Al G. Barnes Circus
Posted By thecircusblog on June 3, 2012
Al G. Barnes circus Tusko. The head bull man at this time was Nathan “Red” Mc Kay, seen here with Tusko.
A must read comment from Roger Smith. Thanks Roger for your informative comment.
About the author
thecircusblog
My name is Ivan M. Henry and I am the 4th generation of a circus/show business dynasty. I hope you enjoy the blog.Comments
3 Responses to “Al G. Barnes Circus”
Leave a Reply
Please note: Comment moderation is currently enabled so there will be a delay between when you post your comment and when it shows up. Patience is a virtue; there is no need to re-submit your comment.
My copy of this photo is no more fortunate than this one. Cut off at the top is the man himself, Alpheus George Barnes Stonehouse, the fabled wild animal circus owner, Al. G. Barnes. His early effort was a rather dinky dog-and-pony show scruffling along the West Coast. But he had ambition. He learned of a young Hungarian named Louis Roth, a genius wild animal trainer out of the esteemed Hagenbeck school, then engaged by Frank Bostock, way across the country on Coney Island. Barnes signed Roth away, and thus began the most impressive wild animal circus in history. Barnes could then boast, “Every act an animal act, and every animal a star.” Roth was well worth the respect he earned. Among his teaching skills was the most difficult of all–training the trainer. Illustrous names learned from him and made the big time. The most famed were Mabel Stark, Clyde Beatty, Terrell Jacobs, Bert Nelson, and Martha Florine. When the Barnes show was bought by John Ringling, Roth refused to work for him, and finished out his career for Louis Goebel’s Compound, in Thousand Oaks, California. Roth died there in 1945, of cancer.
Dear Mr. Henry-
I am a playwright at work on a new play about Mabel Stark and Louis Roth. It’s actually having 2 public readings in Brooklyn NY over the weekend. I was just looking for the year Roth died for a program note, and your blog turned up in my search.
If you’re near NYC, I can send you an invitation to the play.
Is it “Alfeus” or “Alpheus”? I’ve seen both.
Anne Phelan
I’ve been an antique dealer in the Los Angeles are for over 50 years. I was just called out to look at a collection of antiques which included a miniature circus.
It’s a very large collection and the story is that it was used as a display for the Al. G. Barnes circus and carried in a car with them to different cities.
It measures apprx. 4′ x 16′.
I’m looking for any information about it and what it might be worth. It does need restoration.