Sabu #1 (From Eric Beheim)

Sabu-1, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Sabu (full name Sabu Dastagir or Selar Shaik Sabu, depending upon your source) was born in the little town of Mysore, India in 1924. The son of an Indian mahout, he was discovered by documentary filmmaker Robert Flaherty who was in India looking for someone to play the lead in an upcoming British film based on Kipling’s TOOMAI OF THE ELEPHANTS. (One source says that Sabu was cleaning out the stables of a wealthy Indian maharajah when he was first spotted by Flaherty.) Impressed by Sabu’s earnest looks, engaging naturalness and the ease with which he worked around elephants, Flaherty arranged for the 12-year old to be taken to England, where he was placed under an exclusive contract with British movie mogul Alexander Korda. Released in 1937 ELEPHANT BOY was a major hit and established Sabu as an up-and-coming young star.