Charly Baumann - Revision history

Djando: /* Cat Trainer */

2024-02-21T19:41:55Z

‎Cat Trainer

Djando: /* Image Gallery */

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‎Image Gallery

Djando: /* Image Gallery */

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‎Image Gallery

Djando at 20:54, 24 January 2024

2024-01-24T20:54:25Z

Djando at 17:46, 10 December 2019

2019-12-10T17:46:44Z

Djando: /* Image Gallery */

2018-05-04T04:11:10Z

‎Image Gallery

Djando: /* Charly Baumann in America */

2017-09-20T18:23:36Z

‎Charly Baumann in America

Djando: /* Cat Trainer */

2017-09-20T18:23:17Z

‎Cat Trainer

Djando: /* Cat Trainer */

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‎Cat Trainer

Djando: /* Circus Beginnings */

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‎Circus Beginnings

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 Then in 1960, Charly Baumann became part of the ''Cirque Français'', an allegedly French circus troupe, which performed in the Soviet Union at the old [[Circus Ciniselli]] in Leningrad, and the [[Circus Nikulin|Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard]] in Moscow. The show had been put together by the Lumbroso Agency (which had the exclusivity of Soviet shows in France), but if the star of the company was the famous French ''auguste'' [[Achille Zavatta]], only half of the acts on the program were actually French. The Russian audience didn’t really care: Seeing foreign performers, wherever they came from, was enough of a novelty for them. According to Baumann, [[SoyuzGosTsirk]], the Soviet central circus organization, tried to lure him into its fold&mdash;as in fact they often did, always unsuccessfully, with top European circus performers who came to visit.
-After engagements in Italy and in Vienna, Charly returned to Circus Roland for the 1962 and 1963 seasons, where he became increasingly involved in the circus’s management. In 1963, he suffered his worst cage accident in years: severely mauled by his tiger Assur, he spent six weeks in hospital, and then had to walk for a time on crutches. While Charly was convalescing, John Ringling North offered him once again to come to the United States with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. This time, the price was right. In spite of Ada’s offer of a full partnership in the circus, Charly finally chose to go.
+After engagements in Italy and in Vienna, Charly returned to Circus Roland for the 1962 and 1963 seasons, where he became increasingly involved in the circus’s management. In 1963, he suffered his worst cage accident in years: severely mauled by his tiger Assur, he spent six weeks in hospital, and then had to walk for a time on crutches. While Charly was convalescing, John Ringling North offered him once again to come to the United States with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. This time, the price was right. In spite of Ada Aureden’s offer of a full partnership in the circus, Charly finally chose to go.
 ===Charly Baumann in America===

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 Image:Charly_Baumann_and_Assur.jpg|Charly Baumann and Assur (1963)
 File:Charly_Baumann_1964.jpeg|Charly Baumann (1964)
-File:Charly_Baumann_RBBB_Program_(1966).jpg|Ringling Program Cover (1966)
+File:Charly_Baumann_RBBB_Program_(1966).jpg|Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Program Cover (1966)
 File:Charly_Baumann_1960s.jpg|Charly Baumann (c.1968)
 Image:Charly_Baumann_(1970).jpg|Charly Baumann at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey (c.1970)

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 Image:Charly_Baumann_(1952)-1.jpg|Charly Baumann and his lions (1952)
 Image:Charly_Baumann_(1956).jpg|Charly Baumann in 1956
 Image:Charly_Baumann_(c.1960).jpg|Charly Baumann (c.1960)
 Image:Charly_Baumann_and_Assur.jpg|Charly Baumann and Assur (1963)

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:54, 24 January 2024
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	==Animal Trainer==		==Animal Trainer==

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:46, 10 December 2019
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	==Animal Trainer==		==Animal Trainer==

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:11, 4 May 2018
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−	[[Category:Artists and Acts\|Baumann, Charly]][[Category:Animal Trainers\|Baumann, Charly]]	+	[[Category:Artists and Acts\|Baumann, Charly]][[Category:Animal Trainers\|Baumann, Charly]][[Category:Cage Acts\|Baumann, Charly]]

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 Charly Baumann made his debut in America in 1964, in a show that included [[Victoria Unus|La Toria]] on the Roman rings, the [[Yong Brothers]], [[Charles Mroczkowski|Charles and Gena Mroczkowski]] and their horses, and The Great [[Doval]] on the high wire. But these were the last years of John Ringling North’s ownership; in November 1967, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus passed into the hands of Irvin and Israel Feld, and Roy Hofheinz. Luckily, [[Irvin Feld]] renewed Charly Baumann’s contract&mdash;and the German tiger trainer would spend the next 24 years with ''The Greatest Show On Earth''!
-[[File:Charly_Baumann_RBBB_Program_(1966).jpg|thumb|left|200px|Charly Baumann (1966)]]In 1968, Irvin Feld lured Gunther Gebel-Williams, Charly’s old fellow apprentice at Circus Williams, to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey with the entire Circus Williams menagerie. The plan was to make, for the 1969 season, a second unit of ''The Greatest Show On Earth'' whose star performer would be Gunther Gebel-Williams. Charly remained with the first unit (the two trainers never worked their acts in the same show), where he was also promoted Assistant Performance Director.
+[[File:Charly_Baumann_RBBB_Program_(1966).jpg|thumb|left|300px|Charly Baumann (1966)]]In 1968, Irvin Feld lured Gunther Gebel-Williams, Charly’s old fellow apprentice at Circus Williams, to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey with the entire Circus Williams menagerie. The plan was to make, for the 1969 season, a second unit of ''The Greatest Show On Earth'' whose star performer would be Gunther Gebel-Williams. Charly remained with the first unit (the two trainers never worked their acts in the same show), where he was also promoted Assistant Performance Director.
 Charly Baumann’s tiger act grew in importance, reaching 16 animals at its peak. One of his greatest accomplishments was to present a three-tiger simultaneous roll over, something that had never been seen before. (He actually had four tigers able to do the trick together, one being kept as an understudy.) In 1971, Charly became the Blue Unit’s Performance Director, while still presenting his tiger act in the center ring. His authoritarian stance, however, didn’t make him popular with the other performers of the show.

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 Franz Kraml and his assistant, Joseph Apel, spent the 1957 season with Charly Baumann to familiarize him with the five tigers in the act. When Kraml left, Joseph Apel remained with Charly; he became his long-time assistant and would eventually follow him to the United States. Soon, three more tigers were added to the original group, giving its final shape to the act Charly Baumann would present in European circuses (and on film) for the next five years. Charly had already abandoned the ''Tarzan'' outfit, which he had replaced by a white safari costume, replete with jodhpurs and leather boots; he opted now for an open shirt, and ornate vest and pants.
-[[Image:Charly_Baumann_and_Assur.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Charly Baumann and Assur (1963)]]Charly’s tiger act was very successful, and was often rented out to major circuses all over Europe. In 1958, Charly Baumann was back with the movie company that had seen his debuts in show business, UFA. He was featured in ''Geliebte Bestie'' (literally, "Beloved Beasts"), a film by Arthur-Maria Rabenalt, which tells the story of a young girl who, after the accidental death of her parents, runs away and joins the circus to become a famous tiger trainer. Margrit Nünke played the girl, and Charly stood in for Gerhard Ridmann, who played the love interest, a tiger trainer. The movie, released in 1959, gives a unique opportunity to see Charly Baumann’s tiger act as it was at that time.
+[[Image:Charly_Baumann_and_Assur.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Charly Baumann and Assur (1963)]]Charly’s tiger act was very successful, and was often rented out to major circuses all over Europe. In 1958, Charly Baumann was back with the movie company that had seen his debuts in show business, UFA. He was featured in ''Geliebte Bestie'' (literally, "Beloved Beasts"), a film by Arthur-Maria Rabenalt, which tells the story of a young girl who, after the accidental death of her parents, runs away and joins the circus to become a famous tiger trainer. Margrit Nünke played the girl, and Charly stood in for Gerhard Ridmann, who played the love interest, a tiger trainer. The movie, released in 1959, gives a unique opportunity to see Charly Baumann’s tiger act as it was at that time.
 For the winter of 1959-60, Charly Baumann was featured in one of Europe’s most prestigious circuses, [[Bertram Mills Circus]], for its annual Christmas production at the Olympia of Kensington, in London. "Charly Baumann may be spoken of in the same breath as the Masters of his craft," noted the enthusiastic critic of ''World’s Fair'', the British circus and fairgrounds trade publication. The following summer, Baumann was featured at Blackpool’s [[Tower Circus]] and he ended in British season on October 30 at [[Billy Smart’s Circus]], where singer Dorothy Squires made a guest appearance among Charly’s tigers for a charity performance.

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 ===Cat Trainer===
-[[Image:Charly_Baumann_(1952)-1.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Charly Baumann in 1952]]After the Circus Bügler season, Charlie’s act was contracted with [[Will Aureden]]’s budding [[Circus Busch-Roland|Circus Roland]]. There, Charlie Baumann was replacing the already famous [[Gilbert Houcke]], whose ''Tarzan'' costume (no to mention his tiger act) had been a sensation at Circus Roland the previous seasons. To keep the winning ''Tarzan'' image alive, Aureden asked Charly to adopt Houcke’s minimal, leopard-skin costume, which would be his outfit for the next few years. This type of costuming became widely popular among cat trainers in the 1950s and early 1960s&mdash;at least among those whose body could fit the image!
+[[Image:Charly_Baumann_(1952)-1.jpg|thumb|left|400px|Charly Baumann in 1952]]After the Circus Bügler season, Charlie’s act was contracted with [[Will Aureden]]’s budding [[Circus Busch-Roland|Circus Roland]]. There, Charlie Baumann was replacing the already famous [[Gilbert Houcke]], whose ''Tarzan'' costume (no to mention his tiger act) had been a sensation at Circus Roland the previous seasons. To keep the winning ''Tarzan'' image alive, Aureden asked Charly to adopt Houcke’s minimal, leopard-skin costume, which would be his outfit for the next few years. This type of costuming became widely popular among cat trainers in the 1950s and early 1960s&mdash;at least among those whose body could fit the image!
 Ada Aureden, Will’s divorced wife, was still her ex-husband’s partner, and the artistic force behind Circus Roland. Soon, she and Charly began a long-lasting affair, and Ada would become a major influence on Charly’s career. For the next five years, Charly became a very successful lion trainer, but working with six male lions&mdash;which are relatively lazy animals and prone to fight each other&mdash;was not easy, and it came with its share of close-call incidents. Charly eventually considered switching to tigers.

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 Paula Busch’s empire now laid in ruins, and she was trying to rebuild some of it with an outdoors circus, the [[Circus Busch|Astra Arena Schau]], which she had started in July 1946 in the ruins of the Berlin Zoo. Heinz Baumann, who had often helped his father take care of his horses, got a job as a groom, and participated in the show’s pantomimes&mdash;which were but a poor shadow of the elaborate spectacles that once were the glorious trademark of Circus Busch.
-[[File:Williams_1959_Berlin.JPG|thumb|right|380px|Circus Williams in 1959]]Heinz didn’t believe he had a future in Paula Busch’s show, and the following year, he joined Germany's premier circus then&mdash;and the first full-fledged circus to hit the road after the war&mdash;[[Circus Williams]], owned by German-born British equestrian [[Harry Williams]] (1902-1951) and his wife Carola, née [[The Althoff Dynasty|Althoff]]. Harry Williams held a British passport, and the attitude of the Althoffs&mdash;Carola (1903-1987), and her brothers [[Franz Althoff|Franz]] (1908-1987) and [[Adolf Althoff|Adolf]] (1913-1998)&mdash;during the war had been exemplary, at least from the Allies’ perspective: They had hidden and helped several Jews, performers or not, in their circus under the nose of the Nazis and at their own risk. The occupying authorities had had no problem granting Harry and Carola Williams a permit to operate a circus again.
+[[File:Williams_1959_Berlin.JPG|thumb|right|400px|Circus Williams in 1959]]Heinz didn’t believe he had a future in Paula Busch’s show, and the following year, he joined Germany's premier circus then&mdash;and the first full-fledged circus to hit the road after the war&mdash;[[Circus Williams]], owned by German-born British equestrian [[Harry Williams]] (1902-1951) and his wife Carola, née [[The Althoff Dynasty|Althoff]]. Harry Williams held a British passport, and the attitude of the Althoffs&mdash;Carola (1903-1987), and her brothers [[Franz Althoff|Franz]] (1908-1987) and [[Adolf Althoff|Adolf]] (1913-1998)&mdash;during the war had been exemplary, at least from the Allies’ perspective: They had hidden and helped several Jews, performers or not, in their circus under the nose of the Nazis and at their own risk. The occupying authorities had had no problem granting Harry and Carola Williams a permit to operate a circus again.
 The Williams hired Heinz as an assistant horse trainer, who was also to participate in Circus Williams’s equestrian acts and displays. At Circus Williams, Heinz met a young apprentice who had followed a path comparable to his (and would continue to do so), [[Gunther Gebel-Williams|Günther Gebel]]. It is also at Circus Williams that Baumann would change his first name, Heinz, for the less German-sounding Charly.