Circus of the Stars

Circus of the Stars was an annual television special, broadcast by the CBS network in the United States, in which celebrities performed circus-type acts. With 19 shows in total, the first was broadcast in 1977 and the last was in 1994.[1] Over the years the series featured many leading movie and television stars.

Not to be confused with Celebrity Circus (disambiguation).

Circus of the Stars
GenreVariety show
Narrated byJohnny Gilbert
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes19
Production
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time45–48 minutes
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseJanuary 10, 1977 (1977-01-10) –
December 16, 1994 (1994-12-16)

Towards the end of its life, the program title was changed slightly. In 1992, it was Circus of the Stars and Sideshow, in 1993 it became Circus of the Stars Gives Kids the World, and in 1994, it was Circus of the Stars Goes to Disneyland. The concept has also been performed in other countries, notably Stars in der Manege (1959–2008) in Germany.[2]

Other versions and variations

The concept of celebrities turning their hand to circus acts has proved attractive to program makers around the world. The German show Stars in der Manege began in 1959 and continued annually as a charity fundraising special until 2008. It was made each winter in the Circus Krone Building in Munich, and broadcast on or around Boxing Day.[3]

Production company Endemol has developed a reality TV format called Celebrity Circus, which takes stars from fields such as entertainment and sport, and shows them being trained in circus acts over a period of weeks. A version aired in Australia in 2005, and a Portuguese version in 2006. A British version was mooted and announcements were made that NBC had picked up the format for the American market in 2008. Variety reported that ABC might be looking to relaunch Circus of the Stars, while CBS and Fox were purportedly interested in circus concepts, as well.[4]

List of celebrities who appeared on Circus of the Stars

The following list illustrates the range and status of celebrities who appeared on Circus of the Stars over the course of its original run. The list is compiled mainly from entries at the Internet Movie Database verified in many cases through material from official biographies and fan sites.

†Mark-Paul Gosselaar was cast and did weeks of rehearsals but got injured before the show could be filmed.

Linda Evans was to appear in show 6 in 1981, but was injured by a 200 lb. female leopard during rehearsal. Evans was knocked down by the leopard and bitten below the breast. After the incident, Evans opted not to appear on the show. This was the second incident in the history of the show regarding a big cat. During taping of show 1, Gary Collins was knocked down by a tiger, but was not injured.

Original transmission details
  • Circus of the Stars: January 10, 1977
  • Circus of the Stars #2: December 5, 1977
  • Circus of the Stars #3: December 8, 1978
  • Circus of the Stars #4: December 16, 1979
  • Circus of the Stars #5: December 14, 1980
  • Circus of the Stars #6: December 13, 1981
  • Circus of the Stars #7: December 5, 1982
  • Circus of the Stars #8: December 18, 1983
  • Circus of the Stars #9: December 2, 1984
  • Circus of the Stars #10: December 8, 1985
  • Circus of the Stars #11: December 9, 1986
  • Circus of the Stars #12: December 15, 1987
  • Circus of the Stars #13: November 25, 1988
  • Circus of the Stars #14: November 22, 1989
  • Circus of the Stars #15: November 21, 1990
  • Circus of the Stars #16: November 29, 1991
  • Circus of the Stars and Sideshow: November 27, 1992
  • Circus of the Stars Gives Kids the World: November 26, 1993
  • Circus of the Stars Goes to Disneyland: December 16, 1994

See also

References
  1. "IMDb Title Search "Circus of the Stars"". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 27, 2007.
  2. ""Stars in der Manege:" Schluss der Vorstellung". Fokus Magazin online. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  3. "Vier Jahrzehnte Zirkuszauber (trans: Four Decades of Circus Shows)". BR-online. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
  4. "NBC Runs Off to the 'Circus'". zap2it.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2008. Retrieved February 7, 2008.
  5. Appeared together with her mother Lee Meriwether
  6. Credited as Melissa Anderson
  7. a.k.a. Rebecca Arthur / Rebekah Arthur
  8. "Kristy McNichol on TV". J Wilson. Retrieved November 21, 2007.
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