Wednesday, January 10, 2007

John Ringling North



Mr. North seeks advisement at the Sarasota Showfolks Club in 1978. Posted by Picasa

Posted by Buckles at 1/10/2007 05:43:00 AM

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Two legends, one photograph,it doesn't get any better than that.

10 January, 2007 07:19
Anonymous said...

I trust that in your words, "Wise Counsel" was given!

Bob Cline

10 January, 2007 08:44
Anonymous said...

Lawson brought him to the club and we had to quickly send out for that fancy wine he drank. You see I am sucking on a beer. Michelobe at that. Usually it was Busch.He spent some time and was very polite, certainly interesting. He asked about a number of the great people he had brought to this country, where they were, etc. He was very complimentary abought the Arab liberty act I had and he had seen up at Circus World in Orlando. It was my day off and was home in Sarasota for the day. A year or so later, Concello brought him to the club and again was delighted to have a similar conversation. I recall he addressed Concello as Artie.

10 January, 2007 10:08
Anonymous said...

Have any Felds (Irvin, Israel, Kenneth, Bonnie) or current high Ringling management ever dropped in to the Showfolks club?

10 January, 2007 10:49
Anonymous said...

A historical note. Over the years Willis Lawson became a very good friend, not only to me but he was very well liked in our Sarasota circus community and had numerous friends. He was a very outgoing person and helpful to a lot of people. But he told me alot of interesting things. When he was a hustling butcher on either the Robinson or Hagenback show he would let out the block on one of the center pole guy lines as the boss canvas man called out the lowering of the poles on tear down. One rainey night nis foot got hung up in the rope and twisted him up and broke his leg. He came to Sarasota to heal up and Met John North. They ere both young guys out making the scene, chasing broads, etc. Neither were big shots at the time and Lawson said he had some scratch and North was broke and they formed a life long friendship and relationship.In other words Lawson pre-dated Concello in their relationship with North. Now it is well documented that Concello financed North during the times he got back in, or took over running the big show and Concello was handsomely rewarded by becoming Gen. Mgr. of which he was quite capable and did A fine job. However we note that over the years that North did fire Concello a couple times and Lawson at least once, but during the time noted that I met North in connection with both Lawson and Concello that there was certainly no animosity between them and they were old pals and friends with bygones be bygones and business is business. North would come to the states each year for an annual check up at the Mayo Linic in Rochester, Minn. Now in the undercanvas days the Ringling Circus would send all their main bosses and chief execs. up there for an annual check prior to going on the road. Pretty neat and well before my time.

10 January, 2007 11:23
Buckles said...

Johnny and I were discussing that subject a few days ago and we decided that Irvin Feld, having come up from being a record salesman to a big time promoter, enjoyed the company of circus people.
With the exception of Gunther and a few more, Kenneth Feld found them to be a necessary evil he had to contend with.
And Nicole Feld absolutely despises them.

10 January, 2007 11:41
Anonymous said...

The following was told me by two old time billers- at different times but virtually the same story.

Once many years ago JRN's uncles
(Charles was still alive) thought he needed to learn something about the advance, so they sent him up to one of the cars as a lithographer.

He showed up fresh from college and the first day the car manager handed him a big hod of lithographs and told him to work such-and-such street.

North walked from the car to a viaduct which crossed the railroad yards and in the middle of the viaduct threw his hod to the four winds, kept on walking and was never seen on the advance again.

I can sympathize.

10 January, 2007 14:25
Anonymous said...

During the rehersals of 79 or 80 of the GSOE. I got to shake Mr.Irving Feld's hand. I might add, my only claim to fame. Never the less while visiting with a relative who was on the show that year, I got to see, what they called at that time, the clown auditions aka the infamous
( Nerenberg Trials ) During rehersal, after a few got Nero's thumbs down, it became the turn of a gent that went by the name of Peter Patowski. For some reason I was told to watch this one which I did. He approached the area in front of the section of seats of which a few rows up was roped off for the legendary Mr Feld and son and the rest of the powers that be. This dude Patowski peformed his shtick. A moment of silence and the sign of approval was given. At this point Patowski ran up into the roped off section of seats and grabbed Mr Irving Feld by the leg, took off his shoe and proceeded to try and kiss the mans feet. Feld was laughing and kicking hysterically yelling "no no no" upon which two gents led Patowski off while he was screaming " Bless you, bless you." It took 20 minutes to get the rehersals back under way. The point being; one would wonder how this kind of thing would go over with the present powers that be?

10 January, 2007 17:06
GaryHill said...

Peter was actually on the '78 show with us. He was at his best during Comein! He could work the crowd and used alot of us on the floor with Charlies tigers as his foils! He could make me cry laughing so hard. Parties on the road were his chance to entertain the whole company or at least all us that would get together.

10 January, 2007 17:46
GaryHill said...

Let me correct myself on my last post. Peter didn't mess with the tigers, it was me and anyone else on the floor that was fair game to him!

10 January, 2007 19:36
Anonymous said...

I really wish I could have been around in those days. I agree with Mike Naughton, two great showmen together in a room likely filled with all the people I have spent most of my life watching and admiring their careers and endevors. Cristiani, Zoppe, Wallenda, Zacachini..on and on. Its one of the few times that I wish I was a little older..Paul Ingrassia

11 January, 2007 08:39
Anonymous said...

Harry Kingston, say's

Now that we are on John Ringling North's case, another story from the legendary D. R. Miller.
I probably will not get it word for word on Al G. Kelly and Miller Bros. buying surplus eleohants from ringling. I think Art Miller knew Concello and set up a meeting with JRN. Well they talked and picked out like 3 and Dory and Kelly discussed it and Dory had to rent a railroad box car to ship them to Hugo in. So here is this large railroad car with just 3 elephants in it so Dory turns to JRN and said we will take them all. Then this long pause and JRN said oh no we cannot do that, as Al G. Kelly and Miller Bros was a strong competition against Ringling back then and even made more money than Ringling did at times. Well Dory got a few elephants for Kelly Miller Circus.
This is a direct quote from D. R. Miller and he said the hardest thing that John Ringling North did was pick up a fork. When D. R. told that I think i fell out of my chair laughing.
Now this might not be right but I heard that the Felds tried to get the price down on the selling price on the Ringling Circus and North got mad and upped the selling price??
Isn't showbusiness great!!!!

11 January, 2007 13:35
Anonymous said...

All right I am getting confused...
Does John Ringling North get a two thumbes up or down? Its obvius every one likes John Harriot.Irving Feld looks safe Kenneth is in the playoffs, apparently Nicole is forfitting the game and everybody thinks the clown is funny (Peter Pitofsky). Would this be the popular consensus?

11 January, 2007 19:25
Anonymous said...

Peter always wore a t-shirt under his wardrobe with a picture of Irvin Feld and the quote, property of Irvin Feld. He would flash this to the crowd during Spec and clown walkarounds. The kissing Irvin's feet was a standard every time Mr. Feld came on the lot when I was on the show.

11 January, 2007 20:05
Anonymous said...

Well, the way I heard the story (this in response to Harry's one about JRN upping the price) was that when the were dickering, the "49ers"- being the Charles heirs and the Alf T heirs- agreed to the sale for as I recall the paltry figure of eight million.

JRN is said to have uttered, "Well, I ought to get more than 51% of the money; after all I've been the one to worry with it all these years."

The Felds then came up with another $2 Mil just for John for the rights to say "John Ringling North Presents" which they did include in their advertising at first.

So the $8 mil was cut up 49/51 and John got the $2 mil for himself. Or at least that's what I heard.

Of course this story can not be exchanged for a cuppa Starbucks.

11 January, 2007 22:00
Anonymous said...

After closer investigation John Herriott just asked JRN about his inspiration for "LOVELY LUAWANNA LADY"

12 January, 2007 00:22
Anonymous said...

I like Jimmy Halls comment on being confused and maybe I can give you an outlook from the Sarasota scene, having been part of our circus community for over thirty years and being associated with some of the greats certainly preceeding me but quite aware of their thoughts of previous times. Sadly we are losing them at a rapid pace in recent times.
As to Mr. North, we know that after the war it was a buyers market of great acts that wanted to come to America, Probably more than at any other time. Alot of them laugh now at the small salaries received, but all were proud to be with the GSOE. Now bear in mind that they all worked in a three or five ring display, but the really good ones got the coveted "center ring". In Europe, generally there was no center ring, so that made it the great status symbal that has always been here, not only RBBB but tent shows shrine dates, etc. Sure those acts and performers would be quite proud in reflecting on the great circuses in Europe, and, or how great and well received they were and rightly so, but to be part of the enormity of Ringling and the overwhelming number of quality performers all in one show was heavy stuff. Now how were they handled once they were here? That was up to the mgr. most notably during the North era, Art Concello.He and his wife had been great star performers in their own right and I believe they had starred for the winter season at the prostigeous Olympia in London, so they could relate to him and he to them. I found very few that havn't had the highest regard for North and Concello. But there are those that were also part of the Robert Ringling and Gumpertz years and have different views. However a Mr. Pat Valdo was so important in performing personnel and he was just that thru all regimes going way way back. And even up to the first Feld years. Now things soured when North brought Trolle Rhodin on the scene and the circus acts became some eighty per cent Iron Curtain. Especially for the rediculous wages they were paid and were replacing some pretty great acts and animal trainers, in some cases. Feld continued that practice. I am sure you and others of us would agree that we would applaud any grat act or performer no matter where they come from. The circus is the finest example of people from all over the world living and working together in harmony. I guess I use that term loosely aS WE CAN RECALL ALOT OF MAJOR BEEFS. So should North get a thumbs up or down? From my view here in Sarasota the under canvas years of North were great. I was never there and never worked under his regime. But if anyone implys that the North years were not pretty fabulous they should view the movie THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH. i WONDER IF nICOLE fELD hAS ever watched it. One Forth of it would be bigger than what we are seeing now.

12 January, 2007 10:16

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