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The Sandow Family Circus Variety History – Part Twenty One.
The Sandows, Speciality acts for Variety and nightclub engagements and summer shows to 1987.
Tommy Trafford and Ronnie Parnell.
Trafford and Parnell formed an excellent partnership for Variety and pantomimes. They were grand stage actors and comedians and show producer and known to the business as Actor Managers. We had the great pleasure working for Tommy and Ronnie in several engagements, one being for a large Pantomime (see poster) for the Southport Theatre and another being for the summer season at Leisure World Bridlington 1987, our final speciality act engagement. Ronnie was a fine tap-dancer and Tommy was a fine Pantomime Dame. Both worked together of course.
From 1980 to 1987 we toured all areas of showbusiness other than circus for the draw of the grass and the canvas was not quite the same. We devised a second act suitable for club audiences based on comical music (clowning with pretty girl patter routine). For 1983 we had a contract for Israel and Malta to supply two acts but in the event the circuit only wanted the comedy act! Here are a couple of studio shots, the other (hot day!) with occasional hot pants for Pontins holiday audiences in 1982.
For the summer of 1982 we had once again, the fortune to be booked for the Pontin’s holiday camp circuit on the East Coast including Pakefield. Sheila’s pigeons were within one act – all with performance upon the ballroom floors. The presentation was a 20 minute floor show of the two acts.
Photo taken by a member of the audience.
For the Royal Wedding of HRH Prince Andrew and ‘local girl’ (quote) Sarah Ferguson we were honoured and pleased to be invited to present our slapstick theatre in the village of Dummer who presented a Gala Charity Show on the 22nd July 1986. This was tremendously successful and our contribution alone raised a fine amount for the two local charities. The kind letter to us from John Willats the Parish Council Chairman (Thank you Mr Willats).
Summer Season at Bridlington Leisure World for Trafford and Parnell. Evening Review show Follies by Night. 1987 was our final year presenting our glamorous Speciality acts. Then we commenced full time The Sandow Clowns Slapstick Theatre tours with the first booking for the Leisure World season 1988.
Twenty nine years to 2015 saw a huge constant successful tour of the United Kingdom with the Sandow Clowns Slapstick Theatre – total donated from ticket sales to CLIC Sargent has been £30,000 including our daughter Nancy taking part in the charity organised fund raising trek climbing the Inca Trail in Peru to the height of 12,000ft to Macchu Picchu in 2005.
Thank you for reading this story, we do hope you enjoyed a real look at showbusiness.
