Monday, April 17, 2006

James Bros. Circus 1970


This is a picture of the same elephants from my own collection.
The fat little elephant on this end is"Juno" and the larger one "Ellie" standing next to "Anna May" was later accidently electrocuted while working in harness with Roller Bros. Circus in about 1973.

Posted by Buckles at 4/17/2006 07:01:00 AM

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

When did the Kellner three come to you at Ringling?

17 April, 2006 11:33
Buckles said...

In 1977 Kellner called me at the park and said they were for sale, I passed this on to Kenny and they made a deal.
I sent Jacobson up to Tennessee? where the show had folded and he brought them back.
When I was on Kellner's Show "Louie" would swing that front leg on occasion but I was surprised that in the five years since I had last seen her, the leg had frozen stiff. The Ringling vets said it was Rhumatoid Arthritis.
Too bad she is a nice elephant.

17 April, 2006 12:05
Anonymous said...

Cora from Axel's herd had the same problem. We would walk her over elevated chains and she learned to lift her leg alittle better, but in the end it had the same results as Louie.

17 April, 2006 13:14
Anonymous said...

Maybe I ought to try the chain thing. Just my luck I would trip and break something else. I only have so many parts to break. The heart was the first to go. I have never had a problem with my animals, but a lot of my clients have crippled pets. I use water when ever possiable twice a day. None of my slings come close to being big enough for an elephant. Have you heard of the Endless Pool?

17 April, 2006 13:56
Anonymous said...

These are the elephants that got me started in my career. You were doing a gig with just the elephants and a ring curb at a strip mall in Concord, CA, (right next to Martinez) during the winter. I saw the elephants in the parking lot and came back at performance time. All of us lay people were standing with our toes right up to ring curb. Hearing the trainer talking to the elephants, (there was no music) and seeing them respond was fantastic.
I then started getting more interested in the elephants at the local zoos, got a summer job at Marine World – Africa U.S.A. and eventually worked with elephants at zoos across the country which led to my being the elephant trainer for Bertha and Angel at the Nugget Casino.
It was a few years after that performance in the parking lot that I found that the trainer with the wife with the long red hair was you.
Don Bloomer

18 April, 2006 08:50
Anonymous said...

I think Sid and Targa are probably my two most favorite elephants that I had the pleasure of working with. Wish I had the chance to work around Anna May. One of the greatest performers ever.thanks for the memories.

18 April, 2006 22:18
Anonymous said...

For Don Bloomer: Were you trainer for the Nugget before or after Dave Hall?

20 April, 2006 19:24
Anonymous said...

Roger, if I'm not mistaken Dave Hall followed Jenda at the Nugget. I think Don wasn't there until the mid to late 80's. Is that right Don. You were there after me I think.

22 April, 2006 01:50

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