“Forgotten Hollywood”- Goodbye to the Three Rings…

Posted on January 15, 2017 by raideoman1 | No Comments

Manny P. here…

“`After 146 years, the facade comes down on The Greatest Show on Earth. The producer of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will permanently close in May. The company broke the news to circus employees after shows in Orlando and Miami. Ringling Bros. has two touring circuses this season, and it will perform 30 more times. Stops include Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta, and Washington. The final shows will be in Providence, Rhode Island on May 7th, and in Uniondale, New York, at Nassau County Coliseum on May 21st.

“`The circus, with exotic animals, flashy costumes, and death-defying acrobatics, has been a staple of entertainment in the United States. P. T. Barnum traveled with a spectacle of human oddities, while the five Ringling brothers performed juggling acts and skits from their home in Wisconsin. Soon, they merged, and the modern circus was created. Troupes traveled by train to cities and towns, wowing audiences with the sheer scale of entertainment.

“`By mid-century, the circus was considered wholesome, family fun. Cecil B. DeMille produced the Oscar-winning adventure that was an year’s Best Picture of 1952. It starred Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde, Charlton Heston, Gloria Grahame, Dorothy Lamour, and James Stewart donning clown makeup in each of his scenes. The movie was appropriately called The Greatest Show on Earth.

“`More recently, children are less enthusiastic because of cinema, television, the internet and video games. The national spectacle has been felled by various factors. Declining attendance, rising operating costs, changing public tastes, and lingering battles with animal rights groups all contributed to its upcoming demise. Ringling Bros. tried to remain relevant; hiring a first African American and female ringmaster, and launching an interactive app. They added a few acts from other popular shows, such as motorbike daredevils and ice skaters. Clown hysteria that swept the nation for a time was the final nail in the coffin.

“`500 people perform and work on both touring shows. A handful might be placed in positions with the company’s other profitable shows: Monster Jam, Disney on Ice, and Marvel Live. But, most will be out of a job.

==================================

“`Dick Gautier was an actor and comedian. He is best known for his television role as Hymie the Robot in Get Smart. In 1974,  Burt Ward and Yvonne Craig reprised their Batman roles for a televised public service announcement about equal pay for women. Adam West tried to distance himself from the Caped Crusader role, and declined to participate. Gautier filled in.

“`In 1960, Gautier portrayed fictional rock n roll singer Conrad Birdie in the original Broadway production of Bye Bye Birdie, receiving a Tony Awards nod for his performance. In cinema, he appeared in Ensign Pulver, Divorce American Style, and Fun with Dick and Jane. On the small screen,  he guest-starred in Gidget, The Patty Duke Show, Bewitched, and as a celebrity panelist on Match Game.

“`Dick Gautier was 85.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 15th, 2017 at 12:26 am and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.


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