Ringling: Tooth Fairy Gag

Danise Payne and Gregory Parks rehearsing their Tooth Fairy gag in Winter Quarters for the Blue Unit's 132nd Edition.

Bill Irwin: Tony Awards 1989

Bill Irwin and the cast of Largely New York (which included fellow clown Jeff "Gordoon" Gordon; however, I did not spot him in this video) performing an excerpt on the 1989 Tony Awards broadcast.

The show was nominated for several Tonys, including Best Play and Best Actor for Bill Irwin, and the show won a Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience. 

At the end of the video Bill Irwin has a brief exchange with Steve Martin, who he worked with in the film My Blue Heaven, and in a production of Waiting For Godot also starring Robin Williams. 

Ringling Red Unit Girl Clowns 1990

 

The Girl Clown Alley of the second year of Gunther Gebel-Williams' Farewell Tour. Pam Leonard Ramirez, Julia Thudium, Lara Heidtman Smith, Peggy Pozdol Hudert, Sara Lehman Laskey, and Nicole Marsh Portwood.

Foottit et Chocolat: Six Short Films

Six silent short films of the famous French clowning duo, Foottit et Chocolat filmed by the Lumiere brothers. 

Charlie Cairoli Appreciation Society

A BBC interview from 1994 with Charlie's wife, son, and renowned ringmaster, Norman Barrett, discuss the launch of the Charlie Cairoli Appreciation Society. 

Clyde Beatty Clown Alley

 

From the collection of Ralph Pierce. I'm gonna guess this is from the 1970s. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Would love to hear more about John Block and Larry Lawrence, as I haven't heard of them before. 

Tina Aguirre-Groff

 

Tina Aguirre-Groff, photographed by long time Ringling Blue Unit Clown Alley Wardrobe man, Bill Swift.

Tina graduated from Ringling's Clown College in 1995 and toured with both the Red and Blue Units from 1996-1999. This photo was most likely taken in 1997.

After Ringling Tina continued clowning, notably with the Kinoshita Circus in Japan and with a troupe of theater clowns from L.A. who called themselves The Funky Punks. 

Dick Monday and Tiffany Riley: The Laughter League

From the Laughter League Website:

Dick Monday and Tiffany Riley have been life partners and performing partners for the past twenty years, during which time they have headlined at circuses and festivals worldwide including Circus Sarasota, The Big Apple Circus, The Lone Star Circus, Hanneford Circus, Circo Atayde and Ringling Bros., and Barnum & Bailey.

They created the clown troupe, The New York Goofs, Slappy’s Puppet Playhouse, and the Funnyatrics Clown Program. They have now brought all endeavors under the label, Laughter League, which is a non-profit organization. You can currently see Laughter League clowns at Boston Children’s Hospital, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Cook Children’s Medical Center, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, and at public schools and libraries across Texas.

They most recently co-produced The Petite Palace, Big Fun in a Tiny Tent on the banks of White Rock Lake in collaboration with the Bath House Cultural Center in Dallas. You can often find them performing Goofballs Cabaret at the Pocket Sandwich Theatre, or you can listen to their podcast, This American Goofball on iTunes. Monday and Riley’s mission is to prove that not only is laughter the best medicine, but that clowns are one of the best ways to inspire laughter and help people’s health improve. 

The Piccolini Trio: Circus in a Trunk

Highlights of the Piccolini Trio's show, Circus In A Trunk, performed by Josh Shack, Joy Powers, and John Stork at the Canal Park Playhouse in New York City in the winter of 2012.

Karen Bell: The Red Skelton Follies

Karen Bell performing at the 2010 Red Skelton Clown School Follies in Vincennes, IN, the birthplace of Red. 

Karen graduated from Ringling Clown College in 1985 and performed for many years with the Ringling Red Unit, as well as a year with the Gold Unit in Japan.

In addition to being a wonderful prop builder, she is also currently the Outreach Education Manager for the Circus Arts Conservatory in Sarasota, FL.

Annie Fratellini: Cirque Medrano

 

Annie Fratellini sitting among the ruins of the Cirque Medrano building in Paris, France in 1972. Both the building (before demolition) and Annie (in a segment about her family) can be seen in the Fellini film, I Clowns, just a couple of years before this photo was taken.

Clown College: The Pigeon

Josh Zehner and Todd Obuchowski perform "The Pigeon" during the graduation performance of the 1997 class of Ringling's Clown College.

Tommy Fossett: Great Yarmouth Hippodrome

I don't have much information on this video aside from it is Tommy Fossett as Professor Grimble. One of my guesses for the location is Blackpool Tower Circus since it is in a building, but I am open to the correct answer. 

The female announcer is his wife, Vera, but I do not know who the whiteface is.

Please help out with any details. You don't know what you don't know. Thanks!

Update from John Cooper: "It's Great Yarmouth Hippodrome rather than Blackpool Tower Circus. This video is from the 1972 summer season, at which Tommy and Vera did their juggling act too."

Circus Vargas: Johnny Peers and Zapata

From the collection of Ralph Pierce. Zapata, Johnny Peers and Stephen Brennan on Circus Vargas in 1974.

Zapata and Johnny Peers met at Ringling Clown College in 1969 and performed together for several years on the Red Unit. Later in the 70s they became a renowned clowning duo on Circus Vargas and Gatti. They were in the midst of their season on Tihany when Zapata passed away way too young.

Yuri Nikulin

The extremely talented artist, Elena Zaïka, has had two of her paintings chosen to be used as celebratory stamps for the Monaco Principality. The first is of the well known Russian clown, Yuri Nikulin.

Born in Demidov in 1921, Yuri Nikulin is Russia's most famous clown. Demobilized in May 1946, with the rank of sergeant and several military decorations, he failed to enter several acting schools. He finally joined Clowns in the Moscow training studio graduating from 1950. He will work there for more than 50 years and from 1982 until his death in 1997 will be the Director of this circus which is named after it today. He also has a film career and offers remarkable performances both in Leonid Ga ddai comedies including Le Bras de Diamond (1969), a film that became cult for generations of Soviet people, and in the dramatic register like When Trees were Big ( 1962) by Andrei Roublev. TV man, he created and hosted the comedy show The White Parrot Club. His natural style, precision of his prestions and sense of timing have made Nikulin an outstanding artist whom some consider to be the best Russian actor of all time.

Clown College Audition 1985

Prospective students for the Ringling Clown College audition for Frosty Little on the Blue Unit in 1985.

Robin Eurich

Many of you that watched the Bozo Show in the late 90s until the show's end in 2001 will remember Robin Eurich, who played Bozo's sidekick, Rusty the Handyman.

Robin has had a long career of acting, clowning, and teaching, but due to recent health problems has fallen on hard times. Joey D'Auria, who played Bozo for the show's final seventeen years has set up a Go Fund Me page to help Robin during these tough times.

If you are able, please make a donation, or share this link on social media to help a man who has brought happiness to so many people. Thank you.

Link: Help Robin Eurich

Happy Lou Year!

Happy New Year from the International Clown Hall of Fame and Pat Cashin's Clown Alley! 

January 1st is not only the start of a new year, it is also the birthday of arguably the most recognized circus clown in the world, Mr. Lou Jacobs.

In honor of Lou's birthday and (hopefully) a much better year, we are proud to share with you some extremely rare photos generously sent to us by Gloria Wilkinson, long time Ringling Blue Unit head of wardrobe and friend of the clowns.

These photos were taken on Lou's birthday in 1990 when the Blue Unit was in Winter Quarters for the 120th Edition (the Flavio Togni show for you non edition-alists). Many thanks to Gloria for these wonderful moments from history, and many thanks to all of you who visit this blog and support the ICHOF.

And in honor of Mr. Jacobs, let there be no spaghetti served on this day!

Lou, Sean Conklin, and Ruthie Chaddock

Mike "Hillbilly" Weakley, Johnny Peers, Frosty Little, Dolly Jacobs, and Lou

Frosty, Dolly, and Lou

Quidam: Toto and Voki

 

From Le Grand Chapiteau: In 2004, with subversive, crazy audience participation numbers, Toto (Guillermo Castineiras) and Voki (Voki Kalfayan) brought a contemporary North American vision of clowning to the show by bringing some of David Shiner's best acts. In the "Film Scene" (as seen in Nouvelle Experience) Voki plays an embittered film director who tries to guide four audience members through a few routines for a shocking scene in his film. The dictatorial director grows increasingly frustrated with his actors’ abilities (or inabilities), and hence the comedy. Another is the re-introduction into what has become a crowd-favorite in "The Car", in which Toto selects a female audience member to go on a drive-date with. {NOTE: Sometimes it's just Voki, sometimes it's just Toto; In 2006, Voki left and and others have played opposite Toto, such as: Ambrose Martos (2006), Eric Davis (2007-2008), and Fabio Esposito (2010) amongst others.}

More Clowns From Ralph Pierce

A couple more program scans from the collection of Ralph Pierce. In the first you can see a white faced Tom Sink, better known as "Popcorn", who performed on mud shows for many years. I know him best from his stint on Kelly Miller. Also a photo of Buck Nolan, long time Clyde Beatty clown, sporting a makeup that's new to me.

The second page.....that's anybody's guess. I'm guessing the pair in the upper left corner are Roberto & Eleazar....just rolls off the tongue.

Any info on any of those clowns (or the show they're on) would be most appreciated!

Additional info from Dan McCallum and Greg DeSanto: Also pictured in the first photo are Walt and Millie Stimax, who in addition to being clowns had a chimp act.

The first photo is most likely from a Hoxie Bros. program.