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Cinquevalli: The Human Billiard Table
Born on June 30, the greatest juggler of his time and a big influence on W.C. Fields and many others, Cinquevalli (Emil Otto Paul Braun, 1859-1918).
Born in Lissa, Poland (which was then in Prussia), he was apprenticed at age 13 to a gymnast/aerialist named…Cinqevalli. Braun took his last name. It was a common practice for acrobats in those days; joining an acrobatic troupe was literally like joining a family. A fall off a trapeze in which he broke all his bones precipitated a rethink of his career. While recuperating, he began to teach himself to juggle.
At some point in time (it makes no difference to me when), Paul C. developed an act called “The Human Billiard Table” wherein he would play a game of pool on his own back. Another of his showstoppers was to catch a thrown cannonball on his back, between the shoulder blades, a dangerous stunt that risked serious injury. Cinquevalli was also one of the first to make a name for himself juggling common household objects of any sort, as opposed to only balls and clubs.
His first U.S. tour was in 1888 (which was when Fields first caught him) and he returned in 1910 to work the Keith circuit, including 10 weeks at Keith’s Union Square—not too shabby. During World War I he was mislabeled a German and that was it for his career.
Much more on Cinquevalli can be found in the book Cleverer Than God, which I recommended here.
To find out more about the history of vaudeville, including jugglers like Cinquevalli,consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever nutty books are sold.
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