Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, 1924
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Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, 1924 “Be cautious and bold … there’s a sucker born every minute.” —P.T. Barnum Dear Delegates, Hello and welcome to WUMUNS 2018! My name is Miranda Reed Twiss and I am thrilled to be your committee director for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey majoring in Psychology and Islamic Studies with a minor in Arabic. As a former circus performer who almost went pro (I went to circus camp for a few summers in middle school), I’m extremely excited to kick off our very first circus committee! The committee begins in September of 1924. You are all members of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows circus troupe, and you as a committee have full control over the circus. As both performers and administrators of the troupe, you are taxed with working together to make your traveling circus troupe as successful as possible. Your collective goal is to keep your circus running and successful and to increase profits both as a whole and individually. From traveling choices to split loyalties, from questionable motives to financial managing, the challenges you face stand to be a real three-ring circus. If you navigate the politics and inner workings of circus life well, you will find yourselves rich and powerful. If you fall into disarray, you could lose your jobs and your futures. Every delegate in the committee has equal voting power but varying access to individual resources, including money, outside connections, and specific abilities within the circus. Note that this is the circus, a business built around big personalities; ability to portray a character both in interests and in personality will be a key component to success in this committee. That being said, please remember that while the 1920s was a period of great social and political upheaval we expect all delegates to act with a certain decorum at WUMUNS. Get engaged and immersed in the spirit of the time, but do not advocate racial, religious, or gender discrimination. Disrespectful behavior towards other delegates or social groups will not be tolerated. Again, I am so thrilled to share this experience with you all. With a bit of luck and your hard work through preparation, this truly will be a weekend to remember. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns about the committee. Good luck preparing, and I look forward to seeing you all at WUMUNS 2018! Mira Reed Twiss [email protected] Contents Committee Mandate……………….…………..……………………… 5 Historical Background…….……………………………...…………. 6 The Early Days of the Circus Industry………………………….……. 6 The Ringlings and the Golden Age of Circus….………………….. 7 Social and Political Issues 1920’s……………………………….…….. 8 Technological Innovation….…….…….…….………………….......…. 9 Topic A: Circus Management and Competitive Strategy………………………………………………..……………………… 11 Topic B: Internal Tensions………....................................... 11 Topic C: Profitability………..………………………………………… 12 Delegate Positions………………………………………………………. 12 Committee Mandate A plaque nailed to the center main pole in the performer’s tent reads as follows: THE CIRCUS CODE, as Dictated by PHINEAS TAYLOR BARNUM in the Year 1872 1. As a member of this troupe, I swear to work for and safeguard the collective benefit of all members of this organization as if they were my own blood and kin. 2. As a member of this troupe, I swear to carry merriment and wonder to whatever city, village, or town I currently call home. 3. As a member of this troupe, I swear to further the financial, moral, and spiritual survival of the circus in my daily and professional life. 4. As a member of this troupe, I swear to heed and obey the mandates of my superiors while granting every possible courtesy and kindness to those working under my supervision. 5. As a member of this troupe, I swear upon my undying soul my affirmed loyalty to this organization and my contempt for rival organizations and for detestable ideologies that tempt and beguile the sanctity of my moral character. AS A PERFORMRER, AN ARTIST, AND AN AMERICAN I REAFFIRM MY DEDICATION TO THE POINTS ENUMERATED ABOVE, SO HELP ME GOD. 5 Historical Background The Early In 1768, London entrepreneur Philip Astley created the very first circus. Types of entertainment, including acrobatics, juggling, and comedic clowning, Days of the that had once been sperate spectacles became one show. The popularity of this Circus Industry novel entertainment format grew rapidly, inspiring competing circuses within a few years. Soon, circus troupes dotted the British countryside. This competition and the general novelty of the circus format mandated that circuses be crucibles of innovation. Performers regularly worked to refine and master their arts while administrators hunted for the next big selling point or ways to cut costs. Within a few decades, the circus model was honed and mastered, and profits were soaring. A quarter century after Astley’s innovation, the concept spread to the United States. Philadelphia was the first American city to raise the big top, capturing American hearts and imaginations in a way that had never been done before. Animal roles in the modern circus began in 1806 when a farmer named Hachaliah Bailey began to tour the East Coast of the United States with an African elephant. As many American farmers and townsfolk had heard only rumors of such an animal, many were willing to shell out a pretty penny to see the exotic beast. Bailey’s success sparked the trend of animal exhibitions, but it wasn’t until the twentieth century that animals were combined with the performance arts of Astley’s circus concept. In the circus’s full form, spectators could expect to see everything from synchronized pony shows to dancing elephants to intrepid beast-masters who went head-to-head with and subdued vicious lions and tigers. Around the same time the animal act was becoming a staple, the idea of a traveling circus with its signature circus tent entered the scene. Circuses would perform in a new town every few days, traveling at night to maintain intrigue around their shows and sending envoys ahead to spread excitement for their next show. Ticket sales boomed when a troupe first set up shop in a city but faltered as the excitement of such a spectacular show wore off. Such diminishing patterns in revenue could be offset by advertising efforts but generally demanded regular relocation. Regular relocation required the use of mobile furnishings, so tents of treated colorful canvas supported by massive wooden poles became the preferred material for the main act and for sideshow attractions. Packing up and deploying the circus enterprise in less than twenty-four hours required extreme logistical competence. Most circus troupes employed as many as two or three times as many engineers, riggers, and handlers for background logistics than they employed actual performers. Hachaliah Bailey’s adopted nephew, James A. Bailey, managed logistics in one such traveling troupe in the 1860s. His success 6 eventually earned him the status of partner and his last name was incorporated in the title of the show: Cooper, Bailey and Co.’s Circus. In 1871, P. T. Barnum added his name (and money) to the circus industry. A well-known Connecticut businessman and politician, Barnum embodied many of the archetypal elements of circus culture. He was a boisterous man of great enthusiasm and more than occasional hyperbole but a fantastic salesman and entertainer. A staunch supporter of the Thirteenth Amendment, Barnum ignited a wave of inclusivity in circus culture that opened his and rival companies to a greater diversity of performers from around the country and the world. Yet Barnum’s influence was also rather dogmatic. Loyalty to the circus company became an expectation. Older performers and employees of the company still whisper of the days when Barnum would regularly fire and blacklist troupe members for offenses ranging from letting travel plans slip to consorting with unsavory political groups. These expectations were the foundation of an exceptionally managed troupe. Barnum expected excellence, and excellence is what he achieved. Within years of his initial investment in an existing circus, Barnum had bought out his partner for full ownership and had begun traveling the eastern United States. Growth was rapid. A small troupe of acrobats and clowns blossomed into a show that featured numerous skilled performers, an animal menagerie, and a “museum of freaks.” Soon, Barnum began to view Bailey’s circus as a serious competitor, and he reached out to suggest a merging of the two shows. After a few weeks of negotiations and bid offers, Barnum & Bailey’s Greatest Show on Earth was born. The Ringlings While the Barnum & Bailey company was achieving great success, five and the Golden brothers in Wisconsin decided to start their own circus. The Ringling Brothers Circus began traveling in 1884. Their show was a hit, and the momentum of Age of Circus success enabled expansion of the company’s traveling range. Because Barnum & Bailey’s ruthlessly efficient company still dominated New England, the Ringlings focused their efforts on Midwestern cities. Due to a circuit that ranged from Cincinnati to the Rocky Mountains and from Detroit to New Orleans, the Ringling name was soon known throughout the heartland. P. T. Barnum died in 1891, but Bailey kept their circus alive and well. But when Bailey went to tour around Europe in 1897, the Ringling Brothers seized filled the gap Bailey left, gaining even more ground in the United States. By the time of James Bailey’s death in 1906, the Ringling Brothers circus equaled the Barnum and Bailey company in size, range, and profit. In 1907, the Ringling Brothers purchased the Greatest Show on Earth. The two circuses were kept separate for a while, but it became increasingly difficult to manage two shows so large and successful.