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Sunday, March 07, 2021
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10 comments:
Carla Wallenda a member of the famous ‘Flying Wallendas’ has died at 85
Carla’s son Ricky (Enrico Bogino) confirmed her death on Saturday (yesterday)
"It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of one of the greatest
performers of all time and my mother Carla Wallenda
"The Wallendas" have never been a flying act
They are high wire performers of world reknown
Another circus great, Jackie Althoff, also passed away yesterday.
Carla was a very nice lady when I met her on the '64 Beatty show. I was a First of May cagehand, and felt honored when she would smile and say hello. That year, she starred on the high wire with her husband and partner Ray Whitty (sp). I well remember how their rigging was secured on the dead end by a great cable attached to a giant clevis on the front of 78 Cat Wagon. the splicing was a sight to behold for a nuts-and-bolts guy like me. This was not the work of master Beatty show rigger Vincent Schweitzer, but I heard it was done by George Wallenda, known as the family's designing engineer. It was also George who assisted Lou Jacobs in the creation of the famed midget auto that won Jacobs a Center Ring solo and was featured in DeMille's GSOE. When Carla's troupe was working, Bandleader Boom-Boom Browning put down his drumsticks and rose to solemnly lead the band in her music.
Later that season, I answered a knock on the sleeper door of 78, finding to my surprise Karl Wallenda, offering me a shot at joining his family as an apprentice wire-walker. I was taken aback, but respectfully explained my allegiance was to Mr. Beatty and my presence was for the cats.
Kenny Dodd told me he once walked in to a big circus gathering, and John Herriott intoned, "At last, someone is here who knows the Wallendas never had a flying act."
Sorry to correct you Roger but
Carla with with her 2nd husband
Paul Jordan & little Rietta in
63 & 64 on Beatty with a wire act
billed as "The Paul Jordan Troupe"
"Featuring Carla Wallenda"
The very nice tall young Ray was
a Sailor Circus find by Karl to
work with them
It was during that early Spring
Commack date in 63 when Carla
received the phone call from
Omaha when her aunt Henrietta
fell from a swaypole & died
Ray was with them in '64, but above I stated Carla was "with her husband and partner Ray Whitty", which was not well written. I should had said "with her husband and THEIR partner Ray Whitty". My apologies, I'm pushing 50.
Quite by accident, I was seated next to Carla Wallenda at the Gibtown Showmens Club a few years ago. Had a nice conversation with her and she shared with me that when she booked the swaypole on a Carnival....She would try and book her Hi-Striker and Ice Cream Joint together with her act. The was she explained it to me....the Hi-Striker and Ice Cream were on location close to the Sway Pole. She said as soon as she came down from her act....she worked the joints. Guess she shared this with me because she knew I was in concessions. Meant to say...The way she explained it to me.....Quite the business woman......
Don't push too hard Roger
you're almost there (50?)
Don't forget to reset the
clocks on your birthday
I thought you meant Ray
was her husand so I'm sorry
I hit 50 28 years back but
it didn't leave big marks
Carla & her 4th husband Mike Morgan
also had portable SkiBall games
that I helped frame for them in
aluminum tubing with SpeedRail
fittings that I kept sending them
the missing allen head setscrews
that went astray on jumps
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