Mabel Stark: The Little Lady Who Tamed the Great Beast
She was famous during the 2nd and 3rd decades of the 20th century, when traveling circuses were one of the most looked to entertainments in small town and even urban America.
People flocked to see the 5'0" beauty who could get wild beasts many times her weight and strength to do her bidding. Her audiences saw her as constantly in danger, but had no idea of the real relationship between Mabel and her champion, Rajah, the magnificent animal who had been the mangy orphan cub who she nursed to life.
These were the days before television when peoples' expectations of entertainment were much less than today, but there is no doubt that Mabel and Rajah would pack them into Vegas today.
Contents at a Glance
- The End of the Glory Years
- The Tiger Whisperer: From the collection of Eileen McCummins Stickle
- Mabel's Story: A Thumbnail Sketch
The End of the Glory Years
Mabel's Work Was Subtle, and Audiences Soon Wanted More.
Eventually, audiences hungered for more excitement. A brash young man named Clyde Beatty gave it to them. He performed in a cage with cats of several breeds, male and female and unknown to his audiences, used to antagonize the creatures, while according to Mabel, being in less danger than it appeared.People hungered for more of him and lost a taste for Mabel's finesse and mutual love with her cats. Her act fell from favor and she was put in a position of having to defend her beloved animals.
She ended her life living in a small apartment in California, working for a small private zoo, still fighting for the proper treatment of the tigers.
When you read The Final Confession of Mabel Stark you will learn that while she wanted better for her cats, and wasn't proud of everything she did, she was a woman who died proudly and with no regrets a remarkable thing to do.
The Tiger Whisperer: From the collection of Eileen McCummins Stickle
Mabel's Story: A Thumbnail Sketch
This should wet your appetite for reading the whole story.
Mabel Stark, whose real name was Mary Haynie (December 9, 1889 - April 20, 1968)The date of birth comes from IMDB, but the date of death comes from her obituary. Note that IMDB uses the wrong date of death, so the date of birth is also suspect. was a renowned tiger trainer of the 1920s and she was referred to as the world's first woman tiger trainer/tamer.
A Personal Account and Tribute by Rip Rense
I have printed an appetizer, so you will be sure to read the whole thing.
- A First Hand Account
- "...To our boy-brains, Miss Stark was the strangest creature we had ever seen---a petite, elderly, unsmiling lady with a kind of Harpo Marx hairdo and spangly circus outfit, who commanded her striped charges to leap, growl, prance, roll over, run in circles, punctuating each trick with a twirly show-bizzy flourish of her right hand.
Judging by the twirly flourish---to say nothing of the act of jumping into a ring full of giant slavering felines---my pals and I concluded that the lady must be drunk, and, as boys will do, we giggled and imitated her gesture until convulsed with laughter. Until that is, the day that Miss Stark cowed us into an abrupt silence with a glare so full of indignation that I have never forgotten it..."
A Glare From The Older Mabel Stark Intimidated Boys Into Silence and Respect
Mabel Could Get Her Tigers to Do Anything!
The Final Confession of Mabel Stark
21st Century Remake of Mabel's Own Autobiography
In 2001, Robert Hough published a rendition of that important history. We all owe him a debt for his efforts and anyone interested in tigers, women's history, circus history or just the history of the America in the early to mid 20th century will want to read it.
Hough writes in the modern crisp prose of today, yet manages to make the reader feel as if he or she is holding the original work of Mabel herself. He captures the innocence of Mabel whose relationship to her work and her tiger is not as innocent as even she probably thought it was.
By all means read this book.
Then petition a publisher to reissue Mabel's own work!
The Final Confession of Mabel Stark
Amazon Price: $18.72 (as of 12/30/2009)
Make a Tribute to Mabel and Rajah
and don't for get to rate the lens
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Reply
- AndyPo AndyPo Nov 12, 2008 @ 7:53 am
- Very interesting lens. Some excellent old pictures too.
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Reply
- Frankster Frankster Oct 7, 2008 @ 10:07 am
- A woman I can definitely relate to. Thanks for sharing Mabel and Rajah's story. She was an amazing woman. 5 stars and a favorite! Bear hugs, Frankster
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Reply
- JaguarJulie JaguarJulie Oct 6, 2008 @ 7:00 pm
- Wow! How cool is this? Like the intro picture -- have you got more of those for the polaroid module? What a story.
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Reply
- lisadh lisadh Sep 7, 2008 @ 2:22 pm
- Hadn't heard of her, but what a trailblazer! 5*
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- Evelyn_Saenz Evelyn_Saenz Sep 7, 2008 @ 4:57 am
- An anazing tribute to an amazing tiger lady.
5 stars, favored by the tigers of the Awesome Pawsome lens and lensrolled as well.
- Load More
Who Should Play Mabel?
And Why Are They Taking So Long to Do It?
I can't imagine why they haven't made a movie out of this yet.As I read The Final Confession of Mabel Stark I kept seeing Reese Witherspoon playing the part. I wish they would hurry up and make the movie before she gets too old!
Kate Winslet has the look, but she isn't petite enough to play 5' 0" Mabel, and well, she doesn't have the Elle Woods spirit.
I also think that Jake Gyllenhaul would be best to play the part of Art Rooney, the husband she married for love, the fingernail polish wearing cowboy and not for the reasons you are thinking!
Kate Winslet Would Be a Great Mabel: Let's Get This Movie Made!
I had first thought of Reese Witherspoon as Mabel, but knew that Kate Winslet also came to mind. She would be excellent.I have, in fact found several links discussing Ms Winslet for the part. There is a director, Sam Mendes, Winslet's husband with his producer partner, Pippa Harris. This was originally planned in 2002, but that was dropped. They are working to get it picked up again.
BTW, I still think that Jake Gyllehaul would be great for the small, but meaty part of Art Rooney, Mabel's one true love besides her tigers.
Discover Kate is a fan site where you can read more and give support for making this movie. If it is done well, it will be a wonderful thing to have. It is a history of America and the circus. It is a story of strong women when women weren't supposed to be strong.
Who Would Make the Best Mabel?
Come and Join My Salon!
Get a cool drink and put up your feet.Conservation encouraged and stars always welcome!
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"A" is for "Arrowsmith"
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I began this journey as a lens master on June 21, 2008. I started with the story of how my parents began their first small business. That first lens reached a top rank of 188 overall and 14 in business, and then started back down, getting as low as...
Mabel Stark With One Of Her Loves
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Fetching RSS feed... please stand byAbout Margo Arrowsmith
Lensmaster Margo_Arrowsmith has been a member since June 21 2008, has rated 2,018 lenses, favorited 121, and has created 129 lenses from scratch. Margo Arrowsmith donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund. This member's top-ranked page is "Hooters Is Not a Family Restaurant". See all my lenses
My Bio
For Arrowsmith Printing 9/22/08
I was born into a small business, I believe that small business and entrepreneurs are the backbone of America and what has made us great. They are what made us great and will save us in these unsure times. I have never wanted to have a great job. Well, better a great one, than a boring dead end one, and I have had both. But I have never really wanted a job at all.
Don't get me wrong, I am a hard worker. I have worked a full-time job, a part time job and a private practice all at the same time for a lot of years in my past. It isn't the work, its the working for someone else. Never wanted to do that, and I don't understand those who want to do that.
When I was six months old my parents bought their first small town weekly newspaper in Iowa. This was back in the day, back when small town newspapers were not just advertising sheets. Perhaps there are still some of them that are real, I hope so.
So I came by this perverse nature naturally. My path to self employment has been different than theirs, but it has always been my path, my direction.
Growing up in Iowa, in the fifties, I also grew up politically conservative. By the time I was 30 I was radically left. Today? I am proudly liberal and what that means will be clearer as we progress.
However, I have had conflicts about 'taking advantage of people'. I now know that employing people is not automatically taking advantage of them, but it took a while for me to learn that nothing is intrinsically good or bad. Well, almost nothing.
I have educated myself in business, I have a small business and I have used EFT and other energy clearing methods to help me clarify the old conflicts and move forward.
My mission here is to provide a forum for people who want to work independently through one person businesses or through employing others and for whom the betterment of human kind is an important value. My lenses are about offering good products, teaching people about betting their lives, and using the money they make for their pleasure and the benefit of others.
That is how I see business and if you have a similar vision I invite you to my blog www.creatingbusinessenergy.com
Margo Arrowsmith
Raleigh, North Carolina
Mother and Grandmother
Clinincal Social Worker, Coach and Internet Marketer
Interfaith Contemplative Minister
Student of life, business, the human spirit that motivates us to be our best in all circumstances.
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by Margo_Arrowsmith
For Arrowsmith Printing 9/22/08
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