Friday, November 11, 2005

Jungleland #5


This is George Emerson working "Sally" and "Queen" in the early 1940's. Story goes that he started his career in California wintering out there with the Barnes show and was part of the crew that worked the animals in the Tarzan movies.
By the time my dad introduced me to him in the late1950's, he was an MGM Executive and had the final word on any animal or animal person that could work on the set. He and Slivers were big buddies dating back to the Barnes Show.

Posted by Buckles at 11/11/2005 07:16:00 AM

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Slivers Madison?

11 November, 2005 08:08
Buckles said...

Someone told me that when Slivers was Walter McLain's assistant on the Ringling Show he once returned to his home in Chicago to spend Christmas with his family.
On his return bus trip he was seated next to this young Italian beauty. The story goes that she continued past her destination on to Sarasota and they were married shortly after.
Probably not true but it would make a good chick flick anyway.

11 November, 2005 09:38
Anonymous said...

final say?Was Cheerful Gardner being black-balled back then?
I read where even though he was considered one of the finest if not the finest elephant trainer,he could not find work at one point.

12 November, 2005 16:28
Buckles said...

I never heard that, he worked right almost up til the end.
Louie Stern once told me that from advanced age (and possibly from doing too many head carries)he would have spells where he would lose his balance in the ring.
On several occasions he would work the act from a flat-bed dolly that a prop man would push around while the announcer would cop a plea saying that dispite illness "the show must go on".

12 November, 2005 17:36
Anonymous said...

I remember a certain announcer that would have Crown Royal Heart Attacks during the show.

12 November, 2005 17:42
Anonymous said...

It was in 1940,that Cheerful Gardner was unable to find work.
I believe its mentioned in the Bandwagon article by Bill Johnston.
It may have been because of closer competition near Los Angeles.

15 November, 2005 18:30
Anonymous said...

Also,Cheerful Gardner was badly injured near Aurora Illinois
during the late 1920's,when a electric train ran into the Hagenbeck Wallace elephant herd,one of the elephants was killed.
This wasnt mentioned in Bill Johnston's article.

15 November, 2005 18:32

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