Cavalcade of Thrills, Official Pictorial Review (Vintage demolition derby magazine, 1973)

Rotroff Attractions / Trans-World American, 1973. Fine. Circa 1973, w/ Ford Pinto Runabout ad rear cover recto. Vintage "demolition derby" magazine program devoted to the Cavalcade of Thrills, an "all-girl" auto daredevil thrill show that operated 1959-73. The show featured demolition-like thrills, but was not a "demolition derby" by nature, absent were intentional automobile-to-automobile crashes.Produced by Chester Rotroff, who began working in fairs as a sound engineer, by 1959 produced his own shows, like Hollywood Cavalcade, Broadway Scandels, Old Dominican Jamboree and Plantation Caravan. By 1960, Rotroff's "Cavalcade of Thrills" debuts as the only all-girl auto thrill show ever, collaborating w/ the Ford Motor Company, later performances were televised on CBS. The show currently performs at fairs throughout Ohio, managed by Yvona Stahl, a veteran stunt driver of the show. Showcases drivers & other performers, w/ brief biographies, stuns performed, ads, even a 10-point safety statement on what civilians can do on the highways.Yvona Parker (later Stahl, manages current derbies in Ohio) who performed reverse spins & roll-over maneuvers, being the first female stunt driver to perform on two-wheels. Other members featured in the magazine: Kaye Keiser (supervisor, performed 54-ft ramp-to-ramp in Mustang convertible), Michelle Kennedy ("Roman Ride"), clowns from Florida known as Delaware & Dr. Pee Wee (only male performers), Jessica St. John & Diana York (52-ft "Dive Bomber Crash"), Alice Sexton (14-yr veteran, trapeze bars/rolling/"Roman Ride"), Bunny Bailey (Keiser's 12-yr old daughter, l"Battering Ram": lays on hood & crashes through fire), Sandra Lane" ("Slide for Life"). Ford products (Maverick, Mustang, Pinto Runabout, Slide for Life gasoline), EAZ-LIFT towing systems, Uniroyal Radial Tires, Intrepid trailers, all ads throughout. This being the second review magazine seen for "Cavalcade," another issue, the true first, released c. 1963, featured Kaye Keiser, Jennifer Topa, Alice Sexton, Sandra Fleming, Jean Lee, Delaware & Pee Wee, Sandra Caldwell, & Yvona Parker. Ford products again advertised, including the new Ford Allegro II, an "experimental design car." Demolition derbies are an American phenomenon, origins in early 1930s derbies involving the market-saturating Ford Model T; 1960s saw an upswing in audience numbers, forming a subculture & thriving throughout 1980s, a more recent surge in popularity as a result of "monster truck" rallies & alike. Alas, almost nothing is available on the history of women in demolition derbies specifically, an entry at LOC sorely missed. Near Fine.