The Casting Campbells, The Peerless Cronans or The Peerless Campbells?
Who and What Were They?
(Continued)

Their act was unique compared to the other aerialist acts as they would interject an element of humor into their show. One member always played a clown type person and would look silly and always lose his pants at some point in the show.

A New York newspaper, The Telegraph, was rating all the vaudeville acts and would publish a rating chart in their paper. The rating was based on the quality of the act and how the audience received it. The Casing Campbell’s were up to third place in the first week they appeared in the ratings. Gus Sim was the top booking agent and only represented the best acts in the country. Lew sent him a clipping from the telegraph and mentioned that the Casting Campbell’s had ranked well ahead of the acts the he represented. In a short period of time they were booked for 47 weeks in the year.

When the last act of the year closed in Detroit, two of the members decided that this life wasn’t for them. Gooding and Quinn preferred the home life and went back to working in the local factories.

Once back in Waterbury, and after only four weeks, Cronin had reorganized the act and the troupe was whole once again. The constant turnover of members would be a trait for the next 35 or so years. After that first season they never had trouble finding work and traveled all over the country playing the best theaters including other countries such as Canada and even Cuba. In the winter months they were on the vaudeville stages and in the summers many parks and fairs enjoyed their shows.

In 1925 Lew Cronin bought a farm in Harwinton and moved the troupe’s headquarters here. This was after he had retired from the acrobatic performances himself and now served solely as the troupes manager. He was always interested in farming so now he had the opportunity to enjoy the best of both worlds although farming war really a hobby.

He purchased the “Sunnyside Farm” on what is now Route 4 on the northern side of the road between Harwinton Heights Road and Further Lane. (The barn is now gone) The members stayed there between bookings and used the barn as their training facility. In fact, other traveling troupes also used the place. These included The Four Delcos and The Petleys.

Many days their practice sessions featured an open barn door and many people would come and watch them work on their skills.

Some of the members that I have been able to identify over the thirty some years they performed are Robert Quigg, Roland Marquis, Stephen Bekasi, Fred Goldsmith, Charles Nardine, Joseph Nagy, Steve Scuba, Rose Delgobbo, Jim Delgobbo, George Gooding, Joe Quinn, Jimmy Hamilton and Louis Cronin.

Steve Bekasi, interviewed by Romily Cofrancesco for her book “Campville Cronicles” indicated that they broke up just before the war as Roland Marquis and Joe Nagy were drafted.

I did find Joe’s obituary and he was killed on July 25th, 1942 in Portland Maine when struck by a train on his way back to active duty after a furlough here. He was only 21 years old.

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