Circus Day In Our Town. By Encyclopaedia Britannica Films, 1949

Caption reads ‘This film is from Prelinger Archives San Francisco www.prelinger.com.’

Black and white film: circus comes into town by train. A lot is being unloaded including wagons, horses, people, large tent poles and elephants. People crowd around to watch. 

What difference to work, horses out of their cars, wagons to unload, get out the circus grounds with every day a new town. Here goes a load of tent poles. Got to be careful getting them down. We can always use more help, and here’s big Blanch our largest elephant and leader of our herd.

Elephants march down a street as people watch from the sidelines. Workers are seen bringing in the tent poles into the fairgrounds. Several men work together to stretch the very large tent canvas out. 

But right now they are off for the show grounds a mile or so away to help put up the big tent. The biggest pole wagon is just coming on to the circus grounds. And this will be laced together to make one big tent almost as long as a city block.

The workers tie and secure all the ropes laced in the tent and start putting up the tent poles. Then ropes are on pulleys attached to an elephant, the elephant pulls the ‘Big Top’ tent up by walking and pulling the ropes. More elephants are shown inside the tent helping put up tent poles.  

Piece by piece the big tent is put together. Meanwhile our strong elephants are waiting to be called to their next job. Up go side poles around the edges and here’s where the town boys can really help. Up goes the tent roof to the top and here’s where Blanch can really help. She saves us a lot of time each morning. The rest of the elephant herd is working too.

The ‘Big Top’ tent is up with the canvas fully stretched, the whole tent is enormous. The flags on top of the tent are several feet high in the air shown waving in the wind, including the flag of the United States of America. Another smaller tent is being set up; the words on it read ‘The Greatest Circus On Earth Entrance.’ 

And now the big is top up, canvas tightly stretched, flag waving. Up goes the main entrance. We’ll soon be going through it to the big show.

Close up of an ornately decorated wagon the word ‘America’ on it. The camera pans out to show the people around the circus entrance and the painted banners advertising the sideshows. A man at a podium, the ‘Bally’, is speaking out to the crowd in front of the sideshow entrance. There are many attractions including items for sale, balloons and food stands with treats. 

Matinee time, hear the steam Calliope playing? Here is where the Midway begins the street of little tents, with candy stands and sideshows each with its own barker. Step up folks buy your tickets. There’s plenty of time to see the sideshow before the matinee goes on. All the sideshows on just one ticket.

An all African American band shown playing tambourines and entertaining the crowd. The sign in the background of the band reads ‘Prof. Brown’s Minstrel Jubilee.’ Another act is shown, a man in costume puts a sword all the way down his throat and pulls it back out.

Yes folks it’s Professor Brown and his Dixie Jubilee Show. And here’s the man who likes swords for breakfast without an ounce of cream or sugar.

Caption reads ‘THE END Encyclopedia Britannica Films Inc.’