18,000 men preparing for war at Camp Dodge Iowa, in 1918. What a picture, and how can we ever repay them for their sacrifice?
Base to Shoulder: 150 feet Right Arm: 340 feet Widest part of arm
holding torch: 12 1/2 feet Right thumb: 35 feet Thickest part of body: 29
feet Left hand length: 30 feet Face: 60 feet Nose: 21 feet Longest spike of
head piece: 70 feet Torch and flame combined: 980 feet Number of men in
flame of torch: 12,000 Number of men in torch: 2,800 Number of men in right
arm: 1,200 Number of men in body, head and balance of figure only: 2,000
Courtesy of John Goodall
Thursday, February 26, 2009
This is an incredible picture, just found and put on the internet
Alfred Court
Jim Clubb, Any idea what became of these pedestal props, or if there are still any of them around?
Scuttling ballast/props/requisites in a cage act.
Above as Josip Marcan in 1969 and below is the act in 1976. You will note the same barrel above in the arena below. In 1977 when the act was made to 17 there was not room for the barrel. In addition to 8 additional animals there were now 5 waltz pedestals in the same size arena. Against great protest, and claims of "ruining the act," I added a leap frog and jump over, and eliminated the barrel. In the front of the cage is a "fire hurdle" which was eliminated and a hind leg walk added. As stated below a fold over bridge was designed which eliminated a bridge. All that had do be done was roll 8 tigers over in less room then there was for 4, as the pyramid had to be moved forward into the working space to make room for the additional animals. Because Jean Michon had trained 9 of the animals to lay in a curve on the right side of the cage, we could lay 8 straight from the left side, and curve it from the middle to the right. Otherwise there would not have been enough room to lay down and sit up, 17 in the front 1/3 of the cage. The act Josip trained in 1969 was the foundation of the act that went to Ringling, then went to Europe with Campolongo, came back with Allen Gold, then went back to Europe in 2004 with Susan Lacey, over 30 years after it was first concieved.
Evolution of a cage act when it refuses to change completely!!! LOL
Above is Josip in 1969 and below is myself in 1976. I was expected to do it like Josip, as the one after me was expected to do it like I did, which will very seldom work.
Above is Josip in 1969 and below is myself in 1976. Evenually Josip made the act 9 animals and in 1974 Bill Golden added 3 tigers and the lion Solomon. In order to have "all" the tigers in the pyramid, an additional bar was added to the bridge so that they had a place to go. This cause many problems, because if somebody jumped off the pyramid and ran to their seat, you had no way to get to the back side and bring them back because the middle was blocked. It necessitated John Cuneo coming in the back occasionally and standing behind the pyramid so that they were blocked, which is one of the reasons, in my opinion, why I think you see two people in some cage acts. If you enlarge the pictures you will see an "extension" on the bottom of the bridge. This was added for Josip, because of his short stature, so he could lift the bridge off. On the below photo, you will see that that "extension" was cut off in 1976, as I was tall enought to lift the bridge off, and kept hitting my head on it. Because I had too much hair to put under a turban, I didn't have to wear one. LOL The old barred arena in the top picture in 1969 is the one that sit's to his day in the training barn. I took it down in 2003, to give a "modern" look to the training barn with a mesh cage, and put it back up in 2005, because I grew tired of hearing about how it had been there since 1977, and it was better for training. LOL
Below is the bridge I designed in 1977 when I had to get 17 animals into the same space where there had been 9 and then 13, eventually making the act 15. You will note between, the bridges open so I could go in back of the pyramid, and put animal back if they jumped off. Soon enough they quit jumping off early, when they learned I was going to put them back. The sad thing is, and this is why audiences grow tired, this same configuration was used in some shape or form well into the early 2000's.
Mike Baray
Courtesy of Pierre Etienne Segaud
I have never heard of Mike Baray. Does anyone know more about him?
Albino Moose-Marenisco, MIchigan
What is interesting about the pictures here and in the thread below, is the size discrepancies between the white animals and the normal colored Moose. At the white ones adults, and the normal colored one's calves. Or is it the other way around? The white ones are calves, and the normal colored ones are adult's? Or are they all the same age, and the white one's are abnormally big? What do you think looking at them? A herd, or did they just chance upon each other?
Courtesy of Jeannie
Has how we portray our industry, taken out of context, made the circus a "soft target?."
First point of this post: The above photo is from the picture essay posted a couple of days ago titled, "Misery and frustration of caged animals in the zoo" that were taken in 1968. The photo below is of Jersey's Jambo, as fine of a specimen of a bull gorilla as there was. A large percentage of the worlds population, doesn't know that the circus no longer has gorillas or Gargantuas. Can you imagine not only displaying, but featuring in your animal industry, an animal that has been maimed by the cruelty/ignorance of man? Pictures of Gargantua are normally referenced as the "good old days," or the "Golden Age," and followed by "it's too bad, it can't be the way it used to be, when it was really something." That may be taken out of context by a lot of people, who may not be familiar with our history, and how we have advanced. I have never met anyone in the zoo industry, who reference's old pictures of exhibit/cage practices of the past, as the "good old days," or that it would be better if it was still done that way. Nobody's history is bad, unlesss it is not understood, and we insist on staying at that point and not advancing.
Second point of this post: What does the circus industry project to the world, as a valid animal entity, when a Prince Albert, donates captive felines to the Born Free Foundation(as well as hippos and camels", because they "deserve to be free, and not in a cage, but instead back in their ancestoral home," and two weeks later, awards a feline act with a clown for performing in his Circus, and a year later in England a circus is attempting to discredit the validity of the Born Free Foundation, who say's captive performing animals, isn't right?????
Third point of this post: A life size statue of Jambo was erected by the Gorilla exhibit after he died. I referenced in a comment to Mary Ann, sometimes just a presence is all that is necessary to have respect. The statue had to be moved to a new location, because the young male gorillas in the clan(that's the new word, clan) were displaying to it. We have to assume that their reaction to the statue, was visual/size/shape, and is an inborn reaction. I don't think we should scoff at Dr. Pooles findings just yet. It is her way of addressing/demonstrating her findings, to solicit funds, that is suspect, not the findings themselves. In depth valid animal studies are scary for me, because I am afraid of what they may or may not discover. I am not going to disregard any of them, until all the facts are in, and agenda/bias addressed.
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