Pachyderm paradise

Andrew Glazer

FAIRGROUNDS -- They’ve starred in dozens of movies despite weighing

much more than the typical Hollywood star.

Bill Murray, Whoopie Goldberg, Goldie Hawn and Brendan Fraser begged

to work with them.

Their schedules are packed with trips to faraway places, including

Thailand and Hawaii.

But unlike many of their counterparts on the silver screen, these

actors are always prepared when the cameras start rolling.

“I’m not going to mention names, but they often are much better at

remembering their lines than the professional actors,” said Kari Johnson,

43, an agent and acting coach for Becky, Dixie, Tai and five other

elephants.

They’ve starred in “Operation Dumbo Drop,” “George of the Jungle” and

dozens of television commercials.

Dixie, 35, a 7,550-pound pachyderm, and her more svelte 6,000-pound

partner, Becky, 13, are greeting fans at the Orange County Fair during

its two-week run. Those who pay $3.50 can even ride on their backs.

Johnson, who lives on a ranch in Riverside County, said she encourages

her talent to meet their public. Asian elephants like Johnson’s --

slightly smaller than their African counterparts, with pink freckles on

their trunks -- are endangered in the wild.

“The kids come back every year and ask ‘Where’s Rosey, the elephant

from last year?’ ” she said. “And then they want to learn more about

elephants. When they become adults, hopefully they’ll do something.”

On Monday afternoon, nearly a dozen children and their parents stood

in line, waiting to trot around the sawdust pen atop one of the fuzzy

beasts.

“I’m a little nervous,” said Kim Robinson, who held her son Ryan, 2,

in her arms. “But he’s not. I think he’s really excited.”

Ryan climbed up the steel staircase to greet Becky the elephant with

pudgy open arms.

Johnson said one big kid has kept in touch with her elephant, Tai.

“Bill Murray, who worked with Tai on ‘Larger Than Life,’ calls us once

in a while to see how she’s doing,” she said. “He really fell in love

with her.”