COWBOY: Most folks ‘round these parts are pretty familiar with the story of movie cowboy Tom Mix.
Mix, star of western movies from 1909 to 1935, was a native of Cameron County, from a town called Mix Run in Gibson Township. He appeared in 291 movies, all but nine of which were silent films.
When his film popularity began to wane, the cowboy joined the circus, and eventually bought it.
The Tom Mix Circus came to Bradford in June of 1937.
The Era ran a preview of the coming affair: “The Tom Mix circus is the successor to the old John Robinson Sells Floto circus with whom Mix was formerly featured, and now in its third season under the personal direction of the famous movie star is considered to be the largest independent circus in the whole wide world.
“More than 200 famous circus acts are shown at each performance, with such famous acts as the Aerial Daltons, with daring Ray Goody, dancing marvel of the high wire; the Ward and Arbaugh troupes of flyers, world’s greatest gymnasts; Max Gruber, animal trainer from Germany, presenting for the first time in America his jungle oddities; Erma Ward, internationally proclaimed ‘Queen of the Air’ for her daring and intrepidity; Frank Shepherd, who defies death at the top of the huge circus tent in a heel and toe catch from the flying trapeze without the protection of a net; the Arley family of equilibrists; the Hanneford family of bare-backed riders with “George” prince of riding clowns; the famous Tom Mix high school horses, trained and presented by Tom Mix himself in person; the Royalle military elephants, and high performing greyhounds; the Clifford family of tumblers and scores of other daring features.”
Doors open one hour before the show, “to allow ample time to visit the huge zoological exhibition which houses one of the world’s largest traveling zoos and more than 1,000 animals are on exhibit.”
More from the show to come.
