Wednesday, December 07, 2005

"Changing of the Guard" #2


This picture comes from the 1943 Ringling route book and gives an idea as to the scope of the show in those days.
ToddP also asked about the 1950 Finale in which the Elephant number "Jungle Drums" closed the show. All I know about it is what I see in old films however Tommy Hanneford gained access to the music and played it for his elephants for many years.

Posted by Buckles at 12/07/2005 06:40:00 AM

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

mornin' Buckles, If I remeber right, Barbara and you worked the leopards and elephants, tony and Irene Fossett had their chimps. and I worked my baboons in a display for Tommy Hanneford.I remeber how we all waited in the street for most of the day until the flying acts tore down and moved from our parking area! Naturally snow and Ice everywhere. And the music..Jungle drums! Lee

07 December, 2005 08:16
Anonymous said...

As I small boy, I saw the show in Texas in those days. Knowing we will not see it's equal again, I've come to refer to it as When The Ringling Show Was The Ringling Show.

07 December, 2005 14:58
Anonymous said...

Jane Beatty kept her hand in around her husband's act, although she wouldn't be present to see it. She had earlier selected "The Breeze and I" to accompany Beatty's ten-lion laydown. In my time there, on her suggestion for this feature, Boom-Boom Browning and his boys served up the perfect accompaniment to Beatty's showmanship, a stirring chart of "Jungle Drums".

07 December, 2005 15:15
Anonymous said...

I keep telling everyone we have to stop looking at today's circus with yesterday's eyes, I guess that would go for listening as well. I remember whe juggler Helmuth Gunther stacked candles & candlesticks on his head till they were about 20' high to "The Breeze And I", and Jack Joyce did his Camel Act To "Caravan" & "Hindustand", the right music helped acts. What I wouldn't give to see a Wire Walker climbing an incline to "Ravel's Bolero, or a Flying act swinging to "Wedding of The Winds". Toput in musical terms, "Those were the days my friend, those WERE the days.

08 December, 2005 13:43
Anonymous said...

Those days should not be forgotten. They should be shared with the young of today as a reminder of just how beautiful and magic the world of the circus can be. From their seats not in the middle of the track. So many of the youth are taking classes to learn circus acts so the sawdust is still alive. They need a real old time circus to build a life time of dreams just like the rest of us. RBBB is a nightmare not a dream.

08 December, 2005 14:29

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