I just received a call from a close friend who saw the Shrinking Show last night in Birmingham and I am still sore from laughing. He said that when he first observed the layout it reminded him of the time Tarzan Zerbini's prop truck got stolen and they had to work on an empty floor for a few days.
My opinion was that with a 3 ring format there is a constant reminder that the end rings are never used and he replied "When you see a crucifix on a Catholic Church you don't have to see Christ on it to know what it represents. Even an empty ring would offer hope that maybe one day a pretty girl in pink tights might appear and ride a horse around it.
He added that the show opened on an upbeat note but the endless and pointless strong man act was the dagger in the heart of the show from which it never recovered.
Which brought to mind that many years ago my dad had our elephants with Jack Moore's Tex Carson Circus and he had a strong man that they drove a car over and the added benefit was that the banner man would make a deal with a local automobile dealership in each town that for a fee they could provide the car.
Half way thru the season the strong man blew but rather than lose the income they would use a big top canvasman or a prop guy instead and I don't recall any fatalities. | 
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