Back in 1969 the BBC TV children's series "Blue Peter", filmed live in studio, persuaded her handlers to bring Lulu, a young female elephant, onto the show.
Hilarity ensued.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Lulu was not invited to return to the show.
Peter
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At least we now know it was Gene Hunt who destroyed the Blue Peter garden in November 1983. :) 'Ashes to Ashes' series 3 - episode 4
There is the story of a performance of Aida and one elephant committed a "grave social misdemeanour on stage. The show stopped for clean up and in the lull the conductor (Sir Thomas Beecham IIRC) observed -
"A distressing spectacle ladies and gentlemen but gad what a critic"
I worked The Tonight Show twice, when it was Leno's oyster.
Both times because of animal acts.
One was some good ole boy from Texas was setting the world record for Most Rattlesnakes Held In His Mouth At Once.
If that's what it takes to get on the show, I'm happy behind the scenes, thanksverymuch.
So I asked Bubba what the record was.
"Well, we're bringing out about 25-30 snakes, but I figure the most I can get im my mouth rattles-first is about 15 or 16. Whatever it is, it'll be the record, because no one else is stupid/crazy enough to do this. Hey, wanna see my scrap book of when I got bit and my arm blew up to the size of my thigh and turned purple and blue?"
So I called down the street to St. Joseph ER to make sure they had rattlesnake antivenom on hand. They assured me they could deal with an snake bite accident, and told me they hoped they didn't hear from me any further.
IIRC, Bubba got 16 4'-6' Western Dioamondbacks rattle first in his mouth, where he held them off the ground for a 10-second count. Imagine what height the snake's head is at when you're holding it's tail in your mouth. Bubba had two assistants with L-shaped snake poles, to keep the rattlers' heads pointed out towards the crowd, rather than looking at Bubba's junk.
Now imagine the hilarity that ensues if a guy holding 16 rattlesnakes in his mouth gets bit, and drops them on a stage in a big soundstage auditorium with about 500 people in the seats.
Genius, right there.
It worked out well, because not long after wards, they had Steve Irwin on the show. Steve was exactly the same IRL as he was on camera. Super-nice, fearless/crazy. His wife and then-young daughter were along too.
I got to pet a mountain lion cub through the cage (their fur is like a bristle brush, not soft at all), they were also bringing some one of God alone knows how many deadly Aussie snakes.
Producer warns Irwin that Jay likes to get up to touchy-feely distance. Steve says "No worries. I know how to keep him back." I asked about anti-venom, knowing the answer, and Irwin confirms it: "Waste of time, mate. One bite and you're dead."
They're also bringing a camel onto the stage.
Greeeeeeeeat. 1000 pounds of dumb, mean, spitting gwakiness. And BTW, the front row of the theatre is 30 or so old folks and paraplegics in wheelchairs, including one lady who'd been to every single episode since Leno started the gig, years back.
So if bright lights and and auditorium full of people freaks the camel out, and it decides to stamped off the stage and go galloping over the audience, the first casualties will be 70-80-year-old ladies in wheelchairs with no chance to move away.
I bring this possibility up with the main producer. He thinks a minute, then says. "Good point. It's a good thing we've got a medic here today." Then walks away.
Thanks a pantload, pal.
Comes the taping, and they get to the snake, which is large, black, and being held by Irwin.
Jay's about 15' away, and starts to walk towards it.
"What would happen if it bit me?" Leno asks as he steps closer.
"Crikey mate," says Irwin, "you'd be dead before you hit the ground."
Leno halts and backpeddles to about 25' away at that point.
Irwin 1
Leno 0
The camel and the other animals thankfully go on and off without incident.
Only in Hollywood, man.
They think they have magical fairy dust cinematic immunity from real-world problems.
Photo-bombed by a baby elephant....
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