Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Final Xmas Cards #2

Final Xmas Cards #3

Final Xmas Cards #4

Final Xmas Cards #5



This should have been a Valentine Card!
After six minutes of rolling, spinning and kicking the globe....his wife receives all the accolades.
"What! and get out of Show Biz!

Final Xmas Cards #6

Final Xmas Cards #7

Final Xmas Cards #8

Final Xmas Cards #9

Final Xmas Cards #10

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

From Chic Silber



Another wonderful card & the globe logo is registered with the patent office.

From Paul Gutheil



This was a few years back.
 I wonder if Kenneth ever found out.

Elephant Xmas Cards #1



Surprising how many folks placed elephant pix on their Christmas cards!

Elephant Xmas Card #2

Elephant Xmas Card #3

Elephant Xmas Card #4

Elephant Xmas Card #5

Elephant Xmas Card #6

Elephant Xmas card #7

Elephant Xmas Card #8

Elephant Xmas Card #9

Elephant Xmas Card #10

Christmas Past #1 (From Tim Tegge)

Christmas Past #2

Christmas Past #3

Christmas Past #4

Christmas Past #5

Christmas Past #6

Christmas Past #7

Christmas Past #8

Christmas Past #9

Christmas Past #10

Christmas Past #11

Christmas Past #12

Monday, December 23, 2013

From Erik Jaeger



Greetings Buckles,
Hope this finds you feeling better! Enjoyed the recent photos of Uncle Sid's operation, when Jesse and Frank were still his partners! I invited Sid out to see Kaleidoscape in San Francisco many moons ago, and true to form his first crack was "Hey Pal". When Chester Cable was the superintendent and passing out the route slips for the next town he would always say "it's all downhill, except for the upgrades". Sid always believed it was a privilege for us to drive one of his underpowered gas rigs, and therefore handsomely paid us $5 a week for that privilege. Great memories of Great London, when we would make the final fold of the big top to fit on the spool truck, it was always "All the way with GLC".
Hope the bloggers enjoy the old Beatty show photo.
Wishing you, Barbara and family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Erik, Elaine, Dane and Natalie Jaeger

To Chic Silber




Spent the rest of the morning rereading this stuff, most of it long forgotten.
Lots of interplay between the Washington Office and the Mike Melson-Dave Cohn staff.
Much more entertaining than Water for Elephants.

From Richard Reynolds #1



The magnificent elephant house at Budapest Zoo. Built in 1912, it shows a Moorish influence. At a time when many zoos here and in western Europe are doing away with splendid animal houses, Budapest preserves and cherishes its structures. Budapest is one of the greatest of all zoos but is relatively unknown here. It has long had success breeding Asian elephants.  

From Richard Reynolds #2



Interior of the Budapest elephant house. Viewing of mega-animals such as elephants, rhinos, hippos, okapis, and the large antelopes inside the buildings which house them is becoming a thing of the past in American zoos. The public may see them only in their outdoor yards and that too is often difficult in the increasingly popular immersion exhibits. All too often one encounters the "off exhibit" sign. 

From Richard Reynolds #3



Budapest is famous for its hippos with a long record of successful breeding. They too are kept in the old elephant house. They thrive there partly because the water for their bathing is provided by warm natural springs beneath the zoo. So too for the elephants.

Whereas hippos were once a staple of the big zoo, that is no longer true in USA, particularly the big common or Nile hippo. They are no longer to be seen at such major places as National Zoo, Washington and Bronx zoo. The idea is to use needed space for more endangered animals and the pygmy hippo fits that bill. 

Found at last!



I had intended to run this picture on the Reynolds Wedding Anniversary!
Richard took this picture in the Ringling elephant tent 20 years ago, then wrote on the back:

"Macon, Ga. Sat.22 Jan. 94 (l to r) Linda Campbell, Bill Woodcock, Delia and Richard Reynolds.
Photo by Alan Campbell."

1994 Journal #1

1994 Journal #2

1994 Journal #3

1994 Journal #4

1994 Journal #5

1994 Busy season!



Paul Gutheil snapped this shot in Phildelphia.
Kenneth Feld happened to show up that day explaining that it was essential that we start setting up the exercise fences, something new to me..
So that became a new policy with the show. At first I was leery since I wasn't sure which elephants were compatible but it eventually worked out OK and Graham had his three "Camelot", "Letchme" and "Mena"  out there straightaway.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

More odds & ends #1 (From Eric Beheim)



(Here are some additional images with nothing in common other than that they might be of interest to the readers of this blog.)
This “new old stock” (NOS) Ringling peanut sack was sent out some years ago by Mike Martin as the wrapper for his Christmas card. The card’s sentiment is worth repeating:

“Not just an empty peanut sack, but one filled with Sawdust memories and Circus Dreams.”

More odds & ends #2



Here, gold leaf is being applied to the centerpiece of the ASIA Tableau, one of the thirteen parade wagons that James A. Bailey ordered from the Sebastian Wagon Company in 1902. (That order also included the TWO HEMISPHERES bandwagon and the AMERICA Tableau.)  

More odds & ends #3



Robinson’s Elephants, photographed at Pittsburgh’s Kennywood Amusement Park. During the late 1920’s and early 1930s, Kennywood presented free circus acts on an island stage that had been built over a portion of the park’s man-made “Lake Kennywood.”

More odds & ends #4



This large mural “Ballerina on a Runaway Horse” was painted on the proscenium of the Euclid Beach Park theater in Cleveland, Ohio. Originally used to present vaudeville and later silent motion pictures, the theater was ultimately used as an enclosure for a William F. Mangels WHIP ride. One of Cleveland’s leading amusement parks, Euclid Beach closed in 1969.

More odds & ends #5



This group portrait shows the cast and crew for the Mascot serial THE LOST JUNGLE. Comedian Syd Saylor (front row, wearing bow tie) is seated next to Cecelia Parker (later famous as Mickey Rooney’s sister in the “Andy Hardy” films.) Seated beside Miss Parker is the serial’s star Clyde Beatty. The assorted cages hold some of Beatty’s Hagenbeck-Wallace cats.