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 1058 Collections and/or Records:
Business Records Relating to 1996 Season, 1996
Includes correspondence with Greenwich Theatre about managing the ticket sales for Blackheath performances of Billy Smart's Circus 1996; correspondence with Bristol Hippodrome about managing the ticket sales for Bristol performances; documents relating to the drivers of vehicles in the 1996 season including photocopies of driving licenses.
Business Records Relating to Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool, 1992
Includes correspondence between Smart's Circus and Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool, regarding using the racecourse as a site in Smart's Circus 1993 tour.
Business Records Relating to Alegria Brothers, 1993 - 2004
Includes correspondence, contracts, work permit applications, work permits and photographs of Sabu, Sharon and Francisco Alegria and Marina Tkachnenko relating to the 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998 seasons of Billy Smart's Circus.
Business Records Relating to Alex Grimailo, 1997 - 2000
Includes correspondence between Smart's Circus and Alex Grimailo Studios regarding various artists including Lysenko Clowns, Zakharovs, Pitinovs, and Lioubov Gorbatcheva, as well as work permits, work permit applications, travel documents, immigration doucments, photocopies of passports, contracts for 1997 and 1998 seasons of Smart's Circus.
Business Records Relating to Ancheschi Carlo & C. S.N.C., 1991 - 1997
Includes drawings (standard and oversize), plans, photographs, fabric samples, costings, invoices and correspondence between Smart's Circus and Ancheschi Carlo, carpenters, regarding the design and building of various infrastructure of Smart's Circus such as the stables, the Big Top, audience seating and flooring.
Business Records Relating to Arata's Rollers, 1998
Includes correspondence and an agreement for the performers the Arata's Rollers for the 1998 season of Billy Smart's Circus.
Business Records Relating to Arlete Gruss, 1992
Includes Smart's Circus' research on the Arlete Gruss Circus and their operations before Smart's ordered the Big Top in 1993.
Business Records Relating to Artist Research, 1994
Photographs and printed images of various acts and artistes collected by the Smart Family for research for performing in the Smart's Circus 1994 season.
Business Records Relating to Artiste Research, c1980 - 2000
Photographs and printed images of various acts and circuses collected by the Smart Family for research for performing in Smart's Circus and for programme design. Also includes printed reproductions of paintings of circus performers for research.
Business Records Relating to Artiste Research, c1990 - 2005
Photographs, leaflets and printed images of various acts and circuses collected by the Smart Family for research for performing in Smart's Circus.
Business Records Relating to Artistes and Marketing Research, c1990 - 2005
Photographs, leaflets and printed images of various acts, circuses and famous visitors collected by the Smart Family for research for performing in Smart's Circus and for programme design.
Business Records Relating to Barbara Dawidowicz, 1996 - 1997
Includes work permits, contracts, photocopies of passports and correspondence between Smart's Circus and Barbara Dawidowicz of United Entertainment Enterprises regarding artistes Rudniks and Trufanovi Troupe among others.
Business Records Relating to BBC Enterprises and Time-Life Films, 1979 - 1984
Includes royalty reports and correspondence relating to sales and licences of Billy Smart's Circus video recordings to BBC Enterprises and Time-Life Films.
Business Records Relating to Billy Arata, 1996 - 1999
Includes work permits, contracts, invoices, cost break downs, transportation documentation between Smart's Circus and Billy F. Arata Agency The Circus Specialist for various artists including Miss Nives, Arata's Rollers and Faltyny.
Business Records Relating to Billy Smart's 50th Anniversary Big Top Slough, 1958
Includes film strips printed in photographic paper and illustrations by Derek Burrell Davis of the BBC.
Business Records Relating to Billy Smart's Big Top Tour 1996, 1996
Includes correspondence with performers and agents, invitations for the Smart family to other circuses and postcards.
Business Records Relating to Billy Smart's Big Top Tour 1998, 1998
Includes a promotional leaflet, advertisement designs, lists of show dates and times, poster printing prices, poster designs, shoot schedule, invitations to performances and press articles.
Business Records Relating to Billy Smart's Big Top Tours , 1993 - 1995
Includes tour schedules, poster designs, programme designs, leaflet designs, tickets, leaflets, correspondence with councils about tour performances, correspondence with printers and Lord Delfont's foreword introducing the 1993 tour.
Business Records Relating to Billy Smart's Big Top Tours 1996 and 1998, 1994 - 1998
Includes list of performance dates, proofs for leaflets and posters, bank account information, seating prices, driving routes and driver information.
Business Records Relating to Billy Smart's Big Top Variety Show, 1978 - 1980
Includes Thames T.V. television work, plans, scripts for Billy Smart’s Easter, Christmas Circuses and Big Top Variety Show, some inscribed Christopher Palmer, press cuttings, production photographs, slides, promotional material, costume sketches, original artwork, viewing ratings.