Thursday, September 08, 2011

1941 Cole Bros. Circus #43

The all-too-brief Clyde Beatty segment that appears in HERE COMES THE CIRCUS looks like it might have been filmed at an indoor date and perhaps earlier than 1941.
Posted by Picasa

Posted by Buckles at 9/08/2011 05:32:00 AM

6 comments:

john herriott said...

This amazing personality would be a center ring circus dtar with publicf acclaim for some 42 consecutive years and his name is still recognized by the public.

08 September, 2011 08:24
Ole Whitey said...

Maybe Roger will jump in here and comment.

I get the impression from this pic that Beatty was bringing the tigers in first at that time as no lions are seen here. I knew he had a few tigers up on the higher back wall seats in those days and I had wondered if he just brought those particular tigers in before the lions but apparently they all came in and were seated before any lions were introduced.

In late years there were no tigers on the high wall or "pyramid" seats. As I recall it all the lions were brought in and seated, then the tigers came in and were seated either on the lowest wall seats which extended around to the front of the arena, or else on 4-legged seats as we see here. Roger?

08 September, 2011 13:59
Jimmy Cole said...

There are lions in this photo...take a closer look.

09 September, 2011 08:03
Jimmy Cole said...

Dave or Roger, What years did Beatty have that "wing" design on the wall pyramid pedestals?

09 September, 2011 08:05
Ole Whitey said...

Right you are, Jim. I copied this picture and lightened it considerably and there are the lions; they were hiding in the dark. Let me just withdraw my previous question.

Regarding the wing-shaped additions at the top of the high wall seats, I never saw these in another picture.

09 September, 2011 10:18
Roger Smith said...

And I have to turn around and ask Ole Whitey if these top pieces were added, perhaps, for his Cleveland Grotto date? It looks as if they were specially created, and could have been sleeved down into slots and just as easily 86'd upon proving undesirable. These back wall seats appear to have been from his Ringling-owned Hagenbeck-Wallace era. We know the all-new arena and props built almost overnight for his '35 Cole show debut were the ones he kept to the end, and some of them came to Jungleland with the last of his 1965 cats.

In my time with him, Boom-Boom led "Storm Scene" for the wild and noisy entrance and seating of the 10 lions. Then Boom segued into "Bolero" for the one-by-one entrances of the 6 tigers, who were arranged on shorter pedestals in front of the lions on the wall, as well as on folding seats around the front. Those tigers went up on stretch irons for the opening fanfare and style.

09 September, 2011 23:29

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)