This is a favorite of mine, though obviously not intended for press use. Here we see Mr Beatty at Deland in his early sixties. He passed from life's arena a year or two later at sixty-two. At the time I didn't realize how young that was. Watching him perform was pure magic; we will never see his likes again. |
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Clyde Beatty #7
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Cats in this shot, L to R, are: Lion at UL I cannot identify for sure. Tiger at L Center is Judy, a tough girl whom Mr. Beatty was still tediously integrating with the full act in my time, along with another young tigress, Tiny, not seen here. When I was there, Mr. Beatty's cancer symptoms were increasing, and he was nonetheless adding these two tigers to his act. Judy came to Jungleland, and by then was too tough to work. She ended her days in the Minot, ND, zoo. Lion with the whip in his mouth is Caesar. He did a stretch sit-up, worked the lay-down, and did an odd bounce--he almost sat down in a low spin, from which he bounded up in his style of bounce. He was a "safe" lion, one we could call a "good boy". The lion UR is Simba, who was about 25 then, and came to Jungleland said to be 27. By then, it was all he could do to dismount his seat for the lay-down. He was shipped out in 1967 to Lion Country Safari, in West Palm Beach. This was one of a series of shots made expressly for inclusion in Beatty's last book, FACING THE BIG CATS (Doubleday, 1965.) This shot is not in the edition released in the US. When I was on the 1964 show, Mr. Beatty and Edward Anthony were completing the captions for these photos.
I keep coming back to this picture. I can see where it is a favorite of yours Buckles. Very funny and looks like just one of those things that would have had the public clapping for all they were worth. An act with the wild beast doing the whip and commands would be priceless. A camody [?] cage act. HUM Different ? Is there someone out there who could pull it off? SDure would be something new and different.
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