Larry Turnbull Circus Scrapbooks and Audio Recordings

Bertram Mills' Circus Scrapbook 1

Scope and Content

Scrapbook labeled on front cover with pasted Bertram Mills' Circus advert. Contains articles and images of Bertram Mills' Circus taken from various photography periodicals as well as a number of articles written by Cyril Mills.

Bertram Mills' Circus Scrapbook 2

Scope and Content

Scrapbook labeled on spine with pasted Bertram Mills' Circus advert and features colour promotional leaflets pasted onto the inside front and back covers. Also contains playbills, colour as well as black and white images and includes the following:

• Royal visits in 1953, 55, 60 and 65-66
• Cabinet visit in 1958
• Listings for Bernard Mills' Circus television outings
• Coco the Clown (Nikolai Poliakoff) collects an OBE, 1963
• BMC giving up touring in 1964 and evenually closing in 1968

Bertram Mills' Circus Scrapbook 3

Scope and Content

Scrapbook labeled on front cover with pasted Bertram Mills' Circus advert and features ticket stubs pasted onto the inside front and back covers. Scrapbook contains colour as well as black and white images, and also includes the following:

• Article entitled The Secret Life of the Circus, written by Bertram W Mills from 1934
• Articles on the closure of the Bertram Mills Circus and the subequent auctions of goods.

Bertram Mills' Circus Scrapbook 4

Scope and Content

The name Harry Turnbull handwritten on spine, and scrapbook labeled on front cover with pasted Bertram Mills' Circus advert. Scrapbook contains colour as well as black and white images, and also includes the following:

• Playbill for the 1946/47 Olympia season
• Colour programme for their Great Britain tour of 1947
• Royal visit, 1947
• Prime Minister Clement Attlee and members of the cabinet visit, 1947

Bertram Mills' Circus Scrapbook 5

Scope and Content

Scrapbook labelled on spine with pasted Bertram Mills' Circus advert and features colour promotional leaflets pasted onto the inside front and back covers. Scrapbook contains playbills and colour as well as black and white images, and also includes the following:

• Image of Mills brothers entertaining John Ringling, of Ringling Brothers Circus fame, 1948
• Prime Minister Clement Attlee and former PM Churchill visit, 1949
• The Globe of Death fatality, 1951
• Royal visits in 1952 and 1953
• Article on Coco the Clown bankrupcy case, 1953

Bertram Mills' Circus Scrapbook 6

Scope and Content

Scrapbook labelled the Bertram Mills Circus on front cover. Scrapbook contains black and white images, and also includes the following:

• Pages from the Knockout comic book, featuring a trip to Bertram Mills' Circus at Olympia
• Interview with Larry Turnbull, including image of same
• Profiles of the Mills brothers, written by themselves

Bertram Mills' Circus Scrapbook 7

Scope and Content

Scrapbook labelled on front cover with pasted Bertram Mills' Circus advert. Also contains the following:

• Lighting Plot for show, signed by Cyril Mills, 1948
• Former Prime Minister Winston Churchill and family visit, 1948
• Image of Princess Elizabeth with Cyril Mills, 1948
• Prime Minister Clement Attlee visits with Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin, 1948
• Colour image of Cyril and Bernard Mills, 1948

Bertram Mills' Circus Scrapbook 8

Scope and Content

Scrapbook labelled on front cover and spine with pasted Bertram Mills' Circus advert. Also contains the following:

• Prime Minister Clement Attlee and former PM Winston Churchill visit, 1949
• Royal visits, 1949 and 1950
• Jean Simmons visits, 1950
• La Tosca acrobat falls from tightrope during performance, 1950

Bertram Mills' Circus Scrapbook 9

Scope and Content

Scrapbook labelled on front cover and spine with pasted Bertram Mills' Circus advert and features ticket stubs pasted onto the inside front and back covers. Also contains the following:

• Coverage of circus performers' visits to hospital patients
• Coverage of a murder at the Big Top, 1950

General Circus and Variety Scrapbook 1

Scope and Content

Scrapbook labelled on front cover with pasted label, which reads: 'Larry Turnbull / Vice President / Proudly Representing The British Circus Ring Association'. Also contains an index of 'Giants of the Past' as well as articles on Tom Thumb and Harry Houdini.

General Circus and Variety Scrapbook 2

Scope and Content

Scrapbook features a series of full-page images of radio stars such as Diana Miller and Larry Adler as well as a review of Bertram Mills' Circus tenting tour of 1938.

Physical Description

Middle pages have come away from binding.

General Circus and Variety Scrapbook 3

Scope and Content

Scrapbook consists mostly of text clippings, with a few images. Also contains:

• Extensive feature on the Barnum and Bailey's Offical Guide and Book of Marvels
• Tributes for Bertram Mills on his death, 1938
• Alphabetical who's who of circus performers entitled A.B.C. of the Show

General Circus and Variety Scrapbook 4

Scope and Content

Scrapbook contains general cuttings from specialist periodicals; British Circus Ring Magazine, World's Fair and The Sawdust Ring. Also includes a few loose clippings.

General Circus and Variety Scrapbook 5

Scope and Content

Scrapbook features ticket stubs pasted onto the inside front and back covers. Also contains the following:

• Color portrait of Carmen Miranda
• Feature on Lena Horne
• Royal Variety Show images and ads for 1946 and 1948-1950
• Royal visit to see Annie Get Your Gun, 1948

General Circus and Variety Scrapbook 6

Scope and Content

Contains articles and images of Bertram Mills' Circus and other circuses taken from various photography periodicals.

General Circus and Variety Scrapbook 7

Scope and Content

Scrapbook labelled CIRCUSIANA on front cover and features ticket stubs pasted onto the inside front and back covers. Also features:

• Playbill for Bertram Mills Circus 1947-48 season
• Various articles on the Mills Brothers from The Sphere periodical, 1947
• Advertisement for the Ringling Brothers Circus show in Madison Square Gardens 1948, from the New York Post
• Article entitled 'In the Circus World' written by Cyril B. Mills, 1946
• Article entitled 'The Circus in 1947' written by Cyril B. Mills, 1947
• Royal Variety Show images and ads for 1945-48
• Various international ads and features, some in French
• A 'Week in the Life' feature on Cyril B. Mills, 1949
• Various notices signed by Cyril B. Mills including timetable notices and programmes, 1947-48
• Various programme notices signed by Bernard M. Mills, 1939-1948
• Various notices signed by others including general manager and ringmaster, 1939
• Various unsigned notices, 1948

General Circus and Variety Scrapbook 8

Scope and Content

Scrapbook features ticket stubs pasted onto the inside front and back covers. Cuttings are mostly text-based.

General Circus and Variety Scrapbook 9

Scope and Content

Scrapbook contains mostly image-based clippings, including a guide to clown make-up. Scrapbook is only half-used.

General Circus and Variety Scrapbook 10

Scope and Content

Scrapbook features articles in both English and French. Also includes the following:

• Royal Variety Performance article and reviews, 1950
• Article on the Windmill Theatre's 200th edition of the Revuedeville show, 1950
• Tribute to Nellie Wallace, 1950
• Articles on the 'Death of Variety', 1950
• Piece on the Variety Theatre of China, 1950
• Feature on popular American clowns, 1950

General Circus and Variety Scrapbook 11

Scope and Content

Scrapbook consists mainly of advertisements for variety and comedy acts, including an early Morecambe and Wise ad from 1950, and a variety of acts such as The Sensational Skylons, Tony and the Musical Derricks and Artemis and his Useless Assistants.

General Circus and Variety Scrapbook 12

Scope and Content

Scrapbook labelled 'Circus and Variety' on spine and features ticket stubs pasted onto the inside front and back covers. Also includes:

• Article on Royal visit, 1953
• Article entitled 'Are Nude Shows Killing the Music Hall?'1953
• Profiles of Joan Rhodes (strongwoman), Terry Thomas (TV's highest paid comedian at the time) and Leazar 'BABY' Scruggs (US burlesque performer)

General Circus and Variety Scrapbook 13

Scope and Content

Scrapbook clippings are mostly all text-based. Features many articles highlighting the decreasing popularity of the circus and the difficulties faced by modern troupes such as a lack of grant subsidy, a dip in public interest and rising running costs.

General Circus and Variety Scrapbook 14

Scope and Content

Scrapbook features an article on theatrical costumier Archie Nathan as well as numerous pieces on Dickie Valentine, the music-hall idol.

Physical Description

Scrapbook is in fairly poor condition - pages are brittle and most have come away from binding, and have been stuck back in order with sticking tape.

General Circus and Variety Scrapbook 15

Scope and Content

Scrapbook features an article on Vera Lynn, the popular wartime entertainer and has an article on the death of Leicester Alfred Cooke, son of the famous circus proprietor John Henry Cooke.

General Circus and Variety Scrapbooks 16

Scope and Content

Scrapbook features ticket stubs pasted onto the inside front and back covers. Also includes an article entitled 'At Home with Miss Dors' and pieces on US film stars such as Betty Hutton, Ava Gardner and Judy Garland.