Andrew Downie: Movies & Filmography

Andrew Downie McPhee, born on August 13, 1863, in Stephen Township, Ontario, Canada, was a Canadian-American showman who became a pioneering figure in circus history. Known professionally as Andrew Downie, he left an indelible mark on the circus industry through his innovations in transportation and entertainment, including founding the first successful motorized circus. As a child, Andrew Downie moved with his family to Stratford, Ontario, where he honed his tumbling skills in his father's barn, laying the foundation for his future career in acrobatics. His father, a veteran of the Fenian raids, transitioned into hotel management, establishing establishments like the Revere House in Stratford, as well as managing the Toronto House and Junction Hotel. Andrew Downie stayed in Stratford, working for J. C. Corcoran and later as a railway butcher with the Canada Railway News Company.

Andrew Downie's circus career began when he joined his brother Murdock in a tightrope act for the George W. Donaldson Circus, traveling by horse-drawn wagons. At the age of 21, he partnered with Clarence Austin to launch a one-ring circus, debuting in 1884 with their Downie & Austin's Parlor Circus And Trained Animal Combination. Throughout the late 1880s, he worked with various circuses, including Ryan & Robinson, Lowande & Hoffman, and Irwin Bros., serving as an aerialist and clown. In 1890, he married Christena Hewer from Guelph, Ontario, who performed under the stage name Millie LaTena. Together, they performed in various circus acts, including flying trapeze and juggling on the rolling globe. In 1891, Downie partnered with P. J. Gallagher to form Downie & Gallagher's railroad circus, featuring performing dogs, a riding goat, a performing monkey, trick mules, and ponies. Despite setbacks including a barn fire that destroyed $3,000 worth of uninsured equipment, and a violent canal dispute in Phoenix, New York, in 1892, Downie continued to innovate. He launched Downie's Uncle Tom's Cabin show in 1895, and by January 1899, he established McPhee's Big Dramatic and Vaudeville Co., touring from Winnipeg to the Pacific Coast with a company of nearly thirty performers.

Downie's most significant innovation came in 1926 when he founded the Downie Bros. Wild Animal Circus, billed as the largest motor circus in the world. He pioneered the use of motorized transport for circuses, adapting the entire operation to travel by 38 trucks, five trailers, three tractors, and three advance trucks. This revolutionary approach led every circus operator except John Ringling to abandon rail transport within five years. He had earlier leased the title of the Walter L. Main Circus from 1918 for seven years and incorporated the Downie Amusement Company in 1922 with $200,000 capital stock. Downie stepped down from the Downie Bros. Circus in April 1930, with the rights and title absorbed by Sparks Enterprises in the months before his death. A prominent Mason and Elk, he was deeply involved with the Showmen's League of America and donated a park to Medina, New York, where he died on December 17, 1930, at age 67.