11. The Flying Concellos were one of Ringling’s most popular acts before World War II
Antoinette Comeau was living in a convent when she was summoned by her sister (her real sister, not a nun) to join her with Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus. The 16 year old Antoinette did as she was bid, and was soon smitten with Arthur Concello, who had been training and performing as a trapezist for more than a decade. The couple married in 1928, and Concello trained his bride in aerial acrobatics and the art of the trapeze. They called themselves the Flying Concellos and were soon one of the most popular attractions of the circus. They were the first to perform a triple somersault as a couple, and Antoinette was the first woman ever to perform the maneuver.
Arthur proved to be a remarkably astute businessman as well, acting as an agent for other aerial acts. When he rose to become general manager of Ringling Brothers he hired many of the acts which he represented, paying them top dollar and thus increasing his own earnings as a percentage. Antoinette was hired by Hollywood director Cecil B. DeMille to train several stars, including Betty Hutton and Dorothy Lamour, for their roles in the motion picture The Greatest Show On Earth, in which she also appeared, with the role played by Charlton Heston loosely based on her husband. By the time Antoinette retired in 1983 she was the Aerial Director for Ringling Brothers. She died the year following her retirement.