I know a couple of folks who do fire/glass, including jumping into it from a height. I don't do this though.

I do glasswalking. I go for a more or less dignified presentation, walking across it in a yoga stance, not jumping onto it from a height. I also use a frame filled with 15 gallons of shards rather than a carpet with a layer of shards on top of it. I can lock a lid down onto the frame to keep anyone from playing with the broken glass before I go on it. This always goes over very well, although it doesn't exactly pack light for travel.

Yours,

Paul

Nice Dr Wilson, I used one of the four foot long rubbermaid boxes, bad thing is it go so scuffed up from the glass you could hardly look through it. I do the glass walking too, but I'm just wondering what else I could do in combination with it....

Well since I'm big into 80s music I could attempt to breakdance on it..... Then again the other name of my show was going to be "The Emergency Room Regular's Hour"

(well knowing my luck)

But seriously the old breakdancing move, "The Worm" I mean aside from the risk of getting broken glass down your pants and all I think that it could possibly be doable.

I do the bed of glass and the leap of faith and crushing the glass with my face and scar face and planing to do fire glass if you what any info just email me.I have see the the worm be done on glass and no cuts.

Okay, so I'm a month late for the prom on this one, but...

When I was a kid, we spent a few months one weekend at Conneaut Lake Park (between Pittsburgh and Erie, PA on the Ohio border). The "boardwalk" along the lake had a Tic-Tac-Toe playing Skinner box chicken - the things one remembers from childhood...

If only my parents would have given me just one more quarter, I know I could have beaten that *** chicken!



Todd (or anyone else),
Do you have any more information on these three items? Any thoughts on where I might be able to find photographs, descriptions, or instructions?

Thanks in advance for any assistance that you can provide!

Eric

Hi Eric...Rag Pictures aside from being a Vaudville Entertainment were also big in the rural Church scene. You might want to try a Google in that area.
In Vaudville and Variety Acts there was a large frame and a piece of felt for the background. Little scraps of felt (various colors) were placed (seemingly randomly but not really) and 'stuck' on the background and the result was many times a spectacular (in Vadville anyway) 'Painting' of scenery or famous landmarks or celebrities.

In the Churches a much simpler form was used with larger and seemingly less random pieces of cloth to create the pictures.

I once watched a Pro Act in NYC at a convention show in the 60's and he was truely amazing! His paintings were intricate and Gorgeous...and FAST.


Doug

Doug, thank you very much for the information. Your input is highly appreciated.

Does anyone have info on the Smoke and Sand pictures?

Eric, here is a video of a gentleman who does some good sand drawing.

http://www.pambrose.com/misc/humor/SandAnimation.wmv

Moderncelt: Thank you so much! What a fantastic performance.

Everyone: Do yourself a favor and click on that link. WOW!

Todd, or anyone else,

I have always, since childhood, wanted to do the crossbow act. Magic Auction has one for over 30 grand. Surely there is another way of learning it with out getting such a large mortgage.

Any ideas?

Will

I can get you in touch with Ross Heartsell if you like...his act is/was the best in the world and was with Ringling etc, many major TV appearances. He currently has a BBQ joint in Reno but I believe is still doing the act (?).
A Great guy and I'm sure he'll help you out. Just PM me if interested and I'll send you his number.

Very fun person...he hung one of my gross Chupacabra Roadkill 'zibits on his restaurant wall! Appetizing.

I'm not familiar with the crossbow act. Anybody mind filling me in?

-Matt (TK)

The crossbow act that our village idiot is referring to is very exciting. Imagine a series of crossbows (maybe 10 or twelve) set up on stands, across the stage from each other (five to a stage side) and each with a padded target. Each individual crossbow is aimed at a target across the stage from it. The target triggers the crossbow it is attached to.

An assistant triggers the first crossbow and hits a target directly opposite. The target is hit and triggers the second crossbow to shoot back across the stage at the third which is triggered to shoot back across the stage to the forth and so forth until the final crossbow is triggered and shoots its bolt (arrow) at a target held above the performers head.

It only takes a few seconds for each bolt to be triggered. The thud of the bolt hitting the target and the flight of the triggered bolt leaves no doubt that the trick is real. I saw it performed a number of times in Las Vegas over 25 years ago. I broke a sweat the first time I saw it performed. The act is fast, exciting, and looks dangerous.

Wow! What a marvelous act!!! I'm saddened that I neither have seen it nor do it!

-Matt (TK)

I saw the act on Ripley's show about a year back. While I knew that had anything gone wrong they wouldn't have aired the section, but I couldn't help but bite my lip waiting for it to go badly. The gentleman fired the first bolt triggering 10 other crossbows ending with it shooting the apple off his own head. They even showed what happened if the bows were off by just a fraction - the dummy took a bolt in the forhead. The main part of the act was definitely in the build up, the shot itself took only 2.5 seconds.

I'm not sure who originated this act. But I know that Hans Moretti has been doing it for a long time. It's a beautiful thing.

There are several people who perform it. Not many because you have to be nucking futs to do it. The world record is 9 cross bows held by Ross & Elisa Hartzell.

There have been many acts do it in Vegas and there is a China man that performed it in Branson. He is the one selling it on Magic Auction for 33 grand. Only 5 crossbows in his act. Page five I think?

There are other things to be done with a crossbow act. Shooting a target off of your assistants head with your back turned. She tells you up, down, left, right, fire.

Very exciting and dangerous act. Sounds perfect for me. Anyone have an extra 33 big ones laying around to loan me?

Will

Another act from "back when I was still around" was Chalk Talks
Slim

Back in those days though Slim...they had to trek to the Chalk Cliffs to break off a chunk...of course all that changed when Stores were invented.

Village Idiot (#1 0r #2?)...sorry for the mispelling of Ross's last name..yeah that's Ross...great act...I'll contact him about what you PMd me about...
By the way..once you have a handful of crossbows and someone has taught you the system...no need to spend 30 grand...unless your paying for the instruction.

Variations on the theme of "lightning sculpture:"

Carving with the aid of a chainsaw (usually logs, but also ice)

Ice sculpture in the general sense (now an Olympic demonstration event, I'm told)

Candy Sculpture (as seen in the Japan pavilion at Epcot Center in Walt Disney World and the lady we saw did a bally like she was working for the hard-earned dollars of passers-by on the streets of a busy Japanese city)

And, albeit not quite sculpture, rice writing/artwork seems to be quite popular on midways and at festivals that I've attended.

So, I guess that even within a particular theme, there are numerous "acts" to list as well.

Chris