Sunday, December 17, 2006

Sue & Rudi Lenz 1969



"I am sending some of the pictures of the first year we came over to Ringling in 1969 with our chimps and some of the different routines in the fourteen years we were with The Greatest Show on Earth." Posted by Picasa

Posted by Buckles at 12/17/2006 06:52:00 AM

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sue and Rudi were truly two of the most delightful people I ever met during my time as a promoter for GSOE. They were a combination of class and kindness.

David Rosenwasser

17 December, 2006 08:45
Anonymous said...

You won't be seeing this wonderful act or anything close to it when the GSOE makes their trimphal return to Sarasota after some fifty years. You will see a herd of one privately owned elephant, I guess its true if you have seen one elephant you've seen em all. Maybe to beef up the show they could book in one of te Carson-Barnes elephant acts. [ Dorey Miller would turn over in his grave for sure].I guess Sylvia will do her great aerial act about fifteen feet off the ground. We have always found Roberts Arena to be way too low for aerial acts, and in fact Ringling ruled it out when they had fire marshall seating problems one year in the Venice Arena. Now I was skeptical at the time they announced the "Home Town Unit" and have been proven right, because the PR spin and Newspaper, TV make absolutely no reference to a home town unit but are now declaring that this indeed the RBBB, GSOE in all its glory. They got news exposure about coming here to refurbish costumes, eqip. etc. What costumes? there are no production numbers, unless you call the opening when all the acts are forced to run out up into the seats in their ACT wordrobe and drag some people into the ring to act silly in what is called interacting. Actually it takes up time that maybe the would have to pay an act to do. In other words they have devised an ingenius scheme where by the audience pays to entertain themselves. I would iumagine they will have a Globe of Death,[who doesn't] if their VP of talent can scour south of the border to find one that might work acouple of hundred bucks cheaper than the last one and with more riders. When I saw the initial Home Town unit the opinion of so many was that Raul Castano and his little dogs were the hit of the show. So he just appeared in our Showfolks circus, and by the way with three, count them,three great Hanneford Elephants presented by none other than former Ringling star Cath Hanneford. Now you will have no problem in recognizing the performers as they frequently appear in their ACT wordrobe, before, during and in the walk out wave finale. It will be interesting to see what, in stretching the point, one or even two new acts will bring the first time in America aknowledgment in the program. I believe the backstage invited tour during the come in will introduce you to one elephant and maybe eight horses [privately owned]. I do expect some circus buff to right what a grand and glorius return of the GSOE to Sarasota.Enjoy it. I won't honor them with my presence, but at least they had a ring a couple years ago. Iam not sure.

17 December, 2006 09:26
Bob Cline said...

Mr. Herriott,
If your understanding isn't enough to make you cry, when I saw the "Opening" in Florence, SC, they didn't come out in the costumes, they came out in Walmart sweatsuits with the name of their act on the back of the jacket. How's that for making the general public feel right at home. Pitiful!
Bob

17 December, 2006 12:43
Anonymous said...

Sue, You are wearing my style of wardrobe here. I am short and too much wardrobe makes me look like a munchkin. This style with all the jewel work was perfect for me. Yours is just beautiful.

17 December, 2006 21:16
Anonymous said...

" Sue and Rudi where the most outstanding performers we had the privilege to work with, but they both have a special place in our hearts for the friendship and enormous support they have given my family and I during the last difficult year in Gunther's life We will be forever thankful to them" Sigrid Gebel

17 December, 2006 22:48
Anonymous said...

The best friends one would ever hope for. I was honored to be accepted and respected by Sue and Rudi in my early years on Ringling. Their act was one of a kind. Not only did the theme change every two years, costumes props and routine did also. Nobody did that and nobody ever will again. Their animals were first, last and always. Great great people.

19 December, 2006 08:56
Anonymous said...

I am sorry to be late -- I just got back from a cruise on the Golden Princess from New Orleans to the Western Carribean this morning. It was great.

Sue and Rudi, are quite simply, Circus Royalty. They are both close friends so maybe I am prejudiced. I have never known a more delightful and dedicated circus duo.

Cheers to them! (And, Sue and Rudi, we hope to see you early in 2007!)

23 December, 2006 16:40
diver2043 said...

Obviously this thread has been long forgotten, but if anyone gets this, I'm trying to get in touch with anyone involved with the Lenz's chimps or their act. I'm looking for a chimp originally named "Linus" born in 1977 and came to Ringling in 1978. Thanks!

22 May, 2017 17:57

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