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Grace, Jeanie and
Mitzi |
Flyers Grace, Jeanie and Mitzi
Mitzi started her career in the barn of her Georgia farm with
her younger sister Eva. They made a makeshift trapeze from a
broom handle and suspended it from the loft with rope. Mitzi
and Eva performed double trapeze together until 1923 when Eva
married Emmett and left the act. Mitzi soon met and married
catcher Red Sleeter, considered to have been one of the best in
the business. In addition to the many American circuses she
performed with, Mitzi also toured Australia with the Flying Devards and Flying Fishes. Mitzi performed well into her
fifties. She shared her retirement with her second
husband, Murray Fine who also toured with Ringling Brothers
Barnum and Bailey Circus. |
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Grace was the youngest of the sisters. She spent most of her
career with Ringling Brothers. She was married to catcher Harold
“Tuffy” Genders, who she first met in high school in
Bloomington, Illinois. After a relatively short career due to
an injury, Grace and Tuffy retired from the ring. Tuffy became
General Manager of Ringling. Grace, Mitzi and Eva performed with
some of the best in the business over many decades. They
always enjoyed visiting with each other, reliving their
wonderful memories of circus and friends. Simply stated, Mitzi,
Grace and Eva were Joey’s inspiration to fly through the air
with the greatest of ease. |
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Jeanie Sleeter, Mitzi’s daughter, was always around the circus. She started riding ponies in spec at age eight. Jeanie learned
to fly on the trapeze in the fabled trapeze barns of
Bloomington, Illinois where her mother, her relatives and
countless circus greats learned and practiced the craft. Jeanie
toured with Russell Brothers, Clyde Beatty and others, but she
spent the most time, twelve years, with Ringling Brothers Barnum
and Bailey Circus. |
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Jeanie worked with many circus greats, counting many of them as
personal friends. Her favorites were catcher Dick Anderson and
leapers Faye Alexander and Willie Krause. Jeanie will be best
remembered flying with the Flying Comets. Her favorite and most
daring trick was a two and a half, being caught by her legs. The next time you watch Betty Hutton performing in The Greatest
Show on Earth, you’ll see Mitzi doing the non close-up trapeze
work. |
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