Thursday, November 29, 2018

CRADLE #2


Posted by Chic Silber at 11/29/2018 12:11:00 AM

6 comments:

Chic Silber said...


Bobby Yerkes trained Fran & Phil

Schacht to be the core of a new

flying act "The Flying Apollos"

for the Beatty Show in the 70s

This cradle routine was their

2nd act (as required)

29 November, 2018 00:31
Chic Silber said...


Maybe a virgin clean Leaf canvas top

Before the many striped canvas & vinyl

Maybe in Daytona

29 November, 2018 23:45
Roger Smith said...

Their Flying Apollos co-starred with George Plimpton for his TV special. Phil told me George was a nice guy whom the showfolks all liked, and tried hard up there. He only got back to the board once, after a feets across, but this after the show when the audience was gone. Phil also said Bob Yerkes gave them a quick sketch of where the stakes go for the rigging, and left them to figure it out from there. Thanks to Tommy Clarke, they were always rigged properly.

Francine told me even after working their other acts, learning the flying act for Bob was a major ordeal incurring serious aches and pains. She said long after their conditioning was achieved, and the act was in the air, if she came in late for a trick, catching it meant physical soreness like they had just started. Phil and Francine did well on the Beatty show, but were never too happy with their association with Yerkes.

30 November, 2018 16:26
Chic Silber said...


Their relationship with Bobby Yerkes

started out on fine footing during

the extensive training in Northridge

Phil & Dennis who flew with the Apollos

were Muscle Beach gymnasts & they both

took to flying very quickly Francine

however had a rougher time of it & so

Phil argued with Bobby to protect her

The entire arrangement went South over

the financial arrangements that Phil

had agreed to but then became soured

about the length of the contract

Phil & Fran along with many other

of my circus performer friends were

covered under my Corporate Blue Cross

group health insurance plan

30 November, 2018 19:18
Chic Silber said...


On a Caribean cruise with them

Phil & I were the only diners

on several rough days at sea

Kinda like private dining in

a good size dining room when

all the other guests were in

their cabins or hanging over

the railings tossing cookies

All in all we had a great time

30 November, 2018 21:13
Chic Silber said...


Them really wuz the best of times

30 November, 2018 21:15

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