Joe Jackson Sr. (born Joseph Francis Jiranek; 1873–1942) was an Austrian

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from t ...

champion and a member of a world champion

bicycle polo Cycle polo, bicycle polo, or bike polo (''polo-vélo'' in French; ''Radpolo'' in German) is a team sport, similar to traditional polo, except that bicycles are used instead of horses. There are two versions of the sport: grass and Hardcourt B ...

team before he became an

entertainer An entertainer is someone who provides entertainment in various different forms. Types of entertainers * Acrobat * Actor * Archimime * Athlete * Barker * Beatboxer * Benshi * Bouffon * Circus performer * Clown * Club Hostess/Host * Co ...

. Born in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Jackson became a champion racing cyclist at an early age. Later he became a trick bicycle rider and traveled over much of Europe. While appearing at the Crystal Palace in London, the handlebars of his bicycle came off. He waved the handlebars wildly as a gesture of despair. The laughs from the audience brought down the house and it gave Jackson the idea for his famous act. From then on he was a comedian. In all his years on the stage, Jackson did his act in pantomime. Preferring intimate settings, Jackson worked almost exclusively in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

and European one-ring circuses. His act took him to England, Europe, Russia,

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...

, Turkey, and the United States. During the New York World's Fair, he appeared in the ''American Jubilee''. Shortly afterward, he opened a restaurant and resort in Bellvale, Greenwood Lake New York, where he made his home. In his late years he devoted most of his time to managing his eatery, making only infrequent stage appearances, mostly in New York, when he felt like it. He was also a capable magician. He encouraged his son to take over the act. Junior did the exact routine with every gesture exactly as done by his father. During a recent (to that time) run at the Music Hall, Junior substituted for his father for one performance and nobody knew the difference. Junior carried on the act in Los Angeles with the

Ice Capades The Ice Capades were traveling entertainment shows featuring theatrical ice skating performances. Shows often featured former Olympic and US National Champion figure skaters who had retired from formal competition. Started in 1940, the Ice Cap ...

.''Billboard'', May 23, 1942 Following a performance at

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

's Roxy Theater, on May 16, 1942, he took five curtain calls; he turned to Buck Wheeler, the Roxy stage manager, and said "They're still applauding." Then he walked over to the backstage elevator and, while applause was still being heard, died of a heart attack. He was inducted into The International Clown Hall of Fame in 1994. He was married to Maria 'Rialto' Truccot Prols, a former singer, who ran Mother Rialto's tavern in

Bellvale, New York Bellvale is a wooded hamlet in the town of Warwick in Orange County, New York, United States. Situated in the morning shadow of Bellvale Mountain along New York State Route 17A, Bellvale was the site of an iron forge destroyed by British Army sold ...

with him and their later daughter-in-law.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Joe Circus performers from Austria-Hungary 1873 births 1942 deaths Vaudeville performers Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the United States