Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Naughton Film Festival (Gosta Kruse)

Posted by Buckles at 9/09/2008 05:48:00 AM

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gosta Kruse, born into the Swedish circus world, was head elephant trainer on Bertram Mills from the early 1950s on (perhaps Sue Lenz can relate more about his years there). Trolle Rhodin (also Swedish and on whose show he grew up) told me Kruse was ready to come to Ringling in the early 1970s until his untimely death. Otherwise, he might have then succeeded Hugo Schmidt.
Dick Flint
Baltimore

09 September, 2008 08:48
Anonymous said...

John Gindl was the head trainer for all the Bertram Mills owned horses. ponies and elephants.

In February 1951 Gosta Kruse joined Bertram Mills Circus and after seven months had taken over from John Gindl the six elephants and appeared at the Olympia, London 1951/52 Winter season.

Gosta married Joan Fowles in 1955 and later had a daughter, Yvonne.

Gosta stayed with Bertram Mills until 1965 during which time he had trained a total of six baby elephants.

Gosta was also an excellent bareback rider and did an act with his wife Joan and Frank Foster called “The Voltacks”

Together he and Joan trained a Mills owned bear act, “Joan’s Teddy Bears”

At the close of Bertram Mills Circus tenting show Gosta took over the elephants of Cirque Pinder in France where he remained until his death from a heart attack.

09 September, 2008 16:48
Wade G. Burck said...

Dick Flint,
Wow!!! Woodcock caught a break didn't he.
Wade Burck

09 September, 2008 18:27

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