1938 Mel Koontz #1 (From Eric Beheim)

Mel%20Koontz-1, a photo by bucklesw1 on Flickr. Although he was not as well known in his day as Clyde Beatty or Terrell Jacobs, Mel Koontz managed to get a fair amount of publicity and even do a few product endorsements. Here, he is featured in a full-page ad for Camel cigarettes that ran in the April 11, 1938 issue of LIFE Magazine under the headline MEL KOONTZ - FAMOUS HOLLYWOOD ANIMAL TAMER - WRESTLES A FULL-GROWN LION. Koontz, along with one of his Jackie lions, was also featured in a segment of the 1940 Paramount short subject NOT SO DUMB, a thrills-and-laughs reel which demonstrates the native intelligence of a raven, a penguin, a kitten, and a lion. (It was later released by Castle Films under the title WING, CLAW AND FANG.)