“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus presents….” Once again, the “Soundies Time Machine” takes us back to experience an authentic and unique slice of filmed Americana.
I suspect many people today forget how important the circus was in the 1930s and ‘40s. For people living in rural areas, it allowed for a taste of the “big time” entertainment enjoyed regularly by urban dwellers, and for those living in bigger cities it represented a chance to experience a bit of “exotica.” Apart from its enormous popularity throughout the nation, the circus was also a familiar theme or setting in both recordings and films during these two decades. At least a dozen Soundies feature either a circus setting or actual circus acts, and this film short is quite amazing.
The Gibsons, a husband-and-wife team (Joe and Hannah Gibson), were from Germany, although by the 1930s they had emigrated to the United States where they began working for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The team was among the best and most notable knife-throwing acts in any circus, anywhere! In 1938 they introduced the Wheel of Death to enthusiastic American audiences, presenting it with Ringling Bros. at Madison Square Gardens in Manhattan.
Part of their act, including the Wheel of Death, was captured on film in a 1943 Soundie titled Stuck With It. Produced during the musicians’ strike, the act is accompanied by a pre-recorded Sam Fox soundtrack identified in the production files as “Hold Your Hats On (Toodle-oo-dle-Oo)”; to my ears, however, the melody sounds like the tune “Oh They’re Tough, Mighty Tough, In the West.”
The Gibsons are assisted by Nancy Lee Dodge. There was a nightclub singer and a Broadway actress of this name active during the 1940s and it might be that woman whom we see here, just obtaining a day’s pay for a day’s work. Most importantly, Dodge was probably selected to serve as a target on the day that film was made. Imagine showing up at Filmcaft Studios in May 1945, only to be told someone would be throwing knives at you! The fear you see on her face is real!
No such discomfort is seen on Hannah Gibson’s face. She had been performing on the Wheel of Death for years. (All of the reviews that I have read suggest that there is no “cheating” in what we see on screen. The Wheel of Death was a truly dangerous act!)
This is, quite obviously, only part of the routine. The Gibsons was paid $350 for their participation in two Soundies, only one of which was released. But what a thrilling three minutes we have here.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus presents….” Once again, the “Soundies Time Machine” takes us back to experience an authentic and unique slice of filmed Americana.
I suspect many people today forget how important the circus was in the 1930s and ‘40s. For people living in rural areas, it allowed for a taste of the “big time” entertainment enjoyed regularly by urban dwellers, and for those living in bigger cities it represented a chance to experience a bit of “exotica.” Apart from its enormous popularity throughout the nation, the circus was also a familiar theme or setting in both recordings and films during these two decades. At least a dozen Soundies feature either a circus setting or actual circus acts, and this film short is quite amazing.
The Gibsons, a husband-and-wife team (Joe and Hannah Gibson), were from Germany, although by the 1930s they had emigrated to the United States where they began working for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The team was among the best and most notable knife-throwing acts in any circus, anywhere! In 1938 they introduced the Wheel of Death to enthusiastic American audiences, presenting it with Ringling Bros. at Madison Square Gardens in Manhattan.
Part of their act, including the Wheel of Death, was captured on film in a 1943 Soundie titled Stuck With It. Produced during the musicians’ strike, the act is accompanied by a pre-recorded Sam Fox soundtrack identified in the production files as “Hold Your Hats On (Toodle-oo-dle-Oo)”; to my ears, however, the melody sounds like the tune “Oh They’re Tough, Mighty Tough, In the West.”
The Gibsons are assisted by Nancy Lee Dodge. There was a nightclub singer and a Broadway actress of this name active during the 1940s and it might be that woman whom we see here, just obtaining a day’s pay for a day’s work. Most importantly, Dodge was probably selected to serve as a target on the day that film was made. Imagine showing up at Filmcaft Studios in May 1945, only to be told someone would be throwing knives at you! The fear you see on her face is real!
No such discomfort is seen on Hannah Gibson’s face. She had been performing on the Wheel of Death for years. (All of the reviews that I have read suggest that there is no “cheating” in what we see on screen. The Wheel of Death was a truly dangerous act!)
This is, quite obviously, only part of the routine. The Gibsons was paid $350 for their participation in two Soundies, only one of which was released. But what a thrilling three minutes we have here.