Doc's Midway Cookhouse

Traveling Carnival History, American Circus History, Sideshow History, and more . . .

Old carnival photos, carnival history, circus history, traveling shows

Magic Acts

Great Hilliar’s Mentalist Show

    Hilliar – The Man That Can Tell William John Hilliar was a professional magician that performed in vaudeville in the 1900s.  He ghost-wrote Howard “Thurston’s Card Tricks” (1901) He also ghost-wrote T. Nelson Down’s book “Modern Coin Manipulation” and wrote his own book “Modern Magician’s Hand Book” (1902). and wrote the column on […]

Carnivals

Early Forms of Entertainment In America

International Independent Showmen’s Museum Keeps Early Form of Entertainment Alive History of Traveling Shows In America Long ago, when the country was still young and everything was infinitely possible, mile-long railroad trains loaded with colorful wagons full of exotic mysteries traveled through the darkness of night bringing the only form of entertainment that many in […]

Carnival Movies

Showbiz And The Big Screen

Hollywood And The Midway Movies Come To The Tented World If you’re like me, you love old films that have anything to do with ‘The Biz’. Victor Mature is great in the 1959 classic: The Big Circus which is an example of a little known Hollywood gem. Elvis Presley in Roustabout features colorful scenes from the […]