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Thursday, November 15, 2007
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16 comments:
I do not know much about trains; but what is the first grey/silver car with the window flaps down?
Also, isn't it apparent the the current RBBB management/owners lost their connection to their once proud and world famous reputation?
Yes, things change, time changes, the public's tastes changes; I don't expect to see a 1950's style performance in the 21st century. Yet, you can be very contempory while honoring tradition.
Take a look at baseball; fundamentally the same for decades and the fans PACK the stadiums with high-priced tickets.
Todays RBBB places more emphasis on rock show lighting and pyrotechnics than they do on an ABUNDANCE of talent instead of a morsel of outstanding act and a whole lot of filler, smoke and mirrors.
It's no wonder they can cut off 1/4 of the seats to hang a drape...they weren't selling enough tickets. If Irvin ever knew that they were cutting down the house AND POTENTIAL TICKET REVENUE he would be on the war path.
Now if anyone could loan me millions of dollars to buy RBBB I could straighten things out by the close of business. HA HA HA
Gee, I wonder what it is like to actually sell $12. floss.
Enjoy your day!
I think that's the Pie Car.
AND ANOTHER THING...
They didnt eliminate the rings for artistic reasons they got ride of the rings so the audience wouldn't see that there are NO THREE RING DISPLAYS...it was a monetary decision, art had nothing to do with it as is evident in the last two editions.
When the Blue Show closes they should take the "set" and drive it to the city dump, no use wasting all that effort dragging it back to Tampa/Palmetto.
What happened to all the dazzling show girls with beautiful faces and legs that went from here to Manitoba. The crop they have now looks like they were recruited at the bus station. All they do is shake their cupcakes and bounce...jumping jehoshaphat I could see that passing the window at the local gym.
and 6 and 7 and 8, the other side
Is that you Barney from beyond the grave?
Just a wild guess but the wagon in front of the giraffe house looks like a beast wagon the sides look to be removable and the under carriage sure look like what Rix had the bears in?
I'm not sure that first comment went through, so I'll try again. The silver car with the window flaps as referred to in the first post is one of the performing animal cages. RBBB carried three cage acts in 1954 with Paul Fritz lion act in one end, Trevor Bales
's tigers in the center ring and Albert Riz and his mixed bear act in the other end ring. These cages rolled out to the arena, eliminating the Chutes or runs that blocked the exits in the fatal 1944 fire in Hartford, CT.
Now maybe someone can add to this. Were these particular cages kept in the menagerie area in MSG and Boston or was there a seperate "Backyard" are there to keep them in?
Bob
You're right about that but in this case it carried the house tiger act worked by Trevor Bale.
Wasn't '54 the year when RBBB had such a hard time filling seats, a show from OK actually sold more tickets than RBBB did?
I believe the remnants of this group of beast wagon's now resides at the
HBW quarters in Peru In.
Barney McDermott? I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult.
ha
No, I just got fired up when I saw the photos of that magnificent train and it stirred up some memories of the past.
Your blog and the comments from all the "in the know" contributors is the highlight of my day. Thanks to you all for your efforts.
To Bob Cline ---
In 1951, Albert Rix's bears were the center-ring big cage act at Madison Sq Garden. The "beast wagon" for the bears was not in the Garden basement with the menagerie. It was upstairs on the main arena floor attached to the big cage because the Rix bears opened the show. In 1952, I saw the circus under canvas. The opening act was a big-cage act --- Oscar Konyot's comedy lions. Again the "beast wagon" was not parked in the menagerie. It was attached to the big cage waiting to open the show. I was a kid, then. I got a free pass (like a hundred other kids) picking up empty coke bottles after the matinee. I recall the "beast wagon" was parked outside the big top in the backyard once the Konyot act was over. Of course, this doesn't answer how things were handled in 1954, but hopefully it helps. ---ToddP
Speaking of Coke bottles, Marion Lewis said that one his greatest fears was on hard lots when the Coke bottles weren't picked up, was that one of the very heavy wagons would drive over one and it exploded like a hand grenade.
Coke bottles were never put in the hand of the public. The butchers uncapped them and poured them in a paper cup in just a few seconds. They could hold two in hand, pour into the cups a nde have the people in the seats "pass them down. Plus getting the "scratch" and having to explain a sevice charge because each butchers hat said, "fifteen cents, pay no more". On the midway the cokes were cupped as well. Can't understand any Coke bottles left on the lot. I remember it well.
Working men riding on the flats. Couldn't get away with that today.
They did ride on the flats, and because of three high doubled up with no personal hygiene available it was obvious any guy who joined out found that he could function better by riding the flats. Bear in mind that there was no air conditioned or heat in those coaches, so they had the alternitive of going back home or "Give up Showbusiness". Alot of them survivede and became important in circus operations.
What do you want , Egg in your beer, You7 ungraeful sonsabitches. As Clink Eastwood remarks on a rainy day b"I buy you Cocao Cola and now you want to get paid. Saw that in the movie "Bronco Billy" and thought it was a great crack.
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