A little bit more biography

Circus World Museum in Baraboo WI used to have an open library of
circus related books, and several years ago I went there doing some
research, and picked up the following tidbit fom a book, which
unfortunately I didn't write the title down, put it's page 168-169
and the chapter heading is "King of Beasts to Clowns in Drag"

"as the world's only arial danseuse, the madcap of the wire-running, leaping,
swinging, pirouetting on a slender thread of steel," Beeson in his act did not
betray his "real" gender.  Tom Barron, "the World's Tallest Clown" recalls that
"[Beeson] was a female impersonator, but he wasn't feminine acting at all, in fact,
he was captain of the baseball team. A terrific guy, he was really funny."

I also found a New York Time Ap 6 1924 photo of Berta Beeson on the wire,
but the xerox quality is very poor.

looking at 24 hour men -His job as Advance man in the circus, I came upon
the obituary of a William L Carr (Oct 20, 1959).  "One of his most important
jobs was to find a suitable site for the big top.  He had to study the size of the
acreage offered, the approaches, the general contours and the type of ground.

In 1920, In Scranton, PA he had already paid a farmer for the rental of his ground,
when he learned that it was over an abandoned coal mine.  "Mister, if an elephant
stepped on this, he'd go right through" the owner who had not known what the
ground was to be used for told him. So other arrangements had to be made.
So with a little artistic license, and due apologies to Mr Carr, I will use
this story in my play and attribute it to "Slats" as the type of thing he'd
run into in his work. 

I've all ready said that I'm dubious of the Billboard story, but I do like the
idea of a showbiz couple floating the story, even if it's not true, so that's how
I'll use that story.

I sent an email to someone who may be related to Mr Beeson, and hopefully
I'll hear back from her.

I have so little time these days that I really must apologize for the blog, and
what little writing I've done on the play so far, but hopefully some of this
research is interesting - it is imprtant to have some research before actually
starting to write a play -I just wish I had more time.