When I first got
into the carnival sideshow business, not
knowing any better I worked the Midwest. Iowa,
the Dakotas Nebraska and Kansas. I think every
carnival in that territory had an AT Show
(Athletic Arena), They were Not sideshows and
were never referred to as such.
They were the AT
show. They were so popular with the Towners
that most AT Show operates didn't own
equipment, because the carnivals would all
have an AT Show frame up. They were very
simple and Spartan. A three banner front with
no bally cloth below the banners. Small bally
platform with no bally cloth, a ticket box and
a string of light bulbs across the top, The
tent was usually a thirty by thirty foot top
with eight foot high sidewalls the center
poles were offset to allow about a I6 foot
ring. The Ring had no bally cloth around so it
was visible under the ring were some dirty
mattresses and blankets as this is where the
athlete would sleep at night.
Although the operate and the carnival profited
greatly from the AT Show, "the boys" from
three to maybe six were not paid much, so they
often helped put up and take down rides to
earn extra money. Generally they were farm
boys who had some school wrestling or boxing
skills who joined the shows as they considered
it glamorous and exciting way to escape the
humdrum life on the farm. Of course since they
were well built and usually attractive young
men there were plenty of local girls available
in each new town. The operate was usually the
front talker, and referee. On the bally they
would make a challenge to the locals offering
a money prize for those who accepted and would
be able to pin the show boy. If they couldn't
convince a local to cooperate and either win
or lose as instructed for either money or a
promise that they could travel with the show.
The challenge made and accepted, the Towner
would be brought onto the bally and the tip
would be turned.
Sometimes the
operates wife would be the ticket seller, and
frequently the wife would operate the "Kooch"
Girl Show with the carnival, in which case one
of the wrestlers would jump from the bally
into the ticket box. Once the audience was
turned inside they would remain standing for
the match which would usually last less than
five minutes, The performers would all return
immediately to the bally, where the loser, in
the first match would be t
he
Towner. Who would loudly complain that the
show boy cheated and he demanded a rematch.
The audience would be rehashed, paying to go
back in to see their hero take on the other
guy. This type of action would be repeated
time and again all night till the Towners
either had enough or ran out of money.
Sometimes the AT Show would continue for a
time after the rest of the carnival closed for
the night. There were a few independently
owned AT Shows with nice equipment and there
own transportation, which would hopscotch into
the better county fairs. The carnival owned
shows didn't have a truck or trailer for the
AT Show they would just throw the meager
equipment into a ride truck.. Most of the boys
also drove the carnival trucks on the jumps.
Farm boys all learn to drive trucks at an
early age. There was always quite a turnover
of "the boys". The glamour would quickly wear
off. Most of them had a girl back home, and
they would get homesick for mothers home
cooking. This would especially happen at
harvest time when there help was needed on
their families farm.
I don't remember
most of the names of the operates or the buys,
however Sonny Myers from St Joseph, Mo. was
first an AT Show wrestler, then had his own AT
Show then he bought the AT Show and carnival
from another AT showman, Gust Karas who had a
professional wrestling territory office.
Another was a Greek boy who went from
wrestling and boxing to owning one of the
finest indoor circuses in the country. To
Packs was out of St Louis Gust Karras had
started in show business and was the wrestler
in the concert (after show) on Robbins Bros.
Circus from Iowa. Jimmy Canos went the same
route and owned an Indiana based carnival till
his death just a few years ago, I cant recall
the name of the AT Show guy that later owned
the Olympic Shows carnival, Probably the best
known of the dozens who made that progression
was James E Strates Sr. who owned the huge
James E. Strates Shows, the last railroad
carnival, now operated by his son and
grand-sons. Strates professional name was
"Strangler Lewis" By the end of the I950's all
states had an athletic commission, which
instituted many regulations such as a medical
doctor must be present
at all matched. It was the commissions which
put an end to these colorful characters and
lucrative operations. The last AT Show I saw
was in I989 at the October Fest in Munich
Germany. It had a gorgeous neon trimmed
beautiful solid paneled front, a huge walkover
bally stage with eight or ten wrestlers in
gorgeous wardrobe and the talker and referee
in tuxes. It was a Real Big Time Class Show.
The bally was still the same type with a
challenge to the local boys. I appreciated
that several of the challengers were U S
military men. That first carnival I was on had
six standard major rides, three kid rides and
six shows: AT Show, Mickey Mouse Circus, Snake
Show, 2 Girl Shows and note on one SIDESHOW
which the ten in one is the only "sideshow"
other carnival/ midway shows are known by fair
and carnival managers by their descriptive
name.
They still reserve
the title SIDESHOW for the ten in one.
Ward Hall
