The other day John Milton Herriott told about the DAY Jorgen Christenson stepped into the ring and presented part of John's liberty act. In my opinion, there is not greater honor then to have a superior colleague step into your ring making himself your peer and part of your presentation.
Gunther's "official return to the ring" is noted as 1994, but very few know that there was an "unofficial return to the ring" in 1993, in Greensboro, N. C., if I remember correctly. After his "retirement" GGW as Vice President in Charge of Animal Services would travel to the Blue Show about once a month to see that all was running smooth. At these times he would help my men shift the tigers into the arena, and offer assistance from outside while I presented the act. On this particular day, he had spent a lot of time in the stable, talking to his tigers and I sensed that he was really missing them that day, and while lining them up for the show instead of pitching in as he normally did, he just kinda stood off to the side and watched. During the performance, I glanced at him a couple of times, and instead of moving around the cage, which was his normal actions, he just crouched by the door. When it came time for the roll over, I walked to the back of the cage, moved the pyramid bridge from in front of the door, and suggested, "why don't you roll them over today, Boss?" His face lit up and he said, "thank you, Wade", and handed me his stick as I handed him my whips. He called the first two tigers down Pinto and Rolls , who were his tigers, and asked, "who are the other ones, young man." LOL I pointed out my tigers, Sabre and Madress and he called them down. By the time he finished the second roll over to the left, and was started back to the right, it dawned on the audience who that was in the cage, in the black tuxedo(nobody in the modern circus has ever had the facial recognition of GGW) and when he cracked the whip to cue the situp they exploded with applause and a standing ovation!!!!(first standing ovation my act ever got, was in 1977 in Montreal Canada and now the second in 1994). He put the cat's back on their seat's handed me my whips, and I handed him back his stick and he walked out on the track, raised his arms in his signature "Jesus Christ, Superstar" style, and rocked the house again. I should have just stopped the act, and sent the cat's out, because I sure felt stupid and inadequate continuing. A day and a moment that no amount of money in the world could ever buy.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Gunther Gebel Williams--1971
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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7 comments:
What a story!
Jim,
What a life! I was blessed, I just didn't realize it then.
Wade
WADE,
Stories like these keep me checking into this web site daily, I never wanna miss a story like this.
Vincent/San Diego
Wade,
This a great story, but it leads me to a topic that is very interesting to me. That being a working group of animals and how they would react to a new trainer or person introduced into the ring.
I realize the majority of the cats in the ring when this occurred were trained and presented by GGW and that by helping out and frequent visits he became familiar to the animals trained by you.
I've alway had the impression (along with most of the public) that any person other than the trainer walking into the cage would be challenged or attacked. I know that assistants and other may be present in the ring during training but how long would it generally take to introduce a person into the group. To the point where they could assist the trainer, give a command that would be followed and lastly to present an act.
I know theres no definite answer or time period, and that even the trainer is ALWAYS in danger of attack, just based on your experiences could you give insight into this.
Vincent/San Diego
Vincent,
As a rule there is no rhyme or reason for what an individual animal will do. For the most part a transition is uneventful, although as I said, rarely a particular individual will react aggressively to a different person, and just as rarely react with fear.
The most important thing is your "bearing/demeanor" and the projection of confidence. Animals will sense immediately any apprehension you may be experiencing inside. An animal, with no spoken vocabularies sole survival depends on their senses and the interpretation of what they are seeing and feeling. Some of the great trainers have that same "sense" leading to the misinterpretation of some that they are "reading the animals mind." For the most part a great trainer such as GGW will project a confidence and "being in charge," which comes from years and years of experience to an animal allowing some just to walk in and do it. Almost all individual animals will trust someone, until they are "lied to." That's when the confidence in the trainer erodes and trouble occurs or the act deteriorates into nothing. The abilty to project to the animal "yea, thou I walk threw the valley of death, I will fear no evil" is the most powerful component for success. The ones who can't project that "confidence" will have problems ranging from sloppy execution of behaviors, to flat out refusal.
Do you recall the a scene from the incredible movie, "We Were Soldiers" when Mel Gibson, who portrayed Lt. General(ret)Hal Moore, ordered BROKEN ARROW? When he stood up walked forward and stood in the middle of bullets flying and utter destruction, gritted his teeth, looked left, right, walked to the rear, straight into the flying bullets, and in secs. reached a decision, and ordered BROKEN ARROW. That's the confidence and projection of leadership/trust me that the great trainers have/had. Individual people like individual animals are different, Vincent. I don't know about you, but I would have followed Lt. General(ret) Hal Moore into hell.
I love military history and when I read a books about "leaders" at the conclusion I think to myself, I wonder if they would have been a great animal trainer? Lt. General(ret) Hal Moore, one of America's greatest battlefield commanders, could have been Gunther Gebel Williams, had he chosen that career path, and was able to project the same faith and confidence to an animal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfImiqpf6eo&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qohuUQYv-0
Wade
Wade,
I have read(i know me again with the books)on more than one occasion about how some trainer got his start, because the shows trainer was a drunk, sauced before a show and the novice/wannabe trainer was familiar with the act, knew the commands and substituted for the drunken trainer.
I wondered how that could be done without the novice going in and getting his ass chewed off, i have a better understanding how.
Good analogy using "We Were Soliders" one of my favorite movies and one of the few movies I own and will watch repeatedly.
thanks for the post
Vincent,
You want to read all old circus books, with a skeptical mind, particularly "biographies." Given the very nature of the industry sensationalism is the order of the day. Some one suggested that there may never be an accurate "circus movie" because for the most part it would be boring, like any other profession. The "romantic" view is what keeps it going and alive on the screen.
My career as I have mentioned in the past started much in the same way, except for the drunkenness you mention. The trainer left the show over a contract dispute, and the owner suddenly came to me a week after his departure and said, "kid, do you want to try to work the tigers?" I did, successfully against doubts as the act consisted of female Sumatran tigers and they had a reputation for being difficult. As I was set to make my "opening" appearance in Tampa, the trainer who had left, two weeks prior suddenly appeared back on the show, so I was told he was going to take over again, which I was happy with as I respected him greatly. At the end of the engagement, he left again, this time for good. The owner of the show handed the tigers back to me. We had two weeks off before the next engagement in Atlanta and set up in Sarasota so that I could practice and prepare for my new "opening" in Atlanta. An individual was hired from the Ringling show, and introduced to me as someone who was going to assist me in practicing the act. At the end of the two weeks, I was informed that due to insurance restrictions I was not old enough to work the tigers, in case of injury, and that the person from Ringling, who had "assisted" me for two weeks, was given the job. 6 months later, apparently I had gotten older, and could be covered by insurance, because he was hurt by one of the tigers and left the show, and they once again gave them back to me. Might have something to do with my suspicious, cynical nature of "circus", do you suppose? LOL
I own more movies then you do Vincent. I own Patton, Lonesome Dove, Amazing Grace, and We Were Soldiers.
Wade
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