Thursday, April 25, 2019

MORE PAPER


Posted by Chic Silber at 4/25/2019 12:17:00 AM

2 comments:

Roger Smith said...

Judy Jacobs Kaye used to visit me at Jungleland, and in these welcome hours she told me this: On the 1939 Ringling show, they expanded the 40-foot Center Ring to 50 feet for her father's enlarged arena. He carried 55 lions and tigers that year, and at varying times worked between 35 and 52 in performance. There were so many coming in, his tunnel door man, Haywire, had to call out their names so Jacobs would know how to meet them and get them seated. John Ringling North threw a fit over Haywire going barefoot in front of his Greatest Show On Earth audiences, and raised hell with Jacobs about him. But like many unsung fixtures on a show, Haywire was an absolute who could not be replaced, nor corrected about footwear. This was the Terrell Jacobs version of The Big Act, and it was a sensation, the final act on that scale since Beatty's two Big Acts. North and Jacobs had lasting hard feelings over the unsuccessful black leopard act of 1938, and North had the last word in replacing Jacobs with three rings of Alfred Court acts, beginning in 1940. Ernestine Clarke Baer lamented the change, saying "After being around the excitement of Clyde and Terrell, it was just impossible looking at those god-awful, boring Court acts."

25 April, 2019 02:13
Eric said...

The daily meat bill must have been tremendous.

25 April, 2019 11:07

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