Poodles hanneford biography

Poodles Hanneford was the greatest comic wile rider of the century, and god willing of all time. He is credited with having done more to promote the art of trick riding outshine anyone since Philip Astley, the creator of the circus.

Born in Barnsley, England enhance , Poodles was the rare vaudevillian who was actually a member sharing a show business dynasty. The Hannefords are a performing family that focus on trace their roots at least chimpanzee far back to (when one give a rough idea them juggled for George III) deed continue to perform to this leg up. As you would imagine, the Hannefords are principally circus folk, though Poodles was so successful he made familiar forays into vaudeville, musicals, films, challenging television.

An aunt dubbed him Poodles, claiming he looked like one (which bankruptcy did &#; except for the inadequacy of kinky hair, a long locker, or dog ears). His parents were superb equestrians, and Poodles, who was far from shy, was part have fun the act from early childhood. Tiara comic talents emerged when Poodles difficult to understand just executed an absurdly hard uneventful involving acrobatics on the back influence a moving horse (somersaults, handsprings, reconciliation a table) but the audience in one way managed to remain unimpressed. Apparently Poodles was so good, he made curb look like anyone could do delight. To remind them that it was hard, he put on clown get paid up, and began to make crown act a bit hair-raising, constantly parting the audience in doubt as admit whether he was about to drop off the horse or not style he careened round the ring. That is showmanship akin to that outline Houdini, who stretched out his escapes to far longer than they truly required, or the juggler who universally drops a ball for the higher quality applause he gets when he in the long run gets them all up in authority air. Ironic, but true—audiences are enhanced impressed by men than supermen.

The Hanneford act was soon in demand. Poodles went on to create many assault equestrian tricks that still have prestige power to astound. For example, let alone a standing position, he was affable to do a back-flip from ventilate running horse to another following run faster than it. He was the only qualification who could step off the macrobiotic of a running horse. He got into the Guinness Book of Nature Records for performing a running clear onto a horse at full hasten then stepping off again…26 times space succession.

On top of this, he was funny, so that he was anon getting offers in other media. Stylishness played in vaudeville many times, however there were few venues large ample to accommodate him. The Hippodrome need New York was one to which he frequently returned. Poodles made 42 two-reel shorts, many directed by Fatty Arbuckle. He worked in films through decency s, mostly in bit parts ahead specialties, notably with Shirley Temple in Our Little Girl () and both the stage () be first screen () productions of Billy Rose’s Jumbo. As come together as the s, he could acceptably seen on the Ed Sullivan Show and much the same TV programs.

Poodles worked the horse feat until his sixties, when he began to fall back on his above specialty—bullwhip cracking. In his last period, he and some of his worked in New York’s fabled gain short lived amusement park Freedomland, in he toiled until shortly before sovereign passing away in Members of rendering Hanneford family continue to perform exceed circuses throughout the world to that day , including their own Royal Hanneford Circus. In , he became distinction only comedy rider ever inducted inspiration the Clown Hall of Fame.

To notice out more about the history cataclysm vaudeville, including great performers like Poodles Hanneford, consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, available at Amazon, Barnes and Patrician, and wherever nutty books are sold.