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Video: "Drunk Daredevil" Takes To NYC's Skyscrapers In 1933
By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 29, 2012
Modified Mar 29, 2012
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 29, 2012
Modified Mar 29, 2012
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Ben Dova (womp womp) came to the States as a young man, with an interest in vaudeville and acrobats, eventually becoming well known for his signature "convivial inebriate" act. In 1933 he brought his "quirky drunkard" act to the city's skyscrapers, where he staggered about on top of the 56-story Chanin Building, located at 122 East 42nd Street, at the corner of Lexington Avenue. There were no nets, no wires, and no camera tricks involved in what you see here. According to lore, audiences were so terrified for Dova's safety, "fainting at the sight of the newsreel was documented."
Dova's real name was Joseph Späh, and about four years after the above video was taken, he was on the Hindenburg when it crashed, but he survived:
Leaning out of one of the forward-most windows, Späh was taking movies of the landing crew and had just aimed his camera at Lakehurst's massive Zeppelin hangar when the hangar started reflecting an orange glow. It quickly became obvious that the Hindenburg was suddenly and inexplicably afire. The whole ship tilted about 45 degrees down by the tail, and Späh managed to hold on to a rail while most of the others slid 15 or 20 feet down the floor to the back wall of the observation deck. Once the ship began to descend and level out, Späh hung out of the nearby window, let go once he was about 20 feet above the ground and, his acrobat's instincts kicking in, tried to do a safety roll when he landed. He injured his ankle nonetheless, and was dazedly crawling away when a U.S. sailor came up, slung him under one arm, and ran him out of the fire zone.
Some of the last footage before the crash can be seen here.
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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