thecircusblog | August 20, 2009
I don’t care how many times you saw this act, when Bruno would trip the lever and the sway pole fell away it would run a shiver up and down your spine. The gravity force had to be tremendous. Bruno must of had a strong body as not to be pulled apart. SEE…………. Comment from a […]
thecircusblog | August 20, 2009
The sway pole act I believe to be the most dangerous of all aerial acts……there are too many things that can go wrong, but for that matter all aerial acts are dangerous. I have seen performers check and recheck the guy wires because someone might have messed with them. I know of an incident where […]
thecircusblog | August 20, 2009
Looks to me to be over 120 feet to the top of the sway poles…..too high for me. In the mid 1950’s my Dad bought a single high pole from Ken and Emalee Burdick who had retired from show business. My father thought it would be a good act for me. I already did rings […]
thecircusblog | August 20, 2009
It seems that the modern day American Circus is not the same anymore. All the entertaining animal acts like this one are few and far between. No more large herds of elephants, horses, bears, cat acts, chimps, mixed groups, and the list goes on. Please don’t misunderstand me. It’s true I am an animal man but I do understand that […]
thecircusblog | August 18, 2009
The best friend you could have.There wasn’t anything that he wouldn’t do for a fellow performer. Harry worked in theater variety and vaudeville shows thoughout the country. His act was one of a kind as you can see in his flyer. His partner was a little dog that he trained to follow him up and down on this A […]
thecircusblog | August 18, 2009
Harry Ross as Mop Head the clown. We never called him Harry, he was Rossy to all who knew him. On the Siebrand circus all the performers set up and tore down the show. The show ladies were excluded not because it was hard work ….it just wasn’t necessary. When we took a brake, Rossy would […]
thecircusblog | August 18, 2009
Gracie Fairburns and Harry Ross doing a hospital show in Phoenix, AZ. 1951. If you look carefully you can see Rossy’s head between two patients. Middle row right.
thecircusblog | August 18, 2009
This photo was taken in Globe, AZ. in 1950. The show played near the copper mine smelters. The camera shutter coincides with the pouring of the slag…..see top right corner. Each night when this would take place, it seemed like it would almost pour into the edge of the lot. This molten slag is just starting to pour in this […]
thecircusblog | August 16, 2009
My mother was and still is a collector of things especially those things having to do with show business. In December of 1949 my parents did a Christmas show at the Flamingo Hotel. I vaguely remember the trip. It was a one day two show gig with my mother’s dog act. My mother I guess liked the menu so […]
