Tuesday, January 02, 2007

From Dave Price




Buckles: Here is the Singer's Midgets elephant act. I assume this shows Fritzi and Mitzi and wasn't the famous Ziggy the third member? Posted by Picasa

Posted by Buckles at 1/02/2007 11:04:00 AM

6 comments:

Buckles said...

Yes, "Ziggy" was named after Flo Ziegfeld.

02 January, 2007 11:10
Anonymous said...

I was on Mills Bros. in 1942 with my father and family. The lone elephant was Fritzie worked and handled by a black guy called Heavy. Jack Mills would do the side show opening and announce that the [FOUR AND ONE HALF MONSTER FRITZIE AS BIG AS A HOUSE WOULD POSITIVELY SMOKE A CIGARETTE ON THE INSIDE]. Heavy would take a long hollow reed and put a lit cigarette in the end of it like a cig. holder and put the other end in his mouth and sure enough smoke would come out around his mouth and the cig. would burn down. In the big show he would do a standard routine and when he sat up on the tub Heavy would do like chin ups holding onto his tusks. He was a one man elephant, very big and impressive with big tusks. Heavy kind of had the Mills Bros. by the balls, so to speak. Heavy would have epilectic seasures ad could not work for the time. One day just before his big show act that happened and my father [eques. director] went to the side show brought Fritzie in the ring and did the act, much to the dismay of my mother. That was the end of Heavy being indispensible. At the seasons end Mills sold Fritzie to Mexico and through Heavy in as part of the deal and bought Burma [Virginia] and circus history was made. As for my Dad the show must go on and he was with it and for it.

02 January, 2007 11:48
Bob Cline said...

Mr. Herriott,
I'm finishing an article about the Mills Bros. Circus elephants for the Bandwagon. I found a 1942 route book that lists Fred Holoway as the elephant man. Would this be the man "Heavy" that you refer to? Also I can find no mention anywhere of who was the elephant man in 1941. I've been through all the Billboards but haven't found a 1941 Mills Bros. Route Book. Having just spent a week at the CWM library, these two questions are still in limbo.
Kindest regards,
Bob Cline

02 January, 2007 17:45
Anonymous said...

I can assure you that my comment on Heavy in 42 is fact I remember it well. I have no idea of his given name, but that name rings a bell. I would assume he was there in 41 and even on Haag as he seemed to be comfortable and had a handle on him. I doubt if just any guy could have handled him, and he did have a uniform, cap, coat and pants. A little scroungy but he had it.
Now in 43 with Burma there was a fellow with one wooden leg who was the captain, how long I can't remember, but his name was Pat O'Brian and his wife Patsy styled the act and did the walk over and cover. Never heard of him before or after, but maybe Buckles has some info. I believe Bert Pettus was on Mills sometime in the forties but when I am not sure. My Dad was there in 42-43 but had to leave before season ended because of illness. But he was never the elephant guy. Only during the incident I described. Let us know what you find out.

02 January, 2007 20:22
Bob Cline said...

Buckles,
Going back to 1916, the Singer Midgets had a male named Toto. Would this be the same Toto your Father had later on? If so where was he between 1917 and 1919?
Bob

03 January, 2007 05:59
Buckles said...

The first listing of him comes with Howes Great London in 1920.
By the way, I have one of his tusks, complete with brass knob, on my fireplace mantle.

03 January, 2007 07:05

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)