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:
Billy Smart's Circus, Indian Circus and Australian Circus Films, c1945 - 1965
8mm, Kodak. 50 feet. Silent, in colour. All recorded from the Television. Copied to DVD 6 and DIGI-BETA.
Billy Smart's Circus Logo Painting, c1900 - 2000
Gouache painting on board. Painting of Billy Smart's Circus logo in red and yellow with 'Comes to town' in white.
Billy Smart's Circus Move to Liverpool Film, c1958 - 1959
DVD. Black and White. No Sound. Running time is 15:44. Produced by BBC Rushes. Shows footage of Billy Smart's circus moving to Liverpool including herding animals for transport, loading circus props for transport, trapeze artists practicing, circus performers and animals in costume walking around the ring, behind the scenes footage of performers and animals.
Billy Smart's Circus New World and Menagerie Poster, 1958
Dorking, 25 - 27 September 1958. Colour illustration featuring Stoney Red Indians, 10 baby elephants and many others.
Billy Smart's Circus plus Western Spectacle Poster, c1946 - 1999
Billy Smart's Circus plus Western Spectacle Poster, 5 - 10 August 1957
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 1971
Colour illustration of tigers leaping on the bottom section, animal tamer behind them, clown face on centre right, horse trainer with horses on centre and two elephants on top right on a red and yellow background, bottom section left blank for printing location and date. Signed by Thomas.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 27 July - 8 August 1964
Porstmouth, Southsea Common. Yellow type on blue background and blue type on white background with half of a clown face on the right hand side and a pink speech bubble on bottom section. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd. Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 18 March - 3 April 1965
Birmingham, Hay Mills. Yellow type on blue background and blue type on white background with half of a clown face on the right hand side and a pink speech bubble on bottom section. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd. Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 17 March - 2 April 1966
Birmingham, Hay Mills. Yellow type on blue background and blue type on white background with half of a clown face on the right hand side and a pink speech bubble on bottom section. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd. Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1946 - 1999
Scarborough, Burniston Road Barracks Sports Field, 5 August to 10 August. Colour illustration of baby elephant on brown background, wearing a tutu and a pointy hat with a bauble stood up on two legs with its head turned towards the viewer and holding a yellow sign under his right leg reading The World's Greatest Circus, Thrills, Spectacle, Beauty. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd. Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1946 - 1999
Clapham Common, South Side, 28 October to 23 November. Colour illustration of baby elephant on brown background, wearing a tutu and a pointy hat with a bauble stood up on two legs with its head turned towards the viewer and holding a yellow sign under his right leg reading The World's Greatest Circus, Thrills, Spectacle, Beauty. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd. Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1946 - 1999
Leicester, Emerald Street Site, 15 April to 27 April. Colour illustration of baby elephant on brown background, wearing a tutu and a pointy hat with a bauble stood up on two legs with its head turned towards the viewer and holding a yellow sign under his right leg reading The World's Greatest Circus, Thrills, Spectacle, Beauty. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd. Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1946 - 1999
Clapham Common, South Side, open until 20 November. Colour illustration of baby elephant on blue background, wearing a pointy hat with a bauble and a green bowtie, seated on a circus platform in front of a small woman in circus band uniform wearing a tall red hat and black shorts, holding a poster with his trunk with the location and time of the circus, also yellow and white type. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Nesfield Printing Works Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, c1946 - 1999
Birmigham, Hay Mills, 18 March to 3 April. Colour illustration of elephant on blue background, wearing a pointy hat with a bauble and a green bowtie, seated on a circus platform in front of a small woman in circus band uniform wearing a tall red hat and black shorts, holding a poster with his trunk with the location and time of the circus, also yellow and white type. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Nesfield Printing Works Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 28 October - 23 November 1968
Clapham Common, South Side. Colour illustration of elephant wearing a tutu and a pointy hat with a bauble stood on a circus platform and a mouse dressed as an elephant trainer holding a whip on blue background. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 31 March - 5 April 1969
Peterborough, Agricultural Show ground. Colour illustration of bust of Billy Smart wearing hat and bow tie and holding a cigar with circus ring scene on the background showing wild west act.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 9 - 11 June 1966
Cheltenham, Sandford Mill Road/Old Bath Road. Colour illustration of bust of Billy Smart wearing hat and bow tie and holding a cigar with circus ring scene on the background showing wild west act.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 26 October - 14 November 1959
Clapham Common. Western Spectacle, wild west act, The 1001 Arabian Nights Fantasy. Yellow, pink, white and brown type on brown, yellow and white background and a colour illustration for each programme theme showing the gun battle and the magic horse in yellow, blue, pink, black and white. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.
Billy Smart's Circus Poster, 10 - 12 June 1962
Stratford-on-Avon, Bishopton Field, Birmingham Road. Aerial fantasy, 20 elephants, The Fairyland story, U.S. Seventh Cavalry western show, polar bears, chimpanzees, camels plus over 150 other animals. Colour illustration of clown in green jacket and red trousers holding seven coloured ballons containing the circus acts over a black starry background. Printed by W. E. Berry Ltd Bradford.