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Before
the late Steve Ervin wrestled his first crocodile, before Jane Goodall
learned to communicate with chimps, before swimming champion Johnny
Weissmuller personified Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan and Jungle Jim
in movies and serials, and before John Wayne performed in a film titled
"Hatari!" about a professional trapper of animals for zoos, Frank
Buck captured American and international audiences with tales of his
adventures doing just those kinds of things everywhere on the planet.
Buck was born in Gainesville,
Texas, on March 17, 1884, to Howard and Ada Buck. The elder Buck
operated a wagon yard in Gainesville,
and in the fashion of the day, that was where young Frank joined the
world. Later the family moved to Dallas
were Buck sold Studebaker wagons and Frank Buck attended local schools
until his eighteenth year. Buck left school to escort cattle to Chicago
by rail, and thereafter his life's work was associated with animals-although
likely his expert showmanship really is why he is remembered. Buck
began collecting animals from around the world for exposition in zoos,
circuses, and other entertainment venues, hence his nickname, "Bring
'Em Back Alive," as distinguished from most game hunters who sought
trophies they could hang on the wall. Buck's earliest trips took him
to South America but eventually he worked in Africa and Asia, or anywhere
"exotic"-meaning non-United States and therefore "different" for American
audiences-could be obtained.
Soon Buck became the story instead of the animals. He wrote, with
the assistance of professional writers, of his experiences in a series
of books titled "Bring 'Em Back Alive," "Wild Cargo," and "Fang and
Claw", and also produced movies with the same titles. Buck's adventures
were also celebrated in a daily feature in newspapers. Frank Buck
passed away in Houston
on March 25,1950.
©
Archie
P. McDonald
All
Things Historical
February 12, 2007 column
A syndicated column in 70 East Texas newspapers
This column is provided as a public service by the East Texas Historical
Association. Archie P. McDonald is director of the Association and
author of more than 20 books on Texas |
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