Joe Marsh's Novelty Juggling
A NEAT HAT MOVE
Hat balanced - dropped to mouth - thrown on head
NOVEL COMEDY WAY OF GETTING THE JUGGLING BALLS
White centers of the daises are the jug balls, held in wire rings. Flowers are yellow
COMEDY JUG GAG
Jug takes 3 large balls off stands and tries to juggled - drops one ball. Tries again, and drops same ball, very annoyed, jug pubs two balls back on stands and take big whip. and lashes violently at the disobedient ball, pointing to the stand - Ball slowly "crawls" upstage and "climbs" on stand (Line runs from ball, through top of stand and off stage to assistant).
REMEMBER THE JUG SESSION JUNG 17, 1947 PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA
SHOOTIN' THE BREEZE - Roger
George DeMott - Comedy Juggler and Entertainer
Still the best announcement in many months is that of the forthcoming Juggler's Session to be held in conjunction with the I.B.M. magi convention in Pittsburgh, June 16-19. The Juggling session, Art Jennings reports, will be Tuesday, June 17 (second day of convention). We will have a room with stage and light facilities (The Ball Room -- what could be better for a jug session!) and we have exclusive use of the room from 8 till 2P.M. if we want it that long. This is the first time in history, to our knowledge, that there has been a planned Jug get-together. Here's your chance to meet old friends, make new acquaintances, see new ideas presented, and in general shoot the breeze on things juggable, PLAN TO MAKE IT. If you will drop us a line as soon as you know definitely that you can be there, it will help the Jug Session Committee in its planning. Eddie Johnson dropped us a line saying "I'm really eager - it will be my first opportunity to meet a number of Jugglers."
Not so long ago we had the pleasure of catching the show of George and Fanny DeMott in Bartlesville, Okla. More recently his route put him in Tulsa for a stay of several days, which gave us a chance at a couple of good sessions at the Bulletin office. For some time we had known that George presented a full hour school assembly show consisting entirely of Juggling, but it was not until we caught the show that we were convinced that such a show could be practical and entertaining. No, there are no complicated or "out of this world" feats in the entire program yet from the brief opening lecture of the history of juggling to the "Fife & Drum" club routine finish (which, by the way, George has written up for Bulletin publication) there is a well balanced sequence of tossing, balancing, spinning, and comedy gags that keeps the kids interested for the full hour. In spite of the large variety of props used, at the conclusion of the last feat, everything is packed (Due to Fanny's progressive backstage packing) and the act is ready to leave immediately for the next show. As near as we can decipher our now cold, hastily scribbled notes, the show went like this: Historical background lecture; Tennis racket, ball, and straw hat tossing; 3 racket tossing; hat spinning with stick; handkerchief spinning with stick; Ball roll on parasol, followed by ring roll and concluding with silver dollar; Balance of parasol on hat; Boomerang straw hats; 3 ball toss variations; Balls and tube; Single plate manipulation; 3 plate manipulation; Spinning bowl and 2 plate tossing; 3 knife tossing; Plate, ball and knife tossing; A feat from the late Rosani program involving 2 clay pipes a stick and a spinning plate; Devil sticks; Egg roll on stick; tissue paper, billiard ball, and juggling ball toss; ball on stick balance; 3 and 4 hoops; combination balance with lamp chimney, sword and mouthstick; Club snaking and 3 club toss; Fife and Drum finale. Entire program interpersed with sudden outbursts such as "Oh Baldy, don't let it slip" or "Ooh! Watch this one", and a comedy laugh that made the kids howl. Though George has eliminated Cigar boxes form his present program, he does a complete routine and he has written up his simplified multi-box routine which will appear in the currently running cigar box manipulation series.
Collectors of Juggliana will be more that interested in knowing that there is a W.C. Fields Album of three records now available - yep, we've got them at $4.00 per album. The album consists of a "Temperance Lecture" in four parts, and an interview in which Fields explains about "The day I drank a glass of water". The album itself will be a collection item with its excellent caricature on cover and excellent photo and brief autobiography on the inside.
February issue of TOPS magi mag. starts a purported series covering Juggling by Fred Merrill. Apparently it will not run in consecutive issues but only when space permits. This feature is missing from the March issue.
PLAN TO ATTEND THE BIG JUGGLING SESSION NOW! JUNE 17, 1947 PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA
STUFF & THINGS by Doug Couden
Eric Johnson doing handstand on car
Florence, Ala.: Bert Hansen gives with a clever idea which is new to juggling, I believe. A recording is made of a stooge talking, with silent spots on record for jug to talk back. Voice explains how jug should hold props, correcting him on how to stand. Jug asks questions and voice explains and praises him when he does it right, etc. Sounds like good comedy possibilities for the "learning to juggle" angle. Collector tip-offs - Truzzi is depicted in March Redbook balancing big balls; Ed Dewees, 316 N. Presa St., San Antonio 5, Texas, has some of the late Gus Kiralfo material and jug cartoon appears on p. 62 of April American. Betty Gorham reports that those utility balls Roger mentioned are just what she's been looking for and that she has permission to use H.S. gym Sat. afternoons for jug practice. Charlton Chute types he viewed Bob Hermine working with a Mickey Mouse midget assistant. "Act is tops in novelty, color, music and entertainment value," sez Charlton. In Max Holden's Manual of Juggling, H.M. Lorette writes, "I think juggling and its side lines might be a useful recreation to teach in schools and colleges." Fact is baton twirling instruction is given annually to hundreds of H.S. gals. They front the bands at football games, etc. In Ariz. I have seen as many as 16 fem spinners all doing routines in unison, quite a spec. Eric Johnson, Flint Mich. sub, inquires about a drum major mag for baton spinners. The Drum Cops Herald, 28 Sprint St. Beacon, N.Y. has some info on twirling leaders but I don't know of a pub devoted exclusively to the art. Here's what Roger has on hand:
Beginner's Baton Book, part 1, C.J. Duncan $.50
Beginner's Baton Book, part 2, C.J. Duncan .50
The Underhand Technique in Baton Twirling, Paul Painter 1.00
14 Characteristic Tricks for the Baton, Blob Black 1.00
The Art of Gun Spinning, #1, C.W. Benner 1.00
The Art of Gun Spinning, #2, C.W. Benner 1.00
The Art of Baton Spinning, Vol. 1, C.W. Benner 1.50
The Art of Baton Spinning, Vol. 2, C.W. Benner 1.50
The first six top anything to date in the juggling line in picturing actual movements. Photos are full speed action shots with a Magic Eye camera. There are four pics to each rev. of baton and gun so that moves can easily be followed. Roger also carries wooden spinning guns. Snap shows Eric Johnson doing handstand.
JUG JUGGLESON'S LETTER
Dear Roger, Well, I'm out at last. Ha, ha. To make a stake I went back to Kelly's Celar for a week. Plug started me in at 40 bucks per and said I'd have to work my way up the ladder of success again rung by rung but I told him to go fly a kite as all that got me was a knonk on the bean and thrown in the can. So when I got paid off I started looking for a soup and fish outfit. The first store I ran acrost was a shoe store so I get a swell pair of patent leathers then I found a folding plug hat in a 2nd hand store but couldn't find a tux in town but I had a lucky break. Some band sold their outfits to the 2nd hand store so I gets a swell white tux which fit perfect. It's something different, white tux, black plug hat and black shoes which is a real novelty wardrobe. Another lucky break was an ad in the Billboard wanting circus acts down south so I wired collect and along comes a wire back with the dough but not enough but I made it to Tar Heel, N.C. anyways. Tried to thumb a ride to Savannah, Ga. but no soap so I met High Pitch Grogan in the hotel lobby so he let me write sheet on the stem with glims with him. The way you do is to wait until Sat. A.M. when the farmers come in and you go up to apple knocker and put a pair of glims on him. If they aint right you keep trying until he can see. They you say these here glasses is given free by the Birmingham Post and they'll send the paper a whole year if you'll just pay the postage. Then you drag out the order book and ask what's his name. The hardest part is to get the 98 cents. I made enough to blow into Savannah but when I got there it wasn't a circus at all but a lousy carnival. But what can I do as I'm stuck so will make the best of it and work on the side show. So now I'm a carnie, so what. I ain't the first guy to try it. So long pal, Jug.
Tom Breen pens in answer to Eddie Johnson's, question about the back hand catch: "Club is received from partner by left hand, body downward and is then thrown from that position to the right hand making a complete turn and being caught by the right hand in a position as indicated by the sketches.
Back hand toss.
3 Cigar Box manipulation
SINGLE CROSS-OVER Figs, 7A, B, C, D, E
>From the starting position the right hand with its TAN box crosses over to the left and simultaneously the left hand releases its grasp on the EL box and shifts to the TAN box. The boxes are caught with hands crossed as indicated in Fig. 7C. Figs. 7D and E show how the boxes are again returned to starting position.
Figs 7A-E
HAND CROSS-OVER Figs. 8A, B, C
This variation was demonstrated to us by George DeMott. The hands leave the boxes completely for an instant and cross over each other - the right hand grasping the EL box and the right hand the TAN box. The hands are uncrossed to bring the boxes into position shown in 8C.
Figs 8A-C
CENTER BOX SPIN Figs 9A, B, C
This is a simple move in which the center box is caused to turn over one complete turn. This rotation may be either clockwise or counter-clockwise.
Figs 9A-C
The next illustration and text just will not fit in this space, so we'll just take this opportunity for a personal reminder that it would be a pleasure to "shoot the breeze" with you at the Jug Session - Pittsburgh, PA - June 17, 1947. Roger.