‘Greatest showman on Earth’ dies
NZPA-AFP Florida Irvin Feld, once known as the greatest showman on Earth, and who was chairman and producer of the Ringling Bros, and Barnum and Bailey Circus, has died at the age of 66. A hospital spokesman said that he died of a cerebral haemorrhage. Mr Feld, often called the modern-day P.T. Barnum, also produced two Walt Disney ice shows and produced and owned the Ice Follies and Holiday on Ice. He also produced a new musical version of “The Three Musketeers” scheduled to open on Broadway this fall.
In the 1950 s and 19605, Mr Feld was one of the first to put concerts into arenas. His producing career, in which he put on concerts by the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Harry Belafonte, Bill Haley and the Comets, and Buddy Holly, spanned about 50 years. Mr Feld bought the Ringling Brothers Circus in 1967 for SBM (?NZI6) million saving the 114-year-old show from extinction. He sold Ringling Brothers to Mattel, Incorporated, in 1971 for $5O million but bought it back in 1982 for $22.8 million.
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Press, 12 September 1984, Page 22
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183‘Greatest showman on Earth’ dies Press, 12 September 1984, Page 22
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