Posted By thecircusblog on January 2, 2010
In the early 1940’s Doc Capell created his own kind of side show. He made it similar to a menagerie with his animals and combined it with side show performers along with whatever strange or unusual thing he could find. Doc was very creative……….. have you ever meet a showmen that wasn’t?
Posted By thecircusblog on January 2, 2010
Doc Capell’s winter quarters was in Hugo, Oklahoma. In the early 1940’s Doc decided to move west. Jack Capell the oldest of the Capell brother was in the Air Force and Bob Capell later joined the Navy. The rest of the family came west working their way town by town. In late 1946 or early 47 they settled in Casa Granda, AZ and soon after they found their way to Coolidge, AZ. where they wintered for years. When WWII ended, Jack and Bob joined the family. As the years went by Bill and Dorothy Capell carried on the show biz tradition. In the early fall of 1975, after the close of the Sid Kellener Circus I rebuilt Henry Bros Circus and joined BIll Capell with Capell Bros Show. We never had a bad day however….there were a few hard ones. In 1976 Bill Capell bought Legend City an Amusement park in Tempe, AZ.
Posted By admin on December 30, 2009
Happy New Year from the Ivan Henry family and thecircusblog.com.
Posted By thecircusblog on December 26, 2009
Norma Capell was the wife of Bob Capell. This photo was taken in the 1940’s somewhere in the midwest. Here is a jack pot……….. Henry Bros Circus was playing spot dates. Uncle Todd and Cliff, my Dad, booked a pretty good spot with their circus in New Mexico and they hired another circus family who did four acts to make the show a little stronger. Bob Capell came over to visit. Capell Bros circus was not too far away showing in another town. Just before show time my dad went looking for the organist to start the overture. Dad found him dead drunk and the drummer had taken off. Bob spoke up and said I got time, I’ll play the show. It didn’t sound too bad once you got used to “Ponnie Boy” and “She be Coming Around the Mountain”. Oh yes, the overture was about six bars of God Bless America….over and over again. I almost forgot, Todd and dad took turns on the drums when they were not doing acts. How would you like to do a Flying act to She’ll be Comin round the Mountain?………..It still makes me laugh when I think of it today. The name of the circus that my dad and uncle put together was fondly called “Donniker Bros. Circus.”
Posted By thecircusblog on December 26, 2009
Just a little rest between shows. The photo was taken in the mid 1940’s on the Doc Capell Circus. From right to left Dorothy Capell, Lil Barbara Capell and a show girl whose name is unknown to me. Dorothy Capell is the wife of the late Bill Capell Sr.
Posted By thecircusblog on December 26, 2009
This photo was taken by Harry Quillen in 1944 …mid season in Los Angeles, Calif. Jimmy Woods ,Cliff Henry, Martin Authur and a few silent angels had money in the show.
