Bird Millman O’Day (born Jennadean Engleman; October 20, 1890 – August 5, 1940“Bird Millman O'Day... Succumbs Here Monday Night after Long Illness”, Cañon City Daily Record, August 6, 1940) was one of the most celebrated high-wire performers of all time.Robie, Frank D. “The Real Bird Millman,” Bandwagon, November/December, 1998, 44-46. During the “Golden Age of the American Circus,” she was a premiere attraction with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus.Loxton, Howard. The Golden Age of the Circus. New York: Smithmark, 1997, 64.

Mud shows and vaudeville Born Jennadean Engleman in Cañon City, Colorado, young Bird traveled in mud shows (small circuses) with her parents, Dyke F. Engleman and Genevieve Patton Engleman. In 1904, the Millman Trio entered big-time vaudeville,Willson, Dixie. Where the World Folds Up at Night. New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1922. playing such destinations as Keith's Union SquareNew York Times, December 19, 1904 and Hammerstein's Paradise Roof Garden."Hammerstein's," New York Times, July 9, 1905, IV:5:1,4,5. At one point Bird was dubbed, perhaps ironically, "the Eva Tanguay of the Wire."

At Berlin's Wintergarten Theatre, Bird gave a command performance before the court of Kaiser Wilhelm II.Millman O'Day, Bird. "Bird Millman," White Tops, June/July 1940, pp. 17-19 Upon her return to the United States, her act became Bird Millman & Co., adding the New York Hippodrome and the Palace Theatre (Broadway)“Palace,” New York Times, November 30, 1913, sec. 7: 4-5 to her list of credits. One of the troop's new members, Fern Andra, did not return after a brief European tour; later, she resurfaced as a star of German silent film.“Marriages: Millman-[O’Day]; Fern Andra,” Billboard, May 10, 1924, p. 114 (coincidentally, marriage announcements for both women appear)

Circus and follies In 1913, Bird became a center-ring performer with the Barnum and Bailey Circus, where she remained after its merger with the Ringling Brothers Circus. In the seasons of 1919 and 1920, the side rings were vacant during Bird's performance;"The 1920 Circus Season is Now On", Billboard, April 3, 1920, p. 37 such singularity was reserved for the circus's greatest stars. Bird's peers were equestrienne May Wirth and aerialist Lillian Leitzel,Eckley, Wilton. The American Circus. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1984. the latter widely considered the greatest circus star of all time. Bird spent the circus's off-season on Broadway, appearing in The Ziegfeld Follies of 1916 and in several editions of Ziegfeld's Frolics.Ziegfeld, Richard and Paulette. The Ziegfeld Touch: The Life and Times of Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1993.

In 1921, she appeared in John Murray Anderson's Third Annual Greenwich Village Follies.“Greenwich Village Follies Open”, New York Times, September 1, 1921, p. 18:3 In 1920, she performed a specialty number in The Deep Purple, a silent film directed by Raoul Walsh.New York Times, May 2, 1920 Bird never relied on novelty or hair-raising stunts; rather, she was acclaimed for her unusual speed and seemingly effortless grace. Contrary to several well-meaning accounts, she did, indeed, employ a parasol for balance. During several exhibitions, she performed high above the streets of New York City; in addition to selling war bonds at such exhibitions, she gained widespread publicity.Sterling, Janet. "A Shoe That Danced Around the World," White Tops, Spring 1941, p. 2

Following her retirement from show business, the cross-dressing Berta Beeson, “the Julian Eltinge of the Wire,” paid homage to her legacy in form and content.Rennert, Jack. American Circus Posters. Baraboo, Wisconsin: Circus World Museum, 1984; pp. 121, 142

Personal life Millman's first two marriages were brief: one ending in annulment, the other in quick divorce.Campbell, Rosemary Wells. From Trappers to Tourists: Fremont County, Colorado, 1830-1950. Filter Press, 1972 Her third husband was Harvard graduate and military veteran, Joseph Francis O'Day,Harvard College, Class of 1916: Secretary’s Third Report, Boston Public Library, June 1922, pp. 331-332 who died shortly after losing his fortune in the stock market crash of 1929.

Death Destitute, Bird joined her mother and extended family in her native Colorado, where she died of uterine cancer at age 49."Passing of the Dancing Star of the Wire", White Tops, August/September 1940 Her eulogy was written by author Dixie Willson (sister of composer Meredith Willson).

Circus Hall of Fame Bird Millman was inducted posthumously into the International Circus Hall of Fame in 1961.

Fictional She is mentioned briefly in Gwenda Bond's book Girl on a Wire as the main protagonist's idol.

References

Resources Items of interest Vanity Fair, October 1916 (cover) “Why Bewitching Bird Millman ‘Hushed’ Her Goldspoon Marriage,” Denver Post (Magazine Section), 12 October 1924, p. 2 Willson, Dixie. Little Texas (1929); Mystery in Spangles (1950)

Collections The Royal Gorge Regional Museum & History Center in Cañon City, Colorado houses several artifacts, including personal letters and Bird's vaudeville scrapbook. The Robert L. Parkinson Library and Research Center at the Circus World Museum houses programs, photographs, and more.

External links

International Circus Hall of Fame Inductees

Bird Millman in The Historical Museum of the City of Kraków