Ringling-Barnum Circus 1948 #7 (From Bill Strong)

Display 24- THE GRAND FINALE Magnificent, Kaleidoscopic Finale with a stag line of high-hatted, dancing elephants, lovely debutantes and careening clown dowagers fabulously and artistically attired in rainbow hues. An enthralling extravaganza of graceful grotesqueries and swirling rhythm THE CIRCUS BALL. Elephants trained and presented under the supervision of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Master of Pachyderms- Hugo Schmitt. (1948 Program)

To Richard Reynolds

You are right, we did have a "Gorilla Pit Show" with Kelly-Miller in the early 1950's. It was owned and operated by Joe Lewis, seen here, who next to Joe Colby (Odie Dodie), was the greatest pitch man I ever heard. He spun a yarn that a fictitious Mrs. Carter came into possession of a baby "ape" that she raised in her home the same as a child. It ate at the table, had it's own bed room, played with the neighborhood kids, etc. Despite growing to a tremendous size, everthing was going well until Mrs. Carter drew the attention of a suitor and the ape crushed her in a fit of rage. The beast was given a trial and was acquitted after the jury decided it was only a case of jealousy. Smokey and I would go out front just to hear his pitch. He would sometimes offer the mike to people who were descending the stairs and say "What did you think?" Once a guy said "It's nothing but a God Damn chimpanzee!" Joe would then turn the mike back on and say, "Thats what they all say, the greatest attraction to ever visit our city!". You will notice the word "Gorilla" appears nowhere.

William Woodcock Sr.

Not to be outdone, Mr. Cole has come up with this picture of my dad also taken on the Cole Show in 1944.

Cole Bros. Circus 1944 #1

My father left me a lot of Cole Show pictures, I picked these out from a large group taken in Grand Island, Nebr. July 27, 1944 by his friend and fellow Circus Fan, Joe Fleming. In some instances, the notations he made on the back are more interesting than he pictures themselves, as seen below. "8 sheets for date, 16 sheets "Unloading Trains" and 4 one sheets for date. A total of 28 sheets."

Cole Bros. Circus 1944 #2

(We were on the show from 1944 thru 1947, I was 9 this year and don't remember that much since we joined in mid-season and my mother took me home to Hot Springs in time for school. Buckles)

Cole Bros. Circus 1944 #3

"Stock cars."

Cole Bros. Circus 1944 #4

(This is a Railroad employee hanging on the flat car and the first things unloaded would be the Stake & Chain and Cook House wagons. Buckles)

Cole Bros. Circus 1944 #5

"10 cages loaded on 2 flats" "Coaches & Stock cars painted red. Flats- yellow."

Cole Bros. Circus 1944 #6

"Ace Donovan driving Cat, Side Show wagon #61" "Walking Shorty on the 2nd wagon." (In the background it looks like the elephant herd is being watered at a fire plug on the way to the lot. Buckles)

Cole Bros. Circus 1944 #7

"Back end of elephant herd leaving train." "Louie & Little Babe....Big Babe & Big Jennie....Blanche & Jean."

Cole Bros. Circus 1944 #8

"Bill Woodcock on Carrie & Trilby."

Cole Bros. Circus 1944 #9

"Big Top canvas wagons #88 & #89" and pole wagon." "Menagerie stake driver in the foreground."

Cole Bros. Circus 1944 # 10

"Menagerie interior. Water wagon wetting down the ground."

Cole Bros. Circus 1944 #11

"Big Top."

Cole Bros. Circus 1944 #12

"Big Top- 140 with 3 fifties"

Bertram Mills' House Acts #3 (Continued) From Sue Lenz

"Enclosed are photos of some of the House Acts that were all owned by Bertram Mills Circus. Sorry to say I don't have any of Gosta Kruse with the elephants but have a couple of his wife Joan with an elephant also the Bear Act."

Bertram Mills' House Trainers #4

Joan Kruse

Bertram Mills' House Acts #5

Bela Roucka

Bertram Mills' House Trainers #6

Bertram Mills' House Trainers #7

Rudi Lenz

Bertram Mills' House Trainers #8

Suzette and her Performing Pigeons.

From John Goodall

Ringling-Barnum Publicity Pictures #1 (From Bill Strong)

The "Alice in Wonderland" characters tell us that these first two pictures are the Pay Off Section of the 1967 Topsy-Turvy Land Spec.

Ringling-Barnum Publicity Pictures #2

Ringling-Barnum Publicity Pictures #3

"Targa", "Pasha" (zebra) and "Max" (guanaco) on the way to the building. They followed behind the elephant herd on the march.

Ringling-Barnum Publicity Pictures #4

"Targa" is pretty big in these pictures, possibly the whole set is from 1967.

Ringling-Barnum Publicity Pictures #5

Maybe Mr. LeClaire can give us a date on this picture.

Titans of the Tigers #1 Vol.1 (From the Jim Cole Collection)

Eddie Schmitt 1985

Titans of the Tigers #2

Josip Marcan 1984

Titans of the Tigers #3

Guy Gossing 1975

Titans of the Tigers #4

Gunther Gebel Williams 1970

Titans of the Tigers #5

Robert Baudy 1966

Titans of the Tigers #6

Trevor Bale, Ringling-Barnum Circus

Norman Barrett (From Sue Lenz)

"Thanks for including some of the pictures I sent you. I hadn't realized that so many people here in America are familiar with him. Just an update, Norman is still Ringmaster with Zippo's Circus also doing his Budgie Act. Early next year he will be going to Monte Carlo for the Circus Festival. We have been divorced for over 42 years but have remained good friends."

Downie Bros. Circus July 4, 1934

This unique picture from Jimmy Cole shows the elephants lined up in the ring for the "leaps" with the ramp set up in the back door. I never saw this arrangement before since it was usually done on the front track. The acrobats would run down the ramp at left, hit the spring board and vault over the elephants into the pad at right.

Nadia Houcke #1 (Photos and comments from Sue Lenz)

"As there were many questions about Nadia Houcke, I thought I would send you a couple of pictures of her. I have also enclosed photos of some of the house acts that were all owned by Bertram Mills Circus."

Nadia Houcke #2

Norman Barrett #1

Norman Barrett #2

Bertram Mills' House Trainers #1

"John Gindl, Nadia Houcke, Norman Barrett and Rudi Lenz,"

Bertram Mills' House Trainers #2

"One publicity photo was taken in the Harness room at the Winter-Quarters at Ascot with some of the house trainers. John Gindl, Nadia Houcke, Norman Barrett, Gosta Kruse, Alex Kerr (tiger trainer), Rudi Lenz and Jock Morrison the Stable Master."

From Wayne Jackson

"I believe this post card was taken possibly in Cochrane, Ontario and possibly the show that Toby Styles mentioned? I purchased the card back in either the late 80's or early 90's at a post card show. I had heard about the show many years ago and how they cleared the stumps from the field with the help of their elephants."

From William Rector

They had a nice display of photographs at Hagerstown, including this one that I had never seen before. As luck would have it, the man who took the picure many years ago, Bill Rector, was there and was kind enough to send me this duplicate. When adorned in this magnificence, I was often referred to as "The Great Pumpkin".

From Bob Cline

"I ran across this photo buried in a bunch of others today. I thought John Harriott would really like it. It is dated 1927 at Carl Hagenbeck's in Stellingen, Germany."

Barnett Bros. Circus early 1930's #8 (Group 2)

This is the conclusion of the Eric Beheim, 1930's Barnett Bros. transpariencies.

Barnett Bros. Circus eqrly 1930's #9

Barnett Bros. Circus early 1930's #10

Barnett Bros. Circus early 1930's #11

Barnett Bros. Circus early 1930's #12

Barnett Bros. Circus early 1930's #13