About this season
Johnny Slate successfully manages his circus as it moves from town to town.
Episodes (30)
1. Lion on Fire
Aired 17 September 1963
2. Silent Love, Secret Love
Aired 24 September 1963
3. No Middle Ground for Harry Kyle
Aired 1 October 1963
4. Don't Look Down, Don't Look Back
Aired 8 October 1963
5. Garve
Aired 15 October 1963
6. The Loser
Aired 22 October 1963
7. Uncaged
Aired 29 October 1963
A circus aerialist is charged with robbery and murder.
8. The Circus Never Came to Town
Aired 5 November 1963
Mentally retarded Willie Simple still harbors his childlike daydream of becoming a clown. Slate takes pity on him, giving the boy a job although he has been warned that he might cause problems.
9. An Echo of Faded Velvet
Aired 12 November 1963
10. The Hanging Man
Aired 19 November 1963
11. Leaves in the Wind
Aired 26 November 1963
12. The Wrecker
Aired 3 December 1963
13. Lady in Limbo
Aired 10 December 1963
Johnny Slate (Jack Palance) is trying to decide which act to send to Russia for a cultural exchange program with the Moscow Circus. Horse trainer Kate Reynolds (Lucille Ball) wants the coveted spot. Menagerie feeder Charles is mauled by one of Kirov's trained bears and dies, leaving his young son Jeff alone in the circus. Coldy ambitious Kate takes care of the boy until Slate locates his Aunt Agatha, a spinster living near Washington DC. Jeff wants to stay with Kate and their separation is surprisingly difficult for her. Kate reveals to Slate that she was a 17 year-old widow with a child on the way, but that she lost the baby. Unhappy, Jeff runs away from his Aunt and returns to the circus in hides with the help of Kirov. Kate and Agatha agree that Jeff belongs with the circus and Kate will be his guardian.
14. A Black Dress for Gina
Aired 17 December 1963
15. Where the Wire Ends
Aired 7 January 1964
16. Corsicans Don't Cry
Aired 14 January 1964
17. Big Man from Nairobi
Aired 21 January 1964
18. The Show Must Go On-- to Orange City
Aired 28 January 1964
19. A Place to Belong
Aired 11 February 1964
20. Man in a Hole
Aired 18 February 1964
21. Clancy
Aired 25 February 1964
22. The Last of the Strongmen
Aired 3 March 1964
23. The Night the Monkey Died
Aired 10 March 1964
24. Of Blood, Sawdust, and a Bucket of Tears
Aired 17 March 1964
25. Rosetta
Aired 24 March 1964
26. The Glorious Days of the Used to Be
Aired 31 March 1964
27. Love the Giver
Aired 7 April 1964
28. This Train Don't Stop Till It Gets There
Aired 14 April 1964
29. There Are No Problems, Only Opportunities
Aired 21 April 1964
30. You're All Right, Ivy
Aired 28 April 1964
Joan Blondell, Buster Keaton and Joe E. Brown portray a trio of veteran performers, now reduced to handling menial chores around the circus. Slate's most pressing problem, however, is an uninterested young man who's been turned over to him to ""learn the business."" Over this barrier of gloom climbs spirited and ambitious Ivy Hatch, who has run away from home to join the circus. Ivy has one drawback: She doesn't have any special talent.