 The Clyde Beatty Show! The world's greatest wild animal trainer Clyde Beatty with an exciting adventure from his brilliant career. The circus means thrills, excitement, snarling jungle beasts. The circus means fun for young folks and old. But under the big top, you see only a part of the story. The real drama comes behind the scenes where 500 people live as one family, where Clyde Beatty constantly risks death in the most dangerous act on earth. This master of the big cats has journeyed to Africa and India, hunting down his beast in their native jungle. All of this is part of the Clyde Beatty story. It is entitled, Danger Unrehearsed. A typical circus crowd is made up of people from all walks of life. Little people and big, old and young, rich and poor, all drawn together by a common bond. The love of a spectacle combined with excitement and adventure. And yet, few people realize that drama that takes place behind the scenes or the events leading up to some of the greatest thrills ever witnessed. Indeed, many of the stories born under the big top sound unbelievable. Especially those which have to do with the jungle performers, the big cats. But they can happen. Ask any animal trainer. In fact, ask the greatest of them all, Clyde Beatty. Yes, some of the strangest experiences in my career sound like the most exaggerated fiction. For instance, I remember a few years ago when the circus was starting a three-day run in Omaha, Nebraska. It was a hot July afternoon and almost time for our opening matinee. My wife Harriet and I were walking through the menagerie tent toward my dressing room. Some seems to be feeling better this afternoon, Clyde. Are you going to use him today? Sure, he's fit as a fiddle now. I think he was only half sick and half playing possum in the first place. He's hardly acting like a possum now at any rate. But I'm glad he's all right again. He's really the most beautiful tiger in the act. And the meanest. Yes. Yes, I know. Clyde, why do you use him? He does nothing but cause trouble. If he isn't fighting the lions, he's springing at you every time you turn your back front. You seem to forget something, dear. That's what people pay good money to see. I had a bunch of tame tabbies in that arena. Everybody'd be home playing ping-pong instead of going to the circus. Ah, there you are, Mr. Beatty. Been looking for you. Well, what is it, Hayes? It's Ampris. I don't think you'll be able to use him for a few days. Ampris? What do you mean? What's happened to her? She's limping all over her cage. Got a sliver in her front paw. A sliver? Hayes, didn't you fix that broken board in her cage the one I told you to fix four days ago in Sioux City? Well, no. There's been so much to do. I just haven't had time. How does you've had time to have a few drinks? I only had a couple, you know. You know the rules as well as I do, Hayes. Fine cage man, you are. Alcohol and wild animals just don't mix. And when you lie down on the job until the animals suffer, it's twice as bad. Ah, she'll be all right. Just got a little infection. Sure. Just a little infection. I've got a good mind to fire you right here and now. I've put up with too much from you already. Now wait just a minute, Beatty. I ain't done nothing. Please, don't be too hard on him. Well, all right. But get this, Hayes. I don't intend to speak to you again about either the drinking or doing your job. You understand? Sure, sure I understand. You don't have to be so high and mighty about it, Mr. Beatty. Go find the vet and help him get Empress in a collapsible cage so he can look after that splinter. And do it now. All right, I'm going. And tell him to stop by my dressing room when he's through. Come on, Harriet. Let's get on over there. Sometimes I wonder why I didn't stay in chili coffee and become a shoe clerk or something. Now with Empress' lame, I'll have to use Ganges on the new trick. And Sultan's still pretty nervous with the other cats. Yes. That's something I wanted to talk to you about. There's a new trick, I mean. Well, I see this one. Four months I've worked at it, not counting the time in winter quarters. Today the public will see it for the first time. Do you have to do that trick today, Clyde? Couldn't it wait another week? Long enough for you to rehearse it some more? Harriet, you know I've got to do it today. Have you forgotten the publicity releases? The papers have all printed that are big surprises in store for everybody today. A brand new trick, never before seen. There's several reporters coming out this afternoon just to cover it after the interview. Yes, I know all that, but... What's bothering you, Harriet? Why don't you want me to do it? No, I don't know, really. You'll probably laugh at me, but I have the strangest feeling. Call it woman's intuition, if you will, but that trick is so dangerous. Clyde, I'm afraid. In just a moment, we continue with the Clyde Beatty adventure, Danger Unrehearsed. And now, back to the circus grounds and Clyde Beatty. The seats under the big top were filling rapidly as the time drew near to begin another matinee performance. A buzz of excitement could be heard as the eager crowd awaited another thrill-packed show, which was to be highlighted by a brand-new act inside the steel arena, an act which Clyde Beatty had worked on for months. But in his dressing room, Clyde's wife Harriet had a strange premonition of disaster, a feeling that this dangerous new act should be postponed. Please, Harriet, you mustn't get upset like this. Everything will be all right, I tell you. I'm sorry, Clyde, I just can't help it. I couldn't put it off now if I wanted to, whether people had run me out of town on a rail if I didn't live up to my promise. I'd rather see you run out of town than carried to a hospital. Oh, I suppose you're right. I'm sorry, Clyde. I know you can do it all right. That's my good girl. By the way, when those reporters stop in for their interview before my act, how about sticking around in case they want some pictures? I think a little more beauty and a little less Beatty might be a good idea. Oh, no, it's you they want to interview. And anyway, I talked to them this morning. They told them you'd reserve a box, and they agreed to it. Use it on one condition. One condition? What's that? That I sit with them. The dogs. They know they've got us on a spot. But with you to charm them, they'll probably give the new act rave notices whether they like it or not. Hey, anybody home in there? Yeah, come on in. It's not locked. Is that Joe Miranda? Uh-huh. Hiya, Jungle Jim. Hi. Any of your little pets in here? No, no, no. It's safe, Joe. Come in. I always like to make sure. Oh, hi, Harriet. How are you? Fine, Joe. You seem to be in good spirits today. Uh, that's from the high altitudes, Harriet. Never yet saw a trapeze performer that wasn't giddy down on the ground. You want to take my place up there someday, Clive? You think I'm crazy? Well, I wouldn't get up and swing on one of those high trapezes for all the golden Fort Knox. Man, I wouldn't get in that cage full of cats of yours for all the diamonds in South Africa. Well, now that you've both thrown away a fortune and decided to stick with something safe and sane, maybe I can get a word in. How's May, Joe? Oh, she's okay. Still harping on the same old tune, though. I thought you might already be here, said she'd meet me about now. She's still wanting to buy a farm and raise chickens. Yeah, that's all I hear. Joe, you're getting too old for area work. Joe, we've saved enough money. Let's buy a little farm and settle down. Joe, your timing is off. I'm going to start wearing ear plugs if she doesn't cut it off. Maybe she's right, though. Everybody's got to retire sometime, you know. Hey, now wait a minute, Harriet. Don't you start that on Joe? Heaven help me if she does, Clyde. How could I retire? I'd go nuts on a chicken farm. Can't you just picture me gathering the eggs? May will get over it. She's just got a darn fool idea if something's going to happen to me. And I know exactly how she feels. Oh, you women. Let's skip the whole thing. I'm not retiring, and that's that. Well, the big top sure wouldn't seem the same if you did, Joe. By the way, how's your new man working out? Oh, he's coming along okay. Need some more experiences, huh? That's probably me now. Come in. Hello, Clyde. Harriet. Hi. Sorry I'm late, Joe. Oh, I just got here myself, baby. It's good to see you, Mae. Who have you been hiding lately? Hiding? It's hardly hiding. I've been doing. I've been working for Sam over in the cookhouse. It's like I'm due there now. Well, I didn't know you liked to cook that much. Oh, it's not that. It's just something to keep me busy. I get tired sitting around day after day with nothing to do. I tried to get her to take up Nitton, but she wouldn't do it. Nitton. You'd get some sense, Joe Morendon, and buy us a little farm I'd have. Oh, here we go again, kids. Mae, you wouldn't really want Joe to retire, would you? You can bet your sweet life I would. He got plenty of money and I'm sick to death at Trapsin all over the country, living out of a trunk and never getting set long enough to take a good breath. But, Mae, Joe here's one of the best in the business. He's right in his prime. Prime my eye. He's getting too old. His time ends off lately. But the curse, he blames it all on his new man. Well, you know as well as I do that that's all it's a matter, Mae. Look, Joe, you can't fool me. You almost missed an easy transfer the other day. Almost flopped right into the net. Oh, stop exaggerating. The day I miss a transfer and fall to the net, I will retire and buy a farm. Sure, you've been saying that for a long time. I'd just like to see you make that a promise. Well, all right, it is a promise. But don't hold your breath until it happens. There's nothing wrong with my timing. Well, no youth arguing about it. But I got witnesses, Joe, Harriet and Clyde. Remember what Joe just promised. Yeah, we'll remember. But I agree with Joe. You're liable to be in for quite a week. That's telling her, boss. Oh, hey, look at the time. I better get going. Come on, Mae, I'll walk you over. I'll see you later, kids. Bye, Mae. Joe. So long. Come back after the show. Thanks. We'll do it. Bye. Gee, I hate to see Mae and Joe arguing all the time. They're both swell people. Sure they are. But their problems are their own business, I guess. They'll just have to work them out themselves. Clyde, I think I'll run and get his sandwich. I'll be back in a few minutes to take the reporters to their buck. Okay? They're only don't be gone too long. I may need moral support. I know some of these questions we've been asking probably seem pretty silly to you, Mr. Beatty, but you know the public, they want to know everything. As a matter of fact, your questions have all been good ones, Mr. Collins, and I believe in satisfying the public's curiosity so far away. Well, another one my kid wanted me to find out about is this. He said some of his friends told him the lions and tigers you use are all tame that you've raised them ever since they were cubs. That idea seems to be quite a popular one, but it definitely isn't true. Right now, I'm only using three or four cats that were born in captivity. Actually, they're harder to train and more undependable than jungle-bred animals. I know you say more undependable, Mr. Beatty. Does that mean that you can't really depend on any of them? Well, perhaps my choice of words isn't the best, but that's about what it amounts to, Mr. Frye. There's not one cat in the group that wouldn't attack and kill me if I relaxed and gave it the chance. Holy smoke, the more I hear, the more I like the newspaper game. Yeah, me too. By the way, is it true that you don't have any real bullets in any of the guns you use? Yeah, that's right. I use nothing but blank cartridges. But one of those cats managed to get you down and was about to kill you? Well, it'd take more than any pistol to stop that, I'm afraid. You see, there are two good reasons for just using blanks. One is that a real bullet might hit a spectator, and another is that even if I hit the animal that attacked me, it'd only wound it and infuriated it all the more. Well, what good did the blanks do? I'm the chair and whip. Oh, they're mainly used for getting the animal's attention or diverting their attention from me when they attack. Oh, okay. Isn't it about time we got out to our seats? Yeah, I think it is. I gotta dress and get ready for my act. Just one more thing, Mr. Beatty. What's this new surprise part of the act going to be? No, no. You just have to wait and see it when everybody else does. Wouldn't come as a surprise if I told you what to expect. That's fair enough. Webb hears just two noses. Well, it's been very interesting, Mr. Beatty. We sure appreciate you giving us so much of your time. It's all right. I hope you'll come back and see me again. Let me see if my wife's outside. Say, that's right. She's still going to sit with us, isn't she? I think she is. Oh, there's Harriet talking to that midget by the sideshow tent there. Just go on over and she'll take you to your box. Oh, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Beatty. Good luck to you. Mr. Beatty, I see you for a minute. Well, I gotta dress now, Hayes, but come on in. I just want to apologize for the way I've acted, Mr. Beatty. You were right. I've been laying down on the job and drinking, but I just want you to know it won't happen again. Well, I'm glad to hear it, Hayes. I believe you mean it. Here, I came past the cookhouse and brought you a cup of coffee. I thought you might like it before you go on. Well, thanks. I sure would. Just set it down there. OK. And thanks for giving me another chance, Mr. Beatty. I won't let you down. Oh, forget it, Hayes. I'll tell you what. You go check that tunnel gate again, will you? I'm not going to let Ganges into the arena until just before the new climax of the act. We'll keep him in the tunnel so he'll be ready to come in when I want him. Hey, that's a good idea. He always starts a fight the second he goes through the tunnel gate anyway. I'll check it right away. Good. I gotta hurry now. I'm on in ten minutes. Ganges directed to the steel arena, presenting the largest group of jungle-bred wild animals ever assembled at one time, featuring the only spinning tiger in the world trained and presented by the greatest wild animal trainer of all time. It won't be long now, gentlemen. Oh, you said it, Mrs. Beatty. Wow! Look at those brutes come roaring into that big cage. You know, somehow I think I'd rather be watching the whole thing from this box than from where your husband is, Mrs. Beatty. That ringmaster certainly wasn't exaggerating, Mrs. Beatty. This is the greatest show yet, and I've seen a lot of them. Oh, but I suppose it gets boring to you, doesn't it? Oh, on the contrary, Mr. Collins, one can never become bored with Clyde's act, knowing any second something unforeseen might happen. You see, no two performances are ever quite the same. Yeah. I think I see what you mean. Mixing that many lions and tigers may look simple, but actually it's the most dangerous thing in the world for a trainer to attempt. Is it true that your husband's the only one who ever succeeded in doing it? Mixing that many, I mean? Yes, that's correct. He's watched as many as fifty-four lions and tigers together at the same time. Did you say he's about to do the new surprise trick, the climax? Any moment now, Mr. Collins. Man, look at that big, blue part of his chair. I wouldn't stand in front of that lion for a million bucks. That's Simba, one of the meanest of the lot. I think he's especially upset because of Ganges, that tiger that's pawing at the tunnel gate trying to get into the arena. Look, the lion knocked the chair right out of his hand where he slipped. Holy mackerel, he's flat on his back. The lion's grabbed him. Look, he's picking him up with a belt. Well, how do you like that? He's carrying Betty around the arena like a sack of flowers. Hey, that's the greatest stunt I ever hope to see. This is a surprise, climax, Mrs. Baty. Why, Mrs. Baty, what's the matter? You look as pale as it goes. You don't understand. That's not part of the act. Clyde did his mercy. Simba will kill him. Before we continue with the Clyde Baty show, here is an important message. We return now to Clyde Baty and danger unrehearsed. The big circus crowd excitedly awaiting the climax of Clyde Baty's Wild Animal Act suddenly saw the giant Nubian lion Simba knock the chair from Baty's grasp and crash him to the ground. Then to the complete astonishment of the spectators, the lion grabbed Baty by the belt and began carrying him around the arena. But Harriet Baty knew that this was not part of the act and that Simba would soon turn killer. Down in the arena, Clyde Baty was faced with the biggest crisis of his life, a crisis named Simba. As Simba carried me around the arena, I thanked my lucky stars for the heavy leather belt around my waist. So far, Simba'd only scratched me. But if he changed his hold, it looked like curtains. I hung from his jaws helpless, not daring to move a muscle for fear of antagonizing him. Somewhat fatalistically, I resigned myself to death. Then, as Simba carried me further, my eyes glanced to the tunnel gate where Ganges was snarling to get into the arena. Ganges, the murderous tiger who loved nothing better than a fight with a lion. Maybe there was still a chance. If only I could make myself heard by my assistant outside the arena. Hank! Hank, open the tunnel gate! Let Ganges in! Hurry, Hank! My heart was in my mouth as Hank rushed over to pull the rope by the tunnel and quickly opened the gate. In a flash, a bundle of striped fury came out of the arena and straight at Simba. Clyde, come on! You can make it to the safety case now! I'm coming! Hold that door open! Hurry up! Here comes Caesar! Okay, slam it! Oh, brother, that was close. Looks like they're all going to be mixing up in another minute. Hey, Clyde, what are you going to do? I'm going back in there and break it up. Hand me another chair and be ready I may need plenty before I'm through in there. Clyde, have you gone nuts? Why not just turn the fire hose on them? Nothing doing, Hank. Look out, let me back in there before they forget who's boss of the big cage. Well, what do you think, Doc? I think you're the luckiest man alive, Betty. Fortunately, those scratches aren't deep and should heal quickly, but we can't afford to take any chances, so that's why I gave you the tetanus shot. The needle was worse than the bite, but thanks anyway, Doc. I still can't understand it, Clyde. You didn't seem really to be trying to keep him from knocking the chair out of your hand. And you were so slow in sidestepping his charge. Yeah, that's got me puzzled, too. I began feeling sort of funny almost as soon as I entered the arena, almost like I was drowsy. What's this? Drowsy, you say? Yeah, Doc. I didn't think much about it at first, but by the time Simba started acting up, I discovered I was terribly slow in my reflexes and felt sort of weak. What did you have for lunch, Clyde? Just a cup of coffee before going on. Will you do that frequently? Surely that couldn't upset you. No. Of course coffee couldn't. The only thing is... What Clyde? Hayes brought me that coffee. I'm glad you weren't there to see it, May. I don't think I've ever been so frightened in my life, even when I've been in the arena with those cats. Must have been awful, Harry. And all those people yelling and applauding, they all thought it was part of the act. Even the newspaper men thought it was the new trick, Clyde had promised. Well, from the looks of this belt here, that lion wasn't exactly being playful. It looked like a punch board. No, thanks. Heaven had it on. I'll shut it to see. Better have missed all the gossip. Hi, May. Well, hello. Harry, it was just telling me about your latest crowd-thriller. You think the crowd was thrilled? You should have been in my boots. Doesn't sound like you, Clyde. Not being able to sidestep without falling down like that. I know it was downright embarrassing, but as I told Harriet and Doc Miller, I was kind of groggy. Everything I did seemed to wind up in slow motion. No, I forgot to tell May that. Oh, we don't know anything yet. Hey, what's this all about anyway? Nothing much. It's just something... I'm in a rush, Clyde, but I wanted to tell you, I sent Poppy right in with that stuff and he just called from the laboratory. And our hunch was right. Are they sure about that, Doc? Absolutely. They found distinct traces of Philobarbadov. Well, I'll be. OK, Doc, thanks. Better watch your step, Clyde. See you later. What will you do now, Clyde? Are you going to report this to the police right away? Yes, I guess I'll have to, but it's still hard to believe. Would you two mind letting me in on this? Oh, I'm sorry, May, but it seems that somebody's trying to speed me to an early grave. I drank a cup of coffee just before the show today, and it was doped with sleeping pills. What? Oh, no! You know Hayes, one of the cage men, don't you? Hayes, yes, of course. Well, he and I had a little trouble this morning, and I threatened to fire, and then just before my act went on, he stopped in, apologized, and gave me a cup of coffee. In that apology, the coffee was doped. That's what slowed my reflexes. Oh, Clyde, you were almost killed because of that coffee. Well, May, you're white as a sheet. Are you all right? Yes, I'm all right. I'm going to find Hayes, Harry, and I want to have this out with him right now. Clyde, don't. But I've got to, May. There's no telling what he might do next. That's what I mean. He didn't do anything in the first place. It was all my fault, Clyde. May, what are you saying? It's true. Hayes isn't to blame. He just got things mixed up. I gave him that coffee with the sleeping pills in it. What? But why, May? No, it wasn't meant for you, Clyde. Hayes came over to the cookhouse to get you some coffee, and I saw a chance to carry out an idea. I fixed you a cup and another one for Joe. Only I put two sleeping pills in Joe's and told Hayes to be sure he got that one because it had more sugar in it the way Joe likes it. You put those pills in coffee that Joe was supposed to drink? I can't expect you to understand, but... Well, remember the promise Joe made about quitting the circus of every missed-it-trap piece and fell to the next? Hayes. Hiring them. Well, I got to thinking. Maybe if I put those pills in the coffee, it would throw his timing off and he'd miss. I didn't put enough in really to hurt him, any. Why, May, I can't believe you'd do a thing like that. I know it's too late now, but... I'm sorry, Clyde. I almost got you killed just because I wanted my chicken farm. Clyde knows you didn't mean for him to be hurt, May. I hope so. But when Joe finds out, it'll be the end of us. The end of everything, I guess. And I can't blame him. Joe's not gonna find out, May, on one condition. Oh, Clyde, I'd agree to anything if you won't tell him. Well, I won't breathe a word of it if you will swear never again to try to force Joe into retiring. Don't you see that's not the way to go about it. Joe's one of the greatest aerialists in the business. He just got to go on as long as he's able. I know that now. I guess I knew it all along. I was being selfish and only thinking of myself. But I promise, from now on, I'll be his biggest booster and mean it. Good enough. And now, if you girls will excuse me, I got work to do. Well, Clyde, what work do you have to do now? I'm gonna run those cats through another rehearsal of the new trick. Tonight, the people are gonna see what they were supposed to see this afternoon. Clyde Beatty will be back in just a moment with an exciting preview of next week's adventure. And now, a brief but exciting preview of our next Clyde Beatty drama. Elephants, Tampines. That old Wango's boys sure know their business. They got the whole elephant herd on the run. Aren't they big bulls? Yeah, we'll catch some fine ones this time. They're headed straight for the stockade. Oh, I hope the elephants don't see us here. If they'd charge us, we'd be trapped. We could never climb that cliff in back of us. Ah, don't worry. They'll never spot us here in the bushes. See, they're going right by. That's us there. He's seen us. He's charging us. Get behind me, Harriet. I'm gonna shoot. I can't Harriet. The gun's jammed. It's not an expedition to capture elephants in the heart of Africa that are continent. For days, we traveled through dense jungle, through the dready Tory forest, land of the pygmies, living always on the edge of terror. For we'd been warned that the tiny men were deadly. But the threat to the world's smallest men was forgotten as we faced a charging herd of the world's largest animals. In Elephant Stampede, you'll live with us through one of the most dangerous experiences of our careers. All stories are based upon incidents from the career of the world-famous Clyde Beatty and the Clyde Beatty Circus. The Clyde Beatty Show is produced by Shirley Thomas. Danger unrehearsed was written by Robert T. Smith. All names used were fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. This is a Commodore production.