Saturday, January 06, 2007

A puzzle from Feline Behavior.



Can you spot the cheetah in Professor Keller's act? Posted by Picasa

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Straight in back over the door opening.

Anonymous said...

Would this photo have been taken at Disneyland?

Anonymous said...

Beautiful Props & Wagons

Anonymous said...

Circus Hall of Fame, Sarasota? Note the antique circus wagons in the background.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous might be right; Keller did play Disneyland its opening season and there were old circus wagons there too- eventually they went to Baraboo.

Anonymous said...

Awaiting Col. Herriott's contribution. I believe he's written about being at Disneyland with some of Gil Gray's animals and equipment with the Professor.

George Keller was in the Art Dept. of Bloomsburg State College in PA. I saw his act on the Polack Show long ago and still remember the beautiful props, white and gold at the time. The cages were miniature circus wagons. Wish I'd been more careful with the program; the Professor drew sketches of the cats in the act and they framed his photo.
(How come I can remember stuff like that and forget why I went to Walmart?)

Anonymous said...

Prof. Keller would work the cats with white gloves, no chair or whip. Nice mixed group of animals. I have a video of his act from Disneyland era! Jungle Larry Tetzlaff used alot of Kellers style to work cats and this is where alot of the trainers of today got our introduction to performing animals.

Anonymous said...

Richard Reynolds says - -

Cheetah's have rarely appeared in mixed cat acts. Keller had one for sure and the Russian trainer Tichonow had one in his early 1960s mixed act that included tigers and wisent(European bison) - -see earlier blog on Tichonow.

Last I cheetahs I heard of with an Amrican circus were on RBBB Blue in 1978, presented by (who - - Jeanette Williams?). They were shown in the ring - not in a big cage number. I was looking for them with the Blue in 1979 but they were gone that year.

Buckles - - Do you recall this? You were boss bull man at the time. Why did they appear only the first of the two year cycle?

Re Keller - - He had his act on RBBB in 1959-60-61 but I think he was only in the Garden.

Buckles said...

In 1979 the Bales were featured on the ill fated Monte Carlo Show.

Anonymous said...

I believe the cheetahs Jeanette Williams presented on RBBB eventually went to the Columbus, OH Zoo. I think they were in an end ring in a display with the Woodcock leopards. Can't remember any of the tricks except I think the rode a well-padded horse.

The Columbus Zoo also became the home of Roman Schmitt's black rhino.

Anonymous said...

Didn't Jeanette enter the ring with the cheetahs in a chariot, pulled by... Great Danes, maybe?

Anonymous said...

No, pulled by a black morgan stallion

Anonymous said...

Richard Reynolds adds - -

Buckles - - I saw the 1979 Monte Carlo at its last stand ever in Macon. There were no cheetahs in the show. I do recall Bale's routine though. I felt then and still do that the Monte Carlo was the strongest show ever staged by the Felds. It just didn't gain any traction.

For sure it was the last 15-car rail show we'll ever see.

Anonymous said...

the way things are going either RBBB Red or RBBBB Blue may be the next 15 car train show

Anonymous said...

Do not fret Mr.Dean I hear that they are ordering blow up wardrobe trunks also I hear they have already found blow up show girls;to pad out the unloadings
Who would have thought while working the Wisc.dates for Carden in those rubber ringcrubs that I was actually performing on the type of show that what would become the prelude to what someone would try to pass off as the GSOE.(I feel so fortunate)???