It was a time and a place. Buckles Woodcock refers to it as the "Gunther Gebel Era", and most American trainers are remembered as "Trainers of the Gunther Gebel Era." And that is a fact. Also a fact, is that there have been some great Trainers that young American Trainers have never heard of or are unaware of because they never worked in America, and there has been some real incompetent one's revered because they did. A few weeks ago, I mentioned some of the greats from the "Gunther Gebel Era" who have been overlooked because they stayed home and didn't perform in America. I mentioned Emile Smith as one of those greats from my generation, and a young American contemporary said he had never heard of him. Well now you have, and as Emile was kind enough to send these pictures, you don't have to just take my word for it. What a competitive wonderful world, the world of Animal Training was. Emile is currently training movie animals for the Jim Clubb organization, and of course, shoveling shit. We never can get far away from that, can we Emile.
Emile and Sonia
Snow Leopard Dauchka
Monday, October 27, 2008
Emile Smith
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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18 comments:
In witch circuses did he present the animals of Jim Clubb ? And does sombody knows the names of the animals ?
Thank you,
Thomas
Wade, I see that this act includes snow leopards and leopards, my third and fourth favorite kinds of big cats.
Mary Ann
Mary Ann,
Snow leopard. One. And two Jaguars. Enlarge the photo and look at the belly spots on the two cats in front on Emile's left and right.
Wade
Wade, thank you, jaguars being my fifth favorite big cat. I also should have noticed the difference in body type. In the late '90's we were in Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden when they still had the lepjags. I was talking to the guide/security guard when a young man came up to her. He said that he was from San Diego and was confused about the animal's spots, since it had leopard spots up near the neck, and jaguar spots on the body. Without hesitation, I told him that it was a lepjag, and he was quite surprised to hear this.
Mary Ann
In circus knie was he presenting : 5 spotted leopards (Sascha, Sonia, Sita, Ingwa), 4 black leopards, 2 jaguars (Negus and Jade) and 1 snow leopard (dauchka). The year before on Hippodrome circus was he also presenting 2 puma's. The act grew up until 17 animals at one time.
Does somebody know when and were this pictures were taken ?
Here are the names of the animals true the years :
Negus, Jade, Sita, Sonia , Ingwa, Sasha, India, Chota, Onix, Wilma , Clarence , Rager, Cylon, Dauchka
Thomas
some wher taken on knie and some lues knie and yarmuth
emile
Emile,
In witch circuses did you present the act and witch tricks were in the act ?
Thanks,
Thomas
Jim Clubb wrote that he also had a black jaguar for the Smith presented act but it fought all the other animals and could not be used.
Of course Alfred Court had two black jaguars that appeared in his leopard act for many years, including after he sold it to RBBB and Dhotre presented the number. I always considered that the best leopard act I ever saw.
Richard,
I may be wrong, but I assume Court had a lot more animals in which to chose from, then either Jim or Emile had, to select the two black jags which proved suitable.
Courts leopard act has always been of an interest to me. I never ran into anybody that had seen it. How many animals were in the act, and what behaviors did they do?
Thank you,
Wade
Is there a video of this act ?
Emile stands as one of the greatests. His training gifts with a wide range of animals, his prentation skills and personality in the ring remains unique.
And beside this, of course, he is a great human being and friend.
I'm lucky enough to have appreciated many times the panthers-leopards act (as much else of his work): it will be difficult in future to see something similar again.
Raffaele,
When some one asks, what did you think of my act/that act, it is difficult not to think, "compared to what/who?" And your thoughts go backwards to what you have seen,(Smith, Farrell, Strickler, Gebel, Chipperfield, Bauman, Clubb, Holtzmeir, Siemoneit, McMillian) etc) in formulating a response. There is a scene from the movie, Lonesome Dove at the end when a reporter tells Capt. Woodrow Call, "they say you were a man who had a vision", and his mind flashes back into the past, at some of the things he has seen, and Capt. Call replies melancholy "yes, a hell of a vision." It was a great competitive time, I feel the true "golden era" in the world of animal training, the like of which assuredly we will never see again.
Wade
Thomas(circuslover),
As you are only 14 and videos were a new invention when Emile was at the top of his game, you are just going to have to take our word for it, and imagine with still photos. It's difficult but that's what I have to do when they tell me about some the good one's before the 70's. LOL
Wade
Wade,
There are really old videos and Emile Smith performed with the Jim Clubb leopard act untill 1996. Do you know somebody who can give me more information about this act (photos, videos, tricks, ...)
Regards,
Thomas
Thomas,
"Really old videos from 1996!!!" LOL I thought you were interested in when he was young and dashing, like we all used to be. LOL I'll see what I can find out.
wade
Wade I'm interessted in both (from when until when did he worked with the Clubb act ? ) and I know 1996 isn't really old but I was then just two years old.
Thank you very much!
Thomas
Thomas,
I realize language is a barrier, but you are special. LOL I'm thrilled that young people like your self have an interest. Keep up the great work you are doing researching and finding out about great animal acts. Don't get discouraged, "real fact's(video's and pictures" are hard to find. Most of the history is word of mouth. Your blog is coming along nice, also. The pictures of Gerd Siemonet are good.
Wade
Wade,
Yes It's really hard to find pictures and videos, thank for what you say about my blog I hope I can make a very good blog about cage acts all over the world.
In the history there were many good cage acts (Smith, Siemoneit, Campolongo, Farell, Burck,...) I hope I can get of all this amazing acts a Resume and information about the animals in the act en the tricks. I'm very glad with all your information about the hawthorn acts. If you have any information for me about emile smith or another Jim Clubb act please email me at tb05@telenet.be
Regards,
Thomas
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