"As televised 9 times by the BBC!!!" Damn, somebody actually counted!!!! You have to wonder why "Television Star" paper, which a number of Brit artists have hung, wasn't touted at the same time. LOL
Monday, October 12, 2009
Does anyone know if this is Dick Chipperfields bear act?
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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This was Smart's polar bear act. I have the original poster of it, which is exceedingly rare. I only know of three in existance. It was dated around 1955.
The polar bear act was trained by Charles Illeneb (Pimmer) in 1954. They had nine polar bears to start with. I have never been able to find out if they had seven Himalayan black bears at that time, as there are no accounts anywhere of the act featuring them. However, in 1959 they added two Himalayan bears to the act, which were included for the next four years. They were then taken out for some reason. The act fluctuated between nine and 12 bears, and I saw it on many occasions with 11 and 12 animals.
It was taken over by Erik Riechart(sp?), an ex-Court trainer, in 1956. This was due to Illeneb being mauled by the lions (October 13, 1955). They were then taken over by Illeneb again followed by Roger Debille, Alphonse Arnt (brother of Doris Arnt), Charles Illeneb again and finally Walter Milde. Milde was the groom who saved Illeneb from the lions in '55. It was one of the best polar bear acts I ever saw.
Chipperfield's had two polar bear acts. The first (1949-1961) contained nine polar bears and 10 American black bears. When I saw it in its last year it contained five polar bears and three American black bears, all of which were retired to Coventry Zoo.
The next polar bear act started off as 10 Himalayan black bears in 1963. In the winter of '63/64 they added four baby polar bears. This act went on tour with them to South Africa and when it returned it contained three polar bears and four Himalayan black bears. I presented the act in 1972. It the first time I worked in the cage in front of an audience. I eventually added more animals and had an act of seven polars and one Himalayan. I bought the remaining three polars from Chipperfield's in 1988, which was the nucleus of my own mixed caged bear act.
- Jim Clubb
Jim,
Thank you. Great stuff. Boy, there were sure a lot of people involved with the act. I wasn't sure about the pyramid in this poster. I thought it might be the one that Dick used that revolved.
"They were then taken out for some reason." I figure it was the same reason any animal is taken out, They are good looking, great performing, easy to work with, push button, child safe animals, but I don't have room to haul them. LOL Great piece Jamie did on bouncing lions.
Regards,
Wade
Thanks for the compliment. The full article was published in the latest edition of the King Pole. Jamie will post it up in due course. I have to admit, when I trained the lions to bounce in the wagon it was the greatest thrill of all, better than all the big mixed groups etc.
Dicky didn't have the revolving pyramid. It was Smart's that had it. Seven polar bears went on the pyramid and one polar bear pushed it around with the assistance of a groom, which was sometimes Pete Hodge (Marcel Peters). I forgot, they sold the act to Boswell-Wilkie in South Africa and Peter worked it there for one seaon with his wife, Sandra. The act was eventually sold to Pretoria Zoo.
Jim,
In old photos of Dicky's bear act I recall seeing a tall "pyramid looking" contraption. Could it have been a tall slide? Didn't he have something that was motorized in the act, or am I mistaken?(which isn't likely, LOL)
WTF!!! Pete Hodge!!! I never heard that before. How did the "beast men" get that cranking the pyramid gig, which is normally given to a mule at the grist mill. Was it given as a reward or a punishment? I can't imagine that being successful paper to hang in the pub to the lass's.
Wade
Smart's toured Scotland in 1957 for sure, so it's likely that the 1954 tour took them there too, given that "The Big Three" (Smart's, Mills' and Chipperfield's) tended to do a 3-year tour of Britain.
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