SUPER CIRCUS: The Lopez Trio

It's always great to watch an episode of SUPER CIRCUS. In addition to ringmaster Claude Kirshner, the beautiful Mary Hartline and the clowns Cliffy Nicky and Scampy this episode features the Lopez Trio of trapeze artists, the comedian from which seems to have watched Charlie Rivel's Chaplin act once or twice.

BILLIE BURKE

An autographed photo of classic mid-century American grotesque auguste, Mr. Billie Burke.

THREE MAN HAWAIIAN SCARF JUGGLING

Two unidentified clowns perform a Hawaiian themed audience partcipation scarf juggling gag at the Fifth Wuhan International Acrobatic Art Festival.

GEORGE CARL: Home Movie Footage

George Carl around the mid-1950's playing in the yard with his wife and brother, somewhere in Ohio.

If you thought George Carl was amazing before, sit down and make yourself REALLY comfortable before you watch this.


Wow.

IN MEMORY OF MARAN BURCH

Photo and news courtesy of Bill Strong


Maran Burch passed away at 9:00 AM last Monday morning, June 25, 2007.

No services will be held at her request, She will be laid to rest next to her husband and performing partner, Ernie "Blinko" Burch.

BOZO THE CLOWN: Boxed Set

Just released yesterday is this 4 disc set of 30 live-action ½ hour full color Bozo's Big Top episodes starring Frank Avruch as Bozo from WHDH-TV in Boston. Each features a 5-minute Larry Harmon Bozo cartoon and are digitally re-mastered and transferred from Larry Harmon's original film masters.

These are NOT the WGN Chicago Bozo show featuring Bob Bell (and later Joey D'Auria) as Bozo, these are the syndication episodes shot at WHDH in 1966 during the run of their Bozo show (1959-1970).

Interesting for several reasons, not the least of which is that they feature a young puppeteer named Carroll Spinney as several characters. Mr. Spinney would soon leave the WHDH Bozo Show for the Children's Television Workshop and create the characters Oscar the Grouch and Big Bird for Sesame Street, two characters he continues to play today almost 40 years later.

These WHDH Bozo shows were the ones that I watched as a very small child and was what sparked my interest in clowns and clowning. I still find them very interesting for how Mr. Avruch deals with the small children in his live studio audience. Like Buffalo Bob Smith on the Howdy Doody Show, he is an absolute master at talking to children while in the difficult position of being both friend/fantasy figure as well as parent/authority figure.

Please click the title of this post to be taken to the Amazon page for the boxed set.

DON CHRISTIAN: Bell Ringing Gag

Don Christian, who we saw last week doing a variation on Cesar's Boxing Gag, doing a bell ringing routine.

BEATTY-COLE: Mark Lavender

Clown College graduate (Class of '75) and veteran of the RBBB Blue Unit Alley in 1976 and the CBCB Alley in 1978, Mr. Mark Lavender.

Mark sent me a message trying to find contact info for former Beatty-Cole Boss Clown Jimmy James and then show electrician Bernie Kallman. I've already forwarded Bernie's email to him but if someone out there has a phone number or email address for Jimmy, Mark would sure appreciate it.

From Mark...
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When I was on Beatty in 1978, I met Nini and Ervin Hall, where Nini greenbroke her mixed breed female baboon act. She and brother Ervin, along their siblings Jimmy and Carmen were the Unicycling Whiz Kids of the 1950s and 1960s. Anyway, Nini and I grew to be good buds on the show and lost track of each other three years after that show. We found each other again about four years ago, and after two and half years of catch-up and courtship over the phone we then met, she moved to Nashville... and we got married this past April 28th... 29 years to the week from the very first time we'd met.... (short engagements, eh?)
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Congratulations go out to you and Nini! What a great story!

Having had the pleasure of working alongside Jimmy, Teppa (sp?), Elaine (and her fiance Adam Burke) and Ervin these last few years I can say that you've certainly married into a large and wonderful family, and one that's about as "real circus" as they come.

VIDBEL'S: Mike Snider and Billy Vaughn

Ringmaster Danny McCallum introduces Mike Snider (whiteface) and Billy Vaughn (auguste), one of the great clown duos of late 20th century American circus clowning, seen here performing their Restaurant Gag on Vidbel's Olde Tyme Circus in 2000.

HOUSCH-MA-HOUSCH: More

More from Housch-ma-Housch.

I recognize the first song as "Pince Nez" by the Squirrel Nut Zippers (currently back on tour in the US after a long hiatus). Does anyone know the name and/or artist of the second song?

ROWAN ATKINSON: A Final Bash

One of my favorite pieces from Rowan Atkinson's stage show and one that I imagine would very easily adapted to a one ring circus, were Mr. Atkinson so inclined.

COMEDY BY THE NUMBERS

I just started reading a great new book put out by the fine people at McSweeney's entitled COMEDY BY THE NUMBERS. It's a VERY tongue-in-cheek book, not intended for children, that is not only an excellent introduction for those just starting out but also very entertaining for those seasoned comedy performers and fans.

That is if those performers and fans are in tune with the irony-drenched, satiric "new" humor of MR. SHOW, Cartoon Network's ADULT SWIM, RENO 911, Conan O' Brien, THE DAILY SHOW, John Hodgeman, Stephen Colbert, David Sedaris and the like. Those that are not would probably prefer to learn their comedy somewhere else ; )

FROM CLOWN COLLEGE TO CIRCUS CAMP

10 years ago this summer I was fortunate enough to fulfill a lifelong dream and was accepted into what was to be the final class of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College.

10 later I have spent the year thus far touring arenas around the country as a professional circus clown, had the honor of performing alongside 49 of the best clown and comedy/variety performers in the world at the hugely successful International Clown Festival in Luizhou, China and just spent a week with some great friends, both old and new, teaching circus and clowning skills to 27 extraordinary kids at Michael Rosman's Circus Camp.

The TSA and American Airlines still suck but, overall, life is really, REALLY good : )

Please click the title of this post to view photos from (the ones titled RPCS Day 1,2,3 & 4 are from last week) Michael Rosman's Circus Camp featuring photos of Mark Lohr and I teaching all of the classic clowning fundamentals: funny walks, funny faces, naps, slaps, falls, kicks, foot stomps, takes, double takes, spit takes, water spitting and pie throwing.

MICHAEL ROSMAN: Set Your VCRs, DVRs and Whatnot!

Ringling Clown College graduate, former Beatty-Cole Circus clown and creator of Motionfest and Minifest, Michael Rosman will perform his world famous "Flaming S'Mores" trick this evening on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

KELLY-MILLER: JRN II

Photo courtesy of Richard Flint


Some doughy, middle-aged townie loser bothering John Ringling North II, new owner and producer of the Kelly-Miller Circus during a visit and performance by students from Michael Rosman's Circus Camp last Wednesday night.

Thanks go out to Mr. North, Jim Royal and John Moss for a wonderful experience that the kids will never forget.

For more on the camp, please click the title of this post.

HOUSCH-MA-HOUSCH

BILLY McCABE

The greatest of all the "cookhouse clowns", Billy McCabe made the jump from the kitchen to the Alley and back again a few times during his long career, doing both to great acclaim.

Billy was a longtime fixture in the Alleys of the Beatty-Cole and Vargas shows.

DENNIS STEVENS

Mr. Stevens enjoyed a very long career on the Shrine circuses, on Ringling and finally on the Beatty - Cole show

DON CHRISTIAN: Audience Participation Boxing Gag

Very similar to the one done by Caesar during his time on Cirque de la Mer at SeaWorld in Orlando, Fl and the one done on Billy Smart's Circus that I posted back in March, here is Don Christian with an audience participation version of the classic Boxing Gag.

I'm currently hard at work on a solo Firehouse Gag ; )

FUMAGALLI: Rock Band Gag