Bert Hansen's Juggling Reviews
RAYMOND WILBERT
Golden Gate Theatre
San Francisco, California
March 2, 1945
Juggling- 3 hoop routine with shoulder rolls.
4 hoop routine with floor bounce.
Spin on leg while doing shoulder roll with three.
Four hoop spin.
Five hoop juggle.
Rolling- Four hoop returns and rolling.
Five hoops in circle and then one at a time around and into screen on center stage.
Seven hoops rolled in a circle and then sent off stage one at a time with last hoop turning to the right instead of left.
Return of hoop on five strings.
Shootin' The Breeze -Roger
Next issue- if we make it- will wind up the first year of publication. The organization has grown slowly- slower than we had originally hoped for- and now stands at 75 paid sub- scribers. We have every confidence that it will continue to grow and still have hopes of reaching a membership of 500. In order to get out of the red in the coming months, the subscription rate will be increased to $3.00 per year with back copies priced at fifty cents. This does not affect present subscribers until their subscriptions run out.
Since several have asked us about accepting advertising we are going to try it out. Twice yearly we will issue a supplementary page of advertising (more often if found desirable) which will be sent subscribers with the Bulletin and to non-subscribers separately. This will give a coverage of approximately 350 who have expressed an interest in Juggling. Rates for such advertising will be found on the enclosed sheet. Issues 13 and 18 will contain an advertising sheet for the coming year. Deadline for ad copy for issue 13 will be October 10th.
Eric Johnson has added 5 swell items to our Juggleriana collection. They are sheet music publications which have some form of the word Juggler in their title. Although these pieces are not music that you would juggle to, they do show the influence Juggling has had on composers. If you are a "far gone" collector you'll probably want to add them to your collection. Drop a line to Eric or the Bulletin if you would like further details. Eric, by the way, is looking for a number of the books listed in Bulletin 7. If you have an extra copy drop him a line at 2609 Humboldt Ave., Flint, Michigan.
A swell letter from Tom Breen with some dope on hat juggling which we hope to see and hear more of when the Elgins come to Tulsa, the week of October 23-28. If you're down in this neck of the woods about that time drop in- maybe we can stir up a convention.
Another letter from Larry Weeks, chock full of news- he calls our letters to him "short notes" which they are by comparison. Larry says- "Had a five day get-together with Ray Pike, Sr. on the Island of Biak in the Dutch East Indies. This is the third time we've met overseas- before in Rome and again in Tacloban, capital of Leyte. Ray's act which runs about 15 minutes consists of a neat tennis racket and two ball routine for an opener. He follows this up with a four hoop juggle, then goes into his clean three stick routine. After this he spends the next five minutes doing a very clever "drunken Juggler" act involving lots of cute pieces of business, sight gags, etc. Next a short routine with a ball and mouth stick, doing the ball in audience bit. Encores with his original barber pole spinning on glass. Works in a sports costume. He's been in the business for 42 years, the first 16 years performing as an acrobat. Just before the war he was president of the Boston branch of AGVA but soon felt he could do more overseas so has been working off and on for U.S.O. ever since. His son Ray, Jr. was in France and somehow managed to lose all of his juggling props so guess he's back in States by now."------- "The Gene Autrey U.S.O. Unit is on Saipan at present, and Will and Gladys Ahern, Cowboy Rope Spinning Duo are with him.-------- Jack Parker, club Juggler from Washington, D.C. who was in Hawaii, has been returned by the army to the U.S.---------- Mel Ody, Marine juggler with the Bob Crosby Band Show, is expected here on Saipan in the next three or four days, so hope to have a grand session with him.
Bobby May passes on a most interesting letter and photo from Stan Kavanagh, now in Burma. Quoting a couple of paragraphs from Stan's letter- "Bandits are quite a problem in China and they even attack convoys. There was a bandit village thirty-five miles from an airport- one night they attacked a village by the airport, killed eight people and got one hundred dollars so you see life is very cheap in China. Our work here seems to be outside but we've been lucky up to now and haven't called any shows on account of rain. I worked in the rain one night in China with myself and props all wet. We were going by truck in the evening recently and saw a full grown wolf alongside the road and he followed us for a little distance and then stopped- I guess he figured he didn't have enough red points to eat me.
A Juggler in the Stix
Bluff City, Kansas. Leaving tent show here and we head East about 400 miles to spend rest of summer vacationing at Czark Lake in Missouri. This is the first we have been hit hard by the tire situation.
Dick Ricton, Barnum of the Sticks, has passed on. As an inspiration to younger jugglers to practice more, will include below a note received from Dick about three years ago when he mailed his book on juggling. "At the Nickelodeon in Boston, 41 years ago, I did 9 shows a day. I practiced an hour each day before show opened and nine times a day between acts, then again at night in hotel room. When I was a kid I'd rather practice than eat." Ricton became one of the greatest ball jugglers of his time, continued practice and a flare for showmanship putting him in the top ranks. Seems as though every one at some time or another has the urge to write some verse. I've tried it too, so here goes-
Can you pick 'em?
I sat and dozed the other night
Way out here in the stix
And I dreamt of Vaude Performers
Replaced by moving pix.
The curtain rose, the show was on,
I saw those acts once more
Singers, dancers, comedians
And novelty acts galore.
There was, "Throw him down McLusky"
Sung by an Irish dame
And a bonnie lad from Scotland
With a great big, crocked cane.
A frantic, shouting, peppy gal
Wore less and less and less
A troupe of Arab tumblers
H H A will help you guess
They could not keep him shackled
There was encore and encore
And the greatest juggler of them all
From Italy's sunny shore
And then I caught my favorite act
When Roony & Bent appeared
That wonderful team were together again
I my dreams of yesteryear
The curtain is down, the lights are dim
On these lovable people of yore
But we'll see them again, playing Big Time
On that golden, distant shore.
Can you pick 'em ?
Bob (front page) Blau submits the follwing "quickie" for knife juggling, "When I drop one I lay it across toe of shoe, kick it up and start juggling again. Zany but flashy."
Well, Roger, If you have room to squeeze in another pic, here's one of that 14 year old gal tosser, Betty Gorham. Betty is headed for a professional juggling career and would like personal instruction. Her address is 2303 Bridge Ave., Davenport, Iowa. I am sure she would appreciate letters from readers, especially if you included some advice to beginners.
Gus Kiralfo writes enclosing snap shot
Taken by Ed (Livewire) DeWees when we were
in San Antonio, so here it is. Left to right; Gus, in his 80's, Fuzz
Plunkett, in his 20's, and the writer in his 50's. Looks like the clubs are being passed,
but they aint, brother, each one just juggling three.
The following picture was kindly loaned to us by A. Morton Smith of Gainesville, Texas.
This is the first of a series of famous Jugglers that have gained fame in other fields.