![]() ![]() Elizabeth and Collins performed on The Ed Sullivan Show three times and appeared as themselves in an episode of the 1960s spy series The Avengers. Elizabeth retired from performing in the early 1960s and was replaced by their daughter who was also named Elizabeth (although additionally known as Agnes). They were one of the first impalement acts to break into television. After the war they settled in Britain and toured clubs and theatres around the world. For their signature stunt they developed an extremely demanding trick that involved Elizabeth spinning on a " wheel of death" target while her husband balanced on a tightrope and threw knives at her. The couple met and married in their native Hungary at around the time of the outbreak of World War II and began performing together as "Elizabeth and Collins". Elizabeth Collins is almost unique in having effectively ended up with top billing in the knife throwing act she formed with her husband Martin Collins.This hinders making a name for one's self specifically as a target girl, but it's not unusual for performers who are known for their overall careers to have served as target girls at one time or another. The notable exception is for husband and wife acts, common in this field, where both performers are billed together. Like magicians' assistants, target girls often receive little to no formal recognition or billing. Isn't there something oddly attractive about the woman in danger? I remember seeing lots of soundless black and white movies with a girl tied to the railroad tracks or a girl tied to a sawmill by some evil perverted landlord." Notable target girls And stone throwing, witch burning, beheading, Roman gladiators, jousting, dog fights,you name it - we, humans, love it. In an extensive article on her experiences and philosophical approach to the art she notes: "Knife throwing is an old act. A further view on historical trends is provided by performer and blogger Ula the Painproof Rubbergirl, who has acted as a target girl for New York-based knife thrower The Great Throwdini. He concludes that: ".beyond practical concerns, the image of the woman in peril became a specific fashion in entertainment". While Steinmeyer focuses on stage magic and attributes some of the trend to practical factors, he also points to a broader pattern in entertainment generally, which he links to social trends. Selbit's stage debut of the Sawing Through A Woman illusion in 1921 marked the beginning of a trend for women as the victims of choice for acts simulating danger or torture. Jim Steinmeyer, a noted illusion designer who has written well-regarded books on the history of magic, has identified a fashion for female peril as entertainment in the post-First World War period. In particular the assistant's performance is said to mirror the plot device of the hero's ordeal, in which the hero proves his or her heroic qualities through self-sacrifice or by facing extreme peril. While some point to overtones of sadomasochistic eroticism, others cite dramaturgical works and point to parallels with the story arc of the hero in classic drama. These range from simple awe at the display of steely nerves and complete trust to more complex psychological and philosophical theories. Various theories have been put forward to explain the enduring appeal of the target girl. In this respect there is some similarity to magicians' assistants, although there is a distinct difference in that any apparent danger to an assistant in a magic act is mostly an illusion, whereas impalement acts are demonstrations of accuracy, nerve and calculated risk and the danger is real. Target girls often wear revealing costumes, thus adding an element of overt sexuality to an act. Without assistants placing themselves in danger these acts would be simple demonstrations of accuracy, but with the potential for injury or death the show is much more dramatic. ![]() ![]() The presence of an assistant as a human target provides a powerful element of risk. This reflects the fact that, historically at least, female assistants have predominated in the acts in question. The image or character of the target girl has become an icon in fiction and visual media.Īlthough some assistants are male, there is no common equivalent term for a male assistant. The assistant stands in front of a target board or is strapped to a moving board and the impalement artist throws knives or shoots projectiles so as to hit the board and miss the assistant. In circus and vaudeville acts, a target girl is a female assistant in " impalement" acts such as knife throwing, archery or sharpshooting. One knife is captured in flight, fractions of a second before impact. Astrid Schollenberger rehearses with top knife thrower Rev Dr David Adamovich.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |