On Tour at the State Fair of Texas in the early 1950s
People entering the Cotton Bowl Stadium at the State Fair of Texas, early 1950s
In the early 1950s, Mr. Terrell would pack up some Music Circus productions and head to Texas in the fall.
It's unclear why he chose a venue so far from Lambertville to promote the Music Circus. Perhaps it was because he was nostalgic for his early years as a carnival performer.
Source: Music Circus Website Archives
The State Fair of Texas is held each year in Dallas in September and October. The Cotton Bowl is an outdoor stadium in Dallas, TX. It opened in 1930 as Fair Park Stadium, and is on the site of the State Fair of Texas grounds, known as Fair Park.
St. John Terrell giving a Fire-Eating performance
To attract people to the Music Circus at the State Fair of Texas, St. John Terrell gives a fire-eating performance, assisted by Margo Jones. You can see the Music Circus tent in the background and a banner advertising "Show Boat."
Source: Music Circus Website Archives
People waiting to enter the Music Circus tent
People have gathered to enter the Music Circus tent for a show. The banners advertise "The Student Prince," "Show Boat," "Girl Crazy," and "Blossom Time," shows that were presented in Lambertville in the 1952 and 1953 Seasons.
Source: Music Circus Website Archives
On Tour at the Philadelphia Convention Center in the early 1950s
A Philadelphia billboard with the Music Circus logo advertises that "Show Boat' will be the presentation at the Arena starting October 12th in 1953.
Each fall in the early 1950s, Mr. Terrell brought a Music Circus production to Convention Hall in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Convention Hall
Convention Hall was at 3400 Civic Center Blvd., on the edge of the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, near Franklin Field. Built in 1930 and rendered obsolete by the construction of the Spectrum, it was razed in 2005. Penn Medicine's Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine stands on the site now.
The Music Circus stage and lighting ring are set up and ready for the show to start. Thus, St. John Terrell recreates a theater-in-the-round at Convention Hall in Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center—more commonly known as the Philadelphia Civic Center and the Philadelphia Convention Center, was a complex of five or more buildings developed out of a series of buildings dedicated to expanding trade which began with the National Export Exhibition in 1899. There were two important buildings on the site. The Commercial Museum, built in 1899, was one of the original exposition buildings. The Municipal Auditorium (Convention Hall) was built in 1931; Philip H. Johnson was the architect. The site was host to national political conventions in 1900, 1936, 1940 and 1948.
The Music Circus presents "Show Boat" to a sold-out crowd of approximately 12,000 people in October 1953 at Convention Hall.
The Beatles played the venue on September 2, 1964, during their first tour of the United States. Tickets went on sale in May 1964 and sold out within 90 minutes. The Rolling Stones played Convention Hall on May 1, 1965, during their third American tour.