April 5, 2026

I recall the circus in the Kelvin Hall being an event that just about everyone went to, excitedly, at Christmas time - but I never realised that it was fairly common practice to actually lease the animals. Even a 2800lb hippo! Well over in Canada, the Royal Brothers were touring from rural town to town eeking a living from county fairs and advance ticket sales from families with children who relished any sort of live entertainment. The costs were… read the rest.

I recall the circus in the Kelvin Hall being an event that just about everyone went to, excitedly, at Christmas time - but I never realised that it was fairly common practice to actually lease the animals. Even a 2800lb hippo! Well over in Canada, the Royal Brothers were touring from rural town to town eeking a living from county fairs and advance ticket sales from families with children who relished any sort of live entertainment. The costs were substantial but in the face of those increasingly difficult circumstances, it is still quite astonishing how committed these professional artistes remained as they dedicated themselves to an operation with a variety of acts always trying to improve and stay ahead of the constant threat from the cinema to their very exisistance. Of course nowadays there are questions galore about issues of the animal and human welfare involved but for the most part there appears to be an appreciative synergy between human and beast as each realise their inter-dependence on the other, and with some daring feats on display this is an interesting look at not just an entertainment but also at a way of life for an array of people for whom any other sort of rewarding career might have been impossible.

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