Super Circus

Super Circus is an American television program that aired live on Sunday afternoons from 5 to 6pm Eastern Time from 1949-1956 on ABC.[1] The show was produced in Chicago from through 1955, and its production moved to New York City for its final season. The award-winning show featured circus and clown acts performing in front of a studio audience. Mary Hartline and Claude Kirchner were the hosts (Jerry Colonna succeeded Kirchner as "Ringmaster" in the final New York season), and Bruce Chase conducted the band.[2] Sponsors for the show including Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Mars, Inc., Canada Dry Ginger Ale, and Sweetheart Soap.[3]

History

Hartline, known for her short skirts, white boots and long blonde hair, became one of television's first sex symbols, spawning merchandise such as dolls, clothes, and boots --- three dozen different Mary Hartline products.[4][5][6]

For at least the 1951 and 1952 seasons, each day Kirchner selected one child from the audience to stick his hand into a jar full of coins, attempting to pull out and keep as much money as possible. There were no one-dollar coins in the jar, but Kirchner always announced when he spotted a "fifty-cent piece" among the coins retrieved and the audience was prompted to cheer.

Kirchner went on to host Terrytoon Circus and Merrytunes Circus on WOR-TV (now WWOR-TV) in New York City from 1956 until 1962. He appeared at many New York area venues, including Freedomland U.S.A. in The Bronx, to meet and entertain children. At Freedomland, he hosted circus shows at the park's Hollywood Arena. Kirchner's time at Freedomland is recalled by his daughter in the book Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History (Theme Park Press, 2019).

Episode status

A small number of episodes survives in film archives and private collections. Six episodes were released to DVD on October 28, 2008 by Alpha Video.

See also

References
  1. Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 415. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  2. "Video Circus Wins Awards:" Billboard, May 26, 1951
  3. Woolery, George W. (1985). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part II: Live, Film, and Tape Series. The Scarecrow Press. pp. 485–487. ISBN 0-8108-1651-2.
  4. Ted Okuda and Jack Mulqueen, The Golden Age of Chicago Children's Television (Lake Claremont Press, 2004), p. 42.
  5. Billy Ingram, "TV's First Sex Symbol", TV Party.com, accessed 2009-02-17.
  6. Mary Hartline Was A Living Doll - Chicago Tribune
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