Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Lords of the Lions #4


Gerd Siemoneit, whom Jimmy tells me is often called the "Clyde Beatty" of Europe.

Posted by Buckles at 10/24/2006 06:04:00 AM

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I met Mr. Siemoneit in 1998 when he came to Florida to purchace some white tigers from Josip Marcan. I can recall seeing him on the old International Showtime TV show back in the early 1960's working a tiger act.

Josip was quite busy at the Florida State Fair with a new act he had put together, and asked me if I could show him around for a couple of days until he got the act back to DeLand.

I had a very interesting visit with Gerd. We went to the Ringling Elephant Conservation Center ( how did I ever pull that off?), and then later caught the show at Arabian Nights. As I recall, Bill Strong, who was on a brief visit home from Circus Krone came along also. I don't know what the German circus equivilent term for "cutting up jackpots" is, but if there wasn't one, I'm sure there is now!

Mr. Siemoneit is not only a world class wild animal trainer, but also owns Circus Barum, a very fine tented circus in Germany. He invited me to visit his show if I ever was in Germany.

That was too good of an offer to refuse! With Bill and Trudy also in Germany on Krone, I was off to far away places in Sept. of that year. After spending a few days on Krone, I was on the train and arrived on the Circus Barum lot in Hamburg, and was imediatly greeted by Gerd Siemoneit. All I can say was that I got the first class tour of the show. This circus is heavy on animal acts, 2 exotic mixed acts (one with 28 animals, the other has zebras, a giraffe and a huge rhino) and 2 cage acts. They had a 12 piece band and an overall great show. Surprisingly they had no elephants.

When I got home, I wrote Gerd to thank him for everything. About a month later I got a package in the mail loaded with several Circus Barum posters, photos and programs. This is one of those photos displayed here.

24 October, 2006 07:17
24-HOUR-MAN said...

This is a gentleman of the highest caliber, and a real showman!

24 October, 2006 09:36
Anonymous said...

I believe that Charly Bauman came here with the tigers from Barum.

24 October, 2006 10:26
Anonymous said...

Speaking of Charly Baumann, I plan to attend an auction Thursday for the estate of Harold Ronk. In one of the pictures on the auction site is an autographed picture of Charly, his book and a RBBBC program with him on the cover. I am excited to see what else will be offered. They promise lots of pictures and "paper". He lived not far from me and I talked to him a few times on the phone. What a gentleman. Anything interesting I should look for?
Robin

24 October, 2006 11:30
Anonymous said...

Along with all the compliments for this gentleman we see here, I'm very taken by this magnificent bouncing lion. Anyone would wish for a dozen like him. As for the Clyde Beatty style, Larry Allen Dean told me something quite contrary to what we are used to hearing over here. We are told Europeans only go for the "quiet act". Larry said when it comes to fighting acts, "They eat it up. They love it!" And Larry was there.

24 October, 2006 17:36
24-HOUR-MAN said...

Larry knows what he is saying, they kept telling Trudy that audiences there didn't go for that stuff. Her act never went over better than when one of the cats got tough with her or each other. I told the story before about Mr T, when he returned to his seat he would spin around, swat at her and roar so hard he would fall off his seat. I mean steam. People would come by and ask which one it was so they could see him up close.

24 October, 2006 18:00
Anonymous said...

Mabel Stark had a cat like your Mr. T, her Sumatran, Ouida. Mabel would return her cats from the pyramid to their seats, before the announcement for Tiba and his wire-walk. Ouida (YOO-da) would hit her seat, spin, duck her head threateningly and roar so hard she shook herself off-seat. It's a hell of a thrill, but from a Sumatran it made every cat man grab a stick.

24 October, 2006 19:59
Anonymous said...

Roger, Mr. T was half Sumatran, purchased from David Macmillian for John Cox. Cox was familiar with the tiger, having worked with him, while he was with Macmillian. John trained him to do a "hot" backward hind leg walk. Speaking of "hot" Sumatran's do you remember Rajah and Emir from Clyde Bros? Wade Burck

25 October, 2006 08:55
Anonymous said...

I certainly do, and I have some great photos of that act. When I joined out in Kearney, Nebraska, on June 20, Rajah was not even being unloaded. Her cage stayed in the truck. I quickly said to hell with that and we brought her down. Andre was gone, so I asked around and found she was the top-mounter. I had her sent in,and she spun left and mounted with no trouble. I went easy with her, and she remained in the act as long as I worked it.

Emir was a dazzling animal. But aside from rolling the barrel, she took to biting other tigers butts as she came in for the lay-down. Upon some re-schooling, she quit that, but the other tigers wouldn't believe me and remained butt-shy in the lay-down.

Wade, it was you, me, Lou Regan, Andre--how many others were around these tigers?

26 October, 2006 19:49
Anonymous said...

Jules Jacot and I visited Clyde Bros. in Belleville, IL, I'm guessing in 1969. Lou Reagan was working the tigers. Trevor Bale was on the show and told Jules that he broke the act. The arena they were using and some props came from the Joe Frisco cage act that began at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1963 and was sold to the Peoria IL Zoo the end of that year. Joe played some winter dates with the act and worked it at the Zoo in the summer. It was sold to the Phoenix Zoo in 1966, Paul Fritz might have work it. Eventually, what remained of the act was sold to Clyde Bros.

26 October, 2006 21:51
Anonymous said...

Roger, I didn't realize when first using this fine blog site of Buckles, that you were THE Roger Smith. The story of that act is quite extensive, and confusing. Would love to speak with you about it. My phone number is (815) 678-0285. My very best to Kim, and I will look forward to hearing from you. Wade Burck

27 October, 2006 12:08
Anonymous said...

I'll look forward to talking to you, Wade.

First, let me give some history of this act from what Dick McGraw told me, before Suesz entered the picture. Fritz had four tigers in Las Vegas, and Dick was sent from Jungleland to look it over. The four came to the Oaks, and Dick began re-training. This is where that big Charly tiger was introduced. We soon found out why Baumann let him go--he was unstable and disruptive with other cats. It was back to the four girls, one of whom was named Vegas. Dick, Okie and I all worked them at times. One day, we noticed Lou Regan was visiting regularly and watching the tiger act. One midnight, Suesz called me from Mexico, on the recommendation of Parley Baer, and said he was buying them to add to three he bought in Mexico and made a deal for me to come with them. He sent a guy with a truck to get the four. When he left with them, I called Suesz to inquire when I should come to Edmond, only to be told he got Lou Regan to work for less money. Trevor Bale, who had his whole family over there, told me later he trained the 7-act. Lou went on to work them, and there followed a succession of us who did also. The primary reason the Vegas 4 were sold was Roy Kabat told Dick this tiger act was intended specifically to put Mabel Stark out of the Compound. Dick quit on the spot. Mabel expressed disappointment that Dick didn't develop the act, and never realized he left refusing to be part of her dismissal. So the 4 combined in Edmond with the Mexican 3, and the rest is history.

27 October, 2006 14:01

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