JOE MARSH'S NOVELTY JUGGLING
Ordinary tennis racquet can be used as devilstick. Very effective.
"Tray and Plates" Tray is fixed on top of pole, and plates
(6 or more) are tossed quickly up on top. Easy throw, soon learned.
"Novelty Comedy" Jug starts with balls - and then throws in all
the above items (one at a time). Replacing again - that is - two balls
and hat, and so on - each to suitable tune. Funny effect.
"Comedy Roll" Balls are placed one at a time on right palm and
roll them off to the left hand. Even timing is the secret, balls are
picked up by right hand and placed on left hand again - continuous.
Comic gag - Jug tosses three balls - drops one, and "leaves one
in the air" while he picks it up. (Ball is on thread from top of stage).
STUFF WITH STAFFS by Doug Couden
THREE-STAFF JUGGLING
Although I do a very short routine with the 3 staffs as a prelude to the closing comedy trick, the juggler can include some of the many tricks as done with clubs, sticks, etc. Face audience, doing finger twirls with staff in left hand while juggling two in the right. Go into the cascade for a few tosses and without stopping, switch to the overhand shower. (Fig. 7) This movement, although awkward to do with clubs, can be performed readily with staffs. To go into the shower, points of staffs should all be away from juggler while doing cascade. The overhand shower can best be described with one staff. Hold it in right hand, point up. Let point end drop several inches to the right then toss staff over toward the left hand. Staff makes 1 1/2 turns and is caught in left hand, palm up, point tipped to the left. Staffs are gripped about in the center when caught and thrown. To change from the cascade to the overhand shower, first staff is tossed over, outside the one being caught and the others follow. Stop shower and you are now ready for the grand finale.
THE GREAT WATER BALANCE
Announce that you will now attempt one of the most difficult feats of juggling, balancing water! Nest the 3 staffs, pick up 4th and hold it in left hand with the other 3. Rest point of 3 staffs on floor and place bowl on top. Pour(?) water into bowl from pitcher in right hand and replace pitcher on table. Lift the 3 staffs carefully and attach 4th staff and get one foot out over trough of footlights. Balance 4 staffs and bowl between thumb and forefinger of right hand. (Fig. 8) Wiggle staffs and body and say, "I forgot to fix this before the show. It's pretty wobbly. I think I put too much water in the bowl but I'll be very careful, I spilled water on the customers in the last show." Bring the staffs to chin and balance momentarily, then let the contraption fall out over audience. Instead of water, confetti flutters down on spectators. The dive by spectators to get out of the way gets the laughs. Bowl is fastened to end of staff. (Fig. 9) Attach a 2 inch piece of wood to bottom of chrome plated bowl so that it fits snugly into open end of staff. The wood piece must be short enough so that it is masked by the right hand while placing bowl on staffs. Confetti, placed in bowl before act, can be obtained in bulk from novelty supply houses. Roger handles a comedy pitcher which apparently pours water. This requires colored water. The best thing for this purpose is food color obtainable in grocery stores. Gags of dumping things on audience are used mostly by circus clowns but they are much more effective from a stage. The stunt of letting a tray of dishes fall out over audience can be greatly enhanced by use of confetti and the pouring business as it is a build-up for the grand spill.
Sportsmen Lodge. "A Juggler's Dream" a story of
Father and Son jugglers with sketches of father and son doing club
juggling. Page 46 Sept. issue "Today's Woman". Spud. Pic of Eddie
Cantor juggling 3 balls - "Look" Sept.?
Spud Roberts dropped everything to send you this note! "JEST A
JUGGLER" Currently: Last Issue Sept. "Theatre Arts" Magazine Nov. 1946
(Issue) Page 639. "Juggler Notre Dame" also tells about Eddie Dowling
being an amateur jug - Spud
OUT OF MY SCRAPBOOK by Jack Greene
My recollection of hoop jugglers takes me back to many years ago. There were many hoop acts then. Sort of taken a nose dive in recent years. The troupe acts were very flashy with their different formations of passes, all requiring precision and team work to the 'nth degree. I recall the Gregory Troupe, who was with the Wintergarden-Schuberts for an extended period. The act was not only dexterous but was flashy as well. Frank Gregory featured the string tricks. He tossed a hoop in the air and made it light on a string held by his partner several feet away from him, then roll back to the tosser. Very showy and always good for a round of applause. The Nelson Nichols Troupe was another great act. Then the Conners Bros., four in number, doing plenty with the hoops and also the diablos. The diablos were quite popular in those days and many acts used them. Everhart did a grand troupe act also, featuring large hoops, large enough for a man to walk through, getting many novel tricks with them.
Among the troupe acts were many individual jugglers that could standout in an act by themselves. Of course while working with a troupe a juggler has little chance to display his talents as it is mostly team and flash tricks that are desired in such an act. The time element enters into it also, and an individual juggler may do but a few tricks in an act of this kind. Among the jugglers that did a single act either before or after being with a troupe recalls Everhart, who claimed to be the originator of hoop juggling. Ollie Young was very clever too, one of the outstanding hoop jugglers of his day. Francis Wood did a very fine act, and to the best of my knowledge the first to do the five hoop spin, neck, arms and legs, while seated on a table. There were a great many really good hoop jugglers and hoop rollers, and in many cases the hoop jugglers were also handy at the Indian clubs. Most hoop jugglers were also club jugglers, but as time went on and Hoop Troupes became popular, the clubs were dropped (no pun intended). On the other hand some laid aside the hoops and went in for clubs exclusively.
While on the subject of hoops you would not want me to pass up mentioning the man I think is the greatest of all time hoop jugglers - Howard Nichols. I knew Howard when he was with the Nelson Nichols Troupe. At that time he was a little skinny gangling kid. When I saw him last, a few years ago while playing the College Inn in Chicago, he was a full grown man, robust and matured. And what an act he does. I feel sure that no one who has seen Howard will disagree with me when I call him "THE KING OF HOOP JUGGLERS".
Many acts used the string tricks with hoops, some using as many as five strings held in the hands of their brother jugglers while the star of the act would throw a hoop to the top string. After catching it there he would deftly flip it to the next lower string and continuing this move until the hoop reached the bottom string. Then the hoop would roll back to the tosser. There were many variations to this trick, all very showy.
Some hoop acts used other articles besides hoops in their acts. If my memory serves me right I believe Ollie Young and Bros. also did boomerangs. Boomerangs had their day as did diablos. The Conners Bros. used Diablos in their act. The diabolo was brought over to this country from France in about 1905 or 1906. The experts showed at the New York Hippodrome for a season and from there went back to Europe. Never heard of them again but their diabolo work was taken up by many jugglers, and in a few years was dropped. There are only a few diabolo Jugglers on the market today. Perhaps some day they will return just as the cigar boxes are coming back again.
The Alpha Troupe was one of the top notcher hoop acts of nineteen nine and ten with a few years before and after thrown in. One of the members, a young fellow, was one of the first to do five. His feature trick was to Juggle three in front then toss one over his shoulder backwards and kick it back to the front again, going over his head into the three.
I must mention a slack wire act that used hoops - Kartelli. Kartelli did many tricks on the slack wire that a lot of jugglers would be proud to do standing on the floor. One in particular was a four spin of the hoops placing one around his neck, one on each arm and one on one leg and spinning all four while balancing on the slack wire.
There are many other jugglers and acts running through my mind at this writing. Would like to give space for everyone. However, we will wait for the reaction on these articles before continuing. After all there are clubs to consider and they will take up plenty of space. So, watch for the club jugglers in our next article.
IJA NEWS NOTES
The membership cards have been printed and are on the way to your secretary who will be sending them out in the near future. It is encouraging to note that there are already 38 members - 1et's make it 138 by June. Harry Lind must have a system - He's been sending in new members almost every week. While the Bulletin's only interest in the Organization is that of acting as a voice, we highly recommend that every juggler become a member - not for what the organization has to offer now - but for its future development.
STUFF AND THINGS by BETTY GORHAM
In the "White Tops" magazine, vol. 15, no. 5-6, found an article about Paul Cinquevalli. Also in the same mag., vol. 10, no.10-11, is an article about Luigi Germain. These back issues are available for $.35 at the White Tops, Rochelle, Ill. Doug writes he is de- voting more and more time to professional writing and would like to see more jugs contribute to Bulletin. The "mystery jug" men- tioned by Doug in July Bulletin did some very outstanding ball and mouthstick work, several moves with five balls, and finished with seven balls. His club work included a two-club kick-uo and four club spread. He also cascaded three clubs, and, kicking up one, went into the four club juggle. His act was done in a very easy manner and he used no gimmicks. He was very friendly and modest.
Jerry Jerome (Milo Vagge) was here recently with his juggling and bag punching acts. See by the Billboard that the Juggling Jewels, who are appearing in the grandstand show at the Canadian National Exhibition, Toronto, also performed in the last pre-war show at that spot. Hap Hazard and Lebrac and Bernice were both at the Illinois state fair, and the Three Swifts just closed at the Oriental, Chicago. Saw the Rudenko Bros. playing fairs for Barnes Carruthers, last spring - and was really amazed by their fine juggling. They use sticks, fire torches, large balls, and hoops. One of them juggled six hoops and they passed eight. Their whole routine was done very fast, without any misses and with plenty of showmanship. In the "Performer", English trade paper sent to me by Jack Taylor, see that Boy Foy is back in England after six months over here.
(Betty submits snap showing her at the age of 16. Aint she cute,
boys? Good Work, Betty, on Stuff and Things. Who's next? -- Doug )
JUG JUGGLESON'S LETTER by DOUG COUDEN Illustrated by JOE MARSH
Dear Roger. Well, Roger, we paid back the yard Perc. P. Cassidy advanced me and then paid the balance off on the trailer so we're sitting pretty but I got a bum brake. After another hard rain it made the ground soft so when I done my high fire act the rear stake for the guy wire pulled out and the platform and all started falling. The rest of the stakes held but the platform tipped over and I slid right off and it seemed like I fell a mile. I lit on my feet but fell over on my hands which broke my left arm so I'm writing this in the hospital. The next time I crack 2 yards salary for a high act and the mgr laughs I'm going to bop him on the beezer. My wife is a hustler and she jumps over the N.C. line into Pa. and signs us on a rep show she used to work on owned by Byron Golly. They all call him By Golly, a good hick name in the sticks. The general business team on that trick have a bar in their trailer and everybody was ordering up mixed drinks so the actors was all throwing everybody else wrong cues so By Golly is going to give them notice as soon as we can join. So now I'm burning the midnight oil studying parts. Marie didn't tell By Golly that we wasn't on no carnival but said I was a good all around actor, ha, ha. Marie is getting me up in the tricks of the business so no one won't know I never played no parts before. We're supposed to make ourselves generally useful which means anything nobody else wont do I'm the goat and we have to do specialties and change for 6 nights so we're going to do a mind reading act and 3 juggling acts. I thought of a comedy acrobatic act but I'm a little stiff in the joints at the age of 38, ha, ha. I'll use a brand new gag for juggling. I'll say I don't have to do this to earn a living - I just do it to keep from starving to death. So long pal, Jug.
With this issue the Bulletin completes its third year of publication with about 140 subscribers and 151 pages - (that's over a page per subscriber, hmm!) This being the eve of the Bulletin's New Year, we wish to thank all contributors - God bless 'em - without 'em we'd have folded long before now and with'em we'll last at least another year. Issues no, 1, 13, and 15 are now out of print with only a scant dozen of no. 2 left so hurry, hurry, hurry - if you want to complete your files. And now for the New Year? ? ?- well, we'll start polishing off the crystal ball - juggling ball that is - and come forth with our prognostications in the Jan. Bulletin.
JUGGLERS I HAVE KNOWN by STANLEY COLLINS
FRANK HARTLEY was a much later acquaintance. Although he and I were very good friends and had interests in common I never heard much of his private life. He was a resourceful juggler with ambitious ideas and an enthusiasm for his work which was infectious. He Presented me with his quaint little folder printed in two colors entitled HOW TO BECOME A JUGGLER. This, with its quaint little sketches and its axioms BE PATIENT and PERCY VERE is a delightful bit of humor. Its back page shows a servant girl falling from a window with the words underneath, STOP THINGS FROM FALLING TO THE GROUND!
Frank who was a fine sleight-of-hand man had one little feat of hand dexterity that he did to perfection. It was with two solid balls which he made to revolve round each other at high speed in his hand. I have practiced this and can do it well but with nothing like the precision of Hartley. As they revolve round each other the balls must never touch; in that is the chief difficulty.
I was grieved when I heard of Frank's death at an age when he was just forging ahead to stardom.
PAUL CINQUEVALLI. I consider myself highly fortunate in having met and known that great artist, for that he certainly was. LEHMANN KARA, known the world over as Paul Cinquevalli. I have seen nearly all the jugglers in England and although there have been and are jugglers who have perfected feats of fax greater technical difficulty than those of Cinquevalli, no one has ever had the consummate grace and poise of this brilliant little Pole. His work was truly the poetry of motion. Let me conclude by quoting some words of LONDONER which appeared in the London Evening News after the death of Cinquevalli.
"He was the incomparable juggler. There was no one like him; no one will ever again bring that art of his to such fearsome perfection ... Cinquevalli was above and before them all ... but there will never be another Cinquevalli."
He died on the 14th, July, 1918.
Editor's Note: The following pictures of Paul Cinquevalli are reprinted from the December 1900 issue of Stanyon's magazine "Magic". Other pictures and articles about this great juggler-showman will appear in future issues of the Bulletin.
SHOOTIN' THE BREEZE with LORING CAMPBELL
Editor's Note: Guest columnizing being the vogue these days, we took the opportunity to ask Loring Campbell to shoot the breeze this month. Loring was passing through for the beginning of over 20 years in the Lyceum entertainment field. Comparatively few jugglers have worked Lyceum and Chautauqua circuits - but here's Loring to tell you more about them:
I feel honored to be asked to write a column for such a fine magazine as the "Juggler's Bulletin", especially since I am a magician and not a juggler. (Swell, Loring, pour it on!, -Roger) Maybe I am some what of a juggler at heart though, as I have always enjoyed juggling acts as much, if not more than any other kind of entertainment. Then too, I have been doing a series of card manipulations in my show for the past 30 years that is more juggling than magic.
I have worked on the same bill with many jugglers, both in vaudeville and on fair circuits. The man who got me my first contract with the Redpath Chautauquas many years ago was a very fine juggler. He was Herbert Taylor, "The Conglomerate Entertainer". He did a great many things but he did a lot of juggling. That winter I toured for 25 weeks on the Redpath-Horner Lyceum circuit, and just ahead of me was Youna who did a full evenings program of Japanese juggling. Like Hosani and Soto Sunetaro, Youna played Lyceum and Chautauqua many years and did a full program. Some seasons he traveled with a magician or some other kind of entertainer. The only juggler now working for the "BETTER" Lyceum and Assembly Bureaus is my friend George DeMott of Millville, Pa. George does a full program of juggling and is a good showman and entertainer as well as a fine juggler.
Perhaps you wonder why I say "BETTER" bureaus. Contrary to what my friend Doug Couden writes, there ARE good Lyceum and Assembly bureaus as well as BAD ones. Doug has only come in contact with the bad ones and is prejudiced. Speaking of Doug reminds me of the new book that he has just written and that is being printed as I write this by Roger. It is called "How To Book & Play School Assemblies". It tells everything that a performer should know if he wishes to go out and book these kind of dates. I would advise every reader to buy it. Doug has been in this business for years and he knows what he is talking about.
In my collection of memorabilia I have two old and very beautiful Lyceum booking folders of Soto Sunetaro and several fine ones of Rosani, however, I do not have a thing on Youna. Years ago I could have picked up hundreds of window cards, circulars, & booking folders and didn't do it, now I would very much like to have a Lyceum booking folder preferably, but anything would be welcome and appreciated. If you can help me write to Loring Campbell, 232 So. 6th St., Burbank, Calif. I am en route, but all mail is forwarded promptly to me.
The snap at right is of the bill written about by James Aitken in the August Bulletin, page 143. Note the names - Aitkens, Martin and Florence, and Olson & Johnson. This bill was current about 30 years ago.
Pictured above are the 8 jugglers that founded the IJA as they appeared immediately after the business meeting and luncheon in Pittsburgh, Pa., June 17th, 1947. Standing L. to R. are Bernard Joyce, Jack Greene, Harry Lind, Art Jennings, George Barvinchak. In front - Bill Dunham, Roger Montandon, Eddie Johnson.