My new Facebook friend Tammy Parish with Jim Ragona (currently Director of Operations with Circus Sarasota) on the 118th edition (Blue Unit) of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
An interesting side note on that picture of Tammy. That piece of wardrobe with her clownface on it somehow found it's way from the Ringling archives to a display in the enterance way of one of NYC's finer 8th Avenue Adult Motion Picture Emporiums. I want to say the theme was "Circus of Sex" or something along those lines. But it was the actual piece of costuming in the photo, of course minus the lovely Miss Parish.
If you wanted to steal a pair of jeans from the store an alarm would sound as soon as you left the entrance.
I am amazed that I have seen so much former Ringling wardrobe in the collection of individuals. From headpieces to elephant blankets, somehow this stuff just evaporates from the Ringling storage facility.
Actually, in years past, the older elephant blankets and wardrobe were buried in farm fields in Venice, FL. When circus fans found out they would get into their best grave digger get-ups and head out to collect the loot in the dark of the night. Rumor had it a very well compensated dry cleaner in the area took on all the cleaning duties. Ringling does mantain a collection of represenative wardrobe in it's facilities, but overall quite a few of the old costumes end up in private collections, museums and tossed.
It was stolen from the Garden and ended up in "Show World", across from the Port Authority building.
I went in to see it for myself a few years back. Yup, it was there alright.
A few years later, flush with money, I went back to see if I could buy it's way out of there but no one in place had any idea of what I was talking about.
So, it may still be in the building somewhere, it may not.
Hmmm...well, armed with the picture, what say we go back there and try to liberate it, to give to Tammy? (Of course, she'll want to have it disinfected).
An interesting side note on that picture of Tammy. That piece of wardrobe with her clownface on it somehow found it's way from the Ringling archives to a display in the enterance way of one of NYC's finer 8th Avenue Adult Motion Picture Emporiums. I want to say the theme was "Circus of Sex" or something along those lines. But it was the actual piece of costuming in the photo, of course minus the lovely Miss Parish.
ReplyDeleteIf you wanted to steal a pair of jeans from the store an alarm would sound as soon as you left the entrance.
ReplyDeleteI am amazed that I have seen so much former Ringling wardrobe in the collection of individuals. From headpieces to elephant blankets, somehow this stuff just evaporates from the Ringling storage facility.
Actually, in years past, the older elephant blankets and wardrobe were buried in farm fields in Venice, FL. When circus fans found out they would get into their best grave digger get-ups and head out to collect the loot in the dark of the night. Rumor had it a very well compensated dry cleaner in the area took on all the cleaning duties. Ringling does mantain a collection of represenative wardrobe in it's facilities, but overall quite a few of the old costumes end up in private collections, museums and tossed.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the address of that 'emporium' in NYC??
ReplyDeleteIt was stolen from the Garden and ended up in "Show World", across from the Port Authority building.
ReplyDeleteI went in to see it for myself a few years back. Yup, it was there alright.
A few years later, flush with money, I went back to see if I could buy it's way out of there but no one in place had any idea of what I was talking about.
So, it may still be in the building somewhere, it may not.
Hmmm...well, armed with the picture, what say we go back there and try to liberate it, to give to Tammy? (Of course, she'll want to have it disinfected).
ReplyDelete