By David Cain
(Author’s Note: Some of the information in this article is taken from Everhart’s Autobiography, Facts, Fame, and Fortune (1904). In this book, Everhart’s massive ego is obvious. Thus, some of the “facts” from that volume need to be taken with a grain of salt.)
In Part 1 of this article, we learned how William Everhart got his start, invented the art of hoop rolling, and began his incredible career. Let’s continue to learn about his career, see film of him perform, and discuss his legacy.
Everhart returned to New York City for a contract before heading back to Europe for an extended tour. He was always looking to boost his image and very large ego and never missed an opportunity to promote himself. He would give away miniature wooden hoops to children attending special matinees intended just for them. In 1902 he played the Hippodrome in London and was involved in the coronation celebrations of King Edward VII. Everhart continued to travel the world, usually spending a few years in Europe followed by a few years in the United States, with excursions to other parts of the world scheduled from time to time.
The hoops used by Everhart ranged in size from the size of modern juggling rings to those tall enough to stand inside of, but his standard hoops were 18 inches in diameter, one and one eighth inches wide, with a concave outside, similar to wooden bicycle rims, and made of hickory wood. Everhart invented a huge number of tricks with his hoops, many of which are now lost. He described his most difficult trick in the following way:
Two hoops are thrown in the usual way, with reverse motion (back spin), but in different (opposite) directions. They slide along until a distance of ten feet separates them and then roll toward each other. At the moment they are passing parallel, their edges almost grazing, another hoop, half an inch less in diameter, which in the meantime has been thrown after the others, but at right angles to their course, passes through its larger brethren, the three continuing to roll to their respective points.
Such a trick must have taken an incredible amount of practice to learn, let alone master well enough to be performed on a daily basis. Everhart also invented most of the general types of tricks that those that followed him were known for, including rolling them across his arms and back in various ways, rolling them in circles on the stage using back spin and torque, bounce juggling them, rolling them in straight lines using back spin, catching them on strings and having them return to him, toss juggling them, spinning them, balancing them, and many combinations of these techniques. To aid in his creation of new tricks, Everhart had a standing offer of $500.00 (an enormous amount at the time) cash to anyone who could suggest to him a new trick that he felt was worthy of adding to his act. He paid up on his offer at least once.
Everhart complained to one reporter about some of the difficulties of being a hoop rolling juggler. He traveled with 60 hoops of varying size and weight, using different sets for different tricks. The hoops wore out over time to the point where they were very thin and one sided. Therefore, he was constantly replacing them and having to relearn all of his tricks with new hoops. One difficulty that would never occur to most is the fact that the hoops would wear out Everhart’s costumes very quickly, leaving tracks in the clothes down his back and across his shoulders from where the hoops would roll. This necessitated Everhart traveling with five identical costumes that he would continually rotate wearing on stage. The hoops also caused William to develop blisters on his hands and corns on his fingers. Nevertheless, Everhart loved the limelight that his skills afforded him.
William Everhart was a master at self-promotion. He was very fortunate to have a photo of himself as a young child playing with a hoop and stick. He used this as a way of saying that he had been working with hoops his entire life.
Everhart hated that so many other acts quickly copied him, but when he found that he couldn’t stop them, he licensed his name to wooden hoops manufactured and sold by Edward Van Wyck, the early juggling prop manufacturer. He also put out very interesting and unique advertisements.
Although William Everhart lived until 1948, not much is known about his later life and career. What we do know is gleaned from his 1904 autobiography, Facts, Fame, and Fortune, and from the many interviews he did at the height of his fame at the start of the 20th century. Fortunately, as you’ve seen, numerous pictures and some film of his act still exists. With the retirement of Bob Bramson and Carter Brown, “old school” hoop rolling acts using wooden or fiberglass bicycle rims have disappeared. However, a new generation of jugglers have discovered the art and are performing acts that use many of the techniques invented by William Everhart.
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 16 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-six books. He and his children live in Middletown, OH (USA).