Circus Boy
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| Circus Boy | |
|---|---|
 Title screen | |
| Genre | |
| Written by | See Episode List |
| Directed by |
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| Starring |
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| Theme music composer | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 49 |
| Production | |
| Producers |
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| Running time | 24–26 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | NBC (1956–1957) ABC (1957) |
| Release | September 23, 1956 – December 12, 1957 |
Circus Boy was an American adventure family western that aired in prime time on NBC, and then on ABC, from 1956 to 1957. It was then rerun by NBC on Saturday mornings, from 1958 to 1960.[1]
Summary[edit]
Set in the late 1890s, the title of the series refers to a boy named Corky. After his parents, "The Flying Falcons," were killed in a trapeze accident, young Corky (Micky Dolenz – billed at the time as Mickey Braddock)[2] was adopted by Joey the Clown (Noah Beery, Jr.), and the whole Burke and Walsh Circus family. When school was brought up for Corky, Joey said he was a school teacher for many years before joining the circus and could easily handle his education.
The young boy quickly found a role with the circus as water boy to Bimbo, a baby elephant whom Corky would come to consider his pet. Riding Bimbo's back, Corky dealt with adolescent problems, and helped the show's adults including Joey, owner/promoter Big Tim Champion (Robert Lowery) and head canvasman Pete (Guinn Williams), keep the circus successful as the traveling show moved from town to town each week.
Outside of an elephant being the animal companion, the series was similar to popular "boy and his dog" shows of the time, such as Lassie/Jeff's Collie, and The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin.
Unusually, the opening credits billed the regular actors by their character names, rather than their own names.
Cast[edit]
Series regulars[edit]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Mickey Braddock | Corky Foster |
| Noah Beery, Jr. | Uncle Joey the Clown |
| Robert Lowery | Big Tim Champion |
| Guinn Williams | Pete |
| Bimbo | Corky's pet elephant |
Recurring roles and notable guest stars[edit]
| Actor | Role | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Billy Barty | Little Tom | Episodes 1 and 2 |
| Tom Brown | Ned Bailey | Episodes 29 |
| Andy Clyde | Col. Jack Bixby | Episodes 2, 18, 31 and 39 |
| Jane Darwell | Mamie, the seamstress | Episode 17 |
| Coco Dolenz sister of Micky Dolenz | Annie Simmons | Episode 26 |
| Coco from the orphanage | Episode 42 | |
| Anthony Caruso | Gambino | Episodes 3 and 22 |
| Ed Hinton | Mike | Episode 18 |
| Sheriff | Episode 43 | |
| Glenn Keyes | Episode 48 | |
| Sterling Holloway | Elmer Purdy | Episodes 15, 37 and 44 |
| Brad Johnson | Frank Dillard | Episode 27 |
| Russell Johnson | Ben Osgood | Episode 5 |
| Ralph Moody | Casey Perkins | Episodes 6 and 41 |
| Chief Spotted Horse | Episode 9 | |
| Ezra Hillman | Episode 23 | |
| Nan Leslie | Muriel | Episode 30 |
| Ken Osmond | Skinny | Episode 23 |
| Hal Peary | Al Garson | Episode 33 |
| Slim Pickens | Curly | Episode 8 |
| Dan White (actor) | Deputy Gus, Sheriff and Ben Otis | Episodes 16, 21 and 26 |
| Willard Waterman | Mayor Humphrey | Episode 42 |
First episode guest stars[edit]
The following cast appeared in the debut episode only. Several sources erroneously list these three, as well as Billy Barty from Episodes 1 and 2, as series regulars.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Leo Gordon | Hank Miller |
| Eddie Marr | Barker |
| Olin Howlin | Swifty |
Episodes[edit]
Series overview[edit]
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Network | Time slot | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||||
| 1 | 36 | September 23, 1956 | June 23, 1957 | NBC | Sundays, 7:30 pm | |
| 2 | 13 | September 19, 1957 | December 12, 1957 | ABC | Thursdays, 7:30 pm | |
Season 1 (1956–57)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Meet Circus Boy" | Robert G. Walker | Douglas Heyes | September 23, 1956 | |
| Big Tim Champion buys the Burke & Walsh Circus, and arrives just in time to stop a fight between the circus troupe and some strangers. He then turns his attention to Corky, the orphan who has been living with the circus since a trapeze accident had taken the lives of his parents. Initially, he decides that he cannot allow Corky to remain with the troupe. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "The Fabulous Col. Jack" | Robert G. Walker | Victor McLeod & Seymour Robinson | September 30, 1956 | |
| Corky persuades Big Tim to hire Col. Jack, but the others of the troupe become suspicious of him when his tall tales come true. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "The Great Gambino" | Robert G. Walker | Victor McLeod | October 7, 1956 | |
| The circus buys a new lion, but it is too ferocious, and turns on the trainer. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "The Amazing Mr. Sinbad" | Robert G. Walker | Victor McLeod | October 14, 1956 | |
| Horseback rider Ben Ali is the circus' star performer. He takes a dislike to Corky, and threatens to quit if the boy remains. Corky runs away and ends up in a ghost town, where he meets Mr. Sinbad, a former cavalry camel. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Corky and the Circus Doctor" | Douglas Heyes | Douglas Heyes & Otis Gaylord | October 21, 1956 | |
| The circus veterinarian, Pop Warren, seems powerless to stop the spread of disease among the animals. This prompts Big Tim to hire a new veterinarian, Ben Osgood. When Bimbo takes ill, Osgood recommends he be destroyed. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Casey Rides Again" | Robert G. Walker | Lee Erwin | November 4, 1956 | |
| A flood has washed out the bridge to Carson City, where the circus is scheduled to perform. Retired railroad engineer Casey Perkins saves the show. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "The Little Fugitive" | Douglas Heyes | Douglas Heyes | November 11, 1956 | |
| Arthur Pincus, a friend of Joey's, plans to marry a widow, and must win the friendship of her son. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "The Proud Pagliacci" | Robert G. Walker | Victor McLeod | November 18, 1956 | |
| Fritz Phieffer, a former circus performer, visits his friends at the circus, and leads them to believe that he owns the farm where he works. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "White Eagle" | Robert G. Walker | Victor McLeod | November 25, 1956 | |
| Corky befriends Chief Spotted Horse, the wild west show star. Others of the circus troupe are jealous of the chief's popularity. Taylor, the groom, makes an attempt on his life. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "The Little Gypsy" | Robert G. Walker | Seymour Robinson & Victor McLeod | December 2, 1956 | |
| Corky, Joey and Big Tim rescue an equestrienne, who has been kidnapped by her gypsy suitor. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "The Masked Marvel" | Robert G. Walker | Max Lamb | December 9, 1956 | |
| Circus trick shot artist Billy Stanton is kidnapped by his brother, Earl, who takes his place to rob the circus. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "The Good Samaritans" | George Archainbaud | Douglas Heyes & Otis Gaylord | December 23, 1956 | |
| At Christmas time, local tycoon Ben Farmer urges the townspeople to let the circus know that it is not welcome. To make matters worse, his son David picks a fight with Corky. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Daring Young Man" | Robert G. Walker | Charles Stewart | December 30, 1956 | |
| Corky recommends his friend, Cal Jones, for a job as a high dive artist. However, Cal has a fear of heights. | ||||||
| 14 | 14 | "Farewell to the Circus" | Robert G. Walker | Story by : Victor McLeod Teleplay by : Lee Erwin | January 6, 1957 | |
| Martha Neilson discovers that she is Corky's aunt. Not feeling that the circus is a proper surrounding for the boy, she attempts to adopt him. | ||||||
| 15 | 15 | "Elmer the Aeronaut" | Robert G. Walker | Story by : Thonnis Calhoun Teleplay by : Lee Erwin | January 13, 1957 | |
| Corky helps his friend, fellow circus troupe member Elmer Purdy, build a passenger balloon. Against Big Tim's order's, the two take the balloon on its maiden flight. | ||||||
| 16 | 16 | "The Remarkable Ricardo" | George Archainbaud | Charles N. Stewart | January 20, 1957 | |
| The circus escape artist is suspected of being a thief. Corky follows him, hoping to find that it isn't true, but ends up locked in a bank vault. | ||||||
| 17 | 17 | "Big Top Angel" | Lew Landers | Story by : Victor McLeod Teleplay by : Lee Erwin | January 27, 1957 | |
| Circus wardrobe mistress Mamie is working to put her grandson Ken through medical school. After spending a summer with the circus, Ken wants to quit school to marry Estelle the trapeze artist. | ||||||
| 18 | 18 | "The Return of Col. Jack" | Robert G. Walker | Lee Erwin | February 10, 1957 | |
| While Big Tim is away, Col. Jack shows up. Having loaned money to the circus, he takes it upon himself to run the show. His good intentions result in chaos. | ||||||
| 19 | 19 | "The Knife Thrower" | Robert G. Walker | Story by : Rik Vollaerts Teleplay by : Rik Vollaerts & Victor McLeod | February 17, 1957 | |
| Firpo the knife thrower saves Corky's life, but in so doing injures his eye. He makes Corky and Joey promise not to reveal this, so he can continue his act. Problems are compounded by tensions between Firpo and his brother Marino, the trapeze artist. | ||||||
| 20 | 20 | "Joey's Wedding Day" | George Archainbaud | Lee Erwin | February 24, 1957 | |
| Joey, thinking Corky needs a mother's care, considers marriage. Pete sends for his sister, to meet Joey. Once Joey decides that he is not ready for such a commitment, he must find a way to break it off without offending Pete or his sister. | ||||||
| 21 | 21 | "Man From Cimarron" | Robert G. Walker | Story by : Victor McLeod Teleplay by : Lee Erwin | March 3, 1957 | |
| The harness repairman thrills Corky with stories of his days in the old west. When he witnesses a robbery, and refuses to identify the criminals, Corky becomes disillusioned. | ||||||
| 22 | 22 | "The Great Gambino's Son" | George Archainbaud | Victor McLeod | March 10, 1957 | |
| Gambino the lion tamer brings his son Antonio to the circus, presuming that he will want to continue in his father's footsteps. The younger Gambino initially rebels, then tries to honor his father's wishes, but eventually he finds his own role in the circus. At a staff party, Antonio leads the group in singing a song (the theme song of the TV series, with lyrics). | ||||||
| 23 | 23 | "Corky's Big Parade" | Robert G. Walker | Wallace Bosco | March 24, 1957 | |
| Small town racket boss Flint demands an exorbitant fee for the circus to perform. A friendly farmer allows the show to set up in his field, just outside town. Corky and the local boys are called upon to promote the show, which Flint tries to shut down. | ||||||
| 24 | 24 | "The Lady and the Circus" | George Archainbaud | Barney Slater | March 31, 1957 | |
| A former sweetheart of Big Tim's arrives, and the relationship is rekindled. They plan to marry, but he feels that the hardships of circus life are more than he can ask his bride to share. So, he contemplates selling the circus. | ||||||
| 25 | 25 | "Counterfeit Clown" | Lew Landers | Victor McLeod | April 7, 1957 | |
| Minerva Murdock, a wealthy widow, hires the circus to perform at her engagement party. There are those who doubt her fiancè's intentions. Joey recognizes him as being a fellow clown from years past, which he denies. | ||||||
| 26 | 26 | "The Pawnee Strip" | George Archainbaud | Lee Irwin | April 14, 1957 | |
| When the government makes grant land available, Corky talks the circus folk into joining the land rush. Then they discover that they must farm the land to keep it. Meanwhile, a farm family, befriended by Corky, becomes the victim of an unscrupulous land investor. | ||||||
| 27 | 27 | "The Cub Reporter" | Robert G. Walker | Kenneth A. Enochs | April 21, 1957 | |
| Working at a newspaper during a winter break, Corky learns the importance of fair and unbiased reporting. He then discovers that the editor is allowing the mayor to control the paper. | ||||||
| 28 | 28 | "General Pete" | Lew Landers | Wallace Bosco | April 28, 1957 | |
| In the spring of 1898, at the onset of the Spanish–American War, Pete decides to join Teddy Roosevelt's Roughriders. He had known Roosevelt in years past, and Corky asks him to use his influence to get him on as a drummer boy. While at the camp, Pete discovers a plot to assassinate Roosevelt. | ||||||
| 29 | 29 | "The Tumbling Clown" | Robert G. Walker | David Lang | May 5, 1957 | |
| Ned Bailey, former clown and a friend of Joey, wants to return to the circus. However, Joey finds that some detectives are looking for him. | ||||||
| 30 | 30 | "Death-Defying Dozetti" | Lew Landers | Wallace Bosco | May 12, 1957 | |
| Aerialist Dozetti feels he's the star attraction, and his aerialist wife avoids the lime light. When he is injured and cannot do his act, he is surprised at his wife's ability. | ||||||
| 31 | 31 | "Col. Jack's Brother" | Robert G. Walker | Victor McLeod | May 19, 1957 | |
| The circus' friend and creditor, Col. Jack, goes on a trip to Africa, and leaves his brother, Jonathan Bixby, in charge of his business. Against Col. Jack's orders, Jonathan tries to take over the circus, firing some of the crew and cutting the food supply. Andy Clyde played both brothers. | ||||||
| 32 | 32 | "The Swamp Man" | Robert G. Walker | Wallace Bosco | May 26, 1957 | |
| While in Louisiana, Corky befriends a young Cajun man, who shows him a mysterious French note from his grandfather. The resulting treasure hunt attracts some local thieves. | ||||||
| 33 | 33 | "Hortense the Hippo" | George Archainbaud | Story by : P. K. Palmer Teleplay by : Lee Irwin | June 2, 1957 | |
| Col. Jack sends Corky a hippopotamus to work with. This further aggravates an ongoing rivalry with Al Garson's circus. | ||||||
| 34 | 34 | "The Fortune Teller" | Robert G. Walker | Mona Fisher | June 9, 1957 | |
| A new cook joins the circus, and the troupe takes her tea leaf readings seriously. | ||||||
| 35 | 35 | "The Gentle Giant" | George Archainbaud | Barney Slater | June 16, 1957 | |
| Abdulla, the circus strong man, quits to join a medicine show. When the circus hires a new strong man, the owner of the medicine show proposes a contest between the two. | ||||||
| 36 | 36 | "Little Vagabond" | Lew Landers | Story by : P. K. Palmer Teleplay by : Lee Irwin | June 23, 1957 | |
| A lost boy, staying with the circus until his parents can be located, loses his belligerent attitude when he sees the equestrian act. | ||||||
Season 2 (1957)[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | 1 | "Elmer The Rainmaker" | Robert G. Walker | Kenneth A. Enochs | September 19, 1957 | |
| When the circus enters a drought stricken area, Corky joins Elmer in his balloon, to seed clouds. Their plan backfires, and the townspeople blame them for contaminating their dwindling water supply. | ||||||
| 38 | 2 | "Royal Roustabout" | Robert G. Walker | Lee Erwin | September 26, 1957 | |
| Eric, 15-year-old heir to the throne of Corvania, runs away from the embassy to join the circus. Big Tim gives him star billing as a horseman, not knowing his true identity. | ||||||
| 39 | 3 | "Bimbo, Jr." | Robert G. Walker | Victor McLeod | October 3, 1957 | |
| Col. Jack returns, this time bringing a small royal elephant from India. Corky showers the new arrival with attention, and names him Bimbo, Jr. This makes Bimbo jealous, and he refuses to perform and runs away. | ||||||
| 40 | 4 | "Alex The Great" | William Beaudine | Kenneth A. Enochs | October 10, 1957 | |
| When Corky's parents had fallen, their catcher felt responsible and left the circus. Later, Joey sees him in the audience and persuades him to come back. | ||||||
| 41 | 5 | "The Return Of Casey Perkins" | Robert G. Walker | Wallace Bosco | October 17, 1957 | |
| Casey Perkins, a friend of the circus, wants to bring a railroad line into a small town, but meets opposition from a rival railroadman, and from Indians. | ||||||
| 42 | 6 | "Major Buffington" | Robert G. Walker | Mona Fisher | October 24, 1957 | |
| Two con men, escaping from a small town, stow away on a train which is taking a new tiger joining the circus. Once there, they concoct a scheme to steal the proceeds from performance which is intended to benefit a local orphanage. | ||||||
| 43 | 7 | "The Clemens Boys" | Fred Jackman | Kenneth A. Enochs | October 31, 1957 | |
| After seeing the circus, a young man is determined to join, but refuses to allow his brother to accompany him. | ||||||
| 44 | 8 | "The Magic Lantern" | Fred Jackman | Victor McLeod | November 7, 1957 | |
| Big Tim sends Corky and Joey into town to buy supplies, but they use the money to get their friend Elmer out of jail. This involves them in Elmer's latest scheme, the marketing of magic lantern motion picture shows. | ||||||
| 45 | 9 | "The Dancing Bear" | William Beaudine | Andy White and Victor McLeod (from a story by Andy White) | November 14, 1957 | |
| Karl Hofer wants to join the circus, along with his performing bear, Mitzi. Having been cheated by this man in the past, Big Tim does not trust him, but hires him anyway. When Mitzi escapes, local farmers blame her for recent sheep killings. | ||||||
| 46 | 10 | "The Marvelous Manellis" | William Beaudine | Victor McLeod | November 21, 1957 | |
| Big Tim hires a three-person high wire act from another circus, and then finds that one recently injured member will not perform. | ||||||
| 47 | 11 | "Uncle Cyrus" | William Beaudine | Wallace Bosco | November 28, 1957 | |
| Pete has led his Uncle Cyrus to believe that he owns the circus. When Cyrus visits, Big Tim agrees to play along, and trades places with Pete. | ||||||
| 48 | 12 | "The Judge's Boy" | Fred Jackman | Kenneth A. Enochs | December 5, 1957 | |
| A local judge who is running for congress has little time for his son, Carlton, who joins the circus. Meanwhile, Big Tim rescues the judge from an attack by the son of an opposing candidate. | ||||||
| 49 | 13 | "The Return Of Buffalo Bill" | Fred Jackman | Jerome S. Gottler and Victor McLeod (from a story by Jerome S. Gottler) | December 12, 1957 | |
| Big Tim tries to convince Buffalo Bill Cody to perform. Cody wants to have nothing to do with the circus, feeling that his devotion to his own wild west show had been partly responsible for his son's death. | ||||||
References in The Monkees[edit]
Micky Dolenz sings the theme to the series in "The Monkees at the Circus", an episode of The Monkees. When asked by Mike Nesmith "What 'is' that?", Dolenz responds "It's the theme song for an old TV series". Their song "Porpoise Song" contains references to the series, most notably with the line "riding the back of giraffes for laughs is alright for a while." In their song, "I'm Going to Buy Me a Dog", Mickey Dolenz says he can train a dog. Davy Jones says, "I thought you only trained elephants."
References[edit]
- ^ Woolery, George W. (1985). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part II: Live, Film, and Tape Series. The Scarecrow Press. pp. 119–120. ISBN 0-8108-1651-2.
- ^ Matt Messina, "Western on NBC Agenda," New York Daily News, June 7, 1966, p. 69.
- ^ Pamela RobertsonWojcik (2002). Soundtrack Available: Essays on Film and Popular Music. Duke University Press. p. 94. ISBN 0-8223-2797-X.
- ^ James E. Perrone (2006). The Words and Music of Carole King. PraegerPublishers. p. 16. ISBN 0-275-99027-3.
- ^ Jim DeRogatis (2003). Turn On Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock. Hal Leonard. p. 638 pages. ISBN 0-634-05548-8.
External links[edit]
- Circus Boy at IMDb
- Circus Boy, season 1, episode 1 YouTube
