Frank Richards (performer)
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Frank Anson Richards also known as Frank "Cannonball" Richards and Cannonball Richards (February 20, 1887February 7, 1969) was an American
carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
and vaudeville performer whose act involved taking heavy blows to his stomach. Richards began by letting people (including heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey) punch him in the gut. Dempsey hit him in the stomach a reported total of seventy-five times. He then progressed to letting people jump on his belly, being struck by a two-by-four, being struck by a
sledgehammer A sledgehammer is a tool with a large, flat, often metal head, attached to a long handle. The long handle combined with a heavy head allows the sledgehammer to gather momentum during a swing and apply a large force compared to hammers designed t ...
, and finally being shot by a 104-lb. (47 kg) cannonball from a 12 foot (3.6m) compressed air cannon. Richards limited his cannonball act to twice per day, as performing it more often was too painful.


Early life

Frank Anson Richards was born to Richard Jones Richards and Ellen Elizabeth Richards on February 20, 1887, in Minneapolis, Kansas. He had two siblings, sister Rose May Richards and brother Edwin H. Richards, both of whom would later end up in Long Beach, California as well. Before he became a performer, Richards served in World War I.


Career

Prior to 1924, Richards joined the theatrical world of vaudeville, creating an act for himself by exhibiting how much his stomach could take. These included being hit in the solar plexus with a sledgehammer, battering rams, and allowing people to jump on his stomach. He also allowed champion boxer Jess Willard to punch him in the gut, to prove its strength. Richards's most famous act involved him being shot in the stomach with a cannonball weighing over one hundred pounds. He performed this act twice a day during the peak of his career, but more than that was too painful.


Personal life

Richards made Long Beach, California his permanent home, despite touring a lot for work. He was a Christian, a member of the Presbyterian Church of Pomona. As a proud veteran, Richards was a member of American Legion Post 27, and gave free shows at Legion meetings, Elks Clubs, and many military camps during World War II. Because of his act being centered around getting hit in the gut, he became acquainted with most boxing champions of the time. These included Jim Jeffries, Jack Johnson,
Ad Wolgast Adolphus Wolgast (February 8, 1888 - April 14, 1955), nicknamed Michigan Wildcat, was the world's lightweight champion from 1910 to 1912. Biography Wolgast's siblings were fellow boxers Johnny Wolgast and Al Wolgast. Wolgast trained on a meat ...
, Joe Rivers, Joe Lewis, Jess Willard, and Jack Dempsey.


Death

Richards died on February 7, 1969, in Long Beach, California at the age of 81. He was buried at the Pomona Cemetery and Mausoleum in Pomona, California.


In popular culture

A short clip of Richards performing his cannonball trick has become a well-known example of
stock footage Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures, and file footage is film or video footage that can be used again in other films. Stock footage is beneficial to filmmakers as it saves shooting new material. A single piece of stock ...
in popular culture. In the '' Freakazoid!'' episode "The Chip: Part 1", the clip is shown as the character Roddy MacStew says that he has seen many strange things in his lifetime, which include a man being hit in the stomach with a cannonball. It was also used in the 1977 documentary '' Gizmo!'', '' The Fairly OddParents'' episode "Fairly OddBaby", and the '' Chuck'' episode "Chuck versus the Fear of Death", as well as being referenced in the ''
Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...
'' episode " The Apology". Richards's cannonball act was parodied in '' The Simpsons'' episode " Homerpalooza", where
Homer Simpson Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' short "G ...
becomes a carnival freak catching cannonballs, but quits after it is revealed it would kill him to keep going. Other uses include a still image from the clip being used for the cover of the album '' Van Halen III'' and stuntman Preston Lacy reenacting the trick in the opening to ''
Jackass 3D ''Jackass 3D'' (known as ''Jackass 3'' on home media) is a 2010 American 3D reality comedy film directed by Jeff Tremaine. It is the third installment in the ''Jackass'' film series, and the sequel to ''Jackass Number Two'' (2006). The film sta ...
''.


Filmography


Television


See also

* Homerpalooza, episode of '' The Simpsons'' where Homer portrays a version of Frank "Cannonball" Richards * Human cannonball


References


External links


FRANK ‘CANNONBALL’ RICHARDS - Punching Bag
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Frank Sideshow performers Vaudeville performers 1887 births 1969 deaths American military personnel of World War I