Guess Which One Was Known as "Chesty"! The Answer May Suprise You!

Photo courtesy of Bill Strong



I'M DONE!!!

I've finished up my circus season with two shows in Jamestown, NY yesterday that were poorly attended because of the Buffalo Bills season opener. These swine would rather watch football than attend a circus?!? No wonder Lucille Ball left this hick burg as soon as she could!

The shows went well though. In fact, most of yesterday went very well. As soon as I finished posting I went downstairs, had my breakfast and the clouds parted and the sun started shining. My mood lightened considerably when the woman at the front desk pointed out that my picture was on the front page of the newspaper. Always a nice start to any day.

In fact the only downer yesterday was that I met a clown who had been on the Beatty-Cole show when I was a kid. He's been kicking around the circus industry ever since and was proof positive that maybe I DON'T want to meet all the clowns that I remember from my childhood. What a thoroughly unpleasant experience.

Having met him, I can now completely understand why a certain circus producer punched him right in the mouth a few years back. I find it hard to believe that it doesn't happen to him every day.

So, in an effort to clean the palatte after that experience, here is a great photo from the Bill Strong Collection of a clown I'm sure that I would have enjoyed meeting much more: Paul "Chesty Mortimer" Mortier beeming beatifically as he flirts with a pretty showgirl.