Wednesday, February 20, 2008

The forgotten partner!


Scan000010875, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

The story goes that JRN sold the Ringling Show for $1,000,000 a word: RINGLING-BROS.-BARNUM-BAILEY-THE-GREATEST-SHOW-ON-EARTH
$9,000,000.
This is the man who came up with the scratch. Quite remarkable when you stop to consider that this deal didn't include a single acre of Real Estate, just some second hand railroad cars, 3 sets of ring curb, a few horses, some camels and 18 elephants.
I had heard that the Felds liked the Judge personally but due to his ill health were terrified that they might wind up with his wide assortment of sons and daughters as business partners.
Incredibly, Irvin Feld never missed a beat, in his career he put the arm on Hofheinz, Elliot and Ruth Handler (Mattel), Gulf Oil and Walt Disney. Not bad.

Posted by Buckles at 2/20/2008 06:11:00 AM

10 comments:

henry edgar said...

don't forget the rock stars of the 50s. they all rode in one bus, stayed in hotels every other night, slept on the bus the other nights, and were paid about as well as the circus stars were later - but we're talking huge marquee names at that time, sometimes 10 or 12 in one show. (also, when they did stay in hotels, wives and girlfriends were not akllowed to share their roome. one wife told me they got around it by traveling together with other wives and girlfreinds - sepoaratly, since they couldn't ride the bus, and registered at the hotel two girls per room. then they would split up. one of the boys would stay in the room with his wife/girlfiend while the oether girl would stay in his room with his roommate, who was her boyfriend or husband)

in most of the southern towns, the black acts couldn't work (and may have not been paid for those nights, i'm surethe shirelles, the supremes, the crystals and others would be glad to tell anyone what life as a superstar on the feld bus was like) the black groups often had to cook their own meals at bus stops and other restaurants because at that time they couldn't order food in white establishments.

but -- these shows pulled in huge crowds. allen bloom rode on the bus, i have been told, to protect the feld money.

if you think about it, rock stars of the 50s on the feld tours lived worse than circus folks, particularly when you look at names that everyone recognized

of course, rock stars have since added greatly to their comforts on the road since those days

20 February, 2008 08:37
Anonymous said...

The rock and roll tours of the 1950's reflected how the music was sold at that time, mostly as singles. A hit records was the "A" side of a single and not an entire album. Even the Beatles suffering through those packaged tours of the English countryside in a bus filled with other artists before an A&R guy realized that every song on their LP might make it to the charts. Once the rock audience demanded to hear more than material from a single act, rock shows had to change. Country and R&B continued with the packaged tour of multiple artists for another twenty years.

Everything that's old becomes new again. Now the top ten winner on American Idol get dumped on a bus sent off for a three month tour shortly after the show ends. They may get to stay at the Marriot every night but it isn't exactly glamour. Simon Fuller, the brains behind "Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance" would have been right at home packaging rock acts in the '50's, or even circus.

20 February, 2008 10:02
Anonymous said...

you forgot the state of Florida and the Ringling Museum along with the others.....

20 February, 2008 10:09
Anonymous said...

Anonymous,
But rest assured an anonymous will point it out. What's the most upsetting to you? That fact that two mark's were left out, or that you didn't possess the magical "touch".
Wade Burck

20 February, 2008 11:10
Anonymous said...

henry edgar,
When you said rock star's in the 50's on the Feld tour, lived worse then circus folk's, were you taking the CB giraffe semi into consideration?
That hotel arrangement you mention, was taken to an higher art form in the mid 90's during the Migley and other's island tour's that Hawthorn personel participated in.
Wade Burck

20 February, 2008 12:08
Anonymous said...

Based on information from "Big Top Bos" by David Hammerstrom - The Ringling Show had two million dollars in reserve when Feld bought the show. Seems that accordingd to various tax laws, etc it made more sense to allow the two million dollar reserve to go along with the buyout. What a sweet deal for Feld - Guess he had that midas touch. Maybe someone with more infomation on this can jump in. Markeno

20 February, 2008 14:14
henry edgar said...

i wasn't specifically thinking about being a giraffe's roommate in comparing living conditions of rock stars of the feld tours of the 50s and circus folks, but after readiing that dave mullaney was in one of the giraffe sleeper compartments, i'm assuming it wasn't but so bad because dave was not one to suffer in silence and he was good enough at a number of things and respected enough that he could have always moved to a show where things would be better. i would think having your own bed every night would be preferable to a bed every other night. then when you add in the performers who had to cook their own meals because the restaurant would not allow them to order their meals -- i have never heard of a show where certain performers were told that if they wanted to eat in the cookhouse, they had to cook their meals themselves -- and still take the meals to their sleeper to eat. i know life on a mud show doing one day stands was not a picnic, but i have heard enough horror stories about life on the tour bus from the stars themselves that i feel they had a much rougher road to travel, particularly considering the money these rock tours brought in.

note to wade: i agree that the 1984/85 performance was outstanding. but was it more outstanding than the 83/84 season?
remember that under north, the show often had three rings of cage acts at the same time, 3 rings of liberty acts, three rings of riding acts, etc., and they were all high quality. i am by no means putting down the performances under irvin feld -- the shows were great. but so were the shows under johnny north. i didn't see ringling until 1957, but i was impressed with each show i saw, some more than others, up until the downsizing began after mr. feld died. he was a terrific producer, as was north. comparing different years under either would be like the question of which is better, chocoltae ice cream or vanilla. the days of the greatest show on earth being the greatest show on earth died with mr. feld.

20 February, 2008 17:34
Roger Smith said...

To go back even further, I managed a moment of insight with Jerry Collins when I told him my uncle was John Trenam, his tax attorney. He quickly exclaimed, "Your uncle saved me MILLIONS in tax dollars from my dog tracks." Wisely, I did not give voice to my question, "Whose dog tracks?" Collins secretary had stage-whispered,"For God's sake, don't mention Concello and North." But it was too late. Some wag boldly intoned, "And Trenam did the same for Artie and Johnny," and the poor secretary rolled her eyes and collapsed into a chair, where she heard Collins insist for the 10,000th time, "And, by God, I turned around and SAVED John Ringling North AND Art Concello a dozen times over!" So, it seems, with plenty of salvation to go around, Jerry saved Johnny, Irvin saved the circus, and several sets of ring curbs await salvation from a Second Coming to be determined.

Roger Smith

20 February, 2008 18:55
Anonymous said...

henry edgar,
I agree with you about the condition's of singer's, and I all I have for a point of reference in the moveie's like Ray, and other's. I can also vouch first hand for the condition's in the circus, which were inconsistant, depending on what show you were with. Some great, some unimaginable.
The North/Feld debate is harder for me to conceded. Good God, Henry I was 3 years old when you saw Ringling under North. But your point's are valid. They are the same point's I was trying to address in the heated MC debate last month. In 30 year's of this deal Henry, I was only in a tent for one year when I was with the Great Three Ring Circus Vargas. I have spent most of my life in all the major coliseums/buildings in this great nation, so I am real jaded. And I have seen them crammed from wall to wall, floor to ceiling with circus magic. Very few thing's in this wonderful life can compare with opening night BIGNESS at Madison Square Garden. Forget participating, just witnessing was surreal.
I am real unconvinced Henry, when sitting in a 1500-2000 seat tent, seeing no three ring display's or opening/spec/finale of any note, that I am seeing circus grandeaur. No disrespect to those out there grinding it out. Like MC today, I sometime wish they had taken the old girl off life support 20 year's ago, so I could remember her as she was, in all her grandeaur and glory, without people playing with her.
Wade Burck

20 February, 2008 20:32
Anonymous said...

Roger,
Great story, Rog. That's the way to tell it. People cherish your press department. Pay them well, love them, and keep them safe from harm.
Wade Burck

20 February, 2008 21:05

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