Buckles Blog

Sunday, December 01, 2013

Odds & Ends #2

This hippocampus (i.e. sea monster) carousel figure came from the carving shop of the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. The early PHILTOBCO carousels included “menagerie” figures (i.e. lions, tigers, bear, deer, pigs, goats, giraffes, rabbits, cats, and even sea monsters) in addition to horses.

Odds & Ends #3

This still from the feature film Powdersmoke Range (RKO 1935) shows Harry Carey (kneeling over Tom Tyler), Bob Steele (l.), Guinn “Big Boy” Williams (leaning on rifle), Hoot Gibson (cradling rifle), Wally Wales (aka Hal Taliaferro, in bandage), and Buzz Barton (crouching on rock.) Because of its all-star cast, RKO advertised it as The Barnum & Bailey of Westerns. In addition to receiving play dates in theaters that ordinarily didn’t show westerns, it even snagged some critical praise. (At least two members of the cast – Harry Carey and Hoot Gibson – appeared with circuses during their long careers.)

Odds & Ends #4

This advertisement for Castle Films’ CLYDE BEATTY’S ANIMAL THRILLS appeared in the November 8, 1943 issue of LIFE magazine. In case you missed the pictorial summary of this film that appeared on Buckles’ Blog a few years ago, it was filmed in the early 1940s at Clyde Beatty’s Zoo in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and consists primarily of footage showing Beatty working his act. For many years, CLYDE BEATTY’S ANIMAL THRILLS was shown in the Ohio public schools during classes on Ohio (past and present) since Clyde Beatty was a famous Ohio son.

Odds & Ends #5

If you’re familiar with the Detroit Zoo, than you’ll immediately recognize these 10-foot-tall bronze bears as part of the historic and famed Rackham Memorial Fountain, located in the center of the Zoo. Dedicated in 1939, the fountain was a gift from Mary Rackham to honor her late husband, Horace H. Rackham, the first president of the Detroit Zoological Commission.

Odds & Ends #6

In addition to the bears, the fountain features a 75,000-gallon pool with life-sized sea lions, turtles and frogs. The fountain was designed by Frederick Schnaple and sculpted by Corrado Parducci using 20 tons of bronze.

(With the City of Detroit in Chapter 9 bankruptcy, there is considerable concern over what impact the bankruptcy will have on the Zoo. The primary asset is the land, which the city owns. However, the cost of closing the zoo, clearing the land and then building something else is not likely to be financially feasible.)

Odds & Ends #7

This photo of Mrs. Butler’s morning Kindergarten class was taken in the newly opened Verda Brobst Elementary School in Cleveland, Ohio in the spring of 1952. After being taught a unit on the circus, the students had made a circus-themed bulletin board, which was preserved for posterity in this class photo. (I’m ninth from the left in the top row, wearing my black Hopalong Cassidy jacket, of which I was immensely proud and which I kept on just for this photo.)

Odds & Ends #8

This is the title page to Manly Wade Wellman’s 1953 book THE LAST MAMMOTH, which I first read when I was in the 7^th grade. It was the author’s belief that the wooly mammoth did not become completely extinct in North America until some time between the 1400s and the 1700s. The story, which is set in 1755, has a young frontiersman named Sam Ward being sent west into an unexplored region of North Carolina to aid a Cherokee tribe of Native Americans that is being menaced by a beast “big like a hill, hairy like a bear, wise like a spirit” which the natives had named Giluhsti, the strong, hairy one. After its mate died, Giluhsti (who had lived in peace with the tribe for many years) turned rogue, causing the natives to rename him Giluhda, the hairy killer. In answer to the tribe’s request for help, Sam is sent with his “fire-weapon” (Kentucky long rifle) to kill Giluhda, thus setting into motion an adventure yarn worthy of James Fenimore Cooper himself.

Odds & Ends #9

This photo of the Apollo 12 Recovery Mission Band was taken on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii 44 years ago at right about this time. (That’s me with my alto sax, third from the right, in the front row.) We’re posed in front of “Sea King” Helicopter #66, which had also recovered the Apollo astronauts during 4 or 5 previous missions and would do so again for Apollo 13 plus a few additional Apollo missions. (Because of its unique role in the Apollo space program, #66 was slated to be put on display in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, it was later lost in deep water during an accident and has yet to be salvaged since the wreck site has never been located.)

Odds & Ends #10

This photo was taken at a “Golden Boot” awards ceremony in Los Angeles, probably in the early 1970s. From left to right are Ben Johnson (Academy-award winner actor, stuntman, rodeo performer and rodeo producer), Maxine Jones (Buck Jones’ daughter who, by the way, was married to Noah Beery, Jr.; “Uncle Joey” from the CIRCUS BOY TV series), Dell Jones (Buck Jones’ widow who was also a circus and wild west show performer and a stuntwoman during the early days of Hollywood), and Montie Montana (rodeo trick rider, actor, stuntman and show producer.)

On the subject of odds and ends!

Every time I run a nude picture (this one from Wade Burck) Shannon takes me to task explaining that a Blog including commercials from which you receive a slight stipend has certain restrictions.
Consequently this complete photo will be sent directly to only a few of my more lecherous viewers.

Saturday, November 30, 2013

From Josip Marcan

1916 Greater Sheesley Shows #1

My Dad wrote on the back of this set of pictures:
"Greater Sheesley Shows 1916, Hattiesburg, Miss."

The Woodcock's had a connection with Hattiesburg, maybe a second home, he would have been 12 at the time and might have taken these himself.
I'm a bit foggy this morning but I seem to recall some Rep Show pix also taken there.
Buckles