Sunday, October 08, 2017

#15 Aerialists

Picture titled "Carla".

6 comments:

Chic Silber said...


Carla is working her high pole

into her 80s & recently lost her

husband Mike Morgan to cancer

She is the last true "Wallenda"

All the many rest are decendants

Roger Smith said...

My memories of Carla begin with the '64 Beatty show, when she headed the Wallenda wire act, which included her husband Chico, and Ray Whitty.

Chic Silber said...


In 64 Roger Carla was married to

her 2nd husband Paul Jordan who

was the father of daughter Rietta

The act was billed as the Paul

Jordan Troupe with Carla Wallenda

They were in Commack in the spring

of 63 when she heard that her aunt

Henrietta was killed in a fall

Richard "Chico" Guzman was her 3rd

husband & the father of Valerie

Chico was killed in 72

Chic Silber said...


Henrietta for whom a street

in Sarasota was named for

fell from a swaypole in Omaha

Paul was Johnny Jordan's brother

Roger Smith said...

They guy with her on the wire, and in the trailer, in '64, was called Chico. I had no knowledge of her marital history. Makes for some interesting retrospective,though.

One day a knock came on the door of 78's sleeper compartment, and there stood Karl Wallenda, introducing himself, and telling me if I'd "get away from dese stinking cats of Bee-tee's", he'd make me a star on the high wire. I explained that Mr. Beatty was my boyhood hero, I was lucky he hired me, and thanking Mr. Wallenda, I politely turned him down.

Chic Silber said...


Kenny confirmed that it was

Paul Jordan & not Chico

The other fellow was a Ray