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The Circus Blog by Ivan M. Henry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.thecircusblog.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.thecircusblog.com.
Eddie Page “Quackenbush”
Posted By thecircusblog on February 11, 2011
A dear friend from my younger years. What a comedian he was. He teamed up with Lillian Deshin and they became Ma and Pa Quackenbush,she is in the next photo………. Many thanks to Dan Watt for the photos.
Jimmy Durante
Posted By thecircusblog on February 4, 2011
In 1962 I had the great pleasure of working with this fine man in a movie called Jumbo. There were other wonderful actors in this movie as well such as Doris Day, Stephen Boyd and Martha Ray. Great memories and fun….it seems like it was just yesterday. “Inha Dinka Dou”and
Goodnight Mrs Calabash wherever you are.
Movie Poster Jumbo
Posted By thecircusblog on February 4, 2011
This is a movie I will always remember …not just because I was in it but it was a great time in my life. I met so many fine people.
Ivan and Durante
Posted By thecircusblog on February 4, 2011
“That’s it Jimmy, you are doing fine, just take your time and use the balance pole. How well I remember. When I wasn’t doing five other things on the movie Jumbo , I was coaching Mr. Durante on the wire, trampoline as he wanted to learn what ever he could for the picture. Jimmy indeed was a fast learner. It all started with a phone call from George “Good Kid” Emerson, a circus trouble shooter for MGM. He said that they were looking for someone to do “Iron Jaw” and that could take the place of a performer booked for the job but who never showed up………No problem said I. The next call came from Al Doebrich, who asked me if I was sure I could do it and if I could juggle while doing iron jaw. When I said “yes” he said “come to the studio as soon as you can.” I was off to Culver City where the MGM studio was located and to meet with Mr. Doebrich. The next person I met was Joe Pasternak who said…….. “we have had a few problems and hopefully you might be able to help. Mr Emerson and Al say you come from a circus family and can do many things…. how about trapeze too?” I did not think I would have any problems with what they wanted and explained I needed to practice as I have been involved with our family chimp act. Mr Pasternak looked up, smiled and said “welcome” and then said “Oh yes there is someone else you will have to meet as he is doing much of our production, his name is Barbette.” The only Barbette I knew of was a trapeze artist that worked in the Follies Bergere in Paris, France and it is said he was a sensation…….. It was he. Barbette in his later years did production for many circuses and was quite good at it. So now I had my work cut out for me….and how.
Jumbo Trapeze
Posted By thecircusblog on February 4, 2011
Well here we are three of six guys that did the trapeze number. We were called Barbette’s Boys. This photo is a wardrobe still used to keep continuity in the film. There were six of us side by side on separate trapeze bars and had to coordinate ourselves to perform five tricks together in a time frame and sing……………. Yes sing…..I never forgot the song.. Swing high, swing low, upon the trapeze……….. At first you will fall, but then a year from now you’ll do it with ease, over and over again……….Well it was imposable to sing this song while doing ankle drops and back phalanges so they had people sing it for us. After weeks of practice all six of us got the routine down patt. I cannot remember the names of the two fellows in the photo with me. One was a stunt man and the other worked for Barbette. I remember Bill Couch he was a stunt man and he was very good on the traps, also there was one of the Cristiani kid on the show doing trapeze. I continued doing my work with Mr. Durante and then with Stephen Boyd as he took a serious liking to the trapeze…………. To my knowledge there are no still photos taken of the six of us preforming on the traps but it can be seen in the movie…………. Oh yes the mustache was part of the wardrobe. During the 1950’s and 60′ I was doing a lot of motion picture Television work as an actor. There have been those that said,”I didn’t see your name in the credits”. The reason was. As an actor my stage name was Dana Madison, later Ivan Fairbanks which is a real family name. Ivan M. Henry of course is the name I am known for.
Ivan’s Iron Jaw Wardrobe
Posted By thecircusblog on February 4, 2011
Notice the name Dana Madison on the chalk board…… this was my stage name that I used since the early 1950’s when I first got involved with motion picture work as an actor. I also did some stunt work. Whatever came first…. stunt work, acting the circus or fairs …..I wanted just a little more than making a living. I worked constantly.
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