Difference between revisions of "Main Page"

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==In the Spotlight==
 
==In the Spotlight==
  
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===JOHNNY HUTCH===  
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===THE SAMWELL FAMILY===  
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[[Image:The_Herculeans_(1976).jpg|right|100px]]Johnny Hutch (1913-2006) was one of the great British acrobats of the twentieth century, and one of Britain’s most beloved circus and TV personalities. His career spanned seventy years, from his debut in 1927, with a Moroccan troupe of tumblers, to his last job as a stunt coordinator for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1997. Most of it was spent in music halls and circuses, but he also became universally famous, in 1988-89 (and for years thereafter on reruns), as a sidekick of comedian Benny Hill in Thames Television’s ''The Benny Hill Show''. The son of a docker, he was born John Hutchinson in Middlesbrough, England, on August 8, 1913. When Johnny reached fourteen, his father, John, decided that it was time for his son to get a job. Johnny was rather short for his age (in adulthood, he was five feet tall), and the jobs available around were not for him. So, his father suggested that Johnny train as a jockey, but his mother, Margaret, thought it was too dangerous. She eventually saw an ad in a local paper: A troupe of acrobats was looking for a "small boy" to perform in their act as an apprentice. ([[Johnny Hutch|more...]])
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[[Image:The_Herculeans_(1976).jpg|right|100px]]The Samwell family (whose name was probably Samuel originally, and would sometimes be spelled Samwells later) is one of England’s oldest circus dynasties. Although they may never have attained the prominence of Philip Astley, Charles Hughes, Andrew Ducrow, George Sanger, and other luminaries of the British circus, they still hold an important place in circus history. Their origins are blurred in time, and they have apparently been touring and performing long before the creation of the circus by Philip Astley in 1770. Like for many itinerant performers of that era, circus soon proved an ideal setting for their line of work, and the Samwells turned into circus performers and entrepreneurs, thus establishing one of the very first circus dynasties... ([[Samwell Family|more...]])
  
 
==New Biographies==
 
==New Biographies==

Revision as of 03:24, 16 August 2010

Welcome to Circopedia,
the free encyclopedia of the international circus.
A project of the Big Apple Circus,
inspired and funded by the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation.


In the Spotlight

THE SAMWELL FAMILY

The Herculeans (1976).jpg
The Samwell family (whose name was probably Samuel originally, and would sometimes be spelled Samwells later) is one of England’s oldest circus dynasties. Although they may never have attained the prominence of Philip Astley, Charles Hughes, Andrew Ducrow, George Sanger, and other luminaries of the British circus, they still hold an important place in circus history. Their origins are blurred in time, and they have apparently been touring and performing long before the creation of the circus by Philip Astley in 1770. Like for many itinerant performers of that era, circus soon proved an ideal setting for their line of work, and the Samwells turned into circus performers and entrepreneurs, thus establishing one of the very first circus dynasties... (more...)

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A Message from the Editor

CIRCOPEDIA is a constantly evolving and expanding encyclopedia of the international circus. New videos, biographies, essays, and documents are added to the site on a weekly—and sometimes daily—basis. Keep visiting us: even if today you don't find what you're looking for, it may well be here tomorrow!
Dominique Jando
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