Thursday, May 30, 2013

From Buckles #3

8 comments:

Chic Silber said...


Looks like Jenda Smaha

Buckles said...

Jenda's father Tony Smaha.

Chic Silber said...


Tony & Inge were on the Beatty Show

in the early 60s (at least for the

longer dates if not the season)

Their son Tony Jr was married to

Jeannette Rix for a short time

Roger Smith said...

Tony and Inge Smaha were with us for Philadelphia, in '64. They were class people in all respects. One special night, Clyde Beatty drove his Cadillac over to their trailer, and took them to the most elegant restaurant in town. They did not play the road with us, but lent excellence and sophistication to the show for this limited engagement.

Chic Silber said...


Who was it that painted the Zebra

stripes on ponies

GaryHill said...

Need some photos of Rice Mike!! He has always good camels and now has a really nice group of zebras. Three and ahalf of them got their feet trimmed by me about amonth ago and was I Impressed that I didn't get bit or kicked...they stood great for me..:)

Roger Smith said...

Charlie and Beverly Allen had a male zebra named Zulu. They trained him to kick beach balls into the seats by lightly touching a buggy whip to his backside. The kids loved it, and the Allens were very proud to have Zulu. Until the day a townie woman told her awestruck little boy, "No, son, that's not a zebra. It's a horse they painted like that. These are circus people." I can testify Zulu was all zebra. Charlie got him booked on DR. DOLITTLE, and he got cranky one day on Stage 21, at 20th Century-Fox. Six of us got lassoes on him, and Charlie came up with a halter. He told me to slacken my line, and as I did, Zulu had half my hand in his teeth. Just before he could tear my hand off, I jerked free of him. I'll never forget the sound of his teeth chomping together as my hand got clear. I have to presume he was a gelding, but nonetheless, Zulu was all zebra.

John Herriott said...

I recall playing Detroit Shrine in early fifties and there was Charlie Allen bear truck parked in the stable area and tied to it was this zebra. Rare in those days to see a zebra othrer than a menagerie animal and we found it would kick beach balls. All of us animal folks were amazed that of all things that Charlie would teach it to "kick" and kick it did and all it did at any time or place, so I heard that Zulus professional life was of very short duration. Thanks Roger for the continuing saga of "zulu" the football kicking zebra. Johnny