Future Elephant Empress!

2010-09-28 19.15.11, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Birthday Card (From Eric Beheim)

Birthday Card, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Barbara, Hope your day is filled with lovely moments you will cherish in the years ahead. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Eric (Barbara and Anna May’s music from their center ring presentation in the RBBB 108th Edition) IN A PERSIAN MARKET PAHJAMAH ADADIO-ORIENTALE JAVA AIDA BALLET MUSIC (Verdi) PRINCE IGOR BALLET MUSIC (Borodin) IN A PERSIAN MARKET (played for their extended exit)

Years Past #1

Scan000011267, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Years Past #2

SAVE0009, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Years Past #3

Munzie Orange Robe, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Years Past #4

Scan000010359, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Years Past #5

Scan11208, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Years Past #6

Scan13135, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Years Past #7

Scan13132, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Years Past #8

Slide004, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Years Past #9

Scan13134, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Years Past #10

Scan13133, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1969 RBBB #13 (From Eric Beheim)

1969 RBBB-13, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. FINAL SET!

1969 RBBB #14

1969 RBBB-14, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1969 RBBB #15

1969 RBBB-15, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1969 RBBB #16

1969 RBBB-16, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1969 RBBB #17

1969 RBBB-17, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1969 RBBB #18

1969 RBBB-18, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1969 RBBB #19

1969 RBBB-19, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1969 RBBB #20

1969 RBBB-20, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1969 RBBB #21

1969 RBBB-21, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1969 RBBB #22

1969 RBBB-22, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

From Hal Guyon #1

RBBB compressor, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Buckles, I found this last night while going through some things. My wife was working for the now defunct Insurance Company of North America here in Columbia. She got this letter which is a copy of the one sent to the Columbia Police Dept reporting the theft of the compressor. I don`t know if it was ever recovered, but I do remember seeing the compressors being pulled to the lot and not left at the train in the years after. The compressor was used to charge the brakes on the rail cars if I`m not mistaken. Anyway, I thought it was a interesting piece. Hal Guyon

From Hal Guyon #2

RBBB compressor 001, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1969 RBBB #1 (From Eric Beheim)

1969 RBBB-1, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. A few weeks ago, someone asked about the set of View-Master reels with photos of the 1969 RBBB Red Unit. (Gunther’s first year with the show.) Here they are. From a technical standpoint, they are not up the usual View-Master standards. The photographer was too far back when he took most of them, resulting in shots similar to what an amateur could have obtained using an Instamatic camera. Most of the photos were taken when the arena was in darkness, giving some of the photos a dark, murky quality. And it appears that the color film the photographer was using was not properly matched to arena’s lighting, resulting in some harsh, unnatural-looking colors. None of the performers are identified in the reel captions or in the little booklet that was included along with the reels. This set never became a classic like View-Master's set on the 1951 RBBB show. I can recall how disappointed I was when I bought it in 1970 and it is still a disappointment today. Even so, these photos now have a certain historical value, so here they are. (Your comments on who and what is shown will be appreciated by the rest of us.) "These pictures were about 1/4 this size before Shannon and I did our "MAKE IT BIGGER!" clown number yesterday. He would ask, "Big Enough?" and I would demand, "Hell no! Give em' their money's worth!" Buckles

1969 RBBB #2

1969 RBBB-2, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1969 RBBB #3

1969 RBBB-3, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Here are three of the four characters that the Felds tried to promote as the new symbols of the RBBB Circus. I think their names were “Ring,” “Ling,” “Baby Barnum” and Bailey something or other. There was even talk about them having their own Saturday morning cartoon show. After a season or so, they disappeared without a trace.

1969 RBBB #4

1969 RBBB-4mod, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. As I recall, full-color artwork very similar to the composition of this photo of Gunther and his mixed animals was used to advertise the 1969 Red Unit.

1969 RBBB #5

1969 RBBB-5mod, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. According to this photo, Gunther only had seven tigers in during his first year in America

1969 RBBB #6

1969 RBBB-6mod, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1969 RBBB #7

1969 RBBB-7mod, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1969 RBBB #8

1969 RBBB-8mod, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1969 RBBB #9

1969 RBBB-9mod, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1969 RBBB #10

1969 RBBB-10mod, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1969 RBBB #11

1969 RBBB-11mod, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

1969 RBBB #12

1969 RBBB-12mod, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. By putting too much distance between himself and the arena floor, the photographer failed to convey that what we are seeing is the elephant act. TO BE CONTINUED!

From Frank Ferrante #1

000000610042, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Jordan World Circus is appearing in Arizona over the next two weeks. Attached are some photos: - Brett Carden, (George's son) presenting Camel, Horses & Ponies mixed act. (Usually presented by wife Cathy Hanneford)

From Frank Ferrante #2

000000610063, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. George Hanneford III presenting the elephants, (Carol in the center, named for Carol Gatti)

From Frank Ferrante #3

000000610031, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Vincent Von Duke - presenting the mixed cage act

From Frank Ferrante #4

Marinof%20Duo[1], originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Also with Jordan, the Marinof Duo from Bucharest, Romania. Georgio & Luisa Marinoff.

From Sue Lenz #1

!cid_X_MA9_1285444934@aol, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

From Sue Lenz #2

!cid_X_MA1_1285444934@aol, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

From Sue Lenz #3

!cid_X_MA4_1285444934@aol, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Bridgeport Connecticut

Scan13128, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. From Don Covington BETHEL -- The 6-foot-3 bronze P.T. Barnum statue was placed in front of Bethel Library Friday morning. "You don't know until it's in place what the overall impact is going to be," said sculptor Dave Gesualdi, who worked on the statue for two years. "But I think we got it right." The Barnum sculpture will be covered and unveiled Sunday at noon during the weekend-long celebration of the Bethel native's birthday. Two clowns from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will pull the covering off the statue, Bethel Historical Society president Patricia Rist said. The circus is also sending P.T. Barnum impersonator and look-alike Todd Zimmerman and 1,500 clown noses to the celebration, Rist added. Mariana Brothers Specialty Moving, a Bethel-based company, donated its services to transport the statue to the library. The company has moved artwork as far as Montana, and once moved a replica of the Statue of Liberty from the top of a building in New York City to the Brooklyn (N.Y.) Museum. The moving company doesn't often move art pieces in its own backyard, according to company owner Don Kane. "But something like this adds to the town," Kane said. From Buckles: "Everything a bit of a struggle this morning. Watched NFL Football late last night and overslept then I discovered that the latest set of Eric Beheim, Red Show slides came up pretty small. Shannon is off today and I'll see if he can enlarge them a bit. So I did today's stuff on the run." By the way, that's me and Chico in the picture.

Gunther Gebel-Williams.

Gunther Gebel-Williams.19, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. From Henry Penndorf This afternoon, I was reading an archived article online from the New Yorker Magazine about Gunther Gebel-Williams. The article was titled "The Young Lions" and was dated January 9, 1984. I found the article very interesting, just at the mention of Gunther and lions. I do seem to remember seeing Gunther with two lions, riding on the backs of two horses, while Gunther rode the horses Roman post style aroun! d the hippodrome track at the Garden, but I can't recall what year. I actually had a picture (attached) of this in my files. The author of the article, Natacha Stewart, went to see Gunther Gebel-Williams at the Meadowlands Arena, where he was in the middle of one of his twice-a-day practice sessions. The following is an excerpt from that article... "This season his (Gunther) "something new" is lions. In the past he has said that lions are not his style. Now, however, he has aquired six lion cubs, four male and two female. He is training them and ! hopes to have them in the act in two years." Do you, or any of your blogs loyal readers have any additional information on Gunther and his lions, or the reason that this lion act never became a part of Gunther's animal presentations? Do you think that Gunther may have been planning on adding the lions to his tigers and presenting a mixed act? Phylis and I would like to wish your lovely wife Barbara, a very Happy Birthday, and many more, all in good health. I hope you enjoy these pictures. Stay well, Henry

Ringling Elephants.1 - May 18, 1971

Ringling Elephants.1 - May 18, 1971, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. From Henry Penndorf Some more pictures from my collection of circus clippings. I thought you would enjoy these pictures in particular. All the pictures are from either the New York Daily News or the New York Times. In May of 1971, Ringling Brothers' Centennial Edition (Blue Unit) was making a special return appearance at Madison Square Garden. I believe that this was the first, and only time, at least that I can remember, that both units appeared at the Garden in the same year. On its way to New York City, the circus train was stopped and stranded at a rail yard in South Kearney, New Jersey by a nationwide railroad signalman's strike. Alternate means of transportin! g the circus' animal population to the Garden had to be found. The circus had great difficulty in locating enough trucks that were big enough, and could accommodate the number of elephants traveling with the show on such short notice. It was determined that the elephants would have to walk to the Garden. Led by Captain Hugo Schmidt, nineteen elephants, one zebra, a llama, and a pony made their way thirteen miles from South Kearney, through the Lincoln Tunnel, into Manhattan and finally to Madison Square Garden. The elephants were classified by the Port Authority as a "Class 2 Vehicle" and Ringling Brothers was charged fifty cents for each elephant for use of the Lincoln Tunnel. The total charges for this parade of pachyderms came to $9.50. (It was 1971) The zebra, the llama, and the pony did not fit into any classification, so they were not charged. This lumbering caravan was escorted on their journey by element s of the Weehawken, Hudson County, Port Authority and New York City police. The remaining menagerie, including two gorillas, fifteen tigers, nine lions, eight leopards and black panthers, were all shipped by vans across the George Washington Bridge, the Holland Tunnel, and the Lincoln Tunnel to the Garden. The tigers belonged to Charly Baumann. The lions, leopards and panthers belonged to Dick Chipperfield, Jr.

Ringling Elephants.2 - May 1971

Ringling Elephants.2 - May 1971, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Ringling Elephants.3 - May 1971

Ringling Elephants.3 - May 1971, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Ringling Elephants.4 - May 1971

Ringling Elephants.4 - May 1971, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

CWM 1895 #10 (From Jim Cole)

CWM 1895 #5, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.