Post card #2

I well remember these chimps "Mickey" and "Minnie", I'm not sure who owned them but they were part of the Clyde Beatty unit and worked by Albert Fleet. When my dad worked Mr. Beatty's elephants on the winter dates my mother was constantly warning me to stay away when they were being moved to and from the ring. Little need for that, I was terrified of the them, "Mickey" was the meanest son of a bitch I ever saw. During the act, after riding his bike he would sometimes throw it into the seats at at the audience. I once remember him picking up a section of ring curb and going after the prop crew. The only thing they feared was the elephants and when passing in front of them they would press themselves against the opposing wall however once past, "Mickey" would grab a hand full of hay and toss it at them. This picture taken at the Clyde Beatty Park in Ft. Lauderdale in 1942.