Walter Houc - Revision history

Djando at 21:27, 1 November 2015

2015-11-01T21:27:42Z

Djando at 21:27, 1 November 2015

2015-11-01T21:27:28Z

Djando: /* A Long Retirement */

2015-11-01T21:26:34Z

‎A Long Retirement

Djando: /* The Three Houcs in America */

2015-11-01T21:26:14Z

‎The Three Houcs in America

Djando: /* From Sechs mit die Keulen To The Houc Duo */

2015-11-01T21:25:56Z

‎From Sechs mit die Keulen To The Houc Duo

Djando: /* Juggling Beginnings */

2015-11-01T21:25:29Z

‎Juggling Beginnings

Djando: /* Apprenticeship */

2015-11-01T21:25:05Z

‎Apprenticeship

Djando: /* From Sechs mit die Keulen To The Houc Duo */

2015-11-01T21:23:52Z

‎From Sechs mit die Keulen To The Houc Duo

Djando: /* A Long Retirement */

2013-10-25T20:42:03Z

‎A Long Retirement

Djando: /* A Long Retirement */

2013-10-25T16:55:16Z

‎A Long Retirement

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:27, 1 November 2015
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	==Juggler==		==Juggler==

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:27, 1 November 2015
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	==Juggler==		==Juggler==

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 Walter’s policy was to save fifty percent of everything he earned to cover the time when he might be out of work&mdash;but he was never out of work. This policy has ensured him a comfortable retirement for more than forty years&mdash;which has been lucky considering his exceptionally long life. His tip to young performers: “Save half of what you make. It’s a good policy for any performer to follow.”
-[[File:Walter_Houc_%26_Ty_Tojo.jpeg|thumb|170px|left|Walter with Ty Tojo (2010)]]Walter truly enjoyed show business. During his working years, he never stopped practicing; sometimes in Spain, where performances&mdash;in circus, variety, theater, as well as in nightclubs&mdash;are given notoriously late in the evening, the Houcs would finish work at 1:00 am, but were up at nine o’clock in the morning for practice. They took pride in their being artists. They loved to do their juggling act, and were proud of the prestigious venues in which they had appeared. They had made indeed a very good name for themselves, and were stars in their field. Said Walter, "I think a big factor in our success was that the girls looked very good, and I was not so bad looking, either. It's a big factor that you have a good act and you're looking good, too, and people are happy."
+[[File:Walter_Houc_%26_Ty_Tojo.jpeg|thumb|300px|left|Walter with Ty Tojo (2010)]]Walter truly enjoyed show business. During his working years, he never stopped practicing; sometimes in Spain, where performances&mdash;in circus, variety, theater, as well as in nightclubs&mdash;are given notoriously late in the evening, the Houcs would finish work at 1:00 am, but were up at nine o’clock in the morning for practice. They took pride in their being artists. They loved to do their juggling act, and were proud of the prestigious venues in which they had appeared. They had made indeed a very good name for themselves, and were stars in their field. Said Walter, "I think a big factor in our success was that the girls looked very good, and I was not so bad looking, either. It's a big factor that you have a good act and you're looking good, too, and people are happy."
 Ursula eventually left The Three Houcs when she got married. Ingrid and Walter continued to work as a duo, simply billed as ''The Houcs''. They did their club-passing act, but many shows now asked for a second act as well&mdash;something that never happened when they worked as a trio. So Walter created a plate-spinning act, and combined his plate spinning with some other skills. The act was successful; presented as Walter & Ingrid, it developed into a good-quality second act.

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 ===The Three Houcs in America===
-[[File:Houc_Trio.jpeg|thumb|right|250px|The 3 Houcs (c.1965)]]When Walter was eventually freed in 1948, he couldn’t return to Breslau: The city, now known as Wroclaw, had been returned to Poland, where it had originated before shifting its national identity several times over the centuries. Instead, the Haucks settled in Hamburg; at long last, Walter met his three-year old daughter, Ursula, born during his captivity, and he rejoined the juggling act his sister and his wife had revived after the war, and which again could be called a trio.
+[[File:Houc_Trio.jpeg|thumb|right|300px|The 3 Houcs (c.1965)]]When Walter was eventually freed in 1948, he couldn’t return to Breslau: The city, now known as Wroclaw, had been returned to Poland, where it had originated before shifting its national identity several times over the centuries. Instead, the Haucks settled in Hamburg; at long last, Walter met his three-year old daughter, Ursula, born during his captivity, and he rejoined the juggling act his sister and his wife had revived after the war, and which again could be called a trio.
 Most of Germany’s major cities laid in ruins; very few variety theaters were still standing&mdah;and they were by and large unable to resume their pre-war activities. Walter, his wife and his sister found a lot of work in England, where circus and variety were thriving right after the war. The Three Houcs’ name was not German sounding, which was good for business in Europe in the post-war era. Over the years, the Houcs appeared at the Palladium in London, the [[Tower Circus]] in Blackpool, the [[Kelvin Hall Circus]] in Glasgow, as well as the [[Cirque Medrano (Paris)|Cirque Medrano]] in Paris, the Tivoli in Copenhagen, and many other important venues.

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 Hence the Haucks’ juggling act became much sought after, and they quickly established their name in the business. They worked at the [[Scala Theater]] in Berlin&mdash;the great rival of the Wintergarten&mdash;and in all major "varieté" shows around Germany, of which there were plenty. They also performed in circus, principally in buildings, such as circus [[Circus Krone|Kronebau]] in Munich. Live entertainment was flourishing then and the competition between acts was fierce, but the Haucks’ juggling act remained in great demand because it was the only act at the time that combined top quality juggling with excellent acrobatics.
-[[File:Hauck-Lederer_troupe.jpeg|thumb|left|300px|Sechs mit die Keulen (c.1937)]]In Berlin the Haucks worked with another juggling act, [[The Three Lederers]]&mdash;Arthur, his wife, Hanni, and their son, Heinz. Arthur Lederer had in mind to build a juggling troupe with six people that he was to call ''Sechs mit die Keulen'' (Six with Clubs), and he asked the Haucks if they would like to partner with the Lederers. The show in which they were was a long-running one, and the Lederers and the Haucks had time to practice together and build the new act between performances. There were no big juggling troupes in Europe in those days: Most of the time, he few ones that appeared quickly split into smaller groups because each individual wanted to make more money.
+[[File:Hauck-Lederer_troupe.jpeg|thumb|left|350px|Sechs mit die Keulen (c.1937)]]In Berlin the Haucks worked with another juggling act, [[The Three Lederers]]&mdash;Arthur, his wife, Hanni, and their son, Heinz. Arthur Lederer had in mind to build a juggling troupe with six people that he was to call ''Sechs mit die Keulen'' (Six with Clubs), and he asked the Haucks if they would like to partner with the Lederers. The show in which they were was a long-running one, and the Lederers and the Haucks had time to practice together and build the new act between performances. There were no big juggling troupes in Europe in those days: Most of the time, he few ones that appeared quickly split into smaller groups because each individual wanted to make more money.
 The new troupe got work immediately, and opened at Circus Kronebau in Munich. Walter liked that big act because they worked only with clubs: To him, it was easy just to throw clubs. And their clubs were inflatable! Heinz Lederer was the inflatable club maker; he also built lighted electric clubs that changed color while they juggled in the dark. Unfortunately, Heinz Lederer and Fritz Hauck didn’t get along, and after they had worked practically all the big venues together in Germany, the Haucks and the Lederers decided to split up, and Walter, Fritz, and Alfrieda reverted to their original juggling-cum-acrobatics act. At Alfrieda’s suggestion, the act was renamed ''The Three Houcs'': It sounded better than the German-sounding Hauck for engagements outside Germany at that point in time.

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 When Walter was about fifteen, the Hauck family appeared at the Liebich Theater&mdash;a well-known variety theater in Breslau, the Haucks’ hometown. They were performing a free ladder act billed as ''Die Anetop'' (over time, the family would adopt different names according to the act they were presenting). A juggler who worked in the same show gave the Hauck siblings a few juggling props, and Fritz, Walter and Alfrieda began to juggle together. They soon discovered that juggling was much easier on their body than acrobatics: They liked it! They thought it was the best thing they ever did&mdash;yet at the beginning their father was against it. Ernst didn’t care for juggling, and didn’t see much artistry in it: He was proud of being an acrobat. He used to tell his children, "Follow in my footsteps, because you will have a good life."
-[[File:3_Houcs_at_Hansa_Theater.jpeg|thumb|right|250px|The 3 Houcs (c.1935)]]Nonetheless, Walter, Fritz and Alfrieda started juggling with clubs and hoops. They used hoops mostly because they were already using them in their acrobatic act&mdash;spinning them on their arms and legs&mdash;so it was a familiar prop. They practiced every morning. Then Walter heard that there was an acrobatic juggling act appearing at the famous [[Wintergarten]] in Berlin&mdash;an Italian act with four brothers and sisters. He got a train ticket and went to see the act: He loved its combination of acrobatics and juggling, and decided that this was the style of act the Haucks should pursue.
+[[File:3_Houcs_at_Hansa_Theater.jpeg|thumb|right|300px|The 3 Houcs (c.1935)]]Nonetheless, Walter, Fritz and Alfrieda started juggling with clubs and hoops. They used hoops mostly because they were already using them in their acrobatic act&mdash;spinning them on their arms and legs&mdash;so it was a familiar prop. They practiced every morning. Then Walter heard that there was an acrobatic juggling act appearing at the famous [[Wintergarten]] in Berlin&mdash;an Italian act with four brothers and sisters. He got a train ticket and went to see the act: He loved its combination of acrobatics and juggling, and decided that this was the style of act the Haucks should pursue.
 Being already proficient acrobats, Fritz, Walter and Alfrieda quickly learned to combine acrobatics with juggling. For instance, Walter balanced on one hand on the head of his brother, spinning hoops on his feet and on his free hand, while Fritz was juggling clubs as he was turning around. Yet, most of their work consisted of club passing. The siblings were very anxious to learn more about club passing, and they regularly went to see other juggling acts that performed this technique.

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 ===Apprenticeship===
-Walter Houc (1911-2013) was born Walter Hauck on February 9, 1911 in Breslau, Germany (today Wroclaw, in Poland) in a family of performers.His father, Ernst, was an acrobat who worked in open-air arenas. Ernst and his wife, Anna, had two other children: Frederick (Fritz, 1908-1939), and Alfrieda (1912-1984). [[File:Gebruder_Hauck.jpeg|thumb|left|150px|Fritz & Walter Hauck (c.1920)]]Ernst began to train his children in acrobatics as soon as they were able to learn; when he was eight years old, Walter started working as an acrobat with his father, who then built a trapeze act for his two sons.
+Walter Houc (1911-2013) was born Walter Hauck on February 9, 1911 in Breslau, Germany (today Wroclaw, in Poland) in a family of performers.His father, Ernst, was an acrobat who worked in open-air arenas. Ernst and his wife, Anna, had two other children: Frederick (Fritz, 1908-1939), and Alfrieda (1912-1984). [[File:Gebruder_Hauck.jpeg|thumb|left|250px|Fritz & Walter Hauck (c.1920)]]Ernst began to train his children in acrobatics as soon as they were able to learn; when he was eight years old, Walter started working as an acrobat with his father, who then built a trapeze act for his two sons.
 Walter remembered that he was very slim when he started his trapeze act. The brothers were working very high, and their father was standing underneath, watching them. Fritz and Walter used safety straps on their wrists and ankles, which were designed to stop them before hitting the ground in case of a fall. One time, Walter fell and he heard a loud crack: it was the sound of his safety breaking. His father was a very strong man, and he somehow was able to catch Walter before he hit the ground; he had saved his son’s life.

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 ===From ''Sechs mit die Keulen'' To The Houc Duo===
-Hence the Haucks’ juggling act became much sought after, and they quickly established their name in the business. They worked at the [[Scala Theater]] in Berlin&mdash;the great rival of the Wintergarten&mdash;and in all major "variete" shows around Germany, of which there were plenty. They also performed in circus, principally in buildings, such as circus [[Circus Krone|Kronebau]] in Munich. Live entertainment was flourishing then and the competition between acts was fierce, but the Haucks’ juggling act remained in great demand because it was the only act at the time that combined top quality juggling with excellent acrobatics.
+Hence the Haucks’ juggling act became much sought after, and they quickly established their name in the business. They worked at the [[Scala Theater]] in Berlin&mdash;the great rival of the Wintergarten&mdash;and in all major "varieté" shows around Germany, of which there were plenty. They also performed in circus, principally in buildings, such as circus [[Circus Krone|Kronebau]] in Munich. Live entertainment was flourishing then and the competition between acts was fierce, but the Haucks’ juggling act remained in great demand because it was the only act at the time that combined top quality juggling with excellent acrobatics.
 [[File:Hauck-Lederer_troupe.jpeg|thumb|left|300px|Sechs mit die Keulen (c.1937)]]In Berlin the Haucks worked with another juggling act, [[The Three Lederers]]&mdash;Arthur, his wife, Hanni, and their son, Heinz. Arthur Lederer had in mind to build a juggling troupe with six people that he was to call ''Sechs mit die Keulen'' (Six with Clubs), and he asked the Haucks if they would like to partner with the Lederers. The show in which they were was a long-running one, and the Lederers and the Haucks had time to practice together and build the new act between performances. There were no big juggling troupes in Europe in those days: Most of the time, he few ones that appeared quickly split into smaller groups because each individual wanted to make more money.

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 In 2010, Walter Houc mused: “Other than a few things, I had a great life, and I now have a good, comfortable retirement, independent in my own home at age 99. Many people suggested I move to a retirement facility where they have services to help me… It might be right for some people, but I think I would die in there. I like my home. I have been here many years and people can easily visit me. I value my independence and I’ll stay here for as long as I can… I guess what I want to share with people is to be happy, eat good, and have a nice, exciting life.”
-Walter remained very active during his long retirement, visiting old friends, making new ones, always eager to share memories of his career in show business&mdash;the world he had always known and cherished above all. Then in late October 2013 he was suddenly taken ill. He passed away a few days later, on October 25, one of his many friends, the clown Chuck Sidlow, at his side; the great juggler [[Dieter Tasso]] had made a last visit a little earlier. Walter Houc was 102.
+Walter remained very active during his long retirement, visiting old friends, making new ones, always eager to share memories of his career in show business&mdash;the world he had always known and cherished above all. Then in late October 2013 he was suddenly taken ill. He passed away a few days later, on October 25, one of his many friends, the clown Chuck Sidlow, at his side; the great juggler [[Dieter Tasso]] had made a last visit a little earlier. Walter Houc was 102 years old.
 ==See Also==