Circus Today #5

CT-5, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. The wagon wreck releases a lion who, after causing a panic that empties the big top, manages to find his way into Madeline Hurlock’s dressing room. (This lion, who must have been EXTREMELY reliable, was used quite frequently in Mack Sennett comedies during the 1920s. A typical situation would be for him to come trotting through a hotel ballroom during some posh, high society event, and then watch how various people would react to seeing him. Another popular situation was to have the lion appear after someone had dressed up in a lion costume. Here, the humor came from watching people kidding around with the real lion as if it was the costumed imposter.)