Evening star., 1947-06-03
By Chris Mathisen

Well. not quite. But the 1947
production of the Ringing Bros. and
Barnum g. Bailey Circus more near
ly justifies the traditional boast of
"the greatest show on earth" than
any other version of recent years.
The proud line, First Time in
America" appears 80 times in the
program These notations repre-
sent the fruit of a European tour
made by John Ringing North, first
vice president and producer of the
show.
Among many experienced foreign
acts making their first tour in this
country Is that of the Alzanas.
These-a man and three girls-per-
form their high-wire antics in the
coveted spot Immediately ahead of
the grand finale. Specialists in
aerial daredeviltry, they use no
safety net. A bicycle trip along the
wire and human wheelbarrow eff
feet are among their offerings.
New Animal Acts.
Like animals? These are new:
Konselman's polar bears, Queries
sea lions, Vargas chimpanzees,
Rhodin's brown bears, Bostock's
dogs, ponies and mules. Added to
these are three new groups of ''lib-
erty" horses-the horses that gal
lop round and round a sawdust
ring, rearing and changing forma-
ton at the crack of a whip.
Chita, one of Vargas chimps, ran
out on the act during the opening
matinee The agile performer went
up the center pole of the tent in
hurry, to the delight of the spec
tators. The chimp sneaked through
an aperture and perched outside, on
top of the tent. u
Chita submitted to capture with
little protest when two circus work
ers climbed after the fugitive.
The spectacles begin with "The
Wedding of Cinderella" in which
a long succession of floats and gaily
costumed characters of fantasy move
around the track, portraying the
incidents of the familiar fairy tale.
The circus beauties have their
moments when the Aerial Cancan"
is announced. The music is Often
bach's Cate Parisienne." The
girls use one leg for high kicks while
clinging to vertical ropes high above
the audience with a hand and the
other foot.
The crowds of children and adults
who poured into the big top" for
the first shows yesterday afternoon
and last night gave vent to cries
Of surprise and glee when Natal
appeared In realistic costume, he
acted in monkey fashion among the
spectators and on a rope. Natal
removed his headgear at the end of
his turn, and many youngsters
showed they had been fooled by
the disguise.
Drawn From History.
The spectacles include "The Roy
al Ascot in which "high-school'
thorsemanship and retrospective dis
play are combined. An aggregation
of well appointed carriages and
correctly attired nobility and gentry
passes in review.
Although the circus does not hope
that the big scene he remembered
as. anything more than a colorful
production number, it points out it
was drawn from history:
THE arrival of King Edward VII
and Queen Alexandria of England
in mid-June, 1909, to see the Kings
entry, Princess de Gales, win the
Coronation Stakes
The acrobatics, gymnastics, Jug
Cling and wire acts follow each other
in rapid succession-and most of
the names are new to the United
States.
There are old favorites, too. AS
usual, more than 100 clowns gambol
during ring changes and in their
own featured numbers. Felix Adler,
Emmett Kelly. Trymer's Lillipu-
tians, the Hanlons, scores of others
well regarded in clown circles vie
in grotesquery.
Little Lou Jacobs presents per-