"I wonder just how much effort was needed to handle one of these whoppers.''
Lots. The Victor chute at 48' diameter was the largest parachute being used anywhere in the world on a regular basis. It weighed 165lbs and you had to squeeze it into a hopper 15' off the ground. it went in in a 'W' shape and was always slightly too big for the space required. Once in, one of the spring loaded doors had to be closed and a string which held the extractor drougue down had to be carefully pulled. Then the other door closed and a pin to keep both closed insterted and connected. When it was windy/raining/cold/hot or icy (which it always nearly was) it was a hell of a job. On crew turnarounds, three of the crew would do the brake chute while one of the pilots would do the refuel. The competition to be the refueller was fierce.
Someone on the tail loading the chute. As you can see, there's not much space to work and it wasn't very safe. People used to fall off occasionally.
