John Ringling North

Above, John Ringling North (right) and Frank Buck who was the main attraction for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from in 1938.

John Ringling North - showman, salesman, actor, "Circus King"; born on August 14, 1903 in Baraboo, Wisconsin. North is most remembered as the flamboyant president and director of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus that he ran from 1937 to 1943, and then again from 1947 to 1967.

Born in Baraboo, birthplace of the Ringling shows, North's mother, Ida Loraina Wihelmina (Ringling) was the only sister of the Ringling brothers (Al Ringling, Gus Ringling, Otto Ringling, Alf Ringling, Charles Ringling, John Ringling and Henry Ringling). As a boy, North hawked balloons and novelties at his uncles' circus. He learned to dance and play the saxophone from circus performers and formed his own dance band while at college.

North attended public schools in Baraboo, graduating from high school in 1921. After high school, he studied at the University of Wisconsin but transferred to Yale for two years, leaving during his junior year in 1924 to work for a New York stock brokerage house.

The circus had been started by the original seven Ringling brothers on a shoestring as a wagon show dubbed Carnival of Fun, which opened in Baraboo, Wis., on May 19, 1884. Operated by five of the Ringlings, it caught on and prospered, absorbing lesser rivals along the way.

In 1907, the Ringlings purchased the name and enterprise left behind by the legendary P. T. Barnum ("Greatest Show on Earth"). They tried to operate the circuses independently but decided to merge the circuses into "Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows" in 1919.

The circus suffered during the 1930s due to the Great Depression, but managed to stay in business. In 1937, after the death of John Ringling, the last of the founding brothers, North became president and director of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows Inc. In the years that followed, he also was listed as principal shareholder and, from 1955 to 1967, chairman of the board.

In 1938, the circus made a lucrative offer to Frank Buck, a well-known adventurer and animal collector, to tour as their star attraction and to enter the show astride an elephant

Special dispensation was given to the circus by President Roosevelt to use the rails to operate in 1942, in spite of travel restrictions imposed as a result of World War II.

Many of the most famous images from the circus that were published in magazine and posters were captured by American Photographer Maxwell Frederic Coplan, who traveled the world with the circus, capturing its beauty as well as its harsh realities. Coplan's portrait of Lou Jacobs' clown face in the 1940's adorned Ringling Posters for years.

North's cousin Robert took over as president of the show in 1943 and North resumed the presidency of the circus in 1947.

In 1948, North sold the rights for producer David O. Selznick to make a picture called "The Greatest Show on Earth", the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' official slogan.

Selznick abandoned the project in 1949, opting not to renew his $250,000 option with North. After competing with both M-G-M and Twentieth Century-Fox, Paramount Pictures acquired the rights in July 1949. In preparation for filming, Cecil B. DeMille accompanied the Ringling circus for several weeks during its 1949 tour.

Cecil B. DeMille's"The Greatest Show on Earth" (1952) onscreen credits note that the picture was "produced with the Cooperation of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, John Ringling North President, Henry Ringling North, Vice President, Arthur M. Concello, General Manager, Pat Valdo, General Director of Performance."

In addition to the film actors, the real Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey's Circus' 1951 troupe appears in the film; along with its complement of 1400 people, hundreds of animals, and 60 carloads of equipment and tents. The film features about 85 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus acts, including clowns Emmett Kelly and Lou Jacobs, midget Cucciola, bandmaster Merle Evans, foot juggler Miss Loni, and aerialist Antoinette Concello. John Ringling North plays himself as the owner of the circus.

There's an entertaining article at www.newyorksocialdiary.com about North titled, John Ringling North – CIRCUS KING with lots of photos.

Photo © by JGHowes

For more information on John Ringling North, visit Wikipedia.

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