Another Gibsonton resident was Albert Short, The Rubber Man, who was double jointed. We usually work ten days at a fair with four days to move the show to the next fair. Our attractions are always engaged at a weekly fee, thereby getting paid for the four days each two weeks while the working crew moved the equipment. It would seem that Albert would stay sober on his days off, but would become inebriated to the extent he would miss entire performance days. At first, I would dock him for the days he missed due to drunkenness. When he had repeatedly done this, I told him not just dock his pay for days missed, but if he couldn't perform on the days he was supposed to, I would no longer pay him for his days off. Alas my threat was to ho avail.
 
The four days he had off going into the Indiana State Fair he remained sober. On opening day he couldn't work. Totally drunk and abusive, we had Dick Johnson's unit playing the Maine State Fair at Skowhegan. Chris phoned Dick to put Bobo The Rubber Man on a plane for Indianapolis. The next day the again sober Albert came into the show expecting to go back to work, as he had done previously. He looked at the stage and saw Bobo performing. He guessed what had happened. His mouth fell open. Without comment he reported to the office, received his pay, hooked onto his house trailer and departed.

Image the Rubber Man by JR Robinson ©2007 all rights reserved

All text and images on this page unless otherwise noted are copyrighted ©1991-2007 Ward Hall, all rights reserved.  The stories and images are excepts for Ward Hall's book My Very Unusual Friends.