Carsony, Karl, 1924-2012

Karl Carsony was an Austrian-born acrobat and balancing artist who performed primarily in the United States and Europe from the 1940s-1970s. He was well known for performing a handstand on a cane while balancing atop the Sahara Hotel and Casino sign in Las Vegas, Nevada--a publicity stunt for the hotel's opening in 1952.

Karl Schrom was born in Vienna, Austria in 1924, he adopted the name Carsony from the name of the American prisoner-of-war camp (Camp Carson) where he was imprisoned in Colorado Springs, Colorado during World War II. His post-war return to Europe was characterized by Carsony performing his balancing acts with his identical twin brothers Joe and Bert--together they were known as the Carsony Brothers. The trio performed throughout Europe, Australia, and Asia including runs at the Lido de Paris in France and the Palladium in London, England.

In the United States, the Carsony Brothers performed at New York City nightclubs, as well as showrooms in Las Vegas, Nevada, where they appeared in the Folies Bergere at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino, the Casino de Paris and Vive Les Girls at the Dunes Hotel and Casino, and other entertainment industry venues. After the death of his brothers in 1964, Karl Carsony performed solo or was assisted by his wife Margot Meyers, a former ballet dancer and showgirl. Meyers danced in the Casino de Paris, La Nouvelle Eve, and also performed with Bill Hayley and the Comets during the 1950s. Carsony and Meyers retired in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1980s.

Carsony died in 2012.