Mac MacDonald #1

Among my dad's letters, he was asked who the best elephant trainer in America was and he replied "Mac MacDonald and Hugo Schmitt and the rest are a pretty sorry lot". I later worked for both men and have to give Mac the nod. His history spoke for him, his esteem was such that circus owners would buy complete herds for him and each bacame the top act of the day. Here he is pictured in 1944 on the Clyde Beatty-Russell Bros. Circus with Art Concello's five elephants "Daisy", "Margaret", "Elsie", "Dixie" and "Myrtle". His best remembered acts were Dolly Jacobs elephants "Modoc", "Empress" and "Judy" followed by the Bailey Bros. Circus elephants "Christy", "Carrie", "Babe" and "Shirley" (later became the Oscar Cristiani elephants), the Tom Packs elephants and finally the his mastepiece the Besalou Elephants for Polack Bros. Circus. I'll start off today with his first act in 1939.