Many thanks for sending me the Newsletters. Being held over until 4/30, which will make two months that I am here. Did not know until reading the Newsletter that Lester Bode passed away. Saw him in his prime in the 1920's and he was a great juggler. The last time I met him was about 1948 when visiting Homer Stack... 

Am on the bill here with a big show. Two different Spanish ballets; the Two Riccords, French Acrobats; Denise LeFleur, dancer; the Four Sorelles, Austrian bicycle act; and myself. This is the European half of the show, as the first half is Iranian music, songs and dancing. Guess the whole show lasts two hours...

My contract is in Beirut for the first half of May. Hope to get home after then; it will be 11 months that I have been abroad. Enjoyed seeing the Beahans in Stockholm. We also visited Topper Marin,. the English juggler, who has an antique shop in Stockholm. Had a jugglers' gabfest. Bobby May Writes - Shekufeh Cabaret, Teheran, Iran (IJA Newsletter, May 1965)

In this 1900 catalog, it may interest present day jugglers to know what the prices were. There were two pages of various props explained and priced, but as I know most of the jugglers are interested in clubs, I will mention them in this article. 

 For 2-club juggling: Length 21 inch, width 4.5 inch, weight 19 oz.; For 2 and 3 club work: Length 20 inch, width 4.5 inch, weight 18 oz.; For 3 and 4 club work: Length 19.5 inch, width 4.5 inch, weight 17 oz.; For double club juggling : Length 20 inch, width 4.5 inch, weight 18 oz.; The above clubs, without decorations, $1.50 each. "Echoes of the Past" by Horace Morton Lorette (IJA Newsletter, May 1965) 

It's been a long time since I have written, but have been busy. Am still in Lido and just did 160th night here... Working 7 night a week in Lido. You must keep after the props and costumes, etc. I am forever fixing cigar boxes and wish I could invent an unbreakable one. I could, and just did, but didn't feel good and never could get used to it. Let me tell you, I have experimented around and never have come up with anything that was unbreakable plus felt good to me.

Juggling props are funny things - it's all what you get used to. I have a new set of clubs here ready to go, but am holding out with my old ones because of the "feel." There are so many bits of wood inside them that I am using cha cha music. Still, they feel good, or at least I am used to the way they feel that I won't give them up until they get as soft as my head!

I have high hopes they'll last out the Lido engagement, as the only place I can practice is on cement floors and E don't want to ruin my new ones. At least, when I drop an old club on the cement floor (back stage, of course) it doesn't complain, just looks up at me, cold, wet and soggy. 

Heard from Bobby May, who is now in the El Morroco night club in Beirut for May. I expect he will show up in Paris sooner or later, and of course will be glad to see him. It's been a funny thing with Bobby and me - our paths have crossed many times in Europe, and I always enjoy my meetings with him. He is really a great fellow and I have many laughs with him when we get together. He is a great "pro" and every time I see his act I get enthused all over again about juggling. For me, there is nobody like Bobby May...

I feel a certain camaraderie for guys in this space age who juggle for a living. There are guys who juggle or who are interested in juggling, but who make their living from other sources. Guys who just juggle for their bread know the problems such a life entails - the good points and the bad points - and I always feel a common ground with such people.

I guess that's one reason why I like IJA. It is the only organization for jugglers. Nobody but a juggler can appreciate the problems of being a juggler and nobody but a professional can appreciate the problems of doing a professional act... It's a changed business since the days of vaude, and... it's wonderful to get together with old-timers and about the  "good old days," but those days are gone and I also like to talk with the guys who are actually making the scene now!

It's funny, when I first started out, it was a problem to fill time. In small-time Catskill mountain dates, they wanted me to do time. On USO, I was  doing as much as 16 minutes (talking, of course). Now, time is still my big problem - they won't give it to me! It's now not a question of how long can you do - it's how short can you do and still pack a punch? I like to work in nine minutes- I do 7:25 minutes in Lido. In 1960, Rudy Cardenas was in Lido and was a big sensation. Then he was going to Las Vegas with the Lido show and he was cut to seven minutes. In the afternoon, I used to come in to the Lido with Rudy (1 was working another club here in Paris) and we tried to figure out how to cut down to seven minutes - a difficult problem with Rudy, as all of his stuff is so good! 

 That's why Francis Brunn works so BOOM! BOOM! With his talent, he could do hours, but they only want seven or eight minutes in big-time  show biz from a juggler. Rastelli would have had to change a lot. Francis and Rudy are the big money makers because they can be so potent in a short time. With TV, people want to see,  see, see. It's got to move, and drag is out.

That's it, as I am getting cramps. I must take up typing as the hand writing is not good to start with, but even worse to finish with! And I believe in a strong finish. Gil Dova writes - Lido Club, Paris (IJA Newsletter, June 1965)