Thursday, April 26, 2012

From Frederick Neill #2

Johanna%20dark by bucklesw1
Johanna%20dark, a photo by bucklesw1 on Flickr.

Posted by Buckles at 4/26/2012 06:17:00 AM

5 comments:

Buckles said...

When the replacements arrived from Stateside there was always one (usually too young to shave)who would ask, "When do we get a leave, I want to check out the chicks over here!"
We would bemoan the fact that the MP's had shut down most of the houses of prostitution but there were a few exceptions such as the "Chimpanzee Lounge".
Someone would then explain that a chimp with a tin cup was stationed near the bar and if you deposited $5 a lady would meet you at a nearby hotel.
Once we were waiting for the question that always followed when we were surprised by our Captain who had overheard all this and said, "What happens if the gal doesn't show up?"
We all froze for a moment then crusty old Sgt. Veach said "Well Sir, "You have to F___ the monkey!"

26 April, 2012 16:49
Roger Smith said...

One source I can't re-locate claimed as history that some hellacious lion training went on in antiquity. Cleopatra's trainers had lions in harness, pulling chariots. I believe this was primarily ceremonial and not implemented for war. Maybe such tellings inspired 19th and 20th century circus posters.

A photo credited to the late Selig Zoo had lions in harness pulling a vegetable cart along a cageline for feeding time. Joe Arcaris also accomplished this at Benson's.

27 April, 2012 03:15
Wade G. Burck said...

The Selig Zoo lion's pictured were young, possibly yearlings/long yearlings, not the "full maned jungle killers" depicted on posters. The "chariots" Hagenbeck used to show, also picture young lions and/or tigers. Does anyone have a picture of the Joe Arcaris lions mentioned? I should think it would be as hard as leash training them, as youngsters. The difficulty, and I would almost bet impossibility, with rare, rare exception would occur as they matured.

Wade Burck

27 April, 2012 09:24
Roger Smith said...

For readers who don't know who Joe Arcaris was, he sent me the photos from his career, including the years of breaking he did for Clyde Beatty at his Ft. Lauderdale Jungle Zoo, which ran 1939-1945. While there, he was awarded the Carnegie Hero Medal for rescuing Chester Czaja from 5 attacking lions. When Harriett Beatty died in 1950, Beatty couldn't continue the season, and Joe was called in to work the act. The photos of his harness lions at Benson's showed two mature male lions pulling a cart. Sadly enough, before I could get copies of Joe's pictures made, I got the hurry-up call to get to the Castle show, and returned the photos without even xeroxes. No amount of asking has located anyone who knows what happened to Joe's archives, but this would be an ideal time for them to re-surface.

27 April, 2012 17:49
Wade G. Burck said...

Roger,
Unfortunately there are very few pictures of Joe around. I never met him but both Lou Regan and Chet Juszic (sp) spoke very highly of him. In fact the only picture I recall seeing was two lions standing on waltz pedestal's with another lion jumping over and between them. Pretty high tech for the time.

Wade Burck

27 April, 2012 20:37

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