Tuesday, November 06, 2018

BARBARA #2


11 comments:

Chic Silber said...


Barbara had either 3 or 4 leopards

but I think this might be Odin

Chic Silber said...


Betty & Joe Eddie Fairchild

had a good working leopard

in their illusion & magic act

that they inherited from

Patty & Hines Rucker when

they stopped performing

Chic Silber said...


Gunther put together (with help)

a pretty lame caged leopard act

working in the big mesh arena

Underwhelming at best

Roger Smith said...

GGW's leopard act was said to be a concept from Irvin Feld. I saw it only once, and think I counted 22 cats. GGW said the trouble he had with it was never worth the result--which, as CHIC recalls, was less than a star turn.

Chic Silber said...


He never had that many cats in

the arena at any 1 time Roger

I don't recall that idea coming

from Irvin Feld & I was around

It did give Gunther a terrific

photo op with his exiting the

arena with a leopard wrapped

around his shoulders that was

used for much publicity

Roger Smith said...

What I got was backyard rumor, holding that Feld wanted a leopard act, and GGW was hesitant, not considering himself a leopard trainer. He was quoted in an interview as saying, "I never had so much trouble with an act."

Chic Silber said...


Although Gunther was skilled as

an animal trainer of many species

what he most excelled at was the

presenting with easily recognized

charm & a graceful manner making

it all look very easy

Chic Silber said...


He befriended many folk

& was ready to help any

of those performers that

were in need of it

Chic Silber said...


I had great respect for him but

wasn't among those who thought

he could walk on water

GaryHill said...

Gunther wasn't the friendlist guy in Winter Quarters when I started grooming for Charly..??

Chic Silber said...


You worked on the opposition team Gary

He was terribly jealous of Charly even

though they had much the same background

I was on that team also but he considered

me neutral as I was supposedly on both

I basically kept a little distance

it was always "Circus Williams" for many

of us from before the new arrangement

Kinda like a color war at kiddie kamp

(Scrape red paint & find blue & likewise)