Category: Movies

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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    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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    The Groundbreaking Rock and Roll Movie, “The T.A.M.I. Show”

    TAMI Show

    On December 31, 1964, American International Pictures released The T.A.M.I. Show in theaters as a “once-in-a-lifetime experience.” This early rock concert film gave rock and roll fans a snapshot of some of the biggest bands of the time and was groundbreaking.

    “T.A.M.I.” stands for “Teenage Awards Music International,” although some promotional materials also used “Teen Age Music International.” But the important part of The T.A.M.I. Show is the music, filmed from the standpoint of the audience.  The technique made viewers feel like they were at the show recorded at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on October 28 and 29, 1964.

    Below is the trailer for the film.

    The general consensus is that James Brown gives his greatest filmed performance here, an outstanding display of passion and performing experience that made the Rolling Stones regret they had to follow him. But there are other highlights throughout the concert, including the 18-year-old Lesley Gore and a surprisingly loose performance by The Beach Boys.

    Although producer Bill Sargent lost the rights to the film and it disappeared for decades, it is now available for your viewing on DVD (with extras) and with various performances on YouTube.  Below, James Brown performs “Please, Please, Please.”

    Performers include Jan and Dean (over the credits), Chuck Berry, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Lesley Gore, The Beach Boys, Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas, The Supremes, The Barbarians, James Brown and The Famous Flames, and The Rolling Stones.

    Artists are still making great music today, but it is hard to imagine people agreeing on so many great performers in one film now. So, travel back to another time, and check out the Rolling Stones closing the show, joined by others on the stage.

    Some trivia tidbits: The opening credits list The Blossoms with the performers, but they are not introduced when they appear as the backing singers for Marvin Gaye (or when later they appear to encourage James Brown to return to the stage). The Blossoms were used to not getting credit, having recorded the 1962 hit “He’s a Rebel” without credit.

    Also, future actress Teri Garr and future recording star Toni Basil appear as background dancers in the film, and singer Glen Campbell and musician Leon Russell played in the show’s backing band, The Wrecking Crew. Reportedly, filmmaker John Landis and future Partridge Family star David Cassidy, who were seventh grade classmates at the time, were in the audience for the show.

    What are your favorite parts of The T.A.M.I. Show? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Biff from “Back to the Future” Is Doing Stand-Up Shows

    Tom Wilson Comedian

    Tom Wilson, who famously played Biff in the Back to the Future movie series, now has a career as a stand-up comic. He had started out doing stand-up comedy as a teenager while he was launching his acting career. In addition to his work in the Back to the Future films, he has worked in a number of movies and TV shows, including doing voices for the SpongeBob Squarepants series. According to his website, though, he is most at home doing comedy on stage.

    In the video below from one of his stand-up performances, Wilson makes fun of his work at sci-fi conventions with a song. Check it out.

    Wilson earlier wrote a song “Biff’s Question Song” to address the annoying questions he constantly gets about the Back to the Future trilogy.

    If you want to know more about Wilson’s thoughts on Back to the Future (his favorite was the third in the series), he put together a “Fact Sheet” to address all of the most common questions about the movies. For more on his stand-up career, check out his website.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    What if William Randolph Hearst Could Hack?

    The Interview Citizen Kane For a short time, it looked like hackers (initially reported to be from North Korea) might prevent Sony from releasing the movie The Interview in theaters. According to early reports, out of fear, Sony was going to pull the Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy from distribution. Meanwhile, commentators debated the possibility of censoring the movie out of fear. But ultimately, freedom prevailed and Sony released the movie both in theaters and online.

    The controversy surrounding The Interview reminds me of William Randolph Hearst’s attempts to prevent the release of Citizen Kane (1941). Hearst did not like the way Orson Welles re-imagined Hearst’s career and relationship with Marion Davies (who in real life was a talented actress), so he took a number of measures to try to prevent the release of the film. Fortunately for us, he was unsuccessful, and one of the greatest movies of all time sits in a DVD case on my shelf.

    One good version of the story behind Citizen Kane is from The American Experience series on PBS.  Check out the episode The Battle Over Citizen Kane. [Update: Unfortunately it is no longer available for embedding.]  Another funnier source is Drunk History‘s retelling of the Citizen Kane story featuring Jack Black as Welles.

    Unfortunately, technology has given censors a new avenue of attack, which is sad. But I suspect that humor and satire will find a way to survive.


    What do you think of Sony’s decision? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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