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Thursday, November 17, 2005
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18 comments:
Buckles, Thank you. Brought tears to my old eyes.
Eloise Birchtold trained this act. God rest the sole of a true, wonderful, talented all animal trainer that ever lived. I miss and think of her everyday. She was my idol. I always try to live up to her standards. Never ever come close. It was an honor to present this act that she created.
Rebecca,
I've seen many pictures of the act over the years. How long did the act exist and what all was in it. Didn't JC have a zebra and leopard routine also. I had the chance to go to work with him a few years ago but he wanted me to put down my tigers and I wouldn't do it.
Regards,
Bob
All the animals are shown in the picture that was the act. A dog and a cat each rode the zebra Candy. Candy was the only animal lost when DRs ship sank. He was very hard for the men to handle. This act was not built to be moved every day on the mud show route. It did not hold up after the first year DR bought it. I was lucky the cage made it through that year. I only agreed to work it that one year for DR as his person he bought the act for got his ass attacked and no one else could work it but me in this time period. That person was so embarresed he would not even anounce the act for me. Gene Garner had to. I did the Winter dates for DR besides the regular mud show
Rebecca: What year was that? Early '60s??
Yes, the early 60.s, long long ago and far far away. I think the act ,what was left of it went with Gene Garner to Mexico and the Bell Circus. Our lions were later introduced to the arnea according to a picture Buckles sent me from about 30 tears ago.
I saw this act as a young child on the Polack Show in 1957. I grew up on and around that show tell 1973. in 1966 Eloise Berchtold hand a mixed group of 2 male lions 2 tigers 2 brown bears and a african Barber sheep and horse. She and Morgan Berry were good friends of my family, and I drove a truck for both of them for several years,aswell as work with the animals.
Eloise was with us on Castle, in Indianapolis, in '73, with an act similar to the one Truckerdonp describes. At least two lions, two tigers, the bears, I believe a couple of leopards by then, and the sheep. I don't recall her having a horse that year. We visited like old friends during our early morning cage cleaning. Eloise earned immense respect as a trainer, and I'm grateful for the quiet, open friendliness she shared as good showfolks.
I was on the Polack Show in 1966 with Eloise. You forgot the polar bear, the monkey and the birds.
I remember the polar bear and birds I beliveve the monkey was a baboon im not sure of that. I remember when 1 of the brown bears clawed the horse accross the face they tryed but could not save the righteye and later had to put the poor thing down. I was with Eloise and Morgan on the Castle Show in 1973. Eloise was teaching me to drive a tractor trailer a 1971 International cab over. in indianapolis 1 of the male Asian elephants ran his name was Raunchy he knocked me down and took off out of the ring and out of the main floor of the arena, breaking my collar bone dislocating my right hip. I was out for 4 weeks.She had five male elephants on the road that year and 3 africans. The asians were Teak,Tie
tunga Budda and Raunchy. The africans were Shambi(male) Owalla and Darga all 3 sent back to africa after Morgans death. The cage at had 4 male lions 2 tigers female 3 brown bears and 2 half polar bear half brown bear and 1 female leopard. Buckles what happened to al the male elephants.
I know that Teak was put down after tha accident. Morgan also had 2 female asians Metie and Winkey. And I remember you from the
polack Show. I just found this sight would like to talk with you. thank you truckerdonp@sbcgl...
i remember
I remember the polar bear and birds I beliveve the monkey was a baboon im not sure of that. I remember when 1 of the brown bears clawed the horse accross the face they tryed but could not save the righteye and later had to put the poor thing down. I was with Eloise and Morgan on the Castle Show in 1973. Eloise was teaching me to drive a tractor trailer a 1971 International cab over. in indianapolis 1 of the male Asian elephants ran his name was Raunchy he knocked me down and took off out of the ring and out of the main floor of the arena, breaking my collar bone dislocating my right hip. I was out for 4 weeks.She had five male elephants on the road that year and 3 africans. The asians were Teak,Tie
tunga Budda and Raunchy. The africans were Shambi(male) Owalla and Darga all 3 sent back to africa after Morgans death. The cage at had 4 male lions 2 tigers female 3 brown bears and 2 half polar bear half brown bear and 1 female leopard. Buckles what happened to al the male elephants.
I know that Teak was put down after tha accident. Morgan also had 2 female asians Metie and Winkey. And I remember you from the
polack Show. I just found this sight would like to talk with you. thank you truckerdonp@sbcgl...
i remember
I was on the whole chase with Raunchy, after he got back into the trailer area, just outside the performers' entrance. He nudged a couple of trailers off their jacks, and one elephant man got raked off between Raunchy and the man-door leading outside. He was laid out pretty bad. Maybe this was Truckerdonp. I grabbed up his hook to pursue Raunchy, wondering what the hell I was going to do if I caught him, except get royally stampeded. I had to yell at a cop to put down his damn pistol. He re-entered the building, completely nuts by now, ran through the corridors, and into a ladies room. Shrieks from terrified patrons erupted from the stalls, and when I thought he was safe behind the door, out he came. He ignored my hook in his shoulder, lucky for me, and I was dragged along like a rag. He charged back down onto the floor, past the rings, and directly into Lee Keener, who ended the panic by hooking him to turn left and see his herd. There, he walked over and came in line, calm as you please. My first running elephant. What a chase.
Raunchy ran again in 1973, this time it was in tne middle of June and we were with the Rudy Bros Circus. We were under a big top in Milwaukee Wis. As we entered the center ring all our props were set wrong, the first trick he rolled a large globe. Just as he stepped on to the globe he fell off, almost landing me. He then got up and ran to the main enterance of the tent. I hooked him in the left shoulder and he stopped as I was turning him around a clown tood hold of his tail and pulled it and we were off again.Out side of the tent he ran all the way around the tent with my right arm pinned between his trunk and left tusk. I was taking every rope and cable along the sides of the big top in the face. He ran from the Main Enterance left all the way around to the performers enterance. He then saw the Elephant Truck and ran to the rear doors. Eloise appeared and chained in the line. It was off to the hospital for me again. This time my chest and face were rope burned no skin left on my forehead. 2 black eyes and 5 broken ribs. That summer he never ran again however the next season on the Homid Show was a different story. A story that I never want to tell.(Roger are you Rodger Smith)
I just read where Eloise worked the Paul and Dottie Kelly lion act in 1961. First I had ever heard of this.
Yes she once told me some about that act,I asked Paul Kelly about it and he told me that he never liked Eloise Because she was to indpentant, however no one that ever worked for him had ever taken better of his animals.Always putting the animals first and foremost, and never affraid to state her oppion weather you liked it or not.I can remember many times she told another trainer or Morgan just what she thought about what was going on,some times getting her in trouble. However most of the time she was right. I cannot remember but i think that at the same time she was workingn it for 6 months. Doesn't it have to get to know me better before it can give me advice? I mean, come on -- it's just like randomly going off and searching on the net for something like nursing jobs in research and then end up gazing through all the different websites you can find over at this site -- yes, that one I just found all the
Yes she once told me some about that act,I asked Paul Kelly about it and he told me that he never liked Eloise Because she was to indpentant, however no one that ever worked for him had ever taken better of his animals.Always putting the animals first and foremost, and never affraid to state her oppion weather you liked it or not.I can remember many times she told another trainer or Morgan just what she thought about what was going on,some times getting her in trouble. However most of the time she was right. I cannot remember but i think that at the same time she was working Paul Kellys lions she was also working a male African elephant named Cona that she had trained and owned.She told me that Cona became to hard to handle so she gave him to the Cincinnti Ohio zoo. The zoo also had proublems and she stated that with out telling he they distroyed him and hung part of his hide on the wall in the elephant house for the public to touch. IT MADE HER SICK.
I first met Eloise in the early 60s,im not sure what year as I was a small child traveling with my grand father. I believe it was at the Toledo Zoo in Tolido ohio. She was giving animal shows. I clearly remember a motorcycle riding Polar Bear. She was also training a cage act. 2 brown bears 2 Lions 2 tigers a horse and Barbar sheep. When I first said hello she was holding a young female Chimp. She said that the first time thatshe was going to take the act on the road was for a date in Milwaukee Wis. Next time I saw her was on the Polack Show in Flint Michigan in 1966.She told my grandfather that Polack had her jewed down to the bare minimum , and she was bearly able to make ends meet. She also told me that was the year that she first met Buckles Woodcock.
Eloise and I are sooo much alike when it comes to our animals. Her male elephant was named KOA. That put down story about him is a joke that they played on Eloise. IT never happened. The polar bear that rode the motor cycle was named ZERO. I also worked these bears in Canada for a television show, I have been know to speak my mind about animal issues once or twice.
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