CNN - Circus scores again with Arianna the Human Arrow

Circus scores again with Arianna the Human Arrow

April 30, 1996
Web posted at: 8:45 a.m. EDT

From Correspondent Bill Tush

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Master showman P.T. Barnum must be laughing from the beyond about the rumor going around that the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus main attraction this year is not what they say it is. The rumor: Arianna the Human Arrow is actually a man. (861K QuickTime movie)

Barnum himself is credited with the phrase "there is a sucker born every minute." And for well over a hundred years, people have been laying down good money to see his strange attractions.

The circus bearing the great showman's name continues his tradition. Slightly more than a decade ago, it was the unicorn that had tongues wagging. Doubters said it was merely a goat with a stick-on horn, but the circus denied it. The crowds came.

Here we go again. Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus presents Arianna, the Human Arrow. But Arianna is not promoting herself and the circus is only providing an artist conception of the attraction shot across the arena from a crossbow.

And wouldn't you know it, this shroud of mystery is most likely how the rumor started. Is she really a he?

"Well, that's old-fashioned Barnum," says national press representative Barbara Pflughaupt. "The truth to the matter is we didn't start the rumor, but we're very glad it did because it's been a hoot." (136K AIFF sound or 136K WAV sound)

And nobody thinks it's funnier than the circus folks themselves.

"Well it's very laughable," says David Kiser, the assistant performance director. "We have a lot of fun at the circus and we are used to hearing and seeing lots of things."

Kiser says the rumor is funny to Arianna as well. "Of course she was a little surprised by it like we were," he says. "But at the same time, she's laughing with the rest of us."

So Arianna is a woman!

"She certainly is," says ringmaster Dinny McGuire. "She is a beautiful woman."

McGuire even has his own theory about how this rumor got started.

"My feelings are someone misheard the song during the Arianna procession where the words are 'keep your eyes on the sky, Arianna,'" he explains. "And I think what happened was somebody thought I was singing 'keep your eyes on this guy.'" (203K AIFF sound or 203K WAV sound)

Whatever the answer, old P.T. would be proud. It's selling tickets.

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Circus scores again with Arianna the Human Arrow

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