Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Bill Emery #1


In the early 1930's Emery was George Denman's Assistant on the Ringling Show and in fact took over the herd in 1934 for one season after Denman retired due to illness.
This is a picture of him with RBBB in 1934 with "Babe" who was reported to be one of Ringling's first two elephants purchased in 1888 and due for retirement as well.
Ringling dignitaries included.
His remarkable career included Ringling Bros.....Barnum & Bailey.....and Ringling Bros.- Barnum & Bailey.

Posted by Buckles at 3/27/2013 06:18:00 AM

3 comments:

4pawfan said...

left to right
Sam Gumpertz, Dr. Mann, Robert Ringling, Bill Emory, and William H Blackburn I think on far right side. If this is Wm Blackburn, he would have been on the show almost as long as Babe had in the menagerie dept.
thanks for sharing the photos,
p.j.

27 March, 2013 09:47
Ole Whitey said...

There has been a lot of controversy regarding this elephant both as to her origin and as to whether she was the original Babe from early Ringling days.

Plowden says she came from a bankrupt riverboat, Harlow says from a circus sale at Alexandria, MO; Bill Johnston adds that it was the Castello show at Alexandria. Dahlinger has found a Walter L Main interview saying he elephant came from S H Barrett and Richard Reynolds cites a newspaper mention of the time saying Barrett was the source.

Chang Reynolds quotes Edith Ringling as calling her Babylon and saying she was the same as the elephant pictured here. However Denman is said to have mentioned that a Babe had died in Baraboo quarters and a Dec 25, 1915 Billboard says this was the original Babe with the show.

Stuart Thayer thought Ringling's first Babe was actually Cleopatra from the Burr Robbins show.

Buckles: what's your take on all this?

27 March, 2013 11:18
4pawfan said...

Checked a couple of route books and if this is Wm H Blackburn, he goes back to Barnum and London in 1885 and 1886 according to their route books. I then find him listed in the Ringling route book of 1893.
p.j.

28 March, 2013 14:13

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)