Friday, August 31, 2007

RBBB Menagerie 1949 (From Dominic Yodice)


RB1949, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Here are three photos of the Ringling menagerie in 1941 and 1949. They will illustrate the comments made by Bob Sabia and Richard Reynolds concerning the difference of the menagerie decor for these years.
The 1949 photo showing the "jungle " theme is actually a Paramount Studios photo. It was taken in 1949 when Demille was on the show for several weeks doing research for "The Greatest Show On Earth".
Unfortunately by the time they started filming in 1951, the menagerie was moved into the front end of the Big Top. I guess it was too cramped in there to do any filming. You do however see the giraffe pens and one of the opened ammo cage in the background when Heston runs in to stop Sebastian from killing himself. You also get to see the gorilla cage behind Frank McClosky and Heston when Hutton is doing her one arm flanges

Posted by Buckles at 8/31/2007 06:33:00 AM

2 comments:

Buckles said...

During the winter of 1956-57 Dave Mullaney and I walked from the Ringling Quarters down to the Fairgrounds to check out the County Fair. Strates Shows was on the midway.
This same menagerie top had been erected and was being used as an exhibit tent.
When we walked inside I asked Dave, "What in the Hell are those things hanging down?" and he explained that at one time the quarter poles had been painted like palm trees and they had been the leaves.

31 August, 2007 07:09
Anonymous said...

I am sure glad Gil Gray didn't see those quarter pole tops or we would have been another day setting up the Dr pepper circus in Dallas Tx.

31 August, 2007 19:51

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