Sunday, July 21, 2013

Simian Impersonators! #8


The Great Norbu!

6 comments:

Chic Silber said...


The very best vertical rope climb

Eric said...

I saw The Great Norbu perform in Cleveland at the 1963 Edition of the Grotto Circus. I can remembering him making a fast descent on a heavy-duty elastic rope (like a big bungee cord) and landing hard enough on the floor so that I could feel the impact in my seat, which was close by. (It must have been hard on his knees!) He also went up into seats to cause mischief, like rubbing the head of a bald man and grabbing and throwing away someone’s box of popcorn. I also remember him running along the tops of the seat backs while people were sitting in those seats.

Eric said...

If you did an act like this today, someone would probably protest that it portrayed gorillas in an “offensive and demeaning manner.”

Buckles said...

We worked Cleveland in '63 and Barbara filled in for Arden when she left briefly due to an illness in the family.
I was impressed, she ran around cracking the whip and chasing the gorilla as tho she had done it all season.

Chic Silber said...


Hard to imagine that any assistance

or contribution your wife would add

to the realm of show bisiness could

ever surprise you (impressed yes)

I might have 2nd thoughts about her

with that whip though

Chic Silber said...


As I think back that vertical rope

was used to descend in making his

entrance at the top of the routine