Bill Talent

By David Cain

Vincent Coughlin, known in show business as Bill Talent, was born on April 5, 1893, in Sioux City. His earliest attempt at performing came at the age of six, when he tried baton twirling after seeing twirlers in the street parades of minstrel troupes. For a baton, he used one of his mother’s brooms, cutting off the straw so that only a small knob of straw remained, wrapped with wire. While attempting to twirl this homemade baton, he repeatedly struck himself in the head, eye, and mouth. After two or three weeks of practice, he had become a rather battered youngster.

His brother Jack later taught him to juggle three oranges. After watching jugglers perform at an old ten- and twenty-cent theater, he began copying their tricks. Within a few years he had developed a routine that included three- and four-ball juggling, a feather-balancing trick in which he balanced a feather on his nose, blew it into the air, and caught it again on his nose, and a series of tricks with toy tenpins—first one pin and two balls, then two pins and a ball, and finally three pins. The climax of this sequence involved striking the pins on the floor in time to the tune of Yankee Doodle. His act also featured a large wooden ball, a knife, and a cigarette paper rolled into a spitball. For the finish, he would stick the knife into the stage, kick the spitball into the audience, and toss the wooden ball high into the air so it would land with a loud thud on the floor.

At the age of seventeen, Coughlin contacted the juggling troupe known as the Havelocks. After watching him perform, they promised to send for him, which they did two years later. In 1912 he joined the Havelocks, whose leader, Wallace Havelock, had been a member of the famous Agoust Family juggling act. As the Havelocks, the group played the Keith circuit and other major theaters in the eastern United States.

Early in 1914, Wallace reorganized the Agoust Family act with five members: Emile, Wallace, Mrs. Havelock, Max, and Talent. The troupe appeared at Lew Fields’ Music Hall in a Broadway production for the Shubert Organization. They later traveled to Mexico with a circus. While they were there, fighting broke out between the United States and Mexico, and the performers returned to New York City as refugees.

The Agoust Family, featuring Bill Talent on the left

The family act disbanded in 1915. Max and Bill then organized a new act called Les Augusts, which included Billie De Armo, his wife, Max, and Talent. This act lasted about a year. Max and Bill subsequently performed as a duo under the names Vincent and Maxime and sometimes Agoust and Agoust, presenting many of the tricks formerly done by the five-member family act, but performed by only two people.

Early in 1918, Bill entered St. Vincent’s Hospital with pneumonia. On April 24 of that year, he entered the U.S. Army. He served for about a year and two months, including nearly a year overseas with the 359th Infantry Company. After the armistice was signed, his unit became part of the Army of Occupation. During this time, he was called to headquarters and ordered to take charge of organizing a show for the troops.

He was discharged on June 10, 1919, and soon teamed with Gene Winchester. Performing as Vincent Redford and Gene Winchester, they appeared on the Keith Circuit, the Orpheum Circuit, and other independent engagements. Later, Bill met and married Flo Merit, and together they formed the act Merit and Coughlin. Eventually the act was renamed Talent and Merit, and the pair worked widely in show business until 1935. When his wife’s illness prevented her from continuing, Bill returned to performing as a solo act, which he continued for many years. For a time, he also performed a double act with his brother Jim for the United Service Organizations before returning again to solo work.

Bill and Jim Talent

Bill was an active member of the IJA and was looked up to by the membership.

Bill Talent later made his home in Hollywood. He became a founding member of the Hollywood Comedy Club and willingly assisted with many kinds of theatrical productions. His business card read: “Bill Talent, Hollywood School of Juggling, 6732 Leland Way, Hollywood, California.” Talent remained highly active in juggling circles in and around the Los Angeles area, and he was known for his generosity in helping younger jugglers develop their skills. He died August 23rd, 1974 at his Hollywood home.

Bill was a well-rounded juggler, being especially talented at ball juggling, showing strong skill with seven balls.

He also juggled clubs, plates, and pillows.

He could spin a coin on a parasol.

Bill Talent’s most famous trick was kicking a raw egg up from between his heels and catching it on a plate without breaking it.

Bill performed the egg trick on the famous American TV program You Asked For It. You can see this clip below.

Bill Talent should be remembered for his long and influential career.