Monday, August 18, 2008

From Chic Silber


Scan10614, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.


Hi Buckles

I noticed that someone mentioned the revolving mirrored balls

that Charly had tigers sitting up on for several years on Blue

He trained 3 cats (sorry can't remember which 2 besides Kismet)

for this trick and asked me to create the second ball to revolve

in the opposite direction from the first so that the reflections

made a more interesting pattern in the arenas

When we brought the new one to Venice Charly was surprised

and quite annoyed that none of the 3 would remain seated on

the new one when we turned them on

We had to rip the unit apart and create a dual sleeved shaft

so that the balls still rotated opposite each other but the small

platforms on top both turned in the same direction as the first

Great information for a bar bet

By the way I'll be back in Sarasota this Tuesday for about

2 weeks if you have a chance to get down that way

Best regards

Chic

Posted by Buckles at 8/18/2008 03:28:00 PM

11 comments:

Buckles said...

As performance Director Charly could be pretty severe on Clowns and Show Girls.
I remember an occasion we had the pay-off elephants lined up out back and he was being discussed by the riders. One girl concluded by saying, "Well, what do you expect from someone whose balls glitter?"
Another added, "And they revolve too!"

18 August, 2008 15:53
Wade G. Burck said...

Chic,
Thanks for the great pictures. Any others you have of the great Baumann please send them in.
FYI one of the mirrored ball tigers eventually became Prince who Hawthorn sold to Ringling in 1978. He was the one that Charly gave to Gunther upon his retirement in 1983. The up and down was not working, and the one ball just went around. In 1991, I had the honor of working with the same tiger, that I had delivered to the Chicago Amphitheater in 1978 and the same ball that had thrilled me earlier in my life. I asked Boss if we could fix the ball so it went up and down like it used to, and he said, it always breaks, better you worry about training a new tiger to go on it, Prince is old. Boss was pretty smart, so I taught a new young tiger named King to go on it and used Prince to practice. Just as GGW predicted, 2 weeks before the opening Prince died. Lucky I listened to him about training a new tiger, and not to worry about up and down.
Again, for my money, Charlys Tiger Act with the lights, music, behaviors, equipment, presentation was the greatest there has ever been, that I have seen, and still photos form others doesn't prove anything.
And you Mr. Silber, should be right up there with the man who helped design/build the Golden Gate Bridge.
Regards,
Wade Burck

18 August, 2008 17:06
Wade G. Burck said...

Addendum to Chic,
That was myself that mentioned the mirrored balls. I thank you very much for the information. I was so excited by it, I called my son to tell him. I never realized the balls turned opposite of each other. All I knew is that for 30 years, I have never been able to replicate or have seen replicated, the "fire" that shot off, and covered the building from floor to ceiling of Charlys mirrored balls. I always assumed it was because there were 3 of them. Thank you.
Wade Burck

18 August, 2008 17:17
Anonymous said...

YES : That was the Effect !
& IT WAS DAZELING !

Was this introduced into the Show in 1974 - when I first saw it ?

19 August, 2008 10:02
Mike Naughton said...

I was under the impression that the dazzling mirror ball effect was attained by the use of the 8 spot lights that hit the globe which could not be duplicated with fewer spot lights and less wattage (less powerful) on other building shows.

19 August, 2008 12:50
Wade G. Burck said...

Mike,
That's the wrong impression. Hawthorn built a straight sided mirrored prop for the riding act that Herta Cuneo trained in 1974. Imagine an upside down ice cream cone, with the top cut off and a seat for the tiger to sit up on. We played many of the same building Ringling did, and used the same building spotlights. It had the effect of a fire 4 1/2 to five feet away from the prop. Flash didn't even do out of the arena.
Wade Burck

19 August, 2008 14:15
Anonymous said...

Question for Wade,
I thought the name of the tiger that rode Kongo with GGW was Prince. Same animal or way off?

19 August, 2008 14:43
Mike Naughton said...

Wade,

I didn't know you trained mirror balls, too.


I said that in jest, now don't get huffy. Really, I'm kidding, I couldn't resist.

19 August, 2008 14:48
Wade G. Burck said...

Jim A,
Gunthers Prince that rode Congo, as another Prince, that was gone when Charlie gave GGW his Prince and the mirrored ball.
Wade

19 August, 2008 15:58
Wade G. Burck said...

Mike,
Why would I get huffy. I can tell a jest a mile off, although many can't. As Hawthorn found out it is the round shape that causes the reflection(although Deney Terrio on Dance Fever probably know that.) And it is the round going in opposite directions that makes for the brilliant affect of Charly's mirrored balls, as Chic explains. Irvin provided the funds, Chic provided the idea, and Charley provided the talent. Three important components to success, and some feel they can do it all alone.
I was laughing last night, thinking of Charly going nut's trying to sit 3 tigers up with pedestals going in opposite directions. Almost an exercise in futility.
Wade Burck

19 August, 2008 16:12
Henry said...

The Prince that rode Kongo the Elephant was together with his brother Buffy the first cups that we had born after arriving in Ringling. Soon after Natasha was born and the three of them became the riding tigers for the mixed act. I hand raised Prince in my stateroom at the train and Jeannette Williams raised Buffy who became very sick and could not do a Pu after rubbing his bum as you do with cups. The Vet told us that there was very little hope and that he would die soon. Jeanette had him crawling around in the hallway one night because he would not stop crying and I got up to have a look at him. As I stepped out in to the hallway in the dark I could feel something under my foot and heard a scream and then a fart and then the shit hit the fan and it started to smell really bad.
That night I did`n mind having really bad stinking shit on my foot.

19 August, 2008 16:41

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