Monday, May 08, 2006

Eloise Berchtold #2


This is the Audad that Jim Alexander mentioned but I don't recall this trick. When introduced she would come walking down the track with this guy in tow, then lead him into the arena and he would immediately scramble up to the top of the pyramid where he remained throughout the act protected from the lions and tigers by a screen on each side.
I often wondered if the screens were necessary, any animal that messed with him would have had it's hands full. I saw him take a shot at Eloise on more than one occasion.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Didn't Eloise wear her show costume even when she practiced the act?

Anonymous said...

From Eric:

In 1967, when Eloise Berchtold appeared with the Columbus, Ohio Shrine Circus, I heard her describe the Audad to some of the local musicians as the meanest animal in her act.

Buckles said...

I remember the barrel but not the trick. Probably Louie asked her to leave it out since it would have slowed the act down a lot.
Every time Eloise would have a altercation with the beast Louie would say "She otta' get rid of that God Damn goat".

Anonymous said...

From Eric:

The announcement that introduced her act in Columbus referred to the Audad as a "Berbery sheep from Africa."

24-HOUR-MAN said...

She used to get madder than hell at the prop guys for calling it a goat. Re: costumes, Trudy went in with a new costume on Krone, and one little female named Dinah who was a witch anyway, spent the whole act wanting to get her. Now some people may think it's a joke but after that any time she wore a new costume she would go out before the act and make sure all the cats got a good look at it.