HOWDY, MY NAME IS BILL STRONG, I'LL BE YOUR "24 HOUR MAN", ROUTING YOU INTO THE PAST TO SEE WHAT THE CIRCUS WAS IN DAYS GONE BY. IF YOU'RE LIKE ME, AND MISS WHAT IT USED TO BE, THEN COME ON ALONG AS WE GO DOWN THE ROAD FOLLOWING THE ARROWS BACKWARDS, TO "YESTERDAY'S TOWNS"! IF YOU HAVE CIRCUS RELATED PICTURES YOU WOULD LIKE POSTED, SEND THEM TO,,,,yesterday1@verizon.net,,,,AND WE WILL TRY TO FIT THEM IN. "24 HOUR MAN" WILL HAVE THE FINAL DECISION ON POSTING.
Three years at CWM made me a real traditionalist, and I keep remembering Bob Parkinson saying, "I want the people to see what the circus used to be, not what it is today. That's what this site is about!
Several parts to this one but it should be an easy one for the old timers. His nickname was Mr. Five X Five, give me his name, the name of the Circus where he led the band, & the Saturday morning TV show where he also led the band. 
OFF SUBJECT TRIVIA QUESTION:
How about this one Mike? What popular female vocalist once sang under the name, Cinderella G. Stump.
posted by 24-HOUR-MAN | 1:06 PM
21 Comments:
If I am correct it is 'Joe Basil'. Im not sure I have spell his last name correctly.
I believed it was the Hamid morton circus. and Ringling.
could it have been Judy Garland or her sister??
on second thoughts....their name was Gump???? LOL
fatima: You were very close on Judy's real name which was Gumm, also a very logical guess, Gump-- Stump. Our girl sang in the same era as Judy, in fact may have been a little older & was famous, although not as well known.
ninette: You are right on the name, just missed the e on the end, right on the first circus but I don't think he was ever with Ringling. What about the TV show, you guys might have done it.
I would assume its Joe Basile, brother of announcer Charlie Basile. long time involved with Hamid fairs and Hamid-Morton circus.
It was either Big Top or super circus. I'm inclined to go with Big top.
Now that I am thinking about it' we did so many TV's shows, but just canot at this time remember when or where, it was always, In and Out deal. Joe Basile new our music by heart, a real nice person and great Band leader, always smiling to everyone.
Never saw the Hamid show until years later but recall Joe Basile on the Sealtest Big Top. Ringmaster Jack Sterling would introduce the band with, "Mr. Basile, if you will."
Jo Stafford, a great question Mr. Strong.
ammonymous: I wasn't sure till someone else reminded me, Charlie was Joe's nephew.
Mike: Do you know what other name she used, doing comedy records with her husband Paul Weston?(No relation to Dick Weston)
jim a: Joe also had the band at Olympic Park in Irvington NJ. Every time the announcer there would introduce an act he would say to Joe, "Aaall right professor", and I can hear it as I type it. Some where in the back of my mind I feel that Charlie was also a musician before he was a Ringmaster. When Bob Morton was alive he was Ringmaster on Hamid-Morton.
Two famous people lived where I am now, in Lancaster, California. John Wayne, then Michael Marion Morrison, lived in what he called a "miserable little shanty" from 1914 till they moved to Glendale, in 1916.
The Gumm family had a 500-seat air-conditioned movie house here, the Valley Theatre, where Frances Ethel performed as early as July 1927. The act became the Garland Sisters, and later Frances landed on the name Judy. Their three homes here are all within blocks of where I live now.
John Wayne's tiny home has long been lost to the desert.
Name Joe Basile
Circus Hamid Morton
T V Show Sealtest Big Topbroadcast live every Saturday Morning from the 5th Regiment Armory, Philly.
My Brother and I grew up with that show and it's probably one of the things that peaked our interest in the circus
Dick Dykes
PAY THAT MAN 12 SILVER DOLLARS!
They performed under the stage names of JONATHAN & DARLENE EDWARDS.
Jo Stafford was a classically trained vocalist which made it easy for her to perform many different kinds of music.
This is more fun than Jeopardy!
Now that we have that all figured out. I just thought I would mention that,that is Charlie faceing Joe.
Penny
YEP!
Penny do you remember if Charlie played in the band?
No Charlie never played in the band. I think he would sing once in awhile for an act or two. Be sides announcing.
Penny
Hi. My name is Don Hutchison. Joe Basile was my great grandfather. He led the band with the Sealtest Big Top Circus on TV (I think it was NBC). He led a number of circus bands including the Wallace Brothers Circus. Also, he did alot of work with either the Masons or the Shriners. Thanks for the photo, it was nice to see.
Hi Don, Thanks for you comment, Joe & his Band also Played at our wedding when Trudy & I were married on the Hamid-Morton Circus, in 1959. He & Charlie were both fine gentlemen, Trudy was practically raised on that show, so the Basiles were like family.
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