William Kite
William Kite (c. 1825 – after 1845) was a 19th-century
Biography
Kite came from a circus family. He was born in Lambeth, London, about 1825. His father, James Kite, was a circus proprietor, and the first to visit Knott Mill Fair, Manchester, in 1806. James Kite formed his own company around 1810, travelling as "Kite's Pavilion Circus."[2]
William Kite was a performer at Wells's Circus from 1842 to 1843 and in Pablo Fanque's circus in Rochdale from 1843 to 1845.[2] A "Miss Kite", possibly a sister, also performed in Fanque's circus, in Burnley, in 1845.[2] His daughter, Elizabeth Ann Kite, later performed in the circus as an "Equestrienne". She married Eugene Gaertner, a member of another circus family.[2]
"Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" song
A broadside poster advertising Pablo Fanque's Circus Royal show in Rochdale, dated 14 February 1843, inspired, and provided many of the lyrics for,
In other media
A fictionalised version of Mr. Kite is portrayed as a ringmaster in a musical sequence from the 2007 film based on the music of the Beatles, Across the Universe. He is played by actor and comedian Eddie Izzard.[4] In the 1978 film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, a character named Mr. Kite is portrayed by George Burns as the mayor of a small town, but has no otherwise relationship to the real figure beyond the Beatles connection.
References
- ^ Turner, Steve (1994) A Hard Day's Write. New York: HarperCollins.
- ^ a b c d e f "Two Centuries of British Circus People Discussion". 2007. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- ^ a b "The Hendersons Were Not There (and neither was Mr Kite)- Sheffield 1848". Chrishobbs.com. 28 March 1914. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- ^ Across the Universe at IMDB
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