Circus Boy

Yeah, I had never heard of this one either until it showed up on Me TV (or one of those). And I'm an old TV show fanatic.

To take issue with another poster - Yeah it's corny, broadly written etc etc. BUT IT'S A KIDS SHOW FROM THE 1950'S - What did you expect it to be? They're also showing Rin Tin (can) Tin and it's just as weak but is a famous show. Ever watch Howdy Doody or the Lone Ranger?

"They should up their game"? No they shouldn't. I watch these shows because of nostalgia and they are meant to be exactly what they are - nothing more nothing less.

If I want to watch s different kind of western I'll watch my boxed set of Deadwood. But trashing Circus Boy is to deny a different time.

Lon

I watch certain OTA and others that cable picks up for one reason: to be able to re watch old television shows-in this case Kid's TV I grew up in the late 40s and 50s with this stuff and it provides a nostalgic hour or 2 whether it is COZI, ANT, METV or which ever one is available. Must be quite popular since I have watched the field grow over the last 4 or more years and am grateful for it. I prefer the stations which limit their format to 50s-60s and early 70s shows and forget about after 1980 as they are covered elsewhere . There is room and market for each target segment,looks like. But that is me. By 1970 i was way past kid show interest. But there were some adult shows with a 70-76start which i associate with 'youth' . Howdy Doody was a real kid favorite in 1952 as i recall. Capt Video or other shows with cardboard sets that shook and toppled sometimes. But, so did late night(prime time) detective shows from 1950-53. top ..that is what early , live mostly, TV was all about. Certainly not up to CSI: any city for special effects graphics and audio. a different entity entirely. But just having a television in the neighborhood or local grill was a big deal. Circus Boy is a refined ,well honed kid's show by early TV standards.

Circus Boy was a really great show. All shows done back then were. How they were made and how technology has improved doesn't matter. The show like others made in the 50's, 60's & 70's were great FAMILY programming. They taught lessons/morals that are very much needed in this time & age. The shows were also just plain good. That can't be said of most shows (& cartoon shows) done mainly in the last 20 years (but really since about 1980). T.V. Shows these days have too much sex and violence; Immorally corrupt. Early example: Roseanne. People should be ashamed of the work they do in the entertainment industry. They should bring more shows back instead of making new shows or remakes of the originals. (Remakes are NEVER as good as the originals.) So keep bringing back the good shows.

Circus Boy is based on the adventures of young orphan Corky (Micky Dolenz nee Braddock) who along with his Uncle, Joey the Clown (Noah Beery Jr.) work for the Burke and Walsh Circus owned by 'Big' Tim Champion (Robert Lowery). Other regulars are Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams as the cantankerous general handyman Pete and as himself Bimbo the Elephant, who actually gets top billing over Williams. There are also a few recurring characters that generally bring mayhem with each appearance. Set in the Pre-Automobile Age, the circus travels from town to town along the dusty roads of the West setting the stage for a new drama each week. Episodes are a blend of action, humor and family conflict.

After watching Circus Boy again after these many years, there are several takeaways to be had.

(1) Burke and Walsh should invest in fireproof tents.

(2) If you are a Circus Act looking for long term employment Burke and Walsh is probably not for you. A large number of episodes have Big Tim Champion, always pleased to pick up performers for a discount, hiring a new act (often with personal problems) to replace a previous act. Big Tim goes through high wire performers like a pair of cheap socks.

(3) If the Burke and Walsh circus comes to your town turn and run the other way. Townspeople looking for entertainment are instead usually treated to a large dose of pandemonium. Incidents such as forest fires, stampedes and water reservoir poisoning are not uncommon. The circus is also somewhat lax in keeping the wild animals secured.

But things typically turn out pretty well and in the end the victims usually have a good laugh at the misadventures. Running for two seasons then released into syndication, Circus Boy was one of the iconic Saturday Morning Fare of the 1950's. Any resemblance to programming peers Rin-Tin-Tin and Fury was purely intentional, but all managed to capture a sense of adventure for kids of that era.

I watched one of these out of curiosity and thought it was the worst thing I had ever seen, but it must have been the pilot or something, because the other episodes were all much, much better. Glad I gave it a 2nd chance because it became a source of fun, something to watch while eating my grapefruit on Sat. mornings. Especially nice to see Noah Beery, who played "Rocky," Jim Rockford's dad, on "Rockford Files." He made a superb clown and key character in "Circus Boy." It took me a few weeks to recognize the main character as Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees. He was billed with a different name in the credits. I kept thinking he was familiar and one day "got" who he was and went and looked up the show online and sure enough, I was right. Most of these, of course, are a trip through time but they also have some interesting stories, not badly produced. I give it a high rating overall. The only negative was in the first few episodes where they obviously were painting freckles on young Mickey's face to make him look more "gawsh, golly gee" boyish. He looked ridiculous, like Howdy Doody.