Wednesday, December 20, 2006

From Jim Cole



"Toby" at CWM, painted for a TV Commercial. Posted by Picasa

Posted by Buckles at 12/20/2006 02:15:00 PM

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

This "bathroom break" required a litte touch up on lower back legs!

20 December, 2006 15:08
Anonymous said...

Mr. Cole, around what year was this photo taken ? By the unpainted roof it looks brand new underneith. I assume we're looking at Topsy, Eva (AKA Peggy )and Toby. If so they were larger than I thought when they were sold to Ringling. Mr Woodcock, who trained these three ? Not questioning Mr Harriot's credentials , however I recall viewing film with Tony Smaha Sr working on some punks. I know he did some for Howard Suez but am fuzzy on the ones on film which I would have seen at least 40 years ago. Also wasn't one of these not of the original three ? The first time I rode an elephant on a ride was I believe Paul Kelly's during the opening of Baraboo Museum. If I'm right it would have been the mid to late 5o's. I also recall Tony Smaha Sr's truck and trailer was painted black and white and he rode a black horse with a Zorro wardrobe. It was a big hit in the show.
P.S. The 3 Howard Suez punks would have been Mary, Ruth and Sue. I remember Eddy Akins, an old bull hand who would bounce back and forth from the Hagen Show to Clyde Bros. I also recall being at Howard's winter quarters visiting during the arrival of 6 punk elephants. 4 of which I believe Karly Peterson broke ?

21 December, 2006 00:33
Buckles said...

I neglected to mention that this picture was taken in 1968.

21 December, 2006 06:34
Anonymous said...

Jimmy I will try and be brief in answer to your questions. Wilbur Deppe of Baraboo bought Bertha and had Jenda continue working her at CWM. To put on a full show he got his father hired [horses whip act, etc.] Deppe sold Bertha to Nugget and bought two punks from St. Louis Zoo kiddie area,[Pearl and Florence]. I changed them to Topsy and Eva and then bought a third punk from some roadside zoo named Suzie. Jenda went with Bertha and Sr. Smaha was to train the new arrivals. No actual training was done and Sr. Smaha advised Deppe that he was contracted to go with Hamid and between those dates would train elephants. This was unacceptable to business man Deppe as he wanted a full time trainer with kooks to the future. He and Chappie Fox put an ad in AB for an elephant-pony trainer during the season. I was on Mills Bros. and immediately answered the ad via phone. When we played around North Chicago Deppe and Chappie came to see me and at seasons end had me and MR come to Baraboo for an interview. Smaha was no longer employed after the CWM season ended and had moved his horses, trailer, etc. to an area farm because he liked the area and would remain there the rest of his life along with his bookings. Deppe had just completed a marvelous building with training ring, stabling, etc. It was a young animal trainers dream. Tony had trained a six pony drill and a third party investor with Deppe owned the ponies and had high hopes to have a twelve pony liberty act for the museum. The three people were wonderful to be associated with and being a Minnesota boy and MR an Ohio farm girl we integrated in the wonderful community, school, church, etc. and for me Dombroskis Old Baraboo Inn, the Green Bay Packers all right down our alley. Now I started work and living there on Jan. 7 and did train from scratch the three elephants,12 liberty ponies, a high School horse [American Anthem] And two pony two dog act with a white pony that Jenda had trained for a litle routine with a goat. It was a busy schedule and I enjoyed ever minute. Itrained on the horse and dogs after supper. Deppe loved to come down to the ring barn in the evnings and watch me train and make plans for future bookings, etc. We opened on May 8 and everything worked. During the summer Suzie became ill and died all in one day. An autopsy was done and it was found that she had had Pneumonia from her time at this road side zoo and her lungs were permanently damaged. Deppe and I went to see Gene Holters show at the Portage Fair and he had a nice young untrained elephant with him that the ran in the animal races [typical Holter] and Deppe bought her and her name was Toby and I now again had three elephants and would have the act ready for the booked winter dates for Gracie, Castle, etc. Tony Smaha and I were always very dear friends and would work together many times over the years,Lippizan Show and alot of other dates. I spent seven years at CWM with those elephants and would probably be there today had not Irvin Feld came to Baraboo, hired us and bought the Elephants and ponies. When I knew I was leaving Chappie and I flew to Dallas and hired Bobbie GIBBS to replace us at CWM. Bobbie was there with Gil's show at the fair. The main person who was with me all those seven years was Frankie Brown the best helper any trainer could ever have. He had also worked for Jenda and Tony and is the oldest continual employee at the CWM.Toby is still with Ringling, Florence-Eva-Peggy is at Scott Riddles and I believe Topsy got tough with Gunther on Ringling and I heard went to Calif. with Bill Rivers and later died but I am not really sure about that.
Howard Suesz did have Mary,Ruth and Sue [named after his family] and initial training was very little done by Floyd Smith of ST. Louis Zoo but then he hired Tony Smaha who completely trained the elephants and an exotic camel, llama, zebra act. Rex would take over the animals an establish the elephants in his own Rex Williams style. Eddie Akin was on the scene and we know would fill in between trainers. Carly did have the next six punks for Suesz and no doubt did some training but later Rex was involved with some of them as well.

21 December, 2006 09:42
Anonymous said...

Yes that is Toby at CWM. I painted her for a TV commercial. When we did the movie JUpiters Darling and MGM people painted the Cole Show elephants we helped and I saw how it was done. Later I painted Gil Gray elephants on major Shrine dates [green yellow red] and then colored them again when I appeared at the Mickey Mouse Circus at Disneyland in 55-56. Disney art people loved the colored elephants.

21 December, 2006 09:52
Anonymous said...

I am surprissed the other elephant did not crap out when seeing a ghost of an elephant!right next it it on the line.

21 December, 2006 10:24
Anonymous said...

When I trouped with Rex on Howard Suesz Clyde Bros. He would scrub wash Mary, Ruth ande Sue and then do beautiful art work with multi colored chalk on ears, legs, etc. It was quite impressive and he did it almost every swhow day.

21 December, 2006 10:43
Anonymous said...

Boby Gibbs always hung around the Shrine Mosque in Springfield when we showed there and Gil hired him to go with us during school break. Briefly for Hazel King and then for me. Every summer for seven years, starting during Junior High and his enrollment in college,[yes Bobby did start a college education]. So in later years when e had DR Miller elephants, plus ponies, mules, etc. I was happy to tip the CWM spot to him and he was grateful. Casey would also do the same during his school years. So I guess I and Gil Gray are responsible for the beginning of the career of one of showbusiness characters of all time. He was around Jimmy REynolds during those Gil Gray times and that would speak for itself.

21 December, 2006 11:24
Anonymous said...

I had Jimmy Cole with me during those CWM and later and he was our unofficial photographer and now I and others as well can't thank him enough. Thanks Jimmy.

21 December, 2006 11:28
Anonymous said...

To Harriot, Thanks for the run down. Reading this blog and drinking coffee can jog your memory. When I was an extremely younger brat I recall going on an elephant ride with the type of howda with two bench seats. Also recall Smahas Zorro bit. I asked my mother years ago where that would have been ? She said Baraboo. Discussing at that time with Paul Kelly ; He said he did rides at the opening of the Baraboo Museum with that type of howda. Do you know exactly what year that would have been ? Thanks for clearing up the elephant questions. The film I saw had to have been the Howard Suez elephants. Also we toured in 61 with Rex on the Suez show. He was also catching in the flying act that year. I recall you pulling into San Antonio on the Texas dates if memory serves me right. Cristianis, Johnny Cline and you were there with the elephants, horse display, Clines ponies, Bill Bushbom's horses and your ponies. One year they had Ramo Cristianis single elephant also Ralph Dukes single elephant making it a 5 ring display. Not sure that was the same year. 1967 ? Wiener was the only one there probably about 5 or 6

21 December, 2006 13:57
Anonymous said...

This is in regard what Johnny said above about Rex doing the artwork with colored chalk. He was doing this the first time I ever met him and if memory serves (this was over fifty years ago) I think he had the Norma Davenport five act out at the time. Buckles: Jump in here- am I recalling this right? Maybe on a Tom Packs date?

21 December, 2006 20:00
Buckles said...

You are right on down the line.
The Pete & Norma five were former Dailey Show elephants "Mary", "Maude", "Norma", "Bessie" and "Konti".
All later sold to the Beatty Show and several included in today's pictures of elephants in harness.

21 December, 2006 23:36

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