 | Pictured is a poster of "Gargantua the Great," one of the most famous headliners in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The skeleton of the gorilla is currently on view at the Peabody Museum. |
Even as the mythical tale of super-simian King Kong is unfolding on movie screens, Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History is showcasing the real-life story of the gorilla known as "Gargantua the Great."
The skeleton of "Gargantua the Great," one of the most famous circus attractions of all time, went on display Dec. 8 and will remain on view through January.
A headliner with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from 1937 to 1949, the 460-pound gorilla drew millions of spectators who would stand in line to see him as the circus toured the country.
An orphan at a month old, the infant gorilla lived for years with missionaries in Africa until a sea captain purchased him and brought him back with him to Boston in 1931. There a recently fired sailor with a grudge against the captain sought revenge by throwing nitric acid from a fire extinguisher into the gorilla's face. The captain telephoned a friend, Gertrude Davies Lintz, the wife of a Brooklyn doctor, who raised St. Bernards, chimpanzees and gorillas as a hobby. Determined to save the severely burned gorilla, she nursed him back to health. However, his face was permanently disfigured, and his mouth twisted into a fierce snarl.
Lintz offered Buddy to Henry Ringling North, whose flamboyant advertising campaign transformed the gorilla into a famous circus attraction that saved the circus from imminent bankruptcy.
Although gorillas in captivity often live for 40 years or more, Gargantua was only 20 when he died. When in 1949 it became obvious that he was not well, no one dared approach him to find out what the trouble was. He died that November of double pneumonia. Newspapers announced his passing with prominent headlines. An autopsy performed at Johns Hopkins Hospital revealed that, in addition to skin disease and other problems, Gargantua had four impacted and rotted wisdom teeth. North gave Gargantua's skeleton to the Peabody Museum in 1950.
The Peabody Museum is located at 170 Whitney Ave. It is open to the public 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. It is closed Jan. 1, Easter Sunday, July 4, Thanksgiving and Dec. 24 and 25. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors ages 65 and above, $5 for children ages 3-18 and for students with I.D. Admission is free to all Thursdays 2-5 p.m. Museum members, Yale I.D. holders and children under age 3 are admitted free. The museum is wheelchair accessible. For further information, visit the website at www.peabody.yale.edu or call the Infotape at (203) 432-5050.
T H I S
Famous circus attraction is
highlight of Peabody exhibit
"Gargantua the Great"
Called "Buddy," short for "Buddha," he remained a part of Lintz's household menagerie for six years -- sometimes going for a ride in her car, sometimes playing in the backyard, sometimes traveling to other cities to be exhibited at public events. One night in 1937, however, Lintz awoke during a violent thunderstorm to find a terrified, fully grown gorilla huddled in her bed, and decided it was time for Buddy to leave home.
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Pepper stepping down as Yale V.P.
INTERNATIONAL YALE
Trip strengthens Yale-Japan ties
Fox Fellowship Program expands reach and focus
Initiative to develop new U.S.-India collaborationsStudent is embodiment of 'Life Transformed'
Matching contribution program for hurricane relief exceeds expectations
Campus events celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.
Images of sky reveal many large galaxies have merged
Scientists map complex cell signaling network
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE NEWS
NIF will serve as guide to online neuroscience resources
New evidence supports a century-old theory . . .
Study reveals disparities between short- and long-term survival . . .
Study finds link between HIV rates, incarcerationNew Law School website lists global provisions for protection of children
Famous circus attraction is highlight of Peabody exhibit
The art of cut-and-paste
YCIAS program to explore the theme 'Cuba from Within'
Bromley tribute
Dean Speth's 'Red Sky at Morning' wins Connecticut Book Award
Alexandrov wins MLA prize for his book about 'Anna Karenina'
In Memoriam: Dr. Charles F. McKhann
Japanese officials and Yale experts discuss programs . . .
Campus Notes
Security Procedures for Recess
Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events|In the News
Bulletin Board|Classified Ads|Search Archives|Deadlines
Bulletin Staff|Public Affairs|News Releases|
E-Mail Us|Yale Home