Irvin Feld

Irvin Feld (May 9, 1918 - September 6, 1984) was an impresario and long time owner of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He was a music promoter [ [http://www.ringling.com/explore/history/feld_1.aspx Ringling Brothers Feld Stewardship] ] and has been credited with bringing singer/songwriter Paul Anka to fame in the United States during a promotional tour. [ [http://www.geocities.com/narimasu99/breed02.htm "A Vanishing Breed": Back To The Drugstore] ]

Biography

One of six children born to Russian immigrants, he sold elixirs door to door before opening a pharmacy with sponsorship from the NAACP. Playing music to attract customers led to his career in music, including being Anka's personal manager and President of Super Attractions, Inc. from 1957 to 1964. [ [http://www.kevo.com/profile/irvinfeld Irvin Feld's Kevo] ]

Feld was the founder of [http://www.feldentertainment.com/ Feld Entertainment] , which owns Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus (bought November 11, 1967) though he assumed operations in 1957. [ [http://www.ringling.com/explore/history/feld_1.aspx Ringling Brothers Feld Stewardship] ] [ [http://www.feldentertainment.com/pr/presskit/RBBB.htm Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®: 130 Years of Tradition, Excitement and Wonder] ] In 1968, he began the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College. After selling the circus to Mattel, he rebought it in 1982. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Feld Family Buys Ringling Bros |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D00E0DD1639F93AA25750C0A964948260 |quote= Mattel Inc. said that it had sold Ringling Brothers-Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows Inc. for $22.8 million to a family that had owned the circus and has been in its management for 26 years. Two members of the family, Irvin Feld and his son, Kenneth, said that the deal included the circus, Ice Follies, Holiday on Ice and the new Walt Disney's World on Ice. The transaction also includes a Las Vegas nightclub act called "Beyond Belief." The acquisition involves more than 1,200 performers and employees, 500 circus animals and 98 railroad cars. Irvin Feld was a record and music promoter and music store chain owner before becoming involved with the circus in 1956. In 1967, he and a brother acquired the company's total assets from the Ringling and North families for $8 million. Two years later, the circus became a publicly held corporation, and in 1971 the company was sold to Mattel for $50 million in stock. |work=Associated Press in New York Times |date=March 19, 1982 |accessdate=2008-07-20 ] He died in 1984, and passed on the business to his son Kenneth Feld, who had joined the company in 1970. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Irvin Feld, Owner of Ringling Bros. Circus, Dies |url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/1005706182.html?dids=1005706182:1005706182&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&date=Sep+07%2C+1984&author=&pub=The+Hartford+Courant&desc=Irvin+Feld%2C+Owner+of+Ringling+Bros.+Circus%2C+Dies&pqatl=google |quote=Irvin Feld, once hailed as the "greatest showman on earth" and the owner, chairman and producer of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, died here Thursday. He was 66. |work=Hartford Courant |date=September 7, 1984 |accessdate=2008-07-20 ] [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=American Impresario Irvin Feld Dies; Was Owner of Ringling Bros. Circus |url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/access/124754052.html?dids=124754052:124754052&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=SEP+07%2C+1984&author=By+Martin+Weil+Washington+Post+Staff+Writer&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=American+Impresario+Irvin+Feld+Dies%3B+Was+Owner+of+Ringling+Bros.+Circus&pqatl=google |quote=Irvin Feld, 66, the son of East European immigrants who grew up to be a major American impresario and an heir in spirit to the legendary P.T. Barnum as the owner and operator of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, died yesterday in a Venice, Fla., hospital. |work=Washington Post |date=September 7, 1984 |accessdate=2008-07-20 ] [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=The Call of the Circus |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/jobs/03boss.html |quote=My grandfather Irvin Feld was a promoter. He bought Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1967. My father, Kenneth, joined the company, now Feld Entertainment, in 1970 and is C.E.O. |work=New York Times |date=August 3, 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-04 ]

Legacy

In 1987, he was inducted into the International Circus Hall of Fame. [cite web |url=http://circushof.com/halloffame.html |title=International Circus Hall of Fame inductees |accessdate=2008-08-04 |quote= |publisher=International Circus Hall of Fame ]

Ownership

Feld Entertainment also owns Disney on Ice!, [http://www.doodlebops.com Doodlebops Live!] and [http://www.DisneyLive.com Disney Live!] . In September of 2008, Feld also acquired the motorsports division of Live Nation, including the properties of Monster Jam (and several associated monster trucks), Supercross, Arenacross, and the IHRA [ [http://www.feldentertainment.com/press/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=14542 Feld Entertainment Acquires Live Nation Motor Sports] ] .

References