More Monkey Pix #4

Joe & Bette Naud (Lancelot Link Chimps) and "Tootsie" real name, as I recall, Radcliffe Heading for the bunkhouse. All best to the Troupe. Trust you're in fine fettle by now.

Carmen Hall's Baboons #1 (From Chic Silber)

Carmen Hall's Baboons #2

A man of many talents!

One night while we were playing Las Vegas with the Polack Show, Jenda Smaha invited my wife and I to the Dunes where he and "Tanya" were appearing and by chance, wound up being seated at Liberace's table (the interaction between he and the Elephant Empress that evening is a story for another day) but included on the bill was a stand-up comedian with a female baboon, without a doubt the funniest animal act I ever saw. I've been all morning trying to remember his name but it eludes me, I'm sure someone on the Blog can come up with it. Gus Augsberg and his friends was the baboon and monkey act. I think that is the act you were talking about. They sat at a table and ate bananas. One line was Gus said the ape should not eat the banana and if he did he would be decapitated. Then he said to the audience, he does not know what that means. At that point the ape would grab his own head and shake it. Definately great when Gus had the act who later sold it. Then Gus's personal touch was missing. Definately a real winner for stage act. Bob Good

Primates #1

Primates! #2

Primates! #3

Primates! #4

Primates! #5

Primates! #6

Primates! #7

Primates! #8

Primates! #9

Primates! #10

Primates! #11

Primates! #12

My father wrote on the back: "Suzie"- Graf Zeppelin Gorilla Bill Dressman trainer Cincinnati Zoo

Follow up on yesterday's rant!

1953 RBBB Elephants #1

In 1952 after all the furor of the GSOE movie had died down, it dawned on John Ringling North that they only had 19 elephants on the show. For this season they added seven more and hired Louis Reed to train them who in turn brought along Smokey Jones to do the heavy lifting. Smokey later told me that when the show came into quarters at the end of the season Arky had them run the act thru once and then dismissed them completely.

1953 RBBB Elephants #2

"The Seven Wonders" "Rajee". "Seeta", "Rani", "Yamina", "Tara", "Padmuh", "Tex". Reed liked those Asian names that no one could remember.

1953 RBBB Elephants #3

We were playing the fair at LaCrosse, Wis. with our elephants when the Ringling Show day and dated us. I went down to the crossing and watched them unload, then to the lot where I watched the set up and caught the side show before returning to the fairgrounds. When I got back I was surprised to see Arky and Noyeles Burkhardt talking to my father who later told me that the baby elephant act had fallen apart completely and they asked if they could make a deal for him to do some retraining. He said he explained to them that he was part owner of the Miller-Woodcock elephant act and couldn't consider anything else.