PEACHES' SKY REVIEW
Probably the most talked about High Act of all was the famous "Peaches Sky Review", it must have been a sight, I did get here too late for this one.
Now there is a rigging, I thought the Kimris outdoors was impressive but this beats them all, I can't even conceive how much work it took to set it up, & tear it down. Maybe someone can come up with the actual height, and how long it took.
By the way, I believe the girls did a chorus line on those platforms, complete with high kicks.
posted by 24-HOUR-MAN | 8:21 PM
9 Comments:
Talk about unusual riggings, this must have been a devil to get up and down. It certainly wasn't a 15 minute job.
I think overnight jumps were out.
The Kimris rigging outdoors took 8 hrs. up, & 6 hrs. down. Once while working Daily Plaza in Chicago Gil Miller contacted us about jumping from there to Toledo overnight, he couldn't understand why I turned it down. He later sent me a scolding letter because Johhny Luxum made the jump with his wheel, why couldn't we do it.
While I was still with my family act The Theron's bicycicle act. Peaches ask me to joined their out door high act, I said yes! so wiht two other new girls, we practice the trapeze routine from the inside the building of about 8ft off the gound where the rest of the show was going to be on. Now' I am in peaches costume and just leaving out of the dressing room. There stood my uncle Guy Theron and stop me me from going, His words where. No! you are not going. If you fall from there what hapen to the bycicle act! I felt bad for Peaches, but then when I whent out to see the high act. I was truly very glad that my uncle stop me. I never did previously seen the whole rigging up oudoors, it was quite a sight, a great act is was and so where the Kimris.
Have to make a correction here. Peaches and Simmie had 21 (straight)one night stands - I remember vaguely an article in the paper reading -- Rigin girles one minute, beauties the next minute.
It's the only kind of act I ever came across. I do remember the 6 girl rig which was bad enought to assemble.
Was the 12th girl on the ground taking the photograph?
These are some amazing acts. I'm sorry I don't remember the names of some of the high acts that worked the 4th of July show at Soldier Field, Chicago in the 50s. Someone did a swaypole and also rode a bike on a boom. He get so close to the end you knew you were watching his demise -- the memories are still thrilling.
jim a. That would have been Veno Berosini(the older generation), his brother Otto also did Sway Pole but without the bike. I heard a story once that Otto got mad once & cut the guy wires & let the rigging fall.
I would sure rather hear about 21 overnighters in a row than be there, people now wouldn't believe some of the jumps we did,,,,& no Interstates.
These high acts have always been fascinating to me. I've always thought about acts inside a big top, but some of these acts that were too high for the tent shows were awesome. when i worked press for beatty in New Orleans in, i think it was 1964, we had the Nock swaypole act as a free act, over the sideshow bally stand, and (a) it brought EVERYBODY to hear the sideshow pitch and (B) it stopped traffic for miles in all directions since the lot was on the Gretna Parkway and the swaypoles could be seen for god knows how far during rush hour traffic. I never saw most of the acts pictured, but i can only imagine how spectacular -- and dangerous -- they are. I never worked on any rigging, but it looks like it would be impossible to take this act down, drive 100 miles overnight and put it up again in time for a performance the next day. since the girls did the rigging themselves, i guess rebecca is right when she says the show broads could do anything! And all of this before woman's lib, ERA or NOW!
I'm sure many a performer has heard the question from many a towner, " how do you do it"?, my honest answer was always,"I really don't know", we just did it!
We set up once for Tommy Hanneford's Thrill Circus at the St Paul, MN. Fair, as I said it was an 8 hr. job. I didn't notice a gentleman who sat in the bleachers the whole time watching us work,but at the end of the day he came down and introduced himself. He said, "I have to hand it to you folks, I am a construction engineer, & what you just did would take my company several days, & two cranes.
Back in the "GOOD OLD DAYS" Everybody pitched in to get the job done. Man, women, child. No questions asked. You worked together to make a better life for your friends and family. The circus world could teach the new world a thing or two about working together. Its when we got organized and seperated into different groups that we screwed the world up. You worked or you did not eat. Some things we should have left well enough alone. Working together gets things done, not joining a group. Politically correct makes me want to throw up.
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