1950s Australia: there was a
'publicity stunt with a strong-man performer, Wilfred Briton, who was actually Polish. I had seen this immensely broad-chested, chunky little pocket-sized Hercules at the Kingston Empire. His feats of strength were trult amazing. When Mr Briton came to Australia, [the impresario] decide that he needed some special public feat of strength from Mr Briton to bring people into the theatre. He arranged for him to pull a double-decker Melbourne bus up Elizabeth Street with his teeth.
'The press turned up in force, and Wilfred duly made the attempt, which he was confident he could perform, even though the bus was to be pulled uphill.. The powerful muscles of his short, thick neck stood out like twisted steel cables as, to his surprise, he had to strain himself to the limit to move the big bus. However, by nearly killing himself, he did succeed in towing the double-decker a few feet up Elizabeth Street before he had to give up, with most of his teeth loosened by the effort. It was only then that the driver admitted laconically, 'I didn't trust yer, mate, on the hill, so I had me brakes on.' '
From Michael Bentine's autobiography 'The Reluctant Jester', p. 239
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