In 1958, when he was just a teenager, John Leggett went to work for the legendary carnival owner James E. Strates.
While he didn’t work for the Strates Shows all that long, his memory of that time has lasted a lifetime.
And so, we talked to John Leggett about that moment in time.
Q – John, would I be correct in saying that you met James E Strates?
A – Well, I never actually met James E. Strates. The guy in the memoir piece, I wrote, being 13 years old, we just assumed this guy was James E Strates. He was the guy that came into town. He set up the carnival a few days before they got there. He said something when I was talking to him that morning when he was trying to hire me and get some guys to help him out, he said something about and I didn’t understand whether he was with the James E. Strates show or he was James E. Strates. And, being 13, we figured this guy obviously looking back I don’t think the guy who came in to set up the carnival would have been James E. himself. He sent this front man there. So, we just assumed, hey this guy must be James E Strates. Then later when I said something which I wrote in the story, I called him Mr. Strates to kind of toast him out and he didn’t really respond. Later in the story I wrote that these guys called him by a different name, the guy we worked for. I said they obviously didn’t realize were working for James E. not this other guy they’re talking about.
Q – As the years have passed have you seen a photo of James E. Strates? Does it look like the guy you met?
A – No. I never saw a photo
Q – If you did see a photo would it trigger a memory? Or, has too much time passed?
A – I think the photos I’ve seen since writing that story, it could be in my mind that this guy was a slender guy. The guy we worked for was kind of an overweight guy. He kind of reminded me of my grandfather. A little heavy in the middle. I can’t imagine it being James E himself.
Q – You do know that James E. Strates was a wrestler before he got into the carnival business.
A – I know that.
Q – The Strates train came into your town.
A – Yeah. The train unloaded I believe near (Albany New York). The two big events for kids growing up were the carnival in the circus coming to town in both of those both of those came down Route 32 when they circled around. My house was located a block away from Beattie’s Field up on a hill and we would walk down the hill. The parade would go through, both the James E. and the circus would go past our street, the bottom of our street and circle around and kind of make a U-turn to Beattie’sFfield and they’d start setting up.
Q – You had seen the show coming through town before working for Strates then?
A – Every year.
Q – What did the Strates show offer to get the town all excited?
A – I do remember more about the circus because they had the animals they had the elephant. I think James E unloaded the cars that had the big James E signs on them. They had all the rides they were bringing in by trucks, from the train into Beattie’s Field to set up. All the tents. They had kind of parade of people, the carnies that would be involved in that stuff. They really didn’t advertise too much of the freak show tent because they wanted you to pay to see those people.
Q – At that time Strates had not only the Freak Show but also the Burlesque Show didn’t they?
A – Yes.
Q – They must have drawn pretty well.
A – Yeah. It was the burlesque shows as 13-year-olds that we got to work, the last night of the carnival because they were shorthanded. They wanted us. They were going to put us as young kids somewhere else to work, but, they couldn’t put us on tearing down the rides. It was too dangerous. So, they took the guys that were going to tear down the strip show, the burlesque show and they put those guys over on the rides and they were going to use us to stack chairs, fold up the bleachers, all that kind of stuff. So, we went over early because we were supposed to be there to close up after the last show. When we showed up, I put in the story they were a little cautious about us working there, the burlesque tent because we were so young. But, the real story is, we got over there early. We wanted to make sure we were there on time the guy outside said; you guys want to go in? (Laughs). Go in and catch the last show. (Laughs).
Q – And did you?
A – Yeah. That was when I met Pagan Jones which is in the story I wrote.
Q – I didn’t get to that part. I was more concerned with your experience working for Strates. What were your job duties at strates?
A – I was waiting for my friend at the diner. It was a summer day. We used to meet down there for breakfast. This guy sat down in a booth and wanted to know if I wanted to make some money and had a few friends. He came to town a few days ahead of the carnival. He took us down to Beattie’s Field. We had to walk around all day with tape measures. He staked out all the areas where all the booths, the tents, and the sideshows would be. We had to pound the stakes in. He told us walk over here. We had the big hundred foot tape measure. So, we did that for most of the day. He gave us books of passes. They were there for a couple weeks, midway into the second week we were going to the carnival every night, my friends and I because we had all those passes, those free passes. In the middle of next week we run into the guy again and he wants to know if we want to work the last night of the show, helping tear down some of the tents. We said sure so, other than setting up that thing the first day we were really on our own. We really didn’t work for the carnival for two weeks, but then we went for the last night that’s where we went over and they took us over to the burlesque tent. That’s when they said it’s the last show, just go in. We were like in awe. It was a real Burlesque show. It wasn’t just a striptease act.
Q – They had comics.
A – Yeah. It was great. We were like the talk of the town amongst our friends you have to be 18 to get in.
Q – What year was that?
A – 58 or 59.
Q – The Strates midway had a certain atmosphere to it, barkers, the lights, the bells clanging.
A – The two weeks that the carnival was in town I could lay in bed at night with my bedroom window open and I could hear that a block away. You couldn’t make out what the barkers were saying but I could hear the noises and sounds of the Carnival. They had four huge Ferris Wheels in the middle of the midway. I could hear the rides going on and the kids screaming on the roller coasters.
Q – Did you ever go back to help with the setup of the Strates show after that first year with them?
A – We helped set up for a couple of years. After the first year, the guy told me, watch for my car. He took a room at this gin mill near my house. Over the gin mill they’ve rented out some rooms which I didn’t even know until he told me. He said, watch for my car. When you see it over at Hoskins grill, I have breakfast here at the diner every morning if you want to work next year. So, for a couple years we did that. Once the Carnival was set up and the trucks came rolling in and the other guy started to set up, we would go around and ask different guys if they needed help. One thing we did learn is you don’t help the guy that takes the old-time photographs because he needed a lot of water. There was a creek down near the Hudson and you had to take those heavy buckets that he had and walk about a quarter-mile and fill them and walk back with those buckets and fill this big trough he had to put water into to develop those old-time pictures and that was work! I mean those buckets were heavy! Don’t help that guy again. You don’t want to help that guy. You don’t want to go near him.
Q – I am assuming the money wasn’t too good back then.
A – They would pay us a few bucks with a lot of passes for the rides.
Q – Were you ever able to get on the Strates train and look around?
A -No. I would’ve liked to. It’s my understanding that James E’s son is now in Florida. They don’t do any traveling with the Carnival. They rent out there rides to different fares. I don’t know if those guys go set up the rides but, they’re really not traveling anymore.
Q – That’s something new. I’ve never heard that before. Tell me about Pagan Jones.
A – Pagan Jones was the stripper. She was the headliner the year that that we were allowed in as 13-year-olds to see the show. It was one of her first years. She went on to do a couple of movies. They advertised her as the 6 foot tall blonde bombshell. Yeah, we were all in love with her.
Q – In 1986, I interviewed Bambi Lane who was headlining the Strates Burlesque Show. That was the last year Strates offered a burlesque show.
A – I went to college in the late 60s so once I had left town it wasn’t a thing for me anymore.
