From Jim Clubb

KGrHqFhcE2h9mCuGBNqMZH7yPw_3, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Hello Buckles, Please see attached a photo I just recently bought. As you probably know, I am researching a new book on Alfred Court and his trainers. This just covers the period when he was training and producing acts, which actually was only 20 years. This picture is a bit of a mystery to me. I am really trying to find out if anyone can identify the trainer. In my opinion it is Joe Walsh, but it doesn’t tie up with the date on the back. This was a professional newspaper photo taken at Sarasota RBBB. The date is March 1946. RBBB didn’t have a cage act for the 1946 season, so was this act just for the winter quarters shows before they went on the road? You will note it is not appearing in a Court arena. Alfred Court had sold all his acts by then. Joe Walsh went with the last group to Benson’s in 1945. Maybe the winter of 1944. The group pictured is a combination of what I refer to as the Schulz act and the Kovar act with some new young lions added. My research indicates that in 1944 Court put together a combination of these two acts. The lions clearly are not old animals. However, the polar bear shown is an old animal and I can identify it as one of the bears from the Schulz act. The American black bear on top of the pyramid was added along with another one in the winter of 1941 by Schulz and Court, as they lost one of the Himalayans. I would really appreciate any help with this. Also, if anyone has any information on the line-up of animals in the early 1944 season that would be useful. Kind regards, Jim Clubb