Evening star., 1947-06-03
Circus Nearly Justifies Boast
OF Greatest Show on Earth

coveted spot Immediately ahead OF
the grand finale. Specialists in
aerial daredeviltry, they use no
safety net. A bicycle trip along the
wire and a human wheelbarrow ef-
feet are among their offerings.
New Animal Acts.
Like animals? These are new:
Konselman's polar bears, Guerre's S
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 gall
lop round and round sawdust
ring, rearing and changing forma-
tion at the crack Of 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 a
hurry, to the delight of the spec
tators. The chimp sneaked through
an aperture and perched outside, on
top of the tent.
Chita submitted to capture with
little protest when two circus work
ers climbed after the fugitive.
The spectacles begin with 1.-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 Offen-
bach's "Gaite Parisienne." The
girls use one leg for high kicks while
clinging to vertical ropes high above
the audience with hand and the
other foot.
The crowds of children and adults
who, poured into the s'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 1.-THE Roy
al Ascot" in which "high-school"
horsemanship 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, 1t 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-
naps the smallest car, outside of
toy, to move under its own power.
Lou Is harried by mechanical diff
culties, but he usually manages to
make the circuit of the track.
Elephants Star in Finale.
when you've seen the elephants,
you've seen it all,' the circus people
say. The pachyderms, as BELTS
their station, are starred in the
finale. They climb onto stools, rear.
assist circus bellies to their heads
With their trunks, lie on their sides
n the track, then hurry of as the
band plays its loudest.
It's a proper circus. Non-circusy
acts have been discarded. The new
performers bolster it by increasing
,he measure of the items people who
ike circuses expect to see-not by
It'll be giving performances at
.:l5 and S:15 pm. daily, through
Saturday, on the show grounds at
8enning road and Oklahoma avenue
NE.
And the District will collect $375
day from the cash the big
'how receives. That's the lot rent
.redited to District funds by the
Office Of National Capital Parks.