Saturday, January 13, 2007

Animal Oddities 1948 #4

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5 comments:

Buckles said...

These were just traveling menageries however I suspect that Prof. Coqozzo might have been booked on independently.
I am surprised to see this show playing Auburn, New York, well within the range of Metropolitan zoos.
Howard Y. Bary had a show of this type in 1951, framed in a railroad car and played the hinterlands of Western Canada, he called it a Zoo Train.
He even had a baby elephant that was placed outside the car to attract people.
In fact, it was Cheerful Gardner's last job, he died the following year.
Elephant man til the end.

Anonymous said...

You recall Floyd King had several walk-thru (mostly small animal) menageries playing under canvas during the summer and storefronts in the winter. The nut on these was low and admission was by "ding" meaning donations were accepted, in fact encouraged if not coerced.

The good doctor is said to have made a great deal with them but he just had to get back in the circus business.

Does anyone remember the name of the old man who operated one of these for Dr K on the King Bros midway in the fifties? "Old" of course meaning about the age I am now.

Anonymous said...

from what i have been told over the years, that seemed to be mostly the job of floyd's brother howard.

Anonymous said...

Floyd King was friends with a guy cslled "Rosey" who also helped out with the animal walk-thru in the off Season (working the storefronts)His last name was Roseihmner (not sure about the spelling). As Henry Edgar said - Mostly that was Howard Kings job on the King Bros. Midway of the fifties. Charles H.

Anonymous said...

You're both right, but there was another guy whose name I can't come up with.

Maybe is was MacAphee or something like that- does this ring any bells?