Jim Clubb, Any idea what became of these pedestal props, or if there are still any of them around?
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Alfred Court
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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A Blog designed for discussion of topics related to, but not limited to, Circus, Zoos, Animal Training, and Animal Welfare/Husbandry. Sometimes opening up the dialog is the best starting point of all. And if for nothing else when people who agree and don't agree, get together and start discussing it, it will open up a lot of peoples minds. Debate and discussion even amongst themselves opens a window where there wasn't one before.
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6 comments:
The act was sold to Circus Amar in France in 1950. I presume the props went with them, but I am not sure. These are the props that were illuminated underneath. If you look, you will see the bridge has lightbulbs fitted to it. These props were the original props that came from Blackpool to Ringling's. John North loved the illuminated props so much that he had extra props made for the other two mixed groups. During the routine they formed five different pyramids with a black out between. When the animals were on the pyramid they then were illuminated. They went off until the next pose and so on. I think it was discontinued after the first season because of the hassle of replacing the broken bulbs after every journey.
Jim,
Thank you. Now I understand better what they were. John Cuneo told me years ago that his props were illuminated. I understood that the whole prop was illuminated, and he said they lite up as the animals got on them, but I may not recall exactly what he said(there were a million stories over the years. LOL)
Knowing the difficulty of any bulb remaining safe in today's modern world, I can imagine it being a horror, "back in the day," as beautiful as that must have been to have all the acts illuminated. The blacking out between the poses is an interesting concept, and I was not aware that was how it was done.
Wade
Here we see four melanistic cats, three black leopards and one black jaguar (latter in the upper right – note how much larger he is). There was another black jaguar but he was kept in reserve, at least in the early years.
I vividly recall the electric lights illuminating this act when I saw it in 1941 in Atlanta.
I can still close my eyes and see all those spotted leopards standing with their paws on the prop under the lights. Damoo Dhotre was the presenter.
Of all the times I saw the Court acts (1940-41-42-43 and 45)I never saw Court in the ring. In Atlanta in 1940 (his first year here) he was standing outside next to this arena, dressed in formal attire like an equestrian director. I would not have known who he was but my father pointed him out to me.
Court was not easy to get along with. His correspondence with John North (preserved at the Parkinson Library, Baraboo) bears this out. He was constantly making demands and complaining about conditions. I cannot imagine him cutting up jack straws with fans like Terrell Jacobs seemed to relish.
North tried to get Court to bring his acts to RBBB for the 1939 season. Pat Valdo had sent back a report stating that they were the greatest he had ever seen, and I believe North caught them too.
He offered Court a contract in January 1939, but the Frenchman would not hear of it, sitting pretty as he was in Europe with acts playing all around in different venues.
Then came September 1, 1939 and the Nazi invasion of Poland. With that Court changed his tune to pretty please and was plenty glad to set sail for America as soon as he could.
RJR,
Do you mean to tell me there was actually a time in the wild animal profession when "brilliant/skilled" was sought, instead of "cute/charming???" Might be why there was the greatness then, that was lost in recent times, as well as supporters?
I have heard now and again over the years from some older European folks, that Court made various deals with Nazi member's for favors. Have you ever heard of the connection. I have always wanted to ask Jim Clubb, but I am afraid to. Maybe you can ask him, and let me know what he says. LOL
Wade
Wade, I never heard about Court getting favors from the Nazis, except maybe his being able to book an act into Berlin’s famed Wintergarten. [But every foreign act had to deal with some Nazi functionary or other to play there].
That was in the early months of 1939. The act was a sensation because Court worked it wild, which the Berliners loved.
One night he did so before Goebbels, Goering, and, on a later occasion, Hitler himself. Court told about it in his book.
After the performance, Goering congratulated him. At a dinner afterwards, Court sat right across from Propaganda Minister Goebbels who chided him for being crueler with his animals than were the German trainers with theirs. Court tried to explain that a simple stick would not work when he had so many mixed cats.
Court quoted Goebbels - - “ Havemann (German trainer) only has lions. That’s the real solution. A single race is always preferable! Look at us - we have only one race: the German. You see how it works in Germany.”
The night Hitler was there, Court got his leopardess Zezette to spring for him like a flying torpedo, interrupting her in mid air with the stick to the mouth which she bit in two, landing at his feet and roaring with anger. The Reich Chancellor was generous with his applause.
RJR,
What I heard form two old trainers from Germany was that Court was able to get new animals or cheap animals in exchange for name's of known resistance fighters. I never knew if they were speaking from experience or grinding an ax. It is so very difficult to get an accurate history of the profession.
Wade
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