After pruning and cutting back some of the lumen filled tree's surrounding Jules Jacot's arena it was revealed that "although the St. Louis Zoo called it a lion act, in addition to 15 lions, it includes two European brown bears, a tiger and three mountain lions. He apparently took the "send them in, and send them out" style of wild animal act to a new level.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Exonerating Jim Alexander
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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6 comments:
I guess we'll never know for sure if Jules worked al the cats together or a few at a time. I will, however, take credit for expanding, or illuminating, your vocabulary
He was very flambouant. Not European, but effected a tam and a continental air. He had a six foot high chute and would walk out the chute and come sauntenering back with six huge tigers following him. Very impressive. We, my Dad and I spent a couple months in St. Louis and visited the zoo every weekend. Got well acquanted with Mike and Ben, chimp guys, Smitty, elephants and Jules. He loved to jackpot and tell how good he was, he was, and he hated Clyde Beatty. Obviously envy. A great trainer. Left handed, but very skilled wiyh the whip. He was not too popular with the other trainers.
Jim,
You will be be duly noted as being the one who learned me about artistic expression and gave me a new appreciation for numbnuts like Franz Marc and Edvard Munch. Speaking of which, are Jules props done in the giant camouflage art-deco vagina style popular at the time? Initially, I had never noticed them until the pruning, what with all the dancing light/shadows from the lumen deals. That may be the answer Jimmy. With St. Louis's show staff making a noble effort at "a more natural environment for the show area" to shut the activist's up, they may have effectively hidden Jules's cat's. There may be 3 or 4 dozen more animals here that we just can't see. It is possible, right?
Wade
First, good to see the return of comments from Col. Herriott.
He's correct about Jules; Jules was Jules biggest fan. Mike Kostial could get along with him but Jules and Floyd didn't have many good things to say about one another. There were many stories about Jules early days that involved his time in the French Foregin Legion and other tales. His real name might have been Jerry Erwin, at least he used it on occassion. I made a list of what shows he was on in what year. (I don't have it now but a copy was/is at the CWM Library.) He started in 1908 and worked his first cage act in 1911. Buckles tells of his father's account of seeing Jules perform in the cage wagon. His big days were on the Corporation shows in the early 30s. He came to the STL Zoo in 1943 after time with his wife's family carnival in Mexico.
I enjoyed hanging out with him, kind of like being with your wild grandfather. He liked me because I'd listen to his stories and we both liked to visit shows.
He'd like to visit shows because he was treated like old royality -- at the Zoo he was the old grumpy guy that did the lion show and didn't like to be bothered. (Some at the Zoo might say I tried to emulate him.) It did offended him that his show was second place to the chimp show. He was also offended when a zoo guest would be more interested in Marlin Perkins than Jules. When asked if he knew Marlin Perkins he reply that he did and asked the guest if they knew where Mr. Perkins learned about animals -- "reading "Mark Trail" in the funny papers". The curatorial staff also got the same level of respect. Not much of a diplomat but a very good trainer that took pride in his work.
I knew him the last five years of his life. I heard some stories and saw a few photos of the first 75 years but never saw him perform until May of 1966. I'm sure there was some difference in reality and the paper Jules hung for himself but I bet the acts were pretty good.
My Dad told me he saw both Jacot and Beatty with Hagenbeck-Wallace here in Atlanta in 1932. He said that Jacot’s act was also quite good and that he had the only black leopard he’d ever seen in an act up until Court’s arrival in 1940.
Jim,
Jesus!!!!! Alright you win, Jacot rules!!!! You had a pretty powerful cavalry ride up just in the nick of time, led by Col's. RJ Reynolds and JM Herriott. LOL I just hope someday I am as fortunate as Jacot to have such a world class paper hanger, hanging mine. What is your contract price to have you on retainers? Or do you price it per gig or hourly?
Interesting about his name not really being Jules Jacot. I had never heard that before. Did he change it to Jacot legally, as Tarzan supposedly did? I have to assume he did, as there is someone named "Jacot" running around claiming his father was Jules Jacot. What's up with that, Jimmy.
Wade
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