MACK NICKEL
"The Magical Juggler and Ventriloquist"
The following review is from the Clinton Burgess collection- no date shown on review.
1. Opening juggling trick- Hat, gloves and cane. (Time - 1 minute)
2. Three ball juggling. (Time 2 minutes)
3. Spinning tin trays on Jap parasol ( Time 1 minute)
4. Balanced spinning plate and card on cigar in mouth (Time 1 minute)
5. Three apple juggle with fork in mouth ( Time- 3 min.)
6. Cannon ball work with high neck drop ( Time- 2 min.)
7. Egg into hat and out of mouth (Time- 1 minute)
8. Juggling bottle, plate and egg (Time- 1 minute)
9. Paper balanced on tip of nose and forehead (Time- 1/2 minute)
10. Balancing three glasses and bowl of water on revolving stick on arrow point.
11. Three juggling blocks - accidental drop, good comedy ( Time- 4 minutes)
The above was part of a 57 minute school assembly program which also included magic and ventriloquism.
Shootin' the Breeze
by Roger Montandon
Larry's new column is the first of a series covering the Bibliography of Juggling. This work when complete will be the only writing of its kind in existence. As the series unfolds we'd like for you to drop Larry a line with any additions, corrections, or suggestions that you might have in your mind or files. For example Larry passes on the tip that in the Boston Public Library there is a collection of books, manuscripts, and photographs which can be inspected upon special application in the Rare Book Room. Of particular interest is the Allen A. Brown Collection. There are reportedly over 50,000 items dealing in one way or other with The Theatre in general. Chances are there are many items pertaining to juggling. Chances are that similar collections may be found in every large city In the United States. No doubt that many an idea that would be new to present day audiences could be brought to light by such perusals.
Spud Roberts of 50 Tiogue St., Anthony R.I. would like to add to his Juggling photo collection and offers to trade two different 8 x 10's for one of yours regardless of age. There's a bargain for you collectors!
Clem Foust writes from Nurnberg, Germany and encloses a snap of him doing top hat balance on cigar. He says "Snap was taken while I was practicing for shows for the Russians. That's the beauty of juggling - can be done for anyone, young or old, and no matter what language they speak - they all like it!"
A Juggler in the Stix
by Doug Couden
New Orleans, Louisiana. Juggling has done a lot to produce bigger and better liars. When practicing some Joe Doakes pipes up, "That's pretty good but I saw a guy at the Orpheum juggle 7 barrel staves." They'll do it every time.
Thanks for the Xmas cards, readers and may you all do less bending (picking up) in '46. Jack Taylor wanted copies of the Billboard. Don't have any but Betty was kind enough to send him some. Did you know that Fred Allen is Cosmopolite of the month in January Cosmopolitan? Have an extra copy of Juggling article, "What Goes Up!" on Lew Folds if you missed it.
Route book for '45 shows we did 29 weeks in schools, averaging 6 shows per week, also 8 weeks with tenter during summer, followed by vacation trip through Ozarks for a total of 12,000 miles. Total expense for car and trailer was less than $600 or about $50 per month. Very reasonable, we think, as this includes rent and transportation, always quite an item for performers.
Jerry Fatzer and Jim Aitken, local jugglers were both hospitable and co- operative. From them we gleaned juggling angles which we'll pass on, first Jim this month, then Jerry next. Jim really came through by steering us to his service station where we got two new tires -- when a feller needs a friend. Aitken put in many years in show biz but has been off the road for some time now, owns a nice home and is sittin' pretty. Jim now does booking and a neat juggling act while his wife, Golden, does magic; a clever combo for local dates. Snapper Jim (pic on this page) with his musical sticks. These have bells attached to ends, sticks decorated in differenet colored strips of foil paper. This is another of those juggling to music ideas along wthe line of tambourine tossing; to our mind one of the sock specialties in a juggler's bag of tricks. This writer jangeleers tambourines, catching them with a jar, using the turn over cascade described in last issue. If you've seen Ben Beri do tambourines I'm sure you will agree that he socks 'em (customers) when he socks 'em (tambourines) on his knees. From a trap drummer's props we can come up with other ideas for this percussion or synchronized juggling in which the sound of the object juggled is in time to music. For the tambourine method, brass cymbals would be easier to handle. These can be chrome plated and for the sound effect clappers can be attached to the edge of holes in the center. Then we have these plastic balls with shot inside which can be bounded off a drum head. And how about 3-drum stick juggling and drumming? Then there are those South American rattling musical accessories.
Asked Hugh Shepley if he planned to take up Juggling professionally and he replied, "It seems to me that a juggler playing vaude houses and night clubs would get bored between performances when there isn't much to do." Yep, to just sit and wait for the next show would be like a vacuum to an ambitious lad. Here we might take a page from Rastelli's book whose performance was just an interruption to his practice. Incidentally, Jim Aitken picked up Juggling in dressing rooms. To one studiously inclined, large libraries have many books on the various ramifications of show biz. Then there are the trade mags, gassing with other acts, correspondence etc. Nope, you'd find it far from boring, Hugh.
Every juggler who honestly desires a knowledge of the scientific principles of juggling should study physics. Unlike many other acts, every trick of tossing, balancing, spinning, bounding, sliding, and rolling involves scientific principles contained in a book of this kind. The juggler then would not only understand the why and wherefore of every trick he performs but he would be able to apply his knowledge to the invention of a more advanced type of juggling.
Roger just sent a batch of nifty letterheads so if you'd like to see one just remember the address of your "Emissary-at-Large," P.O. Box 711, Tulsa-1, Okla.
Academically Speaking by Larry Weeks
A thorough, exhaustive, and painstaking "Bibliography of Juggling" has never been attempted. For numerous reasons juggling books, pamphlets, and manuscripts, have usually been dealt with as one of the "allied arts" of Magic. Therefore it is comparatively easy to find a lot of magic books with a little juggling, and almost impossible to unearth more than a dozen items devoted primarily to juggling in its modern sense. They have, however, been written, and it will be the purpose of this column each month to show just how much material on juggling has been published, and if possible, where it may be seen. By doing this, it is hoped that many tricks and phases of the juggler's art of bygone days will live once again in the hands of our modern artists, and the hearts and minds of their public.
The list of books, manuscripts, newspaper and magazine articles, pamphlets, bills, photographs, etc. which follows, has been extracted from one of the publications of The National Laboratory of Psychical Research. The catalog is listed as Vol. 1, Part 2--- April 1929; SHORT- TITLE CATALOGUE of works on Psychical research, Spiritualism, Magic, Psychology, Legerdemain and other methods of deception, Charlatanism, Witchcraft, and Technical works for the SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION OF ALLEGED ABNORMAL PHENOMENA from circa 1450 A.D. to 1929 A.D. (London 1929) Compiled by Harry Price (Honorary Director).
Mr. Price's entire collection, of which the following list is merely a minute fraction of the whole, is at present housed in The University of London Library, in London, England. Unfortunately there are no photostatic facilities available, nor are there any duplicates.
A certain amount of error is bound to show up in these lists, but I have tried to check everything listed as pertaining to juggling, wherever possible. Any omissions, corrections, or additions will be very much appreciated. The ultimate goal will be to have as large and accurate a list possible of all known printed matter relating to Juggling and Jugglers.
BROADWELL, ALBERT H. "The Most Extraordinary Dinner on Earth". (The "Ramblers", jugglers.) London, 1900.
BURLINGAME, HARDIN J. "Around the World with a Magician and a Juggler". Chicago, 1891.
CH'IEN HSIANG-JU Trans.: "A Compendium of the Bagman's Theatre Art, or A Compendium of Juggling". In four volumes. In the Chinese language; from the collection of Chung Ling Soo. China, 1914.
CH'IEN HSIANG-JU Trans.: "The Juggler's Art". In the Chinese language; from the Chung Ling Soo collection. China, 1916.
CINQUEVALLI, PAUL "Cinquevalli. The Greatest Juggler in the World". London, n.d.
CINQUEVALLI, PAUL "Twenty Years as a Juggler". London, 1909.
CINQUEVALLI, PAUL "How to Succeed as a Juggler". London, 1909.
CLARKE, SIDNEY W and BLIND, ADOLPHE "The Bibliography of Conjuring and Kindred Deceptions". London, 1920. This book will be given the same treatment in a future issue of this series as Mr. Price's "Short-title-Catalog" is being handled this month.
CONCERT ARTISTS' DIRECTORY: 1922. Contemporary professional magaicians. London, 1922. Probably jugglers too.
DOWNS, THOMAS NELSON "The Art of Magic". Buffalo, 1909.
DUNNINGER, JOSEPH Compiled by Popular Magic from "Science and Invention". In two volumes. New York, 1926.
EVERHART, WILLIAM "Facts, Fame, and Fortunet". Columbus, Ohio, 1904.
FITZGERALD, WILLIAM G. "The Greatest Juggler In the World". (Cinquevalli) London, 1897.
GANTHONY, ROBERT "Bunkum Entertainments". London, 1895.
GANTHONY, ROBERT "Bunkum Entertainments". London, 1922.
GINTARO, M. "Japanese Juggling Tricks". London, 1915.
GOLDSTON, WILL "Exclusive Magical Secrets". Edited by Goldston. Locked book number 853 of 1000 copies printed. London, 1912.
GOLDSTON, WILL "Juggling Secrets". London, 1911.
GOLDSTON, WILL "More Exclusive Magical Secrets". Edited by Goldston. Locked book number 1 of 500 copies printed. London, 1921.
GOLDSTON, WILL "Will Goldston's Further Exclusive Magical Seorets". Locked book number 118 of 500 copies printed. London, 1927.
HENRI, Juggler See: Scrap Book No. 1, p. 60 FF, for posters of Henri.
HOLMES, H. J. "Hoop-Rolling Extraordinary". (William Everhart) London, 1901.
HOLMFIELD, FRANK "Ball-Hopping Extraordinary". (Robertus and Wilfredo) London, 1902.
INDIAN JUGGLERS No place, no date. Possiblz Indian Conjurors.
INDIAN JUGGLERS See: Scrap Book No. 2, p.63 . Possibly Indian Conjurors.
INDIAN JUGGLER'S TRICKS London, 1922. Possibly Magic Tricks.
INBRAJALADI SAMGRAHA In Bengali and English. On Indian jugglery. Calcutta 1878. Jugglery and Prestidigitation are synonymous here.
INGALESE, RUPERT "Juggling." London 1921.
JAPANESE JUGGLERS AT THE LYCEUM THEATRE Illustrated. London, 1868.
JAPANESE JUGGLERS, THE London, 1867.
JUGGLERS OF INDIA Edinburgh, 1839. Possibly magicians.
JUGGLING WITH BALLS By a Practical Gymnast. London, n.d.
KING, HAROLD G. and CLARK, JOHN E. T. "Ventriloquism and Juggling". London, 1921.
LE ROUX, HUGHES (pseud., i.e. LE ROUX (R. C. Henri) and GARNIER (JULES) "Acrobats and Mountebanks". Translated from the French by A. R. MORTON. London, 1890.
MAGICIANS ANNUAL, THE Compiled and edited by Will Goldston. 1907-1916 ( all published) London, 1907-1916.
MARCHAND, FLORAM Water spouter and lugler. Engraving. No place. n.d.
NEIL, C. LANG "The Modern Conjuror". With an Introduction by Charles Bertram. London 1903. Second Edition, London, 1911. Third Edition, London, 1922.
PERRY, JOHN "Spinning Tops" Revised Edition. London, 1901.
ROBERT, JEAN, Juggler See: Scrap-book No. 1, p.56. (Posters).
ROBERTSON, W. B. "Amongst Japanese Jugglers". London, 1901.
SCENES IN PARIS Jugglers. London, c. 1830?
SHEPSTONE, HAROLD J. "Club Juggling". Ben Mowatt and son. London, 1903.
SHINSAKU KACHI-KEIRAKU A book on conjuroring and juggling in Japanese. No place, 1889.
SIEGRIST, C. Juggler. See: Scrap book no. 1, p.60. Posters.
STANYON, ELLIS "Bibliography of Conjuring". London, 1899. This BIBLIOGRAPHY will be given the same treatment in a future issue of this series as Mr. Price's "Short Title Catalog" is being handled this month.
STANYON, ELLIS "New Juggling Tricks". London, 1901.
STANYON, ELLIS Serials 1-21 bound in one volume London, 1899- 1909.
STRIKING A BALANCE London, 1913
STRUTT, JOSEPH Glig-Gamena Angel-Dead: or The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England. First Edition. London, 1801.
STRUTT, JOSEPH "The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England." New Edition. London, 1830.
TINDAL, MARCUS "Wonderful Balancing Feats". London, 1897.
VENTRILOQUISM EXPLAINED; and JUGGLER'S TRICKS EXPOSED. Amherst, U.S.A., 1834. "Juggler's Tricks" as used here means "Magician's Tricks". There is nothing in this book that deals with juggling in the modern sense.
WHITE, STANLEY "The King of Jugglers" (Cinquevalli) London, 1902.