#colebros

Cole Bros Circus Combined Annex and Congress of Oddities.

Cole Bros Circus Starring Ritta Aurelia

The Spanish Wizard of the Wire: Hal Silvers King of the Tight Wire: Hubert Castle

Ringside view of the end of the circus era

“And the circus boss leans over and whispers into the little boy's ear Hey, son, you want to try the big top? All aboard, Nebraska's our next stop” — “Wild Billy’s Circus,” Bruce Springsteen, 1973

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus announced earlier this winter it would soon be going out of business, just as the Cole Bros. circus Bruce Springsteen might have been singing about seemed to have done in the past year. The Ringling Bros. circus stopped being a tent show 60 years ago, further distinguishing itself from troupes like Cole Bros. that continued touring the U.S. for entertainment dollars in returns for laughs and oohs and aahs. 

Even as it continued playing multiple dates in big arenas with thousands of children of all ages, however, the Greatest Show on Earth could not sustain itself economically. In its quest to update its circus to the tastes of the 21st century, Ringling Bros.’ costs escalated to the point where it could no longer expect to break even financially, let alone turn a profit.