[Dixielandjazz] garden hoses

[PLadd36932 at aol.com]

Hi All,

What is all this hoo ha about playing the garden hose?.

It was  a regular act when I used to go to Music Hall when I was a kid. It 
never struck me (not a horn player) as being particularly funny or 
particularly clever. Anyone who can make a noise out of a piece of coiled 
metal tube should be able to make a noise from a piece of coiled rubber, or 
plastic.

The player, who always had a female assistant who was stacked, usually did 
all the tricks which have been mentioned, playing with the foot, blowing 
bubbles from the bell etc..
Usually there would also be on the theatre bill, performing dogs, a comedian, 
and a pianist plus singer but the best was always the performing seals which 
threw beach balls to each other and so on but always ended the act by playing 
God Save the King on a set of bulb type car horns. That was really clever.

Of course there was usually a stripper, except that she didn`t strip as it 
was actually against the law to have nudes on stage which moved . 
Consequently the stripper, Jane of the Daily Mirror, a character in a daily 
cartoon,probably remembered by many servicemen serving in the UK in the 40`s, 
assumed `classic` poses, often recreations of famous paintings. Judgement of 
Paris was a favourite
Much more to the liking of a young boy than idiots blowing through garden 
hoses. 

Caw, I have broken out in a sweat just thinking about it. I think I will go 
and lay down.

Cheers

PatL