Tuesday, June 22, 2010

James Christy Herald 1960 #4


Scan13030, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Whitey, what do you think of this blurb?

Posted by Buckles at 6/22/2010 06:05:00 AM

2 comments:

Buckles said...

This is the bear act that my mother and I saw in the 3 ring arena display with the Ringling Show in 1948.
The following winter it was sold to the Dailey Show, this looks like the Gonzales winter quarters.
The trainer didn't last long and Smokey told me that he and Rex lived in fear that they would have to volunteer for the job but were assured that a new trainer was on the way.
They were so concerned that they asked every new arrival, "Are you the bear trainer?"
One replied, "Bear trainer? What the Hell are you talking about? Do I look like I got enough clothes to be a bear trainer?"
We had a good laugh and at that point I told Smokey about the time on Kelly-Miller when someone tied a bear cub to a side pole and it started to tear up the side wall.
Obert came along and kicked it in the ass and it promptly swapped ends and made shredded wheat out of the front of his trousers.

By the way, Dog Red had to work the bears.

22 June, 2010 07:37
Richard Reynolds said...

I believe the polar bear trainer was Michael Konselman (also spelled Konzelmann). North brought him and his bears over from Sweden (I think) for the RBBB’s 1947 edition. He was also on the 1948 show as Buckles recalled.

Also coming form Sweden for RBBB in 1947 were Rudolph Matthies and his tigers (he had been with RBBB in the early 1920s), Hugo Schmidt (with 5 ex-Hagenbeck Asian elephants) plus Louis Gautier, Axel’s father.

All of these showfolks and their animals had been with the Hagenbeck circus. To avoid losing them as Germany faced catastrophe toward the end of WWII, Lorenz sent them to neutral Sweden where they would be safe.

As I recall, North made arrangements to get these acts through Trolle Rhodin, who would go on to play a significant role with RBBB

22 June, 2010 12:03

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