Posted By admin on April 13, 2009
A dog act seems to be a Henry tradition. Every uncle, aunt and nephew had a dog act including myself. I had a troupe of Dalmatians. I have to tell you a true and funny story about my aunt Bertha. Many years ago we were traveling though Texas and we stopped in Ganesville to visit aunt Bertha. There was a little snow on the ground and it was very cold. We got to her house and she was quite happy to see us and you couldn’t help but notice that all of her dogs were in the house….there had to be about 20. Well this is all it took my Dad needed to see….. he loved to tease. Dad looked around and said……… Why are all the dogs in the house? ………. she said, because it’s cold outside…….Dad looked over to her and said…. so I guess when you go to bed and it gets too cold, you just throw another dog on.
Category: Henry Bros. |
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Posted By thecircusblog on April 10, 2009
Wishing you a very Happy and Blessed Easter
from Ivan M. Henry and thecircusblog.com
Category: Ivan M. Henry |
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Posted By thecircusblog on April 10, 2009
The Gil Gray Circus for an Easter performance. I believe this photo was taken in the early 1960’s. Trudy Strong shown here holding on to her Easter Basket Bonnet……………..Thanks Joanne.
Category: Gil Gray Circus |
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Posted By thecircusblog on April 10, 2009
The Gil Gray Circus, photo taken in the early 1960’s. Here are the “Ladies” of the show. Left is Judy Jacobs, center Trudy Strong, right Eva Cornia Williams. The spirit of the circus performers was contagious.
Thank you to Bill Strong for the Gil Gray Easter photos.
Category: Gil Gray Circus |
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Posted By thecircusblog on April 10, 2009
The Easter float on the Gil Gray circus. Whatever the time of the season, the circus would theme itself to pay tribute to that holiday.
Category: Gil Gray Circus |
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Posted By thecircusblog on April 10, 2009
Admired and loved by many, because she is a “laugh maker” and a “good egg”. This photo is of the Easter parade on the Gil Gray circus.
Category: Gil Gray Circus |
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Posted By thecircusblog on April 7, 2009
The favorite elephant in the circuses and zoos was always the Asian Elephant. There were a few Africans around until the embargo on Asian elephants started. The importation embargo of the Asian elephant began in the 1960’s and is still in effect to this day. The African elephant became the 0ne you could import to this country. My feelings are mixed as I like both types of elephant, but my first choice is the Asian because they are easy to train and have a nice disposition. Most importantly is they are naturally semi-domesticated by man’s involvement with them for hundreds of years in India. I do not want to mislead you to think that they are not dangerous….they are.
Category: Elephants & Elephants Trainers |
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Posted By thecircusblog on April 7, 2009
Eloise Berchtold was the owner and trainer of the African elephant name Koa. I must say that she did a magnificent job. I first met her when she had her Bear and her cat acts in the mid 1960’s. It indeed was a strong arena act and the polar bears were worked on lunge lines. It was a very different presentation. Later Dad and I heard that Eloise met a friend of ours by the name of Morgan Berry. Morgan was an animal importer and trainer. Both Morgan and Eloise became interested in African elephants and had their compound in southern Oregon where they trained. One day the sad news came that Morgan had been killed in the barn at the compound by one of the elephants. It was a shock to all. Then not long after that, Eloise was killed in the arena by one of her elephants during a show.
Category: Elephants & Elephants Trainers |
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Tags: African Elephants, Eloise Berchtold, Morgan Berry
Posted By thecircusblog on April 7, 2009
My Father told me a story about this great American patriot, the likes of which we most likely will never see again. In the early 1900’s, when Will Rogers was a young man he would visit Grandfather’s Circus and would stay sometimes for a week or two. He would eat in the cook house and become part of the show and would even travel from spot to spot. My father was a boy at the time but he remembered how kind he was and the sense of humor that he had when he spoke to you…. and always a smile on his face. Some of the towns that grandfather played had little money so he would barter. People brought canned goods, hay, dry goods etc and Grandfather never turned them away. If Will Rogers was there he bought popcorn for the kids that were poor. Dad told me also that quite often grandfather would leave a part of the side wall on the back end of the circus tent pulled up just a little to allow those who had no money to sneak in. What great men there were in those days. I’m so very proud to be related to that heritage.
Here are some of Will Roger’s Quotes about “Getting Older”:
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Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.
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The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.
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Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I want people to know “why” I look this way. I’ve traveled a long way and some of the roads weren’t paved.
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When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to youth, think of algegra.
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You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks.
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I don’t know how I got over the hill without getting to the top.
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One of the many things no one tells you about aging is that it is such a nice change from being young.
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One must wait until evening to see how splendid the day has been.
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Being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable.
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Long ago when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was called witchcraft. Today it is called golf.
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And finally…If you don’t learn to laugh at trouble, you won’t have anything to laugh at when you are old.
Here are a few more quotes:
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Never slap a man who’s chewing tobacco
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Never kick a cow chip on a hot day
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There are 2 theories to arguing with a woman….neither works.
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Never miss a good chance to shut up.
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Always drink upstream from the herd.
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If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
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The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back in your pocket.
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There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.
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Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgement.
Now more than ever we need someone like Will Rogers!
Category: JE Henry Circus 1800 - 1900 |
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Posted By thecircusblog on April 7, 2009
There is always someone that excels beyond the best in what they do. They are the that “one person” you learn from if your lucky. Every animal man I have ever known had an Icon trainer to fashion themselves after…to take just a little something and make it theirs. Reuben Castang knew the great Apes inside out and was the benchmark for many a chimp trainer. He came from Germany and brought his wonderful talent with him to Jungleland and the World Jungle Compound.
Category: World Jungle Compound |
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Tags: chimps, German Animal Trainers, Jungleland, Reuben Castang, World Jungle Compound
