Arlington Man Caught Grapes from 788 Feet Up

Imagine catching a grape in your mouth after someone drops it from 52 stories up. Paul Tavilla, a produce merchant from Arlington, Massachusetts, didn't just imagine it. He did it.

Tavilla ran a wholesale produce business with his brothers at the New England Produce Center in Chelsea. But his claim to fame came from an extraordinary talent: catching grapes thrown from jaw-dropping distances.

In 1978, Tavilla landed his first Guinness World Record by catching a grape from 251 feet away. He wasn't satisfied stopping there. The following year, he broke his own record at 327 feet and six inches.

When competitor Ardman Chapman of Louisiana knocked him from the top spot, Tavilla didn't back down. He protested Chapman's 1982 claim of 319 feet, even offering the grape thrower $1,000 plus travel expenses to prove it on level ground. The challenger declined.

Tavilla's most impressive feat came in 1988 at Boston's John Hancock skyscraper. He caught a grape dropped from 788 feet up, plummeting at 80 mph. He admitted the forceful landing hurt his mouth, but the record stood.

A year earlier in Tokyo, Tavilla set a record of 660 feet before a stunned audience of 200 people. The Japanese television company had invited him to appear on a show celebrating world record holders.

Sunny's Take

Tavilla used his unusual talent for good, becoming a regular guest at charity events and children's hospitals. Kids lit up watching him perform his grape-catching stunts. He brought his gift to national audiences too, appearing on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee," and "The Dinah Shore Show."

His fans remembered him fondly after he passed away in 2014. One posted a treasured autograph Tavilla had given him, a small reminder of the joy this produce dealer brought to so many lives.

Tavilla's records have since been broken, but his legacy lives on in the smiles he created. Sometimes the most unexpected talents bring the most delight.