Jack Joyce
Encyclopedia
John Edward Joyce (February 10, 1876 – June 16, 1934) was an American early-20th-century colorful figure in the world of horsemanship and animal training
, who had nearly a 10-year career with Buffalo Bill
on his Buffalo Bill's Wild West. Joyce toured throughout Europe until the late 1920s. He retired in upstate New York and died June 16, 1934.
to Patrick J. Joyce and Elizabeth Grimes. Joyce turned from his parents' desire that he enter priesthood to a nearly a 10 year career with Col. Cody on his Buffalo Bill's Wild West. As Early 1896 he was listed in the route book of that show as an assistant in the Cody and Salisbury Horse Department. He eventually became a most daring bronco rider and appeared with Will Rogers
in a roping and riding acts in New York
theaters. About that time, on the flip of a coin, he decided to go to Europe
rather than start a career in Hollywood movies.
Jack became a good friend of young Prince Christian of Schaumburg-Lippe. The Prince presented him with a diamond scarf pin in the shape of a horseshoe superimposed with a whip. In 1911 still on Circus Busch with his horses, he presented a type of wild west drama with some 20 characters.
In January 1912 Jack Joyce's Wild West Show was appearing at Coliseum in London. Later, in May of that year, it was the big attraction at the New Hippodrome Palast in Berlin. The popular American cowboy had with him about a half dozen boys from Texas and a troupe of fake Indians. The "demand for a wild west show is so great that the Germans don't worry about the genuineness of the red skin--all they want is the excitement connected with the show." Joyce had a pretty strong feeling for cowgirls. Although they were not easily found in Berlin, he did not worry. He made a selection among a throng of Berlin maidens and trained them to be cowgirls. In 1916 Jack Joyce was doing well with his circus and wild west show touring Sweden
.
from an extended engagement in London. It was a very rough passage. Captain James Blaike had to transfer the animals from improvised stalls on the shelter deck to an inner freight square on another deck..jpg)
Beginning at the end of January, he performed with his Wonder Horses for several weeks on the Keith-Albee-Orpheum
Circuit at the New York Hippodrome
. His 15 minute presentation was far above the average horse act, but did not begin to compare with John Aggee's equines that had appeared previously in the same setting at the Hippodrome. The two acts were different. Joyce's presentation was the typical circus offering of the kind where the animals followed set routines. It opened with a high school turn with various types of 1 and 2 steps to music with Joyce in the saddle. Then Jack dismounted and put his black steed through a ritual where it knelt and ran between 2 cannons in the ring. Carrying flags it jumped over the cannons and fired them. Later in the engagement, Joyce, for the sake of a smoother presentation, replaced this part of the act with a riding turn. Next, the drollery of an English comic brought forth mild laughter. Cossack trick riding with various unique feats scored well as the horse and rider raced around the ring. Following came 6 showy equines with royal plumes and glittering harness. They did a nice drill which ended with their marching on the rim of the ring curb. The horses were somewhat hesitant in their movements and notably nervous, probably as a result of experiencing the very rough ocean crossing just two weeks earlier.
Later, R.C. Carlisle wrote from Buffalo, New York: "Recently dropped in backstage at, Shea's Theatre, Toronto to say hello to Jack Joyce, old timer of the Wild West, who has been in Europe for a number of years. Jack now has a real European act of highly schooled horses and a Russian Cossack trick rider.... Joyce's horses are beautiful black thoroughbreds that will rank with the best in Europe."
In December 1925 the following ad appeared in Billboard (magazine)
: "Jack Joyce's 10 circus horses for sale or open bookings. They do 6 different numbers numbers. Two high school horses and a group of 8 beautiful Blacks booked from Europe and classes as the best horse act in America. Just finished 32 weeks at Keith-Albee-Orpheum
and 6 weeks World Amusement Service Association Fairs at a salary of $1250 and $1500 weekly, respectively, plus transportation. Have all harness, trappings and complete equipment for proper presentation of act. Will sell or engage them any time after January 1, 1926 for Park, Fairs & Amusement Places. Permanent Address: Jack Joyce, 2034 Grand Concourse, Bronx, New York".
and exhibited at fairs. After sustaining severe financial losses, he retired in 1932.
An interesting anecdote was related in 1930. Many years previously, as a youth when playing county fairs, he "followed the avocation of wild horse salesman, which furnished plenty of thrill and not so much remuneration. At fairs he would give demonstrations of cowboy sports in front of grandstands that wowed'em. The only item he carried with his one man Wild West opry was a suitcase. Jack's favorite stunt was to go among the farmers' horses parked on the fairgrounds and select horses he needed most for his act. At the conclusion of the act, he would return the horses to their respective places. Many of the farmers, however, thought they recognized their favorite steeds in Jack's act and they would compliment on the splendid appearance of his stock."
. An expert of Papers of Will Rogers : Wild West and Vaudeville, April 1904-September 1908 describes the incident from a postcard Will Rogers
received from Joyce, who was a friend of Rogers during his rodeo days:
(Written on front of card)
"Dear Billie, Just a card as souvenir of what Texas Pete done to me. I hope you are well. I am getting Better as Ever." Old Jack Joyce
March 5, 1908, Souvenir of Brussels
Kicked By Bucking Horse. Operated on same night. Gave up by doctors. Had 2 bones taken out of head. In Hospital 27 days and the worst of it all, I lost my curls and now can't cop any swell dames.
on June 16, 1934 after several years of illness. His first wife, Grace Gaylord, had died in 1906, just six years after their marriage. From this union there was one daughter, Evelyn. Two years later Jack remarried, this time to Viola Mary Carey, with whom he had three children, John (Jack), Violet, and Maude. His widow and four children survived him. His funeral was from St. Vincent de Paul's Church in Albany with burial in St. Agnes Cemetery
.
Animal training
Animal training refers to teaching animals specific responses to specific conditions or stimuli. Training may be for the purpose of companionship, detection, protection, entertainment or all of the above....
, who had nearly a 10-year career with Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a United States soldier, bison hunter and showman. He was born in the Iowa Territory , in LeClaire but lived several years in Canada before his family moved to the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for service to the US...
on his Buffalo Bill's Wild West. Joyce toured throughout Europe until the late 1920s. He retired in upstate New York and died June 16, 1934.
Early years
Jack Joyce was born February 10, 1876 in Carnegie, PennsylvaniaCarnegie, Pennsylvania
Carnegie is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 7,972 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Carnegie is located at . It is approximately southwest of Pittsburgh...
to Patrick J. Joyce and Elizabeth Grimes. Joyce turned from his parents' desire that he enter priesthood to a nearly a 10 year career with Col. Cody on his Buffalo Bill's Wild West. As Early 1896 he was listed in the route book of that show as an assistant in the Cody and Salisbury Horse Department. He eventually became a most daring bronco rider and appeared with Will Rogers
Will Rogers
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
in a roping and riding acts in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
theaters. About that time, on the flip of a coin, he decided to go to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
rather than start a career in Hollywood movies.
Europe
In 1909 Joyce was in Berlin, Germany on Circus Busch. On his famous horse, "Two Step", he was hailed as the first bucking horse rider and roper to appear in Europe. In DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
Jack became a good friend of young Prince Christian of Schaumburg-Lippe. The Prince presented him with a diamond scarf pin in the shape of a horseshoe superimposed with a whip. In 1911 still on Circus Busch with his horses, he presented a type of wild west drama with some 20 characters.
In January 1912 Jack Joyce's Wild West Show was appearing at Coliseum in London. Later, in May of that year, it was the big attraction at the New Hippodrome Palast in Berlin. The popular American cowboy had with him about a half dozen boys from Texas and a troupe of fake Indians. The "demand for a wild west show is so great that the Germans don't worry about the genuineness of the red skin--all they want is the excitement connected with the show." Joyce had a pretty strong feeling for cowgirls. Although they were not easily found in Berlin, he did not worry. He made a selection among a throng of Berlin maidens and trained them to be cowgirls. In 1916 Jack Joyce was doing well with his circus and wild west show touring Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Return to America
Early in 1925 Joyce returned with his 9 thoroughbreds to the United States on the SS CaliforniaSS California
SS California may refer to:, a United States mail steamer built by William Henry Webb in 1848 for the Pacific Mail Steamship Company which operated between the Isthmus of Panama and the US Pacific Coast, finally being wrecked near Pacasmayo, Peru in 1895., a British passenger cargo vessel built by...
from an extended engagement in London. It was a very rough passage. Captain James Blaike had to transfer the animals from improvised stalls on the shelter deck to an inner freight square on another deck.
Keith-Albee-Orpheum
The Keith-Albee-Orpheum Corporation was the owner of a chain of vaudeville and motion picture theatres. It was formed by the merger of the holdings of Benjamin Franklin Keith and Edward Franklin Albee II and Martin Beck's Orpheum Circuit, Inc..-History:...
Circuit at the New York Hippodrome
New York Hippodrome
The Hippodrome Theatre, also called the New York Hippodrome, was a theatre in New York City from 1905 to 1939, located on Sixth Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan. It was called the world's largest theatre by its builders and had a seating capacity of...
. His 15 minute presentation was far above the average horse act, but did not begin to compare with John Aggee's equines that had appeared previously in the same setting at the Hippodrome. The two acts were different. Joyce's presentation was the typical circus offering of the kind where the animals followed set routines. It opened with a high school turn with various types of 1 and 2 steps to music with Joyce in the saddle. Then Jack dismounted and put his black steed through a ritual where it knelt and ran between 2 cannons in the ring. Carrying flags it jumped over the cannons and fired them. Later in the engagement, Joyce, for the sake of a smoother presentation, replaced this part of the act with a riding turn. Next, the drollery of an English comic brought forth mild laughter. Cossack trick riding with various unique feats scored well as the horse and rider raced around the ring. Following came 6 showy equines with royal plumes and glittering harness. They did a nice drill which ended with their marching on the rim of the ring curb. The horses were somewhat hesitant in their movements and notably nervous, probably as a result of experiencing the very rough ocean crossing just two weeks earlier.
Later, R.C. Carlisle wrote from Buffalo, New York: "Recently dropped in backstage at, Shea's Theatre, Toronto to say hello to Jack Joyce, old timer of the Wild West, who has been in Europe for a number of years. Jack now has a real European act of highly schooled horses and a Russian Cossack trick rider.... Joyce's horses are beautiful black thoroughbreds that will rank with the best in Europe."
In December 1925 the following ad appeared in Billboard (magazine)
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
: "Jack Joyce's 10 circus horses for sale or open bookings. They do 6 different numbers numbers. Two high school horses and a group of 8 beautiful Blacks booked from Europe and classes as the best horse act in America. Just finished 32 weeks at Keith-Albee-Orpheum
Keith-Albee-Orpheum
The Keith-Albee-Orpheum Corporation was the owner of a chain of vaudeville and motion picture theatres. It was formed by the merger of the holdings of Benjamin Franklin Keith and Edward Franklin Albee II and Martin Beck's Orpheum Circuit, Inc..-History:...
and 6 weeks World Amusement Service Association Fairs at a salary of $1250 and $1500 weekly, respectively, plus transportation. Have all harness, trappings and complete equipment for proper presentation of act. Will sell or engage them any time after January 1, 1926 for Park, Fairs & Amusement Places. Permanent Address: Jack Joyce, 2034 Grand Concourse, Bronx, New York".
Later life
Except for one brief return trip to Europe in 1928, Joyce spent the rest of his career in the United States. He established stables in Albany, New YorkAlbany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
and exhibited at fairs. After sustaining severe financial losses, he retired in 1932.
An interesting anecdote was related in 1930. Many years previously, as a youth when playing county fairs, he "followed the avocation of wild horse salesman, which furnished plenty of thrill and not so much remuneration. At fairs he would give demonstrations of cowboy sports in front of grandstands that wowed'em. The only item he carried with his one man Wild West opry was a suitcase. Jack's favorite stunt was to go among the farmers' horses parked on the fairgrounds and select horses he needed most for his act. At the conclusion of the act, he would return the horses to their respective places. Many of the farmers, however, thought they recognized their favorite steeds in Jack's act and they would compliment on the splendid appearance of his stock."
Injury
While in Europe with a show, Joyce was injured from a bucking horse in BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. An expert of Papers of Will Rogers : Wild West and Vaudeville, April 1904-September 1908 describes the incident from a postcard Will Rogers
Will Rogers
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
received from Joyce, who was a friend of Rogers during his rodeo days:
(Written on front of card)
"Dear Billie, Just a card as souvenir of what Texas Pete done to me. I hope you are well. I am getting Better as Ever." Old Jack Joyce
March 5, 1908, Souvenir of Brussels
Kicked By Bucking Horse. Operated on same night. Gave up by doctors. Had 2 bones taken out of head. In Hospital 27 days and the worst of it all, I lost my curls and now can't cop any swell dames.
Personal life and death
John E. Joyce died in Albany, New YorkAlbany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
on June 16, 1934 after several years of illness. His first wife, Grace Gaylord, had died in 1906, just six years after their marriage. From this union there was one daughter, Evelyn. Two years later Jack remarried, this time to Viola Mary Carey, with whom he had three children, John (Jack), Violet, and Maude. His widow and four children survived him. His funeral was from St. Vincent de Paul's Church in Albany with burial in St. Agnes Cemetery
St. Agnes Cemetery
St. Agnes Cemetery, established in 1867, is a Roman Catholic cemetery operated for the religious and charitable purposes of the Roman Catholic Church through the burial and memorialization of the faithful departed. Located in Menands, New York, St. Agnes is one of the Capital Regions most active...
.