Coming to America with Horses, Camels, Ponies, Donkeys and Dogs!

Coming to America with Horses, Camels, Ponies, Donkeys and Dogs!
Germany's Great Bavarian Circus opens in Atlanta, Georgia, March 15-31. Then Onto Columbia, South Carolina

Thursday, August 09, 2012

No, THIS is Why They’re Called "The Flying Wallendas"

Just in from watching a tepid game of lawn bowling on a humid Oakland green, on Fox News, the moment my screen appeared, Shep Smith revealed why:

During the 1940s, in Akron, Ohio, the entire troupe fell from the wire, but none were killed.

A reporter, at the time, said they fell so gracefully, that he called them the “flying wallendas”

Any truth to that?. And if so, why heretofore have none of those in-the-know out there come forward with this? I’ve heard a few reasons, but this one is new to me.

And to you?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This story is in the Carl Wallenda "autobiography" ghostwritten by Ron Morris.
That makes it probably true.

Mark Horton

Michael Lancaster said...

I always heard it was after the ghost ship The Flying Dutchman - which never made it to port. It would be good luck, i.e. "break a leg," "go for broke," etc.. to name the negative in order to give it allowance. Thus it was "Die fliegenden Wallenda," "The flying Wallenda," after the Dutch Ghost ship. How would I know? Except my Dad, Stuart Lancaster told me that someone told him this when he was working with the circus in the 60's and 70's. Most of my stories come from Stuart.