Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Hagenbeck's Animal Acts

Beautiful props but the "cowboy" costuming is a bit odd. Is this the same person presenting the two acts? He appears to have a mustache in the photo below.

9 comments:

Rob said...

These are both pics of Sylva kantor.

Rob

Anonymous said...

Aren't this Court acts ?

Philip Astley said...

These are not Hagenbeck's acts. This was the very first Alfred Court mixed group. He sold it to Circus Jacob Busch. The trainer here is Silvan Kanton. This act was originally presented by Vojtek Trubka. This was taken at Busch in 1929. It appeared the previous year at the Blackpool Tower Circus. Trubka was injured three times during the season.

The original act consisted of 10 lions and lionesses, 2 tigers, 2 Great Dane dogs, a puma, 4 polar bears, a Himalayan black bear and 2 American black bears. Kanton took the tigers and the puma out. The lionesses were omitted early on as well, and were replaced with more male lions.

Trubka was due to go back to the Tower in 1929 with Court's tigers, but joined circus Busch to take his old act over again, as no one could handle it - including Court! Eventually Max Stoll took it over and taught Kanton how to present it.

Jim Clubb

Bjorn said...

Wade,
This Sylva Kantor. the first picture is taken in 1933 with circus Jacob Busch-Nurnberg, the second picture is taken during an indoor date with the same circus in 1938

Wade G. Burck said...

Jim,
Thank you for great stuff once again. The photos were sent to me titled "Hagenbecks Animals." I should have recognized the props, as I do admire them, but assumed they were either a copy of Court's or copied by Court. The props sure seem to have gotten a lot of use.

There seems to be a "difference" in dates for the act's between you and Rob?

Good God, if Court couldn't even work the animals they must have been a real rank group of renegades!!!!

You are looking good these day's Jim. I note by you profile picture you don't seem to have aged like the rest of us the last 30 years or so.

Wade

Philip Astley said...

I got the date wrong. What I meant was Court sold the act in 1929 to Jacob Busch, but Sylva Kantor (I previously spelt the name wrong) didn't take it over until '33. Prior to this Stoll worked the act. He was an ex-cavalry man and originally was the menagerie manager on Court's zoo circus. He was a very good, calm and experienced trainer.

Jim Clubb

Barbie Niki said...

Dobrý den,konečně vidím na fotce svého strýčka pamatuji si jen jeho manželku..jmenuji se Martina Kantorová jsem z Žára byl to bratr mého dědečka:-)))

Barbie Niki said...

Dobrý den,konečně vidím na fotografii strejdu:-)) jmenuji se Martina Kantorová z Žára,odkud Sylva pochází...tenkrát se stala nehoda že?,pamatuji si jeho manželku často jsem k ní jezdila..

Barbie Niki said...

Znala jsem ho,byl to bratr mého dědečka:-))) Martina Kantor