Posted By thecircusblog on October 4, 2012
From left to right, myself, Ronnie Louis, four from the left… Bill Couch. The names of the other three members of our group escape me. Jumbo was a big musical movie shot at M.G.M studios in 1962. Staring in the movie were Stephen Boyd, Martha Raye, Jimmy Durante, Doris Day and Dean Jagger.
Posted By thecircusblog on October 4, 2012
We were known as “Barbette’s Boys” on the set. The six of us did trapeze on a single trap bar 12 foot long. Each trick we did was perfectly timed together. It took weeks to get our timing down for the few tricks we did. The trapeze routine turned out to be one of the best shots in the movie but most of it later laid on the cutting room floor. I was not hired to do trapeze. It all started with a phone call from Al Doebrich. He and Joe Pasternack, the producer hired me for Iron Jaw and for doubling actors and that was all that my contact called for. Barbette saw me rehearsing iron jaw and asked if I could do trapeze….. “Sure I am circus” I responded…… Now I had a third job. As the weeks past I found myself working with Jimmy Durante, teaching him how to hold a balance on a tight wire for shots in the movie and Stephen Boyd needed training on the trapeze. All in all having 5 or 6 jobs on one movie set was not bad….. Oh I forgot to write about the photo above. The director wanted some still shots of the six of us. The cameraman called out for a little action, so we started clowning around. I was readying myself to go up into a handstand when this photo was taken.
Posted By thecircusblog on October 4, 2012
When I look at this photo I am reminded of the enjoyment of working in this great movie but another thing stands out even more. The pain that we all went though trying to do tricks on a single trapeze bar. The trap bar had rapped ropes on each side of us as to look like we were on single bars. After a lot of hard work without success, the six of us talked the director into letting us have are owe trapeze bar, working close side by side that gave each of us the control of our tricks. Within a week we had the timing of the routine down. One would think all would be happy but now they wanted us to sing while performing. The song was “Swing High Swing Low Open The Trapeze” Ok we did sing…… except for our last trick which was a swinging back plange……Later in the circus blog there are more photos on Jumbo.
Posted By thecircusblog on October 4, 2012
This shot is a single close up of me during the capture scene. There was no reason for them to shoot this close up. I was made aware later that these were shots to establish me as an actor for future parts. I did not realize it at the time but I was slowly being groomed. Hollywood is hard to understand sometimes. The casting directors are always looking for someone different and especially with an interesting back ground and of course mine was the circus. No matter what television show or movie I did the first question that came forth was, “I understand you come from the circus.” It opened a lot of doors.
Posted By thecircusblog on October 4, 2012
The ABC television series Combat stared Vic Morrow and Rick Jason among many others. The episodes started in Oct of 1962 and ended in 1967. This show was a great workshop for many up and coming actors. In 1965 I was cast as a German solder in one of the two episodes that I worked in. The photos came from film strips that were given to me by the production people. This particular segment was one of their best episodes. The story line was that Vic somehow got behind enemy lines and in his attempt to get back to his men, which was quite difficult, all of his attempts were in vain. He was captured by yours truly…. ruffed up a bit and then I marched him to a German haft track and off to a stockade. All of the actors that played German parts and had lines must be able to speak German. The better your German was the better the part. This scene is right after I turned Vic over to the stockade guards whose backs are toward the camera. I then turned and walk to the haft track, at that point a cut to the next shot.
Posted By thecircusblog on October 4, 2012
This is the scene where I am forcing Vic Morrow into the back of the haft track. Working on Combat along with some other top shows gave me some serious exposure and I was approached by many agents who wanted to handle me…..Michael North being one of them. I didn’t start this acting thing, it just happened. In the mid 1950’s Dad was involved in a movie helping in the production called “Ace In The Hole.” I happened to be on the set and asked if I would do a walk on. To be paid just to walk though a scene, why that’s fantastic. From that time on I did bit parts, then into bit parts with lines. Being already in the business and having friends in the movie industry made it easy for me to get a job and sometimes it came at the expense of my family acts and the circus. I was torn between the two and I had to make a decision on what was most important…my acts or the movies. The responsibility of the chimp act was most important, this was my family and my livelihood. Bit parts in the movies were few and far between and the money, well it was chicken one day and feathers the next. I decided to put the circus and all other theatrical work first and then the television and movie work second unless it coincided with our season. Though the 1960’s the chimp act became very strong with the circuses and fairs, there was little time for anything else but rest. Then I began getting calls to do the Steve Allen show and another and then another. It was every other week a different television show…… Joey Bishop, Danny Thomas, Greatest Show On Earth, Nite Train. Mike Douglas show, Game shows as well. Everyone wanted the actor that came from the circus. My Father was concerned by a call from Polack Bros. as they wanted the chimp act and Dad did not know how to answer Louie Stern. We had a talk, it lasted about 4 seconds. We were on our way to Polack Bros Circus. Somehow I felt free….. I was back in my world, my first love …..the circus. The movies and the circus together continued on but the circus always came first even after the success of 30 or more movies and television shows. Being a movie star was not important to me. Being a good showmen was and still is to this day.
Posted By thecircusblog on October 2, 2012
This shot was a reverse close up on the capture of Vic Morrow. I moved toward him, saying “put your hands behind your head and get into the half track.” While turning him into the direction of half track I said in German “Hands up behind your head and get into the truck. The studio had an actual German half track which is an armored truck. The front cab is looks the same as a truck but the bottom back half resembles a tank. It is a open area for carrying troops having high side for protection. It was really fun to drive. Thanks to those old circus trucks, I had no problem driving it, I surprised everyone when I did. The truck half track had a 2 speed brownie with a 5 speed transmission. The studio puts a special driver in these types of vehicles. It was not needed. When the director found out that I could drive this truck, he mounted a camera on the front and made it his opening shot for the capture scene. Do you remember the Diamond T’s trucks and the Reo Speedwagon, this would be a good comparison to what I’m referring to. The only little difference would be they had a 2 speed axel.
Thanks for your comment Casey. Remember I was acting..
Posted By thecircusblog on September 28, 2012
An interesting story about James Edward Henry. Some say this photo was taken in 1913, others 1908. Here is the interesting part… my grandfather took under his wing six Mexicans that were all musicians, just a coincidence mind you. The dates were between 1909-1911. It was said by many members of my family that they were deserters from Pancho Viva’s Army. I have no idea if the band in this photo are one and the same. The elephant was named Gypsy, she also was called Gyp.
Posted By thecircusblog on September 28, 2012
From left to right Patty, Shirley, GarY, Ethel and Glen Henry. This photo had to be taken in the late 1940’s. All the Henrys had a rolling globe act. The reason is on their father circus the Henry boys had to double for each other. It came to mind just how many acts the Henry brothers and theIr sister did. ……Rolling Globe, Wire, Bounding Rope, Trapeze, Rings, Trampoline, Pony, Horses, Dogs, Monkies, Clowning, Elephants, Lions, Iron Jaw , Juggling, Aerial Sway Pole, Cloud Swing, Balancing Chairs and Table, Trick Roping and Wipe act, Web, Swinging Ladder, Camel & Llama Drill and each of the Boys played a brass instrument or drums if needed in a pinch. It seems like a lot to accomplish but it is very common among circus families.
Thank you Zoeanna for sending the Glen Henry family Photos.
Posted By thecircusblog on September 28, 2012
Shirley, Gary and Patty Henry. Jimmy Henry came much later, a pleasant surprise for many. I believe this photo was taken in 1950? I asked Zoeanna but she did not know nor did Gary. It really doesn’t matter.
