THE CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN

[Music] outside your bedroom window as dawn faded the horizon the colors of a circus man's coat ever jump into your clothes and rush down to the railroad siding to watch and get in the way while the train unloaded if you never did you've missed one of boyhood's greatest thrills every red and gold wagon that trundled down the runway had a mystery hidden inside for you didn't know that most of them carried rope and trifling and tools instead of the amazing things you imagined and the horses satin skin performers of the ring [Music] the elephants too they made you think of india and rogers and diamonds by the bucket full [Music] but there's another story back of the circus's gaudy front a story of hard work that makes the layout men and canvas men and cook tent personnel just as important as wild animal tamers and ladies in pink type they don't get cheers and high salaries but without them there'd be no circus no circus at all the afternoon performance goes on at two o'clock and in the few fleeting hours between now and then there are a thousand things to do including the erection of a towering canvas city it's an old old story to the canvas man a story repeated every morning through the summer months and after the ground has been staked out they go wrestlingly to work it's the hardest kind of labor too endless in it monotony for it's the same thing over day after day in this town and that but there must be a romantic change to sue sweat stained brows and tired muscles every spring sees the razorbacks once more on the line even with automatic six pounders it's back-breaking toil with the sun blistering them in waves of sultry heat the kids help too not only for the free ticket of admission but for the sweet sense of importance that comes of being an insider a member of a circus crew a good many shows are still run on muscle alone and then the sledges swing to african rhythm everything moves with a tempered precision of a perfectly drilled regiment directing the big top would be a tremendous attack except for experienced people everybody works there are seats to put up side shows to make ready for all the speed there's no confusion no duplication of effort everyone works as fast as he can canvas men and boys horses and elephants when the spectators come swarming in this afternoon this canvas city will have a strange appearance of permanence not at all as though it were to be torn down just as soon as the evening show is over [Music] flags up that means chow they say the way to a man fight is through his stomach well i wouldn't know about that but i do know you can't get him to work hard without feeding him well circus hands get plenty to eat they pile in the grub like six day bike riders pork chops bacon hot cakes the commissary resembles the quartermaster department of the army it buys in vast quantities and there are always second and third helpings when needed for the hungry huts and making three thousand hotcakes every morning is no small job in itself i don't think mrs emily post would okay the table manners but table manners never did have a place with men who work as our diseases they're more concerned with stoking their bodily furnaces than in selecting the right salad pork if there were any salad pork which there aren't in this case [Music] but these things are only the beginning of a day that has 60 crowded seconds for every minute of it it's time for the parade the blaring gaudy parade that makes the whole town circus conscious even while this is going on the canvas men have no chance to rest they must double in brass dawn scarlet coats and drive animal wagons or march steadily in the blistering sun here she comes everybody love the parade a circus parade most of all ah the calliope a monstrosity of music the signed manual of the circus there are only a few of those left thank heaven all right back to the lot now back to rest not a chance there are still plenty of things to do before the matinee a thousand little things no chance to nap in a shady spot there's no time to loaf when you work for a circus animals can't be driven as hard as the man drives himself they must be cared for watered and fed camels and horses and elephants watering the elephants is a job for a high pressure system how they love it now before the big show the midway with its streaks and cylinders and smells to be found nowhere else in the world come on folks step right out you haven't seen the circus and you've seen the midway [Music] everything you like to eat and drink pink lemonade everybody likes cuts and hamburgers hamburgers with onion and relish and lettuce bowl then knickknacks for the kids ah and cotton candy fun sugar people reels fun sugar [Music] look out there young man don't get tangled up in it everything cheap everything good but before you go into the big show have a look at the freaks the giants the midgets the fat woman who spend their lives being gawked at [Music] everything is set everyone's on his toes the show's going on here comes the spectacle masked artists and animals the ladies and gentlemen of the tag wire in equestrian style we who are about to perform salute you the band crashes into raucous melody the ring master blows his whistle then comes the dizzying world bodies shooting through the air horses galloping beneath balancers and tumblers while the aerial birds fly about equestrians and elephants and clowns do their serious and comic best to make spectators gas for laughs [Music] the thrill of the day ladies and gentlemen clyde bailey and his jungle cat [Music] so and so with a fanfare and a bow the show is over until tonight then down comes the magic city of canada a train will roar again through the night to bring romance and excitement to young and old america in the next town you