Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Ringling Circus To Close

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Posted by Terry Monohan (Member # 8285) on 01-16-2017, 11:47 AM:

It is a sad day for arena circus shows. With two or three traveling Ringling Bros Circus shows going around the USA each year the Feld people are calling for the end. Someone needs to film the whole show in 3-D Imax before they pull the show. Many people will loose their jobs. What will happen to the classic huge circus train, all the props, costumes, lights,ropes special effect gear and the old rings all about to go. Did the Feld Entertainment group even shop the sale of the circus around? They still run their boring repeat lame Disney On Ice shows, maybe some of the equipment will be sent over to the ice arena events? It maybe the group from China that bought AMC Theatres or some rich oil family can save this great American circus. The animal people seem to think they caused the end of the Ringling Circus. I think It has been the parents that let their kids just look at their cell phones all day and play video games instead of going out to a nice arena show once a year when It comes to town. The Ringling/Feld group needed to cut back to just 1 touring group and cut out the cities that did not do well. Also cut back on the amount of shows performed in each city. At least the Feld company needs to think about keeping a arena open in the USA to keep the circus going all year round without the cost of taking It on the road. I have been going since I was a little kid to this circus each year when It came around to the SF Bay,now the end may be coming this May 2017. Lets hope someone with the $$ can buy and save the Ringling Bros Circus for a new generation to enjoy and get the kids off their computer toys and see the excitement a circus can do for you. If they need to cut back on the animals so be It but at least keep a few. Don't turn the circus into another Las Vegas circus act please.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-16-2017, 12:04 PM:

The times are a changin'. People don't like animal shows as much as they once did. The same thing is happening at Sea World, which is why they are building more roller coasters and other entertainments and ditching the whale shows. I'm sure the dolphin shows will be the next to go.

When Ringling cut out the elephants, attendance dropped -- the elephant rights people didn't come back, and they lost many of the elephant fans. It's as if the Felds thought they would see an attendance go up by cutting out the elephants and it didn't happen.

"Getting the kids off their phones" is certainly not going to happen, because the parents are on their phones just as much.

Downsizing the show to one traveling unit might be an answer, but if their reason for closing is declining attendance for an art form that's run its course, there's not much to be done about that. It would be like trying to bring back vaudeville - it'd never happen, it's out of style. It's been outmoded by other things.

They needed to reinvent a long time ago, not just keep up with the same old thing for 100-plus years. Look at the way people view clowns today vs. just a few years ago, for example. Yet Ringling is probably still trotting out clowns every night, and freaking the kids out in the process.

Circue Du Soleil is the current "form" for circuses They ramped up the glamour/exotica angle which brought the adults out in droves, and did the same thing with the musical background. It's clean and sleek, vs. clunky and dirty. In short they raised the circus to a highbrow-style of entertainment and it's paid off. It's ironic in a way -- instead of trained animals performing, in many cases they have trained people dressed as animals performing.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 01-16-2017, 02:23 PM:

Yeah, there's a lot of sudden outrage about the Ringling Bros. circus closing, with all the blame going to "bunny huggers." But once you delve past the emotional manipulation in the headlines and "news" reporting it becomes clear the business model for this type of show just isn't sustainable anymore.

Customers have lost a lot of interest in the traditional circus. I don't know how much could be blamed on groups like PETA, but the real fact is most Americans really love animals and any sort of perceived animal abuse can touch off a great deal of anger. I think the bigger problem with the traditional circus is that its type of entertainment seems dated. I think people now prefer to see exotic animals in a more natural looking setting, be it an elaborate enclosure at a zoo, animal park or wildlife preserve. We still get a kick out of seeing animals do tricks, but it's usually good enough to see a domesticated pet dog, cat or bird doing that. And it's probably good enough to watch something like that on YouTube.

Outfits like Cirque du Soleil have an advantage in that their most popular and profitable shows are in "resident" locations, like huge Las Vegas casino-resort hotels. They have a number of different touring shows as well, but the resident shows like Mystère at Treasure Island or O at the Bellagio are still playing since their 1990's launch. Like Mike said, Cirque du Soleil has really upped the theatricality and atmosphere of the experience. Ringling Bros. didn't keep pace with that. Like Sears, another 1800's brand is disappearing into history.

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 01-16-2017, 03:23 PM:

I used to know a guy who owned a travelling Circus. I don't remember the name, but the guy lived in Vegas.

Back in 2003 he predicted that Circuses would be out of business within 10 years.

I know that smaller circuses will still be out there, especially In Europe and Asia, but I do forsee them going the "way of the Dodo".

Posted by Terry Monohan (Member # 8285) on 01-16-2017, 03:49 PM:

Dennis**I think It was Circus Vargus out of Las Vegas, they still tour a small tent show around malls. Not a very good circus to watch. They always seemed to show up the same week in the SF area as when Ringling was set up in the area. I also liked the Polack Bros Shrine Circus. They were smaller but had better entertainers. I think the Shrine Circus is still around but the Polack Bros Circus out of Chicago is long gone,.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 01-16-2017, 04:28 PM:

Circuses have been in a death spiral for decades. The fact that it is Barnum, Bailey and Ringling Bros is a tell right there -- the consolidation of 3 of the biggest circuses into one. And I bet 9 out of 10 people couldn't name another operating circus,
Circuses used to be bigger than vaudeville. But like vaudeville, they got stomped by movies and radio and television. People got the spectacle fill somewhere else.
Where people used to look forward to the circus season and their annual return, now it's probably something to do once to say they've done it.
I just hope it is not the future of movie theaters.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-16-2017, 05:35 PM:

I remember when I was in high school there was a circus that came through town. It looked like the real deal, with a big top, quite a bunch of animals, etc.

The actual show was pretty lackluster. Upon closer looking it turned out the posters were for the "Barnes and Bailey Circus."

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 01-16-2017, 06:27 PM:

^^^^
The grand tradition of There's One Born Every Minute!

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 01-16-2017, 08:28 PM:

I think people are becoming more jaded and difficult to impress. Circus stunts can't compare with the cgi-aided stunts in the latest action movies.

It's the same with things like music. When everyone watches slickly produced professionally mixed and "perfected" music videos, are they really going to be interested when Uncle Fred brings out his banjo at the next Christmas dinner?

Posted by Martin Brooks (Member # 1269) on 01-23-2017, 01:26 AM:

The costs of mounting and traveling a circus such as Ringling Brothers is enormous and is not sustainable in today's economic climate. The animal rights issues just added to the problem. But IMO, Ringling also has to take major blame because aside from some minor changes, they hadn't modernized the circus for today's ADD audiences. Feld blames the lack of elephants, but I bet attendance has been sliding for years.

Cirque du Soleil is one example of a modern circus, as others have mentioned, but there's also the highly successful and well regarded Big Apple Circus.

While not all of Cirque du Soleil's shows have been successful, they were smart enough to license the Beatles' material for their 'Love' show, which has been playing in Vegas for almost 11 years and still going strong.

Imagine if Ringling had reimagined the circus and produced a show based upon Star Wars or Marvel comics characters. Or integrated such acts as the Blue Man Group. Or did a whole circus based around the music of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, David Bowie or Lady Gaga to name just a few possibilities. Or gotten a roll call of celebrities to be ring masters. Or combined circus acts with a large scale magic show (the trapeze artist does a summersault and completely disappears!) But they've done none of those things.

And while the circus abandoned the side show and freak shows decades ago, there's a freak show in Coney Island put together by a group of artists that actually does pretty well, although maybe still not appropriate for mainstream family audiences.

While it may have been thrilling at one time, I don't think anyone cares about seeing the big cats in a cage being pushed around to do minor tricks by a guy with a chair and a whip. And seeing elephants running around the ring with some women on top is no big deal either. Kids today have grown up with hyperactive action movies and interactive video games. Most of the circus is a big bore to them and that's aside from the fact that so many people seem to have developed a major fear of clowns...and peanuts.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 01-23-2017, 11:25 AM:

It's still sad. I am not in favor of animal abuse, but there must have been some way to keep the elephants (etc.) in the show while ensuring that they remained happy and healthy. As with zoos, there is value in just giving people a chance to see these animals up close and in person. Not to mention all of the clowns, acrobats, etc. who will now have to find new jobs, while not having the most marketable of skills.

I have some great memories of seeing the RBB&B circus as a kid, and am sorry that future generations will not have the chance to see it. (No, I haven't been since the very early '80s, but I assume that the current show is similar in structure and form.)

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 01-23-2017, 01:35 PM:

quote: Martin Brooks
so many people seem to have developed a major fear of clowns...and peanuts.

Well put and funny!

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-23-2017, 01:55 PM:

I think what Martin wrote hit the nail on the head. You need to reinvent to stay relevant. Cirque Du Soleil has it figured out...they have impressive circus-type acts, but they've also ramped up the exotica factor and gotten rid of the expensive-to-maintain + controversial animals. And they've also updated the music for today's audiences -- it sounds exotic and modern and adds a mysterious angle that makes the whole thing very intriguing.

Larry the Cable Guy had an interesting commentary on the elephants I happened to catch on the radio. He said "What I wonder about all this, is what are the elephants thinking? If I was an elephant, I'd be BEGGING to join the circus. Gettin' treated like royalty, eatin' all the loaves of bread you want all day, no worries about enemies and all that, are you kiddin' me? Just imagine the thoughts goin' thru an elephant's head. 'OK, so all I have to do is walk out in an arena where everybody's cheering for me, hold my buddy's tail, walk around in a circle for a while, let some dog run up my back, and put my foot up on a little footstool? And for that I get to eat all the bread and peanuts I want? Sign me up!' But now here comes the PETA, gonna turn 'em all back out in the jungle. So the elephants are saying, 'Them bastards...well, we had a good run fellas. We're going back in the jungle, probably be dead in two weeks.'"

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 01-23-2017, 02:31 PM:

Yeah, that's the whole flip-side of putting exotic, yet domesticated animals back out in nature. Poachers are out there. The illegal ivory trade is still going because there's enough douche bag scum out there paying poachers for those tusks.

OTOH, I thought I heard these particular circus elephants were moved to an elephant sanctuary in Florida.

Posted by Martin Brooks (Member # 1269) on 01-23-2017, 06:04 PM:

quote: Martin Brooks
but there's also the highly successful and well regarded Big Apple Circus.

Actually I just found out today that the Big Apple Circus is no more, so I was incorrect about that. They couldn't get funding for another season. The founders are helping to fund a farm for the animals run by a former animal trainer. Article in the NYTimes today.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-23-2017, 07:19 PM:

quote: Bobby Henderson
I thought I heard these particular circus elephants were moved to an elephant sanctuary in Florida.

That is true, so he was joking about that part, but I still feel like an elephant might have a better life in a circus than out in the wild with predators and poachers around, plus not having to forage for food. I guess it's a moot point now though.

Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 01-24-2017, 12:52 PM:

I was never a fan of attending the circus because I was firmly convinced I was going to watch some performer die. But I recognize the allure and tradition.

So what does that leave us for touring shows...the Shriners and KISS?

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 01-27-2017, 12:17 PM:

Ah, the same infatuation that drew people to the Roman coliseum or today, to Extreme Cage Fighting, or even the Indy 500 and for that matter, boxing -- all have that element that seems to attract.

The bus-and-truck theatrical troupes tour the country bringing Broadway shows to the hinterland, and they are still a profitable working model, or so it would seem, but like everything else tastes change and it's a fickle public. Nothing is predictable. In fact, EVERYTHING changes -- who would have thought in 1950, that there would be a time when motion picture film was no longer the medium for movie...or the great single screen movie palaces would be gone, or PAN AM Airlines? But one good thing about all this, at least now we can say that digital didn't kill the circus.

Sure, the circus enthralled kids and we loved going, but that was because kids just love the spectacle and the animals...we were innocent and didn't need to think about all the ramifications of a circus show -- like the burden, and if you believe the people who have been opposed to the use of circus animals, the pain caused to an animal by taking it out of it natural habitat and caging it for the rest of its life. For adults, it becomes much more complicated than just that it's a fun thing to watch. I am sure the Roman coliseum shows were probably considered "fun" to watch too, until human sensibilities evolved to be more humane).

I do agree tho, besides whatever we can speculate about the ethics of the animal element, it is always the profit margin that has the major role in why a business fails.

And Mike, really? That's a specious argument that radio DJ makes. I bet that guy would think a lot differently about the "joys" of being fed regularly while in a cage if he were fed great meals every day and allowed to do his two hour radio show, i.e., perform, maybe get accolades and great ratings, but then be jailed in a comfortable room the rest of the day, day in and day out...forever. And he's a somewhat adaptable human. I am sure the elephants don't "think" being paraded around with people cheering or performing things totally unnatural to them and being given food is a compensation for being caged the rest of the day. An animal's nature is to HUNT or forage for their food, not to lay around waiting for it to be dumped into their cage.

Being caged is just as unnatural and debilitating for an animal as it is for a jailed human. That's why it's considered PUNISHMENT. For the human, it's warranted; for the animal it's not.

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 01-27-2017, 12:48 PM:

quote: Frank Angel
digital didn't kill the circus.

I disagree. See my earlier reply in this thread for the reason why.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 01-27-2017, 12:59 PM:

Damn, Frank, you are right. I take it back; I should have known better. It kills EVERYTHING in its path! Death by Digital.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-27-2017, 06:34 PM:

quote: Frank Angel
And Mike, really? That's a specious argument that radio DJ makes. I bet that guy would think a lot differently about the "joys" of being fed regularly while in a cage if he were fed great meals every day and allowed to do his two hour radio show, i.e., perform, maybe get accolades and great ratings, but then be jailed in a comfortable room the rest of the day, day in and day out...forever. And he's a somewhat adaptable human. I am sure the elephants don't "think" being paraded around with people cheering or performing things totally unnatural to them and being given food is a compensation for being caged the rest of the day. An animal's nature is to HUNT or forage for their food, not to lay around waiting for it to be dumped into their cage.

Being caged is just as unnatural and debilitating for an animal as it is for a jailed human. That's why it's considered PUNISHMENT. For the human, it's warranted; for the animal it's not.

Take note that the guy I was quoting was Larry the Cable Guy, who is a COMEDIAN, therefore the whole thing was a JOKE. I guess I should have surrounded it with smileys.

However, you can't equate humans with animals in this case. An animal that grows up in captivity doesn't know any different and is probably quite contented with his life, you never know. Do animals really crave different scenery all the time? In my experience, an animal's main job every day, day in and day out, is to find food, eat, build whatever it lives in, and make new baby animals. I don't think they're walking around saying "Man this part of the forest is boring, let's run all day and go somewhere else."

But like I said, the circus animals are or will be in the care of some retirement farm, so I'm sure they'll be happy.