The Sandow Family Circus Variety History - Part Four

The Sandow Family Circus Variety History – Part Four. The very best of Variety engagements – Moss Empires and the Stoll circuits.

My school days – not terribly rewarding most of the time.

My schooling was very patchy as it was for most show children on tour. I only experienced primary school in the winters of the late 1940s when the family stayed at a fine winter quarters in a part of the cattle market in Market Drayton, Shropshire. It had wonderful facilities with sheds for the livestock and hard standing. A lovely small town in those days and strangely, with so much travelling, I have only seen the town a couple of times since. No doubt vastly added too and built up now. Our large show living wagons (as they were called in those days) were along the end wall and the railway line/station just the other side of it. There was a small connecting gate from the cattle market to the station and this was handy for the quick catching of trains for Birmingham and then London. The local cinema was situated a short walk away and it came onto the sales market just after the war for about £500! (in those days). The family said ‘why do we not buy it?’ Father was not keen about running a cinema but we had the chance. I had the before mentioned American jeep pedal miniature and would use this large yard extensively. I was not alone for other show children were there like Mickie Cavanagh’s two, Helen and Howell.

I remember being taken to school by sister Margaret (she being 16 – 17 years) over the rear wheel of her pedal bike. I did have a strong crush for a little blonde girl of my age but I cannot recall even talking to her. Father must have bought a new stock of Shetland ponies because he engaged Joe Barry from Bertram Mills to train them. He warned us all to be most polite to him and not upset him in any way! We looked forward to his arrival. True he was a bit stand-offish in those days with smart suits and Crombie overcoat, even preferring to stay at the local King’s Head instead of with the quartered circus but he did join the winter quarters after a short time. His training results were exceptional and these were the Shetlands that toured until 1957.

Here is a photograph of Joe Barry taken either for a family circus stage production or a Don Ross stage production before 1950. Performing his High School horse routine.

The Kursaal Southend

I am very grateful to the British Music Hall Society for the kind supply of so many old Variety postcards or copies of Sandow family Variety playbills for during the 1950s. A wonderful period of history and so exciting and rewarding for me.

For my senior school experiences it meant a different school each week on Variety tour. Some schools were difficult and resentful taking me just for a week and I secretly wished they would not! Mother would have had persuasive words with the head master. On reflection they must have had other Variety children one week or another, so it is difficult to understand why. One head said to me ‘why do you speak so well?’ A question I had no answer for. Some teachers would say ‘Thomas, perhaps you can speak to the class about your stage experiences’ – i.e. provide a lecture. I do understand the point now but then I thought it a bit much as I was there to learn rather than teach. I may have enjoyed the primary schools but not the seniors, the experience was almost useless education wise and not too pleasant either. The local kids could be rough like the schools. The buildings then were rather Victorian and to a twelve year old rather like a prison, also cold. I was most interested in Geography and Astronomy. Teaching was good of course but tended to leave out show children from the subject with the statement; ‘Thomas you are not really with the class on this so best to read a book of your choice.’ This I certainly did and schools had great nonfiction books about the heavens or distant lands. My most hated subject was sport in general, especially football where the kids felt obliged to kick show kids rather than the ball! Also, in the winter the demand was for the must wear school shorts even in frosty conditions. I always found excuses that did not please the PT teachers. I was told by one; ‘it is to make you fit!’ Not realising that I had been acrobating since the age of four and at that time walking ponies to the theatre and back and to stablings afterwards. If the family were in digs then we had to take the ponies to the stabling before going back to the digs – not always easy. Stabling was usually in a pub yard that still had the old coaching facilities. If the week was with the two vehicles then arrangements were made for the vehicles and the ponies which was more convenient.

I recall that very funny Tony Hancock episode Twelve Angry Men, in which he was the foreman of the jury when Sid James said; ‘tell the judge you do not agree!’ Hancock said ‘you tell him!’ The family were rather good at saying tell the teacher this or that! The family were not at school! One particular football coach made me run around the pitch for the length of the game because I would not remove long trousers for the obligatory school shorts. I felt like Churchill, he only liked certain subjects and could learn those, like I knew the nine planet titles in senior school and the speed and rotation of the earth. I mainly learned to read and write from my dear mother who spent time with me and the classic Cat Sat On The Mat! Of course books and comics were plentiful. I also liked ‘Jane’ in the Daily Mirror, which was the only reason father bought the paper. He also said it was the best for racing, unfortunately his only vice. I did ask him once, ‘why do you buy a socialist paper?’ His reply, ‘I like to see both sides,’ which was typical of him.

Of course things were not all bad and I did make many friends on tour – the school teacher would say ‘today and this week we must welcome Thomas, his family is appearing at the Empire, do make friends with him’. Various children would then pester me to see if I could arrange a free ticket for the show. I recall a vivid memory, one day a young vivacious teacher was perched on her front desk reading to us wearing a fitted black skirt and white blouse!

The Kursaal Southend

One fabulous week with Peter Sellers and Michael Bentine.

The ponies would be housed in the dock area or even on the side of a stage and it was my task to keep them quiet and cared for. In pantomimes the girls would gather with sugar lumps and the smaller dancers were especially interested like the Peggy O’Farrow Tiny Tappers! I had nice friendships with these and one or two pen pals. When small, before this, I might be allowed on the stage if the Stage Manager was agreeable and be seated on a chair to watch the show. I have read a book about the above star Peter Sellers and one page mentioned that he did the same thing when small and the same words might have been spoken to him ‘well little man, and who might you be? What act do your parents perform?’

We worked the Palace Manchester in 1956 with the wonderful Howard Keel who constantly fed sugar to the ponies. ‘These are so cute,’ he said. ‘I could take them back to my ranch.’ I found the theatres an Aladdin’s Cave of excitement and felt sorry for the public out front rather than being backstage. Clustering around a stage door for autographs and there was me in the middle of all these really great people. Each week some of the greatest of class talent with some big stars from America like Eartha Kitt and Nat King Cole. The greatest of talent week after week and countless exceptionally good supporting acts. Each week the pending cast would line up on stage before the band leader presenting their ‘dots’ as the music was called. No one jumped the queue. Sometimes moaning about dressing room allocations however.

In my early teens it was natural to notice the young dancers, unfortunately still older than I was, specially in pantomimes. More than once I was invited into the girls dressing room to play snap cards, all quite innocent of course but my rather Victorian mother found out and banned me from going there again! I suppose she was fearful about gambling and smoking addiction! Of course the family shared digs with other artistes and acts and a lot of the journeys, especially in the winters, were by train. In those days the Sunday travel was with many other artistes who would be singing, talking and playing cards – as many as 2000 artistes might be crossing the country each week by one train or another. Great times.

Just some wonderful weeks. This with Dave King who used to form part of the Morton Fraser Harmonica Gang, later a very good recording artiste and actor.

The family toured many weeks for Frankie Howerd who promoted his own Variety bill.

The very popular and successful Donald Peers and again Sheila and I had the good fortune to play summer show with him for the 1971 season at the Paignton Festival Theatre. (Details later).