~HOW HIGH IS YOUR RIGGING?~

GIL GRAY GAVE US OUR FIRST JOB WITH "THE PHAROAHS" CRADLE ACT, WE HAD BEEN ON THE SHOW TWO YEARS WITH TRUDY DOING HER SINGLE TRAP & THE FLYING ACT, AS WELL AS THE ROLLING GLOBE ACT WITH HER SISTERS, SO WHEN WE DECIDED TO DO THE CRADLE WE HOPED HE WOULD GIVE US THE CHANCE.
DOING BUSINESS WITH HIM WAS ALWAYS AN INTERESTING EXPERIENCE, HE WAS NOTORIOUSLY "HARD OF HEARING", OR SO IT SEEMED, AT OPPORTUNE TIMES IN THE CONVERSATION, THE HAND WOULD GO BEHIND HIS EAR & HE WOULD SAY, "EH". HE ALSO SEEMED TO KNOW JUST WHEN YOUU WERE GOING TO TALK MONEY, & WOULD SUDDENLY NOTICE A SCRATCH ON ONE OF THE FLOATS, OR SOME OTHER DIVERSION. WHEN WE FINALLY GOT THE DEAL SET & I TURNED TO WALK AWAY, HE ASKED, "HOW HIGH IS YOUR OUTDOOR RIGGING?", I REPLIED "48 FEET", HE THEN SAID, "PUT 12 FOOT FLAG POLES ON IT & TELL 'EM IT'S 60 FEET".
NOW FAR BE IT FOR SHOW PEOPLE TO EXAGERATE ANYTHING IN ADVERTISING THEIR ACT BUT TRUE OR NOT HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF "TELL 'EM IT'S 60 FEET", STARTING WITH OLD TIME "SWAY POLE" ACTS.


D'LONRA~75 FEET



HARRY FROEBESS~75 FEETHARRY'S POLE WAS UNIQUE IN IT'S TIME, IT WAS 75 FEET HIGH WITH ONE SET OF GUY LINES AT 20 FEET, THUS HAVING A LONGER MORE GRACEFUL SWAYING MOVEMENT MUCH LIKE THE POLES OF TODAY.



APRIL FOSSETT~110 FEET



THE SENSATIONAL MARIONS~120 FEET




COL. MARVIN SEABRIGHT~148 FEET THIS IS COL. MARVIN SEABRIGHT WORKING ON THE POLE THAT FORMERLY BELONGED TO BEN MUTON,(sp?), ON THE GIL GRAY CIRCUS MARVIN GENERALLY WORKED AT 105 FEET, BUT HE & BEN BOTH TOLD ME WITH ALL THE SECTIONS THE TOTAL HEIGHT WAS 148 FEET.

WHEN BEN DID THE ACT HE CLOSED WITH A HIGH DIVE INTO A TANK, SURROUNDED BY, "SHARP" SPEARS. HE WAS AN OLD LOUISIANA CAJUN, & I MET HIM IN 1957, WHEN WE WORKED IN PONCHERTRTAINE PARK IN NEW ORLEANS, AT THAT TIME HE WAS TAKING CARE OF THE SWIMMING POOL. HE HAD ONE OF THE OLD TOP PEICES OF HIS OLD POLE MOUNTED IN THE GROUND & WAS STILL ABLE TO PRESS A ONE HAND STAND

THE GREAT JANSLEY~168 FEET