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Wednesday, January 02, 2019
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8 comments:
To many of us it was always
"Mister Beatty"
This trailer was clearly
well before my time there
I recall a 28 ft Airstream
(before they made 30s)
Strange stacks or vents
above the trailer roof
The rain shield above the
doorway is a nice touch
Mr. Beatty with his African Basenji. Somewhere along the route, it disappeared, and was never recovered. If Kenny Dodd doesn't remember the dog's name, it may be lost to history.
As for that stack up there, one night just after I took over as his driver, Mr. Beatty sent me ahead down the midway to be sure we could get out. He was always ready to depart by intermission, and for sure to beat the blow-off. As I ran ahead to scout, here he came driving up behind me a little too fast. All the midway guys were shouting at him, as a big cable was drooping across and had snagged his vent stack. He thought they were all yelling "So long", so he kept going until there came this big rip. He jammed on the brakes and jumped out to find the stack barely hanging by a screw. One of the tall guys got it loose for us, and it was all I could do not to bust out laughing as I stowed it in the trunk.
Great Read: Can't beat human interest stories...Thanks for sharing...
Did Mr. Beatty invent the "fighting act" and the Jodphus, Pith Helmet look, or just perfect it?
His primary influence for the fighting act was Peter Taylor. When Beatty was assigned to Hagenbeck-Wallace, in 1925, he learned some of his moves from his boss. Taylor had a severe neurological condition that ended his career that season. He was in the Safety Cage, about to enter the arena, when nerve pain almost paralyzed him. He had to be led out in front of a packed house, who began to realize there would be no cat act. Beatty had practiced some of the cats over the winter, and stepped up to take over. The old story--the star can't go on, and the understudy becomes the star. Beatty was an instant success, and his performance style projected his sheer energy into the public's imagination for the next 40 seasons.
Jodphurs are practical, as they tuck inside the tall boots, preventing hanging a heel in a pants cuff and risking a fall in front of the cats. In time, Beatty went for full-length jodphur pants, with the shorter chukka boots, for most of his last 30 or so years. Tossing the helmet aside after the salute was a finishing touch all its own.
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