The Bumpsy Anthony photo isn't that unusual. These look to have been taken in the late 50s/early 60s and Bumpsy worked on many shows during that period. The one that throws me for a loop is Paul Jerome's old partner, Herman Joseph.
I was under the impression that Herman retired from circus clowning in the early 30s and got himself a townie job. Did he go back out on the road after he retired from that? Did he do spot dates? I can't think of a single Herman Joseph photo between the early 30s and this.
Anyone have any idea what show this is? What year?
Happy Birthday to the King of Rock and Roll himself, Mr. Elvis Aaron Presley.
Last night Shane and I went to the Tinton Falls Public Library, a small building on Broad St., to pick up some new books and to find out more about the local Cub Scout pack.
As we walked through the door we noticed a tall, skinny man in his 40s at the computers. He looked like Tom Cavanagh (former star of NBC's former show Ed) sporting a wildly over-sizedpompadour, sideburns and the gaudy white jumpsuit/belt/boots/cape combo of the Vegas-era Elvis.
I thought it must be a library employee dressed up for some kind of Elvis' birthday celebration so I pointed him out to Shane and said "Omigosh! Hey Buddy, it's the King! Shane, what does Elvis say?" to which Shane replied loudly "Wuhhhh, thank you. Ahhhh... thank you vera much-a!"
Nothing.
The guy never looked up from the computer; never acknowledged that we were there.
I would have liked to get a picture of the two of them together, but I could see that "the King" was clearly too busy to hold court, so we didn't ask.
Shane and I walked back to the children's section where several of the Cub Scout's moms were huddled together talking about "Elvis". Apparently he's not an employee. He's not an impersonator. He's local eccentric and he does this all the time. We just happened to see him on the night before Elvis' birthday.
We picked out some books, left the library and then stopped for dinner at McDonald's where Shane told me, "We probably should have asked Elvis for his autograph. He's really famous but he's kinda rude."
Shane didn't think of this guy as some local nut at all. He thinks that we met the actual honest-to-goodness Elvis at the library.
Of course Elvis is still alive!
Of course Elvis lives in Tinton Falls, NJ!
Of course Elvis dresses in his stage gear like that all the time!
And if he needs to get a little work done on the computer, what better place than the lobby of the Tinton Falls Public Library to do it?
Shane is convinced that he really met Elvis last night, which is, by far, a way better story and much cooler thing to go through childhood believing than any plain old, simple uninteresting truth.
So I'm sure that Shane is sitting in his kindergarten class right now telling his teacher that he saw Elvis Aaron Presley, the world-renowned King of Rock & Roll, last night using the computers at the Tinton Falls Public Library, and sounding as crazy to her as a stack of Weekly World News cover articles.
Oh, and that he's actually kind of rude in person.
PBS ANNOUNCES CIRCUS DOCUMENTARY NEW MULTI-PART SERIES PREMIERES FALL 2010 Award-Winning Cinematographers of Acclaimed CARRIER Series Turn Their Lenses on Performers and Their Stories for Intimate Look
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a world that offers a dizzying array of amusements and entertainments, there is none quite so enduring or universal as the circus. Now, over the course of many dramatic hours, Show of Force, the team who brought viewers the Emmy Award-winning PBS series CARRIER, turn their lenses on the circus -- not just under the big top, but far beyond it -- into what circus folk call "the backyard," the place where the trailers are parked and the real heart of the circus beats. Slated to premiere in fall 2010 on PBS, CIRCUS will illuminate the sights, sounds and stories of this fascinating cultural heritage.
"CIRCUS will let viewers escape into this world, see it as never before and understand what it takes to live this life -- virtually an art form -- that dates back centuries," says John Boland, PBS Chief Content Officer. "We will enrich the revelations and discovery even more through deep and dynamic online and educational components."
With unprecedented access granted by the Big Apple Circus, the filmmakers will follow the traveling company over the course of an entire season, showcasing the circus community's wandering caravan, "the city without a zip code." Viewers will witness the circus as a world unto itself, with its own lingo, rules and tight-knit community. Among the 150 adults who make up the company, there are the expected clowns, tightrope walkers, trapeze artists and animal trainers, as well as carpenters, electricians, concessionaires (known in circus lingo as "butchers"), musicians, ushers, cooks, teachers and even clergy. Performers come from all over the world to travel with Big Apple -- the Nanjing Duo from China, the Flying Neves from Brazil, the Rodion Troupe from Russia, Olivier Taquin from Belgium and Sultan Kumisbayev from Kazakhstan -- making a diverse traveling family.
"As a filmmaker, it has been an incredible window into a cultural legacy that has never been explored before with this depth and honesty," said Maro Chermayeff, executive producer, co-creator and director.
Going behind the scenes, the cameras capture the training and rehearsals, the flubs and foibles, the bravery and the intensity of life -- and work -- in the circus. Along the way, viewers will get lessons in how to juggle, walk a tightrope and do a triple somersault.
The series also will offer a revealing look at the ways in which the company of a traveling big top circus governs itself. Constantly in motion, startlingly insular and completely interdependent for months on end, the circus community demands a uniquely high level of sociability, diplomacy and flat-out patience. CIRCUS will explore the various ways the company navigates conflict, internally and with outsiders, underscoring just how challenging it can be to spend every day and night for nine or 10 months straight with 150 other people of differing nationalities, belief systems and backgrounds.
A fresh and highly current combination of cinema verite and unscripted drama will allow viewers to fully explore the texture of circus life -- and, in the process, illuminate its enduring mystery and allure.
CIRCUS will feature an interactive, Web-based educational outreach component that will further explore not only the ideas and issues raised by the programs, but the circus' lengthy and storied history in the United States as well. Providing a broad spectrum of engaging components -- from series outtakes to circus trivia, from online interactive debates to exclusive video clips that reveal the secrets of the modern circus -- the Web site will promote the series to new viewers, allow current viewers to dig deeper into the show's content and offer educators a variety of tech-savvy, attention-grabbing ways to utilize the physical, scientific and historical bases of the circus in their curricula.
CIRCUS is a production of Show of Force. Created, Executive Produced and Directed by Maro Chermayeff and Jeff Dupre. Produced by Matthew Akers.
PBS, with its 356 member stations, offers all Americans -- from every walk of life -- the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches more than 115 million people on-air and online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; hear diverse viewpoints; and take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS' broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS' premier children's TV programming and Web site, pbskids.org, are parents' and teachers' most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org Web sites on the Internet.
Here's Billy Bletcher, the voice of Pa Bear in the Chuck Jones cartoons that I posted earlier today, doing the voice of Pete to Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse in this rare footage from 1940.
My new Facebook friend Tammy Parish with Jim Ragona (currently Director of Operations with Circus Sarasota) on the 118th edition (Blue Unit) of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
"The fact that there is always a positive side to life is the one thing that gives me a lot of happiness. This world is not perfect. There are problems. But things like happiness and unhappiness are relative. Realizing this gives you hope."
When people think of Chuck Jones' classic Warner Bros. output they always seem to talk about One Froggy Evening or What's Opera, Doc? but for my money Chuck really hit paydirt with these Three Bears cartoons. The writing, the timing and the characters are fantastic!
Chuck Jones once asserted that they predicted "All in the Family" by about twenty years: the grouchy father, the mousy mother and a next generation that doesn't belong.
In addition to the great work of the animators, these cartoons are especially notable for the vocal performances of artists Billy Bletcher (Pa), Bea Benederet (Ma) and Stan Freberg (Junyer) who really bring these characters to life.
What with his successful Pepe Le Pew and Roadrunner series (in addition to his Bugs and Daffy chores) it's hard to believe that Chuck didn't see a reason to continue this series throughout the 50s...
Upon Oreste's death his place was taken by his grandson Oreste and later Ferreira was replaced by another grandson, Vittorio, who was also a notable juggler. Upon Antonio Poletto's retirement the whiteface role was filled briefly by Oreste's wife Francesa before the team decided to continue on as a trio.
The act was retired with Alfredo's passing in May 2005.
I've recently created Facebook "fangroups" for Lou Jacobs, Otto Griebling, Charlie Rivel, The Fratellinis, Grock, Mike Coco and Mark Anthony. Why? Because.
I'd have made more but I believe that Facebook has a limit on the number of groups you can create, or maybe it's the number of groups you can create in a given time period.
Either way, if you're on Facebook and would like to be "friends" with Otto and Lou, look them up!
"Compassion is not religious business; it is human business. It is not a luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability; it is essential for human survival."
Rodney Stephen Hull (13 August 1935 – 17 March 1999), better known as Rod Hull, was a popular entertainer on British television in the 1970s and 1980s. He rarely appeared without Emu, a mute, highly aggressive arm-length puppet of such a bird. However, Hull was careful to tailor its conduct according to his audience, and always ensured that it displayed a friendly demeanour when in the company of children.
Hull was born in the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, England in 1935. He attended Delemark Road School and the County Technical School, Sheerness. When he left school, he trained as an electrician but moved to Australia in the early 1960s.
His first job in television was as a lighting technician with TCN Channel Nine in Sydney.[1] He then began appearing on-air, notably as Constable Clot in Channel Nine's Kaper Kops, a regular segment in its children's afternoon programming. Clot proved very popular and soon gained his own segment, Clot in the Clouds, which depicted Constable Clot daydreaming about having other professions, such as a world famous brain surgeon, 'Blood Clot'.
Later he worked as co-host of a children's breakfast TV programme, The Super Flying Fun Show, playing a wacky character named 'Caretaker Clot', an extension of his Kaper Kops role. Hull first used Emu as a puppet in this show. There are conflicting reports as to how this came about: Hull stated, "Sure I found him in a cupboard but I had put him there in the first place. I concocted him, nobody else." However, a Channel Nine producer, Jim Badger, recalled that he had requested a reluctant Hull to use Emu. The bird subsequently became a regular part of Hull's set on cabarets back in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Hull returned to Britain in 1971 and signed with International Artists (after Emu tore up the office). Soon after, his Australian success translated to his native country with Hull appearing on several children's and adult light entertainment shows.
He began on an ITV show, Saturday Variety, but it was his appearance in the 1972 Royal Variety Performance that provided his springboard to national recognition.
Hull's puppet represented a side of his personality that enabled the entertainer to create a kind of gleeful havoc, while seemingly being not to blame for it. This was aided by the simple yet effective conceit of a false arm attached to Hull's jacket, which cradled the emu, therefore making it appear that the neck and head moved of its own volition. This seemingly independent movement gave the illusion that the bird had its own personality, which entailed sudden, unprovoked and aggressive attacks on anyone and anything that came too close. During these, Hull would make half-hearted attempts to pull the badly-behaved bird away from its victim but would often become embroiled in the fracas, rolling around on the floor to create a scene of mayhem.
When Hull left The Super Flying Fun Show and Australia, a duplicate of Emu was made so the character could continue on the show, much to Hull's annoyance. Comedian Martin "Marty" Morton took over Hull's co-hosting position and, in Australia, became almost as well-associated with Emu as its originator.
It was during the 1970s that Hull and the uncontrollable Emu made their most famous appearances. The bird repeatedly attacked Michael Parkinson during a 1976 edition of his eponymous chat show, eventually causing the interviewer to fall off his chair. Fellow guest Billy Connolly threatened, "If that bird comes anywhere near me, I'll break its neck and your bloody arm!". Perhaps mindful of his professional future, Hull swiftly got his "pet" back on best behaviour. In later years, Parkinson always lamented the fact that despite all the star guests he had interviewed during his career, he would always be remembered for "that bloody bird".
There were no apparent boundaries for Emu's outrageous behaviour. In 1972, it ate The Queen Mother's bouquet of flowers during the after-show line-up at the aforementioned Royal Variety Performance. During an appearance on The Tonight Show, he even attacked Richard Pryor in one of the comedian's first public appearances after undergoing major emergency reconstructive surgery on his face. Hull and Emu were regulars on the Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show, which aired for one season as a Saturday morning kids' show on CBS in 1974.
During the 1980s Hull was a multi-millionaire, thanks to his anarchic puppet, and enjoyed huge success with Emu's World and Emu's All Live Pink Windmill Show. The record viewership for his main show, Emu's Broadcasting Company (1975–1980), was 11 million. However, he later suffered financial difficulties and was declared bankrupt in 1994.
In the late 1980s Hull bought Restoration House in Rochester for £387,000, but went bankrupt renovating it.[2] The house was repossessed, Hull's Australian wife left him and he moved to a shepherd's cottage in East Sussex.
Hull was in the public eye less frequently during the 1990s, appearing in pantomime and television commercials, and winning the 1993 "Pipe Smoker of the Year" award. Nonetheless, his name remained well-known.
A 2003 Channel 4 documentary, Rod Hull: A Bird in the Hand, revealed that Hull nursed an increasing resentment towards his puppet, believing that the success of the bird prevented him from pursuing other avenues in showbusiness. He saw himself, according to the programme-makers, as a talented performer who could have developed a more varied career in the entertainment industry had he not been forced to repeatedly play the '& Emu' role. Hull once complained, "I want to write but Emu doesn't leave me the time. I want to be a comedian in my own right, but again Emu won't let me do it."
Hull married twice and had five children. He died in March 1999, at the age of 63. Six weeks after he died, following an inquest, the East Sussex Coroner, Alan Craze, recorded a verdict of accidental death. Hull died following a fall from the roof of his home at Winchelsea, near Rye; he was attempting to adjust the TV aerial in order to get a better picture of the Inter Milan v Manchester United Champions League Quarter Final, 2nd Leg. He fell through the adjoining greenhouse and subsequently died as a result of a massive skull fracture and chest injuries.
Upon Hull's death, Michael Parkinson reminisced that he had found him to be "a very charming, intelligent and sensitive man — quite unlike the Emu." He observed that the puppet "was the dark side of Rod's personality, and very funny, provided it was not on top of you."
His son Toby brought Emu out of retirement for the first time since his father's death during the 2003 pantomime season, appearing in Cinderella at Windsor's Theatre Royal. Toby Hull and Emu now appear in their own series on CITV.
"Phil Enos came from a circus background. His father was an aerial artist, a contortionist and he performed a comedy act in which he dressed as a chimp – an act that his great granddaughter, Olympia, performs today. Phil was American but married an English trapeze artist, Doreen, who was with Sir Robert Fossett's Circus. They had two sons and one daughter, all of whom were circus performers, but his daughter, Pamela, is the only one still performing, being that rarest of creatures – a female clown. Phil died in 1986, but not before he enjoyed a long and successful career in which he toured every European country and went to the Far East twice with his electric, flame-throwing, explosive, collapsible comedy car."
One of the great things about growing up watching New York television stations before Reagan's deregulation was the access a kid had to Abbott & Costello, The Three Stooges, The Honeymooners, Laurel & Hardy, The Little Rascals, The Bowery Boys, Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, Woody Woodpecker and Terrytoons.
When it changed, it changed almost overnight and the after school, late night and weekend classic comedy which had been a staple of WPIX and WNEW lineups since the 50s were replaced by toy-related cartoons or hour long infomercials.
"If any sensible person thinks deeply, he will respect justice. There is an inborn appreciation and respect for justice within our human body. In children, we find what is natural to be the human character. But as they grow up, they develop a lot of conditioning and wrong attitudes. I often feel there is more truthfulness in a small child and I find reasons to have confidence in human courage and human nature."
This is not a picture from 10, 25 or 50 years ago. This picture was taken in 2007!!!
Can someone PLEASE tell me WHY this man is NOT currently working in the American circus industry???
The Ringling Alleys need him, the Cole Bros. Alley DESPERATELY needs him. Any Shrine show would look like a million bucks by adding him. Big Apple could seamlessly add him and make him the American equivelent of Roncalli's "Gensi" tomorrow.
CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHY SANDY KAYE ISN'T ON A SHOW???
Why am I reposting video of an interview with director Ralph Bakshi? Watch the video. Replace the word "animator" with the word "clown". Replace the word "Disney" with the word "Ringling"...
Back at Comic Con in 2008 Ralph Bakshi gave an amazing interview on how to survive in tough times. As a creative working person this inspires me a great deal, so I’d like to share some of my take away points from Bakshi’s insights.
But first you have to understand something about Ralph Bakshi: He started his career in the 60s after Disney had passed in both the physical and creative sense. The 30s and 40s were a golden age for theatrical animation, and in the 50s television killed all of that. Also Alfred Hitchcock killed the theatrical short by insisting that there be no cartoons before his film Psycho — the result killed an already pressured animation industry.
By the 60s opportunities looked bleak — the field was already packed with established artists who had payed their dues, and the big companies were in decline. Ralph Bakshi’s solution was brilliant: Instead of dreaming of the past he made his own films that were aimed at adults (example: Fritz the Cat). By doing this Bakshi created a career that lasted into the early 90s while Disney almost went under in the early 80s. So here’s what I’ve learned from Bakshi:
• Tough Times are a Chance to Reinvent an Industry
• Don’t Work for the Big Studios, Work For Yourself
• Technology Allows You To Take on the Big Guys
• Develop New Markets for Your Work
• Creatively Zig When Everyone is Still Zagging
• What’s Been Successful For Years Can Become Stale
And here’s the video for your inspiration:
By the way it should be noted that the animation industry itself hit a high point during the great depression. In the early days of the 20s the industry was crowded with many startup studios, but the 30s thinned the heard and forced the survivors to innovate. It’s out of this period that we see Snow White which was the first full length feature animated film — in a sense Disney reinvented the medium.
What’s interesting is that Bakshi sort of acknowledges this when he’s putting down the Disney shorts of the early 30s which were quite dull. Mickey was a much more fun character in his black and white films.
It may be impossible to predict how Barack Obama will fare as president, but The Amazing Kreskin, the famous mentalist, has some definite insights on what we may expect in 2009. Kreskin, who predicted in December 2007 that Obama would break out of the field of 12 Democratic candidates and be elected president, told us some very shocking political events we can expect in the next few years.
The self-described “thought reader” (“I don’t consider myself a psychic,” he clarified), who made more than 190 appearances in 2008, said he “gets feelings” about what is going to happen in the new year, particularly how Obama will do as president. Kreskin believed that “Obama will effectively tune into the needs of the American people.” He threw in the caveat, however, that John McCain “would have achieved the same results,” owing to the recession boxing in the new commander in chief. Speaking of the recession, unfortunately Kreskin said it was going to last another “4 1/2 years.”
Kreskin told us “the only chance Obama will not win a second term has to do with Hillary Clinton.” He hinted that he “doesn’t quite know how,” but Clinton will be elected in 2012. But in terms of the next four years, Kreskin said Clinton “will get along with Obama, but please, put ‘get along’ in quotes.” Consider it done.
As for Hillary’s husband, he will keep a “behind-the-scenes” position while his wife is secretary of state.
One event people will not need worry about, especially us Washingtonians, is the inauguration. “I have great confidence there,” Kreskin said. “I wouldn’t feel nervous [about] terrorists. If anything happens, it will be from drinking participants.”
Kreskin didn’t stick to just politics, either. Some other unusual predictions we received were:
» the “rebirth” of traveling by trains
» “renewed importance in the clown”
» bartenders developing an important role in therapy
» cell phones banned from all restaurants
» increase in the popularity of shepherd’s pie
» fewer divorces because it’s too expensive
» sales of drapes will increase to save homes money from heating and cooling bills.
By special request here is a photo of my friend Bobby Roberts of the UK's Bobby Roberts Super Circus, which you can find out more about by clicking here.
Don't have a lot of news on Martine, but I've heard that she's home and resting. She's moving about and is tube free but she tires easily. There's some clown (literal) in Montreal sending around emails about Martine but she appears to be a bit of a harbinger of doom. Martine is doing better than expected and keep the positives coming.
I am extremely grateful to someone I met recently for reawakening my interest in the works of Samuel Beckett.
I'd like to have imbedded Beckett's "Act Without Words II" here but the person who posted it to YouTube has disabled it. So I will have to ask you to click the title of this post to view a filmed version of the play.
When Greg and Karen DeSanto plan a Clown College Reunion you'd best believe it will be a serious opportunity to view a wealth of extremely rare American circus clown history artifacts...
In the Circus World Museum's basement: Felix Adler's 50's era shoes.
(Could these even have been worn? These look like they were just delivered by Griffin!)
Felix's trunk
Otto Griebling's trunk
Otto's shoes and Western Union hat
Otto's vest
From the Jim Parker Collection on display at Tim Tegge's house:
Otto Griebling and Freddie Freeman's boxing gloves
I don't know why but I really love mechanical gags, gags where the characters engaged in some repetitive, mechanical action, become aware that something is wrong but find that they are powerless to stop it because they are bound to this mechanical action.
Ernie Kovacs' "Nairobi Trio" is a great example of a "mechanical gag".
Another is The Muppets' "Mahna-Mahna", which Shane and I spent New Year's Day studying and enjoying in several forms...
My favorite version of the gag from The Muppet Show, Episode 101 Host:Juliet Prowse, April 25, 1977.
The original Sesame Street version from 1969.
This was performed live on The Ed Sullivan Show three days after the debut of the Sesame Street version. This is fairly similar to the one they did eight years later on The Muppet Show, but this version has live audience reactions instead of a laugh track.
A call back with Sandra Bullock from Muppets Tonight, June 23, 1996.
From the July 21, 1911 issue of The Player, a vaudeville trade magazine put out by The White Rats Actor's Union, comes an ad bought by Producing Clown extraordinaire, Jim Rutherford.
Mr. Rutherford created the Firehouse Gag, long a staple of the American three ring circus. This ad gives the origin of the gag as being 1911 on the Sells-Floto Circus and describes it as "The Biggest and Most Expensive Entree Ever Attempted".
Now if we just had a photograph of Mr. Rutherford in makeup...
Bumpsy Anthony
Herman Joseph
