Since my original comments sort of started what now appears to the longest comment string in the history of Buckles Blog I am compelled to comment further on Red if only to get admission into the Guinness book of world records for most hashed over commentary.
I worked with Red Hartman for 3 years when he was with Bucky and my mom. He was married, or living with an Italian lady named Pauline.
She was much younger than Red and I recall they lived in the "crummy" directly behind the diesel cab that pulled the elephant truck. It was one of those extended boxes behind the cab. She had a little girl from a previous relationship and they seemed to be somewhat happy.....at least from what I could discern.
To be honest he had good days and bad days but I recall that he was a good-hearted old show guy and would do anything for you. He liked my mom and they got along pretty well so by default I was "ok" with him. Red was pretty fun to be around with all his stories and antics.
One winter Bucky asked Red to train, or co train, a mixed cat act. So we start collecting tigers and lions and have training sessions every day on Haymarket Road outside of Dallas.
Training cats never appealed to me as the thought being close to something that could eat me was somewhat scary. Thus, my interest level in helping reflected my caution.
The training seemed to be coming along pretty well. All the cats took their seats, there was a barrel roll and a sit up and lay down. Bucky even draped a young tiger over his shoulders and walked around the arena.
One day Bucky asked Red to train a bouncing tiger like Beatty used to do with the big male lion. Red resisted and said it was not such a good idea. He informed Bucky that lions bounce and tigers do not bounce. Bucky insisted that you could teach a tiger to bounce. Red showed Bucky the technique on a lion and stepped out of the way.
Bucky stepped in the cage all macho and tried the same thing with a tiger. The next thing we saw was the pissed off tiger chasing Bucky up the side of the arena cage. Bucky made it over the side but emerged bloody and had a few scars to show for it.
Red sat in the corner smoking a cigarette and shaking his head watching the whole scene unfold.
That seemed to put a cooling effect on Bucky's desire to produce a mixed cage act. The effort was ill fated and I do not recall that it ever made it out of winterquarters.
The cats were later sold or traded away and I was relieved to have 8 less animals to feed and clean up after.
Hence, ever since I have referred to the act as "ill fated" as it never got off the ground.
I rest my case
Bill Powell |
14 comments:
I first saw Red in 1964 when Beatty cole played Beaumont and it was advertised with Clyde Beatty and it was Red Hartman and that did nto go well with the locals.
Then I was visiting Reid Bros and Helen Carpenter had the cat act and Red was there to help her.
We talked out back and had a great visit and he took to me like a son.
I was invited to come visit him.
So after the season was over I went to Jefferson, Texas to see him.
He was out in a corn field in a very small trailer and he was not in good shape. Very frail. But we had a great visit with him smoking one cigarette after the other. He was on oxygen, smoking a cig and drinking a beer.
The jackpots flowed and I enjoyed it all,
I a chicken box was what he saved from his circus life.
We went though it and told me about this and that.
In that box was 2 guns that Clyde Beatty used and then Red used. He said here Harry I want you to have these for your collection. Well I was in tears.
He had a 16mm movie of him doing the bear act and gave me that.
I had my pictue taken with him and later he gladly autographed them for me.
Red told me the time on Castle they had 5 cat acts and named them all. And about the Dave Hoover coming on to replace him. I wish I had recoreded it all.
I had a great visit with a man living life to the end.
Memories I will never forget and jackpots that were the best.
Harry Kingston
Well Bill this ought to keep
the issue alive for a while
Does anyone know when he died
and how old he was at the time
In 2000 I interviewed Shane Johnson (he had the cat act on Jordan at the time), who told me he had Red's cage.
I just read a note from my old band leader on your post. I`ve been trying to find him since the 1971 season that I played with the CBCB show. I was only with them for the last part of the season, but the experience is a fresh as the day it happened. Can you put me in touch with Charles? He has a march that I need for a band I play with now. I appreciate your help. Dave Miller/Luessenhop
Red passed away a few years ago. I do not recall the exact date but guess it was around 2004. His lungs gave out due to smoking and other bad health problems.
I heard that he was buried in Tyler, Texas on the property that Bucky purchased.
To DENNIS YOUNGER: This is Simba whom we discussed, sitting at right, with his tongue hanging down. He looks pretty good here, but nonetheless was seriously getting on. He was among those sent to the Lion Country in West Palm Beach. Benny Bennett told me that upon arrival, all the cats were darted, dragged off the truck by the park employees, and thrown unconscious in a pile, in the steamy Florida heat. Meat was thrown out and pine oil was splashed over it, with the locals claiming it would keep down the flies. Benny said he had never witnessed such cruelty born of total ignorance, and said he was sure old Simba could not have woken up from such treatment. He said after seeing this, he hoped none of our cats awoke to suffer what those guys dealt them.
From L to R, the lions are Pharoah, top-mounter and door-bouncer, Caesar, rearing sit-up and bouncer after the lay-down,and Simba.
The tigers are Judy, L, and Tiny, R. In the weeks before he left for his cancer surgery, when he had his good days, Beatty was training these girls for the poses seen here, with three lions put up on the wall. They were green, just becoming acclimated to life as performers. He would order the side section to be added to the tunnel, photos of which have appeared here. This allowed us to run selected cats out of the way, so we could get Judy and Tiny in. I do not know Tiny's fate, but Judy came to Jungleland with Princess, the rollover. When the lions were taken by the parks, Judy went to the zoo in Minot, ND. Dave Hoover had never been paid for Princess, and in the turmoil of our receivership, bankruptcy, and closing auction, Roy Kabat ordered Princess spirited away and her destination and further history remained a mystery.
Roger,
What is a "rearing sit up?
Wade Burck
Jefferson Texas is close to Tyler. Red lived on Bucky's property for some time before he died.
A rearing sit-up was natural to Caesar. At the crack of the whip, the cats went into their usual sit-ups. Caesar extended his by partially rearing up on his hind legs.
Jefferson Tx is just west of Shreveport La on us 59 just north of Marshall and I-20.
Red died in 1990
he had been living in Jefferson, Texas at Helen Carpenter's place
He is buried there
To Harry Kingston,
It was I that replaced Red on the Castle Show, not Dave Hoover
Nice to hear from you back on the blog. Missed your great knowledgeable comments. Hope bto hear more.
Larry has been in New York [GSOE] and Tokoyo [GSOE] and every where in between and I am glad I was with him on some of his stops. You are always "ichibon" in my book. You missed your calling as a country music singer.
Yes I knew Red pretty well over the years. At one time it was rumoured as fact that Red died in Kansas City after a mauling by a lion. We all felt bad. And then about a year later I stopped at Paul Kellys place in Bunker Hill and in the dim lit bunk house was Red laying on a cot. Talk about weird. Guess he and Paul were trying to stiff the hospital bill. Reds first comment to me every time I saw him aould be in his horse-gravelly voice, "Hey Cap you got a cold one"?Only one red. Johnny
"trying to stiff the hospital bill!!!!!" That is hysterical, Col. You are a true piece of classic work, when you are at the top of your game. LOL
The first, and only time I saw Red work was in Canada in 1976 outdoors on a football field. He had been into the grapes just before the show, and as he bent over to do one of those "Clyde Beatty sweep my hand over their head roll overs" with two tigers, he lost his balance and fell to his knee's. Without missing a beat, he got up and completed another rollover. As I stared disbelieving the bear trainer I was with,(who shall remain nameless, except his middle name was the same as the show we were visiting) said, "you better hope you are good enough someday to do a Clyde Beatty roll over, from your hands and knees." Nuff said.
Wade Burck
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