Circus Story

Joyce Allingham documents the preparations of the Robert Bros Circus and Menagerie before the show starts.

Opening with a shot of the Robert Bros Circus and Menagerie poster with the “hip hip zoo ray” trademark catchphrase, Robert Bros travelling circus have arrived in Tolleshunt D'Arcy and are setting up on the village green. Interspersed with shots of 11 year old Bobby Junior the boss' son, footage shows many caged zoo animals and the workers preparing for the evening's circus event. Caged animals, including lions and tigers and polar bears, are given haunches of meat and water. Workmen build the circus tents in the grounds, securing the canvas with thick ropes to hold up the material. There is a white horse and foal grazing and a clown in full makeup and costume and little Bobby Junior - a red-headed boy. Three elephants wearing headdress are escorted from a tent. Bobby Junior poses with the tiny foal. There are caged baboons eating. Bobby Junior does tricks with a poodle. He encourages the dog to walk on its hind legs. There are three children playing with a dog. Bobby Junior performs pratfalls on the grass. Shots of Bobby Junior with a llama, then Bobby uses face paint to make himself up as a clown. Both he and an adult clown perform a skit for the camera. An entertainer uses a megaphone to announce the circus open. Circus performers are with chimpanzees that wear clothes and a group of children applaud. More shots of the circus performers in the grounds; a man with a marmoset carried on his shoulder, a line of trunk-to-tail elephants, more clowning around for the camera by Bobby Junior, wild cats are led to the tent, black bears on their hind legs. Still outside, in the grounds, boxing gloves are placed on a kangaroo which is then encouraged to play-box with a clown. Chimps wearing clothes. A clown balances a chair on his chin, and a man grooms a miniature pony. Bobby Junior climbs on top of, and rides along on an elephant. He then sits on the elephant’s trunk, then climbs back onto the elephant’s head, and waves to the camera. More shots of the clown, kangaroo, and female acrobat. Bobby Junior waves to the camera again.

Featured Events

Robert Bros Circus and Menagerie

Keywords

Animal cruelty; Baboon; Clown; Elephant; Entertainer; Lion; Llama; Monkey; Tiger; Wild animals; Zoo