Saturday, June 19, 2010

Mayme Ward #1 (From Buckles)


MAIL0046, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

I have seen a couple of all girl flying acts but by far the
best known lady catcher in the U.S. was Mayme Ward.
She was truly remarkable.

These are the Flying Wards in 1929, four of which I
later knew personally. #3 & #4 Wayne Larey and
Tuffy Genders.
Front row, #1 & #3 Eileen Voice and Mayme Ward.

Posted by Buckles at 6/19/2010 06:06:00 AM

1 comments:

Roger Smith said...

In his book, THE BIG TOP, Fred Bradna wrote of Mayme Ward, " [Eddie] Ward preferred that all his pupils who had sufficient strength learn to catch before they flew. His wife Mayme was five years a catcher before she was ever on a fly bar."

And, "Only a strong man can catch an athlete after a triple somersault...just to prove the rule by the exception, Mayme Ward is the only woman who ever acted as catcher of the 'triple,' but she did it infrequently."

Read Bradna's Chapter 12,"Leapers, Tumblers and Flyers".

I remember Del Graham beaming with pride over his all-girl flying act. They were with us in '68, on Miller-Johnson, until, one fateful day, Del had the girls all out driving the stakes and laying out the rigging right where fledgling owner Charles Germaine had designated. Germaine strolled over and told Del he thought the flying act would go better over there. Del said all right, and the girls pulled all the stakes, drove them again according to Del's tape measure, and re-laid the rigging. Once the stakes were down, Germaine walked over to say no, he wanted the act back where it was in the first place. Del quietly had the girls pull the stakes, gather the rigging, and load it out. To the spluttering protests of Charles Germaine, we stood and watched the act disappear around the first curve in the road.

20 June, 2010 22:04

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