Sideshow Spieler

Listen to an audio clip of a sideshow spieler with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, introducing Senorita Josephine, drawing the attention of the crowd to the banner line and pointing out that there’s 16 big acts, 33 strange people.

Audio Transcript:

Senorita Josephine, the greatest of all the snake trainers! Senorita Josephine and what she’s wearing around her neck is a baby boa constrictor. I say a baby because ladies and gentlemen the snake that she is wearing around her neck is only a baby in size. However, this afternoon you will see the senorita exhibit large snakes some as long as 20 feet in length and as big around as a human’s body. The Senorita Josephine exhibit all non poisonous snakes and they come from the constriction family where they kill their prey by crushing the object to death. However, [if] senorita Josephine did not have this snake under perfect control at all times it would do her bodily harm in less time than it would take for me to tell you. Senorita Josephine is just one of the 16 big acts of the 33 people that Ringling brothers and Barnum and Bailey’s combined big circus side show are presenting here this afternoon. Ladies and gentlemen, we feel that our show is large and our show is self explanatory. We ask you to look at the (pictorial?) pictures on each side of that center doorway. Read the names above the pictures and the captions below, it tells you who these people are and what they do in the greatest side show on earth. But just a minute there is one person I want to bring to your attention and that is Johan Peterson that Viking giant from Iceland, why he stands and he towers above all man kind! He stands eight feet eight inches tall weighs 425 pounds and without stretched arms measuring from finger tip to finger tip 109 inches! He is the tallest man on the face of the earth and today our theme is the tallest man in the world, the smallest and tiniest person on the face of the earth, the fattest of all fat people and the thinnest man alive, yes it’s Ringling brothers and Barnum and Bailey’s combined big circus side show and it is in here where you’ll see the freaks the wonders the strange the unusual people. All in all there’s 16 big acts, 33 of the strangest people on the face of the earth and they’re all alive, they’re all living on public exhibition here today. Would you check your watches please? It is now 12:30, the circus in the main tent will start on time as usual at 2:15. You have one hour and forty five minutes before anything takes place in the main tent. 45 minutes before the big show doors even open you can see the side show in just 15 minutes in its entirety and ladies and gentlemen you can see the sideshow today. It is the biggest the grandest the greatest sideshow on the face of the earth traveling with the largest circus in all the world. It’s Ringling Brothers and Barnum and bailey’s combined big circus sideshow, more freaks wonders strange and unusual people than any other traveling museum circus or sideshow in the entire world. The price to see the side show one ticket 16 big acts 33 people 50 cents a half a dollar get tickets come in now!

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