Thursday, July 02, 2009

RBBB Big Top Brooklyn 1933 Lightened

I lightened the photo to see some of
the detail. It won't go farther!!

Most impressive to see the uniformed
ushers at each stair entrance.. and others
half way up!! Looks like there are persons
on high stands in the "track". I think I count
20 rows of seats. Were these individual chairs?

Seems there is a set-up in the center ring but
seems too bulky to be a cage act. Any ideas??

My first circus was Ringling under canvas in
1946 - Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Don't know if these
tent dimensions were still the same, but this photo
brings back my "awe" and "amazement"!! AND..
to walk into this after the huge menagerie tent with
"herds" of elephants and Gargantua and Toto!!!!!!!!!
(I remember being impressed as much with the air-
conditioned cages.)

This "Brooklyn" belies the point that the current
Ringling Coney Island show is the first under
canvas in Brooklyn, doesn't it?

(Plan to get out to Cole Bros Circus playing in a
hangar at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn again in July.)

Warm regards to all!!

klsdad

Posted by Buckles at 7/02/2009 06:44:00 AM

4 comments:

Buckles said...

Looks like the band is assembling in the center ring prior to their pre-show concert.

02 July, 2009 07:18
4pawfan said...

Chairs on both the long and short side of the big top. It would take about 22 wagons just to carry all the seats. A year earlier in 32' it broke down into 3 jack wagons,4 stringer wagons,2 plank wagons for the blues,7 bibleback wagons for the grandstands, and 6 wagons for chairs.
P.J.

02 July, 2009 07:54
Frank Ferrante said...

At the end of the GSOE when they are setting up under sidewall, it looked like the seats were connected to one another in sets of six. That would have been 1951 when they were shooting the movie to be released the following year. ~frank

02 July, 2009 12:26
Anonymous said...

In the mid 60's CBCB had their grandstand chairs in sets of 3, so one man cold carry 3 in each hand.
They also folded very easily by pushing them forward. They had iron straps to hold them together.
Bob Kitto

02 July, 2009 19:16

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