Here's an odd one...
Perhaps Mike Karp can offer up some stories to go along with this Uncle Miltie snapshot. Along with Red Sketon, Lucy and now Milton having some direct ties to Clown College, it might be interesting to hear what the early clowns grads remember of these days.
-Greg
In the photo it looks like we have Michael Karp, Keith Crary, Chuck Sateja, Reggie Montgomery, Jim Howle and Prince Paul. I'm not sure about the identities of the little person next to Milton or the whiteface in the straw hat.
8 comments:
I'm pretty sure the little guy is Louie DeJesus (sp?).
Mike Karp...any stories to go with this? Inquiring minds want to know.
-Greg
Why would both red and blue show clowns be together at the same time?
From what the piece says in the paper, this was taken in Venice at the graduation for Clown College. I'm not sure why Prince was in make-up, but I'm sure there is story to go with this picture.
-Greg
Greg-
Did you know that when Frankie Saluto and Prince Paul were in the same photo that Frankie would always kneel down to give the impression that he was smaller than Prince?
Frankie had this hang-up about NOT BEING THE SMALLEST little person in the alley.
Told to me by Bobby Kay, none-other-than.
You probably have a lot more insight on this one...things must have changed with Prince going to Blue and Frankie to Red.
Pat should put up some of the interview Prince did with Chuck Zink in the old clown alley in Venice. Not only is Prince very animated and well-spoken, but to watch Frankie jump about in the background and try to muscle into the frame is very funny.
-Greg
The little fellow is indeed Louie DeJesus--a great guy who is, I am told, no longer with us. The whiteface in the straw skimmer is Paul Lubarra, who did a brief barrel contortion bit in his walk-around.
But the photo itself reveals less than meets the eye! It is a living example of the old PR dictum, often quoted by George Burns: "If the legend doesn't agree with the truth, print the legend!"
For example: the clipping is dated May 21, 1970.
But the photo itself was taken in the summer of 1969, at the Inglewood Forum outside of Los Angeles, and was merely a straight-ahead photo op.
Jack Ryan of Solters and Sabinson, who handled the show's national PR, simply hustled several of us out of the alley, shot the photo and whisked Berle away!
Contrary to what's implied in the caption, there was no sitting around with Berle shooting the breeze, telling stories of legendary vaude performers, dissecting comedy...nor any CC Graduation appearance!
The photo became a "stock shot" to be used for whatever publicity hook Ringling's various press agents could come up with!
The photo first ran in the LA Times during our run in Inglewood...Now, a couple of weeks later, in Long Beach, the paper there ran a "Local-Boy-Makes-Good" story on Scott Bryan and used the same photo.
BUT! Since the article wasn't about Berle, they cut ME out of the photo entirely, and pasted MY face on Milton Berle's body!!!!! Berle wasn't mentioned in the caption at all!
(Scott tells me he has a copy of that photo; maybe he could post it here...it's a hoot!)
I often wanted to send a copy of that photo to Berle and tell him, "With your body and my head, we could really go places..." Thank God I never did!
--Michael Karp
Now that's the kind of background stuff I love to read! Thank you Mr. Karp for filling in the details!
-Greg
Irv Romig once told me that Milton Berle and his producers would take notes at the Ringling Bros. Circus in Florida and lift gags for his TV show.
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