This is my favorite Court pyramid. If you have to do a pyramid, in my opinion, animals at different level's and different directions is much more visually appealing then the standard all stretching in one direction, or sitting up at gradual levels. As there are no wide angle pictures available of all the animals sitting on their seats in a Court act, I have often wondered if these 3 photos were just "staged" publicity shots" and not actually the act. First off, the seats are empty, and the "assistant" is wearing a plain shirt and pants. In the photo above, obviously the felines sat at the back of the arena, by the chute door, or they were brought to do the pyramid and let out after the pyramid, because there are no seats for them. 
In this photo, with the same costume, again the seats are empty, and the props appear to be pushed up almost against the front of the arena(where the bear seats are in the photo above), leaving no room for an assistant to stand. Either the animals all sat together at the back of the arena, by the chute, which I don't think they did, because they are obviously separated above, or they were let in one at a time to shoot this picture, with the Himalayan bears being put in first. No other behavior was done this pyramid, because there is no "assistant" to push the bears to Court.
This pyramid must have come after the top pyramid, as the Himalayan bears are gone(note their empty seat by the assistant). Either that or they were let in after this pyramid. Again, there is the "assistant" in street clothes as the props are back in the middle of the arena giving him room to stand, and empty seats, plus the tall pedestals that the bears are sitting on in the photo above, which are not in the top photo, instead there is the pyramid bridge seen here. Jim Clubb, help me out here please. Explain to me what I am seeing right, or what I am seeing wrong in these pictures.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Alfred Court
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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5 comments:
On the 3th pic,there is a himalyan
bear on top of the pyramide.
Rob.
Rob,
But where did the other one go?
Wade
Yes,he must have left the building.
Rob
All these pictures were taken at the Blackpool Tower Circus 1937. They were specially shot in the morning before the show by a famous photographer, Barnet Sademan, who took all the photos at the Tower. He also took photos of my acts in 1981, which were the last circus pictures he ever took. This was how the act was. This is mixed group number four (the Schulz act). There were four pyramids in this act. The first three are pictured exactly in this order. The cage assistant is Joe Walsh. He didn't send the bears to the pyramid. The whole act was always worked by the trainer. The assistant was only there to move the props and be available in case there was a fight. He was as inconspicuous as possible. In fact, I have write-ups for this act saying that he was hardly noticeable. The bears left the ring after the third pyramid. The fourth pyramid didn't contain the bears. Court didn't use all the animals in every pyramid. Some were left on the side seats - a bit odd as far as I am concerned. The first pyramid I agree with you, Wade, is a great pyramid. I do it in my new lion act now and also did it in my previous mixed group. Court worked the evening show and Schulz worked the matinee.
By the way, the animals entered from the right hand side of the cage. Court changed the act around for Blackpool. The bears sat at the back and the tigers, lions and leopards all sat at the front. It's a bit confusing if you are not aware of this.
Jim,
Great information, thank you. Folks may understand why someone "sees" something different, given their experience of "living it/doing it." An astronaut looking at a picture of a launch is going to interpret it different then a reporter, as a General is going to interpret a battle scene differently then someone who hasn't been there. That a professional photographer was used and the pyramids were "set/staged" also explains why they are perfect.
I disagree with you, with great respect, that another person in the cage is not noticeable or of some aid with the animals at some point. That Walsh was referenced, regardless of how noticeable, is proof of that. I have never had a fan or anybody after watching a two person act, not ask why they are there, so they are noticed, regardless of how you want to justify/explain them. If you watch a two person act more then once, at some point you will see the second person do something, even with a subtle movement, to move an animal or block it's exit, in essence almost being a retracting and extending shift pole. With folks working the animals different shows, I have to think they were more like "programmed robots" then willing participants in the act.
Wade
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