Thursday, October 19, 2006

More ladies of the steel arena #2


Tammy Wallenda with the Donnie Johnson tiger act at the Tampa Shrine Circus in 2005.

Posted by Buckles at 10/19/2006 06:20:00 AM

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tammy's black leather wardrobe was often requested by shrine circus committees. In fact, it was frequently written into the contract, and shriners paid close attention to the act to make certain that clause was abidded to.

19 October, 2006 11:29
Anonymous said...

I saw her act in 2004 (not sure whose cats) She spent 80% of the act chasing them around. It was a shrine date I saw here 6 times and the same thing each time, one act all she got done was the spindles with 2 cats got 2 going in the pyramid and got 2 through through the hoop.

19 October, 2006 12:53
Anonymous said...

Tammy had a very nice high leaping tiger at the close of the act that got a good reaction from the audience. She didn't always have the best equiptment or cats to work with, but she always did the best she could.

19 October, 2006 13:28
Anonymous said...

Fx7, I do remember her truck being a bit ran down. and her cats being mean as hell, never remember them not snarling at anyone within a view. either 5 or 7 cats.

19 October, 2006 22:10
Anonymous said...

Dan H, The truck was a hand me down, but it got the act over the road....somehow. Tammy got a CDL, and one could write a book about her adventures traveling in that vehicle. I remember getting Tammy quite irate when I joked and told her that a woman's CDL stood for: cooking, dishwashing & laundry!

I don't recall her cats as group, being any more aggresive than anyone elses. So often today to make the animal rights - brain washed public happy, big cats are presented as though they were pet house cats. In a way this is good, but it sure mis-educates the circus going public about how dangerous they really can be.

20 October, 2006 06:06
Anonymous said...

Rangee cats//. No problem for Tammy. She could get just as rangee as the cats. I understand that in between cat act assignments she worked as a bartender, so i am sure she has handled rangs both in and out of the arena.

20 October, 2006 09:33
Anonymous said...

Does anyone know what show she is playing for in this picture, I understand those are Donny Johnson's Cats but those aren't his ring curbs. I remeber her driving her own rig. An old cab over pete, I think so. Her groom was quite an interesting fellow, who eventually left her and deflected to brett Carden who had his elephants on the same show.

20 October, 2006 14:38
Anonymous said...

Another disadvantage she had, according to those around Donnie's at the time, was a loud, foul-mouthed, falling down drunk who proclaimed his expertise and did the woman no good at all.

20 October, 2006 14:42
Anonymous said...

How many Cats does Johnson own, I saw on a list of pretty much every animal attraction in the country, that another cat act I know of, called his place in Seogoville home as well

20 October, 2006 16:29

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