Thursday, August 02, 2018

WIRE ACT #10


6 comments:

Chic Silber said...


Chico Guzman on the left

Karl Wallenda on the chair

Roger Smith said...

Ray Whitty in the lead spot. He, Chico, and Carla had the Wallenda act on '64s Beatty show. Rumor had it at the time Ray had become increasingly disenchanted with this association.

There was previous discussion over whether this was Chico that year, but that is what the man was being called, albeit by the Prop guys--so what the hell do I know?

The dead end of their rigging that year was a length of cable from the short side platform, running beyond the Big Top stake line, and secured by a giant clevis to 78 Cat Wagon. It was as beautiful a job of heavy cable splicing as you would see, and this time credited not to Vincent Schweitzer, but to George Wallenda, his family's engineering genius. It was he who installed a washing machine motor to propel Lou Jacobs's midget auto when the act was first conceived, in 1944.

Chic Silber said...


Not a discussion Roger but a correction

It was Paul Jordan who was Carla's husband

at that time & the father of Rietta

The billing was "The Paul Jordan Troupe

Featuring Carla Wallenda" (call Carla)

Chic Silber said...


Paul was her 2nd of 4 husbands

Chico was 3rd & she recently

lost the 4th Mike Morgan

Eugenio Bogino was the 1st

& the father of the 2 boys

Enrico (Ricky) & Mario

Chic Silber said...


Richard "Chico" was the father of Valerie

Chic Silber said...


Chico's brother Joe has been

called Chico by mistake

(I've been called Chico in jest)