Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Cinquevalli 1909
Friday, September 23, 2022
The Amazing Sparkling life of Frank P Littlejohn- Juggler
Frank Littlejohn, juggler, inventor, parachutist and acrobat
had an eventful life that spread across
two world wars, a depression and the 1960s social revolution. Frank was an inveterate
traveller and skilful performer who juggled his entire life.
Frank Price Littlejohn was born in California in October
1890, his father was a farmer, but Frank obviously felt that farming was not
his forte. He apparently had other, bigger, plans.
By the time he was 19, Frank was living in Oregon with the
Brennon family. That same year he married 20 year old Clara Brennon. It’s not
clear how or why Frank decided to become a juggler, but by 1913 he and Clara
were juggling as ‘The Littlejohns’ on the variety circuit.
Not only was he juggling, but Frank had patented his own
juggling club design.
In 1914 Frank submitted a design for an Indian club with a
difference, it reflected light and was decorated with rhinestones. Frank’s 40
year juggling career was subsequently built on this invention.
Frank’s Juggling Club Patent.
Shortly after the club was patented, the Littlejohns were
seen on stage in Chicago by Australian entrepreneur Ben Fuller, who invited
them to Australia for a tour.
The pair readily accepted and in 1916 arrived in the country.
Their act was a ‘sparkling’ turn, filled with flashing props
and shining costumes.
Axes and clubs set with crystals spun through the air whilst
Frank and Clara balanced on a white shining wire. Clara balanced and juggled on
a large mirror ball whilst Frank spun plates studded with rhinestones. The
effect was a radiant flashy sequence of lights on stage, thrilling the audience
with visual wonder
The pair toured the whole country, visiting Melbourne,
Perth, Sydney, Adelaide and regional areas such as Newcastle in New South Wales.
Clara was pregnant and gave birth to their son Robert when the
pair were in Sydney.
They remained in the country until February 1917, when they
returned to the United States. While in Australia Frank had registered another
patent, this time a method of attaching sparkling gems to flexible materials. This too formed the basis of his long career.
In 1919, Frank and Clara applied for passports for another
tour which included Australia. By this time they had two children, Frank and
Robert.
Their intention was to travel to Japan, China, South Africa,
India, England, Australia and Egypt. They arrived in China in 1920, but tragedy
struck. Clara died shortly after giving birth to their third child, who it seems
did not survive.
Frank decided to continue and he eventually ended up in
Australia.
According to the Australian government, in 1920 he arrived with another woman who he said was his wife. In December 1920 he
and this woman were performing in the Sinbad the Sailor pantomime in Melbourne
for the Tait Brothers.
It seems that Frank often arrived in random countries
without work contracts, hoping for the best. He seemed to have good contacts
and a fine reputation amongst Australian managers and readily found work at this
time.
The act stayed with the pantomime until February 1921 when
it appears Frank returned to the United States for a time. The highlight of the
performance in the pantomime according to the papers was the ‘balancing’.
When Frank returned to Australia in May 1921, he brought
another lady with him. But this relationship did not last, because Frank had
met Melba May Wilmott who became his juggling partner in the ‘Littlejohns’.
They briefly appeared on the Tivoli circuit, but there was
little publicity or work available. According to the trade magazines,
‘Littlejohn laid off quite a while in this country waiting for an adequate
salary. When it wasn’t forthcoming he decided to beat it.’
Shortly afterwards, they travelled to the United States, to
play the vaudeville circuit.
According to Frank, during this period they also performed
in Japan during an earthquake. As the last act on stage they had to abruptly
leave when the quake hit. When they returned over 1000 rhinestones were
missing. The manager apparently explained that this was the audience’s way of
showing appreciation.
In 1923 they returned to Australia. They were engaged to Fullers
for a period of 28 weeks from August for a dual salary of 40 pounds per week.
It was, at this time, at the beginning of the roaring twenties, that the Littlejohns reached the pinnacle of their fame. Their bright, iridescent act fitted perfectly with the excitement, joy and exuberance of the era, and their high energy light show reflected the optimism of the age.
They entered a stage decorated with blue velvet curtains
with elaborate decorations outlined in shining gems. Above them was a
spinning vase reflecting a rainbow of lights.
Frank and Melba juggled on large multihued spheres and manipulated
axes, dice, plates and their patented
sparkling clubs while dressed head to toe in bedazzled costumes.
It was the visual glamour of the setting that enchanted
audiences and embodied the ethos of the age. The reviews concentrated on the
set more than their juggling skills, although both performers were
acknowledged as talented jugglers.
As one newspaper described it
‘The stage, the
costumes and every item employed in the act are eye dazzling in a myriad of
colours’
The pair were also praised for their prop making skills with
Frank claiming to have worked in rhinestones for over 18 years. Frank said that
he had provided special props for Broadway productions, circuses and more than
a thousand vaudeville acts. He told one newspaper that he had a production
house in New York where he paid workers one pound per 1000 rhinestones set.
After their contract with Fullers expired they put together
their own touring company which travelled the regions of Queensland. Then in 1925, the Littlejohn revue company
travelled to Asia.
It seems that Frank,
as usual, had not arranged any firm bookings for the company before leaving
Australia and without these, the performers were left without money and occupation.
Members of the company started leaving. Albert Rees, the pianist quit, Ivy
Nicholls left in Hong Kong, whilst Bessie Lester also left. A later report from
the Australian government stated that two Australian women were deserted in the
Phillipines by the Littlejohns.
The advance manager for the show, Jack Emsworth told a trade
magazine that,
‘I am sorry for Littlejohn, he lost a pot of money.’
Frank and Melba cancelled the tour and travelled to the
United States. There they performed on the vaudeville circuit. They also ran
advertisements in Variety Magazine for Littlejohns Inc, 254 W 46th
Street New York. Littlejohns Inc sold 100 rhinestones for two dollars. The
price included instructions on a patented method of attaching rhinestones to
any material. Littlejohns Inc also offered to rhinestone shoes for 35 dollars a
pair. Clearly Frank was trying to make up for his losses from the tour.
In 1929 Frank and Melba returned to Australia to little fanfare.
Their exploits in 1925 may have soured the local community against them and the
dire economic situation was not promising for theatrical endeavours. The pair
had a brief pantomime appearance and then toured Queensland and New Zealand
with another company formed from local talent.
In 1930 Frank tried to arrange passports for the troupe to tour overseas, but ran into some difficulties with the authorities. An official Australian government report referred to a 1924 investigation that found that Frank’s ‘moral reputation had little to recommend it.’
Given this and that one of the troupe, 18 year old Winnie May Miller, was under age, the government investigated Frank again. It found that he
had no firm bookings in Asia and was inclined to deny permission for the passports
However, Frank provided evidence of good character. He
deposited money for a return fare for the women of the group and obtained
permission from Winnie’s mother to take her abroad. In addition the Actors Union
supported his application, saying they had received no complaints about his
behaviour.
Finally the government approved the application for
passports, but Frank decided not to proceed. The depression had decimated the
theatrical industry. Instead, Frank, with Melba and 18 year old Winnie, travelled
to the United States.
Presumably the three of them performed there.
The Littlejohns in the 1940s
Frank and Melba returned to Australia in 1935 for a run with
the Tivoli circuit and another Queensland tour with a revue company. They
returned again in 1941. The lack of performers during the war led to a mini
revival in their Australian career and they spent most of it making sporadic
appearances at the Tivoli.
A 1940s Tivoli Program
Frank and Melba continued the travelling life for the next decade. When in Australia and not performing they stayed at Melba’s family home in Milson’s Point in Sydney.
It was there that Frank’s children visited him. One remembers
visiting his father around this time.
He lived at Milsons Point in Sydney and kept all
his juggling equipment and props in his garage, I would visit after school and
we would juggle and roll out the big rhinestone balls on a canvas sheet on the
grass. good fun when you are a Kid
Frank continued travelling and performing well into
the 1950s. It seems he could not stay in one place for too long. However, it
was in Australia that he died in 1967, and despite never becoming a citizen, it
was here that he stayed and worked most often.
Frank still has descendants in Australia and the
United States who take a lively interest in the adventures of their famous
juggler ancestor.
Saturday, July 9, 2022
Jean Florian and Mariora Florian in Australia
Jean Florian and his sister Mariora were well known jugglers
in the 1930s-1940s. Both performed in Australia during the period and Mariora
eventually settled in the country.
Jean and Mariora were born in Dresden Germany to Romanian
parents. The family name was Matei and their father, Florian Matei, was a gymnast.
Jean and Mariora used Florian, their
father’s first name as a stage name, hence Jean Florian, and Mariora Florian (usually
just Mariora). Matei, who often travelled with them in their early careers,
went by Matei Florian.
In 1929, Jean made his first visit to Australia. He was 19
years old and considered a ‘boy wonder’. The Australian newspapers told a story
of how the great Cinquevalli had first ignored Jean, but after being pestered
by those who though Jean had talent, decided to train the boy
wonder. This was likely publicity spin as Cinquevalli died in 1918. With the posthumous blessing of Cinquevalli, Jean had quite a successful tour of
Australia in 1929.
Jean was described as a ‘remarkably graceful juggler’, but the
most remarkable thing about him was his youth and association with Cinquevalli.
On this tour, there were few reviews of his juggling, but he, and his father,
who accompanied him, must have thought there was promise in Australia because Jean
returned 6 years later.
Jean returned in November 1935 and was
interviewed when he arrived in Perth with ‘partner’ Kathleen Schmidt. He
described his act as an improved form of Japanese juggling that had never been
seen in Australia.
A month later he arrived in Melbourne, ready to perform for the
Tivoli circuit.
He gave another interview and was asked two very pertinent
questions.
What is your hobby? To which he answered, ‘Juggling’
And ‘What is your ambition?’ ‘To be a good juggler’
Jean told the interviewer that he practised 10 hours a day.
Obviously juggling was his obsession.
His performance at the Tivoli in Melbourne was popular with
audiences and critics. When the curtain rose he was vigorously skipping with a
ball bouncing on his head. He caught balls with the tips of his toes, on the
end of a stick held in his teeth, and on the back of his neck. The audience threw
balls at him and he would catch them on different parts of his body. His skill
and grace were notable and reviews of his act were florid in their praise.
He was labelled as more a magician than juggler because, ‘
balls which ought to drop to the ground halt at the command of Florian’s magic
wand.’
The critic added, ‘It is as if he has taken the magnetic
property out of the earth and placed it where he will’
He was considered the best juggler to grace Australian
shores since Cinquevalli. In Sydney his dextrous juggling and spinning of
several balls at once was greeted with standing ovations.
In July, Jean joined Stanley Mckay’s troupe and headed to
Brisbane. He was greeted as an international superstar by audiences and was
warmly received by the press.
Overall Jean’s tour of Australia was greeted with rapturous applause
and critical acclaim.
Jean remained in the country for over 6 months and his warm
reception probably influenced the visit of Mariora, his sister two years later.
19 year old Mariora arrived in Australia accompanied by her
father Matei in June 1938 and under engagement to the Tivoli. She was described
as one of the few lady jugglers in the world and the sister of famous juggler,
Jean Florian.
According to the newspapers, Matei had created an academy of
jugglers which had spawned Jean. Jean in turn trained Mariora, who first
appeared on stage in Europe at age 16.
Mariora spent most of her time in Australia as part of a combined
film and vaudeville show. The vaudeville acts filled the spaces between movies. In 1938, the movie
craze was reaching fever pitch in Australia so it was difficult for a young
juggler to get much attention.
She was described as a ‘trim and lively little lady, built
on springs.’ She juggled tennis racquets and balls and rings ‘in defiance of
the laws of gravity.’ One published picture showed her balancing a ball on a
stick whilst bending backwards, it was a clear reference to her brother’s act.
Although she stayed in Australia for almost 3 months,
Mariora did not have the same impact on audiences as her brother. She returned
to Europe to continue her career later in 1938.
Both of the Florians continued juggling in Europe however, the
Second World War brought some intrigue and danger to their lives.
Jean’s partner Kathleen was the daughter of the famous Kitty
Schmidt who was a brothel keeper in Germany. In in 1940s, Kitty’s brothel
became the centre of a Nazi intelligence operation where the loyalties and
secrets of World War 2 were tested and traded. The story of this operation has
been told in books, a well known film called Salon Kitty and a website.
Jean and Kathleen had a son Jochem in June 1942 and they subsequently
married. There are several pictures of them available on the Salon Kitty website. Jean died in 1945 of pneumonia.
Mariora married a man called Roy Short in England and
eventually migrated to Australia. The pair had children and grandchildren and
Mariora died in 2005 in Queensland.
Recently Juggling Historian David Cain found lost film of
Jean juggling. That footage and David’s commentary can be found here.
Friday, July 8, 2022
The Myrons- Balancers, Acrobats and Jugglers.
The Myrons, jugglers, acrobats and balancers, were features of the
Australian stage and circus during the Second World War and beyond. Their
voyage from Nazi Germany to Australian citizenship is a classic tale of the
variety stage.
Arno Koehler ( Kohler) and Felix Slawinski were both born in
Germany. Arno in 1905 and Felix in 1903. Felix was a wrestling champ and Arno a
gymnast and they met while training. They paired up and produced a balancing
and equilibrist act that astounded and surprised audiences.
In April 1939, the pair travelled to Australia under
contract to the Tivoli circuit. Due to tensions with Germany, they were billed
as Austrians who did not drink, smoke or keep late hours.
Their first performance was at the Tivoli Melbourne. They were
jugglers, balancers and antipodean experts.
Their act was primarily balancing. Felix lay on his back balancing
a ladder which Arno climbed. On top of the ladder Arno
performed various feats. He stood on his head, he juggled four rings, performed
hand stands and then lying on his back, twirled an axle with two large motor
wheels with his feet. It was a turn that astonished Australian audiences.
Their tricks were called breath taking, and they were
labelled ‘perhaps the finest acrobatic act that Melbourne had seen’.
Arno and Felix were performing as tensions with Germany were
increasing. They shared the stage with comedians and satirists who used the
international situation as part of their act. One such comedian was American
Sammy Cohen who was Jewish. Cohen made jokes about Germany's treatment of their
Jewish population. Sammy quipped that he had been offered a job in Germany for
a lucrative salary with all funeral expenses paid. Such jokes were plentiful on
the Australian stage in 1939 and Arno and Felix who spoke little English must
have been the subject of conjecture and suspicion.
However, they were determined to participate in the life of
the local community, and before leaving Melbourne for Sydney they contributed
to a charity performance in aid of the local children’s hospital.
As war in Europe crept closer, the jugglers performed in
Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide. By September 1939 they were in Melbourne. On September
3, Australia joined England and declared war on Germany.
Felix and Arno became subject to the Alien Registration Act.
Their every movement was monitored and they were obliged to register as enemy
aliens. As such, they were legally forced to register with the nearest police
station if they travelled around the country. They were also fingerprinted and
subject to internment in camps of dubious quality in remote areas of Australia.
Their livelihoods and freedom were at the whim of the Australian government.
On September 13th both men registered with the St
Kilda Police, their fingerprints and photos were taken. Alien 74 and Alien 75
were officially registered and issued with cards confirming this.
Their careers seem to have stalled immediately after war was
declared, however, by March 1940 they were working with Wirth's Circus. They travelled
around the Australian countryside to towns big and small as the Balancing Myrons.
At every stop they registered with the local police and had their alien cards
updated.
Unfortunately, working with the circus had unexpected
hazards. For example, the circus animals did not recognise the importance of
alien registration cards, and this almost caused a catastrophe that could have
ended the freedom of the jugglers.
One day while raising the big top, Felix and Arno hung their
coats on a fence. A curious elephant strolled by and investigated the contents
of their pockets. Finding something papery, the elephant ate the contents. Unfortunately,
the appetising papers were actually registration cards 74 and 75.The Myrons raced to the nearest police station to
get them replaced, and the duty officer duly noted that the originals had been
eaten by elephants.
However, not all encounters with the authorities were so
humorous. In 1941 Japan entered the war and this led to harsher restrictions
for enemy aliens in Australia. There was an official ‘round up’ of Japanese people in Sydney, and Wirth’s Circus was targeted. Their alien performers
were investigated and a Japanese acrobatic troupe, performing with the circus, was interned. Felix and Arno escaped
this fate and remained safely with Wirths throughout the war.
In 1944, perhaps attempting to avoid internment, the
acrobats applied for Australian naturalisation and in 1947 they attained
Australian citizenship. That same year they performed with George Formby and followed
him to England. In 1948 they performed at the Royal Variety Command performance
in front of the Queen.
After touring the world, Arno and Felix returned to
Australia to perform in theatres. They were popular and well received wherever they
went.
The Myrons, Felix and Arno weathered the storm of World War
2 safely in Australia. They lived their last years in the country. Felix died
in Melbourne in 1979 and Arno, who had married and had at least one child, died
in Sydney in 1987.
Friday, June 17, 2022
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Friday, June 10, 2022
Les Brunins- Billiard Ball Jugglers
‘She is lovely, she is divine and as shapely in form as
she is classical of feature…. He is by no means beautiful’
Such was the description of Les Brunins, French billiard
ball jugglers, during their tour of Australia in 1905. The pair returned to the
country in 1910 to repeat their success on the Tivoli Stage.
Les Brunins were Jeanne and Maurice Brunin, French natives
who came to Australia after touring the English provinces. Jeanne, born Julie
Jeanne Joubaud around 1882 was 10 years younger than her husband. According to
a 1902 English newspaper, Maurice, originally trained as a circus performer,
had known her since she was 9 years old and the two had never parted since being
married in Paris in 1901. They had at least two children by the time they
arrived in Australia, Marcel and Jeanne.
When they arrived , Jeanne was 23 years old and Maurice 33.
One of his first pronouncements upon setting foot in Australia was a declaration
that their act was unique and that the billiard balls they used were real. These were claims he continued to assert
aggressively for 20 years.
They were engaged to the Tivoli circuit and began their tour
in Sydney in September. They played an unusual kind of billiards using a small
table and regular billiard balls. Maurice, taking a cue, bounced balls off the
cushion of the table into nets that he carried on various parts of his body.
Then Jeanne, in a beautiful orange dress donned a mask and Maurice shot the
balls from the table to pockets attached to her head and shoulders.
Maurice blew out a
candle with a well struck ball and even played a tune on bells with them. He
was said to have a ‘sure aim and remarkable power over his cue.’
Jeanne also juggled the billiard balls.
Finally, she removed her elaborate dress, and in tight
fleshings rode a bicycle around the stage while Maurice bounced balls from the
table onto nets attached to her body. To conclude the act, he lifted wife,
bicycle and table onto his back and carried the three off stage.
Their costumes were elaborate, with Jeanne’s dresses said to
be so beautiful that they ‘ took away
the feminine breath’. Their French style made their turn a popular one with
Tivoli audiences in Australia.
The pair stayed in the country for three months and then
departed for the United States. Their reception there was less enthusiastic.
Variety’s review was luke warm, saying
Juggling. Hammerstein's. For the first appearance in this
country Monday afternoon Les Brunins did very well with billiard ball juggling.
A man and woman attend to the work and the woman is attractive through her good
looks, splendid proportions and the hand- some dress worn at the opening.
……….The juggling is not novel, having been shown by W. C. Fields and Aszra.
Several new tricks are shown, and the finish where the woman in fleshings and
pantalettes rides a bicycle catching the billiard balls thrown by the man from
the table gives a showy close. With fewer misses the act will do easily. The
style about it wins.
Editor Variety:
In Sime’s review of our act last week at Hammerstein’s,
he mentioned W. C. Fields and Asra. I wish to let you know that we are the
originators of this act. I took an affidavit to that effect in Toledo in
1901. I can prove I was doing this act long before Fields. He will tell you so
himself. As for Asra, everyone knows that he has a poor copy of our act. The
only difference is that Asra uses rubber balls, while we have real ones. I am
absolutely certain if he sees my act now he will try to copy the bicycle trick
also. Of course I do not claim to be the
originator of the “jumping ball” Any good billiard player can do that with a
little practice, but I do claim to be the originator of every way we catch the
balls and of everything we do with them. M. Brunin,
Titled ‘ In a billiard Saloon’ Maurice and ‘Liane’ performed feats with billiard balls that
‘displayed remarkable dexterity’
In Adelaide, Maurice ‘ bounced a billiard ball off
the cushion of the table, causing it to rebound off a pad which he bore affixed
to his forehead. From there a sudden lurch forward on the part of the performer
sent the ball spinning back across the stage into a net arranged on the head of
the lady artist who was cycling around the floor’
Liane De Lyle’s toilette and costumes were a
highlight of the act, and her beauty was much admired by newspaper reporters. However,
one point bothered them. The Parisians insisted that the billiard balls they
used were ‘real’, an assertion that the reporters found baffling because it
seemed unnecessary,
Maurice, again leapt to defend their originality by
responding promptly to this review.
In Variety’s notice today of the Two Kervilles, it said
we do much the same as W. C. Fields has done, etc. We are the Brunins, the
originators of the billiard table acts and W. C. Fields copied his act from us,
as may be easily found out at the United Booking Offices, or my agent, H. B.
Marinelli. I took out my papers for this act in Toledo in 1900, some years
before we returned to France.
M. Kerviile. 26/9/17
Sunday, May 22, 2022
Will Van Allen- The Musical Tramp
This is Will Van Allen- The Musical Tramp in 1908