Above: Sonny gave me this picture years  ago...it is a "plate" photo taken in the late '20s! 
 The pictures on the canvas banners are of lions in the "pit" chasing bikes that are up on the Wall. This was one of the acts that they performed.  The rider (or riders), would take the bikes up on the Wall.. then the "chute" doors were opened and the lions came into the Drome!  The lions couldn't get up onto the 90 degree section of the  Wall...but it wasn't for lack of trying!  The act was called the "Race For Life!"  In this case, the banners read , "Fearless Eggbert's Race for Life!" (I love that name!!)
Lions also were ridden on converted side-hacks and in  midget cars- as shown throughout this page!
Nowadays the "Race For Life" is  usually the last act in the show.. where 2 machines go up on the Wall at the same time..whether it be 2 bikes, a bike and a go-cart, or any such combination.  Whether it's the "California Pursuit Race..."(performed by..you guessed it -The California Hellriders), or the "Australian Crisscross Pursuit Race"...(which is  what Sonny called it- 'cause there's always a machine "down under"(Penguin  humor))... ,the origin of this act - complete with the lions, is remembered and respected!

Straits’ Shows Motor Drome 1955 (Pelaquin Family)

Above: From left to right... Joe Pelaquin Jr. (Vonnie's  husband), Jimmy Reed (friend working with them), La Vonnie riding the rollers, Sonny Pelaquin (Sonny was 19 at the time! his 2nd year out with the show full-time (love the black leather!)), and Lou Moss on the microphone! This was one of the lion Dromes they had (They were  on Straits’ Shows here). You can see the lion cage (used to display a cat) on the stage behind Joe Jr.! They had two sets of rollers on the stage, with Sonny usually on the other set!  

The pic below is a closeup of the same show in 1954. Frankie Pelaquin (the youngest brother) is center stage. His older brother, Russell is onstage on his left (our right). Behind Frank is King's cage (with King in it..!). You can read his name and you can kinda see him in the cage, through the bike wheel and behind the ticket guy..

Pedestal Act

This is a great pic of a lion pedestal act in progress inside a Motor Drome!  It is also unusual (set up for a publicity shot). Normally, the rider went up on the Wall, after which  the lions were let into the Drome through the chute doors... proceeding to chase the bike around (as it safely stayed up high - out of reach!). This was the original "Race For Life"! This pic was featured on the inside cover of a magazine someone sent to me. I will post the vol. and issue # here asap.

Ethel Purtle & King!

This is Ethel Purtle and her large friend, King! (Not the same cat as the Pelaquins’). Check out this big guys face! He for sure knows he’s on camera! Ethel & Earl Purtle were one of the most successful Lion Drome operators in the business. They raised and trained their own cats just as the Pelaquins did. Ethel was one of a breed of brave & beautiful women who performed in the Dromes with the big cats! These ladies and their lions will have their own page soon! Joe Pelaquin bought the Purtle’s wagons and the scenery from their show when they retired from the lion act.They had the best cat equipment - the first cages with cement floors! (Picture of one of the wagons right behind Earl Purtle’s Motor Drome below! (pic courtesy of Bill Hall. Bill has been kind enough to send us a bunch of pictures from his museum collection in Orlando. We feature them on our “Pics of the Month” page periodically, and then they are introduced into the rest of the site! Thanks again, Bill! They are just awsome! If you would like to contact Bill, email him!

Joe Pelaquin Jr. & Pete

“KING”

This is "King". King was the biggest lion that the Pelaquin family had out working.
He had been raised from a cub by hand and with lots of love. He was the biggest lion they had... gold, with a big black mane (Barbary Lion). King was friendly, and could be ridden... although few people besides the Pelaquins would venture to do so!
The end of King's story is sad. He was in his cage onstage when an intoxicated carnival worker decided to show off to some lady friends. He  went up on the stage, stuck his arm into the cage... and proceeded to grab King and shake him (a act which someone who knew him could pull off..albeit gently). 
None of the lions liked the smell of alcohol, and King was no exception. He grabbed the guy..doing damage as you can imagine. 
The way the laws were then (and may still be now), they had an officer come and shoot King...still in his cage...helpless... an innocent in the chain of events. The officer had no choice.. and was not happy about it.
I have the newspaper article. There is a picture of the policeman taken - with his gun raised, his head down... and poor King shot and dying...still in his cage.The article quoted the officer as saying something about how unfair he felt it was...as I feel also. To the day he died, Sonny would get tears in his eyes when we talked about King... who was intelligent, gentle, playful, patient ,and who tried to understand and do what we humans wanted of him. He was a wallrider.Sadly for King, there is no understanding or avoiding  the stupidity of some humans. Maybe some day there will be.. and the Innocents like him will not have to pay for our ignorance with their lives. -sam

Lion Drome Magazine Cover

Unless otherwise indicated - all the pics herein are the copyrighted property of Sonny Pelaquin & Sam Morgan’s Wall of Death Archives. Please take them for personal use only...