by John Mason Glen, Ph.D. for the Western Heritage Foundation
In September 1927, MGM replaced its mascot Leo with a new 12-year-old lion named Jackie. As a publicity stunt, some studio executive had the bright idea to fly the animal from Los Angles to New York City.
Veteran stunt pilot Martin “Marty” Jensen was hired for the job, together with a Ryan B-1 monoplane, similar to the one Charles Lindbergh had flown across the Atlantic some four months previously.
A special cage for Jackie was placed directly behind the pilot. Along with containers of water, milk, plus 3,200 gallons of fuel, it all greatly exceeded the aircraft’s allowable weight. On Sept. 16, Jensen, wearing an animal trainer’s costume required by the studio, took off from Camp Kearney near San Diego, rather than L.A. as the SPCA had gotten wind of the stunt and was threatening to prevent it.
As Jensen and Jackie crossed the Southern California desert eastbound, all went well. However, as they tried to gain elevation to traverse the Mogollon Rim in Northern Arizona, the 220 horsepower Wright Whirlwind engine couldn’t make the climb.
Entering the Hells Gate Wilderness southeast of Payson, near the confluence of Hagler and Tonto creeks, Jensen eased the monoplane into a controlled crash into a grove of scrub oak trees, knocking off both wings and coming to rest upside down.
Neither Jensen nor his passenger were badly injured, and the pilot was able to egress the wreckage, while Jackie remained caged. The pilot shared sandwiches and water with the 400-pound beast, then left to find help. After a three-day hike, he stumbled upon cowboys from the Haught ranch near Gisela, southeast of Payson, some 120 miles east of Prescott.
The cowboys opened Jackie’s cage, allowing him to be set free, then roped and tied up the animal so he could have his slight wounds cared for. They then loaded him back in his cage, pulling both onto an airplane door and dragged the “trailer” to the Apache Lodge at Roosevelt Lake, the closest phone. Jensen called his wife and the studio.
The studio executive’s first words were: “How’s the lion?”
The U.S. Forest Service quickly renamed the area in Hells Gate Leo Canyon in honor of the lion. Jackie went on to be MGM’s mascot for another decade finally finishing his life at the Philadelphia Zoo and dying in 1935.
