SNAPSHOT: MONSTER RIGGING
This was Rasini's Rocket Car, the car would come down the ramp, do a forward somersault, and land on a huge trampoline type canvas bed that was on rollers, upon impact the rollers would unroll giving a soft landing with no bounce.(hopefully!!!!). Everyone would take bets on whether the car would even reach the bed, let alone land upright. Bob Atterbury had the car after Rasini,and used to hire guys to "drive" it, I remember one in particular whose nickname was "Corpse"
posted by 24-HOUR-MAN | 3:07 PM
6 Comments:
I remember one in the 60's called Capt Cresso's Rocket Car - same idea but do not remember the landing apparatus. cc
Yes I remember the name, but I can't remember ever working with him, so I don't know how similar the acts were.
The last time we worked with this act it belonged to Eddie Ventura, it was at Edmonton Alberta's Klondike Days, for Barnes & Carruthers. It was an Aerial Thrill Show, consisting of Alex Albani's Platform Motorcycle, Arturo's Incline Motorcycle, The Rocket Car, Our Kimris Act, & a Breakaway Sway Pole,(I can't remember if it was Parker, or Bruno). One show Eddie came down the ramp and the apparatus that made the car do a forward somersault malfunctioned, and the car did a half back somersault and landed upside down breaking Eddie's collar bone and putting him in the hospital. The next morning the shows director Randy Avery called all the other acts together and asked if we would tear the ramp down for Eddie which we did. That was the biggest, heavyest bunch of iron I ever saw, how in the world Eddie ever did it alone I'll never know.
We also worked with this act when Eddie Ventura did it. He and his wife would set this thing up for hours and I always thought whatever they were paying him- it wasn't enough!
I saw somebody work this car, on--I think it was Gil Gray, in about '57. Like you said, it did about a half back turn and landed upside down as the rollers of the mat let him down. A swarm of prop boys pulled the car off the guy (I don't know who it was--I figured Rasini himself), and he ran out evidently unhurt, and took a style. The last time I saw it, Atterbury had it on the Texas Dates.
We worked with this act....on a small fair in the 50's
cannot remember a name, can only rememer we used to take bets would he make it or not.....usually it was NOT..
fatima
Fatima...
you are right,
we use to
take beats on it.
mireille...
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