Thursday, March 06, 2008

Robert Baudy #1 (From Joey Ratliff)


Baudy1, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Wanted to share these pictures of Robert Baudy and
his Great Danes. Though I never got to see him perform
in person, the few videos I have (greyhound act and
tiger act) shows him in a good light. These along with
his book and the photos tells me he had some pretty
original acts. Maybe you or the folks have some Baudy
stories. Thanks.

Joey

Posted by Buckles at 3/06/2008 06:08:00 AM

17 comments:

Buckles said...

Johnny was around this act a lot more than I was. All I can remember was an act with big dogs pulling a stage coach. Mr. Baudy cut a fine figure attired in a red tunic and black cap as tho he were on a fox hunt.
We always referred to him as the Maurice Chevallier of the Sawdust Ring.

06 March, 2008 06:39
Anonymous said...

These are the first photos I ever saw of Baudy's dog act. It looked to be very well presented.

Jimmy Cole

06 March, 2008 07:37
24-HOUR-MAN said...

I always pictured Robert in "South Pacific" singing "Some Enchanted Evening", & Walter Sheretto(sp?) doing Chevalier singing, "Thank Heaven For Little Girls"(literally)

06 March, 2008 08:10
Anonymous said...

Joey,
Like Jimmy Cole, these are the first photos I have ever seen of Baudy's dog act. I have never seen a movie, video, for that fact. I just assumed he used standard colored Danes, and am suprise to see the Brindles, and I had imagined the manes differently. Thank you for sharing.
Wade Burck

06 March, 2008 08:36
Anonymous said...

Not to confuse this act with the greyhounds and monkeys. The greyhound act was sensational and he had more work than he could accomodate, so he got these great danes and some more monkeys and proceeded to train this parody lion act. We were on the Texas dates ande he would practice every morning. He asked me to practice and take it on the road. I was intrigued but am afraid of monkeys and declined. I believe he then intended for his new lady friend Zeke Walsh to work it, but I never heard of it going anywhere and Zeke would co-present the uncaged leopards and he gave up on greyhounds, great anes and monkeys and put together that great tiger act with four huge Siberians plus some Bengals. Too bad because the Greyhound act with monkeys was a sensation, but of course his handsome showmanship was the frosting on the cake. He was quite a guy.

06 March, 2008 08:59
Anonymous said...

The video I have is of the greyhound/monkey act as it appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. Fantastic act with cowboy and Indian monkeys riding greyhounds and chasing a stage coach. One monkey even does back flips off the dog.

06 March, 2008 13:58
Anonymous said...

In his book, Mr. Baudy says thet the Great Dane act was to be a parody of a Clyde Beatty fighting act (a Frenchman copying an American act). He says he ditch it because the dogs would get in terrible fights with each other and also tear up his prop guys.

06 March, 2008 14:05
Anonymous said...

Col. Herriott,
Baudy's tiger act, over the years, starting with Lou Regan followed by Pat Anthony has always been described to me as having 8 Siberian tigers? Not that it's important, considering the caliber of the act.
Wade Burck

06 March, 2008 14:37
Anonymous said...

I believe the act was eight tigers and four among them were Siberian. I am certain of this as I knew him quite well, worked Shrine dates with him and spent twety five days in the Long IsLand Garden Arena with him and saw the act daily. Naturally the announcer would say Siberian, but you can be sure those four were enormous in comparison. Also they were slow in movement and the Bengals gave some life to the act. Cags for four more Siberians would have been a pretty big load.

06 March, 2008 17:30
Anonymous said...

Trick wise it could not compare with you guys who are good, but it was Baudy and his showmanship. When a couple siberians stood reaching up to a stretch bar and he stood in front of them, they toward over him, just like Ursala with the four big male Polar bears. The others were normal size. Showmanship my friend and Baudy was loaded with it. A fine act however , but no leaps.

06 March, 2008 17:36
Casey McCoy Cainan said...

Mr. Baudy was the first guy to ever pay me, what at the time seemed like real money. Growing up on Franzen, I was young enough that I would work all day for close to free (which I would do again if I could, and pay closer attention). WQs was the Webster Fairgrounds, across the street from Mr. Baudy's compound. Every year we would open at the fair, and Mr. Baudy had a tent with some cats (mostly leopards) on display. One year while we were setting up, Mr. Baudy came over looking for a groom during the fair, as he was short handed. Wayne offered my services ( I am sure I had little say) Mr. Baudy then explained my duties included, cleaning the cages 3 times daily during the fair, sleeping in the tent at night, and walking one very well behaved grayish colored leopard in the parade. This was more of a vacation then a job, and it was the first time in my life I made more then a teenager could spend in one trip to wally world. He was very pleasant to me over the years, and employed me to weld cages across the street in winters to come. He was also the only person I ever met who wore jodhpurs and a gun belt, as daily attire. Quite the character.

06 March, 2008 20:42
Anonymous said...

Casey,
Isn't it something how the perception of "what at the time seemed like a lot of money" changes as you get older?
Wade Burck

P.S. Congratulations on the great hindleg walk. I told you. A big congratulations to my son Adam also. I couldn't be prouder. I watched him do something last week that I have seen "experienced" trainers fail to do. Keep it up you two, and your are going to be "European" before you know it.

06 March, 2008 23:37
Anonymous said...

Col. Herriott,
I have never seen photos or videos of Baudys complete tiger act. I offer that evidence as an alibi to my next statement.
I "may", as hard as it is to accept, and nobody will believe you if you tell them, and I will deny it any way, get a heavy coat, start a fire, temperature is dropping fast in hell, have been, not really "wrong", just "curious."
Jimmy Cole, was kind enough to download pictures to me of Baudy's act. In scrutinizing them closely, there "may" have been 2 Bengal's, "possibly" 3, but difinatly not 4. I'm not saying you were "right", Col. What I am saying is, Lou and Pat were "wrong."
I was just asking, so that doesn't really make me "wrong", it just makes me "curious".
Wade Burck

07 March, 2008 10:04
Anonymous said...

It could have been one or two crossbred Bengal-Siberian. Seems like that was the case. I just can't recall, but I do recall only four Siberian because of their size as opposed to the others.

07 March, 2008 11:00
Buckles said...

Baudy always worked bare chested but among his few ornaments was a curved dagger in a scabbard.
Included in his act was a "stare down" similar to Clyde Beatty's the only difference was when the tiger crept almost nose to nose, Baudy would slowly reach for the dagger and after a moment of suspense the tiger would turn away and return to his seat.
Quite a showman.

07 March, 2008 11:18
Anonymous said...

Col.,
I already suggested that neither one of us was "wrong", as there is not much chance of that happening. The patch isn't necessary. LOL

Buckles,
I have had that trick described to me, exactly as you describe it now. I have also been told, that he was turned around styling, and as the tiger stalked him, he wheeled at the moment of attack, threw the knife, sticking it in the flooring inches from the tigers nose, at which point he slowly backed the tiger across the arena and it went out.
Either way, I would have given anything to see it or a video of it. If there was any way I could incorporate it into an act where it made sense, I would try to copy it in a heartbeat. Regardless of what Col Herriott thought.
Wade Burck

07 March, 2008 12:09
Sarah Barber said...

Hi,
I work for a British tv production company and we are making a documentary featuring Robert Baudy. I would be so grateful for any photos/videos or clues about where I could find such footage?
Many thanks,
Sarah
sbarber@oxfordscientificfilms.tv

15 April, 2011 09:27

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