Carnival & Fair News

Not everyone reaches the venerable age of 100, much less remains an active member of the Pacific Coast Showmen's Association in Southern California.

Eldon Short is the oldest dues-paying member of the organization, having received his original membership card in 1943. According to past president John McCallum, the association will host a birthday celebration for Short at the clubhouse in August.

The owner of multiple West Coast amusement companies, Short began his California journey during the Great Depression.

McCallum says Short owned West Coast Shows. He was also an independent game operator who worked midways including the Arizona State Fair and the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar.

"He played with many carnivals, bringing attractions such as a water race, pinball derby, and skee-ball games," McCallum said. "He had a couple of units operating with different carnivals throughout the Western United States for many years."

West Coast Shows was a major traveling carnival company that operated primarily throughout California and other western states, including Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Arizona. The company ran five large units and held contracts at major venues, including state fairs throughout the region, as well as large events such as the National Orange Show, the Indio Date Festival, Helldorado Days in Las Vegas, and the Los Angeles County Fair.

West Coast Shows featured an extensive ride inventory. According to published accounts, the company at one point operated five Tilt-A-Whirls and four Scramblers, among other ride multiples. Among its most notable attractions were two massive Sky Wheels, including what has been described as the only portable, ground-mounted Velare Sky Wheel.

Crafts 20 Big Shows Midway

West Coast Shows successfully navigated the vast western territory using a large fleet of trucks and gasoline-powered tractors to transport equipment. Unlike many major carnivals of the era, the company did not rely on rail transportation.

West Coast Shows eventually acquired Craft's 20 Big Shows, including its three major midway operations and winter quarters, which were then located in North Hollywood. The acquisition included rides and ride trailers built before highway restrictions limited road dimensions and weights, making many of those trailers difficult to use in later years.

As president and majority shareholder of Craft's, Short sold the company in mid-1966 to Bobby Cohn and Lloyd Hilligoss. The winter quarters property was subsequently sold to G.I. Rubbish Company.

Short retired approximately 20 years ago but continued attending meetings and remaining active in the Pacific Coast Showmen's Association until he suffered a back injury while moving a large television, McCallum said.

"At the time, his son warned him about moving it, telling him, 'Dad, you're not 80 anymore,'" McCallum recalled.

Short was a youthful 93 when he was elected vice president of the Pacific Coast Showmen's Association.

The indefatigable Short is currently working to regain his driver's license after recovering from his back injury. His goal is to once again attend association meetings.

Persistence has always been one of his defining traits. When he first hitchhiked from Oklahoma to California with an older brother, he was only 12 years old. Authorities found him and sent him back home, but his exile from the Golden State was brief. He soon returned.

Active in the entertainment industry as well as the amusement business, Short partnered on projects with comedian Red Skelton and at one time lived next door to Bob Hope.

"Eldon even produced a film that his son, actor and screenwriter Mark Cartel, wrote," McCallum said.

1967 - Eldon, owner of Crafts Shows and son Mike filming on the midway.

That film was the 1982 cult classic Runaway Nightmare, which was re-released on DVD and received its first theatrical re-release in 2014.

Short's Hollywood legacy runs nearly as deep as his ties to the carnival industry. He appeared as a background actor riding a carousel in Alfred Hitchcock's 1951 thriller Strangers on a Train. According to industry accounts, that carousel was owned by Craft's 20 Big Shows.

The Morgan family carnival featured in the 1964 Elvis Presley film Roustabout was also reportedly owned by Short. The rides used in the production were originally part of the Craft's 20 Big Shows inventory. For filming, the carnival setup was moved to the Thousand Oaks area in Potrero Valley, northwest of Los Angeles.

"Eldon has a long history of entertaining people. I've only known him a comparatively short time, about 50 years. I like hanging around with him because he still calls me 'kid,'" McCallum said with a laugh.