ABC's Super Circus - a circus in your living room | TV Guide Chicago, 21.08.1953

EVERY so often there's a crisis on Super Circus. Temperament you know.

No, it's not the clowns-Cliffy, Nicky and Scampy. Nor is it easygoing Claude Kirchner, ringmaster of the circus in your living room, or beauteous Mary Hartline, the band leader. It's those prima donna animal stars, who often surpass opera sopranos in fits of temper and stubbornness.

There was the case of Herbert, the orangutan unicyclist who took a strange dislike to permanent band- master Bruce Chase. Bruce's arm-waving motions with the baton irritated Herbie who felt the extra action on the set was distracting attention from his performance. So the outraged orangutan flung his unicycle at the musician.

Herbie's trainer, in a peace move, slipped the temperamental artist a pair of roller skates to finish his act. But red-haired Herbie, still angry, pitched both at the bandmaster. That concluded target practice for the day and the protesting ape was led away, jabbering ugly threats at the spotlight-swiper.

The only "extra" that could tighten the union between Super Circus and television would be color. But until that time, the Big Toppers can depend on the animals to supply a full rainbow of temperaments to the show lineup.