There was mention the other day of an "underbelly" in our industry. This was an "underbelly." There were a lot more of them in an unregulated animal industry then there are today, granted, but all have done untold damage. Lou Regan, my mentor told me she was a real nut job, but I really had no idea.
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Evelyn was my aunt. She passed away in 1991. The man whose hand she is holding is my Uncle Danny. He was an animal trainer, and he passed away around 2000.
That is a photo of my Aunt Evelyn. She was a world famous lion tamer. The man in the photo is my Uncle Danny, an animal trainer. He was her 7th husband, but they were married for probably almost 30 years. They spent the last parts of their lives traveling around in a school bus with Tonya the tiglon(half tiger, half lion). She was fun and full of life. My grandmother and her left Chattanooga and moved to Miami to dance at the La Paloma Club when they were teenagers. The rest is history...
I MET EVELYN SEVERAL TIMES IN HER LATER YEARS....SHE SPENT TIME WITH HER UNCLE "BENNY" MY MOM'S FATHER AT HIS RANCH IN HICO, TEXAS. MET DANNY THERE TOO. TANYA WAS ALREADY HISTORY, STUFFED AND IN THE FRONT BEDROOM OF GRANDDAD'S HOME.
MY GRANDDAD PASSED IN 1995.
I worked for Evelyn and Harry Currie for two years, then left to join the army in 1955. The Curries were very kind to me and truly helpful to a wayward teen. I have a photo of Evelyn in a lion cage, with her sister Rachael and he sister's daughter and Evelyn’s mother in the background.
I drove her to NYC, when she appeared on a national talk show. While on stage, her skin tight sown on dress, started to split in the back. Steve Allen had no idea that was happening, but Skitch Henderson saw it and smiled. The dress didn’t totally unravel. Good thing it was live TV.
After she show, we and the producer and some others went to a famous steak house. I was 16 and didn’t drink, which made me the appointed driver.
billbutler@army.com
I met her and Tonya in 1975. It was the most amazing visit!
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