A Special Kind of Tiger Show.The Daytona Beach News-Journal features a wonderful, heart-warming story about one man’s love for something.It is not clear exactly what Mike Inks and his crew seek from this world of pain and despair but it involves tiger fluids.The article drew our attention because it mentioned Roy Horn.More about that reference in a second.
The rest of the article is just plain bizarre; or maybe it is us.
Mike Inks and two trainers drive the carnival trails to show off their Tigers of India show.It is described as a 30-minute show featuring tigers that come from India.The three men work for Josip Marcan, a tiger breeder from Panama City, Florida.Their mobile home is decked out in tiger themed elements including a tiger drawing on a bulletin board and a tiger skin on the sofa, like a throw rug, made of one of their former animal stars.“That was Toby.”
Mr. Marcan used to train tigers to jump through hoops, not fear fire, sit up and do nice things for the paying public.He worked for Ringling and Cole Brothers circuses.
But something changed in Mr. Marcan’s world.Why take the time to train the animals if you can make just as much by showing untrained animals?A cynic might ask such a question.But the trainers would rather say it is a “Liberty Act.”Here, the trainers do not train as in the familiar “Furniture Acts.”They describe the difference between the two approaches thusly: a “Furniture Act” is “‘just the trainer chasing the animals around.’This show, he said, is a ‘liberty act,’ on a more or less empty stage, where ‘the tigers have to use their minds.’”
And the difference for the audience is strikingly clear.
“Often, during the show, Spolyar hugs and kisses the tigers. Occasionally they spray the audience with urine.”
Now, back in the day, a good, old-fashioned urine spraying was almost expected.The kids would cry all the way home if they weren’t struck with some bodily spray. It may… Continue reading A Good Soaking: The New Tiger Trainer
Tyler Magic Club Filled with Bunch of Clowns.There is a nice profile in today’s Tyler Morning Telegraph about the local magic club and its members.To a person, each magician is also a clown. It is entirely possible the reporter only included the stories of magician/clowns and that there are non-clown magicians within the club, but we may never know.That’s overly dramatic.We’ll know, don’t worry.
The article tells the members’ stories, focusing on their introductions to our wonderful art.We read about “Master Illusionist James Anderson” who found magic after injuring his knee in soccer.He was sauntering through the Tyler State Park and came upon Poppy the Clown.Through Poppy, the 18-year-old Mr. Anderson has found the rehabilitative excitement of magic and membership in the Tyler Magic Club.He works as both a Master Illusionist (he prefers “Illusionist” because “so many people associate magic with the dark side”) and Mister Jazzz the clown.
Jonathan Ernest’s tale is one to which we can relate.He started in the art during High School but put the practice on hold for lack of funds.After earning his law degree, he was flush with cash (okay, we can’t relate to that part) and able to get back into the only branch of the entertainment world that has any meaning, magic.(We are assuming, arguendo, that the practice of law is not part of the entertainment world).
The club also includes Terry Teene who claims to have been the very first Ronald McDonald clown.Mr. Teene told the reporter that he and his friend George Voorhees co-created the character, face design and costume, “complete with golden arches and French-fry-bag pockets.”
No disrespect is intended towards Mr. Teene but we have met many who claim to have been the very first Ronald McDonald and the originator of the face design.Willard Scott makes a big point of his early involvement in the Ronald legacy and claims to have been the first.That is technically true if by “first” one means first on a local television commercial.For our money, we believe Earl Chaney, owner of Las Vegas’ Planet Mirth and former Ringling clown was the first Ronald.
Sammy Smith, known to most every magician interested in Kid Magic, will be part of the Children’s Book Week Celebration in beautiful Sebastian, Florida.If there is any way you can get to the North Indian River County Library on November 17 from 4 to 5 pm, you will see one of the best there is doing that which he does best.If you need additional information, call Shirley Wolstenholme at 772/ 589-1355. The show is open to kids three years and up (and their parents or guardians).
Sammy Smith a/k/a Samuel Patrick Smith has one of the best web sites we’ve ever seen.Are you looking for scripts for kid effects?He has them there and they are free.Looking for great kid tricks? He sells them. Are you interested in reading the innovative work on how to perform and book kid shows?Mr. Smith is the source you need to tap.He not only has not only published the master works on the subjects of developing a successful kid show business, but he has samples of the books available for perusal.
In addition, the website works and is awful pretty.Check it out by clicking here.
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