Cole Bros Circus
Posted By thecircusblog on September 18, 2011
A program cover from 1938. Ken Maynard, a cowboy movie star was featured on the show during this time. It was very common for many of the larger circuses to have Western celebrities as an extra draw. The next post will be of Ken Maynard…….. I want to thank Jackie Knupp for the program cover.
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thecircusblog
My name is Ivan M. Henry and I am the 4th generation of a circus/show business dynasty. I hope you enjoy the blog.Comments
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Although the season of 1938 started off well, within weeks poor business conditions were responsible for a number of shows closing, including Cole Bros – which used this special program for its Chicago Stadium dates. Despite the big names of Clyde Beatty, Ken Maynard and Dorothy Herbert, Cole Bros closed on August 3 in Bloomington, Illinois. Many of the acts, including Clyde Beatty, shifted to Adkins and Terrell’s Robbins Bros Circus, which also closed at the end of the 1938 season. In 1939 the show skipped Chicago entirely and didn’t return to the Windy City until 1950 after Arthur Wirtz had purchased the show. Only then did it return to the Chicago Stadium. Although the old Cole Bros Circus never toured under canvas after 1950, for several years Wirtz did put together an indoor show with the Cole title which he booked into the Chicago Stadium each spring.