The Court act below, was always my favorite, of all of his acts. In an effort to do something different I attempted to copy the look of this Court pyramid in my last act. I cut the high pedestal out of the middle and put the waltz pedestals in the front of the pyramid and angled them. This photo was taken before all the animals were in place but two more came and sat up between the pairs of tigers stretching on the waltz pedestals and the last two tiger stretch on the end of the pyramid, so that there were tigers sitting up between the stretched animals and one sitting up in the middle on a low pedestal instead of at the traditional "high seat" of the bridge. I am often asked, "which tigers mauled the well known presenter last fall?" One is stretching on the waltz pedestal on my immediate right, and the other one is stretching on the left at the top of the pyramid.
Jim Clubbs great mixed act had a unique wheel in the middle of the pyramid that was later used for various animals to roll. I may be wrong, and correct me if I am Jim, but I always assumed it was an attempt at the beautiful pyramid that Court had in this act below. If you attempt to copy something very old, it is new and different and not what was done last week. But you have to study the past with a learned eye. Jim, if you would please, how did the animals enter the arena in the Court act above. Did they enter through the side of the arena, or were there two doors, one on either side? I have only seen two pictures of this act. This one, and one with the big step ladder looking bridge with the bears on it.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Court's influence is still around decades later.
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Wade G. Burck
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20 comments:
"I may be wrong, and correct me if I am Jim, but I always assumed it was an attempt at the beautiful pyramid that Court had in this act below".
Yes, the Court act inspired me to create this pyramid again, but it wasn't just the Court act. The Scottish trainer, Alex Kerr, long time house trainer for Bertram Mills, also copied the Court pyramid. His act had the wheel in the middle, one leopard on top and was flanked by four male lions and two tigers sitting up, one tiger tiger sitting up in the front and one male lion laying on the floor in front of the tiger. Court often did that as well. Kerr then used the wheel with a tiger walking backwards on top and a lion walking forwards inside. In the case of both Court's and my wheel the animals walked forwards, top and inside. The first time I had a tiger on top and a lioness inside. We later changed to a bear inside. In the new act we have a tiger on top and a liger inside.
This particular act of Court's (the wheel pyramid) was the last he trained in 1943, originally for Damoo to present. It contained nine tigers, five lions, two leopards, two pumas and one jaguar. Damoo had problems with one of the leopards and never worked the act in public. It was taken over by Zappel who was replaced by Harry Kover and in the picture you have it is being presented by Jack Berry. Court took the small cats out after Kover. The acted ended up containing just lions and tigers, as pictured.
"how did the animals enter the arena in the Court act above. Did they enter through the side of the arena, or were there two doors, one on either side?"
This picture was taken at Blackpool Tower. The animals entered from one door on the right. It was unique for Blackpool as Court changed the seating of the animals and the pyramid around. Normally the animals would enter from behind the pyramid, where the bears are seated. However, he felt it was more impressive to have it this way round for the Blackpool engagement. This was a publicity picture taken with the apron net removed using the permanent ring cage from Blackpool that was lifted on steel cables and came from the ringfence, dripping in water. The ring at Blackpool sinks and turns into a water show for the finale. This is why the cage was always wet when it was lifted. As you know, I worked the Tower many times. The picture of my act with the Palacios was taken in 1988 and the animals came in from the same side from Courts', but the pyramid went across the ring the other way with the ringdoors and bandstand behind. This picture was taken early on in the season, as the black panther was substituted for a spotted leopard later on, as Palacio had problems with it and I put it into Emile's act. There were also two wolves at either end of the pyramid, but you can't see them in the shot. We added the black bears and liger later. This was always one of my favourite acts. The animals were of top quality.
When I worked the male lion act at the Tower I always sat, prior to the show, on a little seat by the ringdoors and tunnel. This is exactly the same position Court sat prior to his act.
Jim,
Wow!!! Thank you for taking the time for that insightful, incredible comment. I hope the young folks reading this blog appreciate the history they are receiving. I have so many thoughts, I don't know where to start. The invite of spending a few days, should I come to England while greatly appreciated, I don't think would be adequate. Better would be if I grabbed Richard Reynolds and met you some place in the Himalayas. Two years later when we walked down out of mountain we may have discussed animal training/zoo keeping to our mutual satisfaction. LOL There are Historians, and there are dabblers, and they are very different.
Our profession need's a term like "cross-training" which Jamie has brilliantly dissected and validated in regards to martial arts styles. "European style/American style" are so very inadequate for the practitioners of the craft who have adapted by changing, combining, using some of this and some of that. Folks who have spent their career in a one ring affair or a non changing environment, have never been "tested." Some like Sacha Houck Daniel Suskow validated there skills(if they were needed) by producing what they did, in a completely different environment from what they were used to, as did Court.
I have often, to the displeasure of some, questioned the thousands of pictures of old acts doing a pyramid with, "how do we know it wasn't a set staged photo," which never really worked out as an act. An attempt is made at that staged photo, and if it fails we either feel inadequate or the person in the photo is given more credence then is deserving. If we look at a photo of someone standing in the open door way of a plane, and a photo of them rolling up their parachute, we sure don't have any idea of what happened in between the open door and the landing.
How they entered and what that picture was with the staging of the shot, is particularly clear to me after being on Ringling with my "straight across" pyramid, with the animals having to enter the side instead of the back of the arena. A logistic I trust you also had to contend with. Turning the pyramid so it faced the long end of the building was not an option, so we used the chute to run from the end ring around to the back. I have seen many act's that had to face the long end instead of the front over the years, and have watched a number of acts, "from the side" because that's where the front was. The brilliance of "cross-training" is most obvious in the acts of Charly and GGW and a few others, in combining the European/American styles of animals either in the front or the back, and bring them in the side yet, play to the front. Arena's pulling up!! How many tricks, lets say an arena run, are looked at as special. Not that is isn't but some
environments afford the opportunity to do things, that have have nothing to do with an individuals skills. On our best day, GGW, Charley, yourself, myself, or a multitude of others couldn't do a cage run in a net cage.
I was initially very uncomfortable when I was working with GGW's act as I had never had to move animals the way his moved. Once I adapted, it opened my eyes to so many different options of moving an animal instead of the standard American go left or right. There was a world of European circles, fishhooks, I wasn't really aware of, until the animals were sitting in the front as well as the back, which I was able to incorporate years later. The most difficult trick in Hawthorn acts for a European presenter was the lay down, the waltz, and the pyramid because they were not able to "push" them into that, as they were comfortable with. The waltz was trained left handed and never changed 30 years later, yet the majority are right handed. The first tiger act was trained by a European, and the rollovers, fire jumps, were comfortable for them.
As for one person having problems with an animal, and another person not, I suggest that was because it was not trained right!!!! Or at least that's what "Great Britain's Greatest Female Wild Animal Trainer" told me. LOL
"When I worked the male lion act at the Tower I always sat, prior to the show, on a little seat by the ringdoors and tunnel. This is exactly the same position Court sat prior to his act????" Don't you think that was a taking idolizing to an extreme Jim? It might have been easier just to dye and wave your hair like Court's. LOL
Again, thank you for the great history.
Wade
Interesting comment about the left hand waltz. I presume this was trained by Michon. He was left handed. He first taught me to use a whip amongst other things. So I learnt with my left hand, but then was severely reprimanded by John Chipperfield (Uncle to Dicki) who made me learn with my right hand. Consequently I became an ambidextrous trainer, which helped when I learnt to do a cowboy act. With regard to an animal not accepting a trainer this is debatable. I make sure all our lions, tigers and bears can work with any competent and professional trainer. Leopards and jaguars are different. They do not accept any trainer. I have had who some do not even like members of the audience! Sonia the long jump leopard would find someone in the audience and fixate on them, which sometimes caused problems in the routine. I have had three incidents with leopards that have just not liked me and when I have trid to take them over again have had serious problems. Leopards are very much a one/two person animal. Having said that, we had a tiger that worked for everybody but hated Emile Smith from the first time he went in the cage. So much so we had to take him out.
I don't know why European trainers had problems with the tricks you mentioned. Virtually all European acts seat their animals at the back of the cage just like the Americans do. I actually think it was an English method of having them seated at the front. When I worked for Chipperfield's the tigers and the bears always were seated at the back of the cage, only the lions at the front. I've done both. It is safer to seat them at the front because when you drive them you know their character and how they feel for that show. When you call them to you, you never know how they are going to be until they are on top you. That's what I was taught and it has never failed me. I like to be able to do both. So we try to train everything to come to you and be driven.
I think that covers everything. It is a pity the younger contributors to your blog or even some of the older ones don't come in on some of the historical stuff, but then again I guess they don't want to converse with a boring old trainer like me!
Could you send me the picture of Jack Berry with Court's act? I'd like to copy it.
I am reading, and I am a fan of history. Appreciate the clinic.
Mr. Clubb,
I think a lot of younger contributors watch the history on the blogs unfold, so they can later pick apart the superstitions and myths that went along being an animal trainer back then. Our industry is full of this as I am sure you well know. Like for instance the point made
"It is safer to seat them at the front because when you drive them you know their character and how they feel for that show. When you call them to you, you never know how they are going to be until they are on top you"
I can appreciate that someone back in history believed that, and it has been passed down the line. But I don't believe it is true. There are hundreds of these myths and superstitions in circus animal training, and I hear new ones all the time. I had a "trainer" visit several days ago who told me small tigers are smarter then big tigers. I didn't make a fuss over it, because she was retired and it didn't seem that important, however said to the rite person, that statement is very damaging to the industry. So in effect, I think the younger generation is leary of commenting on history in fear of seeming disrespectful, for pointing out that circus history is seldom based on facts.
Jim,
"Competent" is the key word, and often, down through history, if you are honest and look at every situation, that often is not a consideration, and it will be sacrificed for looks, or a need to get someone in there quick, and then concessions will have to be made. In the case "style" all Hawthorn acts were designed the same way, given the initial training by Marcan. The roll overs are done at the front of the cage, with the animals coming off the seats, pushed to the front and turned. The same as the English/British "style" of pushing them from the front to the back and turned, just opposite. Many of Hawthorns presenters had an English background, or had presented that style before coming to Hawthorn. The difficulty was in the waltz which was bringing them, instead of pushing them, and the lay down which was done in the front 1/3 of the cage because of the placement of the straight across pyramid. Once it was there it had to be held as there was no cage to block it, or stick to reach it. If it left there was no way to get it back, as you could not go through a wall of tigers, and there was no end, left or right to go around.
In watching Michon, I noted everything pushing to the right side(looking at the chute door), as opposed to a standard direction of left, which is the direction horse, elephants enter and move around the ring, counter clock wise. The laydown, instead of being in the middle of the floor, went from the middle to the right side of the cage. The first animal, Tony laid in the middle and every one else laid down to his left, instead of 4 on one side and 4 on the other. The animals on pedestal facing the front, turned to their right, clockwise for the waltz. It was the first waltz Hawthorn ever had in an act. I realized Michon was left handed, when I started to train a 5th tiger for the waltz 6 months later. A right handed person of which I am one, but like you became ambidextrous through necessity would hold the meat stick in our left hand and the whip in our right would turn the animal to their left. Michon being left handed, had the whip in his left hand and the meat stick in his right and turned them to their right. I had to teach the new tiger, back wards for a right hand person. No body even knew that until, I explained it to them in 2003. A right handed person unless they understand it, "chases" the animal away on the waltz because the animal first step is away, instead of stepping forward and away. If a left handed person were to train a liberty act of any kind, with the lash whip in the left hand and the straight whip in the right, the animals would have to come in the ring opposite or clock wise, putting the person on the right side of the animal instead of the left.
I think I can answer both you and Casey in response to the younger viewers. The only one's who may attempt to pick apart superstitions are going to be the practitioners who think they have done it long enough to realize a superstition. The "viewers" from Europe, and there are about 2 dozen who read the blog on a regular basis, have stated, in private emails, what made them interested and coming back were the appearance of the Jim Clubb's, the Josip Marcans, myself, Col. Herriotts, Dianne Olds Rossis, etc. People they have heard of, but assumed they would never have the chance to in a sense "be around." Add that to the language barrier, and it can be pretty intimidating for a young fan, or someone who want's to be a trainer. It is one thing to sit with a bunch of football fans and discuss the game in a pub. Imagine if Joe Montana, Dan Marino, and Tom Brady walked into that pub, and said, "why don't you guy come sit with us!!!" I guarantee they are going to be so happy to be included and in awe, that all they are going to do is sit and listen. That is what has been expressed to me. There are even a couple who were beast men, and became "disillusioned", who are looking at things differently, by listening to what they have read. Believe me Jim, they are as appreciative of the opportunity just to sit by the campfire, as I am. I ask questions of you, Dianne Olds Rossi, because I want to learn and understand, as I ask Josip Marcan, and in the past I was able to ask GGW, Charley, Pat Anthony, Herriott. I regret I only was able to be around Dickie briefly, and I would have liked to ask him some questions, as well as Gerd, Court, Houcke, Mattiesse, etc.
Wade
Jim,
Case in point. From some recent readers of the blog:
I'm a big circus fan since I'm 3 years old (i'm 19), but I really want to become a circus trainer.
Hello Wade, I'm very happy to meet a great cats trainer like you. I see that you have worked at Ringling Bros. it would be an incredible experience, the dream of many trainers.
Mr. Burck, I am from Spain and I like your blog very much. No place else can someone have the a chance to read from someone like Mr. Clubb. All other blogs have only fans like me. We never have chance to hear from famous trainers and see pictures from Mr. Marcan.
And, way down here in the Antipodes, I would have given my right arm to be exposed to the knowledge of any/all of you!
Steve,
Before you start thinking you are going to be getting a sympathy party from me, you had Fritz Shultz to relay some Court, so it didn't all suck. LOL But thanks, and imagine what we have all lost. because we weren't willing to listen, and let our bias close our minds and dialog.
Wade
Should mention that, at 98 years young, Fritz is pretty crook at the moment.
He told me at Doug Ashton's 90th birthday just before Christmas that he felt that he was "deteriorating".
For those who visit here who know him - saw Doug last night and he looks terrific.
Steve,
That's classic. At 98 Fritz feels the bloom is going off the rose, huh. Time to slow down a bit. LOL
Wade
Jim - when you say that "it's safer to seat them at the front because when you drive them you know their character and how they feel for that show" does that mean that that is because you've had the extra time to observe them as they've entered and made their way across the ring to their side seats?
Wade - Fritz Schultz's bloom may be going off his body but his mind is as sharp as a tack!
If it is my destiny in life to live to that age I hope that I retain my faculties like this remarkable man has.
I'm 36 years younger than him but his memory leaves mine for dead.
Casey,
I am intrigued with your statement regarding training myths. As you may be aware, I recently collaborated with my son on a book that debunked a lot of circus myths relating to two famous elephants, "The Lengend of Salt and Sauce". I have often prided myself on sticking to facts and being progressive, so I find it quite ironic to suddenly have the shoe on the other foot. Perhaps a little clarification is needed.
To the point. It is safer to drive or send the animals away from you to position than call them directly to you. In my eyes it is a way of taking control. You are in a more dominant position driving them than you are calling them to you. When you call them to you are performing a submissive action. We have always taught the "rousting" lions by calling them to us because it makes them think they have the upper hand. I always teach the lions to come to a mark (floor plate) and reward them there, but I can assure you it is more dangerous.
I can send a tiger to a prop and he'll go there instantaneously. If I call him to a prop he will still come instantaneously, but if he doesn't feel like it he will show his true colours.
Mr. Clubb,
Now the last statement sounds like fact. The earlier one saying that driving them when they come in the arena gives you a read on how they will react later if they are called is what I doubted. I have no doubt it is safer to drive an animal away as opposed to drive it towards oneself. Most circus myths are in some way true, as far as you should or shouldn't do this or that, or how to do things, what generally is incorrect is the reasons why. I mean absolutely no disrespect to anyone who has done this for decades. I have just heard enough "circus hokum" in my life to be suspicious of anything someone says. I have been told everything from " the animals do the act for me cause they love me" to being advised to "jump up on a seat next to a rolling cage repeatedly while a new cat watches, as this will teach the animal to do it" and "smear some of the new cats feces on its seat so it will think it has been there before". These are quotes from people who had done this for YEARS! So you can see where my speculation comes from.
While we are discussing these sorts of things. If I can ask. When you train a hind leg cat, do you use the floor plates and sit the cat up on each one, then on to the next. I was told by a former employee of yours that was the case, I have often doubted it, since stepping on/off a board on hind legs could cause enough discomfort to ruin the trick if they land half on half off with the foot. But I have often been curious to ask.
Also...
Do you not think it is just as simple as driving an animal away less pressure is needed then driving an animal towards you. Hence the animal is more defensive when you call it then when you send it? Not so much a dominant/submissive issue? I have seen in my experience that if you apply to much pressure to an animal you are driving they will turn around and come towards you. So as to assume they are not submitting but rather fleeing from the pressure, if the pressure continues, they stop the flight, and start the fight, both behaviors being defensive.
Casey,
"Now the last statement sounds like fact." How come it didn't sound like fact until after we spoke last night?
Wade
Wade,
I never doubted which was more dangerous. I only doubted the reason originally given.
Casey,
Yes you did.
Wade
Did not....
Did so....
Did not....
OK I did.
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