The Sandow Family Circus Variety History – Part Nine

It is the story of circus I suppose that wonderful seasons and experiences do not last. So many combinations andchanges of personnel is the life. The 1961 show pulled back to the Ashford winter quarters and all looked positive for the next year. I had personally improved so much talent wise (I had thought!) and practiced hard throughout that winter period, in luxurious conditions for the pending 1962 season. Sanger’s, under the Sharpe management offered secure continuity as opposed to showbusiness in general that offers no secure continuity. These feelings were nice to have. I did have a credible roller act and stilt walking to offer and the administration obviously wanted my services. Pat Freeman also wanted me to be the tent-master for the pending season and this duty I was pleased to accept. The direction of the show under Mr Sharpe, i.e, Mr Hill, was so stable it was almost like being employed by a credible static firm. I would assume that working for Bertram Mills would have been the same. He actually ran the show like a static firm. Unfortunately certain persons could not understand this approach or did not want to – it was not ‘traditional’ as in circus should be more sloppy? Ergo, unfair and sardonic comments might be heard. In fact a small number of persons left the show in 1961 for not playing with the team. To me it was idyllic. For instance, the show toured six tent men for the 1962 season who also acted as ring prop staff with a good bright dress code. Only two staff would be wanted for each performance. It would normally be the ringmaster’s task to rota who would be ring staff for whatever the day might be. Mr Hill wanted me to oversee all management of the personnel and select the staff for the ring and this I did on a strict rota basis – with the paper copy supplied to the office. In short, the staff knew what day/show they would be working on and so did the office and so did the ringmaster. This system was simple and well appreciated by the staff who could plan their days. Strangely I cannot recall who was the ringmaster for the 1962 season but I do not recall any problems.

But sadly, and privately, personal matters were not healthy with the directorship. It must have been cash supply, dividends, investment or who is in overall control issues. Obviously Mr. Sharpe was the real large personal investor of the enterprise and in actually saving the name and the show from oblivion the year before. We gathered that the Sanger family still assumed ownership of the brand name, so wanted an equal share perhaps but without putting in an equal share presumably.

Mr. Sharpe had invested so much into it he assumed the major role in ownership – rightly so I suppose. The Sanger family may have resented this but as such a proud and famous historical name was being promoted with such vigour and success I do not see from a business point of view why they should have been so unhappy. Perhaps they were on guarantees and wanted precise shares instead?

This management contest must have been going on through the winter to the start of the 1962 tour. It became obvious that Mr Sharpe and Mr Hill were growing tired of the exchanges. Rumours were circulating that the show may not even go out, it did however, but really nothing like the vibrant exciting show of the previous season. The show personnel were well reduced, and no expensive acts. It was hard to understand with the wonderful public appreciation and full houses in the year before. The six Digger Pugh girls were reduced to three. The band was not engaged but instead replaced by a single organist, a well known player, Mrs Diana Fletcher. Len Austin did not return but the clowning was done by the Roberti family – plus myself with two or three single inputs and stilts. The Roberti family supplied two acts at least. Pat Freeman performed his Old Ragnas comedy act and presented the animals. I cannot honestly remember what other acts were engaged but it was a good programme.

The Roberti family to include Maurice Yelding, and Bubi Roberti were so helpful with performing advice.

The show toured without difficulty but the life seemed to have drained out of it. Mr. Sharpe hardly visited whilst the previous year he showed much interest. I felt glum in contrast to the previous year putting the show together. Mr. Sharpe was a true ‘sleeping partner,’ in fact no reference was ever made to him on publicity or anything. Suddenly during August the shock came that the Sanger family were leaving the show! This was in Margate, Kent. (Note, it transpired that Pat Freeman had arranged a contract with Cirkus Krone in German to take effect right away for his comedy Old Ragnas act. Tragic too that a short time later he died of a heart attack aged less than fifty).

Again I can not recall what act or personnel replaced Pat but obviously this happened for the show did run the season until the end of September at least. We were then told that Lord George Sanger’s Circus would be terminated.

The very sad closure of the greatest name in circus.

When the show was returned to the winter quarters the place seemed dead and full of ghosts but one could hear music playing. All the pieces of the show were put into precise order as if ready for examination of a lot sale. My feelings were of depression and to depart as soon as possible. I felt like an old sailor might when he sees a great ship set sail for the last time.

Exceptionally impressed.

I was exceptionally impressed with the way these so called ‘jossers’ ran a circus. I was extremely proud to have known Mr Harold Sharpe and to have worked for him and also the Sanger family during my youth and those two years for giving me the real chance to learn all the things circus that could be right and proper. This show pushed me forward, with encouragement in so many ways with complete honesty and sincerity that I did not find elsewhere, that then shaped my life, and still does. They were truly great and exceptionally happy days.

During the final month of the Sanger season I had good photographs taken of the act and posted much out to club agencies in the north for the north of England was then buzzing with working class nightclubs opening everywhere and were starved of visual speciality acts.

I also noticed that Billy Smart’s were also advertising for track clowns to appear at the Queen’s Hall in Leeds where they were presenting the first short resident circus season so I contacted them as well mentioning my previous efforts for them at Clapham Common. They kindly sent to me a telegram followed by a contract. My agency efforts were fruitful with some club engagements following the closure of that short season.

Billy Smart’s Christmas circus at the Queen’s Hall Leeds 1962 – 1963. Tomato and Gonzales have a press call.

When practising the roller balancing I constantly thought about my wonderful mother’s advice about ‘acts in suitcases,’ and with the growing thirst for visual club acts such an act is what they would want, to work in a minimum space. My biggest disadvantage for years was not having a glamorous partner, (!) a visual necessity in most speciality acts but exceptionally hard to find. However I could not really afford a partner and the future was unexplored. In any case it can be a ‘minefield’ for so many reasons well known or obvious. However, I could work the act mostly on my own with a small assistance from the club compere, or in some cases a club waitress. Most were really pleased to do it with a good tip. This created flexibility and upon agreeable occasions I could present myself as the employed waiter of the club having to replace the real ‘artiste’ who had failed to turn up! So, a waiter and a waitress performed the act! This allowed me to add comedy that was my best basic persona. This approach was exceptionally well received by club audiences – especially after a few drinks by them. This could be very funny. Actually it went so well at the Talk of the North in Eccles the week when Leapy (‘Little Arrows’) Lee was top of the bill that a comedy group along the lines of the Grumbleweeds got a bit stroppy!

I was very pleased and thankful to Billy Smart’s to have given me the booking at the Queen’s Hall but a career in track clowning was not what I wanted. However, this engagement proved beneficial. Some of the clowns I had worked with in Paris were there also so it was easy enough. Billy Smart’s always presented a fabulous grand finale with most of the suitable artistes taking part, in this case a big Wild West finish with the 7th Cavalry and a covered wagon attacked by wild Indians. I played one of the riding Indians. Unfortunately Leeds in the winter of 1962 – 63  was more like Tromso in Norway with the coldest winter since 1947. Temperatures were well below zero all the time and we clowns would put costumes over street clothes to keep warm for outside of the heated circus area the building was also cold. The business was good in the circumstances but not to equal Smart’s tenting.

• My very first professional club engagement with David McBeth topping the bill at the Ace of Clubs Leeds.
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Robert Brothers Circus.

The season then closed so I had to fix summer 1963 and for this I toured with the Robert Brothers. Two circuses toured at the time that looked very alike, Robert Brothers and Sir Robert Fossett’s. Both toured the same sized four pole tent – with the same seating capacity and programme content and with the name ‘Robert’ on each of the show posters the public may have thought one circus was the other. However working on each was vastly different.

Both toured strong programmes and in Robert’s case fast and brash. Unfortunately this was yet another show not at its happy best, or at least for the season of 1963. The Robert brothers were indeed two completely separate prolific families but that also caused many arguments about various policies and these were coming forward. The two families actually split later to form two circuses or companies. Policies on the tour were far from relaxed, very rigid in fact with various, almost petty rules. One could not move a vehicle once it was set. Fences could not be moved, and for the first time the programme was different to the past relaxed style I was used to of artistic independence. This was more regimented and directed. For instance, my chosen constuming was a Spanish style with a swinging cape to open and Spanish music etc. To explain, to ‘Circus Friends’ and the unknowing, when an act comes into the ring it must galvanise all eyes in the audience to concentrate on it and gain instant attention for no concentration means much of an act is through before the public notice. Vivacious lady performers have this easy because they may enter in diamante bikini and huge head dress for total attention! A single fellow finds this hard to equal. I mean, running in and jumping onto a roller prop presents hard work before the audience have even moved eyes from a programme. I thought that great Spanish music, and accompanying the opening chords with a swinging of a bull fighters cape would do the trick – as it did with Sangers. Apparently this did not suit Robert Brothers who presented a Wild West section of the show with Tex Gibson’s rope spinning act, riders in western gear, whips and rope spinning and gun slinging, knife throwing, and cowgirls – all very good but they chose to slot my roller act into this section and also requested that I wear jeans and western shirt. I did not think this fitting at all; rather; quite lost within it.

‘Pop’ Glisson, ‘Little Bean’ and Tomato.

To show the point. All these years later ‘dressing down’ or the avoidance of any visual presentation glamour seems the norm. Not PC to be otherwise say the trendies. I think the public look for the best of cheer and presention whatever the act may be. Television now is mostly crude or drab. Current circus is known to present participants from the audience in embarrassing activities. The ‘four chairs’ routine is borrowed I suspect from holiday camps or cruise ships where with the intake of alcohol, the public will think it most funny. Here is a ‘fringe circus’ or alternative circus presentation  of the same routine idea – note the drab costuming.

I supplied my act then plus stilt walking, and some clowning plus the general work that is expected on tenting shows. With my parents circus and with Harry Cody and with Sanger’s all was generally relaxed and cheerful, but with Robert Brothers this approach was not understood at all and came as a wake up call to me to use the modern idiom. Example; the call time early moving mornings, to the next town arrival, to placing of vehicles, to build up to conclusion – contained no planned break. If one had a break it had to be slotted in so not to disrupt the schedule. One or two artistes to include a good friend Holley Gray (see thread) would prefer to break at a good time say, 10.30 for breakfast. We were told this was not the done thing. Nonetheless we did it.

The variety Club circuit explodes into life!

• The next winter brought in a large number of club engagements with some bookings at five minutes notice! One week I worked at a club in Westhoughton, Lancashire with the fine old Scottish comic Alex Munro. Readers may know that his daughter Janet Munro was a major British film actress with films including The Day the Earth Caught Fire. Very attractive girl who died very young. Alex was a most friendly person. I met with him again in 1981 when he was at the Happy Valley Llandudno – but that is a later story. This market was exploding because a loophole in the law meant the public could gamble provided that they were members of the club so clubs simply made all the customers members whether or not they gambled. No real harm was done (note; in all the many weeks touring clubs I never witnessed one disturbance or anyone put out or any occurrence when the police were called. They were all great appreciative audiences). The northern public were made very happy with the very best of top liners at times at a modest admission price. A very large example is in Las Vegas with ‘Circus – Circus’! Naturally the government frowned on it and eventually brought in strict rules that ruined everything. The clubs were furnished exceptionally well out front but, on occasions, for acts back stage it was make do. Also a struggle to get one’s music played. Sometimes, only one dressing room that contained perhaps crisp boxes for the bar and usually the resident ‘pop’ group would take up half of the space with beer glasses from the previous week! Once I changed for the act in a broom cupboard and comperes would invariably get one’s act title wrong such as ‘please welcome now, handbalancer, Tim Saunders!’ (I was never a hand-balancer!) or something like. Doubling was quite expected meaning, working two different clubs in one night. How I loved my mother’s suitcase advice!
• So the word ‘Variety’ had returned as of the old days except this time the acts were of no specific selection. If they filled time and pleased the punters, who cared? Some venues put on special stag shows for male only nights (I suppose the ladies were welcome) with blue comic material and striptease. The venues were conversions or adapted old cinemas but mostly plush, and some were exceptionally so. Tables and chairs for the audience with the bar open constantly. Most of the time the central dance floor would be the artistes working area and this was very good. The larger clubs booked many top names such as Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, even top stars from America like Gene Pitney.
• In 1963 – 64 I worked the casino Bolton which was another ex-cinema with  Freddie Starr who had his group the Belmonts – great funny material. I was rebooked there another time with Kathy Kirby. Another club week I visited with more relatives, another Bob Fossett and family who worked a well known stilt act, The Longtons. They planned a summer season under canvas at their home town of Skegness so I agreed to do the short summer season there with that show for 1964, a resident season with no build-ups or early starts.
• Winter was back on the club circuits and for the 1965 season a booking with Sir Robert Fossett’s circus similar to the Robert Brothers.
• I have covered my two engagements for the show in (see) the Sir Robert Fossett’s history – critique.
• history-of-the-sir-robert-fossett-circus-family3116/
• The show poster showing  Tommy Sandow for the stay at St Andrews.
• A good quality middle sized show with good acts to include, ‘Jacko’ Fossett, the famous clown (and company). I helped with his ‘company’. Jack Fossett’s wife Connie assisted me most professionally with the balancing and for the first time my act looked specifically ‘Continental.’ Connie being one of the Reid Twins – twin acrobatic dancers from the Variety theatre (see Variety play-bills with Jimmy Young).
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