Friday, March 16, 2007

CIRQUE ARLETTE GRUSS: Andre & Frisco



Cirque Arlette Gruss' Andre & Frisco perform their Paper Hanger entree. I've seen Norman Wisdon do a very similar routine on an early 60s television special and I don't know if Wisdom was performing an old circus gag or the Euro-clowns adapted an old televison bit.

For more on Cirque Arlette Gruss, please click the title of this post.

3 comments:

  1. There is certainly a notable routine with Norman Wisdom and Bruce Forsyth doing this on "Sunday Night at The London Palladium" when there was some sort of strike so that the pair had to perform the entire show with just the two of them LIVE.
    The paper-hanging sequence they did on that occasion was adapted from the routine used (if not devised) by Naughton and Gold (i.e. Charlie Naughton and Jimmy Gold) of The Crazy Gang - if that means anything to you!
    Andre and Frisco are doing this routine on Arlette Gruss this season, having done it a few years ago. Andre is Swiss. Frisco is French, and is basically the house clown with "Arlette", willing to work with whoever is booked in.
    Incidentally, Arlette Gruss herself died at the start of 2006. She was cousin to Alexis Gruss of horse fame.

    John.

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  2. I saw Andre on Krone when we were there on vacation, he did three fabulous gags, Shark in the Bathtub, Fishing Gag, & Lip Singing Gag, all very funny.

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  3. I suppose I should have told you that it's Frisco whom we see first.
    He tried to retire a few years ago, but made the mistake of paying a visit to the show just after another clown had decided to leave!

    John.

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