Max Gruber's
"Oddities of the Jungle"
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Maximilian Willian Gruber Born: November 1, 1877 Romania Austria Died: November 29, 1939 Muskegon, MI |
Adele
"Della" Bono Gruber Born: December 25, 1874 Naples, Italy Died: May 4, 1944 Muskegon, MI |
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Max Alfred Gruber
Alfred
H. Gruber |
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  Veterans
of the entertainment circuit, Max Gruber and Adele Bono married in 1896 in
Norway, and together they traveled with a variety of carnivals and circuses
in England. In the winter of 1901-02, Gruber served as Equestrian director
for the Humphrey E. Brammall circus.In 1908, at the urging of a New York theatrical agent, the Grubers brought their act to America as performers in the Keith and Orpheum vaudeville circuits. In their first appearance in New York, they shared the bill with The Three  Keatons.
The Gruber's had learned of Actor's Colony from other vaudeville performers
and the couple visited Muskegon for the first time as an act in the Herbert
Kline carnival in 1911. The circus disbanded in Muskegon following their
performances, and the Grubers had time to visit with friends from their days
with Keith and Orpheum vaudeville circuit. Impressed with the area, and
the collection of performers in the Actor's Colony, the couple chose to settle
in Bluffton.Originally, the act featured Minnie the elephant, (acquired in 1899) a horse and a Shetland pony. The animals were well-known as performers on the vaudeville stages of America, and over the years had toured with a variety of shows including Buffalo Bill Cody's show in 1913. |
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Residents of Muskegon knew of the animals
because of their frequent visits to Lake Michigan Park, and Minnie's strolls
in the lake. A member of the Rotary Club and the Muskegon Exchange club Max
and Minnie would make appearances around town. She served as official
mascot for a number of Actors' Colony baseball games. |
 About the winter of 1925-26 Gruber acquired Minnie II, a three-year-old elephant. The elephant was taken to Bluffton for training, however, shortly after her arrival in Muskegon she passed away. Soon after, the Grubers welcomed Little Eva, another three-year-old. "It is noted with interest" reported a Patterson, NJ newspaper in 1927, "that Eva is one of the few white trained elephants in captivity. she was brought from Siam and her progenitors are among the sacred white head of that country. She is small for her age and has been in the United states less than a year." Joined by Topsy, a two-year-old zebra and Ringo, a Great Dane, the act was christened "Oddities of the Jungle." Topsy was, according to media, was "the only performing zebra in the history of world entertainment." |
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| Packed into truck custom-built by Muskegon-based Fitzjohn Corporation for the act, the Gruber's returned to country's vaudeville stages with Eva, "the human elephant" and Topsy, "the wonder zebra." Eva would make frequent appearances, selling papers on the street corners, or pedaling a huge tricycle down the main street of the towns they visited. She bowled on a portable bowling alley built by the local Brunswick plant. |
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Topsy, billed as the worlds only performing zebra, would dance to Eva's drumming and organ
grinding, and skipped rope for the entertainment of the masses. In 1936 and 1937, Gruber and the act toured the nation with the Tom Mix Circus. In 1938, the Grubers retired from performing, selling the circus, including "Little Eva" the elephant, and Topsy the zebra to "Bud" E. Anderson of Emporia, Kansas, "once a famous cowboy film star." Anderson's company later toured the country as Jungle Oddities and 3 Ring Circus. |
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| Like Keaton, Little Eva also made the move to Hollywood. It is said that she became a star in her own right, appearing with Johnny Weissmuller in several early Tarzan movies. Max passed away in 1939. Following his death, Adele had the building that once housed the animals remodeled into apartments. The three-unit dwelling still stands and is christened "Memories". | |