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Picks & Shovels and Days Gone By

The Story of Bill Gnadt by Todd McLeish

I carving out a niche for oneself in the juggling world, the choice of props is an important decision. For Bill Gnadt of Salt Lake City, Utah, whose father owned a hardware store, the decision was simple - choose tools!

The 60-year-old Gnadt is the foremost tool juggler in the world, claiming to juggle 175 different kinds. Among the numerous props in his repertoire are pitchforks, sledgehammers, shovels, mason chains, and 14 types of saws, including a chain saw.

"Since Dad was a hardware man," notes Gnadt, a former IJA vice president, "I had access to a lot of unusual tools. And since no one had focused on tools before, I sort of invented my own style. It really seemed to stimulate interest."

Gnadt learned to juggle around 1940 prior to going into the Army "Juggling really fascinated me as a boy," he says. "It's like poetry in motion, the ultimate in coordination. Just like every other young juggler, I wanted to be the greatest in the world. "

In the Army, his reputation as a juggler began to grow. He juggled three bowling balls as a challenge on the first day he tried it, and performed with four hand grenades and an M-1 carbine.

Later he claimed the United States numbers record in rings with nine. Although he says his body wears out quickly when trying nine now, Gnadt can still juggle seven balls. A measure of the stature he held in the juggling world in the '40s and '50s was a compliment he received from Bobby May. "He said I was the greatest technical juggler he ever saw," Gnadt recalled. "That's like Fred Astair telling you you're a great dancer."

His act also included juggling six plates, and four plates in one hand simultaneously with two knives in the other. Still, his passion is for odd and offbeat tool tricks. "For me the challenge is to walk through Sears and try to juggle everything in the hardware department," he quipped.

His repertoire includes juggling a ping-pong ball with a short sledge hammer and a shot put. He does two pitchforks and a baseball bat while balancing a football on his head. He does a lumberjack axe, ninja sword and samurai sword while spinning one hoop on his ankle and another on his thigh. "I do a million tricks," he said confidently.

He continues to perform on a regular basis at schools and fairs near his home in Salt Lake City, and with a small circus which a friend recently purchased. But his days of performing in Las Vegas nightclubs (he opened the Showboat Hotel in the early '50s) are gone.

"Outside of the gambling centers, the juggling business isn't very good," said Gnadt. "Even in California it's bad because there are already too many acts."

Yet he continues to learn new tricks and improve upon his act. "In 1980 when I heard that someone was juggling chain saws, I immediately didn't believe it," he says. "But after a while I figured it out for myself. "

According to Gnadt, juggling has changed tremendously during his nearly 50 years of performing. "Juggling was much more of an art back in the days of Vaudeville," he said. "Now it's much more technical. Today's jugglers come right out of college or off the streets. The Karamazovs and Michael Davis are typical of this style they're great technical jugglers and great at numbers, but they can't juggle the old objects. "

Gnadt points to jugglers like Rastelli, Kara and Bobby Mayas the foremost jugglers of the earlier era. "Rastelli is by far the greatest ball manipulator ever," he explained. ':About 75 percent of his act was manipulating inflatable balls. And he did it so effortlessly! Kara was equally great, but his style was different from Rastelli. He was much more theatrical.

He also remembers Bob Ripa as one of the greats. "You could throw a ball to him from anywhere across the room and he'd catch it on his head," Gnadt recalled.

One of Gnadt's favorites, however, was Maximiliano Truzzi. "He was the greatest I ever saw in person, " Gnadt said. Truzzi was a salon juggler who manipulated objects that might be found in a Victorian home. Chairs, newspapers, wine bottles, and even a table were familiar props in Truzzi's routine.

"Once I remember, he juggled a tray, an orange with two forks in it, and his assistant," Gnadt exclaimed. "Can you believe it?! He actually juggled his assistant! You never see that kind of stuff any more. He did seven plates in his act and did six plates while bouncing a ball on his head.