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The Sandow Family Circus Variety History- Part Fifteen.
Winter engagement for Billy and Trevor George (Agency) 1970 – 1971.
Sheila and I appeared for our first professional theatrical engagement for the above agency at the Festival Theatre Paignton. This show was bill-topped by the fine memorable star Donald Peers, its title ‘Painting The Clouds’ inspired by his recorded song Painting the Clouds with Sunshine. This was a fine joyful show of song and nostalgia. Billy and Trevor were – in the old term – Actor Managers who produced and sometimes appeared in their productions. We were pleased that they found our act and service most acceptable (one will appreciate that with produced shows all artistes are expected to cooperate with taking part – in other items, sketches, whatever to make the show a unit and a success. This is usually a joyful thing to do. The same applies to pantomimes where it can be great fun. We were both called on to take small parts.
Two press photocalls to promote the show, the first being the use of my stilts in the town centre and the second is the use of the stage piano.
This is a press photo with the casts of two shows posing for the copy. Listed are, Vince Hill, Helen Shapiro, Donald Peers,Vince Eager, and Billy Whitaker. I am on the extreme right and Sheila is seated at the front.
Donald Peers with two of the showgirls in Painting the Clouds.
We were grateful to Billy and Trevor for further engaging our act for that following summer season 1971. This was an extensive tour of hotels and holiday venues and also including a short summer season at the Pavilion Theatre in Exmouth where they presented Old Time Music Hall, giving Sheila her first chance to join the cast in a number of dance routines! We then gave thought to vacant weeks that must occur so we decided to put together a children’s show package to hire village halls and Town Halls when times were slack. This was the beginnings of The Sandow Clowns. We also had the taste of self employment for the first time and found that very enjoyable and rewarding! I might add, that children are by far the most honest of audiences – they tell you what they think! It is a tradition in show business as everyone knows that there are constant gaps that theatricals call ‘restings!’ I have never been keen on ‘resting,’ working is better than spending hard earned incomes while ‘resting.’ So, our children’s show kept us constantly engaged, remembering my father’s sound words that audiences are the same whether in the London Palladium or a village hall. We stayed on a caravan club site during the period of engagement and travelled from one to the next with our children’s show. I might add, that these periods were simplistically happy.
The tusstle between stage and circus!
Actually I do most love the stage and the whole atmosphere of theatre – the professional demand and disciplines, but at the same time there is something magnetic about canvas and grass and the pull of the laid back approach. Theatricals who have never toured circus (or the old circus!) never understood this more relaxed feel of a show where all artistes are as a small village (a commune might explain it better although a competitive one). Theatricals stay away from the place of work in digs or hotels. Of course with both the public should be the reason for each. There have been a number of theatricals who did understand circus, one being Richard Hearne.
Around Christmas 1971 we were contacted by our good friend Joe Gandey who offered a good contract for the 1972 season. So the pull of the grass and the canvas came again. I explained to him that I would provide stilts etc but I was not keen on any advance publicity situation which was very taxing. He said that was fine for he already had a sound publicity person in service.
This is the poster for 1972.
We then worked a pantomime seasion at the Floral Pavilion, New Brighton for the very well established actor manager and producer Don Ellis. I played the Giant and Sheila the Fairy. Fine cast and again, happy show.
Great summer season followed for Butlins and Pontins.
We were offered a great summer tour of the Billy Butlin Holiday centres for the West to include Minehead, Somerset, Barry and Pwllheli in Wales and Camber Sands in Sussex and Sand Bay for Pontins in Somerset.
The booking agency was a very good one and booked our speciality act for the evening cabaret shows for five shows each week.
This photograph was taken at Barry I think where we worked on the theatre stage. Some venues had the large front apron into the audience and some we would work on the ballroom floor with the band on the stage.
The agency also knew about my roots of course and suggested a doubling of the salary if we would ‘entertain the children’ each afternoon – five days at the five centres with two days off. The salary would be plus all the petrol over the season for free. We actually covered 1000 miles each week and the cheque for the petrol, even at 1973 prices, was large! This the agency paid to us at the season’s close. (We actually enjoyed a couple of weeks holiday abroad from the petrol money). The contract offered free accommodation at each of the centres but we only required this at the long distant camps for again, our caravan was nicely parked near Barry.
Show business seems full of the unexpected that forward ones career. Or not as the case may be! The meeting of a wonderful couple, the Leaways.
I was a bit unsure of capabilities frankly and suggested engaging another clown to join with us for the children’s show. The agency then said that they would team us up with another speciality act duo, The Leaways, for the season who were excellent hand balancers and acrobats in their evening show that would be willing to provide an equal input for the children’s show each afternoon. Everything went brilliantly well and I was most happy that the four of us could manage to produce a strong fun packed programme for the afternoons on the main ballroom floor, in the round, and on hot days even outside on the grass! Really enjoyable.
This is rather a poor photo but shows the four of us outside on the grass and our two prop vehicles are visible on the side path. Really relaxed in those days! Butlins and Pontins were fine and easy going. Peter and Linda were wonderful to work with, Peter taking nothing seriously! Here he is playing about balancing on Sheila at one of the camps.
Inside the ballroom presenting the children’s shows.
We could not accept the next season at different centres as much as we would have loved to because, early in 1974, Sheila was then expecting our first child and 1000 miles per week would not have been wise. I toured with Sir Robert’s for a short time managing the advance promotion – details and copies of this can be found in the History of the Fossett Family thread. We had hired The Little Theatre Rhyl to present five afternoon children’s shows that filled the space very well. Nice small venue – no travelling, with free afternoons.
