 Here, “Professor” Roy Heckler is shown fitting a flea with a copper wire collar. According to the LIFE article, Heckler’s fleas came from Mediterranean countries via ships’ stewards, who were paid 10 cents apiece for them. (I wonder where he got his fleas during World War II, when the Mediterranean was a combat zone.)  |
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Heckler's Trained Flea Circus #2
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3 comments:
Thanks for the pics on Professor Roy Heckler and his charges. They are the best pics I have seen of the show. Ballantine's book has that great chapter in it of the setup in New York. The whole flea circus subject is interesting to google.
Heckler even had a program for the show.
Bob
Bob: I think the program was his pitch item. You can't very well sell flea rings.
Roy Heckler was my great uncle. My father told me he use to bring in fleas he collected off his dog and "Uncle Roy" would pay him 5 cents a flea. Apparently Brooklyn-dog fleas aren't worth as much as Mediterranean fleas. :-)
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