Under the Big Top
I just finished watching the film "The Greatest Show On Earth which brought back many happy memories for me. When I was a child of about eight my dad was a newspaperman who had to cover a story about the coming of Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus to our small city of Hamilton, Ontario. He talked to me the night before and asked if I wanted to go with him and watch them raise the Big Top. My older sister had already said she wanted to go so we got up at 3:30 a.m. to go with him. What excitement. There were men everywhere shouting orders and pulling elephants behind them who had large poles in their trunks. We had to scurry to stay out of their way. I was awe struck. These large beasts were the ones who did most of the work; pulling the lines, carrying the poles, raising the tent. What a huge undertaking it was. Slowly, ever slowly the large white canvas was raised. Then about a hundred men and boys pulled the ropes to make the canvas spread properly. It was a wondrous site for a little girl. We spent the whole day there and were given free tickets to watch the show for some small task we had done but I don't remember what that was. I am sure my pupils were dilated all day as if I had taken a drug. That was what the show was to me...a drug. The sights, sounds, smells and colours were meant to impress a child and they did. I oohed and aahed in all the right places and covered my eyes at the aerial acts and for the lion taming. It was a magical day and one the same circus would give me again many years later.When I was a teenager (about 16) I bought a book called "Circus Doctor" written by J.Y. Henderson, the veterinarian for Ringling Bros. It was a wonderful book full of stories of the animals and their traumas. I loved it and wished I could hear more. Little did I know that I would get my chance.
Two years later Ringling Bros. came to Toronto as part of the Canadian national Exhibition (CNE) My father was working as part of the Publicity Department of the CNE that summer as he had in the past. I asked him if Dr. Henderson was still the vet for the circus and he suggested that I go over to their area and find out so he gave me a pass. I was a little nervous but I trotted over there as if I belonged and was told indeed Dr. Henderson was there and was immediately taken to him. I was tongue-tied. My first author meeting and I couldn't think of a thing to say. He took over and I was soon put at my ease while J.Y. (he told me I could call him that) took me around and introduced me to the aerialist that did the stunts for Betty Hutton in the movie and showed me the tigers that had gotten into a fight in New York City, as the female was in heat and one of the males had gotten loose and attacked another. He introduced me to many of the acts, including Emmett Kelly, the renowned clown and many other of the performers. It was quite a time. I went racing back to my father's office all excited and told him this man would make a great human interest story. He sent me over to the reporters but I was talking so quickly they had trouble understanding me. Finally they got the news out of me and one did go and interview JY for a story.
I spent the whole week's evenings with Dr. Henderson just walking around the grounds and talking. He had to stay close because he was still treating the tigers injuries. He was indeed a fascinating man and he could have written two or three sequels to his book as I told him. It was a very wonderful week for me. Dr. Henderson had great patience to spend so much time with a fan, telling stories and watching harness racing. As an adult now I can really appreciate his understanding and kindness.
I think it is truly sad that most children now don't have the Ringling Bros. experience. I know there are smaller circus that still travel around. There was one in our town recently but it is not the same grandeur that Ringling Bros has. I understand they are still working but now I don't believe they have the big top tent but use places like Madison Square Gardens. Like so many good things we had as kids it is an experience lost to children now.
posted by Scope Dope Cherrybomb at 4:37 PM
7 Comments:
Maybe those particular animals were treated well but so few circus animals were. Nowadays, any circus that does feature animals has to deal with protests and constant vigilance from the SPCA. Few of them want to deal with the hassle and expense. There are exceptions but the days of the Big Top are long gone. A lot of wonderful experiences have been lost in the process.
No more clowns I say, but you know that's your fault. :)
Scope, that is such a great post. Thank you for sharing it. And it brought back some memories for me as well. When I was 5 or 6 years old and my dad was still in the Air Force we were stationed on Taiwan. That year the same movie you saw, "The Greatest Show On Earth," came out ... or at least came to us. All us kids in the neighborhood had seen it and were so inspired by it that we decided to put on our own circus. We made up tickets with our parents' help, and popped and sold popcorn. Then, with all the adults seated in lawnchairs, we proceeded to put on our show ... using a combination swingset, slide and monkey bars in someone's back yard.
Oh, and years later, I think it was in 6th grade, I did a book report on Emmit Kelly's autobiography.
Small world, huh?
The Ringling Bros. circus people wintered in Sarasota, FL. There's a mansion the Ringlings had built and lived in and an art museum they founded.
And, yes, I saw more than one performance when they came to town.
There were also the Famous Z... Zuchinis, Zambizis, Zabriewskis? Anyway, they were a family and shot themselves out of cannons. They wintered in Tampa.
Memories! Thanks.
I like the circus, but I barely remember, it was so long ago. What I remember most is getting a little fuzzy toy monkey on an elastic string.
Wow!, That's quite a story...
Great remembrances.
Remember when the circus came to town when I was a kid. Quite an activity going on around it.
Every time the circus comes to San Diego, there is a parade of the animals to the tent site...always covered by the TV stations.
Scope, that was a well-written blog. I've never been a fan of circuses (see Sheryl's comments) but when I was reading your post I was in the experience and feeling your excitement. I love the way a good piece of writing can transport you into a new place or sensation. I don't think you need to worry about the younger generation not having what you had -- they will have their own experiences, but they can also have the benefit of reading your life story as well.
You /are/ writing all this down in a format they can access easily, yes?
My family is not all quite computer literate yet. My mother has started giving us all unique Christmas presents. She writes up true stories of life -- her life, that is. What it was like when she was young, how she met our father, stories of his life. Things that go deeper than a photograph and can bridge the gap across the generations and reunite us with the lost ones.
I mentioned this to my cousin the other day, and her eyes lit up. My uncle doesn't do well at telling people about the past. He's Mr. Terse. (Bob would like him.) So I'm persuading my mother to write stories about my uncle when he was young, for his grandchildren. It's a gift you can't get anywhere else.
Sorry about the long blog comment; I kinda sorta got carried away. Reading a good blog will do that to you!
What a wonderful suprise when I came upon your blog! JY Henderson was my grandfather and it was wonderful to see another side of him. We didn't get to see him that often (he was always on the road) but there was always a certain mystique to his life and friends. Now, with a child of my own, I try to let her experience the wonder and thrill of the "Big Top" as often as possible. We still have connections with the circus world and it is a wonderful place....
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