Ringling Trucks

Ringling Trucks, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. "This picture taken during that brief period of time 1957-59 when the Ringling Show had come full circle and moved overland. The exception being the animals that were transported in system baggage cars. These two trailers carried the props and rigging used on the outdoor dates." Buckles

Head in the mouth Leopard

Head in the mouth Leopard, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Mills Bros. 1958

Mills Bros. 1958, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Kelly Morris 1955 #1

Kelly Morris 1955 #1, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Kelly Morris 1955 #2

Kelly Morris 1955 #2, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Al G. Singer Shows (From Buckles)

Scan11160, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Pat Kelly owner accompanied by Mrs. Kelly and daughter Bernice in the early 1930's.

From Ben Trumble

King Cobra, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Mr. Buck's technique was more dramatic.

"Wild Cargo" #11 (From Eric Beheim)

Wild Cargo (mailer), originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

"Wild Cargo" #12

Wild Cargo feeding birds, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. To help relieve some of the tension and excitement, there were frequent shots of life in Buck’s jungle camp.

"Wild Cargo" #13

Wild Cargo Buck and Orang, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. One of the sequences shows the capture of a large orangutan. Later in camp, the orangutan is seen grabbing hold of Buck’s hand and trying to pull it through the bars of its cage. After a short tug-of-war, Buck (who was reportedly a very powerful man) is able extract himself. (Strong as he was, I seriously doubt that Buck ever tried this with Gargantua!)

"Wild Cargo" #14

Wild Cargo Monkey Cocoanut, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. One of the more humorous sequences shows how spectacle monkeys are captured using the old rice-in-a-hollowed-out-cocoanut trick.

"Wild Cargo" #15

Wild Cargo pig in python, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Another memorable sequence involves a pig that Buck was saving for his Thanksgiving dinner. One morning, it was discovered that, during the night, a python had crawled in between the narrow bars of the pig's pen, ate the pig, and thereby trapped itself. Always the astute businessman, Buck remarks philosophically that, “I’d gladly trade a pig for a python any day.”

"Wild Cargo" #16

Wild Cargo-rhino, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. One sequence that was obviously unstaged and unrehearsed was the attempted capture of an armor-plated Indian rhinoceros calf. After Buck’s carefully-rehearsed plan to capture the calf in a huge net is shown going all awry, the little rhino goes on to capture himself by falling into an abandoned native well while trying to make its escape.

"Wild Cargo" #17

Wild Cargo Cobra escape, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Towards the end of the film, as Buck’s “wild cargo” is being packed for the trip to the Singapore docks, Buck and his number one native helper Ali reenact the time where they recaptured an escaped king cobra using little more than Buck’s bush coat and their bare hands.

"Wild Cargo" #18

wild cargo 1-sheet, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

"Wild Cargo" #19

Wild Cargo (Window Card), originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Further Peril in the Jungle! (From Sue Lenz)

!cid_X_MA1_1230942080@aol, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

From Richard Flint

IMG_7105, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. The History Channel has been airing an eight-part series called "Extreme Trains" and on Tuesday, December 23 at 10pm ET/9C, featured the Ringling red unit circus train as it moved last spring (March 23-24, 2008) from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. Here is a shot I took of their cameraman as he begins to follow Joey Frisco seen here leaving the arena building to march the elephants to the train yard. Unfortunately, I missed the broadcast this evening but it will be re-broadcast in many areas on January 3 at 3pm.; blog readers should check their local listings. The series website describes the episode thus: "All board the longest privately owned train in the world, the circus train from Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey! PT Barnum's circus train started in the 1870s; and the US military used circus loading techniques in World War I. Host Matt Bown and the circus race against the clock to dismantle tons of equipment and get it on the rails. As they travel from Baltimore to the Washington, DC corridor in the dead of night, Matt discovers the less glamorous side to the greatest show on earth." "Less glamorous side" is not a description that applies to everyone, however! Some train buff blog sites have found some small errors or lapses in previous episodes that any subject specialist might recognize but overall they have liked the intent and enthusiasm of the series. Dick Flint Baltimore

From Erik Jaeger #1

IMG_0738, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. The photo was taken in Kansas City in September, was good to see David Pittenger, Jumpin' Joe and Alex! Saw Kenneth, the first time since we filmed "Ocean's Eleven". Erik

From Erik Jaeger #2

IMG_0661, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Dalilah might enjoy seeing this photo of "Little Dane", now 6' 3" and his sister Natalie (doing all the work). Erik

Blue Show 1995 #1

Scan11155, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. "Little Dane" on "Juliette" during the second year of the "Romeo & Juliette" tour. During the open time following the 1994 season, I had the calves actual mothers sent home and replaced them in spec with "Calcutta" and "Anna May". This picture was taken in Florence, South Carolina while the Big Apple Circus was camped at the Fairgrounds, consequently many of the people from my old Alma Mater (including the Jaegers) caught the show.

Blue Show 1995 #2

Scan11157, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. This is "Anna May" in her surrogate mother trappings.

Blue Show 1994 #1

Scan11159, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. These last two pictures were taken in MSG by Paul Gutheil. This is another great elephant "Siam".

Blue Show 1994 #2

Scan11156, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. "Tom" and Shannon.

Christmas Gown #1

Kay Blue Dress 003, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. I know, there is nothing more dreadful that having to look at grandchildren pictures but this morning please indulge an old man's fancy.

Christmas Gown #2

Kay Blue Dress 004, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Christmas Gown #3

Kay Blue Dress 010, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

This morning's Tampa Tribune!

Scan11155, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. "The 139th edition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus comes to Tampa on Wednesday with ZING ZANG ZOOM a two-hour magic-themed show featuring spinning trapeze artists, human cannonballs and disappearing elephants."

"Wild Cargo" #1 (From Eric Beheim)

Wild Cargo (book), originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Wild Cargo – the book In 1932, Frank Buck and Edward Anthony brought out their second book WILD CARGO. Like BRING ‘EM BACK ALIVE, it was another collection of noteworthy incidents from Buck’s animal collecting career. Edward Anthony’s matter-of-fact, all-in-a-day’s-work way of presenting Buck’s narrative gave it immediacy and a real sense of drama. Unfortunately, he and Buck had a falling out over Anthony’s share of the profits from the film version of BRING ‘EM BACK ALIVE and there was no further collaboration between the two. (Buck’s later books were never quite as good as the first two that he did with Anthony.) Edward Anthony later went on to co-author THE BIG CAGE and FACING THE BIG CATS with Clyde Beatty.

"Wild Cargo" #2

Wild Cargo (flier), originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

"Wild Cargo" #3

Wild Cargo Main Title, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Since the movie version of BRING ‘EM BACK ALIVE had earned a mint of money, the decision to make a feature film version of WILD CARGO was probably a foregone conclusion. Although it was released by RKO Radio Pictures, WILD CARGO was actually produced by the Van Beuren Corporation, a small studio that specialized in doing cartoons and short subjects. (They had taken a chance and bankrolled Buck’s first film after all the major studios had all turned him down.)

"Wild Cargo" #4

Wild Cargo Buck on elephant, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. WILD CARGO opens in Ceylon with Buck and his party trekking into the jungle via elephant train to stage a wild elephant roundup.

"Wild Cargo" #5

Wild Cargo Work Elephant, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Quite a bit of footage is devoted to showing the construction of the stockade into which the wild elephants were to be driven. This includes some great shots of work elephants hauling logs and setting them in place.

"Wild Cargo" #6

Wild Cargo Work Elephant2, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

"Wild Cargo" #7

Wild Cargo monitor elephants, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. After the wild elephants are inside the stockade, monitor elephants are shown being tied to and then leading out the young elephants that Buck had picked out to keep. Afterwards, the rest of the herd is turned loose.

"Wild Cargo" #8

Wild Cargo escaped python, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. WILD CARGO was directed by Armand Denis, who restaged some of the animal captures and narrow escapes that Buck had described in his books. One of these reenactments shows the time that Buck and his native helpers had to wrestle a huge python back into its crate after it had escaped inside of Buck’s jungle compound.

"Wild Cargo #9

Wild Cargo Bat, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. During an expedition into the interior, the camera crew filmed Buck and his native crew capturing some giant bats using nets on long poles. Since the film footage was all shot silent, animal sounds such as the bat’s grunts were added during post-production. (Some of these animal effects sound like they might have been done by animal imitators and/or the Van Beuren Cartoon Department’s soundman, since they come across as rather hokey and artificial when heard today.)

"Wild Cargo" #10 (To be continued)

Wild Cargo Python attack 2, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Later in the film, Buck reenacts the time he was grabbed by a python that had been lying in wait by a mouse deer trap in the jungle. (This incident would also be prominently shown in the film’s advertising and posters.) Buck later wrote that filming the animal captures and re-enactments such as this one were some of the most hazardous experiences he had while working around animals.

From Ole Whitey #1

Buckles6, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Buckles: You mentioned back when Credit Cards were in their infancy. Here's a card RBBB issued to billposter Walter Clark in 1949. Neither the name of the show nor the serial number is raised; the gas station attendant had to copy the whole card off every time you bought gas.

From Ole Whitey #2

Buckles7, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Also here's a forty-five year old carbon from when I filled up a Beatty-Cole truck for $5.10. I haven't done that for a long time. Whitey

Mollie Bailey #1

Scan11147, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. As a tribute to the future inheritors of the Greatest Show On Earth, a few pictures of previous lady circus owners.

Mollie Bailey #2

Scan11148, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Season of 1914 In the lower left hand corner is Band Director, Willie Bailey. Behind the drum, Gene Bailey (Announcer/Ticket Seller) and Allie Bailey (Slack Wire, Lights and Animals). Wearing the cravat at left is Brad Bailey (Manager/Treasurer).

Mollie Bailey #3

Scan11149, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Chas Lee Great London Shows 1897

Scan11154, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Free Act.

Rose Killian #1

Scan11150, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Another well known lady Circus owner.

Rose Killian #2

Scan11153, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Rose Killian's daughter Rosa Rosalind, renowned somersalt rider, seen here with Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus in 1914. Married to a musician in the band named Myers and eventually settled at Myers Lake near Canton, Ohio.

Rose Killian #3

Scan11152, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. "Aunt Rose" seated at the table with her grandchildren and daughter in law, Maggie (Mrs. Otto Killian). The boy at left standing is unidentified, followed by Rosa Rosalind, Otto Killian, Mable Killian and Ruth Sawyer.

Rose Killian #4

Scan11151, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Rose Killian's Wagon Show circa 1915.

From Barry Phillips

ggw (2), originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Just wanted to wish you and your family a Happy New Year! I always look forward to getting home every day and seeing what's new on the blog. A few weeks back you posted a photo from Gunther's first year with the Ringling show showing his elephants wearing the old Circus Williams head pieces. It was interesting to me because I have a photo of one of those head pieces that is in Tim Tegge's collection in Baraboo. I've attached a copy of that photo in case you might be interested. Barry Phillips -- Lighting Designer Universal Studios CityWalk 6137 Westgate Drive, #1036 Orlando, FL 32835

Red Show 1969 (From Buckles)

Scan11157, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. This is a glimpse of what the original headpieces looked like.