!966 program cover with Charly and Kismet
Photo above courtesy of Sara RichardsThis is a great picture, I don't know what year of Charly in the outdoor practice arena at the Venice winter quarters, before the concrete sloped floor was pored for Ursula polar bears to take showers. From the angle of the picture it looks like the photographer was on the roof of the octagon ring barn which was just behind and to the side of the arena. I have mentioned in the past that this, in my mind historic cage used by Holtzmier, Williams, Baumann, Bottcher, Chipperfield, Altoff, etc., and myself in 1984 was dismantled and moved to the Pelican Man's Bird Sanctuary on Venice Beach when the show left Venice, to be used forever more as a cage for injured Pelicans. What a shame, in the age of "rescuing" circus history that this practice cage was forgotten and over looked.
Those were the beautiful props Charly had when he came over and used before the mesh arena. Chrome and varnished wood, looked like Danish modern furniture. The tiger seats hung off the arena and couldn't be used on the mesh arena. Charly came over 1n 1964 and RBBB was still using the "bible" arena in early 1965.
ReplyDeleteThe hurdle in the back had a "door" in the middle. Most all the cats jumped the hurdle before exiting. The finish was Charly walking around with a tiger. When the tiger got to the hurdle it pushed the door open and walked through. It was a great act when Charly came over and just kept getting better.
Jim,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the description of his props. I just assumed all cat props were painted wood, until the advent of the ugly, industrial looking diamond plate silver.
Wade