Wednesday, December 07, 2011

From Wade Burck #1

Greetings Buckles,

Enclosed are a couple of photos which were sent to me, which I thought you might appreciate more. The first one is of Opal and Kit at the Navy Pier in Chicago in 1959.

Posted by Buckles at 12/07/2011 05:48:00 AM

6 comments:

Buckles said...

This is where Mack kept them quartered at night.
They were trucked back and forth to Medinah Temple each day.

07 December, 2011 06:18
Wade G. Burck said...

Buckles,
What a miserable deal that was to have to truck the elephants back and forth each day. This is the same building where Hawthorns Joyce had an "accident" in 1977 with the groom from Canada named Pops after an evening show at the equally miserable Medina Temple.

Wade Burck

07 December, 2011 07:39
johnny said...

The tight backstaging was terrible. I recall the elephants standing on a inclined ramp, But for a beautiful showcase for the acts in this fabulous one ring setting was superb. I always liked seeing the show there. Especially all the great acts Polack had.Soldier [prop boss] did a great job of rigging all the aerial acts, Barbette, Ward-Bell, etc.

07 December, 2011 08:44
Dennis said...

The day after Joyce had her 'accident' with the groom I was walking past her without my bullhook and she proceeded to pick me up and drop me right in front of her front feet. Obviously, I survived. I rolled quickly out of harms way and avoided the agony of da feet. Dennis

07 December, 2011 10:31
Wade G. Burck said...

John Milton,
The stabling at the show was as miserable as transporting the elephants back and forth. I don't know about horse's but the tigers initially were terrified to run to the front. Where they used to see people in seats, they now saw just heads looking up. I think they thought they were going to fall off the edge of the world if they ventured too far to the front. Medina is also where we found out the tiger Tony could shove his head through mesh cable that was not diamond woven instead of just pieced through cable. He took a big, big piece of Ron Kilroy that day.

Wade Burck

07 December, 2011 14:01
Wade G. Burck said...

Dennis,
That's because Joyce was on a roll. She would just keep going until you put your "foot down" and said "enough is enough." She would be pretty good for a couple of months then it would start all over again. In a ring a real pleasure to work, told once responded instantly, but on the picket line she and Billie were a couple of characters. She whacked a guy one day who was watching her before the riding act(who is still around and probably doesn't want his name mentioned)and he just walked away after he got done rolling. Never even came back for final pay. Just walked away brushing off the dirt and grass. I didn't see him again until 4 years later. :)

Wade Burck

07 December, 2011 14:11

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