From the 1981 Los Angeles Magazine photo shoot here are the ex-Red Unit Ringling clowns of "Bozo Row"
STANDING: (left to right) Billy Baker, Ed "Smitty" Smith
IN FRAME: (Top to bottom) Kevin Bickford, Dolly (Spann) Baker, Robin Shaw-Bickford, Jimmy Briscoe, Ron Jarvis and Daniel Rogers
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Billy Baker describes Bozo Row...
"I arrived in Hollywood in 1978, and ended up managing an apartment complex, that within a year or two, was full of Ringling rejects coming to Lotusland to try their luck. Out of 12 units, 10 were filled with Ringling grease paint comrades. There were also many, who passing through were adopted or too broke to go elsewhere. It was a circus train that never left the station."
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THAT must have been SOME party!
5 comments:
So, where are they now???
Kevin Bickford and Robin Shaw Bickford are still married and gigging in the Los Angeles area.
Kevin spent several season playing Bozo at Canobie Lake Park in Nashua, NH.
Billy Baker closed his "Elwood Smooch's Ole Smoky Hoedown" in Pigeon Forge, TN this past New year's Eve and is currently working with one of the other shows in Pigeon Forge, still as Elwood (seen in this photo in his earlier, circus incarnation)
I believe Billy and Dolly are still married.
Ron Jarvis is a frequent contributor to CLOWNALLEY.NET.
I'm not sure about Jimmy Briscoe but I know he has turned up quite frequently on television over the years if you know where to look.
As for Smitty and Danny? I don't know.
Cool. I worked with Kevin once in LA at a CFA convention, I think. Billy Baker and Jimmy Briscoe were teachers when I went to CC in 76. Smitty was on the Blue show then, and Danny Rogers was in CC76 as well. And somehow, tho I've never met him that I recall, I seem to owe Jarvis $5.00 . . .??
Patrick,
Bozo Row was not so much a party as it was a "Hellz-a-popping, zen, pants on fire, exitensial experiment". Everyone rolled through there, and it was a clown version of the Algonquin Round Table.
Billy's neighbor was a musician who toured with Janice Joplin. I went to a wrap party with Billy and his drummer one night; the film was "Stripes" and the drummer?... Judge Reinhold. There is a picture from the LA Times of Jerry Rubin (still in hiding) and his LA gang, all Bozo Rowers who just happened to hike up to the Hollywood sign and were asked to be part of the photo shoot.
What a party indeed.
Ron
Bruce,
For $5 I will tell you why you owe me $5.
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