This and the next few images show a
tiger-lion-elephant mixed animal act, which I’m assuming is the one that was
presented by Harriet Beatty. (Is that
Arky Scott with the elephant?) As seen
in the film, it goes by almost before you can comprehend what is going on. I’m
not aware that Gunther ever had a mix act with this combination of animals, at
least while he was with Ringling.
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Saturday, March 07, 2015
Steel Arena #8
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2 comments:
These shots were taken at Rochester- you can see the back doors of the cat barn.
Yes, this is Harriett Beatty, although the image of her is not good. The man is not Arky, but he was instrumental in the development of this act. Seen here, if Buckles concurs, is a young Eddie Allen. The elephant is the Anna May before the Woodcock's namesake elephant. The tigress is Primba. Outside, providing companionship stability for Anna May, stands the elephant Sidney. This pedestal remained with Beatty when he departed the Cole show when it folded in mid-'38. He took his and Harriett's acts to the sister show, Robbins Bros. to close out '38. For back pay owed, he got all the cats, the equipment, and three elephants, forming the Clyde Beatty Circus Unit. Clowns Glen "Kinko" Sunberry and Florenz, also joined this unit, and they played Hamid's Steel Pier for '39. That December 2nd, all repaired to Ft. Lauderdale and opened the Clyde Beatty Jungle Zoo. The pedestal seen here was one of two of this design, and was on the act when I joined in '64. It, and three other shorter pedestals came to Jungleland, and along with Beatty's barrel, were lost in the Compound's auction. I cannot account for their whereabouts today--but I still maintain they were stolen before being tagged for auction.
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