Thursday, March 23, 2006

Ringling-Barnum 1949/ Tiger act


This is Rudolph Mathies with a former Alfred Court tiger act and appearing in the new style arena. I remember hearing that Concello had seen one of these in Europe and immediately calculated how much less loading space it would require. I assume they had another one just like it for Damoo Dhotre in the other end.
When the picture is enlarged it looks like it was made of twisted chain link rather than the cable used today. I heard it was incredibly heavy and the prop crew carried it in snake style then circled the ring, dropped it and then went thru the tedious proceedure of attaching it to a narrow ply wood base so the weight of the cats on their seats held it down.
Fortunately this display opened the show giving the the prop crew plenty of time between shows to pre-set everything. Spec came a few acts later in the program as there was no intermission in those days.

Posted by Buckles at 3/23/2006 06:02:00 AM

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't think I would truly trust this type of arena. My cats can and do climb chain link and any other type of enclosure where they can get a foot hold. aluminum bends very easly and needs special handeling. For the abuse an arena takes being put up and down several times a day, you can not beat the old fashion Steel Arena.

23 March, 2006 08:27
Buckles said...

I once asked Terell Jacobs what he thought of these type arenas and he said "No good! I want something I can climb out of if I have to".

23 March, 2006 09:04
Anonymous said...

This is were my WEB training would come in handy. You better believe I could make it over this fence if I really had to. I hope.

23 March, 2006 10:24
Anonymous said...

Whenever a show drops the cat act you hear the same thing. Arena takes extra prop guys. Arena takes extra truck or trailer. Arena takes too much time to go up and down, or too much overhead rigging. Insuring cats costs a bundle too. Cut the cats, cut the nut.

23 March, 2006 11:27
Anonymous said...

The days of doing things for the beauty and skill are long gone. Its all about money now. Things that are priceless gone because of too much work, unskilled or lazy people., Insurance and lawyers. What a shame for and on the human race.

23 March, 2006 12:04
Anonymous said...

I was working outside the Feld's cable net arena when Christiana and Erhardt Samel's mixed act was on. Their damn polar bear stood up, grabbed the top rim and hauled down on it. 40 feet diametrically across the ring, the ring curb lifted up three feet from the ground and I was saying hello to the black leopard. The audience nearest us began to panic. A dozen of us landed on the curb and forced it down, none too soon, as Erhardt tried to distract the playful polar bear, who then wanted to toy with the rim every show. Not one soul on the Feld show learned from this and the net arena remained. I was further appalled when I looked up once and saw this cage held up by a single rope through a block and casually tied off on a guy line.

Elmer Morgan "Chuck" Hayes told me he was there when McCormick Steele invented this arena. I believe this construction far pre-dated Mr. Steele, but that he did assemble one for Ringling, or Feld, use. They don't an arena of any kind now, do they?

25 March, 2006 14:06
Anonymous said...

Getting back to Rudolph Matthies...Mabel Stark was notoriously reserved in her respects for competing trainers, but there were a number she told me about of whom she spoke very highly. Certainly one was Mr. Matthies. She referred to him as a fine man with tigers, and a true gentleman. She loved Bert Nelson, to whom she introduced me. She would drive down once or twice a year to visit Olga Celeste. She was fond of Roman Proske, Dick McGraw and Pat Anthony, and had a lot of respect for Terrell Jacobs. Of course, she most highly honored Louis Roth, her husband and mentor for four years. But oh, my God, did she have it in for Clyde Beatty. Wait till I tell you about that some time.

25 March, 2006 14:19
Anand Dhotre said...

Hi,

This Anand Dhotre from India...
International Circus Artist Damoo Dhotre was my Great Grandfather...
As you posted these photographs, I have that photographs of Damoo Dhotre today.
Please contact me on dhotre.anand@gmail.com

Regards,
Anand Dhotre

15 January, 2009 10:12

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