Picture Day on the Beatty show

Photo courtesy of Bill Strong



I'm not sure who that is on the elephants but from left to right underneath we have Shorty Hinkle, Jimmy James, another unidentified (Toby Jorio?) and Lou Nagy with Kenny Dodd in the foreground.

I would guess from Jimmy's makeup that this was taken in the mid-60s. That and the fact that Bernie Kallman isn't there, leading me to believe that this was taken before he joined the show.

Picture Day on Ringling

Pile up gang! It's Picture Day from back before Clown College, when the auguste came to rule the Ringling Alley.

Four, count 'em, FOUR whitefaces all dressed in white costumes trimmed in red. No "clown" noses. Two wearing similar peaked white hats but each unique enough that they are easily identifiable.

I'm not sure of the name of the guy at the top (I know that he was used on the cover of the Ringling program one year so he's probably someone for whom I haven't connected the name and the face yet) but I know that right below him are Jackie LeClaire's father Jack LeClair (they spelled their last names differently) on the left and Milt Taylor on the right, two lovely young women and Frankie Saluto at the bottom.

Frankie's makeup is slightly altered in this photo from his usual makeup at the time. Jack LeClair's makeup is different too.

There are several photos (all from about the same time, possibly the same day) of Jack LeClair with this makeup he wearing here, one that differs GREATLY from his earlier makeup. Why would a clown with such a great, expressive face and such a simple yet effective makeup suddenly change it at this point in his career?

I've been told that "back in the day" Ringling management would ask some clowns to come up with an alternate makeup for some press photos to make it seem like there were more clowns on the show than there actually were.

That's why we have strange photos of Lou Jacobs, Gijon Polidor and Felix Adler all in a very similar makeup (the most famous photo of which is a close up of Felix shouting with his hand to his mouth, which was used for years on posters and publicity materials and is the logo for the Felix Adler tent of the CFA) over the years. That's why we have photos of Paul Jerome in whiteface in the 40s. That is why there are whiteface photos of Otto Griebling on the Cole show.

So maybe THAT explains the change in Frankie Saluto and Jack LeClair's makeups.

Or maybe they just felt like a change.

Rules were far more relaxed for the clowns on the Ringling show back then and they were free to experiment and try different things.

Otto and Jackie

Otto Griebling, out of makeup, bowling with Jackie LeClaire in what looks to be the late 50s/early 60s.

I remember reading in an interview that Otto's daughter was always mortified that her father wore his hair so long. Then the Beatles came along and suddenly he was the coolest Dad around. Groovy!

Joe Jackson Sr.

Photo courtesy of Robin Estes



Vaudeville star Joe Jackson Sr., in and out of makeup.

Paul Jerome: Tramp Makeup

The very distinctive tramp makeup of Paul Jerome, "The Neon Clown", which features the light up nose that so many writers have attributed (and continue to attribute) to Felix Adler. Jerome's earlier whiteface makeup IS similar to Adler's and next week I'll try to find a few photos to post side by side for comparison.

Otto

Series of photos courtesy of Robin Estes



Last night we received a message in the "comments" section of a photo of Otto Griebling and Harriet Hodgini from someone identifying themselves as "Julie".

She said that she is the grand-daughter of Otto and Hanna Griebling.

I hope a few more photos of "Grampa" here could entice Julie to email me at cashincomedy@yahoo.com so I could talk to her at length about her grandfather.

More Otto

Another Otto

Happy Kellams

Longtime Shrine Circus fixture Happy Kellams

Big Apple Circus: Step Right Up

Last night I was fortunate enough to see the dress rehearsal for the new 29th edition of Big Apple Circus, "Step Right Up".

Unbelievable!

Francesco, Justin Case, Johnny Peers, Joel Jeske (who really outdoes himself) and Barry Lubin ALL IN ONE SHOW! And that's just the comedy! Steve Smith and his team have much to be proud of this morning. They've assembled an amazing cast that have created a truly wonderful show.

Bobo Barnett & Clown College

"Prof." Chester "Bobo" Barnett, former Ringling clown and longtime star clown with several Shrine shows, in cap and gown and described as "Bachelor of Buffoonery College of Humor" in this autographed photo from 1945.

How widely distributed was this photo and just how much did Bobo have invested in the idea? Was it just for this one single publicity photo? Did he frame the act around it for a time?

We've all heard that the idea for Clown College was Irvin Feld's.

I've heard that the idea for Clown College was Danny Chapman's.

I've heard that the idea for Clown College was first suggested by Otto Griebling.

But maybe the germ of the idea came from a widely distributed publicity photo of Bobo Barnett?

The Francescos 1955: Boxing Gag Video

Video of what looks to me to be the Francescos doing a boxing gag in 1955.

Unfortunately, I can't show it to you here.

Google videos does not allow you to embed video the way YouTube does so you'll have to cut and paste the address below into your web browser window...



http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5451813045811338234&q=circus*+clown*&pr=goog-sl



It's only a few seconds of video but it's well worth your trouble for the chance to see a absolutely flawless execution of a "toothpick" in live performance.

9/11

I don't think that there is ANY photo that sums up the shock, horror and genuine uselessness that I felt on the morning of September 11, 2001 like the image of Emmett Kelly running across the RBB&B lot with a bucket of water attempting to help put out the roaring Hartford Circus Fire of 1944.

You sat and watched it on TV, over and over and over... and were powerless. You had no idea when or where it was going to stop. No idea what to do.

No matter what you did, what you thought, no matter how hard you tried you couldn't stop it from happening again and again and again. The worst thing imaginable. Over and over and over. Planes, buildings, horror, crashes, death. Over and over and over.

And just when you believed that it couldn't get any worse, the Towers began to collapse.



It was a beautiful day. With the trail of smoke visible from my front window, it was STILL a beautiful day.

That's what really killed me. How could something so terrible happen on such an absolutely beautiful day?



I'd just driven past the towers a few days before. I was driving through the Holland Tunnel on my way to Steve Smith's birthday party, listening to the new Elvis Costello CD and I felt good. Really good. All seemed really right with the world.

It was a wonderful night. It was a wonderful party. People came from far and wide and I met and talked with people I've admired since childhood, all there to celebrate the birthday of a man who has been a good friend to us all.

On September 10th I spent the day at Newark Airport. I was there shooting a commercial for United Airlines and spent the whole day in their VIP lounge, looking out at the New York skyline, drinking it in.

I still felt good from the party. I felt good to be cast in another commercial. I'd done 5 in the last year. One was even running internationally. It felt like I was finally getting somewhere . It felt like things were finally coming together.

Then...

Slivers: Beautiful Day

Photo courtesy of Tom Dougherty




Tom described this as his favorite picture of Slivers. I can see why.

Slivers on a hilltop, on a beautiful idyllic day playing with a dog. He's a young man at the height of his career, at the top of his profession with one of the largest circuses the world will ever see as his playground in the background.

What's not to love?

More Unseen Slivers

Photos courtesy of Gene Wolande







These extremely rare family photos come to us from Gene Wolande, a Los Angeles screenwriter and relative of Frank "Slivers" Oakley. The first, a glimpse of Slivers in makeup without his wig, the second ANOTHER photo of Slivers out of makeup (!) and finally a great close-up of Slivers in the catcher's mask he used in his famous Baseball Gag.

Mr. Wolande has written an award-wining screenplay on Slivers' life that I'm sure we'd ALL like to see get made into "a Major Motion Picture". As much drama, comedy and pathos as there is to Slivers' story I find it hard to believe it hasn't been made into a movie already.

Slivers Oakley: Golf Gag

Photo courtesy of Tom Dougherty



Another in a series of photos from the Tom Dogherty Collection, The Golf Gag, taken from the personal scrapbook of Frank "Slivers" Oakley.

Slivers Rag

Todd Robinson reminded me that "Slivers Rag" the Ragtime accompaniment to Slivers' Baseball Gag, composed by Harry Cook (and described as an "Eccentric Rag") is available online at...

http://parlorsongs.com/issues/2001-6/thismonth/featurea.asp

Frank Oakley: Out of Makeup

Photo courtesy of Tom Dougherty



Another photo from the Tom Dougherty Collection of photos from the personal scrapbook of Frank "Slivers" Oakley.

This is the only photo of Frank Oakley, out of makeup, that I've ever seen.



Tomorrow, another photo from the Dougherty Archives and one that helps dispel the myth that Slivers was a "one trick pony" with only his famous Baseball Gag. Tomorrow: Slivers' Golf Gag!

Slivers Oakley in His Prime

Here is the 2nd in a series of extremely rare photos from the Tom Dougherty Collection of Slivers Oakley from Slivers' own personal scrapbook. Today's photo looks to be taken during his prime. Why is is sideways? Because that's the way it was received and I don't know enough about my new macbook to change it yet.



FRANK “SLIVERS” OAKLEY


Frank Oakley, also known as “Slivers” (1871-1916) was the most popular circus clown of his generation. Born in Sweden, both of Oakley's parents were concert singers. At the age of 14 he began to practice as a contortionist and at 16 he joined his first circus. His parents convinced him to enroll at the University of Michigan but two years later Oakley was back under the big top.

His began his career with Andrew MacDonald's Circus but he soon joined the Ringling Bros. Circus in 1897. Before the turn of the century Oakley performed with the Barnum & Bailey Circus followed by three seasons with the Adam Forepaugh & Sells Bros. Circus (1900-02). Oakley returned to the Barnum & Bailey Circus for four seasons (1903-07) where he reportedly earned up to $1,000. a week.

Slivers was famous for working solo in the ring. His featured gag was a one-man baseball game in which he played all the positions of both teams. Among his classic walkarounds was a gag in which he rode around the hippodrome track atop two giant lobsters.

He went on to perform in other circuses, in vaudeville and was featured (sometimes partnered with fellow clown Marceline Orbes) in the massive shows at the New York Hippodrome, where I believe he performed on opening night.
He married vaudeville singer Nellie Dunbar in 1902 and together they had one daughter, Ruth.
With the coming of motion pictures and the superstardom of Charlie Chaplin Slivers was supplanted as an American comedy icon. When other opportunities dried up he tried to return to Ringling where he was offered only $75.00 a week to perform walkarounds.

He committed suicide, dying by gas asphyxiation, on March 8, 1916 in his room at 308 West 71st Street in New York City. Oakley had fallen for Viola Stoll, a young vaudeville actress, and remained infatuated even after she was arrested and incarcerated for stealing his late wife's jewelry. When he tried to have her paroled from Bedford Reformatory by proposing marriage, she rejected him.


Tomorrow, the rarest of the RAREST of the rare...Slivers without makeup!

Slivers Oakley

Photo courtesy of Tom Dougherty



This is probably the rarest photo we've ever had here in THE ALLEY.

It is a photo of Frank "Slivers" Oakley, a true master clown and a huge star in his day. If you look through books on circus and clown, surf the web or search old newspapers and magazines, you'll only ever find a small handful of photos of Slivers. Why? I don't know. But I think that I've only ever seen five or six. This looks to be from early in his career.

This find comes to us from Tom Dougherty, currently featured on the Gold Unit of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and one of the truly great contemporary American circus clowns...



here are a couple of photos you might call rare as
they come out of Slivers Oakley's personal scrapbook
which he kept in his trunk throughout the prime of his
career. Mitch and I met Sliver's grandson and he
showed us the scrapbook...wow! A treasure trove of
clown and circus history. I believe we were the first
people outside of the family to lay eyes upon it. It
was so overwhelming, I had to take a nap after looking
at for an hour. Fortunately I had my camera and got
some images of this remarkable find.
enjoy!

warm regards....Tom



Tomorrow, another photo of Slivers from the Tom Dougherty Collection!