| Buckles: Phil and Francine Schact showed Dondi at the Guilford, Connecticut, fair over the weekend.. Their son, Joshua, was helping young fans feed apples and bananas ($1 each) into Dondi's seemingly bottomless pit just before her performance with the Wallenda Family Circus. Dondi, who also was used for elephant rides, is 33, adopted by the Schacts when she was a baby. The September 24 web site edition of the New Haven (CT) Register has a great feature on Dondi and her food preferences. Lane Talburt |
Thursday, September 27, 2007
From Lane Talburt
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I believe that Dondi was trained by Mac Macdonald. Correct me if I am wrong.
For you younger readers (if we have any?): I have always assumed Dondi's name was inspired by a comic strip of the same name during this period.
Wasn't that Dondi a European war orphan?
My husband still laughs whenever he hears this name - she would run around the arena basement playing hide and seek with the Schacts when she was very little- she'd squeal and run from pole to pole. Quite a sight. cc
I believe Fran Schact told me that Dondi was named for her step-father. I'm having a senior moment but I'm sure the West Coast people will fill-in the blank. Don (fill-in) was with some west coast shows and was the first trainer for the elephant show at the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
The old gray cells are starting to fire up -- Don McLennon?
That's interesting. I remember Phil and Fran from about 1969 with James Bros. Circus. They had the most original "gorilla" act" I ever saw, she wore the monkey suit.
I also remember Don McLennon from Kelly-Miller in the early "50's, he and his wife were another nice couple, they were cowboy and cowgirl in the concert.
Don was later a leather worker out in Calif., he made me some headpieces for me once. I'm not aware of him ever working around elephants tho.
Roger Smith should be able to straighten this out.
Groucho Marx, (or somebody) called and said "now's the time to get in the act". So here go's. I had also heard that Mac trained Dondi. I met Don McLennon and his wife, in 1974/1975 on the Vargas show, where I was filling in for Pat Anthony. Don was in charge of the horse dept. assisted by Wally Ross, who had the elephant's and a fellow from France named Henry (who only made one season) His wife presented a beautiful black trick horse that Don trained for her, that they owned. Don was also a superb leathercraftsman, and may have made the harness for the Hoffmeister Appalossa (I know they were stallion's and trained without harness, and had to be gelded and worked in harness, after Vargas bought them. But that is not important Mr. Hall, in the telling of the tale) and the grey Andulusion liberty act's. Ron Whitfield had a couple of lion cub's on the show and worked in the menagerie. He left at the end of the year, and went to Marineworld Africa USA where he built one of the best lion act's I have ever seen. I'm sure my grey cell's could put your's to shame Jim, but that's what I remember. Wade Burck
P.S. James C. Hall, How's that for a rememberance story? Wade Burck
I visited the San Diego Wild Animal Park for the first time in early 1976, (I think). Don McLennon was there with the park’s performing elephants, which included a little bull that Don had trained. He also presented a very nice Big and Little act that he had put together. He very graciously gave some of his time to talk to me and give me some advice. (At that time I had less than three months experience with exotic animals.) While Don talked he was constructing one of the most beautiful leather headpieces that I have ever seen.
Don Bloomer
There you go. Thank you Don, and Jim A. for the information. I heard Don left Vargas at the end of 1975. Never heard where he went. I spoke with ETW James C. Hall this afternoon, and he say's Mac trained Dondi, also. I think we are getting closer to clearing up the mystery. Wade Burck
The Schacts talked about Mac training Dondi. In the early years they would take her down to Mac for a "tune-up".
I saw Dondi work at the IL State Fair a few years ago, a very nice show. Dondi really moves, looks like a MacDonald elephant -- but the Schacts keep her going.
Dondi and Phil and Francine were all trained by MacDonald and Phil can relate a number of stories about the times spent with Mac and Peggy. I believe Mac was training the two young males at the same time and also trained the then young and infamous "tyke".
Don McLennon and wife hope were wild west concert people around Clyde Beatty circus and other shows. He did dabble with elephants as well and trained and presented a liberty Apaloosa act that he presented as an Indian chief [not to be confused with the Hoffmeister horses] and sold to Mexico. Hoffmeister horses went to Vargas.
The grey andalusians mentioned were trained by Glenn Randall for Vargas and Glenn spent part of a season there, leaving in frustration at the hyper antics and operation of Mr. V. I would do the same a couple of years later. Billy Baker the presented the horses and then Mary Ruth. I believe that Don filled in for both Glenn and myself after our departure.
Don was an excellent harness maker and made the trappings for my Baraboo twelve pony act and later for my six horse liberty act. All nice red patent leather, raw hide lined and German Silver hardware. Being a liberty man himself he knew exactly what I desired. He was a pretty fair trainer of high school and liberty and a very nice fellow.
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