Ray Chandler & Rocky
Posted By thecircusblog on September 9, 2012
Ray Chandler seen here with baby Rocky. The mother and child may be the Bill Olney family. I received some interesting information from Charles Chandler, the son of Ray Chandler. In 1959 Ray was hired by Disney studio to be the head stock tender on a movie called Swiss Family Robinson. The baby elephant Rocky, along with numerous other animals such as Ostrich, Zebra and a variety bran yard critters were loaded up and shipped to the location in Trinidad. All of these animals had to be trained on location for the different parts of the movie. This was a very large production and along with Ray, other animal trainers were needed. Mel Koontz, Fess Parker and Chet Jusxyk were among the most important animal men on the production.
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
One Response to “Ray Chandler & Rocky”
Leave a Reply
Please note: Comment moderation is currently enabled so there will be a delay between when you post your comment and when it shows up. Patience is a virtue; there is no need to re-submit your comment.
Ivan,
I just learned this morning that the elephant Toby, sold to Ringling in late 1969 from Circus World Museum, might have been the elephant in “Swiss Family Robinson.” I believe the Museum acquired Toby ( former name unknown ) from Gene Holter. Do you know if these two animals are the same ? Also, a 1960 Bandwagon states Rocky was acquired from Siam in 1959. Joe Frisco Sr. told me he trained Holter’s 3 year old Rocky in 1955. Was there more than one by this name ? Thanks for any help you can provide.
Ryan