Berta Beeson
Berta Beeson | |
|---|---|
 Two nearly-identical circus posters, Beeson (left) and Millman (right). | |
| Born | Herbert Beeson February 2, 1899 |
| Died | September 7, 1969 (aged 70) |
| Occupation | Tightrope walker |
| Employer(s) | Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus Sells Floto Circus |
| Spouse | Margaret Beeson |
Berta Beeson (February 2, 1899 – September 7, 1969) was the stage name of Herbert "Slats" Beeson, a cross-dressing circus performer known as "The Julian Eltinge of the Wire."[1]
Early life
[edit]According to several anecdotes, he learned to dance upon the wire by imitating the routine of a young girl in the circus. Upon her sudden injury, he stepped in to take her place; in one version, the young woman for whom he inadvertently understudied became his wife.[2] As a teenage grocery clerk in Summitville, Indiana, Beeson moonlighted at the local vaudeville house.[2]
Circus career
[edit]In 1917, the Sells Floto Circus billed him as "Mademoiselle Beeson, Marvelous High Wire Venus." During his performance in the center ring, the side rings were clear.[3] In 1925, following Bird Millman’s retirement from circus life, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus featured Beeson as "The Mad-Cap Whirlwind of the Mid-Air".[4] He retired from performance in 1936, but later reemerged as an advance man, traveling ahead of the show to make necessary arrangements.
Personal life
[edit]Beeson died in California at the age of 70, survived by his wife Margaret.
References
[edit]- ^ IRVING SPIEGEL (May 3, 1954). "EX-STAR OF CIRCUS ADVANCE MAN NOW; Veteran of Tight Wire Travels Ahead on Road to Pick Site and Pave Way for Show". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Bismarck Tribune 18 July 1929, p. 6.
- ^ Stoddard, Helen. Rings of Desire: Circus History and Representation, Manchester University Press, 2000, p. 42.
- ^ Billboard, 04 November 1925.