Early Charly Bauman

I have posted this photo for "cage fan's" to help them better understand what makes an act "different". In the photo you will see the logistical problems that early Ringling "house act's" like Charley and GGW had working in America with 3 rings instead of the standard one, before they adapted and faced the animals to the front. As we have mentioned in the past, the Ringling animals entered through the "side of the cage" instead of through the back, as the cages blocked the view of the public sitting on the back track. The camera men are standing at the front of the house, and the 3 door sections are at the back. You will note that the act plays to the "end of the house" and the "front of the house" looks at the act from the side, or the "cheap seats" in a one ring tent." Later both he and GGW placed animals around the cage and "turned the act" so that it played to the front. One of the "knocks" on Jewel New's act, and others from Europe is that they could not play to the front, instead playing to the "cheap seats". As mentioned in the past, Hawthorn had a chute which ran from the end ring, around to the back of the arena, in order to play to the front. What often times looked to unaware animal trainers as Charley and GGW placing the animals in the middle of the cage was often times, just a matter of bringing them of their seats a few steps and performing the behavior.