Ringling Brothers Sarasota Florida-1948: High Wire Performer Climbs Pole in Circus Big Top

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use. $149 flat from Stockfilm. Royalty-free worldwide license for commercial and editorial use, delivered as the restored 4K master.

Year1948
Decade1940s
LocationRingling Brothers Sarasota, Florida, United States
Duration5s
Price$149 USD
Collection1948 Ringling Brothers Sarasota Florida

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use

$149 USD flat · royalty-free worldwide · 4K restored master (MP4)

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Stockfilm licenses the rights identified in the applicable agreement. Additional use-specific review may be required. See the Licensing Guide and Archive Integrity.

High Wire Performer Climbs Pole in Circus Big Top — Clip Details

Shot on 8mm film in 1948, this vintage footage captures the Ringling Brothers circus in Sarasota, Florida. The clip shows a packed audience in the big top, with performers preparing for their acts. A high wire performer climbs a central pole, silhouetted against the canvas ceiling, while the crowd watches intently. The grainy black-and-white image, with visible film scratches and light leaks, evokes the authentic feel of a classic home movie from the mid-20th century. This archival footage offers a nostalgic glimpse into the golden age of circus entertainment.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Shot details: Black & white
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: commercial and editorial use
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 5s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 124604562

Rights & Clearance

$149 · Commercial Direct license: commercial and editorial use. $149 flat from Stockfilm. Royalty-free worldwide license for commercial and editorial use, delivered as the restored 4K master.

Editorial use is the safest path. For commercial use, a clearance review is recommended for the flags below.

People visible: Yes
Minors visible: No
Logos / trademarks: No
Audible music: No

Flags come from automated catalog metadata, not a legal opinion. The source is an original 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie reel. For high-stakes commercial use, request a full rights review.

Source & Documentation

Source reel: Reel record not linked for this clip
Date: 1948 Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Date evidence: Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual or technical evidence; no reel-level note is linked.
Location: Ringling Brothers Sarasota, Florida, United States Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Location evidence: Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual evidence such as signage, landmarks, or terrain; no reel-level note is linked.
Licensing route: Direct license available from Stockfilm

Confidence labels are defined on Archive Integrity. Fields without a recorded value are shown as not recorded rather than assumed.

Open Clip Documentation Record Request source information

Topics & Keywords

Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit: Useful for 1940s editorial or documentary sequences needing Ringling Brothers circus atmosphere, audience scale, and pre-performance acrobat visuals from home-movie 8mm footage.
Period detail: The big-top canvas, crowded bleachers, rigging, and black-and-white 8mm look support the stated 1948 Sarasota circus setting, though individual performers are not identifiable.
Home-movie behavior: The clip has a spectator-shot viewpoint, lingering on the crowd and a high-wire performer preparing above the ring rather than a staged publicity angle.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include packed bleachers, circus rigging, canvas roof seams, a central climbing pole, high-wire netting, platforms, dark frame edges, and silhouetted performers.
Film character: The footage shows soft focus, heavy grain, gate edges, uneven exposure, scratches, and contact-print framing that read as authentic physical 8mm archive texture.
Edit role: An editor could use it as a brief insert, transition, or memory beat establishing circus spectacle before cutting to performers, audience reaction, or mid-century leisure scenes.
Historical context: The frames show a large public circus audience watching aerial preparation, reflecting mid-century mass entertainment without proving specific acts beyond the visible rigging and performer movement.
Research note: People and faces are visible in the audience, so likeness review may be needed; copyright, performer rights, and venue or circus naming should be checked separately.
Research search match: Matches searches for 1940s 8mm circus footage, Ringling Brothers Sarasota home movie, big-top audience, acrobats preparing, high-wire performer, and vintage circus crowd.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent footage from the same reel, then other 1948 Sarasota Ringling Brothers material, then broader 1940s circus, acrobat, and audience scenes.

Still Frames From This Clip

1948 Sarasota circus footage showing a packed audience under the big top with rigging and platforms in the foreground. — Crowd fills the bleachers as circus rigging and platforms sit in front of the ring.

Ringling Brothers Sarasota big-top view with a dense audience, canvas roof, and aerial performance equipment visible. — Aerial equipment stands before a full circus audience inside the tent.

A high-wire performer appears silhouetted against the big-top canvas while climbing a central pole or rope in the ring area. — A performer climbs in silhouette below the tent canvas and wire netting.

1948 Sarasota circus frame with a performer silhouetted beside high-wire netting under the canvas big-top roof. — The performer is framed against the tent roof and aerial netting near the end of the clip.

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