Sunday, June 12, 2016

#5 Clyde Beatty


Posted by Buckles at 6/12/2016 06:09:00 AM

1 comments:

Roger Smith said...

An old WHITE TOPS issue has this photo dated as 1931. Beatty abandoned this model of helmet early on for the pith cork jungle helmet favored during the British Raj in India, which he continued as his tradition. Beatty fans recall a certain magical moment when he ran out for his introduction, saluted with the helmet, then tossed it aside onto an elephant tub, as he stormed through the Safety Cage to open the act.

These helmets usually arrived adorned in khaki. Beatty wore all white, and the task became to layer on many coats of white shoe polish. This chore became routine during the season, with the helmets touched up as often as poppers were made and his chukka boots were polished. I whitened a new helmet for Beatty's daughter, Joyce Lee Ferguson, for his exhibit in Peru's museum, and included a newly-cut flat lash for the twisted whipstock she had.

12 June, 2016 14:47

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