"JUGGLING NOVELTIES" by Joe Marsh
'BOUNCING PLATES' - Plate is spun very fast and bounces off arm
and is caught behind back.
'OVERHEAD JUGGLE' - One ball is thrown high out of juggle, and
balls are juggled over the head.
'NEWSPAPER BALANCE' - A 'crease' is quickly put into the paper
by holding as shown - thumb and first finger under the paper - a sharp
pull locks the crease.
THE "STROLLING" HAT COMEDY - Top hat is placed on stage as shown
and given a push and slowly 'strolls' round jug.
LONG DISTANCE JUGGLE - 2- balls with one hand are taken further
and further apart. Comic effect!
JUGGLING AND TELEVISION by JOHN LOKSA
Having appeared on Cleveland's TV station WEWS on their April 7th variety program, perhaps I can shed a little light on the subject from a juggling standpoint. Juggling is an ideal type of entertainment for TV as it has to be seen to be appreciated. In the future I believe there will be a great demand for jugglers in this field. It's something to think about anyway.
As it is today, television is produced on the screen in black and white, therefore your apparatus such as your clubs, balls, hoops, etc. and even your dress should be in black and white to give the best effect. It is usually necessary to go over your act with the director. He will then know what you are going to do and when to get close-ups of you. There are always two cameras focused on you, one at about 30 feet in order to get a full length view, and another about 10 feet away - for close-ups of hands etc.
There is a great deal of difference in doing a TV show as compared to a regular show. In TV your audience is the camera. You have to perform to it and so without benefit of audience reaction. If possible, it is best to do your act in pantomime. They will dub in music during your act in a separate control booth. You cannot hear this music which also makes it more difficult.
My act on this program lasted about 10 minutes and was a vaudeville type of presentation. I did my regular act (balls, clubs, hoops, ball and parasol, and found that the larger, flashier feats went over better than the smaller ones. Due to the use of two cameras you are not too limited as to the feats that will televise well. Most standard props show up well providing the decoration and background have good contrast. As far as make up is concerned, all that is necessary is a good cinema face powder and a few dabs of eyebrow pencil. Rouge and lipstick appear gray on the screen and should be used sparingly if at all. There is about four times as much light on you as compared to regular stage lights and this does add to the difficulty of executing certain feats. This amount of light also creates considerable heat.
Not every station will handle their programs the same and the above observations are based on my experience with television. If it is possible, try to appear on a TV program in the near future. It will give you some good experience in a field that should become a new outlet for juggling in the future.
STUFF & THINGS by FRANK DEAN
San Jose, Calif.: Been reading your column in the Bulletin and I feel as you do about helping young jugglers. You mention a number of reasons why you think it would be a good idea to have a source of information for those interested. Perhaps I can add another.
A number of years ago I was teaching rope spinning to more than 1000 children at about 40 different playgrounds in one of our larger cities. I incurred the wrath and condemnation of many of my fellow performers. They just couldn't see any point in my teaching roping. "Why, you'll start these 1000 kids and soon we'll all be out of a job," was the way one roper summed it up. Well, it's been years since this happened. To my knowledge, not one of these now grown up kids has entered the professional ranks.
Yet, look at the interest that was created. When little Johnnie was learning to spin a rope, his family and often his neighbors and associates became roping conscious. From Johnnie's interest they became better acquainted with his hobby and became better audiences. The more familiar your audience is with your skills, the greater the appreciation. As your knowledge increases, your interest grows. If you understand the different plays, know the players and can "follow the ball", you'll get more enjoyment out of ball games. So I believe it would be with juggling or other little publicized pastimes or sports.
We all know that it takes a lot more than "How to do it" instructions or directions to make a successful performer. You ably presented this with magic as your example. In closing, I want to commend you on your stand. Best of luck to you and Roger and of course the "Juggler's Bulletin". (Thanks, pal. Pic shows Frank doing his stuff.--Doug)
JUGGLERS' JUNCTION by BETTY GORHAM
It was our pleasure to have as a recent visitor to Davenport, Billy Turko. Some of the tossing this modern Barnabus is doing in public now would astound any jug who saw it being practiced. He could sell his act without the aid of flashy wardrobe and props. His dexterity and delightfully disarming manner set him solid with the patrons from the start. His ball routine consists of 3,4,5,6, and 7. Next, body rolls, etc. with large ball and some outstanding ball and mouth stick work, finishing with ball to audience. Bill's 3 and 4 club moves, such as the 4 club spread really went over swell. Never satisfied with his current climactic accomplishments, Bill is always practicing on and often originating more amazing feats. Covering his few misses with a swell job of pantomime, Bill always leaves them yelling for more. Tommy Rathburn, emcee, has taken up ball and club juggling under Bill's instruction, and is coming along fine. Bill is truly a talented tosser and a great booster for the art.
Spike Jones' City Slickers brought to Davenport last month Bill King, who had one of the best comedy jug acts we've ever laughed at. The show played to a full house and had us in the aisle (but literally) as there were no seats to be had. This jongleur did some clever club work but was really at his best during his ball to audience antics. His jesting juggling has been entertaining City Slickers' audiences for two years. Instead of spending hours practicing on moves that only another jug would appreciate Bill concentrates on comedy and audience appeal tricks. The flame of juggling has spread in the Jones org. and is now smoldering in Doodles Weaver, who can give his stogie a few flips (with some flippant remarks on the side) When we mentioned Masimilliano Truzzi, Doodles cracked, "Makes-a-million-an-ano, eh? He must be doing pretty well."
Here and There: Eddie Doyle now comedy rube juggling on fair dates... The Henderson hooping it up with Dale Bros. Circus... The Elgins and Glen Phillips got together for a swell session in Sioux Falls, S.D. recently... Bobby May performing for Edgewater Beachcombers in the Windy City. How about some contribs? Without them this column would be a customer for Digger O'Dell. Send yours in to 2303 Bridge Ave. Davenport, Iowa.
JUG JUGGLESON'S LETTER by DOUG COUDEN illustrated by JOE MARSH
Dear Roger. Well, pal, a funny thing happens which aint bad. When I was juggling at the Waldorf I get a yen for a big stack of hot cakes and after we worked I ast the waiter to have the real chef make me up a stack which he done and I started throwing them into me when a slick chick from Park Ave drifts by and asts, Why dont you juggle them, Jug. This gives me a big idea so I put it in the act. So now when we close with the spud routine we take several bows then I yell, Hey Waitress, Bring me a stack of wheats and Marie totes them in on a big platter with a silver lid over them. Well, I made a swell set of Juggling hot cakes by cutting them out of a piece of floor linoleum and painted them brown and they look just like Aunt Jemimas. The customers just think I'm a hungry actor which I aint so I yells Hey Waitress, these here cakes is too hot. I jumps up with 4 and starts juggling them like they was hot and say Roger it goes over with a big bang. My motto now is anything for a laugh. We checked up our dough but this aint like the Silver Cow as you cant turn around without spending plenty so we aint got a cent more than when we left the Silver Cow but we are going to start saving for a rainy day. After all some day we got to retire to a chicken farm or somewheres as I can't juggle when I'm 100 as the props will get all tangled up in my long white beard, ha, ha. The trouble with jugglers is they don't look ahead but not us as we're going to wind up on Easy Street. We done too much driving down from the Bronx so we moved into the Astor Hotel and eat mostly in Childs which is now high hat with a cocktail bar and all but they still got them swell butter cakes which we eat lots of. My new gag with the plate juggling is. This here is our last show in the United States... we open next week in Hoboken, which knocks them right off their gilded chairs. So long, pal. Jug.
Speaking of collector's items - we have just received the cream of them all - "The Voice From the Attic" In case you've never heard of this publication - it is published by Harry Opel of Toledo, Ohio, completely done by hand and only one issue each month made. These issues are sent out to a different person each month. This has been going on for 18 years, we having received Vol 18, No. 9. We enjoyed the entire issue greatly but would like to pass on one gem we found under the column headed, "Odds and Ends" - - "We just finished a book by Harold MacGrath called "We All Live Through It". There was a clown juggler in it and only regret there was not more of the clown juggler."
Thanks, Harry, for a swell issue.
CARDENAS JUGGLER Rudy Cardenas, youthful Mexican juggler, opened the show with a fast routine and kept it all the way, whether it was hats, cocktail shakers or balls he was tossing around. He flubbed a couple of times, but his disarming smile while doing it got him a better reception than had he gone through his act without a hitch.
BOLDEN -- Harry, juggler, dancer, and singer, recently in Meriden, Conn. The past decade he had appeared mostly at club and banquet dates in Boston and the New England States. Survived by his widow and daughter. Burial in Meriden August 4.
HAMID IMPORTS ATHOS, ONE FINGER JUGGLING EQUILIBRIST - ATLANTIC CITY, Aug. 7 -- Athos, a Scandinavian equilibrist and juggler, who balances himself on one finger placed on a billiard cue, arrived in this country July 30 and is appearing in the water and outdoor circus at George A Hamid's Steel Pier.
SHOOTIN' THE BREEZE with ROGER
CONVENTION AFTERGLOW: Doc Crosby reports I.J.A. share of "Big Toss Up" was one hundred and thirty-two shekles- Not bad, not bad, as Juggleson would put it. Crosby and Lind both report many Jamestown gentry expressing regrets in not seeing the show and others commenting on the entertainment value of the exhibition. The American Legion in Jamestown wants to back the show next time with promises of getting a real turn out. Mr. John Wright of the telephone company saw to it that Harry got his telephone. Violet Carlson reports that the newsreel pics of the convention were used on N.Y. Television Monday night, July 5th. So far, Look's disposition of pics is not known.
Pics above and to right were taken by H. H. Brown who says of the top one. "Our Chaplain (George DeMott) evidently perform- ing some religious ceremony with the help of Lou Meyer. From the costume of the young lady it is evidently a baptism by club rather than by water. Pic to right shows Chaplain giving religious instruction to young lady (Alice Shannon) while Stan Olson, James- town Post-Journal photog looks on.
If you haven't seen the pic "Give my regards to Broadway" don't miss it when it hits your theatre. It's a story of a juggling family and there is a good deal of juggling throughout the picture, taught to the stars by Bill Talent and Duke Johnson-- but we'll have a story and pictures on this in next Bulletin.
NEWS BRIEFS: Vin Carey reports seeing and meeting with Arthur Ward. Arthur, says Vin, is always ready to meet and talk with jugglers if they will only drop backstage and make themselves known. Vin also reports seeing Marvin Girard who is clowning with King Bros. Circus and practicing Juggling daily. Elwin T. Shaw reports working with the Solacs, an Italian juggling team, man and wife. They juggle and pass hoops and clubs with the lady doing a neat five hoop toss. Also do head to head balancing while playing violins.
Starting with this issue you will find an added feature-- Howard Nichols' "LIST OF KNOWN JUGGLERS". In alphabetic order it will give the names and a brief identification (when known) of every known Juggler as compiled from the files of Howard Nichols and the Bulletin. The pages are not numbered so that at some future date when the list is completed you can bind them all together separate from the Bulletin if you wish. In this way you can add notes and clippings of your own to make a priceless collection. We have left space between names so that you can also add your own notes at the appropriate place. The page numbers appearing after many of the names refers to Bulletin pages on which the name has appeared.
There are already over 2000 names on the list and that such a list would be complete and without errors is impossible, so we ask that as the names appear and you find errors or additions you drop a line to the Bulletin or Howard Nicholls. From time to time an addenda sheet will be published giving these additions and corrections. While we cannot publish pictures of everyone on the list (even if they were available) we do want to print a select group of them and will appreciate any rare or unusual pictures you may have in your own collection. Such pictures should have the name of the act or performer written on back as well as your own name and address so the pictures can be returned after using. Many of you collectors of Juggliana can do a great deal to make this work truly monumental. To Howard Nichols should go the thanks and appreciation of all jugglers for the tremendous amount of work he has and is putting into this compilation.