"Step Right Up!" by Bob Brooke

circus-tigerposter, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. John Goodall sent me a very lengthy outline of a new circus book. As always it starts with John Bill Rickets but I was more interested in how it ends. So I scrolled down, down, down to the end and came up with this: THE CIRCUS' REBIRTH Later that year, Irvin Feld would save Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey from oblivion by masterminding its transition from tents to arenas. Irvin Feld and his brother, Israel, had made their mark as pioneers in the rock 'n' roll concert tour business. Because he was familiar with the new arenas springing up in cities across the US, Feld suggested the Greatest Show on Earth become an exclusively indoor presentation. On 3 April 1957, the new tour was put into effect with Feld in charge of booking and promotion. Feld had always wanted to own Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey and thus have control over all facets of the show, including production. On 11 November 1967, his dream became reality when the Feld family purchased Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey from John Ringling North. Ever the astute promoter, Feld designed a new two-year tour system for his circus. He leased baggage cars, in which the elephants and some other trained animals would ride, from the railroads. The show's equipment moved in 10 big trailer trucks. He gave the performers travel allowances to be used in restaurants and hotels of their choice, and ordered them to get from show to show in their own cars and trailers. Feld reduced the number of employees from 1,400 to 300, including about 80 performers, and cut the break-even point to $125,000. Moving the show indoors permitted 46 consecutive weeks of performance, from the first week in January to the third week in November. Utilizing a national advertising campaign, including television specials, he brought "The Greatest Show on Earth" back to its rightful place as a premier American art form, prompting Time magazine to refer to him as "The Greatest Showman On Earth". Feld's success spurred the comeback of the American circus. By the late 1990s, there were 30 circuses in the US, including the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus, the second largest and the largest still under a tent. "Nuf Ced" Buckles