Smart, Billy (William), 1894 - 1966
Biography
William 'Billy' Smart was one of twenty-three children born into a fairground family from London. Born in 1894, Smart worked with his family on the fairgrounds of London and the South East from an early age up until his marriage to Dolly in 1925, after which he branched out with his brothers to set up his own fair. Billy and Dolly had thirteen children.
By the 1930s he was an established member of the fairground community in the South East and London area and travelled with up to ten rides, with some of his rides featuring alongside Bertram Mills' Circus at Olympia in 1939. More success followed in the war years when he operated some of London's largest morale-boosting Holiday at Home Fairs, supplying entertainment to a war-weary public.
Although always interested in horses, and interested in circuses for some time, it was not until 1946 that Smart came across Cody's Circus and bought the big top. By the time he opened his New World Circus in 1946 he was fifty-two years old, following P.T. Barnum's example in taking on a second career as a circus proprietor.
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. The circus which he had purchased from Cody was run in conjunction with a travelling fun fair and at first he was seen as an interloper by other more established circus showmen. By 1952, the fun fair, which had been increasingly overshadowed by the circus, disappeared to leave room for a bona fide menagerie. Three years later, the two-poler was replaced by a giant 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.
His greatest innovation was his relationship with the newly established television networks when he agreed for Billy Smart's Circus to be broadcast live by 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'. 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, shortly after conducting the Romford Boys' Band in front of his mammoth circus tent at Ipswich, which had been set up that morning for a two-week stand. With his large Stetson hat, inevitable cigar and unique flair for self-promotion and publicity, Billy Smart was a showman of the highest order. One of his greatest stunts was when he rode an elephant through the streets of Mayfair and parked it at a meter before inserting a shilling.
Billy Smart was such a colourful character that on his death his lifelong friend Sir Billy Butlin described him as the greatest showman of our time and probably the last of the great showmen.
In the 1990s, the Smart circus toured again with Billy Smart's Quality Big Top Show and most recently Billy Smart's Circus has been presented by Tony Hopkins and is frequently on tour across the UK.
Found in 837 Collections and/or Records:
Circus van Bever Programme, c1900 - 2000
Front page: drawing of the circus from behind the curtain. Inside: programme and show order. Back page: information about the circus. 2 pages.
Circus World Championship London Gold Medal, 1978
Various items of ephemera.
Circus World Championships 1976, 1976
The first ever Circus World Championships. Five great days of circus competition spectacle held in London.
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].