This 1949 black and white film about the Cole Brothers Circus arrival, setup, and show in a town is presented by Encyclopaedia Britannica Films Inc. A group of boys and men in 1940s clothing watches the Cole Bros. Circus train arrive (:03-:18). A horse is unloaded from a boxcar. A cart of tent poles is unloaded (:19-:41). Elephants leave the boxcar, with a head close-up (:42-:58). Men ride elephants through town. The wagon and elephants arrive at the field. An elephant pulls ropes to bring the center pole for the Big Top upright. (:59-1:42). Men use mallets to pound in large tent stakes; a machine is also used (1:43-2:03). A group and an elephant unroll tent canvases. The men lace canvas pieces together (2:04-2:48). A crowd mingles. A man holds a child out to touch an elephant’s trunk (2:49-2:57). The canvas rises as an elephant pulls the ropes. The tent is fully deployed, including an American flag. The ‘Greatest Circus on Earth’ tent sign is raised. (2:58-3:44). A heavily decorated steam calliope plays at the Midway. A barker invites people to watch the side shows. Men, women, and children in 1940s clothing listen (3:45-4:17). The acts include Professor Browne’s Minstrel Jubilee and a sword swallower. Men with cigarette’s dangling out of their mouths and boys buy tickets (4:18-4:42). Clown costumes hang on a rack. A man in a suit and tie changes and applies clown makeup. Clowns put on makeup and apply big red noses. They enter the Big Top. A band plays. Girls in the stands eat cotton candy (4:43-5:40). Dog in uniforms hit balloons in the air towards a basketball hoop. The crowd applauds (5:41-6:17). A man and woman roller skate in a small circle on a square board. He holds onto her with his teeth while she spins by a rope around her neck (6:18-6:35). Women in acrobat costumes spin from ropes while hanging on with their teeth (6:36-6:52). Acrobats use a teeterboard to flip each other into the air, onto each other’s shoulders, and into a chair (6:53-7:23). Clowns are shown (7:24-7:32). In ring one, prancing horses perform without riders, including standing on hind legs. The crowd of all ages claps (7:33-8:49). Female aerialists spin in the air while hanging onto ropes. Horses race around the hippodrome track. A woman stands on a 16-horse team (8:50-9:25). A female acrobat flips on and off a white horse. A clown rides backwards and performs tricks. The woman stands on the shoulders of a standing man on horseback. The man does a backflip while the horse is moving. A human pyramid on horseback is shown, as are tricks jumping on and off. The clown rides hanging onto the tail (9:26-11:45). The tight rope walker does flips on the wire (11:46-12:07). Elephants do tricks and pretty women do stunts with them. The clowns enter (12:08-13:52). A man and a woman are loaded into the human cannonball. It fires and each lands on the net (13:53-14:38).

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com