Seeing Is Believing: America's Sideshows - Softcover

Stencell, A W

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1550225294 ISBN 13: 9781550225297

Publisher: ECW Press, 2003

Synopsis

Seeing Is Believing is a history of midway attractions and the showmen who have presented them on American midways from the 1870s to World War II. Find out who manufactured the Polly-Moo-Zuke, the Two-Headed Giant, and the Devil Fish. Hear showmen’s stories of hoochie coochie dancing bears, monkeys racing miniature racecars, and the strange people who made a living eating snakes. See war criminals, wax outlaws, and papier mâché torture victims. Learn about illusion on the midway and how "free" Iron Lung and Wildlife shows were anything but; who suspected you had to pay to leave? Hear the barker say: Come in! Trained fleas, people exhibited in ice, and girls that change into gorillas are all inside! Under canvas, the hottest black nightclub acts perform for you in black revue shows. Many attractions are alive. Hundreds more are dead, stuffed, or mummified. Never has so much been on show for so little a price! Attractions you may never see again Take a twisted journey with the last of America’s real showmen, from an age when performers earned every nickel of your 25 cents.

About this title

Product Description:

A history of midway attractions and the showmen who presented them on American midways from the 1870s to World War II, this fantastic, fully illustrated book showcases the manufacturers of the Polly-Moo-Zuke, the Two-Headed Giant and the Devil Fish, as well as stories of hoochie coochie dancing bears, monkeys racing miniature racecars and the strange people who made a living eating snakes. See war criminals, wax out-laws and papier mache torture victims. Learn about illusion on the midway and tricks of the trade in a journey into an age of America's last real showmen.

Synopsis:

Seeing Is Believing is the zany history of US travelling carnivals from the 1870s to World War II. In this book, readers will find out who manufactured the Polly-Moo-Zuke, the Two-Headed Giant, and the Devil Fish; hear showmen's stories of hoochie coochie dancing bears, monkeys racing miniature race cars, and the strange people who made a living eating snakes; hear the barker say: "Come in! Trained fleas, people exhibited in ice, and girls that change into gorillas are all inside!" Under canvas, the hottest black nightclub acts perform in black revue shows. Many attractions are alive. Hundreds more are dead, stuffed, or mummified. Never has so much been on show for so little a price! These are the attractions readers will probably never see again...

About this edition

• Publisher: ECW Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 1550225294
• ISBN 13: 9781550225297
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 260