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Frank Buck (animal collector)
Encyclopedia
Frank Howard Buck was a hunter and "collector of wild animals," as well as a movie actor, director, writer and producer. He is known for his book Bring 'Em Back Alive
and his 1930s and 40s jungle adventure movies including: Wild Cargo, Jungle Cavalcade
, Jacare, Killer of the Amazon
, many of which included staged "fights to the death" between formidable beasts.
Born in Gainesville
, Texas
, Buck grew up in Dallas and excelled in geography
, at the cost of "utter failure on all the other subjects of that limited Dallas curriculum."
While still a child, Buck began collecting birds and small animals, and tried his hand at farming before getting a job as a cowpuncher. Accompanying a cattlecar to the Chicago stockyards, he refused to take the trip back to Texas, and spent the rest of his days supporting himself on various jobs while seeking adventure. In 1911, he won $3,500 in a poker game and decided to go overseas for the first time, leaving his wife and setting out for Brazil. Bringing back exotic birds to New York, he was surprised by the amount of his profits. Trips to Singapore followed, and he traveled the world for 18 years, until the stock market crash of 1929 left him penniless. However, friends lent him $6,000 and soon he was back to his profitable work.
on June 13, 1923, signed to a three-year contract by Dr. Harry M. Wegeforth
, the zoo's founder. Dr. William T. Hornaday, director of the Bronx Zoo
, had recommended Buck for the job. But Buck quickly clashed with the strong-willed Wegeforth and left the zoo after three months to return to animal collecting.
suggested that Buck write about Buck's animal collecting adventures, Buck collaborated with Edward Anthony
on Bring 'Em Back Alive
, which became a bestseller in 1930, and Wild Cargo
, a best seller in 1932. While these books made him world famous, Buck remarked later that he was prouder of his 1936 elementary school reader, On Jungle Trails
, saying "Wherever I go, children mention this book to me and tell me how much they learned about animals and the jungle from it."
Buck's autobiography, All In A Lifetime
, was published in 1941. Buck wrote Fang and Claw
, On Jungle Trails
, All In A Lifetime
, Tim Thompson in the Jungle
, and Jungle Animals
in collaboration with a radio dramatist, Ferrin Fraser
.
Buck wrote Animals are Like That with journalist Carol Weld
.
Bring 'Em Back Alive was printed as Classics Illustrated
#104. In 2000, Steven Lehrer
published a new collection of Frank Buck's stories.
George T. Bye
, a New York literary agent
, represented Frank Buck in the publication of Bring 'Em Back Alive and subsequent books.
In 1938, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
made Buck a lucrative offer to tour as their star attraction, and to enter the show astride an elephant. He refused to join the American Federation of Actors
, stating that he was "a scientist, not an actor." Though there was a threat of a strike if he did not join the union, he maintained that it would compromise his principles, saying "Don't get me wrong. I'm with the working man. I worked like a dog once myself. And my heart is with the fellow who works. But I don't want some --- union delegate telling me when to get on and off an elephant." Eventually, the union gave Buck a special dispensation to introduce Gargantua
the gorilla without registering as an actor.
Buck furnished a wild animal exhibit, Frank Buck’s Jungle Camp, for Chicago’s Century of Progress
. Over two million people visited Buck’s reproduction of the camp he and his native assistants lived in while collecting animals in Asia. After the fair closed, Buck moved the camp to a compound Buck created at Amityville, Long Island. In 1939, Buck brought his jungle camp to the 1939 New York World’s Fair
. “Frank Buck’s Jungleland” displayed rare birds, reptiles and wild animals along with Jiggs, a five-year-old trained orangutan. In addition, Buck provided a trio of performing elephants, an 80-foot “monkey mountain” with 600 monkeys, and an attraction that had been popular at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair: camel rides.
(1935), Jungle Cavalcade
(1941), Jacaré
(1942), Tiger Fangs
(1943), and the 1949 movie Africa Screams
(also known as Abbott and Costello in Africa although Buck's adventures collecting exotic animals took place in Asia). Buck played "Frank Hardy" in the 1937 15-part Columbia movie serial Jungle Menace
. Prior to and during the making of this serial, H.N. Swanson
, a Hollywood literary agent
, represented Buck. Buck was played by Bruce Boxleitner
in the 1982/83 adventure series, Bring 'Em Back Alive
.
", a 1950 Columbia Records
children’s album, was Frank Buck’s last recorded performance. The text combines two stories from Bring 'Em Back Alive
.
in Gainesville, Texas
(initially populated with retired circus animals) is named in his honor.
The menagerie retrieved by Frank Buck for the world's zoos and circuses is impressive. He estimated that in his years of hunting, he had brought back alive 49 elephants, 60 tigers, 63 leopards, 20 hyenas, 52 orangutans, 100 gibbon
apes, 20 tapirs, 120 Asia
tic antelope
and deer
, 9 pigmy water buffalo, a pair of gaur
s, 5 Babirusa
wild Asian swine, 18 African antelope
, 40 wild goat
s and sheep, 11 camels, 2 giraffes, 40 kangaroos
and wallabies
, 5 India
n rhinoceroses, 60 bears, 90 pythons, 10 king cobra
s, 25 giant
monitor lizard
s, 15 crocodiles, more than 500 different species of other mammals, and more than 100,000 wild birds
. Sultan Ibrahim of Johor was a close friend of Frank Buck and frequently assisted Buck in his animal collecting endeavors.
, 46-year old drama critic for the Chicago Daily News
. Amy Leslie was living at the hotel when they met. They were divorced in 1913. In 1914, Buck married Nina C. Boardman, a Chicago stenographer, who accompanied him on jungle expeditions. They were divorced in 1927. When she later married a California packing company official, Nina told reporters, "As long as I live, I don't want to see any animals wilder or bigger than a kitten." In 1928 Buck married Muriel Reilly and had a daughter. In 1937 Buck bought his first home, in the Encino area of Los Angeles, 5035 Louise Avenue. He spent his last years in his family home in San Angelo, Texas
, 324 South Bishop Street. Although his life was an adventurous one, and he reported many brushes with danger, Frank Buck died in a hospital bed, in Houston, Texas
, from lung cancer
brought about by a lifetime of cigarette
smoking.
Bring 'Em Back Alive (book)
Bring ‘Em Back Alive was Frank Buck’s first book, a huge best seller that catapulted him to world fame and was translated into many languages. Buck tells of his adventures capturing exotic animals....
and his 1930s and 40s jungle adventure movies including: Wild Cargo, Jungle Cavalcade
Jungle Cavalcade (1941 film)
Jungle Cavalcade is a compilation of footage from Frank Buck’s first three films depicting his adventures capturing animals for the world's zoos.-Scenes:Among the scenes in the film:...
, Jacare, Killer of the Amazon
Jacare (film)
Jacaré was a film made in 1942 of James Dannaldson’s expedition to the Amazon.Clyde E. Elliott, Charles E. Ford and James Dannaldson led the film crew, which shot some 260,000 feet of film on the lower reaches of the Amazon River in Spring 1942...
, many of which included staged "fights to the death" between formidable beasts.
Early life
Gainesville, Texas
Gainesville is a city in and the county seat of Cooke County, Texas, United States. The population was 15,538 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Buck grew up in Dallas and excelled in geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, at the cost of "utter failure on all the other subjects of that limited Dallas curriculum."
While still a child, Buck began collecting birds and small animals, and tried his hand at farming before getting a job as a cowpuncher. Accompanying a cattlecar to the Chicago stockyards, he refused to take the trip back to Texas, and spent the rest of his days supporting himself on various jobs while seeking adventure. In 1911, he won $3,500 in a poker game and decided to go overseas for the first time, leaving his wife and setting out for Brazil. Bringing back exotic birds to New York, he was surprised by the amount of his profits. Trips to Singapore followed, and he traveled the world for 18 years, until the stock market crash of 1929 left him penniless. However, friends lent him $6,000 and soon he was back to his profitable work.
San Diego Zoo
Frank Buck went to work as temporary director for the San Diego ZooSan Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, is one of the most progressive zoos in the world, with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species...
on June 13, 1923, signed to a three-year contract by Dr. Harry M. Wegeforth
Harry M. Wegeforth
Harry Milton Wegeforth was a physician in San Diego who led the effort to create the San Diego Zoo in 1916, and served as president of the board of directors of the Zoological Society of San Diego from its founding until his death in 1941...
, the zoo's founder. Dr. William T. Hornaday, director of the Bronx Zoo
Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo is located in the Bronx borough of New York City, within Bronx Park. It is the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States, comprising of park lands and naturalistic habitats, through which the Bronx River flows....
, had recommended Buck for the job. But Buck quickly clashed with the strong-willed Wegeforth and left the zoo after three months to return to animal collecting.
Author
When war correspondent Floyd GibbonsFloyd Gibbons
Floyd Phillips Gibbons was the war correspondent for the Chicago Tribune during World War I. One of radio's first news reporter and commentators he was famous for a fast talking delivery style. Floyd Gibbons lived a life of danger of which he often wrote and spoke.Gibbons started with the Tribune...
suggested that Buck write about Buck's animal collecting adventures, Buck collaborated with Edward Anthony
Edward Anthony (writer)
Edward Anthony was a journalist and writer who co-wrote Frank Buck’s first two books, Bring 'Em Back Alive, and Wild Cargo.-Early career:...
on Bring 'Em Back Alive
Bring 'Em Back Alive (book)
Bring ‘Em Back Alive was Frank Buck’s first book, a huge best seller that catapulted him to world fame and was translated into many languages. Buck tells of his adventures capturing exotic animals....
, which became a bestseller in 1930, and Wild Cargo
Wild Cargo (book)
Wild Cargo was Frank Buck’s second book, a best seller. Buck continued his tales of his adventures capturing exotic animals.Writing with Edward Anthony, Buck related many of his experiences working with jungle creatures.-Chapters:...
, a best seller in 1932. While these books made him world famous, Buck remarked later that he was prouder of his 1936 elementary school reader, On Jungle Trails
On Jungle Trails
On Jungle Trails is a book length compilation of Frank Buck’s stories describing how he captures wild animals. For many years, this book was a fifth grade reader in the Texas public schools....
, saying "Wherever I go, children mention this book to me and tell me how much they learned about animals and the jungle from it."
Buck's autobiography, All In A Lifetime
All In A Lifetime
All in a Lifetime by Frank Buck, with Ferrin Fraser, is Buck’s autobiography.Buck spent much of his life collecting wild animals and as a boy was a bit wild himself. He became a bellhop in a Chicago hotel, got into bad company, and just missed becoming a safe blower...
, was published in 1941. Buck wrote Fang and Claw
Fang and Claw (book)
Fang and Claw was Frank Buck’s third book, which continued his stories of capturing exotic animals.Writing with Ferrin Fraser, Buck related many of his experiences working with and observing other people in the jungle.-Contents:...
, On Jungle Trails
On Jungle Trails
On Jungle Trails is a book length compilation of Frank Buck’s stories describing how he captures wild animals. For many years, this book was a fifth grade reader in the Texas public schools....
, All In A Lifetime
All In A Lifetime
All in a Lifetime by Frank Buck, with Ferrin Fraser, is Buck’s autobiography.Buck spent much of his life collecting wild animals and as a boy was a bit wild himself. He became a bellhop in a Chicago hotel, got into bad company, and just missed becoming a safe blower...
, Tim Thompson in the Jungle
Tim Thompson in the Jungle
Tim Thompson in the Jungle was Frank Buck’s fourth book, which, in a fictionalized version, continued his stories of capturing exotic animals.-Story:...
, and Jungle Animals
Jungle Animals (book)
Jungle Animals was Frank Buck’s eighth book, written with Ferrin Fraser, describing some of the animals, birds, and reptiles of the jungle, which Buck had come in contact with in his years of travel around the world...
in collaboration with a radio dramatist, Ferrin Fraser
Ferrin Fraser
Ferrin Fraser was a radio scriptwriter and short story author who collaborated with Frank Buck on radio scripts and five books.-Education and early career:...
.
Buck wrote Animals are Like That with journalist Carol Weld
Carol Weld
Carol Weld was a journalist who collaborated with Frank Buck on one book, Animals are Like That.-Early life:...
.
Bring 'Em Back Alive was printed as Classics Illustrated
Classics Illustrated
Classics Illustrated is a comic book series featuring adaptations of literary classics such as Moby Dick, Hamlet, and The Iliad. Created by Albert Kanter, the series began publication in 1941 and finished its first run in 1971, producing 169 issues. Following the series' demise, various companies...
#104. In 2000, Steven Lehrer
Steven Lehrer
Steven Lehrer is a physician and writer, known for medical research and for his English translation of Else Ury.-Early years and education:Lehrer was born in Los Angeles...
published a new collection of Frank Buck's stories.
George T. Bye
George T. Bye
George Thurman Bye was the Literary agent of Frank Buck and Eleanor Roosevelt. A prominent figure in the literary world before World War II, Bye rose to fame as the agent of people in the news and amateur authors with something timely or sensational to say, so called “stunt books”.-Early life and...
, a New York literary agent
Literary agent
A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers and film producers and assists in the sale and deal negotiation of the same. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwriters and major non-fiction writers...
, represented Frank Buck in the publication of Bring 'Em Back Alive and subsequent books.
Circus star
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is an American circus company. The company was started when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum was merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The Ringling brothers purchased the Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1907, but ran the circuses...
made Buck a lucrative offer to tour as their star attraction, and to enter the show astride an elephant. He refused to join the American Federation of Actors
American Federation of Actors
The American Federation of Actors was an early actors union, supported by Sophie Tucker who was elected president in 1938. In 1939 the AFA was disbanded by the American Federation of Labor for financial mismanagement; the AFL issued a charter to the succeeding American Guild of Variety Artists,...
, stating that he was "a scientist, not an actor." Though there was a threat of a strike if he did not join the union, he maintained that it would compromise his principles, saying "Don't get me wrong. I'm with the working man. I worked like a dog once myself. And my heart is with the fellow who works. But I don't want some --- union delegate telling me when to get on and off an elephant." Eventually, the union gave Buck a special dispensation to introduce Gargantua
Gargantua (gorilla)
Gargantua was a captive lowland gorilla who was famous in his lifetime and has been credited with saving the Ringling Brothers circus from bankruptcy. An acid scar on his face gave Gargantua a snarling, menacing expression, and the circus management attracted attention to him by emphasizing, in...
the gorilla without registering as an actor.
1933 Century of Progress and 1939 World's Fair
Century of Progress
A Century of Progress International Exposition was the name of a World's Fair held in Chicago from 1933 to 1934 to celebrate the city's centennial. The theme of the fair was technological innovation...
. Over two million people visited Buck’s reproduction of the camp he and his native assistants lived in while collecting animals in Asia. After the fair closed, Buck moved the camp to a compound Buck created at Amityville, Long Island. In 1939, Buck brought his jungle camp to the 1939 New York World’s Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
. “Frank Buck’s Jungleland” displayed rare birds, reptiles and wild animals along with Jiggs, a five-year-old trained orangutan. In addition, Buck provided a trio of performing elephants, an 80-foot “monkey mountain” with 600 monkeys, and an attraction that had been popular at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair: camel rides.
Movie star
Buck appeared as himself in Bring 'Em Back Alive (1932), Wild Cargo (1934), Fang and ClawFang and Claw (1935 film)
Fang and Claw was a 1935 jungle adventure documentary starring Frank Buck. Buck continues his demonstration of the ingenious methods by which he traps wild birds, mammals and reptiles in Johore.-Scenes:Among the scenes in the film:...
(1935), Jungle Cavalcade
Jungle Cavalcade (1941 film)
Jungle Cavalcade is a compilation of footage from Frank Buck’s first three films depicting his adventures capturing animals for the world's zoos.-Scenes:Among the scenes in the film:...
(1941), Jacaré
Jacare (film)
Jacaré was a film made in 1942 of James Dannaldson’s expedition to the Amazon.Clyde E. Elliott, Charles E. Ford and James Dannaldson led the film crew, which shot some 260,000 feet of film on the lower reaches of the Amazon River in Spring 1942...
(1942), Tiger Fangs
Tiger Fangs
-External links:**...
(1943), and the 1949 movie Africa Screams
Africa Screams
Africa Screams is a 1949 comedy film starring Abbott and Costello and directed by Charles Barton.-Plot:Diana Emerson is in the book department of Klopper's Department store looking for a copy of the book Dark Safari, written by the famed explorer Cuddleford...
(also known as Abbott and Costello in Africa although Buck's adventures collecting exotic animals took place in Asia). Buck played "Frank Hardy" in the 1937 15-part Columbia movie serial Jungle Menace
Jungle Menace
-External links:* * * **...
. Prior to and during the making of this serial, H.N. Swanson
H.N. Swanson
Harold Norling Swanson was a literary agent who represented Frank Buck, F. Scott Fitzgerald and many other well-known American writers.-Career:...
, a Hollywood literary agent
Literary agent
A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers and film producers and assists in the sale and deal negotiation of the same. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwriters and major non-fiction writers...
, represented Buck. Buck was played by Bruce Boxleitner
Bruce Boxleitner
Bruce William Boxleitner is an American actor, and science fiction and suspense writer. He is known for his leading roles in the television series How the West Was Won, Bring 'Em Back Alive, Scarecrow and Mrs. King , and Babylon 5...
in the 1982/83 adventure series, Bring 'Em Back Alive
Bring 'Em Back Alive
Bring 'Em Back Alive is an adventure television series starring Bruce Boxleitner, Cindy Morgan and Ron O'Neal. The series was shown in the United States from September 1982 to May 1983. Set in Singapore, it was one of several shows like Tales of the Gold Monkey to try and capture the success of...
.
Record album
"TigerTiger (record album)
Tiger, a children’s record, was Frank Buck’s last recorded performance. The story was adapted by "Peter Steele" and Hecky Krasnow. In fact, Krasnow often wrote under two names, Peter Steele and Hecky Krasno, dropping the "w." In Tiger Krasnow combined two animals from two stories in Bring 'Em Back...
", a 1950 Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
children’s album, was Frank Buck’s last recorded performance. The text combines two stories from Bring 'Em Back Alive
Bring 'Em Back Alive (book)
Bring ‘Em Back Alive was Frank Buck’s first book, a huge best seller that catapulted him to world fame and was translated into many languages. Buck tells of his adventures capturing exotic animals....
.
Frank Buck Zoo and animal collecting
The Frank Buck ZooFrank Buck Zoo
Frank Buck Zoo is a small zoo originally founded in 1930 and located in the Leonard Park in Gainesville, Texas, USA. The zoo started as the Gainesville Community Circus in 1930 and is currently home to more than 130 animals.-History:...
in Gainesville, Texas
Gainesville, Texas
Gainesville is a city in and the county seat of Cooke County, Texas, United States. The population was 15,538 at the 2000 census.-History:...
(initially populated with retired circus animals) is named in his honor.
The menagerie retrieved by Frank Buck for the world's zoos and circuses is impressive. He estimated that in his years of hunting, he had brought back alive 49 elephants, 60 tigers, 63 leopards, 20 hyenas, 52 orangutans, 100 gibbon
Gibbon
Gibbons are apes in the family Hylobatidae . The family is divided into four genera based on their diploid chromosome number: Hylobates , Hoolock , Nomascus , and Symphalangus . The extinct Bunopithecus sericus is a gibbon or gibbon-like ape which, until recently, was thought to be closely related...
apes, 20 tapirs, 120 Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
tic antelope
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
and deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, 9 pigmy water buffalo, a pair of gaur
Gaur
The gaur , also called Indian bison, is a large bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986 as the population decline in parts of the species' range is likely to be well over 70% over the last three generations...
s, 5 Babirusa
Babirusa
The North Sulawesi babirusa, Babyrousa celebensis, is a pig-like animal native to northern Sulawesi and the nearby Lembeh Islands in Indonesia. It has two pairs of large tusks composed of enlarged canine teeth. The canines in the maxilla penetrate the top of the snout, curving back toward the...
wild Asian swine, 18 African antelope
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
, 40 wild goat
Wild Goat
The wild goat is a widespread species of goat, with a distribution ranging from Europe and Asia Minor to central Asia and the Middle East. It is the ancestor of the domestic goat.-Social structure:...
s and sheep, 11 camels, 2 giraffes, 40 kangaroos
KangaROOS
KangaROOS are an American brand of sneaker originally produced from 1979 through the 1980s, with a later revival that continues in present. They were notable for having a small zippered pocket on the side of the shoe, large enough for a small amount of loose change, keys, or more recently,...
and wallabies
Wallaby
A wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name.-Overview:...
, 5 India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n rhinoceroses, 60 bears, 90 pythons, 10 king cobra
King Cobra
The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake, with a length up to 5.6 m . This species, which preys chiefly on other snakes, is found predominantly in forests from India through Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia...
s, 25 giant
Gigantism
Gigantism, also known as giantism , is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average...
monitor lizard
Monitor lizard
Monitor lizards are usually large reptiles, although some can be as small as in length. They have long necks, powerful tails and claws, and well-developed limbs. Most species are terrestrial, but arboreal and semiaquatic monitors are also known...
s, 15 crocodiles, more than 500 different species of other mammals, and more than 100,000 wild birds
Wild Birds
-Cast:* Maj-Britt Nilsson as Lena Hern* Per Oscarsson as Nisse Bortom* Ulf Palme as Harry* Ulla Sjöblom as Ulla* Gertrud Fridh as Lizzie* Jane Friedmann as Ester* Eva Stiberg as Mrs...
. Sultan Ibrahim of Johor was a close friend of Frank Buck and frequently assisted Buck in his animal collecting endeavors.
Personal life and final years
In 1901 the 17-year-old Buck, a captain of bellboys at the Virginia Hotel in Chicago, married Amy LeslieAmy Leslie
Amy Leslie was an American actress, opera singer, and drama critic who was the first wife of Frank Buck.-Early years:...
, 46-year old drama critic for the Chicago Daily News
Chicago Daily News
The Chicago Daily News was an afternoon daily newspaper published between 1876 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois.-History:The Daily News was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Dougherty in 1875 and began publishing early the next year...
. Amy Leslie was living at the hotel when they met. They were divorced in 1913. In 1914, Buck married Nina C. Boardman, a Chicago stenographer, who accompanied him on jungle expeditions. They were divorced in 1927. When she later married a California packing company official, Nina told reporters, "As long as I live, I don't want to see any animals wilder or bigger than a kitten." In 1928 Buck married Muriel Reilly and had a daughter. In 1937 Buck bought his first home, in the Encino area of Los Angeles, 5035 Louise Avenue. He spent his last years in his family home in San Angelo, Texas
San Angelo, Texas
San Angelo is a city in the state of Texas. Located in West Central Texas it is the county seat of Tom Green County. As of 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total population of 93,200...
, 324 South Bishop Street. Although his life was an adventurous one, and he reported many brushes with danger, Frank Buck died in a hospital bed, in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
brought about by a lifetime of cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
smoking.
Filmography
- Africa ScreamsAfrica ScreamsAfrica Screams is a 1949 comedy film starring Abbott and Costello and directed by Charles Barton.-Plot:Diana Emerson is in the book department of Klopper's Department store looking for a copy of the book Dark Safari, written by the famed explorer Cuddleford...
(19491949 in filmThe year 1949 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello...
) as Himself - Tiger FangsTiger Fangs-External links:**...
(19431943 in filmThe year 1943 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 3 - 1st missing persons telecast * February 20 - American film studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor films....
) as Himself - JacaréJacare (film)Jacaré was a film made in 1942 of James Dannaldson’s expedition to the Amazon.Clyde E. Elliott, Charles E. Ford and James Dannaldson led the film crew, which shot some 260,000 feet of film on the lower reaches of the Amazon River in Spring 1942...
(19421942 in filmThe year 1942 in film involved some significant events, in particular the release of a film consistently rated as one of the greatest of all time, Casablanca.-Events:...
) as Himself (Director Charles E. FordCharles E. Ford-External links:* Charles E. Ford on the Internet Movie Database * Reviews of Jacare * *...
, Producer Jules LeveyJules Leveyfor the television producer please see Jules LevyJules Levey was the producer of the Frank Buck movie Jacaré.-Early career:...
) - Jungle CavalcadeJungle Cavalcade (1941 film)Jungle Cavalcade is a compilation of footage from Frank Buck’s first three films depicting his adventures capturing animals for the world's zoos.-Scenes:Among the scenes in the film:...
(19411941 in filmThe year 1941 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Citizen Kane, consistently rated as one of the greatest films of all time, was released in 1941.-Top grossing films :-Academy Awards:...
) as Narrator - Jungle MenaceJungle Menace-External links:* * * **...
(19371937 in filmThe year 1937 in film involved some significant events, including the Walt Disney production of the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.- Events :*April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US....
) as Frank Hardy (directors George MelfordGeorge MelfordGeorge H. Melford was an American stage and film actor, director, producer, and screenwriter.-Career:...
and Harry L. FraserHarry L. FraserHarry L. Fraser was an American film director. He directed over 80 films between 1925 and 1951, including the 1934 John Wayne film Randy Rides Alone and the Frank Buck cliffhanger serial Jungle Menace . He had a small acting role in the John Wayne film Neath the Arizona Skies...
, producer Louis WeissLouis Weiss (producer)-External links:* * * * *...
) - Fang and ClawFang and Claw (1935 film)Fang and Claw was a 1935 jungle adventure documentary starring Frank Buck. Buck continues his demonstration of the ingenious methods by which he traps wild birds, mammals and reptiles in Johore.-Scenes:Among the scenes in the film:...
(19351935 in film-Events:*Judy Garland signs a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .*Seven year old Shirley Temple wins a special Academy Award.*The Bantu Educational Kinema Experiment started in order to educate the Bantu peoples.-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:...
) as Himself (also directorFilm directorA film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and author of the original book) - Wild Cargo (19341934 in film-Events:*January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000.*February 19 - Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade...
) as Himself/Narrator (also producerFilm producerA film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and author of the original book; director Armand DenisArmand DenisArmand Denis was a Belgian-born documentary film-maker. After several decades of pioneering work in filming and presenting the ethnology and wildlife of remote parts of Africa and Asia, he became best known in Britain as the director and co-presenter of natural history programmes on television in...
, music Winston SharplesWinston SharplesWinston Singleton Sharples was a composer known for his work with animated short subjects, especially those created by the animation department at Paramount Pictures...
) - Bring 'Em Back Alive (1932) as Himself/Narrator (also author of the original book), director Clyde E. ElliottClyde E. Elliott-Filmography:* Jacare * Booloo * The Devil Tiger * Bring 'Em Back Alive * Western Ways * A Winter's Tale * The City * Le voyageur * A Bit Old Fashioned * My Barefoot Boy...
, producer Amedee J. Van BeurenAmadee J. Van Beuren (producer)Amedee J. Van Beuren was the producer of Frank Buck’s first three films, as well as many cartoons and short films.-Early years:...
, music Gene RodemichGene RodemichEugene Frederick Rodemich was a pianist and orchestra leader, who composed the music for Frank Buck’s first movie, Bring 'Em Back Alive .-Early life:...