Ben Dova
Ben Dova (actually Joseph Späh , English Joe, Joseph Spah ; born March 14, 1905 in Strasbourg , Alsace-Lorraine , † September 30, 1986 in Manassas , Virginia ) was an American acrobat and actor . He survived the Hindenburg disaster in Lakehurst in 1937 and, as a suspected bomber, was one of the main suspects for several years.
Life
The circus artist Joseph Späh emigrated to America in 1922 and became a world-famous contortionist ( contortionist ) and vaudeville artist under the stage name Ben Dova . His best known acrobat act was that of a drunk man balancing on a swaying street lamp. In 1933 this act was filmed on the 207-meter-high Chanin Building in New York without any precautionary measures .
After Dova retired as an acrobat in the 1970s, he played supporting roles in several films. His best-known role was that of the brother of the concentration camp doctor Szell ( Laurence Olivier ) in the classic film The Marathon Man , who at the beginning dies in a tank truck explosion.
Dova married the dancer Vera alias Evelyn Veronica Franke (1912-2006) in the early 1930s . The couple had two sons and two daughters and lived in Douglaston , Long Island .
Hindenburg disaster
Dova had completed a European tour in 1936/37 and wanted to return to Cuxhaven by steamship. After he missed this, he drove to Frankfurt am Main and was the last passenger to board the airship LZ 129 "Hindenburg" . His shepherd dog Ulla was housed in the freight department. Since he had visited it several times - even without permission - Dova was suspected of having planted a bomb. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the acrobat for several years without a result. After the explosion, he dropped out of the window ten meters high; he only suffered a minor ankle injury.
In the feature film Die Hindenburg (1975) he is played by Robert Clary as Joe Spah ; in the TV movie Hindenburg (2011) took Hannes Jaenicke the role of variety artist Gilles Broca . Dova filmed herself on the drive; these recordings survived the accident. He gave interviews about the disaster, which were shown as excerpts in various documentaries.
Filmography
- The Way of All Freshmen (1933, short film)
- Toast of the Town (1952, TV series, one episode)
- Merciless City (1962, series TV, one episode)
- The Marathon Man (1976)
- The Price for Survival (1980)
- Dear Mr. Wonderful (1982)
- Hell rides : Titanic of the skies - The last ride of the Hindenburg (2000, documentation)
- The last hours of the Hindenburg (2011, documentation)
Web links
- Faces of the Hindenburg: Joseph Späh
- Joseph Späh at rtl.de
- J. Tithonus Pednaud: Ben Dova - The Drunk Daredevil at thehumanmarvels.com
- Ben Dova in the Internet Movie Database [wife's death date incorrect]
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Dova, Ben |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Look, Joseph (real name); Spah, Joe; Look, Joseph |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American acrobat and actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 14, 1905 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Strasbourg , Alsace-Lorraine |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 30, 1986 |
| Place of death | Manassas , Virginia |