Monday, February 05, 2007

Cole Bros. Circus 1945 #5


Ann Hamilton, Milt Herriott and Ruth Nelson.
Sea lion den in the background,
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Posted by Buckles at 2/05/2007 06:03:00 AM

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is there a picture of John Herriott and Buckles as youngsters together on this show? Is this when you two first became acquainted?
John, nice photo of your dad in the saddle! I've forgotten, how did he get in show business?
Dick Flint
Baltimore

05 February, 2007 08:22
GaryHill said...

Very interesting overreach boots the horses have on.

05 February, 2007 08:28
Buckles said...

Surprisingly, our paths never crossed in those days. I never actually met John until almost ten years later, in fact his fiancee Mary Ruth introduced us.
In 1954 the Cole Show elephants had to leave the King Show to honor a previously signed contract for the Texas dates.
We brought 6 elephants dowm from Hugo to finish out the last month (Freddy had three plus our family act) but by the time we arrived the Cole Show bulls had already left.
One day while we were showing the Houston area John and others returned to visit and we shook hands for the first time.
The final upshot was, when he went back to Houston he took Mary Ruth with him and they were soon married in the center ring at Ft. Worth.

05 February, 2007 09:06
Anonymous said...

My Dad and Bill Woodcock had been young animal hands floating around various shows. They knew each other and I believe we pnpointed that both worked for Bert Noyes on H-W in the early twenties and later my Dad came to Hall's Cellar and bought an elephant named Mary for my Uncle's Schell Bros. Circus and Bill was there at the time. My dad knew the elephant frome the Heritage Circus where Joe Metcalf had her and two tough males. Both my Dad and Bill Woodcock were kids in Hot Springs at the same time and used to recount experiences of the town and school, but don't believe they were acquainted. Just a coincidence as both were about the same age. During my Dad's years running the Cole operation in bUNKER hILL they would lay off with the Woodcock elephants.

My Dad would run away from home and be a punk animal hand on Jones Bros. and Wilson Circus at age 16 or 17 and would tell me in my youth how sensational Peter Taylor was with his cat act. My Dad had been legally adopted by a stepfather after his parents divorced and his early career he was known as Milton Grimes until just before he married my mother he changed his name back to his fathers name Herriott. It was an unusual thing to do, but you can well imagine how pleased I am that he did that. In early years he would float around various shows, large and small learning his craft. Everything from cats, bears, seals, elephants, chimps, orangs, rhesus monks and equine. He taught me well, but I would specialize with elephants and ringstock. Yes he was an Equestrian Director and announcer.
He would recall Mighty Haag, Honest Bill, Lindaman Seil Sterling, Al G, Barnes, H'W, Christy, etc. He worked two years for Dr. Mann at the Nat. Zoo in Washington and was Supervisor of the Longfellow Zoo in Minneapolis. He closed out his career as trainer of the White Horse Shrine Mounted Patrol in Sioux City. Quite a career. Thanks for asking. I am quite proude of him and he was a wonderful father to me and my sister.And of course Cole Bros. Circus that he really was fond of.

05 February, 2007 10:30
Anonymous said...

Incidentally he was never around Ringling. I am the first in the family to do that and like Buckles and Bill he never got to see me do that.

That season of 45 the seal guy blowed and my Dad took over the seal operation. What a pain in the ass that was. Its no wonder Zack Terrel liked him. Those kind of show guys don't grow on trees.

05 February, 2007 10:41
Anonymous said...

Those horses were some of the five gaited saddle horse number that was a big hit on Cole when Harry Thomas would proclaim after the various gaits "RACK ON'.

05 February, 2007 10:47
Anonymous said...

John: That's a wonderful story and I'm sure enjoyed by all. Many thanks.

05 February, 2007 20:53

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