Tuesday, August 01, 2006

"Sabu" #1


How many of you remember Jim Coughlin (Kokomo)? He had this young male in the mid 1960's who's stage name was "Sabu" but was otherwise called "Jim".
He was a good working elephant and was sold to Paul and Dorothy Kelly in 1969.

Posted by Buckles at 8/01/2006 06:30:00 AM

15 comments:

Murray Hill said...

I enjoyed the picture of Jim and Sabu. I imported him in 1965 and sold him to Jim a few months later.

If anyone is interested I can give you more of his earlier history.

01 August, 2006 09:26
24-HOUR-MAN said...

I'm interested!!!!
On another subject, do you remember when your chimp ran into the seats in St Louis, When I finally found her at the top level, I walked up to her, said her name, and she bared her teeth & screamed & I thought I was dead. Do you know how far it was down those ramps carrying her and wondering what she was going to do when she saw you.

01 August, 2006 12:29
Bob Cline said...

While I have JIM going to the Paul Kelly herd in 1969, they called him SABU. I don't know how long they had him until they sold him to Rex Williams when he renamed him REED. I have REED passing away in 1979 but no definite date. Can someone help fill in the blanks?
Bob

01 August, 2006 12:51
Anonymous said...

To Murray Hill - would like to have more of "Sabu" early history.

01 August, 2006 14:20
Anonymous said...

To Murray and Bill;
I was there when the chimp went into the seats at Busch Stadium. I was helping Bobby Gibbs; Paul Duke had the elephants on first base. I saw the chimp head off and Murray in hot pursuit. The elephants, Onyx, Dutchess, and Tory (if I'm correct), stayed in the ring a while then began to "go home". I went over, stopped them and lined them up - they weren't running, just walking and were very cooperative. Murray and the chimp soon returned and finished the act before the display ended.

The date would have been 3 or 4 July 73. I know because my wife was due with our daughter any hour. I'd call home at intermission to see if I could stay for the second half. Kristin was cooperative too and waited until 8 July to debut, a few days after the date was over.

01 August, 2006 16:55
Anonymous said...

Correction: My daughter was born in 1972. I might know about Murray's elephants but my wife knows about our kids birth dates -- she had a significant role.

01 August, 2006 17:08
Anonymous said...

Bob is that Reed 1 or Reed 2?

01 August, 2006 20:09
Anonymous said...

Didn't Smokey train this elephant?

01 August, 2006 20:20
Murray Hill said...

Kokomo originally named him "little Jim". He did that on the spot when he bought him.

I had a shipment of 4 elephants coming in from Bangcock. Three arrived at O'Hare and there was a note attached to the import papers. "Elephant broke out of box and was in the belly of the aircraft, will ship in several days after we get another box".

He arrived almost a week later. He was almost 4' tall and I would estimate between 600 & 700 lbs. He was much bigger that what was coming into the country at that time. He was a handful coming out of the crate and getting him on line and chained down so we could get around him. He showed a great deal of intelligence but had a bad temper.

Dobritch was talking to me about several TV shows and all of a sudden contacts were broken off. Kokomo made an exclusive deal with Dobritch and that's when the name was changed. He worked the Detroit Shrine and Rex broke him out.

Kokomo was have trouble handling him and according to Paul Kelly lost the bull to Paul and Dottie in a poker game. Paul made the Detroit Shrine the next year and he had Sabu there with him but couldn't do anything with him. Several weeks after that date Rex called me wanting any information I had about the bull. He said Paul wanted next to nothing for him. Rex bought him and named him Reed. He was the first Reed.

The rest is history that is pretty well known.

02 August, 2006 09:20
Murray Hill said...

To Jim and 24-Hour-Man

How can I forget that date?

When I first broke the act one of the first places we worked was Canada for Ian. She broke loose at that time. This was in 1965.

Up until '72 she never left the ring and was very reliable.

Of course she changed in size but not in temperment. Even around the farm when she would see a friendly face she would screem, bare her teeth and jump in their arms and scare the back end out of the recipient.

24-Hour-Man, I guess you had that friendly face. I retired her after that date and put her into the breeding colony I had.

02 August, 2006 09:28
Anonymous said...

Kokomo had an elephant with him when he was around us at the Compound. He was his usual colorful self, but I never figured out what he was doing there. We used to have breakfast at Harold's House of Omelettes (still in operation), alongside Joel McCrae and Walter Brennan. Remember when the rumor got started that he and Gee Gee got married? Gee Gee quickly and vehemently denied the story and the impact died rather suddenly. But it was sort of funny at the time.

02 August, 2006 15:08
Anonymous said...

Reed was with Rex when I visited him at Lion Country Safari, in Grand Prairie, Texas. Let me think--anyone know when Rex was there?--aboout 1979-1980? The guy in the front end was giving Rex hell over Reed's arthritic leg. Rex told me, "I told these guys I've got a lot of my life in this elephant, and they told me they didn't care." Of course not. This is what happens when a veteran professional finds himself among local town-monkeys. I know. I worked there in 1976, and I've rarely seen such ignorance as demonstrated by these people who worked for Lion Country parks for years. All carried pistols, and all they wanted to do was shoot a lion who bared his fangs--inside his cage. In this environment, Rex and Reed never had a chance.

02 August, 2006 21:31
GaryHill said...

I spent about 6 months there in 78 and I agree. Ralph the lion guy walked his cats down the lane with a pitchfork in his hand. Tex Case was in charge of everything else so enough said there!

03 August, 2006 08:41
Anonymous said...

To Garyhill: You may be referring to Ralph Hoey. I felt he was one of the better ones, but I never saw that Ralph with a pitchfork. My young pal there was Dave Pleasant, who at least tried to learn. I didn't know Tex Case, but I certainly knew Terry Wolfe and Bill Followell, and without being particularly nasty, enough said, as you say. One guy among the "beard and bush-jacket set" considered himself the cheetah expert, and in front of visitors, he'd repeatedly kick an elderly male cheetah in the face. He called it "working the cheetahs". His name entirely escapes me, or I'd be very happy to publish it.

04 August, 2006 16:34
GaryHill said...

Can't remember Ralph's last name. He wore a long black beard and had been at a park in Japan before coming to the Texas Park. You remember Dr. Joe Cannon?

04 August, 2006 17:59

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