I have one of the largest, if not the largest, juggling video collections in the world. Therefore, I’ve established a series that I call Videos From The Vault to share videos that haven’t been online before, paired with other videos of the same acts. This installment features the Three Swifts.
The Three Swifts were one of the top American club passing teams of the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Despite their success and long performing career, information about them and photos of them are very hard to find. One source says that they were Billy, Cicil, and George while another says Billy, Alfred, and George. This may be due to a change in membership of the trio. Regardless, they became stars in the United States and in Europe in the mid-1920s.
Despite the lack of information, we surprisingly have four films of the Three Swifts, two of which have never been online before. Note the speed with which these three gentlemen pass these very hard, wooden Harry Lind or Edward Van Wyck clubs.
The first video is a silent short film from the 1930s from my collection.
Next is a film recorded by Bobby Jule, shown with his permission here for the first time.
To see the Three Swifts passing torches in the 1942 film Arabian Nights, click here.
To see the Three Swifts passing clubs in the 1945 film Nob Hill, click here.
David Cain
David Cain is a professional juggler, juggling historian, and the owner of the world's only juggling museum, the Museum of Juggling History. He is a Guinness world record holder and 15 time IJA gold medalist. In addition to his juggling pursuits, David is a successful composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and singer as well as the author of twenty-four books. He and his children live in Middletown, OH (USA).