Dick McGraw #1
Posted By thecircusblog on October 12, 2011
This photo was taken many years ago. This is the back area of the lion and tiger cages at the Jungleland compound. Dick along with the rest of the cat trainers were constantly cleaning out the cages. So you see there is much more to it than cracking a whip and taking a bow. At any one time there were 75 to 100 different species of big cats at the compound.
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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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Dick credited most of his apprenticeship to Frank Phillips and Mabel Stark, and I, in turn, credit a major part of my five years of breaking in there to Dick and Mabel. He schooled me mostly on male lions, and taught me the act that I worked there, and took out for brief West Coast tours for James Bros., Miller-Johnson Circus, and Kay Bros. Indeed, we were all experts with the cage rake and the wheelbarrow. Dick and I both were also finished butchers, learning meat-cutting from Benny Bennett in our own Slaughterhouse.