Saturday, August 28, 2010

More on "Congo"


DSC02593, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.



Since there seems to be some interest in my early attempts at circus fame as Congo the Almost Human Gorilla I wanted provide a fuller account of how this creature evolved thru the ages. Scroll down to: "From Bill Powell # 7" on the blog then click on comments for a brief back story then return to the paragraph below.


So the story of my journey towards fame as a Human Gorilla continues:




The interesting story of how Bill Powell became Congo the Almost Human Gorilla and mystery birthday guest.


The Bill Powell almost Human Gorilla act had several reprieves over the years. Originally, the Gorilla was a second act of Joe Lemke and Marvin Varner. The costume was made of Yak hair and offered quite an aroma from the inside on a hot summer day.......but I digress.
I substituted for Marvin during a summer when he either hurt himself or needed to work concessions. The Hershey candy pitch may have been right after the Gorilla act so Marvin made an economic decision to pay me to do the act so he could make the pitch.

The show was Carden/Johnson in the late sixties and early seventies. I recall switching shows a couple summers. I would stay with my dad on Carden and Johnson and then travel to Gatti Charles circus with my mom and Bucky. Logistics aside, the Gorilla act was one of my "gigs" during this time.

I recall the Gorilla "shtick" was a good pick up line with young ladies at college when they asked what I did: " I train elephants and work in a Gorilla act. " Either this got the conversation started or they would look at me funny and walk away.

A few years later after I joined Allen Bloom's marketing team the Gorilla act was resurrected for a different occasion. In fact, a facsimile of the act was reprieved three times over the years to celebrate his birthday.

Allen was a big old gruff guy with a heart of gold and a wonderful sense of humor. His office was centered around a big kitchen table desk. It was usually piled high with reports. Allen would love to hold court at the end of the day and tell old rock and roll stories of how he stuffed Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Paul Anka and a dozen other acts onto one bus and go on tour in the fifties.

One day it was his 40th birthday and David Rosenwasser coaxed me to do something to surprise him at the office. As we were brainstorming what we might do I said: "Hey what if we strip his desk and cover it with cake icing with a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLEN.....and I will rent a gorilla suit and be sitting in his chair smoking a cigar when he comes in." David, having a twisted sense of humor readily agreed and the plot was hatched.

So we did exactly this. We hired a cake decorator for the desk and secretly decorated the top with a birthday message. I get in the suit and light up a Cuban stogie and about 10 am he rounds the corner to be greeted by this scene (with everyone hiding out of view laughing their asses off).

Allen was speechless upon surveying the scene and everyone comes out of the woodwork and starts singing happy birthday. I exit, identity unrevealed, thru Irvin's office (which was adjacent to Allen). I cannot remember if Irvin was in that day but do not imagine he would have found the scene amusing.

So I go to a vacant office and change then walk around to join the others wishing Allen a happy birthday never revealing my alter ego.

Fast forward 10 years later and the Gorilla resurfaces. Susan Bloom invites everyone in Allen's inner circle to a swanky restaurant in Georgetown for his 60th surprise birthday. Susan told Allen the evening was just going to be a quiet dinner with the two of them. I decide to reprieve the Gorilla for another cameo appearance. The scene is very uptown and everyone is showing up for the gala affair. Upon arriving guests cannot help but notice a Gorilla at the end of bar quietly sipping a scotch and smoking a Cuban cigar.

Allen and Susan were late arriving and I was in that suit for over an hour having consumed a couple Scotch and cigars not speaking but motioning like any self respectable Gorilla would do on a night out on the town. I recall a perplexed black tie clad piano player gently tickling the ivories as I enjoyed a Cohiba Robusto and Glenlivet single malt.

So Allen and Susan show up and everyone burst into the birthday song and he is overwhelmed with emotion and is making the rounds hugging everyone ......and he comes up the Gorilla at the bar. The gorilla does not speak but motions Allen closer and gives him a hug and takes a puff on the cigar, finishes his drink, shakes Allen's hand and exits leaving Allen wondering why this ape has visited him on two separate occasions 10 years apart.

The story continues. Allen departed Ringling in December of 1995 around the time of his 60th birthday. It was an emotional time for many and Susan decided to skip any celebration.

Ten years later, our group learns that Allen is having a small group of family to his house for his 70th birthday. Since he left the company many of his group departed and were all scattered everywhere.

I decided that Congo the Almost Human Gorilla needed to reprieve the act one more time. This time I rented the costume from a costume house in Tampa and created a video of a Gorilla trying to hitch hike a ride from Tampa, Florida to Potomac, Maryland that ended with a reveal of the mystery person behind the Gorilla and a heartfelt wish for Allen to enjoy his birthday.

Bill Powell

5 comments:

Chic Silber said...

I had heard about at least 1 of

those episodes but never knew it

was you in the outfit "Bravo"

My only question is do you still

have the getup (must be even more

fragrant after all these years)

Chic Silber said...

In regards to Joe Lemke I have

this hilarious image of him from

many years ago when the Jimmy

Harrington "Circo Panamericano"

played a ballpark "Hiram Bithorn"

(adjacent to the site of "Coliseo

Roberto Clemente" that was built

some years later) when Joe had his

terrific BIG chimp Susie that was

the mainstay of his act but needed

constant reminder of heirarchy

Soooo 1 night as the short pipe

fell out of Joe's sleeve it took

Susie a split second to retrieve

it & chase Joe around & out of

the park through the sidewall

behind the outfield

From my position in a central

press box (calling lights) I

was able to see him run for his

life until a crew was able to

corral the chimp out of sight

of the audience (what fun)

Dick Flint said...

Great story! Don't think I'll ever see the gorilla parody again without recalling this story! Cigars seemed to be de rigueur among Allen Bloom's promoters.

Irvin Feld's role in promoting early rock-and-roll, R&B, and Gospel singers should be better known than it is considering his pioneering role in such business. It wasn't until the early/mid fifties that live appearances were made after the demise of vaudeville and the fading of nightclubs. Bob Hope, among the big names, was one of the first in the mid-50s to appear at a fair when Jack Reynolds of the Eastern States Exposition (now the Big E) was among the first fair managers to book such acts when he arrived there from the Wisconsin State fair.
Dick Flint
Baltimore

Bill Powell said...

Serendipity !

Randy Bloom (Allen's son) sent me an e mail after reading the blog and thanked me for remembering his father on Allen's birthday.

August 28th is Allen birthday. I kind of forgot the exact date and something must have nudged me this morning to get up and write about the gorilla and Allen Bloom.

Maybe he was looking for a laugh !

Bill Powell

Chic Silber said...

Well surprise surprise not only

does Phillip Morris Costume Co

still exist but the still carry

a gorilla suit (now synthetic)

I'll send Buckle the photo