....this is the rakish Dan Darrow with another popular act of the day, Wier's Baby Elephants "Maude", "Cutie" and "Trixie" later with Dailey Bros. Circus and of whom Barbara has many exciting stories.
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Thursday, October 30, 2014
While on the subject.....
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I didn't have any contact with Maude. I do recall that they used to talk about her being so tall. They said that a man could walk under her chin. I got to know Trixie & Cutie REAL, REAL well. Trixie was a big CLOWN. She loved for you to rub her tongue. You would walk up to her and that funny mouth would go open. And you just had to rub that tongue. She also would reach out and get you by the wrist, and put your hand on her boob. Our Lydia reminded of Trixie a lot for Lydia would do the same thing. Cutie was another story. I had seen Luna & Cutie Kill the wardrobe lady in the first year I was on Dailey Bros. Circus. Cutie was not a killer. Luna wasn't either. Luna was blind in one eye, if you walked up to her on her blind side she would swing around toward you, for it scared her. ( the wardrobe lady was Donna McMahon's great aunt I think. Gertie was her name.) The elephants were chained just outside the ladies dressing room, on the back side. Because it was a small lot. Gertie came in to the dressing room to plug in her lights, and she turned and went out the wrong way, walking right into Luna's blind side. When Luna turn fast she knocked Gertie into Cutie. Both elephants were scared. They reacted out of fear. They were not trying to be mean. But they stepped on her and knocked her back and forth between them. It was horrible to see and hear.There were only about three or four of us in the dressing room. There was supposed to be a watch man on duty at all times. He wasn't there. A clown and a groom on the horses grabbed her by the arm, and the bulls pulled her back in. By this time the bulls were scared so bad, they had lost all control. I had not worked elephants yet except one elephant pony & dog. I worked the dog. For a very long time I would hear Gertie screaming for help. It was horrible.......Barbara.....to be continued-------
Later I had dealings with Cutie. I ended up working her in a team. Trixie was the other partner in the team. I am getting a little ahead of myself. I worked elephants for a little while and I got a big head and thought I was a pretty good elephant hand. So I was walking through the menagerie and saw Trixie, ( I THOUGHT she was Trixie,) Trixie was taller than Cutie. But Trixie was standing in a hole. So I walk up to Cutie, and started playing with Cutie. ( The watch man was Rex's brother.He had a girl friend he was playing with in back of the elephants.) So he couldn't see me, (making a fool of myself.) Cutie put up with me for a little while, then she hit me and knocked me up in the air, and before I could hit the ground she hit me again and knocked me down on the ground. Then she came in to kick me. I saw that and started rolling away from her, just in time. I really learned a lot that day. That they are not toys, and that I wasn't such a hot elephant hand. I had a...LOT... to learn. Rex jumped all over his brother George. And all over me, and justly so, for going up to the bulls without some one there....I was bruised all over and a little skin off my face. I was a very lucky girl.....Barbara...... to be continued-----
1950 was my big year. I had the training of Jean Allen & Louie Reed, the years before. So the show was short of help. So Rex started me out on the Stone Bolt. It was a single bull pulling a big iron slab to carry the wooden stakes on. Next I moved up to the stake puller. I liked that as I felt like I was doing more. The stake puller you have to take the chain that is around the bull's neck with padding on the neck. And you wrap the chain around the stake and give the order to the bull to pull. Then Rex put me on my first team. Yes it was Trixie & Cutie. And Cutie was the one I had to ride. Rex always told me he would watch me when I had to go out in the dark to hook up a wagon, and that I would have a hook up man. Well he didn't watch me. And I had to get off Cutie in the dark and mud, and hook up by myself. And go back up to Cutie and get back on. (no head piece, or any thing to hold onto) I made it through that. So he put me on the next team. Myrtle & Lucy. Lucy had killed Gabe Tucker. I think that was on the Russel Bros. Circus. Jean Allen could handle her when other people couldn't. But needless to say I was scared. But I didn't let her know it. And the same thing Rex didn't watch me, except when I was pulling a stringer wagon to load it up. If I just barely touched a quarter pole or side pole he raised hell with me. AND I DIDN'T EVEN GET THE $2.00 A NIGHT THE MEN GOT. Lucy was a good elephant to work because she knew what do, and as long as you didn't hit her things were fine. The same thing happened when I had to hook up out in the dark & mud. No hook up man, I had to do it alone.Good elephant education. The man up stairs was looking after me. I had saved up to buy a new pair of shoes. It rained and I was crying because they were only cardboard & paste. They fell apart. Chuck Smith was on the show. He ask Rex why I was crying, Rex told him. Chuck Smith gave Rex money to buy me a new pair. I have never forgotten that.....Barbara.......
The highlight for me as far as the elephants were concerned were the Louie Reed elephants. Myrtle, Tillie, & Jenny. The ( BASEBALL PLAYING ELEPHANTS.) I never missed the act. It was fantastic. Myrtle was the pitcher, ( she also did the Fan Dance.) Umpire & did the talking. She was great. Jenny slid in to base.When Myrtle did the Fan Dance you had to hand it to her a certain way and she did the Fan. Then you handed her the ball and she thew it. If you gave her the Fan wrong she would throw the Fan.It was funny. Jenny was my mount bull. I loved her so much. She was careful with me.When Myrtle did the Fan Dance, she swung the Fan from side to side. Then when she did the hind leg stand, she held the Fan over her private. And when she threw the ball she would wind up with her trunk.....Barbara.....
I made a mistake when I said Myrtle was the Umpire. That was Tillie, she was the talker. She was great. They all were. My computer is messing up. Shannon is going to work on it this coming week.In the comment above I was starting to say Myrtle was winding up to throw the ball, and if you gave her the Fan the wrong way she would wind it up and throw it. "Anna May" had something like that. I can't remember right now if it was the barber shop or the dinner table. She would remember what to do with it by the way we handed it to her. We would forget. She was so great.Because she remembered......Barbara......
If only a few of those elephants
could have told their version of
those same stories Barbara I'd
bet they saw things differently
It's great to read your stuff
This is the real history
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