Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey circus memories

A few days after returning from upper Michigan, Eddy and I bought an old car we felt would make the trip from Michigan to Florida in the middle of winter. We packed the car and headed for the Sarasota Winter Quarters of the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus.

The trip from snowy Michigan to sunny Florida is one I will never forget. We stopped for gasoline at a small station in the mountains of Kentucky. It was cold and snowing that winter night. The station attendant saw we were freezing and offered us a milk bottle of what looked like water to us. We drove straight through to Florida. When we got there we saw white stuff that looked like snow piled up along the side of the roads. We kept the windows closed and the heater turned on. It finally began to get a little too warm as we kept sipping from our "milk bottle." When we finally stopped for gas again, we opened the doors and found the white stuff along the roads was the sugar white sand Florida is so famous for, not the snow we thought it was. We showed the gas station attendant what was left in our bottle and he laughed and said "You guys are lucky to be alive!" What we had been sipping all the way from Kentucky was some of their "white lightening" and no wonder we thought the white sand was snow!

When we arrived in Sarasota and finally sobered up, we went looking for a place to stay. The next morning we drove out to the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus' Winter Quarters. Rehearsals were in progress for the 1942 season and all of the feature acts were there along with the clowns, showgirls and extras hired for the show numbers being produced for the coming season. What caught my attention were the 100 beautiful showgirls hired for the Elephant Ballet and Spanish Web numbers. The girls had come from all over the world and were in the best physical condition. As a healthy young 17 year old boy, I couldn't help but be amazed at all the beauty around me.

When Eddy and I walked into the arena, the music and all the rehearsals stopped as the performers all wondered who these two young men were? Eddy walked right up to Art Concello, introduced us and told him I was looking for work. Mr. Concello looked me over and asked if I had any expereience as an acrobat? My answer of course, being "yes". Then he wanted to know if I had ever worked in the air? I answered that I had never "worked" in the air, but had been on a trapeze up at the Melzores place in Michigan . Mr. Concello said his trapeze acts were already made up but he hired me for the high-diving act and whatever other things that might be required or necessary. He said he nevcr knew when one of his people might be hurt or sick. Art Concello owned several acts on the show, such as the gymnast's high bars, the low bars and the single trapeze acts. Art was also married to the very beautiful Antoinette Concello.

I was now officially a circus performer! As it turned out I did five numbers in the show, plus learning and practicing to fill in any of the other acts as needed. I was also cast as the gorilla "Toto" in the show number, the wedding of "Toto and Gargantua", which was staged by John Murray Anderson. I was the "bride!"

While I was standing there, after having been hired by Art Concello and trying to comprehend all of it, a young man about my age, walked up and introduced himself as Freddy Wolthing, part of the "Wolthing Act". He asked if I cared to join him and his girlfriend that evening for a few drinks, dinner and dancing? I said I would love to but felt that three would be a crowd. Freddy said, "Don't let that bother you, there are 100 single, beautiful girls here, pick one and I will introduce you. Then perhaps we will have a foursome." Looking around the Big Top, it was overwhelming to pick just one girl out of all them. After having a good look at each girl, I saw "Her" over in a corner, a girl in pig-tails coming down backwards from the head of an elephant. After all these years I still remember she had on green rompers, with long legs and a really nice rear end. When she finally came down and turned around, I was looking at the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. A smile broke out on her face and my heart stopped. We have been married now for over 57 years and I thank God every day for the choice He helped me make that day in the middle of a circus arena when I found the beautiful Betty Jean Tull.

To be continued. Betty Jean and the Circus