Lipko Comedy Chimps
Posted By thecircusblog on August 18, 2011
I never met a chimp act I didn’t like. NO exception. I had a great time with my gang and they never let me down; show after show throughout the years. Yes, they are natural born comedians.
About the author
thecircusblog
My name is Ivan M. Henry and I am the 4th generation of a circus/show business dynasty. I hope you enjoy the blog.Comments
4 Responses to “Lipko Comedy Chimps”
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Ivan,
I would like to know what happened to Jerry Lipko if you or others may know that.
I read that the chimps died in a fire.
I wrote a few months ago and thought to try again.
Thank you,
Vince Nix
I trained and performed with the lipko chimps for many years.
does anyone have any video pictures anything I have lost my entire chimp memories
I worked on stage with Jerry and the chimps for a whole summer as a young man. I met Jerry in Barberton Ohio at the Cherry Blossom festival when I inquired about working on the carnival they sent me to see Jerry, we hit it off and the next thing I knew I was wearing a blue sequined tuxedo black patten leather shoes and cumberbun. Jerry met my family and ask their permission to take me on a short tour for a couple of months through P.A, Kentucky,Alabama,and so on. My parents agreed and the rest is history, I met some of the most interesting people I’ve ever met and talk about my experience with Jerry, Hazel,Skippy ,George (who just just a baby) and Kookoo who was a female he had retired due to her age is something I will never forget. I wasn’t aware of the chimps passing and it saddens me to hear about it now even after all these years.
I worked for Jerry lipko from 1972 until 1973, I met him in Salem Virginia and he offered me a job, when I got back to north Carolina, I called him and he sent me a bus ticket to medina Ohio, we worked our way Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, west Virginia, where we lost hazel, I was the on working with her, , somehow one of us had left the heater on in the back of the truck, I kept hearing one of the chimps hollering and we pulled over and went to the back to see what was wrong, it was so hot in that hazel had gone into convulsions, we took her to a vet but it was to late it really broke my heart, anyone who has ever worked with chimps knows what I mean , Jerry was completely devastated, they were and are his kids, we always let George ride up front with us, that ride from west Virginia to Virginia was the longest ride of my life and the quietest, we eventually got to winston Salem north Carolina after our last show there I quit, I will always have fond memories of Jerry, skippy, hazel, and of course George