ISBN |
9781922626851 (paperback) |
Author |
Brophy, Norma (author) |
Title |
Don't call us carnies : we are showies and damn proud of it / Norma Brophy with Wendy Stuart. |
Other title |
Do not call us carnies |
Publisher and/or associated date/s |
South Melbourne, VIC ; Boonwurrung Country, VIC : Affirm Press, 2022. |
© 2022. |
Description |
ix, 270 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some colour), portraits ; 24 cm. |
Note |
"A memoir"--Cover. |
Summary |
While many Australian teenagers have dreamed of joining a travelling circus, Norma Brophy wanted to run away from it. As a born and bred 'show person', she adored her early years on the road, running wild in town after town with her fellow little 'showies'. But growing up backstage of a famed travelling show wasn't all fun and games. At 15, Norma fled the circus and her father's violent ways, only to be drawn back by another formidable force - love. In this vibrant, uproarious and poignant memoir, multi-talented showbiz matriarch Norma Brophy comes out of retirement to reveal a world of interest to many but understood by few. From a time before cars to the hardscrabble Depression years, in and out of war time and across the golden era of Hollywood-tinged showmanship, right up to today, Norma paints a vivid picture of Australian show culture. With authority and candour, Norma plays ringmaster to a cavalcade of characters and places that have helped form not only the story of her own record-breaking, death-defying family, but also that of countless other travelling show people, circus and rodeo folk whose exploits and ingenuity will leave you agog. |
Subjects |
Brophy, Norma |
Families -- Australia -- Biography |
Circus -- Australia -- Anecdotes |
Circus performers -- Australia -- Biography |
Circus owners -- Australia -- Biography |
Circus performers -- Australia -- History |
Entertainers -- Australia -- History |
Circus -- Australia -- History |
Carnivals -- Australia -- History |
Entertainers -- Australia -- Biography |
Women entertainers -- Australia -- Biography |
Other Authors &/or Associated Persons |
Stuart, Wendy (author) |
Call number |
2022.191 |