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Farewell, the Greatest Show on Earth!

Posted January. 17, 2017 07:03,   

Updated January. 17, 2017 07:14

한국어

Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic “The Greatest Show on Earth,” the Oscar award winner for Best Picture in 1953, depicted the joy and sorrow of behind splendid circus show. It is an homage to a circus show of aerialists who perform dangerous stunts, funny Pierrots, and various animals harmonize altogether. This movie stars James Stewart and Charlton Heston and the Ringling Bros. Circus, actual model, is also appeared on the film.

The size and popularity of Ringling Bros. Circus with 146 years of tradition was amazing. They toured all over the country by private trains since the mid-19th century and the circus trains carried 1,400 members and 50 elephants in their heyday. However, their fame has faded away with the emergence of TV, movies, games, and the Internet. Eventually, Feld Entertainment, a parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, announced final performances of Ringling Bros. in May due to financial difficulties caused by declining audiences and increasing operating costs.

It was a natural move to end the show with changes of time. However, a final blow was the retirement of circus elephants. Jumbo the Elephant was first appeared on the show in 1882 and Jumbo became the symbol of Ringling Bros. Circus since then. The legal battle started in 2000s with the animal rights groups over their training methods. In May 2016, Feld Entertainment decided not to use elephants on the show. Forty-three elephants were sent to animal shelters in Florida and the number of audiences was significantly reduced. “People say they don’t want to see elephants on the show and now people abandoned the circus when they cannot see elephants anymore,” circus team said with a sigh.

The animal rights groups welcomed the end of the show. I cannot help but wonder if they are happy? Those elephants could not return to their home and now they live in animal shelters, instead of the circus. Past is better than now is that past has one more thing that we don’t have now, which is memory,” author Peter Bichsel said in his novel “The desk is desk.” The Greatest Show on Earth with full of joy and thrilling finally ends now along with memories of the analog era.