Vincent, to the left of the lion sitting on the pedestal you will see what I call a "swing gate". Wilson Story is presenting this Court act, and it is a well photographically documented one from the time, and one of my favorites with lions, tigers, polar, and I believe himalayan bears. Not wanting to risk defiling a "sacred cow", Court usually had these "swing gates" in his mixed act's, and in my mind, took quite a bit away from the skill and time, you would think necessary to build an act like this. I can only assume the act's were put together quickly, to get them in the show. They were used to separate the different species from each other. When an animal got on the seat, the "gate" was either swung up, or attached to a bracket. I have seen both kinds. Most pictures of Courts acts had them in it, and the reason why I like the picture that Gary has identified as being at Blackpool, is that none are visible, or the picture is of poor quality and they aren't readily seen, or the act had finally worked long enough, that they were no longer necessary. As I don't know of any footage available of Courts act's, other then a few bits and pieces, I can't imagine how long the act;s lasted, and what was actually done, what with the bringing in of different species, one at a time or by pairs, and forming pyramids with the mentioned "swing gates." All we have really is still pictures, which don't really tell much, and were normally "posed to perfection" for publicity purposes. All we have is "word of mouth" as to what they did, or didn't do, and we can take that for what it is. Alfred Court is very lucky to have Jim Clubb hanging his paper, and I can only hope to be so lucky one day. LOL
Sunday, November 21, 2010
For Vincent--"swing gates"
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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Is that Mr Storey or Fritz Schulz?
Wade - these animals appear to be far enough apart from each other not to need the gates.
Interesting arrangement of boards on the floor.
Steve,
I wondered the same thing, given the bald patch. The caption from Corbis, where the photo was lifted, said, "Willie".
I believe in pictures I have seen there was a polar bear(maybe a tiger) who stretched on the left of the seated lion with his front feet at the "gate". I can only come to the conclusion that the Court acts were thrown together quickly, most likely using a mish mash of animals because they were all of them "gaffed" up with floor boards, gates, etc. I have often wondered why the "European style" of acts, with the animals sitting at the front, never caught on in the Colonies after the Court success. Fighting acts which were the rage for many years, often chased the cat's around coming in to the right, and going around to the left and vice versa, so maybe it was just a "longer version" of the chase them to the front scenario.
Does anyone recall if Baudy sat his tigers at the front of the arena or at the back?
Wade
Wade,
Thanks for pictures and explanation. I love the Court pictures, I was born a few years to late to be able to see one of these huge spectacles. I know there was a time when RBBB would have 3 of cage acts performing at the same time.
I have always wondered how they got these acts together without hell breaking lose.
Alfred Courts Auotbiography is a great read, and can be found on occasion on ebay.(I know, me again with the books)
Vincent/San Diego
G'day Vincent.
Unfortunately Mr Court's autobiography, while being a great read, is often used against us by people taking selected quotes from it.
Steve,
You are absolutely correct, and thank you for pointing that out. Very few books written by or about old animal trainer, point out that the methods they used and describe, are antiquated and only the thought of the day, in that period. For that reason, I again feel our profession has done it's self a great disservice, granted normally unknowingly by revering and giving the impression of advocating methods of the past. There is nothing wrong with saying, "my grandfather was a great and noble man, but he f'ed up a lot of things, because they didn't know better, or know of a better way. Medical history is written with an admiring fascination at what was done centuries ago. But not with a condoning, almost God like reverence for the past.
Wade
Steve and Wade,
Hopefully the reader of these books and anyone reading quotes by "activists" has the common sense to take the narrative and apply it to the atmosphere of the time.
Mabel Stark had a Jaguar named "Nigger", and one of my favorite trainers writes of taking a ax handle into the ring and "coming to an understanding" with a couple of lions.
I fault niether and do not respect or enjoy reading about thier work any less,because for the time these things were acceptable. That was then and this is now.
Vincent/San Diego
Vincent,
There in lies the crux, "common sense". That is something that is foreign to an activist. I still have a flyer that they handed out in Philadelphia one year, with a picture of my white tigers jumping through the fire hoop, with a page full of direct quotes from Courts book under it, as well as a couple from Beatty's not even stating that they were from two different books, or authors. They referred to them as "great trainer" and had a little blub from Circus Report added to prove their greatness. Naming an animal "nigger" was just Mable, being Mable. About as much class and sophistication as a drunken bear.
Wade
I am sure this is Schulz and not Willie Storey, but I cannot be sure. I haven't got this picture and I have never seen it before. We call the gates you refer to as "screens" or "shields". Court had to use them except on rare occasions. He never could get the animals young enough to mix together as cubs like Hagenbeck did. Court was a business man and put the acts together quickly, often with disasterous results. This picture is the beginning of the final pyramid he did, but it is difficult to explain how it worked. I wonder if there are anymore pictures in this series. I am intrigued by this one.
Jim,
As far as I know, this is the only photo of this "series", and as the pyramid is only being started, I assume it was taken by someone just standing there at the moment. As you are aware, unless the photographer is instructed when to shoot the photo, they usually catch the pyramid being started, or finished and the cat's heading back to their seats.
"He never could get the animals young enough to mix together as cubs like Hagenbeck did"? Court is touted as a "European trainer", even I believe in his book as has been Hagenbeck on many occasions. I think we brilliantly "debunked" that term a while back on the "history channel", and if that is the case, are you suggesting that working with young animals or adults is the difference? I have seen photos of Court, as well as his trainers wearing guns, yet that is supposed to be what designates an "American trainer?" I don't know if Court was any more of a business man then anybody else, before or since. I wonder if it was nothing more then Ringling playing on the "myth" that the greatest trainers of the day came from Europe, as the "different styles nonsense was easy to propagate back in the day of "word of mouth" reporting and book writing.
Wade Burck
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