Jerry of the Circus - A Wild Ride

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Jerry of the Circus – "A Wild Ride"

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode Air Date: May 21, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode presents "Jerry of the Circus – A Wild Ride", a classic radio drama from the golden era of radio, rich in action, character banter, and memorable circus stories. The central theme revolves around Jerry’s first, unexpectedly wild ride on an elephant, highlighting the challenges of communication and the cleverness of circus animals, especially elephants. The cast of characters, including Jerry, Carmen, Doug, and Carlos, share a mix of real-time excitement and heartfelt anecdotes, all while navigating language barriers and the tight-knit world of traveling circus folk.

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Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. Jerry’s Wild Elephant Ride

[02:18 – 04:12]

• The Chaos Begins:
  Carmen anxiously exclaims, "I'm gonna fall off!" as Jerry struggles to stay atop the running elephant, El Mundo.
• The group can’t remember the correct Spanish command to tell El Mundo to stop, causing much confusion and increasing tension.
• Carmen finally intervenes with the correct command, “alto” (meaning "stop"), which immediately halts the elephant.
  • Quote: Carmen: “Only alto.” ([03:13])
  • Jerry humorously reflects on the ordeal: “I guess that's the first thing I should have learned to say in Spanish. It would have saved me an awful rough ride.” ([03:16])
• Jerry compares the elephant ride to a rodeo: “It's harder to stay up on an elephant's head when he's running than it is to ride a bucking bronco.” ([03:23])

2. Language Mix-ups and Animal Behavior

[03:33 – 04:36]

• The incident stemmed from Jerry yelling “vamos” (run fast), which El Mundo misunderstood as a cue to run even faster.
  • Carmen clarifies: “Never say vamos. That means... how you say, beat it. Run fast.” ([03:50])
  • Jerry’s realization: “Yeah, I found that out.” ([03:57])

3. Elephant Stories – Animal Cleverness and Heart

[04:36 – 10:52]

Doug's Tale: The Smart Elephant "Hilda"

[04:36 – 08:57]

• Doug recalls his youth in the circus, befriending elephants and working as an elephant guard.
  • He describes Hilda, “as pretty a cow elephant as you've ever seen. Nice and gentle too.” ([05:31])
• Antagonist: A new, mean-spirited worker torments Hilda by placing her food out of reach.
  • Carmen responds empathetically, "Oh, that is mean." ([06:19])
• Hilda’s Revenge:
  Doug shares how Hilda cleverly observes and uses Shorty’s (her handler) ticklishness for payback: When the tease stands before Shorty, Hilda tickles Shorty, causing him to instinctively hit the bully.
  • Doug explains, “This whole story is just to show you how smart an animal can be. How they can, you know, figure things out for themselves.” ([07:21])
  • After the incident, the teaser reforms and befriends Hilda:
    Doug: “And after that, they become good friends.” ([08:26])
• Notable Exchange:
  • Jerry: “She got even, and that's all she wanted and tried.” ([08:36])

Carmen’s Tale: The European Baby Elephant

[09:02 – 10:52]

• Carmen recalls a childhood incident in Europe, where a baby elephant falls through broken boards during a rainstorm.
  • “The baby elephant fall down through the broken boards into the stream with stones and everything.” ([09:33])
• The baby is rescued but remains ill until, after some confusion, trainers discover a piece of wood stuck in its eye.
  • Jerry’s concern: “Was he hurt, Carmen?” ([09:53])
  • Carmen: “Yes, Jerry, he was hurt pretty bad.” ([09:54])
  • Carmen reveals the solution: “A piece of broken board was in his eye. And that's what was the trouble all the time. And then when they fixed that, he make a loud cry and he was happy.” ([10:40])
• Doug reflects: “You just got to love them when you hear so many things about how clever they are.” ([10:52])

4. Reflections and Lessons Learned

[10:52 – 12:15]

• Carmen praises El Mundo, stating he’s cleverer than all the rest and assures Jerry that with the right commands in Spanish, he’ll succeed in working with the elephant.
  • Carmen: “Of course you must give him the right command.” ([11:04])
• Doug and Jerry exchange laughs about having to learn “elephant lingo” in Spanish.
  • Doug: “You gotta learn elephant lingo in Spanish.” ([11:15])

5. The Arrival of Carlos and a Mystery Telegram

[12:18 – 12:54]

• Carlos brings urgent news: “I have just received telegram that is very important... It is maybe the turning point in our lives. But quick now. There is no time to lose. We must get Alfredo and go quick to Mr. Randall.” ([12:22] – [12:35])
• He urges everyone to follow him to Mr. Randall, promising that “everything depends on him.” ([12:46])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jerry (humorous self-reflection):
  “I guess that's the first thing I should have learned to say in Spanish. It would have saved me an awful rough ride.” ([03:16])
• Carmen (on animal intelligence):
  “They are very smart.” ([08:10])
• Doug (on elephants’ tastes):
  “They just love to crunch on a piece of coal.” ([08:44])
• Carlos (building suspense):
  “It is maybe the turning point in our lives.” ([12:29])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:18] — Start of the wild ride on El Mundo
• [03:15] — Carmen reveals the meaning of “alto”
• [04:36] — Doug begins his story about Hilda the elephant
• [07:49] — Hilda’s clever revenge through Shorty
• [09:11] — Carmen’s story of the baby elephant and the accident
• [10:40] — The resolution of the baby elephant’s injury
• [12:22] — Carlos shares the news of the important telegram

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Tone and Atmosphere

The episode retains its classic radio charm: lively, familial, and rich with character banter. The language is warm, witty, and full of genuine affection for animal antics and circus camaraderie. Even in tense or suspenseful moments, humor and heart shine throughout—anchored by the interplay between Jerry’s earnestness, Carmen’s warmth, Doug’s folksy wisdom, and Carlos’s sense of urgency.

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For listeners new and old, this episode captures the golden age’s magic of storytelling: part high-spirited adventure, part touching remembrance, and part cliffhanger—leaving audiences eager for what’s next in Jerry’s circus journey.

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Transcript

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

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[Doug]

Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date? Oh, no.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Doug]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[Doug]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Gary of the circus. Now for Jerry of the circus. Hold on tight, Jerry Wilson's got karma now. He'll be here in a minute.

[Carmen]

I'm gonna fall off.

[Jerry]

Can't somebody stop him?

[Doug]

Nobody knows the right Spanish word to say hold on, Jerry. Here comes Charmin now. See that bull?

[Carlos]

Away from the soft.

[Jerry]

I can't hear.

[Doug]

Oh, boy, that was a close call. Gary, Carmen, over here. Oh, he's stopping, all right.

[Carmen]

Of course, he stops if you tell him to.

[Jerry]

I was just about to fall off. I can't see how I stayed up on his head as long as I did.

[Carmen]

Now, Jerry, you want to get down yet? I'll say. That's okay.

[Jerry]

Now I can get down.

[Carlos]

That was a great show you put on, Jerry.

[Doug]

Beats me what one little word will

[Carmen]

do, Carmen, if it is the right word.

[Jerry]

What did he say to him? Carmen?

[Carmen]

Only alto.

[Jerry]

Alto?

[Carmen]

That means to stop.

[Jerry]

I guess that's the first thing I should have learned to say in Spanish. It would have saved me an awful rough ride.

[Carmen]

Oh, you were bouncing, huh, Jerry?

[Jerry]

I'll say I was. It's harder to stay up on an elephant's head when he's running than it is to ride a bucking bronco.

[Doug]

Oh, he's all right.

[Jerry]

It's all your fault. Yes, it is.

[Carmen]

What do you mean, Jerry? Poor Rags did not make El Mundo run so fast. El Mundo. He is used to those.

[Doug]

It's like this, Carmen. Jerry wanted Rags to quit chasing after El Mundo. And he yells vamos to him.

[Jerry]

Yeah, El Mundo thought I meant it for him.

[Carmen]

Oh, that is too bad. Never say vamos. That means how you say beat it. Run fast.

[Jerry]

Yeah, I found that out.

[Doug]

Well, come on, let's get this fella back where he belongs in the menagerie.

[Carlos]

Come along.

[Jerry]

Come on. Well, my first elephant ride was sure a fast one.

[Carmen]

But you will never be afraid now. That was good.

[Jerry]

It happened so El Mundo didn't seem afraid. All the people shouting at him and all the excitement and all, he kept right on going. Around and around the backyard.

[Doug]

I bet he liked it. I mean, all that commotion.

[Carmen]

Oh, sure, he liked to be the whole show. He's smart, El Mundo, and he is not afraid of anything.

[Doug]

Well, here we are in here, El Mundo.

[Jerry]

Now quit talking back to El Mundo, Rags.

[Doug]

See, I got a right smart story about an elephant. I think it's the smartest elephant I ever heard tell of.

[Jerry]

Tell us about it.

[Doug]

Oh, sure. Will. This elephant really figured something out all by himself. Oh, here, wait till I pass an El Mundo down.

[Jerry]

He's getting a welcome from the rest of the herd.

[Carmen]

He get along with the rest fine. They all like El Mundo.

[Doug]

All right. There you are.

[Jerry]

You gonna tell us a story now or.

[Doug]

Sure. You got time, Carmen?

[Carmen]

Oh, I have always got time to hear a good elephant story. I love to hear about them.

[Doug]

Good. And sit down here on this bale of hay.

[Jerry]

Sit here, Carmen.

[Carmen]

Okay, Daddy.

[Doug]

There we are. Well, now, this is a true story. And it happened many years ago when I was just a young fella in a circus. Yep. First outfit I ever joined up with. I got me a job as an elephant guard right off.

[Carmen]

And you did not know anything about them?

[Doug]

No, but I sort of took to them as a kid. Always had a hanger to be around the big critters. And as I took to them, why, so they took to me. I never had a run in with a bull yet. Oh, go ahead with the story. Okay. Well, to start with, the elephant's name was Hilda. And as pretty a cow elephant as you've ever seen. Nice and gentle too. Never had to run in with nobody. The fellow that had charger was a lad named Shorty. I forget his last name. And he and Hilda was just regular

[Jerry]

pals like you and Gertie, huh?

[Doug]

Yeah. At one time we. We took on a new man. One of those nitwits that gets a kick out of teasing animals.

[Carmen]

And he teased Hilda, I guess.

[Doug]

Oh, teased her is right. He made poor Hilda's life miserable for no reason at all.

[Jerry]

Well, what did he do?

[Doug]

Well, one thing is get her goat. He. He'd put her feed down in front of her just out of her reach. She'd tug at her chains and reach out her trunk, but she couldn't get at.

[Carmen]

Oh, that is mean.

[Doug]

Three Mean is right. All the other elephants in the line eating away. And poor Hilda trying her best to get her food.

[Jerry]

Oh, did she get even with them.

[Doug]

Come to that. Jerry. There's more to the story. Shorty. Shorty. He was awful ticklish.

[Jerry]

A man. Tickly?

[Doug]

Yeah. Touch fell I've ever seen. Why, if you just point a finger at him and walk towards him, he'd squirm around something fierce.

[Carmen]

That must have been funny.

[Doug]

Well, you know, all the fellas got a kick out of that. They used to have fun with Shorty by sneaking up behind him and then grabbing him and then tickling him good. They always had to be careful to stay in back of him. Why? Well, cause when short, he'd get tickled, he'd strike out and hit anything in front of him. He couldn't help it. Why, if he had a sledgehammer in his hands and somebody tickled him, he'd hit whatever was in front of him with that hammer. Man, woman or child.

[Carmen]

But what about the elephant, Hilda?

[Doug]

Well, that's all part of the story, Carmen. You see, Hilda, Hilda knew Shorty was ticklish. She'd watch some of the fellers having fun with him. Well, this whole story is just to show you how smart an animal can be. How they can, you know, figure things out for themselves.

[Jerry]

Boy, I'll say they're smart.

[Doug]

Now, you just listen to this, Jerry. Well, one day when this guard that was teasing Hilda come into the menagerie and walked over to the elephant line, Shorty was right on the spot. And he had a big stake in his hand, you know, like a big club. Well, sir, Hilda kept her eyes on both Shorty and this fellow she had it in for. And when her enemy got right in front of Shorty, she put out her trunk as quick as a flash and tickled Shorty right under the arm.

[Carmen]

And Shorty, he hit the fellow with the claw.

[Doug]

Exactly. He hit out at that guy and beat him something awful.

[Jerry]

Well, what do you know about that?

[Doug]

Yeah, I'll just bet Hilda waited for that chance a long, long time.

[Jerry]

She knew Shorty would hit that fella she didn't like.

[Doug]

Oh, yes, you bet she knew. She figured it out all by herself.

[Carmen]

They are very smart.

[Doug]

Should say. Smart as a whip.

[Jerry]

Well, what happened to Shorty? Did he get in trouble for beating that fella?

[Doug]

Oh, no, no, Jerry. Everybody knew it wasn't his fault. He didn't mean to hit out that way. He just couldn't help it when he got tickled.

[Carmen]

And besides, that fellow, he had it coming. It was good for him.

[Doug]

Yes, sir Carmen, you bet it was. And he behaved himself from then on, too. Why, do you know? He even made up with Hilda? And after that, they become good friends.

[Jerry]

She got even, and that's all she wanted and tried. See, while I think of It. I once heard that elephants like to eat coal. Is that true, Olson?

[Doug]

Oh, sure it is, Jerry. They. They just love to crunch on a piece of coal.

[Carmen]

And why not? We like to chew on a piece of hard candy now and then.

[Jerry]

But coal isn't candy.

[Doug]

Might be to an elephant. They seem to like the taste of it.

[Carmen]

That was a good story about Hilda. Have you got one more good story to tell us?

[Doug]

Well, now, let's see, Carmen. I don't seem to.

[Carmen]

Then I have one for you. This one is about a baby elephant.

[Doug]

Oh, good. Go ahead and tell it.

[Carmen]

This happened in Europe when I was little girl. One time it was raining very much and we have to put boards across a little. How you say it, a little strange. Yeah, and it was like a little bridge they make so we can cross over.

[Doug]

Was it deep?

[Carmen]

Oh, no, not so deep, but about 10ft to the bottom, or maybe 6.

[Jerry]

Well, what happened?

[Carmen]

Well, we were going across first a few horses and then the guard with the baby elephant. But just before the baby get to the other side, the boards break and the baby elephant fall down through the broken boards into the stream with stones and everything.

[Doug]

Oh, that's a bad fall for a baby bull.

[Jerry]

Was he hurt, Carmen?

[Carmen]

Yes, Jerry, he was hurt pretty bad. He get bruised and the broken boards, they hurt him too.

[Doug]

I imagine he would. Well, how'd they get him out of the stream and back up on the road again?

[Carmen]

Oh, they have to get other elephants and horses and a lot of men, and then they have to pull him up.

[Jerry]

That must have been real exciting, all right.

[Carmen]

Oh, he was a sick baby elephant for a long time. They put lots of liniment on him, but he did not get well. He would only lay down and not stand up at all.

[Doug]

Well, he must have been hurt worse than they thought.

[Carmen]

No, you know what it was? Why all the time the trainers are making his legs well, but they do not understand what is wrong.

[Doug]

Well, yeah, but what was it?

[Carmen]

He keep putting his trunk up to his eye, but nobody looked there.

[Jerry]

And his eye was sore, huh?

[Carmen]

Yes, a piece of broken board was in his eye. And that's what was the trouble all the time. And then when they fixed that, he make a loud cry and he was happy.

[Doug]

You just got to love them when you hear so many things about how clever they are.

[Carmen]

And El Mundo is more clever than all of them. You will see, Olson. You will be glad he joined up with you.

[Jerry]

You think we'll be able to work together all right, Carmen?

[Carmen]

Oh, sure, Jerry. You will make a big hit when you are working with El Mundo, of course you must give him the right command.

[Doug]

Yeah, Jerry found that out.

[Jerry]

I'll say I did.

[Doug]

You gotta learn elephant lingo in Spanish.

[Jerry]

Hey, lookit, here comes Carlos.

[Carmen]

Oh, yes, it is Carlos.

[Jerry]

Here we are over here by El Mundo.

[Doug]

Carlos. Oh, yeah, he sees us here.

[Jerry]

Ranks. Come here. Kind of glad to see your friend Carlos, huh?

[Carmen]

Carlos, you should have been here. What a time we have had with this old friend of ours.

[Doug]

Who?

[Carlos]

What do you mean?

[Carmen]

El Mundo. He run away with Jerry here.

[Carlos]

Yes, I bet. Ah, you're not fool, Carlos. El Mundo is best elephant in the world. I just see him run off with Jerry.

[Jerry]

No, honest, Carlos, we gave him the wrong command.

[Doug]

I'll say. We tried to get him to stop, but none of us could think of the word in Spanish. No, really, you're not full, Carlos?

[Carmen]

If I had not been around here, perhaps they'd be 50 miles away by now.

[Carlos]

So for one Jerry not know what to say, huh?

[Jerry]

I knew what to say, all right. But a lot of good it does when you have foreigners around. Foreign elephants, I mean.

[Carmen]

I guess perhaps we better keep quiet.

[Carlos]

Carlos, I keep quiet? No, Garmin, I have too much to say. You know, give me chance. But I. Big news.

[Carmen]

Yes?

[Carlos]

I have just received telegram that is very important.

[Jerry]

What is it?

[Carmen]

Yes, Carlos, do not keep the news to yourself. What is the telegram?

[Carlos]

It is maybe the turning point in our lives. But quick now. There is no time to lose. We must get Alfredo and go quick to Mr. Randall.

[Jerry]

Oh, what's Mr. Randall got to do with it?

[Carlos]

I will tell you all about it later, Jerry, as soon as we know for sure.

[Doug]

Beats all. Good at what you're trying to say, Carlos? I can't figure it out.

[Carmen]

Carlos, you tell us now. Yes, please.

[Carlos]

Carmen, you come with me. Now we find ALFORDO and see Mr. Randall. Everything depends on him.

[Jerry]

Go ahead, Carmen, and find out what this is all about.

[Carlos]

You will see. It is the most important thing that has ever happened to Bandinis. Hurry, hurry, Carmen.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

And Doug. There's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Doug]

Hey, everyone, check out this guy in his bird. What is this, your first date? Oh, no.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Together we're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Doug]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[Doug]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

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[Carmen]

Visit your nearby Lowe's.