Mid Year Scraps ...

 What the world first saw, 188 years ago

TRAP HISTORY UNCHALLENGED?.  It took me one posting close to almost making a fool of myself. Again.   In it, which I narrowly escaped publishing, I disputed Jules Leotard’s claim for trapeze invention, until I dug deeper and pulled up this rendering of his genius.  Nailed!  Highly persuasive!. That young man gave us  the vision, too.  Really, history can be s very complex subject, but I won’t take this any further, only to wonder aloud, who invented the flying return act rigging?  That is, who added the catcher?  I am thinking Clark?

OK, there’s one for Serious Circus. How about some wacko comedy relief?

LOMVABLY LOONY MAD CAP CLOWNING BY THE DOZENS. Europe favored the family act, often with instruments.  Three Ring America gave us the Clown Walkaround and one of the best comedy and gag producers was Ringling’s’ Jerry Bangs, who helped supply the goofy costumes and gags from  1930, 1949. Jerry Bang! Bang! I love the names, Jerry for down to earth, Bangs for noise and pratfalls that filled the tent at intervals during the show, fast and funny during prop changes. Circus Historical Society gave Bangs a Zoom tribute – The most famous clown you’ve never heard of, presented by  CHS Trustee Brian Hollifield, hosted by Chris Berry. And I missed it!

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, LOUIS!

I wanna go! Is it true?  Never knew Circus Flora had so many varied animal acts! What a revelation!  Am on in the Twilight Zone? Pardon me for the following ...

PILFERING NON-PROFIT KITTIES FOR  for "restaurant meals and skin care.” That would George Pace, 63,  who once served as president of Circus Flora,  now headed for 22 months  behind bars for trimming over one hundred grand off their kitty.  These civic shows. so revered, can be remarkable human.  Celebrating its 40th anniversary,  Flora left shocked and saddened.  Said Flora exec John Marsh to St. Louis Public Radio “Everyone I think really understood the gravity of this and that we were victims of something terrible and we  have been able to pull it together.” Non-profit skimming is everywhere.  Come out here to California and take a look around.  We are sinking in money-raising corruption.

You never know, do you?

BRIT BIG TOPS SUFFER gloom and doom.   Kenny Darnell of Paulous Circus talking down (or up) signs of harder times and smaller crowds ahead ...”the industry urgently needs some fresh ideas.” Would a Jerry Bangs blast of painted characters outrageously dressed  help revive the most primal lure of circus?  

HIDE THOSE EMPTY SEATS! 

Gndey Circus tent, 2019, in pre-shrunk days.

Below. today

 IN RESPONSE TO A COMMENT OF MINE about wishing not to watch another  Shrine or any circus in a mostly amply arena,  Dohglas McPherson apprised me of tent shrinking over there.  In a move to look  more continuously well patronized, Gandy Circus Directors shrunk all of their tents from 1,550 seats down to an even thousand..  Me wonders, might this only lead to further cuts? A tent is hardly an arena, and  I’d rather see Vargas with a half house, for two reasons.  Circuses and movie houses don't  always fill up the tents, and a larger tent lends the impression of the show’s potential markets elsewhere. 

SCREEN STARS WHO PERFORMED  FIRST OVER SAWDUST

CHRISTOPER AIKEN, Can you  guess what he did in his younger years?  He tamed lions!

PIERCE BROSNAN   Yes, 007 ate fire in 1968, and under the tents.   Three years was enough.

EDDIE ALBERT   He clowned and walked high wires with Escalante Brothers cirrus.  

BURT LANCASTER He left the circus for movies reluctantly, when a fall ended his big top career.  But look at the film he gave us ... Trapeze!

Circus Flora ...                    

Jules Leotard died at the age of 32