Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus

Have you ever wanted to run away to the circus? Well here's your chance! Come join Colonel Sam Castle's Great American Circus! You could delight in seeing great circus legends like The Flying Viennas, Jungleland Elephants, and The Marquis Family featuring the one and only Mr. Stubbs! So come join Toby Tyler on a Big Top adventure.

This magical circus was created by author
James Otis Kaler. Born March 19, 1848 in Whiteport, Maine. At a very young age James started working for the Boston Journal as a reporter ( some say at 13 years old and others say at 17). Three years later he provided coverage of the American Civil War. James continued his writing journey moving onto Frank Leslie's Boy's and Girl's Weekly. Then in 1877 he connected with the publisher Harper and Brothers and had Toby Tyler appear in Harper's Young People Magazine. Finally in 1881 Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus was published it into a book.

James Otis Kaler was a natural writer. He followed the advice of "writing what you know". Throughout his life he would write over 150 novels, mainly historical adventure stories geared towards boys. Kaler once said, "Anybody can write a book, who will apply himself to it." To find all his books though you will have to look under a few penned names like: Walter Morris, Lt. James K. Orton, Harry Prentice, or even Amy Prentice (a few scholars believe though some of his later work written for a even younger audience was actually penned by his wife Amy L. Scamman). His idea for Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus came from his days as a publicity man for the Phineas T. Barnum Circus. With this first hand knowledge he was able to bring the behind the scene details of what circus life was really like; the difference between the outside viewers romance of the circus and the insiders reality of it.

Famous writers Carl Sandburg, William S. Burroughs, and Harlan Ellison adored Toby Tyler. Ellison even said that Toby Tyler influenced his decision to run off and join the circus.

There was one other adaptation of Toby Tyler before Disney's version, a 1923 silent film starring Jackie Coogan called Circus Days. This film was assumed lost but a copy emerged just years ago in Russia and now can be found in the Library of Congress (you can find a few short clips of it on YouTube- It's cute).
Walt Disney was drawn to Toby Tyler's tale, remembering the time the circus came to his hometown of Marceline, Missouri. It inspired him so much that he went home and created his own circus. Dressing up the family's barn cats in his little sister Ruth's baby doll clothes. At age fifteen, Walt took a job working on a train selling newspapers and other goodies like peanuts, popcorn, fruit, and drinks for Noyes Interstate News. Carrying them around in a shoulder strap snack box just as the character of Toby Tyler did concessioneering at the circus.

"Everyone loves a Circus and I'm no exception. I've been fascinated by clowns and the animals, the music and the excitement ever since I worked in one of these wonderful shows for a few days as a youngster," wrote Walt in the intro to "Mickey Mouse Club Circus" at Disneyland in 1955.

What was great about Disney's film was all its hidden gems. Disney and the production crew went all out making sure the film was authentic with actual circus props. The beautiful wagons and calliope were bought from Bradley and Kaye Amusement Park. The magnificent 1907 twenty pipe Dragon Calliope was in terrible shape when Walt first purchased it, but with $50,000 he transformed it into a glorious masterpiece. You can now find it at Disney World's Fort Wilderness Tri-Circle-D Ranch. If you're lucky you may even see the Dragon Calliope pulled by 6-8 horses down Main Street for a special parade.

Performers were borrowed from Ringling Bros. and other specialty groups to add some flare. The Flying Viennas show off their aerialist skills lead by Del Graham. Performing elephants were supplied by Jungleland in Thousand Oaks California. The Ringling Brother clowns Eddie "Spaghetti" Emerson (75), "Duke" Johnson (63) and Abe " Korkey" Goldstein made audiences laugh. Goldstein (64) also known as Korkey the Komic Cop performed with several dogs that pretended to fall down dead after Goldstein emptied a toy gun at them and then miraculously coming back to life to bite him on the rear end. Korkey the Komic Cop never stopped performing. Even into his 90's he was putting on free shows at children's hospitals.

 


Another hidden gem in the film was two "extras" that you may feel overact and are

quite silly. The band leader is played by Ollie Wallace. This was Ollie's first time on screen but he had been with the Disney family for years, since the 1930's composing melodies for Disney cartoons and a few live-action films, though not Toby Tyler. Along with Ollie you can find in his band one of the Firehouse Five Plus Two members (a Dixieland band made up of Disney animators) who is playing the drum is Jimmy MacDonald. MacDonald just so happened to be the voice for Mickey Mouse at the time.

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A little fun fact on the location. Toby Tyler was the first film shot at Golden Oak Ranch after Walt purchased it. Golden Oak Ranch just happens to be the location where there was the 1942 California gold rush (before the more famous 1949 gold rush) where Francisco Lopez just happened across gold flakes when he pulled a wild onion out of the ground. 

In the center ring for actors was Kevin Corcoran as Toby Tyler. This was Kevin's third Disney film and definitely not the last. Kevin portrayed the "typical American Kid." He was around 11 years old during production and performed all his own equestrian stunts (with the help of piano wires as a safety precaution). Kevin's time on Toby Tyler was tainted though by the passing of his father, but Kevin was a trooper and finished the film without incident. Next up in the ring is Gene Sheldon and Henry Calvin. These two come as a pair when it comes to Disney films. During the time of casting both men were working together on the TV series Zorro. Production halted on Zorro because ABC felt the show was too expensive to continue. With Zorro tied up in lawsuits Disney was able to borrow Calvin and Sheldon, turning them into Ben Cotter the gruff but kind Strongman and Sam Treat the gentle, articulate clown with a dog act. Toby Tyler was the only Disney production where Gene Sheldon had a speaking role (he plays mute for all the others- Zorro and Babes in Toyland).

Other stars of the circus included Mademoiselle Jeanette and Monsieur Ajax, the equestrian trick duo played by Barb Beaird and Dennis Oliver. Bob Sweeney as the con man concessionaire Mr. Tupper and the Ring Master Colonel Sam Castle played by Richard Eastham. It seems as though I'm forgetting someone. Oh yeah, the scene-stealing monkey Mr. Stubbs who really became the star of the show.

Mr. Stubbs was born 1956 in the Belgian Congo Jungle and was captured when only a few months old and shipped to Maine. In 1957 he fell into the hands of chimp trainer Gene Detroy who created the famous "Marquis Family" (a group of performing chimps). At that time, Mr. Stubbs' name was actually Marquis Jr. The Marquis Family became very popular even appearing on the Jack Benny show in 1959 and that's where Walt Disney first saw him. Publicity claimed Mr. Stubbs with the intelligence of a three year old. He was purchased for $1,000 but insured for $12,000 and it was said he wore $75 suits. When not on the film site, Mr. Stubbs lived on a spacious ranch in Las Vegas with trainer Detroy and his family. While on set he was given the Shaggy Dog's trailer and received a rose everyday. Talk about a diva chimpanzee. But everyone seemed to love him. Director Charles Barton said, "He puts on the most convincing act since Cheetah talked to Tarzan. After a rehearsal or two, he knows the scene backwards. Then we get around to doing it forward. When I first met him in Las Vegas, he was watching television with Detroy's three children. We shook hands. After the children went to bed, he looked in on them from time to time to be sure they were all right. It was a very pleasant evening. I haven't gotten over it yet. He has looks, talent and real humility. And when he rolls those big brown eyes, wow! He even works for peanuts."

Toby Tyler premiered Jan 21, 1960 at the Florida Theater in Sarasota. Which just so happens to be the winter home of Ringling Brothers. Sarasota was transferred into a circus atmosphere celebrating "Toby Tyler Days". There was a circus parade with caged lions, clowns, and elephants. Along with circus act performances in a circus ring set up in the street, Gene Sheldon put on a special comedy routine. From the Box Office sales Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with the Circus brought in $3,100,000. Critics were generally kind to the film, praising Kevin Corcoran and Mr. Stubb's performances, while also mentioning how charming the picture is. You may not really be able to run away to the circus, but you can grab yourself some popcorn and spend some time with Toby Tyler and all his circus friends!