 Clyde Beatty shows the world's greatest wild animal trainer Clyde Beatty with another exciting adventure from his brilliant career. The circus means fun for both young and old, thrills, excitement, snarling jungle beasts. But under the big top, where Clyde Beatty constantly risks death in the most dangerous act on earth, you see only part of the story. Much of the real drama takes place behind the scenes of the circus, or in faraway places of the world where this master of the big cats has journeyed, hunting down his beasts in their native jungle. All of this is part of the Clyde Beatty story. Here in Mr. Beatty's own words is the adventure he calls the princess and the Tigris. As a circus owner, one of the duties I enjoy most is traveling to far off places in search of performers for the show. You see, one indispensable element of any circus is glamour, and one wild man of Borneo is worth a double dozen more talented performers from Big Town, USA. It was at a sea coast town in the Mele Peninsula that I found one of my most glamorous acts, for rather they found me. I was jumping here and there about the dock to make sure none of my precious cargo was damaged. Wherever I went, I was confronted by a diminutive Mele who would place himself before me bowing low. Come on, don't you see the little fellow wants to speak with you? And don't you see that I'm very busy, dear? Ask him what he wants, maybe he'll get out of your way. Do ask him. I've got things to do. All right. I'll talk to him. You go on about your business. I say there, Mr. Beatty is busy. Can you tell me what you want? And what better to be one on him? He can't bother me make a load in so far as he can't sign. I'll do the same old many catchy plug and one on him go chop chop, no other thing can do. Wait, wait. Clive, I started a flood. You'd better rescue me. What's the matter? Can't you understand perfectly good plain English? I understand the words. It's what he means that stops me. OK, little man. What's your problem? Shaheep, you waited to one big name a leek aside. Allo TV father, he ain't flogging man on him. He ain't flogging polluta, flogging young chiluta, flogging kumpato, flogging nipa, flogging vaipo, flogging kachilos, flogging shagam. Waited to one take you one on him a leek aside. Thank you, please. What in heaven's name was all that about? Well, it seems this little guy's a sad sack named Wanaman. Even though Wanaman's a grown man, his father always flogs him. He makes him cry when he flogs him. But that's all because you see Wanaman is such a large man. He doesn't look very large to me. Not only does this beast of a father beat him, but he beats his elder brother, his younger brother, his nephew, his wife, his daughter, his steward, and his servant. Oh, the brute. Exactly. That's why he wants big name Bete Twan to take him along to America. Oh, no. What would that poor little fellow do there? What an amaluki mean good fellow making all everybody inside glad. He says he's a good man, always makes people feel happy. Don't take him a leek aside. Me take him long ways to kill me. What was that about killer? Uh-oh. He said if we don't take him to America, he'll get a rifle and kill himself. Clyde, what are we going to do? My dear, it looks like the Clyde Bete Circus is about to harbor a fugitive from the Mele Peninsula. We return to Clyde Bete in just a moment. And now back to Clyde Bete's adventure entitled The Princess and the Tigris. When I agreed to take Wanaman to America, I didn't realize that I was really asking for trouble. About an hour before sailing, Harriet and I were in our cabin when there was a knock on the door. Yes, come in. Oh, anything wrong, Percy? Yes, sir. It's about that Mele, Wanaman or whatever he calls himself. Wanaman. Well, what about him? Well, where I put him? Surely there's room for such a little man on this big boat. Oh, we can handle him all right. It's the rest of them bothers me. Rest of them? What do you mean? Well, here, here's a list of their names. Muda Yusuf, Idris, Mansour, Benda Harris, Bruis, Abdullah, Wanamet, Khorish, Wanda and the Giant. The Giant? Yeah, his name, believe it or not, is Suri Paduka. He's over seven feet tall. Seven feet? Look, are you trying to tell me that Wanaman didn't come alone? I'll say he didn't. There's 15 of them upon deck. And from the sound of the jabber, you'd think there was 50. Well, this is ridiculous. Come on, Harriet. Oh, yes, here? We'd better see what's going on up there. What's wrong? It's the melee. Never mind, never mind. You'll see. Come on, Harriet. Up on deck, surrounded by a circle of amused sailors and deckhands, was a knot of wildly gesticulating natives. They were of assorted ages, sizes and sexes and were garbed in characteristic costumes. Eventually, I was able to quiet the others enough so I could question Wanaman. Now then, Wanaman, do you mind telling me what this is all about? It's all a good fun of them. They did, to one, take all you mean, the length and size. Just a minute. I said I'd take you to America, not your whole family. Oh, no, well, a family. Me, Idris Prince, she called it, right? All of them, me, Wanaman. Then what did he say? He said they aren't all his family. That pretty little thing over there is Idris. She's a princess. The one that looks like a pirate claims he's a raja. All of them are Wanaman's friends. All of them are friends. All of them are Wanaman's friends. Look here. I can't take all of you to America. It sounds like they're going to argue the point, Clyde. It's no use. I can't take you along. You, brother, you stand fast. You look like a walkabout. Suppose you're going to walkabout and beat them. You stand fast. What am I talking about? He's trying to clear the sailors and dockhands away. Oh, no. That's funny. Looks like they're getting ready to put on a show or something. Well, it's exactly what they're going to do. They're going to perform. Oh, fine. We've got a ship to get ready for sailing and they're going to put on a show. Hey, stop this. No, Clyde, let them go ahead. Let them go ahead. Please don't do one, Miss Ard. Looks like I'd have to shoot them to stop them. For the next half hour, the ship's crew, the dockhands, Harriet and I were privileged to witness one of the most exotic and beautiful performances imaginable. Those tiny people in their brilliant costumes captivated us all with their fabulous dancing. When it was over, we burst into spontaneous applause. Oh, my God. Wasn't that beautiful? Sensational. What an act why they'd eat that up back home. Clyde, that's an idea. Now wait a minute. I don't know about that. Oh, I can see it now. The lights under the big top dim. The colored spots pick out the dances in the center arena. The music comes up. When Harriet starts seeing things in her mind's eye, they usually come to pass. At first, everything went well with our princess, our raja, our giant and their companions, but then came trouble. Plenty of it. The source of the trouble? Well, as usual, it was a woman. Well, Mr. Norman Carroll, how's the circus manager tonight? All your charges safely tucked into the bed? Oh, look, look, Clyde, I know a circus manager has to expect anything, but this is too much. What's the matter? The fat lady run off with one of the midget? Oh, no, I'm serious, Clyde. We're in for some trouble. What's up, Norman? It's that dancing troupe. The Maylays? Yeah. I don't understand. Well, they're pleasure-loving and have a tendency to be lazy, but they're not usually troublemakers. Oh, no? Well, then maybe you can tell me that all the men are going around wearing those wavy-bladed knives in their belts. Well, that's nothing. Chris is worn as part of their costume. They wear them all the time. With blood stains on them? Blood stains? That's right. A few minutes ago, the one they called a raja and your little friend, Wanaman, were going at it hot and heavy with their toadstappers. Oh, no. Some of the men broke it up, but not before blood was shed. Well, what started the fight? What else? A woman, of course. I see. I'll bet it was that little charmer, Idris. Right. Seems those two are both madly in love with her. That figures. Well, we've got little Wanaman in the first-aid tent. Luckily, it wasn't hurt bad. But we had to chain Kaurish to the center pole. Was he that wild? I never saw anything like it. It took ten men to hold him. I'd better have a look. Yeah, see for yourself. Come on. I was plenty worried about what Norman Carroll had told me. Although Meleys are ordinarily peace-loving, they are subject to nervous outbursts. On two occasions, I'd seen natives run amuck. It was something I never wanted to see again. When we got to where Kaurish was being held, one look told me the worst. The Meleys had blown his top. I knew if something wasn't done to quiet him, he was due to commit acts of homicidal mania. For the present, he was safe, since they'd lashed him to the center pole with enough chains to hold an elephant. The guy's gone completely crazy. That's right. And if he gets loose, he'll run amuck. What do we do? I don't know. But we can't just leave him like this. Maybe they'd better call the police, huh? Not yet. Somebody might get hurt. There must be some way to quiet him. Wait. I just thought of something. There's a name for this nervous affliction these Meleys are subject to. It's Lata. Lata? Yes. You see, the victims lose all self-control and all sense of their own identity. If I can work it, we can get him under control. How does this Lata work? If I can get him to rivet his attention on me, he'll imitate all of my actions. Sort of like hypnosis, huh? Exactly. Now, let's see what I can do. Get a couple of the boys, Norman, and stand by at the chains. When I give the word, turn them loose. Turn them loose? Not on your life. Do as I say. It's important. All right, Clive. I think you're crazy, too. Hey, fellas. A couple of you stand by at the chains, will you? All right, Clive. What now? I'm going to stand right in front of him and sway back and forth. Now, if it works, he'll start doing the same thing. Oh, that silly... makes you think anyone that wild will pay any attention to... Hey, he's got his eyes glued on you. Well, I'll... He's weaving back and forth. It's working. Now, he'll imitate anything I do. That's amazing. All right. Now, unfasten the chains. All right. Easy. Don't distract him. Okay, Clive? He's loose. Get ready to jump him just in case. Now, my little friend, you're going to be a little puppy dog just like me. That's it. Down on all fours. Good. Now, curl up in a ball and go to sleep. There. That's the darndest thing I've ever seen. Quiet, quiet. I'm going to stay like this till he really goes to sleep. Don't move anybody. You mean you actually performed this lata on this little man? It was lucky I knew about it. Well, we carried him to one of the wagons, locked him in, sleeping like a kitten. You mean like a puppy, don't you, Norman? No, I have it your way. Now tell me, what happens when this lata wears off? He won't remember any of this. You mean he'll be well again? Probably. Well, you're going to let him stay around here, are you? No, it wouldn't be safe. This might happen again. In the morning, I'll turn him over to the authority. Poor little man, what are you supposed to do with him? Probably send him back to Malaya. Whatever they do is all right with me, just so they get him out of here. Twenty years I've been with circuses. I've had all sorts of things happen, but never anything like this. I should have studied law like my father said. Clyde, wake up. Hey, what's the idea? Listen, hear it. Let me sleep. Oh, Clyde, Clyde, something's happened. Wake up. Man, can't even sleep her, huh? Hey, hey, it's a melee. Something's wrong. Hand me my robe. Oh, here. Get it. Lock this door after me. Now, whatever happens, don't open it till I tell you. But, Clyde... Plenty. Corrish has escaped. Oh, no. Oh, yes. Is he around the ground? There's no trace of him, but that's not all. But has he hurt someone? Not that we know of. Oh, why are the other mayleys so excited? Idris has disappeared. The princess? Yeah. The mayleys were awakened by the sound of animal growls coming from her quarters. Growls? When they went to investigate, the princess was missing. What were the growls? Curled up on her bed was a Tigris. Oh, it killed her. No, that's the strange part. There's no sign of a tragedy. I don't understand. The mayleys do. They think she was changed into the Tigris. Oh, that's fantastic. Of course it is. Such a thing is impossible. We know that, but the mayleys don't. You see around the neck of that sleek and tawny Tigris was the gold necklace that the princess always wore. We continue with the princess and the Tigris after this message. And now back to Clyde Beatty and the princess and the Tigris. Clyde Beatty has brought a troupe of native dancers from the melee peninsula to perform with the circus in America. They're in winter quarters and two of the mayleys have fallen in love with Idris, a lovely young girl they call a princess. The rivals had a fight over her and one of them went for a circus. Now the melee has escaped and the lovely princess is missing. In her quarters a sleek and tawny Tigris has been discovered. Around her neck is the gold necklace the princess habitually wore. It is up to Clyde to find the princess and convince the mayleys that she has not been turned into a Tigris. Clyde, you mean to tell me those people actually believe the girl has been turned into a wild animal? That's correct. Oh, but it's silly. Oh, I don't know. Imagination is a very potent force. Don't tell me you believe in this foolishness. I didn't say I did. I think I know what Clyde means, Norm. It doesn't matter if a thing is factual or not. If people believe it, it can make them act abnormally. That's it, Harriet. You can't convince some people that lycanthropy is just a state of mind any more than you can prove to otherwise normal people that Friday the 13th is just like any other day. Now, wait a minute. What is this lycanthropy? Lycanthropy is the belief in the transformation of men into carnivorous animals. Hogwarts. Not so fast. You saw an example of it just last night. Well, you mean when you made that crazy melee, I think he was a puppy? That's right. Oh, that was just simple hypnotism. Of course. And so is Lata. Well, what's Lata? The state of mind people must be in to practice lycanthropy. Oh, here we go around again. It's not so complicated, Norman. Under certain conditions, one can be induced by suggestion into believing he has been transformed into an animal. I'd like to see anyone change me into an animal. If they did, you'd turn out to be a mule, I'll bet. Oh, well, all I can say is it's crazy. What do we do now? Mr. Mayday! Mr. Mayday! Over here, Dutch. You better come quick. A lot of the Mayday's in the arena with the Tigris. It's a little guy. One-a-man? Yes, ma'am. I've had the cat into the arena for her exercise. The little guy came after me with one of those wavy knives. It was a foot long. He chased me out of there and met him with the cat. The tiger will tear him to pieces. Come on, let's go. We dashed over to the exercise arena, fully expecting to find little one-a-man clawed to shreds. To our amazement, we found him standing in the center of the arena, talking softly to the Tigris. The cat was crouched against the bars, apparently listening to him. I motioned to the others to stop in their tracks. The cat's going to spring on him any minute. I don't know why she's waited this long. She's never seen anything like the little man before. She's trying to figure out what he is. What are you going to do, Clyde? I've got to get that boy to back out of there. If he moves suddenly, she'll jump him sure. Now, don't any of you move. One-a-man, what are you doing in there? Talking with Princess. She's beating to one. That's not a princess. Princess, it's a ferocious Tigris. She'll kill you. Tigris, no killing, Bonana. Tigris, Idris, she... Listen to me. You've got to get out of there. He's named Betty to one. Those are good fellow. Team Floggy, Idris, Lushy, Lash. One-a-man, don't let him do. Harriet, do you hear that? He's accusing me of beating the Tigris with my whip. He wants to protect her. The cat's had enough. She's going to spring. Open the cage door. I'm going in. I dashed in and ran to the Tigris. Her jaws were sunk into one-a-man's leg. I had no weapons, so I kicked at the tally head as much as I could. Throw me a stick, a club, anything. He's got... Clubs of clubs. Hold her, Gunwood Blank. Touch, toss it in. I've got my loaded. Here comes. She's backing up. She's got her. Open the chute. Get that critter out of here. Where's the poor little fellow, Clyde? Pretty badly torn up. The doctor's afraid of hemorrhage. Where is he? First aid tent. He can be moved to a hospital by tomorrow, the doctor says. Oh, poor little man. It's a wonder he wasn't killed. As soon as he recovers and we locate the missing princess, I'm packing a lot of them back to where they came from. So, Fata, he can start the vlog them again? And I hope Papa licks him a couple of times for me. Where do you suppose courage and the princess are? That bothers me. We haven't found a trace of them. I don't like the idea of them running around loose. Neither do I. As a matter of fact, Norman and I were just about to start another search around the grounds. But it's dark. It might be dangerous. The sooner we find them, the sooner we can get rid of them. Clyde, I'm sorry I got you into this mess. It was all my fault. Ah, it was the fault of your tender heart, my dear. I want to go with you and Norman. I don't think you'd better, Harriet. I wouldn't be able to sleep. Please take me along. Well, maybe it's better to have you with me. Come on. Oh, not a sign of them. I suppose they went off into the swamps, Clyde. Possibly. Did you check in town? We alerted the police. They haven't seen them so far. Now, I bet anything they're still around here. You see, Corish is behind all this. He wants to get even with his rival, Wanaman. Do you suppose the princess went off with him willingly? Obviously not. If she had, he wouldn't be pulling this Lata business. Oh, and you think he was the one let the Tigris loose, huh? Right. And I'd like to know how he managed to get that necklace around the cat's neck. But what was his purpose in turning the Tigris loose? Revenge. She lost out as a lover, so he figured the Tigris had killed the rest of the melee. I thought his rival was Wanaman. That's true, but the others wouldn't matter as long as his rival got it. Wouldn't the princess try to escape from him? You forget. Lata. Oh, that again. If I'm right, Corish has Idris thinking she's a Tigris. That I've got to see. Wait. Don't move. Huh? You see what I see? Yes. Over there in the brush. Quiet. It's the melee. And the girl is with her. Look, she's walking on all fours like an animal. Yeah, moving along just like a Tigris. Quiet. Let them get ahead of us and then we'll follow. What is he going to do with her? My guess is he's going to let that girl do his killing for him. What do you mean? He's convinced her she's a Tigris. It won't take much more suggestion to make her kill a man. Wanaman? Clyde, you're right. They're heading for the first aid tent. The three of us were fascinated by the drama that unfolded before us. Here we were witnessing one of the strange processes of the human mind. I'd read of such things, but actually seeing it caught up our imaginations and held us spellbound. Clyde, this is incredible. Fantastic. See how she glides along? Every movement is absolutely feline. What's that glittering on her paws? I mean her hands. Careful, Norman. You'll be thinking she's a cat. I'll admit she's the closest thing to one I've ever seen. There is something glittering on her hands, Clyde. Of course. Those are claws. That melee's done a good job. He's fitted her hands with metal claws. I'll bet they're razor sharp. They're getting close to that first aid tent. What do we do? Oh, God, this is terrifying. When we move, it'll have to be fast. One slip and somebody's gonna get hurt. I wish I had a gun. That wouldn't do much good if that melee flips his lid, not even a gun will stop him. Well, then what's our move? Both of you do exactly as I tell you. Harriet, slip back to the main building, get some men, have them bring ropes. Get going. Quietly. Now, Norman. Yeah? You and I are gonna slip around the tent and get inside before those two get there. Can we make it in time? Yeah. They're sneaking up to the back. They'll probably crawl under the canvas. Let's go. We made it before them. I don't think they're inside yet. Good. Here they come. Yeah. Now what? We'll wait here in the shadows. Judge the distance to the bed where Wanamani is. But measure carefully because when we jump, we'd better not miss. Do we both jump the man? No, I'll take him. You go after the girl. Good deal. Don't forget those claws. They grip you but good. Here, dip this blanket. Try to throw it over. They're coming inside the tent. They're moving toward the bed. Clyde, tell me when. Now. There you go. In here, man. There he is. Get the blanket out. Don't miss the baby. Tie up this wild man. He's strong as an ox. So what? You thought there was some line? That'll hold him. Clyde, are you hurt? Everything's all right now. Hey, what'll I do with this pussycats? Scratch her under the chin and give her a saucer of milk. I don't think she's in the mood to play. The doctor will be here in a minute. He'll give her an injection. When she wakes up, she'll forget about being a tiger. If she doesn't, you better practice up in that la, whatever it is. Lata. Yeah, lata. Why? Because if she's still a tigeress, you better change me into a tiger. I want an even break. Clyde will be back with a word about our next exciting story. But now, a message of interest to all of us. And now, once again, here is Clyde Beatty to tell you about his next adventure. It is entitled, Time Off for Trouble. It's funny how things always seem to be happening wherever I go. I remember once when my doctor in Shreveport warned me at the end of the regular circus season that I should take a vacation and rest my tired nerves. I wasn't too hard to convince. But the things that happened on our fishing trip to the Canadian wilderness, known as Lake of the Woods, were anything but soothing to the nerves. You'll hear the whole story, Time Off for Trouble, the next time we get together. All stories are based upon incidents in the career of the world famous Clyde Beatty and the Clyde Beatty Circus. The Clyde Beatty show is produced by Shirley Thomas. The Princess and the Tigeress was written by Frank Hart Clossig. All names used were fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. This is a Commodore production.