Word: barnumism
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With lights blazing, band blaring, batons twirling, and all signposts seeming to point to Gargantua the Great, described as "the only full-grown gorilla ever seen on this continent," Ringling Bros, and Barnum & Bailey circus arrived, as punctual as spring, for its annual opening in Manhattan's Madison Square Garden last week. Gargantua out-ballyhooed a whole battalion of new acts, out-ballyhooed Frank ("Bring 'Em Back Alive") Buck, who appeared- elephantastically in a howdah-for the first time in any circus, out-ballyhooed John & Henry Ringling North who, after payment of $823,000, last winter brought back...
Before 1919 the Barnum & Bailey Circus was THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH and Ringling Brothers Circus was simultaneously THE WORLD'S GREATEST SHOW. In 1919 this duplicate hugeness was joined under one top. The result, according to the U. S. Bureau of Internal Revenue, was not only the biggest circus ever but one of the fanciest conspiracies "against the peace and dignity of the U. S." on record. Last week the circus income tax evasion case, touring one legal phase after another for over five years, pitched its tents in Manhattan as the Government began its prosecution...
Federal Judge Murray Hulbert and a Grade A jury heard notes of awe and amazement in Attorney Burns's voice as he made it clear that the Ringling tax tricks, exuberant, huge and clever, were worthy of the late great Phineas Taylor Barnum. The Government charged that many of the evasions were run of the mill failures to report full income from gate, concessions, dividends, stock manipulations and "false, fictitious and fraudulent" deductions for debts. Among the latter was one for $50,000 from the late Promoter George L. ("Tex") Rickard, allegedly subtracted twice. But in the centre ring...
Ringling Bros.-Barnum & Bailey Circus' gorilla Gargantua the Great, wrote Gargantuan Columnist Heywood Broun three weeks ago, "is the fiercest looking thing I have ever seen on two legs. And probably his power and truculence were all the more impressive because he did look a good deal like a distant relative. No one was allowed to go close to his cage, because Gargantua can reach about five feet through the bars and get a toe hold on a visitor whom he dislikes." Gargantua may not be the world's biggest captive gorilla-since the death of Berlin...
...resemblance to the name of any person, living or dead, is to be regarded as purely coincidental. LOWELLA SALTONPUSS, of Ratcliff Part taken by Lowella Saltonstall FOUFOU SEARS, of Magnolia-by-the-Sea Aunt to Lowella. . . . . . . . . Part taken by foufou Sears, "Mrs. Oklahoma" 1897, Barnum & Bailey Ringling Brothers' Elephant-Skinned Lady 1914 SNUFFY SULLIVAN, of Chelsea-by-the Smell. . . . . . . . . . . . . Part taken by Eustaee P. McGargle A YARD COP . . . . . . . . . . Part taken by a Yard Cop PROFESSOR FREEZY MERMAN, of Harvard, Uncle to Lowella . . . . . Part taken by himself A SECTION MAN . . . . . . . . . . Part taken by a local WPA worker 17 SMALL MEMBERS...