Ripley: Believe It or Not

"Ripley's Believe It or Not" is as American as apple pie, baseball, & Superman. This one-hour documentary shows how a country bumpkin named Leroy Robert Ripley began his career in San Francisco before moving to New York. This globe-trotting newsman/cartoonist/showman was very awkward on the camera & had fears (like the fear of flying), but he did not let those concerns stand in his way of impacting the American culture & living his life to the fullest.

Before watching this documentary (which could have easily been multiple hours) I always thought of Ripley as a later incarnation of P. T. Barnum, but I believe I was mistaken. He did not merely show these people & the feats they could accomplish as a "side show" or "freak show" but as one commentator said in the piece, as a "celebration of the underdog."

If you are even remotely interested in this small piece of American culture, I highly recommend you watch this brief documentary.