Most of the story of Mozetto aka Rupert Ingalese aka Frederick Priest has been written by juggling historians Reg Bacon and Thom Wall. Thanks to them both for their help with this- I've just focused on the Australian bits....You can check out Reg Bacon's website or pick up Thom Wall's edition of Ingalese's book
In 1912 an unusual juggler came to Australian shores. He
travelled under the name F Mozetto and was an extroverted young man with very
strong views about the art of juggling.
Mozetto, who looked more German than his Italian name
suggested, according to a newspaper account, was booked by Tivoli owner Harry
Rickards. Rickards died before Mozetto arrived
in Australia, but the contract was honoured by his successor, Mr Hugh McIntosh.
The juggler had a very long tour and claimed it as a world record.
Mozetto was described as an American juggler in the
Australian Press. In an interview, he claimed that he had been juggling since
he was a child, and that he was inspired by the juggler Charlene. He gave several long interviews. In each one
he emphasised the necessity of practice.
He claimed, ‘before I go on stage for a performance, I put in half an
hour or an hour just doing a few old tricks to get my nerves and muscles under
control.’
Mozetto on the Tivoli Programme
In Australia, Mozetto
was described as the originator of the marvellous coin catching trick. This
trick was the talk of the Australian vaudeville world and featured in all the
reviews of his act.
In the coin trick, Mozetto took seven coins, threw them in
the air and then caught each one individually as they fell. He used pennies. He
claimed that he could catch nine, but he would only catch seven on stage.
He also had an assistant in his act, young Eugene Cottin.
Cottin’s role was to provide the humour and act as a balancing prop. As part of
the act, Mozetto held Cottin in his left hand, juggled two plates with his
right hand, and balanced a billiard cue with a lamp on the end on his forehead.
His balancing tricks were described as ‘very clever’, whilst his coin catching
trick was seen as ‘neat.’
During his tour, Mozetto had one major problem, the
Australian climate. The humidity made juggling difficult. ‘Australia is the worst
for a juggler to show in. By the time I have done two or three tricks my hands
are as slippery as wet eels.’
Despite his complaints, he also complained about the lights,
it seems that Mozetto was quite popular in the country. In Sydney he associated
with a group called the Chasers, who met every Thursday at the harbour. He
created a record for the group by eating nine chops in one sitting.
Mozetto and presumably Eugene Cottin from an Australian newspaper
He also seemed popular with the ladies, and in April 1913
Miss Vera Remee, an actress, confided to an Adelaide newspaper that she was
engaged to Mr F Priest of Priest, Dodd and Co, London, better known as the
world famous, Mozetto the juggler. Miss Remee later starred in an Australian
movie called The Sundowner, but never seems to have become Mrs Priest or Mrs
Mozetto.
Mozetto left Australia in 1913 with his assistant Eugene. He
continued working internationally until around 1920, when he disappeared.
However, he was replaced by another juggler standing 5 foot 7 inches tall, with
fair hair and blue eyes, the well-known juggling ‘sage’, ‘philosopher’ and
author, Rupert Ingalese. Strangely those measurements were similar to those of
Mozetto.
It was Mozetto’s habit of dining on the shores of Sydney
Harbour that led to the discovery by modern jugglers that Mozetto and Ingalese were
the same person, as the article which mentioned the world record chop eating
feat referenced both names
The Chaser's club, a few years before Mozetto joined them
In 1920 Mozetto disappeared from the billboards to be
replaced by Rupert Ingalese. The next year, Ingalese published a book called,
Juggling, or How to be a Juggler. The book detailed how as a young man,
Ingalese had seen a street juggler dressed in tights. Later he encountered the
juggler Charlene and then he had a prophetic dream. In the dream, a young Ingalese was thrilling a
large theatre crowd with his juggling feats. The book advocated lots of
practice saying that practising juggling developed ‘admirable qualities of the
mind, patience and diligence’. The instructional manual approached juggling as
a skill and showed a love of the art shared by all jugglers. According to
Ingalese, ‘no man is born a juggler. It is an acquired Art, - requiring similar
qualities of mind and character to those necessary to enable a man to excel in
any walk of life.’
In 1924, he returned to Australia using the Ingalese name
with his wife, Dorothy, and assistants. Several articles in the Australian
press referred to his ‘real name’ being F R Priest and mentioned that he had
previously toured Australia.
Ingalese arrived in November under contract to JC
Williamson. The announcement of his arrival identified him as Mr F R Priest,
who in ‘1911-12 performed without a break for 45 weeks which he claimed as a
record in Australia in a ‘dumb’ act.’
Rupert Ingalese from an Australian newspaper
The Ingalese turn was completely different from Mozetto’s
show. The act was set in a red drawing room. The curtains opened to Agnes Grey,
(Mrs Priest) playing Moonlight Sonata on a piano, her hair was red. A footman,
in red breeches, entered with a card, and was closely followed by a gentleman
in a cloak, lined in red, Rupert Ingalese, who proceeded to juggle various
objects in the room. The whole was conducted in silence, with the footman
providing the humour and Agnes the piano accompaniment.
Ingalese juggled the candles lining the room, he balanced the
servant in one hand whilst juggling with the other, he played the piano with
one hand and juggled with the other, there was balancing, coin tossing and humour. In Perth he performed a trick that he claimed
had never been performed before, he spun a hoop on one leg, played a musical
instrument on the other, juggled with one hand and balanced a lampshade on his forehead.
The threesome performed all over Australia, sometimes
between short films, sometimes on a vaudeville bill. It was a long exhausting
tour.
Ingalese, wife Dorothy and partner, left Australia and
continued to tour the world. He changed his name twice more, once to Paul Wingrave
and then to Rajputana.
The juggler of many identities died in 1958 and was survived
by Dorothy, in his will he left her 2000 pounds.