Post: #1

The famed "Greatest Show On Earth" is set to close down this May, in part due to pressure from environmental groups --

Quote:The American circus, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey, has said it will cease performances after 146 years because of declining tickets sales and high operating costs.

“After much evaluation and deliberation, my family and I have made the difficult business decision that Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey will hold its final performances in May,” Kenneth Feld, chairman and chief executive of Feld Entertainment, the circus producer, said on the circus’ web site.

In May last year, the circus retired its elephant act, years after legal action by activists. It admitted no wrongdoing, but agreed to a six-figure fine several years before ending the elephant performances.

In his statement on Saturday, Feld noted that declining sales had fallen off even more dramatically following what he called “the transition of the elephants off the road”.

Animal rights group Peta said it the decision heralded “the end of what has been the saddest show on earth for wild animals, and asks all other animal circuses to follow suit, as this is a sign of changing times”.

Peta president Ingrid Newkirk also said in its statement that 36 years of protests had “awoken the world to the plight of animals in captivity.“

Activists often appeared outside venues with fliers, protesting against the use of elephants, and pictures of animals they said were abused.

After Feld Entertainment sued, claiming malicious prosecution, more than a dozen animal welfare groups agreed in 2012 and 2014 to pay settlements totalling about $25m to end 14 years of litigation.

The circus went by the slogan “The greatest show on earth”, a catchphrase that was so ubiquitous it was employed for the title of the 1952 Cecil B DeMille best picture Oscar-winning film starring Charlton Heston and Betty Hutton.

The circus will end it long run with performances in Providence on 7 May and in Uniondale, New York, on 21 May. Other Feld productions, including Marvel Universe LIVE!, Monster Jam, Monster Energy Supercross, AMSOIL Arenacross, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!, will continue, and the company said it will continue to develop new shows.

Employees were told of the decision to close down following performances on Saturday in Florida.

A brief, concise video about the circus and it's collapse:





This is very sad news, indeed. The demise of an American institution. Whenever a piece of our history falls away like this, it is a loss for all of us.

As a funny aside, this is a top-rated comment from that video:

Quote:Fuck PETA!!!!!!!! FUCK liberals and fuck feminists!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Post: #2

I gotta disagree there.

Never was much fun of circus, but I understand the attraction for other times before TV and travel opportunities we have now.

Cirque de Soleil did a good modern concept focusing on showmanship and human acrobatics eliminating animals.

The other circuses should have followed suit - maybe even doing numbers that were utterly nostalgic in attires from the 1890s.

It's mostly a failing business-model that could have been saved with better management. Adamantly sticking to the animals was no way to go.

I am no fan of PETA or the environmentalists, but I don't like the elephants and lions living in cages there either.

For this circus I would have recommended them going the nostalgia tour of old costumes, new adaptations of old tricks and funny gimmicks, so that entire familes would have had fun watching it because such nostalgia is not shown. They even could have created shows from differnt eras - 1870s, 1890s, 1910s, 1920s up right until the 1980s.

Instead they relied on an old failing businessmodel. I saw some of those circus performances and I saw how they attempted to go the route of modernity with new costumes, some attempts at copying Cirque de Soleil and other crap. In truth they should have rather walked back in time instead of forward - also eliminating most animal numbers.

In our world you adapt or die, that is how the cookie crumbles.

Post: #3

I saw Ringling for the first time last year. Never had much interest in circusses but WOW. This is a shame that its ending. I know it doesn't sound like a cool/adult/manly thing, but I really encourage everyone to go see this before it ends.

I paid about $20 for my tickets, which is not much when you consider everything that goes on. there are probably 100 perofrmers with a lot of equipment, etc. I think the only animals they had was elephants; mostly it was various acrobats and stuff. some of those gymnasts were hot!

Make sure you see this while you can.

Post: #4

Don't care for PETA but it's hard not to feel sympathy for animals that are forced to live in captivity to entertain bored humans.

Post: #5

I think the PETA angle is exaggerated by the PETA folks in order to claim success. They had already announced the end of elephants. Other than that, they had trained dogs, tigers, and some acrobats on either camels or horses. A lot of folks on the left own dogs and ride horses, so the only genuine "captivity" issue is the elephants and tigers, which is a fair one - I get it - but it is not why the circus is failing

Also, when I saw them last year I think I paid around $25. To put that in perspective, the Harlem GlobeTrotters will soon appear at the same arena and the ticket costs are about $60. The point is, the business model of the circus was failing independent of animal rights issues, because demand was down and costs were up. There are probably 50-100 performers in the circus who have to be paid, and probably an equal number of support staff. There is a lot of equipment to be transported, set up, etc.

Post: #6

I saw them as a kid. I got to ride an elephant by myself. Good memories. But then again, I'd rather the animals were free.

Post: #7

I saw it as a kid, I will remember it with fondness. The smells, the acts, all great fun.
Shame my nephew will not be able to see it.
I didn't care one way or the other that the animals were locked up or harnessed, I still don't, because they are animals, and we didn't get to the top of the food chain by kowtowing to other carnivore's needs.

Post: #8

(01-15-2017 09:58 AM)Hypno Wrote:  There are probably 50-100 performers in the circus who have to be paid, and probably an equal number of support staff. There is a lot of equipment to be transported, set up, etc.

Yeah, every time I saw the circus train I'd be amazed that they made money. Here's a clip from 2010 of them taking apart and then building the train. They have two trains, and Red and Blue set. Notice all the people involved, plus the railroad who is never going to lose money on anything.

At the 10min mark they load up the elephants. I bet thats fun for animal like an elephant to be cramped in a rail car for 10-12 hours, but I also notice the don't seem to be mistreating them. If there was some shadiness going on, they'd probably try and stop people from filming.

Post: #9

December 2016: "Ringling Bros. Circus Chooses First Female Ringmaster in Its 146-Year History"
source: medialiars://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/ringling-bros-circus-chooses-female-ringmaster-146-year/story?id=44208722

January 2017: "Ringling Brothers And Barnum & Bailey Circus Shuts Down After 148 Years"

I wonder how much these two events are related. SJWs calling the shots behind the scenes?

Post: #10

Animals set free? These are domesticated aninals. They can't be set free. They'll get sent to some sanctuary or a zoo.

Saw the show years ago and loved it. Total shame to see them go.

That horrid group PETA needs a good smackdown.

Post: #11

(01-15-2017 11:56 AM)username Wrote:  December 2016: "Ringling Bros. Circus Chooses First Female Ringmaster in Its 146-Year History"
source: medialiars://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/ringling-bros-circus-chooses-female-ringmaster-146-year/story?id=44208722

January 2017: "Ringling Brothers And Barnum & Bailey Circus Shuts Down After 148 Years"

I wonder how much these two events are related. SJWs calling the shots behind the scenes?

You let the kid wearing a helmet play in the last inning so he can say he played baseball.

Post: #12

< sometimes it is empowered women taking over.

Also I don't think that they mistreated the animals much. Elephants and tigers simply cannot be kept adequately at a circus - theoretically it would be possible, but that would take such an enormous amount of money, that it would not be viable.

As others have put it - instead of attempting to go "forward progressively" by choosing the first female ringleader, they should have went backwards the nostalgia route - super-nostalgia even, just without the big animals.

And even then this would be tough business of a shrinking market - still Cirque de Soleil found a good niche, so this circus could have managed it too. The appointment of the first female ringleader rather points to the fact that they had multiple bad business decisions culminating in their closure now.

Post: #13

(01-15-2017 07:30 AM)Zelcorpion Wrote:  I gotta disagree there.

Never was much fun of circus, but I understand the attraction for other times before TV and travel opportunities we have now.

Cirque de Soleil did a good modern concept focusing on showmanship and human acrobatics eliminating animals.

The other circuses should have followed suit - maybe even doing numbers that were utterly nostalgic in attires from the 1890s.

It's mostly a failing business-model that could have been saved with better management. Adamantly sticking to the animals was no way to go.

I am no fan of PETA or the environmentalists, but I don't like the elephants and lions living in cages there either.

For this circus I would have recommended them going the nostalgia tour of old costumes, new adaptations of old tricks and funny gimmicks, so that entire familes would have had fun watching it because such nostalgia is not shown. They even could have created shows from differnt eras - 1870s, 1890s, 1910s, 1920s up right until the 1980s.

Instead they relied on an old failing businessmodel. I saw some of those circus performances and I saw how they attempted to go the route of modernity with new costumes, some attempts at copying Cirque de Soleil and other crap. In truth they should have rather walked back in time instead of forward - also eliminating most animal numbers.

In our world you adapt or die, that is how the cookie crumbles.

In summary, they took the Blockbuster approach.

Post: #14

PETA would have a collective heart attack if they found out just how many cute tiger cubs and little fledglings and baby elephants die every spring and every winter because of nature. IMO, PETA is a sham just like every other leftist marxist organization.

Post: #15

(01-15-2017 04:55 AM)2Wycked Wrote:  

Most of the Ringling brothers look like the same guy with different mustaches.

Post: #16

I don't think it has much to do the animals had much to do with it; internal mismanagement and the fact that circuses probably aren't as successful as they've been in the past is probably what did them in.

The Big Apple Circus in Brooklyn, just filed a chapter 11 bankruptcy and are liquidating their assets to pay creditors as we speak.

In 2017 people have so many different ways to entertain themselves, social media, smartphone, video games, etc, that going to circus probably isn't as enticings as it was years ago.

Post: #17

It won't be missed. A few Gypsy trapeze-artists will have to find other ways of making money but I'm sure they'll manage.

It's just a business model whose time has passed. People are not that impressed by these kinds of spectacles any more.

And in the real "old days" circuses would have even seedier side-shows featuring exhibitions of freaks or geeks. Yes, "geek" is a real word and used to mean a person who bit off the heads of chickens and did similar weird things for the amusements of crowds.

To get a glimpse of this lost world, see the old movie "Freaks" directed by Todd Browning. Made in the 1930s, it was banned for many years. Not many movies can be described as unsettling, but this is one of them.





The plot: an unsuspecting side-show midget is seduced by a "normal" woman named Cleopatra after she learns of his large inheritance. She then manipulates a strongman named Hercules to murder the midget so that they can run off together. The other freaks get wind of the plot and wreak their own terrible revenge.

A must-see for film fans.

Post: #18

I suspect the circus revenues have been declining for some time. Most likely PETA merely accelerated the decline by a few years. I would not blame the demise on PETA alone.

Post: #19

Poor elephant that gets a whole rail car to itself, has it ever had to fly United?

Post: #20

(01-15-2017 02:05 PM)SirTimothy Wrote:  

(01-15-2017 04:55 AM)2Wycked Wrote:  

Most of the Ringling brothers look like the same guy with different mustaches.

they look so similar they could be brothers.

Post: #21

$60,000 debt from clown college down the tubes.

Post: #22

Ironic they announce their first Female Ringmaster of ceremonies for their legendary 3 Ring Circus and then the company folds... A metaphor for modern business success and failures in the 21st Century.

It's a shame so many talented people are losing their livelihoods - there is so much they could have done to bring the legendary circus into the modern social media age with some fans and young consultants turning the Animal Acts into an Animals rescue park destination (Think Busch Gardens) and then feature Circ du Soleil talent but like a traveling Broadway Troupe preserving the sense of Awe kids had for the big top and Dogs and Horses and Evil er ah I mean creative modern Clown acts would have been fine.

Tied in with an experience camp/resort for kids and adults the business could have boomed.

Post: #23

Who will pay for the care of the elephants now that they serve no economic purpose?

Post: #24

Fuck PETA. Next those fuckers are going to say nobody should have a pet dog or a cat.

I'd like to see every circus activist and every other animal rights acrivist sentenced to a mandatory life without eating meat, with no possibility of parole.

Most vegetarians return to eating meat after a while, but I'd like to see the most egregious ones pay a permanent price.

Of course my whole point is that circuses are wonderful, and everybody should a least have the option to see them, including the elephants.

Post: #25

This happened when the circus came to Honolulu:





Watch the Hawaiian cowboy at 0:55.

Aloha!