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Monday, September 12, 2011
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10 comments:
Wonder if anybody in the know could tell me if Gunther performed in Orlando his first season on GSOE?I know the venue wouldve been the Old Orlando Sports Stadium.Dates please?
Yes we did perform there but I wouldn't know the dates. But I remember that old building, I think the had canvas sidewall on it. The animal walk took for ever, it was long and it was very hot, something the elephants where not used to. I remember walking around a airport and there was a little lake on the side of the road and Nelly and Assan decided to take a plunge and then a few more went in and the little one Baby went under and we couldn't see her any more. Gunther and I kept yelling but no one was listening so I decided to jump in and climbed on top of Nelly(she was the one that stepped on the teaterboard) and pushed her so she would get out and then the other ones followed her and then Baby slowly came up from under the water but had a hard time to get out because the side of the lake was all muddy and smashed up. We finally got her out by tailing up to Nelly, I held her nose on Nellys tail as hard as I could, and she pulled her out. That made our arrival at the arena almost one hour late and from then on whenever I saw a lake or something like it on the side of the road I would be already on the other side of the elephants to make sure it wont happen again.
I played it with Blue. Yes Henry that was the longest animal walk I can remember and for us it was a hot day up in the ninties. We had to stop and get a water hose on the horses heads to stop heat stroke. For the return they brought out horse trailers for the bareback horses. It bwas a lousy shed of ba building with those portable wood bleachers. I guess it and the Ice arena in Wash. D>C. were both bad. Henry, How about that non-air cond. building on those hot days in Lafayette, La. I was there with you. Recall GGW running around in only jockey shorts back stage .I recall in Monroe,LA when promoter showed us only place for animal tents was awful red clay lot. Gunthers reply was,"some days we eat hamburger and some days T bone steak". and we went to work.
Hugo was smart. He used to ride in the police car.
FRom the railroad to that venue was perhaps 15 miles ,maybe more.My guess is you travelled on state road 50 which is East Colonial Drive.The airport you walked around was Herdon.Before the jet age this was the major airport.Still open .But reduced to business and small planes.
Im guessing the Lake was UNderhill.What a site that wouldve been.
The venue was built for rodeos by the late Pete Ashlock.He came to Orlando with his rodeo winnings.Making a fortune in the crane business.It was a terrible venue .No A.C. with huge fans that kept the patrons from having heat stroke or freezing in the cold.
Everybody of any renown played it.Elvis on his last year of life packed the place with 8500 people.
Saw the GSOE their the first time in 1970 or 1971.Tremendous show that I will never forget.Can still recall Harold Ronk,Charley Baumann,and visiting clown alley.Seeing Prince Paul and Otto greibling.Never had I seen such a beautiful show.After that the show didnt come back until 1983.
THanks Henry for your great memory!!
Bucky and Gee played that location with their elephant act in either 1975 or 76.
My wife and I drove up from Circus World to catch the show.
Don't know if it was a Shrine Date or something else. In fact theirs was the only act I can remember.
That dusty old barn remains crysyal clear however.
Buckles the show was the Aztecas Circus.I met Bucky at that date.My guess it was 1973 or 1974.
Had to be 1974 then.
We were in Mexico in 73.
The old sports stadium, was renamed the "Eddie Graham Sports Stadium" after a professional wrestler of some fame based in Tampa. The facility hosted all kinds of concerts like was noted here.
The elephants bathing in Lake Underhill must have been a site. I'm sure the elephants must have thought they'd gotten a special treat that day, able to take a real "bath" rather than a shower.
The Sports Stadium is now long gone.It has now become history.But in its day it was all we had in Orlando.Without it the city would have been bypassed by some of the greatest talent of my era.The Carpenters,Glen Campbell,Eddy Arnold,and so many others graced that place.You saw afforable concerts not highway robbery like today.Talent and showmanship were not a word but the real deal.
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