Seeing is Believing: America's SideshowsSeeing 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. |
Common terms and phrases
acts advertised ALIVE amusement attraction audience back-end bally banner Barnum Bartholomew Fair bike Bill Billboard Billy Reed black revue Bonnie and Clyde Bostock Bros built cage canvas carnival carnival midways Chicago chimp circus City Claxton's Clipper Coney Island Conklin Conklin Shows crime show crowd dance dancer Dillinger dime museums ding display drome early Eeka electric exhibit fairground show feet Ferari film freaks geek geek show ghost show girl show grind shows head inside IRON LUNG John Dillinger lady lions living mermaid midget midway shows miniature minstrel show monkey motorcycles motordrome movie mummies offered showmen operated papier-mâché Park patrons performers played presented punk riders rides Royal American Shows season show featured show front showmen Shows midway sideshow snake sold started Strates Shows talker tent theater torture toured trailer truck vaudeville village wagon wall wax figures World of Mirth World's Fair York