Sunday, November 11, 2007

To Jimmy Hall (Changing of the Guard)


MAIL0478, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

This is a very poor copy of a newspaper picture taken in the winter of 1942-43 in Sarasota rehearsal. "Barnes Ruth" in the center.
Of course when completed, maybe as many as ten additional elephants mounted on each side.
Logan once showed me a picture of himself in 1946 after returning from the Navy, wearing a Guardsman uniform with the busby, etc. however by then these tall tubs had been eliminated.

Posted by Buckles at 11/11/2007 05:39:00 AM

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

For one who hum's show tunes, a beautiful site. However the way those end tubs are setting, I bet this was sure the highlight of the elephant crew's day? A definite
"What the F Moment"
P.S. Quit a shot thank you for never ending education.

11 November, 2007 10:27
Anonymous said...

I always thought the inspiration behind sorting/pole hooks were the loading and unloading on R.R.shows, also work detail only?

11 November, 2007 10:49
Anonymous said...

Richard Reynolds says - -

I saw this number in both 1943 and 1945 in Atlanta. By best memory is from 1945 (evening show). As I recall the big tub was put into the proper place on the hippodrome track by a bunch of guys rolling it along on its big end while holding the other end off the ground. It must have been brought into the tent on a dolly pulled by a tractor, But I don’t recall that.

Only crawler tractor I remember coming into the tent in 1945 was to take the A. Court leopard cages out of the big top - - the animals for the “Ladies and Leopards” number. Those cages were the smallish, low profile European ones that had clerestory roofs giving them a profile like that of miniature rail passenger cars. When we took our seats after visiting the menagerie (a side walled one - -only time I ever saw that), these Court cages were already positioned next to the center ring big cage.

This I recall like yesterday - -the cat tractor that pulled them out of the tent was painted orange, not the green of the earlier North years or the usual yellow of most years. It made huge racket rolling along the hippodrome track toward the back door.

I believe those clerestory roofed cages were loaded on stringer wagons for movement between cities aboard the flats.

One more recollection about RBBB 1945 - -everyone was conscious about the fire threat because of Hartford the year before. An Atlanta Fire Dept pumper truck was positioned near the main entrance. Atlanta firemen were much in evidence in the big top, dressed in uniforms with white hats - -the ones with bills. There were no smoking signs everywhere. One guy lit up a cigarette near our seats and my Mother wanted someone to make him put it out.

11 November, 2007 13:20
Anonymous said...

This photo brings to mind the ancient art of "rolling tubs". All bull hands have undergone that as part of the job. I remember filling in for Logan when he got hurt on Beatty and "little Bobby Cline" rolling tubs for me. He was slight and a little crippled and sometimes it looked like he might not quite make it tipping it over the ring curb before Pete would wipe him out. On Hoxie Leo Entwhistle, [that was his name] would be in his cups every Monday following payday and With the big elephants I used those high and heavy Rex Williams tubs and it was interesting to see Leo attack the tubs. Pretty wobbly, but he was a great guy and good hand even on his 7th day.

How about the Gunther guys from Germany in his early days running them down the track, even one handed for the Gunther "Hutley Hutley Blah blah" and quickly returning them when that segment finished. Audience even liked it.

You sure had at least fifteen tubs in your three rings on Ringling and would call for some pretty fancy tub rolling.

I never mastered the art of rolling tubs. In practice we would all jump in, but for me they always wobbled and got away. I recall alot of gazoonies picked up on it right away. I am sure alot of you bull hands out there have some comments about that portion of the elephant business.

12 November, 2007 09:07
Anonymous said...

Watching how tubs roll always strikes me as one of the ultimate diagnostic tools on a soft lot. When they'll barely roll or won't roll at all you gotta hope to God the 24 hour man saw problems coming an ordered in more shavings to deal with muck in the rings, and you gotta figure nothings gonna happen fast in the prop departmant that day.

12 November, 2007 09:32

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