Sunday, March 05, 2006

Gunther #1


I received this interesting back yard shot from DAVPOW dated 1973 and showing Stanley Gill, Elena Ben Saad, Gunther, Buffy and Lou Jacobs.
Kneeling in front is actor Iron Eyes Cody, behind him his wife? and in the background someone standing on a bull tub?

Posted by Buckles at 3/05/2006 06:03:00 AM

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cody made a much better Indian than Cowboy. I will always remember the anti litter spot he did years ago. Brought a tear to my eyes also. A most powerful spot that words were not needed. The tall man in the background looks so familer[?]

05 March, 2006 11:08
Pat Cashin said...

Just my personal Gunther memories...

When I was a kid, the man was a superhero; bigger and better than any comic book because he was real.

He was better than Evel Knevel because I saw Evel screw up and crash. I never saw Gunther as anything less than the consumate showman. Always spot-on perfect in the ring.

Gunther is probably the reason my father didn't mind taking me to the Garden every year. He LOVED Gunther and appreciated him for the entertainer that he was. My old man couldn't have cared less about the circus, and couldn't understand why I loved it, but thought Gunther was the worth TWICE the ticket price for me and my brothers so he took us all year after year.

For those of you that never saw him, you missed it. In the 70s he truly WAS the Greatest Show on Earth.

For those of you who worked with him, I hope you got the chance to watch him the seats; he really was everything Irvin and his PR machine claimed.

I worked alongside him briefly (long after he'd retired from performing) in 1999. Gunther was ALWAYS the first one on the job in the morning and the last one to quit at night.

He could have rested on his laurels but I always saw him working twice as hard as anyone else on the show.

And he three times paid me (ME, a lowly First of May clown) great compliments, which meant the world to me. How many people meet their childhood heroes and have them appreiciate THEIR efforts on behalf of the show?

So, for many reasons, Gunther was and always will be the absolute greatest of showmen in my book.

I miss him, as I miss seeing Lou Jacobs, both as a performer and as an audience member.

Pat Cashin

06 March, 2006 01:00
Anonymous said...

Pat I have always tried not to judge another person by what others say. "who are we to judge anyway" Personal experiences we can reply to. My favorite person has had so many stories told againest him that I know for fact are not true. This really gets to me sometimes especially since this person is very unaware that these lies are told and probably cares less if he should know. It is very hard not to bite your tung when you care for these people. I have quit trying. At my age I can pretty much say what I want when I know the truth as I see it with my own eyes. Love is not blind.

06 March, 2006 10:12
Anonymous said...

Karen. I have always felt that an animal trainer is of a different breed of human. Either you can do it like it comes so natural or you might as well find a different line of work. Work is the wrong word to use here. Its a passion. You are born with it not just because your parents did it. It has to be your whole life. Some how Buckles managed to have a social life also. Not many animal people can do both or even want to. I have found when another person {men} realize that my animals will always come first to me, they can't handle the computition. Men are too much work. I love them dearly, just don't want one to keep. I hope you understand what I am trying to say. If you can't have the one you want, don't settle. Go it alone. Katherin Hepburn style.

06 March, 2006 17:35
Anonymous said...

With the obvious gift of palaver that Buckles has I find it almost impossable to imagine him not having a social life even if he were a monk! Buckles, I enjoy your semi-jaundiced take on life under the big top & Feld's.

I spent three wonderful seasons on the Red Unit w/ Gunther. I was very good friends with his cousin Henry(no easy feat)and I was there when Iron Eyes visited Lou. They were old buddies from way back. The tall fellow is Iron Eye's son I believe. I saw Iron Eyes 2 years later and asked about his son. He said he was living on the Pendelton reservation in Oregon and had maried a girl from the rez. His son evidently pissed her off, because one night and she cut his long hair off while he was sleeping. According to Iron Eyes, "it served him right... don't ever make a Native American woman mad!"

07 March, 2006 12:50
Buckles said...

John Herriott tells a great Gunther story from the days when he was making the milk run around the track with "Kongo" and the tiger.
On making their exit on one side of the back door was the empty tiger cage and on the other side a rolled up flying act net. "Kongo" would stop between them and the tiger would then jump down onto a pedistal then directly into it's cage and Henry would quickly close the door. As soon as Gunther heard the door close he would then do a half pirouette from "Kongo" and land on the rolled up net.
He would then approach the bandstand and with a slight bow followed by a snappy salute he bid "Good Night" to Johnny, Kieth or any other staff member in the area.
One night the flying act net had been taken away for repair with no mention made, everyone as usual, kept their eyes on the tiger as it dismounted when suddenly they heard this horrendous crash. John ran over to help Gunther up but was immediately brushed aside.
Anyone else would say "Who moved that fuckin'net? I damn near killed myself!"
Not Gunther, despite walking at a 45 degree angle he want straight to the bandstand and after the obligatory "Good Night", "Good Night", Good Night" he went out the back door.

07 March, 2006 18:05
Anonymous said...

Buckles, I would love to sit down over a cool sarsaparilla with you some day. Are you by chance a member of the Moose Lodge???

08 March, 2006 11:57
Buckles said...

No, but I have been a member of the Hugo, Okla. Masonic Lodge #217 for 50 years. They have loads of sasperilla at the Showfolks Club if you are ever down that way.

08 March, 2006 12:06
Anonymous said...

Karen I am a Scotch drinker at the Club. Club of Hard Knocks. I like conversation on a BIG jug of Rhine Wine. Check Bens e-mail address for mine. I love men, every female should have a dozen.

08 March, 2006 14:59
GaryHill said...

I want to be one! Pick me pick me!!! Just had to do that, the thought of two HOT female animal trainers kinda turns me on!!!!

08 March, 2006 19:18
GaryHill said...

OOOOHHH I would LOVE to be the Middle Man!!!! Y'all just keep setting me up! I Love it!!

08 March, 2006 20:36
Anonymous said...

OK Karen, Lets go through Gary. Can his wife woopus? I know she must be as funny as Gary and knows we are just funnin with him. Once on the Gulf Coast DR, JOE MCMAN Gene and I went to check the night life out. At 2 in the morning I was board to tears and wanted to go home. I went to set at the bar and the Tender { female inpersonator} fixed me a drink to perk me up. MARGARITA I love them. Any way DR was playing that game where you throw the dice on this big table. He ask me to throw them for him. I removed my glove, {Yes the Dutchess wore evening gloves.} and rubbed my butt to get the lent off my hand. DR won a lot of money. He insisted that I do this each time I threw the dice. I think of this story whenever Margaritas are mentioned.

08 March, 2006 21:49
GaryHill said...

Always ready with a helping hand! Rebecca my e-mail is FtFrkGary@aol.com OK ,all the good names were taken except shitshoveler and well that just might bother some people! My handle or whatever you call it is-now remember, I'm a Farrier and work with feet- FootFreakGary- OK now get UP off the floor!

08 March, 2006 22:00
GaryHill said...

Talk about runaways. I remember one day not long after I had came back from working in New Jersey, we were way out in the back corner of the park where Jewell's cage was set. Anyway he had been working with Reggie, a cat that they had used in the petting zoo or something when the park first opened. Reggie was leash broke but he was a runner! Jewell dropped the chain for some reason and Reggie was off and running! Back in them days I was quite the sprinter so I was on his hinney running in that deep ass sand in the back of the park. I finally caught up with him and grabbed the only thing I could which was his tail! He stopped dead in his tracks and both of us was sucking wind! Jewell and his cousin Kenny finally made it to us and walked Reggie back to his cage. Funny thing is I remember this being the first day back with Jewell and I had never "met" Reggie before. He probably thought, " what is this skinny guy doing running me down"? I also had to run down Mike and Janice's bear Cloe'. She got away from them and I grabbed her but she clawed my left hand pretty good. I still have the scars and they are the only ones I ever got working with exotics. Lucky me!

08 March, 2006 23:53
GaryHill said...

That was Reggie! "HighBeams" OOOHHHH I like that name!

09 March, 2006 00:38
Anonymous said...

HighBeams, I guess that makes me Low Beams. Did you work with ALPO? The few pets that have run on me, did it out of fear of lighting and thunder. It was usually the ones you least expect it from. I have about10 gates here with locks on everyone of them. Once MICA , a Siberian Husky got out of her collar and ran like only a Husky can at the park. I walk up to a parked car and yelled MICA want to go by by and she came running and waited at the door of that truck until I replaced her collar. I now use what they call Greyhound collars from LUPINE to go for walks. My own pets wear haulters.

09 March, 2006 08:59
Anonymous said...

Karen, Was Ben high strung and beautiful or Alpo? Men don't need to be afraid of our hooks, whips, guns, etc. Our mouths will kill them for sure. Thats about the only part of me that works any more. I am also a Vet Tech. I went to school for the benifit[?] of my business WEE WITTLE WOOFIES not to work in an office. I went to Grooming School in MO to have an income to support my animals. I must tell you and Gary that I only missed three questions on the final test. I castrated a goat wrong [on paper, not a live goat]. I also did not get one right as I did not know you should get a rabies series of shots to work in an animal clinic. The other one was about billing clients.

09 March, 2006 11:15
Anonymous said...

In place of listening to a radio or watching TV, I have a police scanner on 24 hours a day. I hear when the police or firemen have a pet that needs care over the week end or after hours. They then call me to see if I can take it. I have never refused one yet. Animal people are such softees. Its hard to think of a circus performer who did not have pets with them at all times. I think the first thing Buckles does of a morning is let the pets out to run.

09 March, 2006 23:48

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