From Henry Penndorf

Good Morning, I was going through some papers and came across a page from the TV Guide dated May 27, 1977 that I had saved. It had a listing for an NBC presentation, "Circus Lions, Tigers And Melissas, Too". The show was hosted by Melissa Gibert and Melissa Sue Anderson of "Little House on the Prairie", and featured circus cage acts, including the Chipperfields, "a family of animal trainers", lion trainer Pablo Noel, and tiger trainer, Catherine Blanchardt. I have seen Ms. Blanchardt's name before, but know little about her. Are you familiar with her? What can you tell me about her? Do you have any pictures of her? It is too bad that we can't go back in time and watch the show. I would like to answer Mr Goodall's question, but I am not su! re how to post to your Blog.. If you would, could you forward the following message to Mr. Goodall. Thank you. Stay Well, Henry Mr. Goodall, I don't believe that the article that I referred to was posted on Buckles Blog. I had sent it directly to Mr. Woodcock. Below is a link to that article for you. The article on Sara Houcke first appeared in the New York Times on February 24, 2000. In addition to the reference of the Richard Chipperfield incident that I mentioned, the article contains and details the concern Gunther Gebel-Williams and Mark Oliver Gebel had for Sara's safety in the cage. Gunther felt that she was not tough enough with her tigers. The article is an interesting read. Circus Tiger Trainer Burning Bright The comments that were posted under Sara's picture in the ! "Ladies of the Steel Arena, Volume 3" on Buckle's Blog (10/27/06) are also an interesting read. The posted comments discuss the treatment of Sara by Ringling Brothers during her tenure with them. Attached is a current photo of Sara. She is a stunning young lady. To the best of my knowledge, she is still in Europe performing with the Circus Roncalli. She was presenting a Liberty Act consisting of six Arabian horses. I don't think she has presented tigers since she left Ringling Brothers. Henry