George Hanneford Jr, Ringling/Barnum 1965

GEORGE HANNEFORD Jr.

George Hanneford Jr., the eldest son of William George Sanger Hanneford, nephew of the famous Poodles, was born in 1923. Until the age of about 14 he spent most of the time in school - spending his summers, along with his brother Tommy, working the circus with his family (including the Tom Mix Circus, Downey Bros., and the Hamid-Morton Circus).

When he was old enough he joined in the riding act until he was drafted in the army at age 18. During this period he worked the army shows doing his riding act on a horse used to pull the manure wagon. After a stint overseas with the 24th Infantry Division in Mindanao he was discharged and returned to work with the family riding act - George eventually taking over his fathers routines as straight man stunt rider to his brother Tommy's comedy routines, with their sister Kay (modeled on the original Poodles/George Hanneford riding act).

In 1950 George met Mary Victoria George and the two married in 1952. Vicki started working as a performer at the age of 10 with the Hamid-Morton Circus as an aerialist. Though not from a circus family she soon fell in love with it when her dancing school was hired to work with a Shrine Circus show for a season in her home town of Atlanta, Georgia. The producer of the aerial ballet and showgirl routines, Peaches O'Neill, took a shine to the young Vicki and eventually invited her on the tour with the show after getting permission from her parents. She then joined the Berosini high wire act, left to try modeling, but returned to join the "Simru Sky Review-Dancing in the Sky" act of 12 girls, then joined the famous Wallenda's high wire act.

After they were married they decided to start their own act together. George had hurt his knee during a trampoline act and needed to find something new. He started practicing balancing a high pole, called a perch, and Vicki, already a trapeze artist, was able to climb up and do her trapeze act atop the pole rig. Then they added George's sister Kay to the act and "The Georgians" were born.

After they split from the main family, and went out on their own, they formed their own riding act and were booked on the Ringling show, from '61 to '65, doing both perch and riding acts with Vicki also doing a single trapeze in the aerial ballet. They continued their two main acts, with other performers joining in at different times, until they decided to take out their own show - after the birth of their two children, Cathy and George III - in the 70's.

With their own show in the making they had to buy their own elephants which they got from Bangkok, Thailand. While George took out the show, Vicki was left to raise both them and her two children plus try to run the business end of the circus. It was a difficult time but Vicki is not a person to give up easily. The Hanneford Family Circus toured successfully around much of the U.S.A. until they signed a contract to do a couple of weeks in December 1979 at the Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop. The show was so successful that the contract was extended through the winter season, then renewed again for the summer. That two week contract expanded to 16 years and, for a time, was seen live on the internet.

Victoria is also able to boast one other accomplishment in her long varied career. She is the premier expert on raising elephants. During the long period when the Hanneford elephants were growing up, Vicki was trained by the then expert, Mrs. Goebels. Vicki was taught all the intricate details of elephant idiosyncrasies and how to avoid and overcome problems that arise when raising a baby elephant - things that nobody else in the United States is aware of, or, at least, not aware of. Since Mrs. Goebels died, and Vicki was the only person she confided her knowledge to, Victoria Hanneford can safely say, "If you want to raise a baby elephant, ask me."

During their careers they have been actively involved in shaping the modern circus, from tent show to indoor circus productions, and, along with their family, are an integral part of the history, and the future, of the circus in America.


~From the Hanneford Family Circus website