IN MEMORY OF TIGGER CAT

Trudy came out of a Walmart store in Medford, Oregon years ago and there was a little girl with a cardboard box full of free kittens. One kitten had a short tail with a hook on the end and Trudy couldn't resist bringing him home. Tieger passed away earlier this week at the age of twenty.


TIGGER

FROM PENNY: MEMORIES FROM THE WILSON FAMILY SCRAPBOOK

WALLACE BROS. CIRCUS 1942



CONNIE WILSON

WILSON FAMILY SCRAPBOOK #2

CONNIE DOILE


DOILE SISTERS MAXINE & CONNIE
The girls used to spend summer vacations on their uncle Bud Anderson's Circus.

WILSON FAMILY SCRAPBOOK #3

MAXINE DOILE WILSON
This is Penny's mother, who lost her life in an automobile accident when Penny was 18 montths old.


DIME & PENNY
Penny was born on Lee Bros.


CONNIE WILSON & TRUDY
Trudy was born on Bud E. Anderson.

DIME, TRUDY, & Joanne
Joanne was born on Arthur Bros.

WILSON FAMILY SCRAPBOOK #4

These are a couple extras Penny sent.

UNKNOWN PONY ACT
Hopefully someone will be able to put a name on this one for me.


UNKNOWN ELEPHANT ACT
This unidentified picture has an "arty" touch to it. Performers lined up in the back door for spec. Pretty lady on the elephant.

"These would be the former Christy elephants seen above and now with Russell Bros. Circus."

Buckles
Thank You Buckles!

IN SEARCH OF::::::::

THE 2 RAINES PERCH ACT!
Sussie & Alex Stanek did a Perch Act, on Polack Bros. Circus, & Hubert Castle Circus, 1970-72, on Castle the worked in a display with Geotge & Vicki's act, The Georgians. They would like to know if someone might have some movie, or video footage of the act.

CLOWNS

SORRY JIM! NO BAGPIPES
This is Gene Randow's Scotch Clown Band, on Polack Bros., '42-'43. Kneeling in front, Gene Randow & Ruby Landrus, back row, Georgetti Bro., Jack Landrus, Dennis Stevens, Georgetti Bro. Dime Wilson, & Ed Raymond(?).




Not sure about the clown on the left,the others are Jimmy Davison, Gabby DeKoe, & Dime Wilson. Time & place unknown.


Dime's straw hat puts this about 1940. the clown upper right is Gabby DeKoe, the others I don't recognize.

"EL COYOTE" AND THE BLACK CANYON GANG,,,,,,,,ALIAS "GULPIN' GARY THOMAS" & THE HAWTHORN GANG

REAL DESRERADOS THIS BUNCH!!!!
In the front row is Jailhouse Jennie, & Six Gun Ashley; 2nd row is Train Robbin' Trudy, Stone Cold Steve, & Jungle Jane; 3rd row Smokin' Joe, Back Shootin' Bill, & Gulpin' Gary.

Judgin' from the deerection all them guns is a pointin', I do believe thar's a coup in the works, maybe the gang is lookin to collect some reeeward money!!!!

A VISIT TO THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE

This is a strange family,(I can hear everybody jump on that one)! I mean things like reading each other's thoughts, communicating over hundreds of miles, etc., you can talk about coincidence if you want, but I've seen it too often, now it seems to be passed down a generation.
The other night Kim called Joanne to tell her they would be a little longer coming home from Boston because they wanted to stop in Strasburg, PA so Vincent could see "Thomas the Tank Engine". Joanne suggested since Tracey & Mike live fairly close to there Kim should call them & have them come there too, the next morning Kim talked to Joanne & said she hadn't called them & was afraid it was too late as they were only 50 miles from Strasburg. Joanne convinced Kim to call anyway & she did, when she told Tracey the plan, Tracey said that's great because we're on our way there too & are only 30 miles out of Strasburg.
This is Matthew, Vincent, & Michael




In the back row are Vlastek, Kim Sue, Tracey, & Mike,(holding the newest addition to the DeGeralamo clan, Katie. Sitting in front are Tracey & Mike's boys, Michael & Matthew, and Kim & Vlastek's Vincent. I kept wondering who might have taken the picture.

Donna of course, sitting here with Tracey, Katie, & Kim.

IN MEMORY OF MARAN BURCH

Maran passed away at 9:00 this morning.(JUNE 25, 2007)
No services will be held at her request, She will be laid to rest next to Ernie.

MARAN


MARAN & ERNIE "BLINKO" BURCH

FROM THE PERSONAL SCRAPBOOK OF HAZEL KING: THE EARLY YEARS

I know this will seem a little repititious because I did post some pictures of Hazel before, this time I also want to add some other things from her personal collection, starting with some personal data, that I might say hasn't been easy to gather, I will welcome any corrections or additions.

From "The Perry Daily Chief", Monday, April 14, 1958.



From "The Leader-Post", Regina (undated).
According to both newspaper stories she quit her job as a Schoolteacher, & joined the Stanley Wild West Show at about the age of 19, one account has her marrying Silent Movie Cowboy Jack Hoxie about the same time.There are varying stories regarding time frames so I might get a little confused.

JACK HOXIE

(ADDED JUNE 21)
I ran across this in one biography; In 1909 he met the performer Dick Stanley and joined his Wild West show. It was during this period that Jack met and married his first wife, Hazel Panky, who was a Western trick rider with the outfit.

According to Jack Hoxie's biography on IMDb, he married a Trick Rider named Hazel Panky in 1909, there is no date of divorce.

Another source says; Jack Hoxie continued to tour with circuit rodeos until 1913 when he was approached to perform in the Western drama film short "The Tragedy of Big Eagle Mine".

Yet again another source this; In 1914, after touring the U.S. in a Wild West show, he came to Hollywood and got work as a stuntman. This probably dates the divorce fairly close.


I read somewhere about Hazel & Hoxie being together in the early teens, their marriage would have been a bit earlier as their first daughter Edna Pearl Hoxie was born in 1910,( since she also did some movie work I was able to get this information from the IMDb Movie data base). The photo below is, according to the date in the scrapbook, about 1915.
EDNA PEARL HOXIE


One of the pictures below shows their second daughter Ramona about 1920, & the other shows the two girls together but is undated.
RAMONA HOXIE

RAMONA & EDNA PEARL


EDNA PEARL MALALY
This is Edna Pearl grown & married, she passed away in 1996.

Another interesting newspaper story in the collection is the one below on Horse Trainer Austin Smith, unfortunately part of the piece is missing so I'm hoping Mr. Herriott can fill in some blank spots as I know he is well aquainted with Austin Smith's work.



To be continued............................

HAZEL KING #2: AL G. BARNES,YANKEE ROBINSON, & CHRISTY BROS.

There is one sentence in the '58 interview, "She decided to leave Hoxie since she could work better alone and handle her own affairs", this was evidently about the same time he went to Hollywood to work in films.(1914) She bought some horses to add to what she already had, worked on several shows, then went back to L.A. to work in pictures for a short time. In the Spring of 1918 she joined Al G. Barnes, where she met & married John Hogan, they left Barnes & went to Yankee Robinson, where she left Hogan & went to the Christy Show for two seasons.

In 1926 she joined Hagenbeck & Wallace, where she met & became friends with Faith Ryan, shown below with the horse Ed Ballard, named after the owner of the show at that time, which is a "whole 'nother story".
FAITH RYAN



Y'all stay with us, we still have a ways to go!

HAZEL KING #3: 1927 SELLS-FLOTO CIRCUS

In 1927 Hazel joined the Sells-Floto Circus for one season, & that Winter married W.R. King, the marriage ended in 1933, but she kept the King name the rest of her life. One of the featured acts on the show was the Flying Act, "The Flying Wards" which included the lovely ladies pictured below.
Now, the photos & accompaning comments I 'm going to add here get me even deeper into territory I have been in before, but I have to go through here to get where I'm going.


AGNES MARINE DOSS
Agnes Marine Doss was married to Bert Doss, another member of The Flying Wards.

MABLE WARD MIX
Mable Ward,Who was really not a Ward,(see below), married Cowboy Movie Star, Tom Mix.

ERMA WARD
This information from John Herriott, Mable & Erma were not really members of the Ward family, they merely took the Ward name, it was common for performers to use the name of whatever act they were working in. However, these two girls were actually sisters.

HAZEL KING #4 1928 RINGLING BROS. CIRCUS

In 1928, quoting the newspaper interview,"by the solicitation of Frank Miller, horse trainer with the Ringling Show, Hazel joined that show for two years"

HAZEL KING ON FRANK MILLER'S EAGLE
Again from the article, "She was assigned to ride a famous horse Ringling had by the name of Eagle. It was a horse that was highly featured by the show and was working on the hippodrome track,entirely alone, having the arena to herself".


FRANK MILLER MENAGE RIDERS
I have a slight problem with this photo, there are 6 riders, & only 5 names. From L to R they are Frank Miller, Bobbie Warriner, Hazel King, Gene Hughs, & Lola Hunt.

HAZEL KING #5: 1929 RINGLING BROS. CIRCUS CONT.

Onward & Upward, if it wasn't so much work I would turn this whole series around, I sort of rushed into it instead of prepairing it ahead of time.
As stated before Hazel was with Ringling in '28 & '29, the following are some others on the show at that time.

CLARA CADONA

From Roger Smith,Clara, here, was a Codona sibling. Not be to confused with Clara Gron, who married Afredo Codona. When Lillian Leitzel surveyed the situation, she moved in on Codona, and Clara Gron Codona was moved over, reportedly bought off by Leitzel for the then princely sum of one thousand dollars. Leonard Farley tracked her down, but Clara kept her silence to the end of her days in Cincinnati, Ohio.

EDNA LeCLAIR
If the name sounds familiar it's because Edna is the mother of Jackie Le Claire.

PEGGY MURRY


MARY LENNETT


BOBBIE WARRINER


DOROTHY
The only notation on the page this photo was on was Dorothy RB

MYRTLE COMPTON
Myrtle was the daughter of Wild West performer Cy Compton, I think this photo would have created quite a stir in those days.

HAZEL KING #6: 1930's PARKER-WATTS CIRCUS

I have little information regarding Hazel's where abouts in the '30's, no idea the connection to the horse Black Prince. As mentioned before she divorced her third husband W.R. King in 1933.

BLACK PRINCE


PARKER & WATTS CIRCUS
alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080461592834546034" />In 1939 Hazel was with Parker & Watts Circus. Some of the people have been numbered & are named below.
PARKER & WATTS PERSONNEL:
#1- Merle Smith
#2- Mrs Grahm
#3- Mrs Brady
#4- Charlie
#5- Grahm
#6- Andy Colleno
#7- G. Myers
#8- Buchanon

CFA CONVENTION 1939
Hazel has identified the team as, Wheelers, Yunia & Bob; 4Horse Body, Chief & Ned; and Headers, Sailor & Silver, pulling the Parker & Watts Bandwagon.

HAZEL ON MAJOR IN PARKER-WATTS PARADE
I have no idea when Hazel acquired "Major" but he seems to be somewhat of a legend. There is reference to Hazel having borrowed money from Ben Davenport to buy Major & when she tried to pay him back he refused to accept the money, saying she deserved to have him.

From Kandra Craig on Major
I'm not sure when Hazel got Major, I believe it was when he was very young as I remember her telling me she trained him. I think he died in his late 30's. He was the love of her life. She was my idol when I was a child even though I was terrified of her. Gil Gray tried to fire her because he was getting so many complaints about her cussing in the ring (she was also getting very blind)but she just kept showing up when it was time for her liberty act. Mr. Gray finally gave up & let her finish out the season.

HAZEL KING #7: 1941 COLE BROS. CIRCUS

From momentos in the scrapbook I know hazel was on Cole Bros. Circus in 1941, because she was a member of the Menage Club formed by the horse ladies, Dorothy Herbert was President, & Marian Knowlton was Secretary .




They even put out a weekly news paper, The "MENAGE CLUB WEEKLY NEWS" with little tid-bits of news & gossip.