Betty Jean joins the circus.

During the 1942 tour season, the show train was temporarily stopped in Georgia near Callaway Gardens between shows when Betty Jean became ill with acute appendicitis causing her to have severe stomach pains. The show doctor, Joseph H. Bergin, said she had to be taken to a hospital at once as her appendix was about to rupture. Billy Thompson, a fellow acrobat, said he would help me carry Betty Jean two miles up the railroad track to catch a taxi to take her to the hospital in Birmingham, Ala. Doctor Thus in Birmingham, examined Betty Jean and said she had to be operated on "right now." After the emergency appendectomy, the doctor said everything was fine, but she would have to remain in the hospital for at least a week. Leaving Betty in the Birmingham hospital, I had to return to the circus train to continue on without her. A couple of days later, I talked with Betty on the phone and told her if all was well, I could come to Birmingham and bring her back to the circus which was now playing in Georgia. When Betty checked with the doctor he agreed to release her as she was healing well due to her excellent physical condition.



During the time I came to pick Betty Jean up from the hospital, we took a little side trip.



When I went to pick Betty Jean up she was still a little weak from her surgery. We went to the station and boarded for the trip to Columbus, Ga. During the train ride we discovered how much we meant to each other and we were both willing to spend the rest of our lives together. The next time the train stopped, we got off and let the train go. The first thing we did was buy a wedding ring from the dime store, since there was no jewelry store in the small town. I believe I paid $3.00 for the ring. Then we found a preacher in a small church who married us that day, with his wife as the only witness. Betty still has that ring which has never turned green even after 57 years of marriage. Our love is just as strong now as it was then, but not quite as athletic.



Note: I wrote a poem entitled "The $3.00 Ring" that was published by the Georgia Poetry Society in their annual poetry book, The Reach of Song, in their 2006- 2007 publication.
C. Lee Martin



Betty Jean had been hired by the Ringling Brothers Circus to dance in the Elephant Ballet number that was produced by George Ballanchine of The American School of Ballet in New York. Betty had been a dancer ever since she was old enough to walk. She had produced and performed many shows in and around the Central Florida area while growing up and had qualified for her state license to be a ballet instructor by the time she was 12 years old. Quite an accomplishment for someone not yet in her teens. She used to design and make her own costumes on one of the old fashioned treadle sewing machines that her mother had at home.



Betty Jean and her family felt that possibly through meeting and working with George Ballanchine, her chances of moving up in the world of dance would be enhanced, with the possiblity of a show business career in her future. Boy, was I going to be in trouble, when her family came to the realization that her life would be with me instead.



Betty performed not only the Elephant Ballet, but also the Spanish Web and all of the show numbers. At one point she was the "Snow Queen" riding on a float around the arena before the show started. In one number, she represented "Shangri-La" and was carried on a four man litter on the shoulders of four, large, black men around the hippodrome track. In a couple of numbers, we worked together as partners. In the "Spanish Web" portion , I was her web-sitter at the bottom of a vertical rope that was hung approximately 30 feet in the air. The girls in the number would perform all types of acrobatic and dance positions to the rhythm of the music. Remember, this was all done while 30 feet in the air and hanging by a rope around one wrist.
During the "4th of July" number, we rode a bicycle built-for-two, dressed in 1900's costumes.



While the circus was still in the Winter Quarters in Sarasota, a group of photographers and designers from Harpers Bazaar and Vogue magazines came to the circus to photograph the show girls who modeled fashions for the year 1942. Betty was the only show girl they used in their spread, as she had that "girl next door look." She was a natural beauty with her light brown hair and green eyes. They did a 3 - 4 page spread, using her as a model, in the national magazines with photographs by Horst and Hugeny.



Betty and I enjoyed many friends in the Winter Quarters in Sarasota and in various towns during our tour. Many hours and days were spent with the Wallendas, Christianis, Concellos and people from all walks of show business On the road that year there were twenty-six languages spoken in our dressing tents with approximately one hundred and fifty performers . There were some tragedies: performers falling or being hurt, animals misbehaving, love-spats, etc. but the good and happy times make up 90% of the memories that stay with us. Also, there were no racial problems, just mutual respect.



to be continued.... Traveling with the circus.