|
The Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus is
no doubt the best known circus name in the world.
The circus' history dates back to 1875 when circus
owners from Delavan, Wisconsin, Dan Castello and William
Cameron Coup formed a partnership with well known showman Phineas
Taylor (P. T.) Barnum. The new circus was titled "P.T.
Barnum's Great Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan, and Hippodrome".
1n the 1860s James Anthony Bailey had teamed up with
James E. Cooper and toured the Cooper and Bailey Circus. The Cooper and
Bailey Circus enjoyed many years of success and became a rival the
Barnum show. The featured attraction of the Cooper and Bailey Circus
was "Columbia," the first baby elephant born in the United States.
Barnum wanted to buy the elephant, and eventually an agreement was made
to to combine the two circuses shows In 1882 The new combined circus
was known as "Barnum
& Bailey Circus". The new combined circus was very
successful. The circus featured Jumbo, billed as the world's largest
elephant.
In 1891 Barnum died and Bailey bought Barnum's share of
the the circus from his widow and continued to operate the circus.
In 1897 Bailey took the Barnum & Bailey Circus
to Europe, a tour that would last for the next five years.
In 1884, the Ringling
brothers had also started a small circus. It was a small
circus which traveled by horse and wagon and touring mostly mid-western
states. The
Ringling Brothers Circus grew quickly and was soon converted
from wagons to train.their circus from town to town in small
animal-drawn caravans. With Bailey touring Europe, the Ringling
brothers had the opportunity to Begin showing eastern states.
By the time Bailey returned from Europe the Ringling
circus was well established in the east. Bailey then made the decision
to move his show to the west coast in 1905. The Barnum and Bailey
circus was doing well west of the Rocky's however on April 11, 1906
James Anthony Bailey died.
The Ringlings purchased the Barnum & Bailey
Circus in 1907, they operated both circuses separately. In 1919 Charles
Edward Ringling and John Nicholas Ringling were the only brothers left
of the five who founded the circus. Managing both circuses on the road
had becomes difficult, so in 1919, the Ringlings combined the two shows
The new circus opened on March 29 in New York City ans was called
"Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows". The circus
had become the largest circus on the road, however it was not the
largest circus Corporation.
The American Circus Corporation, of Peru, Indiana owned
and operated five large circuses the Sells-Floto
Circus, Al
G. Barnes Circus, Sparks
Circus, Hagenbeck-Wallace
Circus, and John
Robinson Circus. In 1926 Charles E. Ringling died and 1929
John Nicholas Ringling, purchased American Circus Corporation for 1.7
million dollars.
In 1938, well known animal hunter/trapper, writer, and
movie actor (best known for his book "Bring 'Em Back Alive", became the
feature attraction of the circus. Also that same year Ringlings
introduced Gargantua the gorilla. Frank Buck would introduce the great
ape as "The World's Most Terrifying Living Creature!"
All circuses suffered during the Great Depression of the
1930s, and many closed. The RBBB now under the direction of John
Nicholas Ringling's nephew, John
Ringling North, managed the circus successfully through the
difficult times.
The years during World War II, were difficult times for
the nation and for circuses also. Many circus personal were now
fighting for our country in Europe or in Asia. The rail system was
needed to transport troops and equipment. President Roosevelt, knowing
that the country needed entertainment and diversion from the war to
boost moral, granted special dispensation for circuses to move by train.
July 6, 1944 was the darkest day in American Circus
history. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was
showing Hartford, Connecticut. During the afternoon performance, a fire
started near the top of the huge circus tent. The fire spread quickly
and panic broke out. On that fateful day over 160 peopled died and more
than 700 were injured. We have devoted a page to the tragedy, you may
find the page here: The
Hartford Circus Fire.
In 1951 the movie "The
Greatest Show on Earth" was filmed on the RBBB. Weeks before
filming began director Cecil B. DeMille took the cast on the show to
get the real "feel" of the circus.
After the Second World War, movie audiences were
increasing and television had begun gaining popularity, and the circus
industry suffered. The cost of moving the enormous big top was
tremendous. On July 16, 1956 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania the Ringling
Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus gave it's last performance
under the big top. John Ringling North and manager Arthur
Concello made the decision to moved to an indoor operation.
On Saturday January 14, 2017, after the evening performances of the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus in Orlando and Miami, circus employees were told that the show will be closing in May.
The reasons giving for the decision were declining attendance combined with increased operating costs, along with changing public tastes.
The two units of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will give their last performances on May 7 in Providence, RI and on May 21 in Uniondale, NY.
Visit Our Circus Book Store to
Read More About the Ringlings
The last day the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus tent
was used.
Pittsburg, PA July 16, 1956 |
