. It can al-ways engender a reply to set the recordstraight.

All sorts of other influences are at workbehind the appearance of a review. Space isa pertinent one. No newspaper that I knowof permits enough space.for a really thor-ough circus review. Time, too. is a factor.Most newspapers are in a hell-bent rush toget a review into print. )l'd hate to revealthe hundreds of after notices that I havehad to runt).

In considering the subject of circus criti-

(Continued on Next Page)

The Circus Report Page 31

At Benson'sby LARRY RECORDS

On April 2nd, Benson's Animal Park, Hud-son, NH, opened its gates to the largest op-ening day crowds ever. This is the fifth sea-son under the direction of Benson's newowner, Arthur Provencher.

New features this season include an impro-ved line-up of shows. Liberty Horses, an Ex-otic Bird Show and the greatly improvedparade, all handled by Phil |ip Anthony.Benson's California Sea Lions are trainedand presented by Paula Steward, assisted byJean Quinn. An all new lion and tiger showplus Benson's Asian and African elephantsare trained and presented by Larry Records,assisted by Jim Guill. Also appearing Mem-orial Day thru Labor Day will be the Rol-ling Diamonds, roller skating act, plus Dia-na, foot juggler. One of the most popularattractions is the elephant's daily swim inBenson's Swan Lake.

Benson's is a combination Zoo and Amuse-ment Park. All exhibits, amusement rides andshows are included in a pay-one-price admis-sion, with the exception of a charge for liveanimal rides.

In Dec. 1982, Mr. Provencher purchasedthe Hollywood Liberty Horses, includingharness, ring curb and tractor-trailer. PhillipAnthony is now a full-time member of theBenson's training staff. The liberty horses,draft horses and parade ponies are housedin a new stable located in the Circus Citysection of the park. Phillip and his fianceeNancy Pitts plan to be married in October,after which they will honeymoon in Italy.

This past winter Benson's huge silverbackgorilla "Colossus" was tested for fertilitywith favorable results and efforts are under-way to match him up with a member of the"fairer sex."

Benson's advertising and marketing depart-ment have been revamped and are now un-der the direction of Bill Robinson, formerly

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of Americana in Ohio. Many new promotionactivities are planned and the season aheadpromises to be a bright one.

Clyde Bros.The program presented for the Shrine date

at Lake Charles, La., April 8-9, produced byDonnie Johnson's Clyde Bros. Circus featur-ed the following acts:

Oonnie Johnson, tigers; Cradles and rings;Canestrellis, wire act; T. J. Howell, juggling;Miss Lillian, foot juggling; The Cold NoseFive act with Clark McDermott; ComedyTable act; Walt & Wendy; Mendez Duo, highwire; Intermission.

The Flying Carols; the Plunkett Family,trampoline; Miss Loralie, single traps; Can-estrellis, head balancing; Christopher James,comedy wire; Mr. Bell, chair balancing; theCanestrellis, teeterboard; Dondi, the ele-phant with Phil and Francine Schact.

Music was provided by Wanda Killinger atthe Hammond organ.

WANTMAN or WOMAN or COUPLE to live withme. Private bedroom. Good Eats. A goodplace to live. Have car and will visit lots ofshows. I am just lonesome since I lost mywife.

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ABOUT CRITICISM (Conti.iuen)

cism. a couple of facts seem to hold truethrough all of the back-and-forth arguments.

One is that if the circus is talked about, itis, in the larger sense, a good thing. The oth-er is that the vast bulk of writers about thecircus love it, and love it deeply. It is on thislevel that I ask performers and producers toconsider critics and reviewers, to take theinevitable carpings and nit-pickings that sur-face in print with a grain of salt.Wink knowingly, and continue to give us

that incredible ambience that is the circus,which you regularly put before us, year af-ter year, with such brilliance. The critics'complaints are, after all, little more thanthe nagging of lovers - because that is whatwe are, every one.