Author: chimesfreedom

Editor-in-chief, New York.

The Circus Town’s Been Born

Astley's Amphitheatre
Astley’s Amphitheatre

On January 9 in 1768, the first modern circus was staged in London. Philip Astley, a former cavalry sergeant major, made a ring and invited the public to watch him do tricks on horseback as he rode around the ring.

The Growth of the Circus

Because the public enjoyed the act, Astley then added other riders, a clown, and musicians, eventually putting a roof over his ring in 1770. In 1782, Astley’s Amphitheatre faced competition from a similar act down the road, with the competitor using the name “Royal Circus.” The competitor took the word “circus” from the Roman name for where chariot races were held.

Eventually, the word “circus” would become the generic name for such events. And Astley himself eventually established eighteen more such venues across Europe.

Circuses spread around the world. John Bill Ricketts created the first U.S. circus in 1792 in Philadelphia. In the late 1800s, P.S. Barnum and James Anthony Bailey went into the circus business, as did five Ringling brothers.

The Greatest Show on Earth

Since the invention of the circus, fictional stories have used the circus setting to tell stories too. In 1952, director Cecil B. DeMille and Paramount Pictures released The Greatest Show on Earth, set in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

The cast included Betty Hutton, Holly Cornel Wilde, Charlton Heston, James Stewart (as Buttons the Clown), Dorothy Lamour, and Gloria Grahame. Check out the trailer below, where it is funny to hear the narrator’s voice from The Ten Commandments (DeMille) narrating this trailer about a circus.

Springsteen’s “Wild Billy’s Circus Story”

One of my favorite stories about a circus is found in Bruce Springsteen’s song, “Wild Billy’s Circus Story,” from The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle (1973). The song is really an excuse to string together a number of wonderful circus images.  Springsteen’s tale features the barker, the man-beast, the flying Zambinis, the stong man, and others.

Finally, “Wild Billy’s Circus Story” concludes with an enticing question that many children have dreamed of being asked.  “And the circus boss leans over, whispers in the little boy’s ear, ‘Hey son, you wanna try the big top?'”

Apparently, I am not the only fan of the somewhat unusual and obscure song. In this video below from July 2013 in Kilkenny in Ireland, Springsteen explains how a fan has been following him around trying to get him to play “Wild Billy’s Circus Story.”

And then the Boss leans over and whisper’s in his ear that the wish will be granted. Or something like that.

What is your favorite circus story? Leave your two cents in the comments. Photo of Astley’s Amphitheatre via public domain.

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    Franklin D. Roosevelt and “the Four Freedoms”

    Four Freedoms Flag of United Nations
    On January 6, 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed the U.S. Congress in a State of the Union address, asking for support to help European nations struggling against Adolf Hitler’s government in Germany. At the time, the U.S. was still about a year away from declaring war. As part of his speech, Roosevelt stated that the U.S. had an obligation to protect universal freedoms, and he listed “four freedoms” that United States citizens shared with people of the world.

    The four freedoms he listed were: the freedom of speech and expression, a person’s freedom to worship God in the way of one’s choice, the freedom from want, and freedom from fear. In the recording below, Roosevelt gives the speech that references these four freedoms.

    Roosevelt’s speech inspired painter Norman Rockwell to do a series of paintings depicting the four freedoms. And, after World War II and after Roosevelt died, his widow Eleanor Roosevelt invoked these four freedoms as she pushed for the passage of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

    United Nations “Four Freedoms” flag via public domain. Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    “Serial” Parodies from Funny or Die and SNL

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    I recently finished listening to the hit podcast series Serial. Like many I was entertained by the examination of the case involving the murder of Hae Min Lee and the prosecution of her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed. Even while Serial host Sarah Koenig did an excellent job entertaining me, I eventually felt that without any big reveal that the case was not that unique and probably similar to many other cases that depend on the testimony of one prosecution witness. Still, I will be looking forward to season two.

    Koenig’s presentation was gripping, as the listener went along on her journey struggling with the case. But her style also made the show ripe for parody. Funny or Die addressed the pressure on Koenig to come up with a resolution for her final episode. Check out the video starring Michaela Watkins as Koenig.

    But my favorite parody of Serial, and one of the funniest bits from this season’s Saturday Night Live, was the SNL version of Serial starring Cecily Strong as Koenig. The segment captures what is both engrossing about Serial and somewhat annoying, as she investigates the case of a man who reportedly visits every house in the world in one night.

    What did you think of “Serial”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    8 Reasons to Watch the Sterling Haden Western”Terror in a Texas Town”

    Terror in a Texas Town (1958) is an odd movie starting with the first scene of a Swede carrying a harpoon down the street of a Western town. The 80-minute movie was the final feature film directed by B-movie director Joseph H. Lewis, and while far from one of the great Western movies of all time, the movie features several unconventional elements that make it worthwhile viewing.

    Terror in a Texas Town A rough outline of the movie makes it sound like a conventional Western, including similarities to Shane. There is the traditional plot of settlers trying to hold onto their land while a rich man tries to take it away. There is a bad-guy gunslinger. There is a stranger who comes to town who inspires the scared locals to stand up against the bad guys. There is a whore with a good heart. There is the final confrontation. But, if you look deeper, the movie is not your usual Western. Here are eight reasons to see the overlooked classic.

    (1) The movie itself has an odd pedigree. Terror in a Texas Town was written by Dalton Trumbo, who was one of the Hollywood screenwriters blacklisted for refusing in 1947 to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Trumbo worked on a number of famous movies, including Spartacus and Papillon, and he wrote the excellent anti-war novel, Johnny Got His Gun. Trumbo was still blacklisted when he wrote Terror in a Texas Town, and the movie also stars two actors who also were called before the Committee: Nedrick Young (who refused to testify) and Sterling Hayden (who testified but regretted it).

    (2) Nedrick Young, who wrote the screenplays for Jailhouse Rock and The Defiant Ones and was also blacklisted for a period, plays the evil gunslinger Johnny Crale.

    (3) Sterling Hayden, an outstanding actor in several film noir movies as well as memorable roles in The Godfather (1972) and Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), speaks with a Swedish accent throughout Terror in a Texas Town.

    (4) The movie features Sebastian Cabot, who played the cuddly Mr. French on the TV series Family Affair, as the rich and powerful villain.

    (5) The evil gunfighter has a solid steel hand.

    (6) The supporting characters may at first appear to be classic Western stereotypes, but as the movie progresses, you realize they have depth and do not follow conventions.

    (7) The soundtrack to the movie for the most part sounds like you are in a beatnik nightclub, mostly with a trumpet and drum. Sometimes a little guitar is thrown in.

    (8) The final showdown is between the evil gunfighter with his guns and the good guy . . . with a whale harpoon! WTF?


    What do you think of Terror in a Texas Town? Leave a comment.

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    John Oliver: “New Year’s Eve is the Worst”

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    Have a happy New Year.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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