Billy Smart's Circus (c1946 - 2006)
Biography
Billly Smart's Circus was established by William 'Billy' Smart (1894-1966). Billy came from a fairground family from London with an interest in horses and circuses. In 1946 Billy came across Cody's Circus and bought the big top.
Billy Smart's New World Circus made its debut at Southall Park, Middlesex, on 5 April 1946, for the first full season after the end of the war. Initially, Billy run his circus in conjunction with his fun fair, which was being run by his children, but by 1952 the fun fair, which was overshadowed by the circus, disappeared. The success of the circus side of the business however continued to increase and in 1955, Billy Smart's Circus grew from its two-pole tentto a 6,000 seat, four-pole round big top with a hippodrome track around the ring, and a vast entrance tent, thus enabling the staging of spectacular parades, which became a Billy Smart's Circus trademark.
Billy's greatest innovation, however, was his relationship with the newly established television networks when he agreed to broadcast his circus live on the BBC in 1947. Over the years, Billy Smart's Christmas Spectacular became a BBC holiday tradition, which ITV took over in 1979 and carried on until 1982. The BBC's first-ever colour broadcast was a 'Tribute to Billy Smart', while Royal Performances took place in London, raising thousands of pounds for charity.
A large part of the success of the circus was the showmanship that Billy brought to the operation of the circus, the large family he could draw upon to run the shows and his ability as a showman to market and capture opportunities to advertise. Whilst other circus proprietors were threatened by the rise in popularity of television and shunned the cameras, Billy Smart embraced them. Smart's Circus grew to be one of the largest in the world, touring every part of the British Isles, and with permanent quarters and an associated zoo at Winkfield, Berkshire, not far from where Smart began his fairground career. His success took the circus through twenty-six tenting tours, winter seasons, frequent TV appearances and the provision of animal acts to other circuses.
Billy died in his caravan on 25 September 1966 and the circus passed onto his sons Ronnie, David and Billy Jr. who continued travelling Billy Smart's New World Circus until around 1971.
In the 1990s Ronnie and his sons Gary and Lord revived the Smart Circus and started to tour a smaller scale version of the original circus. However, the Smart Circus was never the same after the dead of Billy and soon after, the Smart name was rented out to other circus operators until it stopped operating in the early 2000s.
Found in 1051 Collections and/or Records:
Circus World Championships London Programme, 1977
Front cover: various photos of circus acts. Inside: score card, description of acts with photos. Back cover: various photos of circus acts. 8 pages.
Circuskalender Knie Calendar, 1993
Each page has a different photograph of the circus with only the dates of the month. 12 pages.
Circuskalender Knie Calendar, 1990
Each page has a different photograph of the circus with only the dates of the month. Back cover has a spreadsheet layout of the calendar year. 12 pages.
Circustraum Circus Conelli Programme, 1994
Front cover features an illustration of the head of a weeping female circus performer on a background of night starry sky. Includes handwritten notes on circus acts on a separate document.
Cirkus Arnardo Programme, 1993
One paper with hand written notes on the circus, stapled to the front cover. One paper with contact information for Cirkus Arnardo, stapled to the front cover. Front Cover: animated clown face in the middle, red and yellow colours, dates of circus. Inside: programme in the centre, pictures of the acts, information about Cirkus Arnardo. Back cover: photograph of the inside of the circus tent. 6 pages.
Cirkus Arnardo Programme, 1993
Front cover: animated clown face in the middle, red and yellow colours, dates of circus. Inside: programme in the centre, pictures of the acts, information about Cirkus Arnardo. Back cover: photograph of the inside of the circus tent. 8 pages.
Cirkus Arnardo Programme, 1995
Front cover has colour reproduction of a painting of Arnardo, a white man with white and grey hair.
Cirkus Brazil Jack Programme, 1994
Front cover: drawings of a circus woman with an elephant and zebras running below them, rainbow colouring for the background. Inside: programme in the centre, photographs of the acts, some general information about the circus and its acts. Back cover: drawings of a clown in the middle and various circus animals, rainbow colourings for the background. 10 pages.
Cirkus Brazil Jack Programme, 1993
Front cover: drawing of a circus performer with three white horses behind them. Inside: programme in the centre, photographs of acts, brief history of Cirkus Brazil Jack, commercial advertisement. Back cover: drawing of three circus clowns. 10 pages.
Cirkus Brazil Jack Programme, 1993
Front cover: drawing of a circus performer with three white horses behind them. Inside: programme in the centre, photographs of acts, brief history of Cirkus Brazil Jack, commercial advertisement. Back cover: drawing of three circus clowns. 8 pages.
Cirkus Brazil Jack Programme, 1992
Front cover: painting of circus performers, elephant and horse, with audience in the background. Inside: programme in the centre, photographs of the acts, commercial advertisement, brief history of Cirkus Brazil Jack. Back cover: reprint of an old 1900 advertisement for Cirkus Brazil Jack. 10 pages.
Cirkus Dannebrog Programme, 1994
Front cover: photograph of a female circus performer dressed in a bird-like costume. Inside: programme in the centre, photographs of the acts, commercial advertisement, information on the circus. Back cover: advertisement. 6 pages.
Cirkus Dannebrog Programme, 1993
Front cover has colour reproduction of illustration of a show girl in a blue headress, blue cloak and blue bikini in the foreground with a clown riding an elephant in the background. Programme contains information and photographs of the acts. Also contains Danish newspaper cuttings about the circus.
Cirkus Fantastico Promotional Material, 1993
Contains colour photographs and name of the performers; hand written notes on the first page of one of the items; brief information about the circus.
Cirkus Maximum Programme, 1993
One hand written note about the circus performers. Front cover: drawing of circus performers, animals, and clowns with a picture of the ringmaster at the top centre. Inside: programme in the centre, commercial advertisement, introduction by director Bengt Kallqvist, photographs of the acts. Back cover: advertisement. 10 pages.
Cirkus Maximum Programme, 1993
Front cover: drawing of circus performers, animals, and clowns with a picture of the ringmaster at the top centre. Inside: programme in the centre, commercial advertisement, introduction by director Bengt Kallqvist, photographs of the acts. Back cover: advertisement. 7 pages.
Cirkus Maximum Programme, 1995
Front cover has a colour photograph of a clown playing the violin. Includes Cirkus Brazil Jack greetings card addressed to Ronnie Smart on April 13th from [Groler].
Cirkus Merano Poster, c1900 - 2019
Colour illustration of baby elephant dancing on a circus platform wearing a top hat with stars and stripes, a red bowtie with yellow spots, a tiny skirt and bells on its ankles on a blue background with yellow and red border, left blank for adding location and date.
Cirkus Merano Poster, c1900 - 2019
Poster left blank for overprinting of date.
Cirkus Merano Programme, 1995
Front cover has colour illustration of pink elephant and clown on a trapeze.