Wednesday, July 2, 2008

An Alfred Court mixed act

In the picture below we see that the Polar bear in the middle has been replaced by a Jaguar and a tiger, but with the ever present fences, and the assistant behind. As with Circus history, you will get a dozen different reasons for the change in animals depending on who you are asking. The presenter below is Anton.
This is the same act below now presented by Fritz Schultz. Note the help in the cage dismantling equiptment.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wade - was an assistant needed in the cage with all these props and pedestals because hydraulics were yet to be invented?

Re the fences - I was talking to Fritz Schulz a couple of weeks ago about his animal's sit ups [or rises] which always featured vertical front paws. Little fences were a prominent part of the conversation.

Wade G. Burck said...

Steve,
The assistant moved the props because he was there. He had to be there to push, putting the animal between the proverbial rock and a hard spot. Little fences are a big part of the "style".
Wade

Wade G. Burck said...

Steve,
Note the second picture. What prop is being moved? He's there to keep the animals from going back to their seats. When something is driven, it as to be stopped, or it will just keep "driving".
Wade

Anonymous said...

Yep, you are quite right - I was asking tongue in cheek. So should I assume that you used that hydraulic hardware because your employer was unwilling to fork out for an assistant? lol!!!!!!!

Wade G. Burck said...

Steve,
No we had them, they were just outside. Granted not as many as were needed so economics was a factor. LOL The hydraulics saved having to take the time to hand move things. I myself would have preferred nothing. All that furniture provides another place to sit is all.
Wade

henry edgar said...

wade - i admit my knowledge about animals is limited, but the little fences puzzle me. i can understand the need with something like the audad in eloise's act since he was in the middle of so many animals whose instinct may have told them he'd be a great dinner -- but i've seen so many mixed acts without the fences and i wonder if they were really necessary in this case, and if they were, why were they necessary here and not with other similar mixed acts?