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Strongman Demonstrations in Peterborough

1960 , Peterborough (Cambridgeshire)

Cat no. 212885

An Anglia Television report, featuring two stunts by Latvian-born strongman, daredevil and swimming pool attendant Walter Cornelius.

Cornelius, a muscle-bound strongman, uses his bare hands to break a pair of thick steel nails, bending them back and forth until they break. The broken nails are inspected by a bystander, who presents them to the camera. Later, Cornelius picks up a small concrete slab - approximately 3-4 inches think - and crouches down, placing it on his head. His assistant raises a large sledgehammer, dropping it down onto the concrete slab, which refuses to break. On the second attempt, however, the slab is broken into three pieces, watched by a group of boys on bikes. The film concludes with a close-up of the successful attempt, replayed in slow-motion.

Keywords

Strongmen

Background Information

Walter Cornelius was a bona fide local celebrity in Peterborough. Born in Latvia in 1923, he held numerous world records and was known for his various strongman stunts and daredevil escapades, as well as for being the lifeguard at the local lido. He even has a Facebook group dedicated to his memory: https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=64232987178

Manifestations

Strongman Demonstrations in Peterborough

  • Barcode
    INV390243
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    MP4 H264 digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:00:40
    Modification Date
    21/11/2011
    Parts
    Reference
    734130
  • Barcode
    INV329639
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    MP4 H264 digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:00:40
    Modification Date
    21/11/2011
    Parts
    Reference
    734129
  • Barcode
    INV386775
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    MP4 H264 digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:00:40
    Modification Date
    21/11/2011
    Parts
    Reference
    734128
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV321217
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    DV digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:00:40
    Modification Date
    10/05/2011
    Parts
    Reference
    710093
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV207061
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    master digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:00:51
    Modification Date
    27/02/2009
    Parts
    Reference
    678895
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV174718
    Canonical Identifier
    537
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Details
    Carrier Type
    16mm film
    Colour Type
    bw
    Duration
    0:00:32
    Has Image
    Y
    Has Sound
    N
    Identifier
    Image Polarity
    neg
    Modification Date
    23/03/2007
    Parts
    Reference
    583873
    Sound
    silent

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