Laurens "Larry" V. Griswold (September 17, 1905August 24, 1996), known as ''"The Diving Fool"'', was an American gymnast and entertainer who was involved in the early development of the

trampoline A trampoline is a device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched between a steel frame using many coiled springs. Not all trampolines have springs, as the Springfree Trampoline uses glass-reinforced plastic rods. People bounce o ...

. Griswold was a college level

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

and tumbler while studying

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorat ...

at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 co ...

. While coaching at an acrobatic school in New York, he enjoyed performing 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 ...

shows. However, he decided to return to Iowa to become a teacher and in 1931, he became a gymnastics coach at the University of Iowa where he met

George Nissen George Peter Nissen (1914 – 2010) was an American gymnast and inventor who developed the modern trampoline and made trampolining a worldwide sport and recreation. Background Born on February 3, 1914, in Blairstown, Iowa, Nissen became a ke ...

who was also a skilled gymnast & tumbler. In 1933, Griswold organized many of the skilled athletes at the university into a circus team, putting on shows. He also developed an act in the swimming pool which involved Griswold

clown A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms. History The most ancient clowns have been found in ...

ing and performing tricks on the diving board. This would later be developed into an entertaining routine which he performed professionally for years. In one of his most famous routines he would pretend to be a drunken, uncoordinated man who was constantly staggering off of the diving board and its ladder as he ostensibly got ready for a big dive. Audiences would gasp as he repeatedly "fell" from the board only to seemingly catch himself at the last moment. Griswold & Nissen worked together to develop the first prototype

. Later they set up a company, the Griswold-Nissen Trampoline & Tumbling Company, to manufacture trampolines. However, initially sales were slow and Griswold sold out as his entertainment career was starting to thrive. In 1945, he found that he had to limit his immersion in water for health reasons and so changed his routine to use a trampoline disguised as a swimming pool in his diving act. This allowed him to play a wider variety of venues. In the 1950s and 1960s, he took his physical clowning & acrobatic act all across the United States becoming one of the top draws in show business. He also performed on television variety shows, including the ''Frank Sinatra Show'', ''The Ed Sullivan Show'', ''Hollywood Palace'' and the ''Jackie Gleason Show''. He toured internationally performing lavish shows in the United Kingdom, France and Japan before settling down for several years as a regular performer in the

Folies Bergère The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall, located in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the architect Plumeret. It opened on 2 May 1869 as the Folies Trév ...

. Griswold's interest in

trampolining Trampolining or trampoline gymnastics is a competitive Olympic sport in which athletes perform acrobatics while bouncing on a trampoline. In competition, these can include simple jumps in the straight, pike, tuck, or straddle position to more co ...

and education did not stop with the development of his entertainment career. In 1941, he wrote ''Trampoline Tumbling'', the first textbook for the sport of trampolining. In 1971, with George Nissen, he founded the

United States Tumbling & Trampoline Association The United States Trampoline & Tumbling Association (U.S.T.A.) offers competitions in tumbling, trampoline and double-mini trampoline. It was founded in 1970. Starting with 200 members and one division, the U.S.T.A. now has 6000 members, nine divi ...

(USTA). They honoured him by inducting him into their Hall of Fame and by the naming of the Griswold-Nissen Cup for outstanding trampolinists. In 1973, Griswold had a fall while performing in Chicago and suffered a career-ending injury. His show continued with replacement performers he had trained in preparation for his retirement.

External links

Biography of Larry Griswold

Larry Griswold on Youtube
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Guests on Hollywood Palace show June 13, 1964
{{DEFAULTSORT:Griswold, Larry American gymnasts American male trampolinists Vaudeville performers 1905 births 1996 deaths University of Iowa alumni