Franz Althoff - Revision history

Djando: /* The New Hippodrome-Circus Franz Althoff */

2024-01-31T20:58:44Z

‎The New Hippodrome-Circus Franz Althoff

Djando: /* Gröẞter Rennbahn-Circus Europas */

2020-10-01T01:34:43Z

‎Gröẞter Rennbahn-Circus Europas

Djando: /* Suggested Reading */

2020-09-21T19:36:08Z

‎Suggested Reading

Djando: /* Innovations */

2020-09-17T00:56:23Z

‎Innovations

Djando: /* Innovations */

2020-09-17T00:54:04Z

‎Innovations

Djando: /* Innovations */

2020-09-16T19:01:47Z

‎Innovations

Djando: /* Innovations */

2020-09-16T18:59:55Z

‎Innovations

Djando: /* Image Gallery */

2020-09-16T16:07:13Z

‎Image Gallery

Djando: /* Life After the Circus */

2020-09-14T23:35:25Z

‎Life After the Circus

Djando: /* The Giant Circus’s Last Years */

2020-09-14T23:33:24Z

‎The Giant Circus’s Last Years

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 ===The New Hippodrome-Circus Franz Althoff===
-Like the Cirque Bouglione, many European circuses in the early 1950s toured with American-style four-pole-in-line big tops, but it was mostly an eye-catching advertising ploy (and an easy way to expand the tent’s seating capacity). These shows used generally a single ring placed in the middle of their elongated tent, which impaired the visual comfort of a large part of the audience. A few of them had attempted the three-ring format, but mediocre results combined with higher costs led them to quickly abandon the idea.
+[[File:Althoff_4-poler.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Franz Althoff in The Netherlands (1953)]]Like the Cirque Bouglione, many European circuses in the early 1950s toured with American-style four-pole-in-line big tops, but it was mostly an eye-catching advertising ploy (and an easy way to expand the tent’s seating capacity). These shows used generally a single ring placed in the middle of their elongated tent, which impaired the visual comfort of a large part of the audience. A few of them had attempted the three-ring format, but mediocre results combined with higher costs led them to quickly abandon the idea.
-[[File:Althoff_4-poler.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Franz Althoff in The Netherlands (1953)]]On his part, Franz Althoff had begun to reconsider the three-ring format patterned on the early Krone model, based on his experience of the war years. For his 1953 season, he launched a four-pole big top, a "hippodrome circus" like Krone in the 1930s, but more intimate. The show used three rings in its first half, with a few single-ring star presentations, and the hippodrome space, devoid of its rings, was used in the second half, with fast-action production numbers: exotic animal tableaus, wild-west presentations and Roman races, plus Althoff’s spectacular "elephant ballet" and large equestrian display.
+On his part, Franz Althoff had begun to reconsider the three-ring format patterned on the early Krone model, based on his experience of the war years. For his 1953 season, he launched a four-pole big top, a "hippodrome circus" like Krone in the 1930s, but more intimate. The show used three rings in its first half, with a few single-ring star presentations, and the hippodrome space, devoid of its rings, was used in the second half, with fast-action production numbers: exotic animal tableaux, wild-west presentations and Roman races, plus Althoff’s spectacular "elephant ballet" and large equestrian display.
 The circus toured The Netherlands for the entire season, where it staged street parades and met with enormous success. The mammoth program included two of the Bougliones' cage acts. The season ended in the winter at Brussels's Palais des Sport under the title "American Circus Show." The Belgian capital would provide a regular winter home to Franz Althoff's circus. For the 1954 season, the circus visited Sweden in combination with the [[Cirkus Scott]] of the [[The Bronett Family|Bronett]] family. In those early years, Franz affirmed his talent at building European relationships; he also opened a channel with the [[The Knie Dynasty|Knie]] family in Switzerland, who would provide Althoff's growing show with a variety of animal acts including their famous cage acts presented by [[Vojtech Trubka]] or [[August Natsch]].
-At the same time, Franz Althoff's menagerie was expanding and was becoming the most diverse in Europe: Beside an important horse collection in its stables and a large herd of elephants, it included two giraffes, Europe’s only traveling rhino and a wide variety of exotic animals, among which thirty camels that participated in a spectacular hippodrome tableau. In the mid-fifties, one of the key performers in Althoff’s signature chariot races was the young [[Wolfgang Holzmair]], who had made his debut with Franz Althoff as a stable boy at age fourteen and was now the show's equestrian director.
+[[File:Cirque_Royal_-_Althoff.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Althoff's "American Circus" in Brussels (1955)]]At the same time, Franz Althoff's menagerie was expanding and was becoming the most diverse in Europe: Beside an important horse collection in its stables and a large herd of elephants, it included two giraffes, Europe’s only traveling rhino and a wide variety of exotic animals, among which thirty camels that participated in a spectacular hippodrome tableau. In the mid-fifties, one of the key performers in Althoff’s signature chariot races was the young [[Wolfgang Holzmair]], who had made his debut with Franz Althoff as a stable boy at age fourteen and was now the show's equestrian director.
-[[File:Cirque_Royal_-_Althoff.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Althoff's "American Circus" in Brussels (1955)]]For its 1955 season, Circus Franz Althoff toured The Netherlands in association with the [[Circus Strassburger|Strassburgers]], the great German Jewish circus family, which had left Germany and settled in The Netherlands with the help of impresario [[Frans Mikkenie]] during the rise of Nazism. Under the name ''Althoff-Strassburger'' the two equestrian dynasties offered wonderful synchronized liberty acts presented simultaneously on three rings&mdash;a feature the Italian [[The Togni Family|Togni]] family will later adopt in their Circo Americano.
+For its 1955 season, Circus Franz Althoff toured The Netherlands in association with the [[Circus Strassburger|Strassburgers]], the great German Jewish circus family, which had left Germany and settled in The Netherlands with the help of impresario [[Frans Mikkenie]] during the rise of Nazism. Under the name ''Althoff-Strassburger'' the two equestrian dynasties offered wonderful synchronized liberty acts presented simultaneously on three rings&mdash;a feature the Italian [[The Togni Family|Togni]] family will later adopt in their Circo Americano.
 In the winter 1955-56, following its customary "American" fall-winter season in Belgium, Circus Franz Althoff got involved in the new project of two French impresarios, Pierre Andrieu (the manager of Paris’s Alhambra music-hall) and circus impresario [[Hubert de Malafosse]], who were launching what is historically considered the first "Circus  Festival" concept at Paris's huge Vel' d'Hiv (Velodrome d’Hiver) arena. Althoff provided the core of the program, which also included Paulina and Albert Schumann's haute-école (in what would remain their only appearance in France), and the legendary [[Les Fratellini|Albert Fratellini]], who teamed up with the clowns [[Louis Maïss|Maïss]] and [[Polo Rivel]].

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 Germany's Circus Franz Althoff, "Europe's Largest Hippodrome-Circus," was truly, in the 1950s and 1960s, one of the continent's largest and more original circuses. Although it was active for no more than two decades after WWII, it was a circus industry’s trendsetter in several aspects. Its director, Franz Althoff (1908-1987), brilliantly developed collaborative strategies with foreign colleagues, and his circus was the first to regularly visit countries outside the German borders in the early postwar era. Circus Franz Althoff was also the first European circus of that era to develop an acceptable compromise between the grandiosity of the American-style three-ring circus and the refinement and intimacy of the traditional European circus.
-Franz Althoff also improved the circus performing space, introducing innovative concepts in big-top engineering and design. At the same time, he foresaw the potential the development of large indoor sport arenas offered to the European circus industry, and he participated in the emergence of the so-called "circus festivals" of the 1950-60s, which were held in these arenas and proved an efficient way to catch the attention of a public solicited by an increasing number of emerging forms of entertainment such as music recording, television and wide-screen movie spectacles.
+Franz Althoff also improved the circus performing space, introducing innovative concepts in big-top engineering and design. At the same time, he foresaw the potential the development of large indoor sport arenas offered to the European circus industry, and he participated in the emergence of the so-called "circus festivals" of the 1950-60s, which were held in these arenas and proved an efficient way to catch the attention of a public solicited by an increasing number of new forms of entertainment such as music recording, television and wide-screen movie spectacles.
 The broadness and scope of his circus project, as well as his genial personality, helped him close important deals with the American movie industry. A remarkably gifted animal trainer, he created spectacular yet elegant presentations of horses and elephants; his forty-eight-horse liberty act remains the largest in circus history. His shows, with their impressive variety of animal acts, spectacular production numbers and top international talents, are remembered as a modern paradigm of what a large-scale classic traveling circus was meant to be.

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 ==Suggested Reading==
-* Marlies Lehmann-Brune, ''Die Althoffs'' (Frankfurt am Main, Umschau Verlag, 1991) &mdash; ISBN 3-524-69096-3
+* Marlies Lehmann-Brune, ''Die Althoffs, Geschichte und Geschichten im die größte Circusdynastie der Welt'' (Frankfurt am Main, Umschau Verlag Breidenstein GmbH, 1991) – ISBN 3-524-69096-3
 * Henk van den Berg and Guido Ross, ''Die Unternehmen der Geschwister Althoff'' (Herlen, GIO Verlag, 2008)

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 In the mid-fifties, Franz Althoff began to develop his two signature acts, which became two circus history’s milestones. His elephant herd, now fourteen strong, was brilliantly staged in an ensemble presentation in the large, ring-free arena; This model would strongly inspire the later presentations of [[Gunther Gebel-Williams]] and [[The Togni Family|Willy Togni]] (and then his nephew Flavio). [[File:Franz_Althoff_Elephants_55.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Franz Althoff's Elephant Act (1955)]]The other, even more remarkable presentation was the liberty act of forty-eight horses, not presented in a quick, traditional “carousel” in the round, but as a full-fledged act occupying the entire hippodrome. It merged groups of Anglo-Arabs (6 gray, 12 blacks, 6 white and 6 bay), Austrian Lipizzans (6 white, 6 gray), and 6 rare “tigerschecken” (leopard) Danish horses. The chromatic effect of their twelve-minute serpentine choreography remains unique in circus history.
-Later, in 1960, Franz built an original novelty act: Four elephants and four of his “tigerschecken” horses working together in a liberty act. (In 1983 Flavio Togni, always attentive to the German school of horse training, recreated the act with four elephants and four palominos, and won a Silver Clown at the [[International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo]]). Franz also began a regular collaboration with the animal training school of [[Erie Klant]] (1912-1990), [[Willy Hagenbeck]]'s heir and stepson), in Cauberg, in The Netherlands, which became in the 1960s Europe's most important provider of cage acts and talented cat and bear trainers.
+Later, in 1960, Franz built an original novelty act: Four elephants and four of his “tigerschecken” horses working together in a liberty act. (In 1983 Flavio Togni, always attentive to the German school of horse training, recreated the act with four elephants and four palominos, and won a Silver Clown at the [[International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo]]). Franz also began a regular collaboration with the animal training school of [[Erie Klant]] (1912-1990), [[Willy Hagenbeck]]'s heir and stepson, based in Cauberg, in The Netherlands, which became in the 1960s Europe's most important provider of cage acts and talented cat and bear trainers.
 At that time, Europe's leading tent supplier was, and had been since 1872, the Stromeyer company from Konstanz. It was responsible for the evolution of the modern big top and had developed in the early 1920s the classic European four-pole-in-square support system, allowing steadier and perfectly round circus tents. In the 1950s Peter Stromeyer, was contacted by Frei Otto (1925-2015), a young architect interested in understanding the potential of fabrics in the emerging technology of cable-based light architecture.

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 In the mid-fifties, Franz Althoff began to develop his two signature acts, which became two circus history’s milestones. His elephant herd, now fourteen strong, was brilliantly staged in an ensemble presentation in the large, ring-free arena; This model would strongly inspire the later presentations of [[Gunther Gebel-Williams]] and [[The Togni Family|Willy Togni]] (and then his nephew Flavio). [[File:Franz_Althoff_Elephants_55.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Franz Althoff's Elephant Act (1955)]]The other, even more remarkable presentation was the liberty act of forty-eight horses, not presented in a quick, traditional “carousel” in the round, but as a full-fledged act occupying the entire hippodrome. It merged groups of Anglo-Arabs (6 gray, 12 blacks, 6 white and 6 bay), Austrian Lipizzans (6 white, 6 gray), and 6 rare “tigerschecken” (leopard) Danish horses. The chromatic effect of their twelve-minute serpentine choreography remains unique in circus history.
-Later, in 1960, Franz built an original novelty act: Four elephants and four of his “tigerschecken” horses working together in a liberty act. (In 1983 Flavio Togni, always attentive to the German school of horse training, recreated the act with four elephants and four palominos, and won a Silver Clown at the [[International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo]]). Franz also began a regular collaboration with the animal training school of [[Erie Klant]] (1912-1990), [[Willy Hagenbeck]]'s heir and stepson), in Valkenburg, Germany, which became in the 1960s Europe's most important provider of cage acts and talented cat and bear trainers. (Erie Klant's organization was later based in Cauberg, in The Netherlands.)
+Later, in 1960, Franz built an original novelty act: Four elephants and four of his “tigerschecken” horses working together in a liberty act. (In 1983 Flavio Togni, always attentive to the German school of horse training, recreated the act with four elephants and four palominos, and won a Silver Clown at the [[International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo]]). Franz also began a regular collaboration with the animal training school of [[Erie Klant]] (1912-1990), [[Willy Hagenbeck]]'s heir and stepson), in Cauberg, in The Netherlands, which became in the 1960s Europe's most important provider of cage acts and talented cat and bear trainers.
 At that time, Europe's leading tent supplier was, and had been since 1872, the Stromeyer company from Konstanz. It was responsible for the evolution of the modern big top and had developed in the early 1920s the classic European four-pole-in-square support system, allowing steadier and perfectly round circus tents. In the 1950s Peter Stromeyer, was contacted by Frei Otto (1925-2015), a young architect interested in understanding the potential of fabrics in the emerging technology of cable-based light architecture.

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 File:Althoff_Liberty_1955.jpg|Franz Althoff's Liberty Act (1955)
 File:Franz_Althoff_Elephants_55.jpg|Franz Althoff's Elephant Act (1955)
 File:Franz_Althoff_1956.jpg|Program Cover (1956)
 File:Franz_Althoff_Wien_1956.jpg|Franz Althoff (1956)
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 File:Hary_and_Marianne_Althoff_1964.jpg|Harry and Marianne Althoff with Claudia Cardinale and John Smith (1964)
 File:Circus_World_Poster.jpg|''Circus World'' Poster (1964)
 File:Althoff_Matt_Master.jpg|Poster for Franz Althoff in Brussels (1964)
 File:Althoff_Poster.jpg|Circus Franz Althoff Poster (c.1965)

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 Back to his winter quarters at Maintal-Dornigheim, near Frankfurt, Franz faced the challenge of liquidating the assets of his giant circus: an immense rolling stock, some of the best trained (and largest) horse groups, dozens of exotics animals, a Noah's Ark-size menagerie and a herd of fourteen elephants. Some wagons and a horse group left for South America, bought by the [[Egred Family|Egred]] family. [[Elfi Althoff]] (Carl Althoff's sister) and her husband, [[Rudy Jacobi]], purchased several other wagons for their newly born “Rudy Bros. U.S.A. Circus” (a short-lived show, which eventually settled in Austria and morphed into the [[Österreichischer National Circus]]). Four elephants went to France’s [[Cirque Amar]], two others were purchased by the [[The Gruss Dynasty|Gruss]] family (including Tuffy, who became Toffy), and the others went in engagement to various European circuses. Some wild cats were purchased by [[Trude Sarrasani]] in South America.
-Franz and his children, Harry, Marianne and Franziska (b. 1947), were still well-off and remained in the circus business, exploiting their remaining animal acts. For the1969 season, they appeared at Blackpool’s [[Tower Circus]]. In the following winter 1970-71, Franz kept his usual winter engagement at Brussels’s Cirque Royal, adding pop music acts to his show. Meanwhile, Franz’s horse groups went to work in such circuses as [[Cirque Pinder|Pinder]] in France, [[Toni Boltini]] in The Netherlands, Sarrasani and Barum in Germany.
+[[File:Althoff_Liberty.jpeg|thumb|right|400px|The 48-Horse Liberty Act (1967)]]Franz and his children, Harry, Marianne and Franziska (b. 1947), were still well-off and remained in the circus business, exploiting their remaining animal acts. For the1969 season, they appeared at Blackpool’s [[Tower Circus]]. In the following winter 1970-71, Franz kept his usual winter engagement at Brussels’s Cirque Royal, adding pop music acts to his show. Meanwhile, Franz’s horse groups went to work in such circuses as [[Cirque Pinder|Pinder]] in France, [[Toni Boltini]] in The Netherlands, Sarrasani and Barum in Germany.
 Harry Althoff had become one of the finest horse trainers of his generation. He had been the magician behind the legendary forty-eight-horse liberty group and every other arena presentation of the mighty Franz Althoff circus. He began a successful career with one of the Althoff liberty acts and a new group of six elephants: First with Sarrasani, then, until the mid-1980s, at Circus Barum (which had become Barum-Siemoneit in 1972 and eventually purchased the animals). Then, Harry became director of Circus Knie's Kinderzoo in Rapperswil, then stage manager at Frankfurt's legendary Tigerpalast varieté. Harry Althoff passed away in 2008. His daughter, Gina, developed a successful foot-juggling act.

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 In the mid-1960s, Franz Althoff’s circus was still flourishing, offering a wide variety of very good acts: Multiple cage acts, such as the Klant-Hagenbeck mixed group presented by [[Charles Dubé]] or [[Miss Yvonne]] and polar bears presented by [[Barbara & Eugen Poludniak]], as well as Henri Dantès's lions (which belonged to the Bougliones); there were crocodiles presented by either [[Koringa]] or [[Karah-Kawak]]; sealions; chimps; Althoff's horses and elephants; and well-known international acts such as the [[Dior Sisters]], [[The Merkys]], the tightwire dancer [[Katharina]], the clown [[Pio Nock]], the [[Marilee Flyers]] and many others, to which were added the spectacular production numbers on the hippodrome.
-The menagerie expanded, with the addition of a gorilla and an orangoutang in 1965. For the winter season in Brussel, which was produced in collaboration with Erie Klant, the show was retitled ''Hagenbeck's World Circus''&mdash;a way to allude to the now-famous movie title associated with Althoff, ''Circus World''. Yet, touring such a large circus as Althoff’s was becoming increasingly difficult, as it also was for many other European large shows. Furthermore, interest for Franz Althoff's show formula, which was becoming predictable, was also waning in his German and Benelux markets.
+[[File:Althoff_Poster.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Franz Althoff Poster (c.1965)]] The menagerie expanded, with the addition of a gorilla and an orangoutang in 1965. For the winter season in Brussel, which was produced in collaboration with Erie Klant, the show was retitled ''Hagenbeck's World Circus''&mdash;a way to allude to the now-famous movie title associated with Althoff, ''Circus World''. Yet, touring such a large circus as Althoff’s was becoming increasingly difficult, as it also was for many other European large shows. Furthermore, interest for Franz Althoff's show formula, which was becoming predictable, was also waning in his German and Benelux markets.
 An Italian tour project was thwarted by [[The Togni Family|Ferdinando]] and [[The Togni Family|Enis Togni]], whose huge show had an identical style&mdash;although with an Italian warmth and exuberance that Circus Franz Althoff may have lacked. Starting in 1961, the Tognis had been touring the Althoff territory in Germany and Benelux with their [[Circo Heros]], subtitled ''Italienischer National Circus'' (Circo Heros became Circo Americano in Italy). If comparable in size to Franz Althoff’s, Circo Heros was a lighter and more compact operation to run; its main advantage was that the show was managed by a large, versatile and multitasking circus family that even provided a good part of the performing cast.