Sunday, July 29, 2018

FLYERS #14


Posted by Chic Silber at 7/29/2018 12:18:00 AM

3 comments:

Roger Smith said...

Plimpton made a career of trying things almost impossible for him, if just once. He played quarterback for the Detroit Lions, and won his first notice with his book, PAPER LION. John Wayne allowed him a one-line role in a Western, so George could say he co-starred with Wayne. He was allowed one riff on the tympani in a symphony orchestra. For this special, he prevailed upon Frank McClosky to put him in the flying act, where coached by Bob Yerkes, he worked with the Flying Apollos, and at last did a feets-across to Phil Schacht. The circus stuff in this Special is worth looking for it.

30 July, 2018 00:54
Chic Silber said...


He was the nicest guy but clumsy

& awkward in training for weeks

I give him an A for effort but

a definite failure in execution

He was black & blue all over

He also never made it back to

the pedestal after the lame leap

The shooting was mostly done in

Philly by a Finish cameraman

who had done many assignments

for National Geographic

30 July, 2018 01:21
Roger Smith said...

Right. As I recall the film, after being caught for the feets-across, George was returned to the bar, but made an ungainly flop to the net. But for him, getting caught at all was a thrill, and good for George.

31 July, 2018 18:58

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