Next is this E J Kelty photo showing Beatty at Madison Square Garden on 8th Avenue, New York, in 1932, one of the four years that he appeared with the Big Show when the Ringling show WAS the Ringling show. He would soon turn twenty-nine, was the toast of New York and already the hero of millions of boys and girls. It was during one of these dates that he met Edward Anthony and suggested the collaboration which resulted in the book and movie "The Big Cage." |
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Clyde Beatty #2
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9 comments:
These are just fantastic. I don't know if it's true that teh act sometimes ran 25 minutes, but I can imagine what a heart stopper it was in the day.
Does anyone know of a film or video that shows Clyde Beatty's act in it's entirety with the ORIGINAL music? (from any period of his career).
The movie "Ring of Fear" has parts of the Beatty act 1n 1954, but the dubbed in music by a Hollywood band is not the music he normally used for the act.
I recall the "Storm Scene" from the William Tell Overture being Beatty's opening music. "Bolero" was used for the tigers, then a Karl King circus march such as "Burma Patrol" or "Caravan Club" There was other music in between, but the act finale was always "The Big Cage" galop.
By the way, for those unaware, the Clyde Beatty movie "Ring of Fear" is now out on DVD, and can be ordered through Walmart.
All I can offer in terms of music is what Boom-Boom charted for him in 1964. Let me get into my files, and post it tomorrow. Not everything comes off the top of my head anymore. I'm nearly 50 years of age.
I'm not going to lie about my age till I'm 45, I used to say 39 but I don't think anyone would believe that!
I remember when all the cat acts were long, now if you do 15 minutes they scream bloody murder, of course a 45 min. intermission so they can set up Gooding's Million Dollar Midway on the arena floor is okay.
My cage act ran 14 minutes. On some winter dates they cut the zerba "CANDY" out of the picture. Robert Cline loved that as he got attacked everytime he tried to put the seat on Candy. I accused him of doing it [going slow] on purpose. He never denyed it.
The '64 Beatty act music as charted by Boom-Boom, and from my notes at the time, was:
Fanfare and Announcement
Entrance of Lions - "Storm Scene" (Rossini's "Wm. Tell Overture")
Entrance of Tigers - "Bolero" (Maurice Ravel)
Cut and Chord for Opening Display.
Duke Lion on Barrel - "Caravan Club" (Karl King)
Center Sit-up Cats - Cut and Chord
Frisco, Spinning Tiger - Drums (Boom-Boom)
Princess Tiger, Come-down and Stalk to Rollover - "March of the Love for Three Oranges" (Sergei Prokofiev)
Princess Tiger, Rollover - "The Queen's Entrance" from "In a Persian Market" (Kettelby)
Princess Tiger, Hurdle - Drums (Boom-Boom)
Princess Exit - Chase music (unidentified)
Ten-lion Lay-down - "Jungle Drums" (Ernesto Lecuona)
Cut and Chord to style Lay-down
Break up Lay-down and Lions Exit -"The Big Cage Galop" (Karl King)
Beatty on Track - Cut and Chord for Style
Beatty's Exit - Reprise "The Big Cage Galop" (King) to Whistle
Not bad for a cagehand pushing 50.
I have Mr. Beatty's 1959-1963 music on tape via no one else but Mr. Jimmy Cole, in an exchange of about 20 years ago.
Few may recall that Jane Beatty often encouraged changes in the music. She suggested "Jungle Drums" for the Lay-down, replacing other Latin beats, such as the one-time accompaniment "The Breeze and I" (also by Lecuona).
And now, ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure--I went to "Karl King" on the net, followed a few links, and found myself listening to his marches being played by the Air Force Band. Enjoy.
Bill, I will be 65 in February and dam proud of it. How I managed to last this long is amazing. These years are the best as we can tell how we lived and shock the younger generations. We had the best that life had to offer and can tell everyone who was not as fortunate. How many men can say they hung by their toes 70feet in the air and loved every minute of it. Or how you toured Europe with your lovely wife Trudy with a cage full of wild tigers. They just don't make people like you circus people any more. We had it all .
It was my understanding that in Beatty's act most of the time was spent running the cats in, getting them to stretch and then running them out, with just a few tricks in between...
:-)
Cindy Potter
Beatty's lions populated the back wall in snappy order, and the tigers went to stretch upon reaching the seats in front. One or two, of course, had to be re-cued, but it was quick. Duke on the barrel ambled across minding his balance, but he wasn't slow. He arrived at a dismount seat and hit the back wall. This seat and the re-positioning of the barrel out of the way were the only two props Beatty moved in the act. Frisco, the Spinner, was dangerous as he was prone to get dizzy and come out a little disoriented before he found the door and shot home. Princess the Rollover was played for the drama of the stalk, and the rollover was sold like no other by the Old Man. As Bill Johnston said, one was all he needed. The 10-lion Laydown involved some tough veterans, and took about a third of the act. Big Pharoah's door bounce was the pay-off. So there was plenty of substance and the Beatty showmanship taking it far beyond an act of in and out.
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