SNAPSHOT: PHILADELPHIA THRILL SHOW
The Philadelphia Police Department staged their Hero Fund, Aerial Thrill Show every year in the old football stadium, for the life of me I can't remember the name. The show consisted of several big aerial acts, the Police Motorcycle Team,who did their entrance down a ramp from the top of one end of the seats, quite spectacular. The acts pictured here are, (L to R), The Sensational Leighs,(wheel), The Pirates of The Sky, Miss Bruno,(break away pole,working), The Quassars,(rocket), Rasini Rocket Car, also there were The Winns,(incline motorcycle). Since we built the Rocket in '74, and retired it outdoors in'79, this picture would be in that time span.
posted by 24-HOUR-MAN | 2:02 PM
3 Comments:
Actually a 7/3/79 Super Thrill Show at Von Collin Park, within easy walk to famed Phila. Art Museum, an event within Mayor Frank Rizzo's annual Freedom Week Celebration (Police & Firemen's Annual Hero Scholarship Thrill Show occurred at since razed J. F. Kennedy Stadium in S. Phila.). Besides Quassars' rocketship, 7/3 format for 6 & 8 pm shows produced by Bauer-Hall Enterprises had Leighs' space wheel, Rasini Rocket Car (owned by Bob Atterbury, with "Corpse" as rider), Buno breakaway swaypole, Lemoines' skycycles & slides-for-life, Pirates of the Sky aerial anchor & slide-for-life, Human Bomb Benny Koske, "Emperor of Inferno" Satini Demon & Flip City Natl. Tumbling team champions from Newark, NJ. Crowds of 30,000, said police, were at each show. Human Cannonball Hugo Zacchini was also booked, but brother, Eddie, producer of 7/2/79 Freedom Week Circus in Phila., refused to let Hugo join next night's show. Instead, he groused, "They (thrill show) must have every closing act in the business here."
Bill Hall, Thank you for the correct information on that show. I guess if I had looked at the picture more closely it's obviously not in a stadium. Memory is a strange thing, I remember both times we worked the Hero Show, one MC'd by Tom Posten, the other by Telly Savalas, I remember working the Centenial on the Parkway, near the Library, I remember they had a stage set up in front of the Library for "The Grateful Dead" using the steps for seating. We were tearing down & something happened there that caused a panic, & it seemed like 50,000 people came stampeding down the Blvd. toward us."Scarey". But I can't remember this show.
We did one of these in Soldiers Field for Barnes & Carruthers, and before the show they tell us, they are going to introduce us, and we will run from behind the scenery,(at the 50 yard line) to our rigging,(at the goal line), climb 70' of ladder, and do our act. I said "no, we will be standing at the bottom of the ladders and when you introduce us we will climb up and do the act". Where in the world do they get these ideas.
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