CIRCUS AMERICA: PROLOGUE

This project was scrapped a hundred times, at first, because of the strange mixture of pictures on each page I began cutting pictures from the pages to use individually, this involved lots of erasing & cloning in the empty spots,(in front of the Riding Tiger is a good example). Then I decided to just print each page, but there weren't enough pictures so I started through the computer files, and finally through old programs in the store room. You'll find some strange combinations on some of the posts but if I did each number alone it would have doubled the number of posts, I'm not even sure now that it will all fit on the page. I don't even want to think how many hours were involved, sort of like the show itself ready, at any rate I hope you enjoy Circus America!!!!
24 HOUR MAN

NOTE: The good thing about having the building involved in producing the show was the unprecedented cooperation, before we started setting in, Operations Manager, John Gentry called all the dept. heads together & introduced me, he told them to give me anything I needed and if they didn't have it, get it!

Most of the prop crew were with me the whole three weeks but many came & went, if a good hand came through with a few days off I would put him to work until he had to move on to wherever he was going, I couldn't even begin to remember them all.
There were over 350 tie offs in the ceiling & most of them were done with 2 sign trucks with 80'high telescoping booms, one had a bucket but the other only a ladder fastened to the side. I was pretty pressed for time because at times we had to stop & clear the floor for Capital Bullets Basketball games, I remember one aerialist coming to me drop line in hand, ready to help, when those trucks came in and raised their booms he came back and said, "let me know if you need anything hung from the catwalk.
As I'll explain later, the ceiling of the bldg. fluctuated 18" up & down, this drove the riggers nuts, especially ones sitting on the top rung of the ladder, one rigger screamed at the operator so much for "moving" the boom I finally told him to come down & I would finish it myself. As I was about half way up he started shaking the ladder, I told him to stop & he said see what I mean, when I got to the top I hollered down, "now shake it". I also started rocking the boom back & forth, it scared the hell out of me but I wasn't going to let him know. Just looking down the boom and seeing how much it bent scared me. I was so thankful when Cookie & Pepe Arturo showed up because those two guys would go any where.