Friday, June 21, 2019

THRILLS #4


Posted by Chic Silber at 6/21/2019 12:23:00 AM

2 comments:

Chic Silber said...


Back in the late 60s the Farfans

with Armando an older brother

& younger sister Alicia had a

version of this platform rig on

a 50 ft pole on the Beatty Show

I have seen many many of these

similar routines since then but

none were any more exciting


21 June, 2019 00:55
Roger Smith said...

On Castle, in '73, we had this act worked by my friends, the Danish troupe, Trio Angelos. In Fort Wayne, Henning Schmucker was on the far extension of the rigging, spinning spread-eagled in a neck loop. He had the keeper slid down into place, but the stitching tore loose, and the loop suddenly came open. Henning was being rotated out beyond the rigging, which was hung at some 60 feet above the concrete floor, and barely grabbed the loop before being slung away. The act safely came down, took their bows, and exited. Henning, trembling and pale, excitedly showed the split keeper to us at the back door. He went into the MDR and sat down, only to quickly collapse to the floor. The building security and paramedics tried for half an hour to revive him, but he was lost to a heart attack. His brother, Vern, had been my assistant on cages, but at once returned to his family act, and went up with them in the next show. Henning was buried there, and the family act continued on in the old tradition.

21 June, 2019 02:19

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