Buckles Blog: From Jerry Digney #5

Tuesday, July 03, 2012

SWEDE%20JOHNSON, a photo by bucklesw1 on Flickr.

Before he was a clown cop in the late 60s, early 70s on RBBB Blue, Swede Johnson was an established lion trainer.

Roger Smith said...: This is Big Johnny, Swede's lion famous for his size. He was in Thousand Oaks for a time, and Benny Bennett measured him at 48 inches at the sholder. Johnny weighed in at 800 pounds--a rare giant of his species. He wasn't the only performing lion that size--Bob Matthews' King Tuffy, the first wire-walking lion in America, in 1925, was equal to the latter-day Johnny in all respects. Both worked as solos.; 04 July, 2012 00:09
John Herriott said...: Swede was quite a guy. He was an all-around show guy with cats and he worked elephants and horses. On RBBB he told me he had been on the Rose Kilian wagon show as a youth. His clowning was excellent and he and Mark Anthony did a lion parady gag that was funny and great. Two good old timers there along with Otto and Dougie. johnny; 04 July, 2012 08:24

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