Terrall Jacobs 1939
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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
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There was intense conversation for years about the actual number of cats Terrell Jacobs had for this act. His daughter, Judy Jacobs (later Kaye), visited me at Jungleland, and told me this: “My father carried 55 cats over there [RBBB], and at different times during the season [1939], he worked between 48 and 52–52 being his largest number. He needed his man, “Haywire”, to yell at him which cats were coming in, since there were so many, Dad couldn’t sort them out without hearing their names.” John Ringling North was irate over Haywire working out there in overalls and barefooted, but Jacobs explained the act couldn’t work without him. Some have carefully counted the animals visible in this shot, and claim there are 32 to 36 tops. If you understand the variables in working cage acts, the number can change for any unexpected reason, show by show. Only Terrell Jacobs and Clyde Beatty worked mixed lion-and-tiger acts this size, known as The Big Act. This scale of wild animal performance died out with the reduction of the great rail shows needed to move them. The Jacobs steel arena this season was expanded from the standard 40 feet to 50 feet in diameter, the largest set in a circus ring.
Jungleland’s Benny Bennett explained to me why Terrell Jacobs positioned his safety cage out front, as seen. When the cats erupt into a Hey Rube, they naturally head back to the tunnel door at the back, struggling to get down the chutes and to their home cages. If the trainer can’t break up the fight, and has to get himself out, having the safety cage as far opposite the tunnel door as possible is advantageous.