Circus Smirkus: Safecracker

Ryan Combs (converse), Sam Brown (short curly hair), John Stokvis (glasses), and Josh Shack (deputy) performing a safecracking gag on the Smirkus 2002 Wild West tour. Even though I prefer his more recent partner, I guess these guys are pretty good as well.... 😜😜

Just in case the embedded video isn't working: https://youtu.be/ijJTsQgiDEA?si=9B8x5_MDycIpBn_O

Michael Lane Trautman: Ping Pong Balls

Michael Lane Trautman is an accomplished mime, an inventive juggler, and physical comedian/clown that has been performing since 1976. He has appeared at such venues as The New York International Festival of Clown Theatre, the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, to name a few.

Michael trained under the tutelage of French mime Jacques Lecoq, and American mime Tony Montanaro. He has been an artist in residence at Mabou Mines Theater Company in NY, a director and teacher at Catholic University in Washington, DC, and a staple of the International Children’s Theatre Festival circuit. In 1999-2000, Michael headlined the Big Apple Circus Stage Show that toured throughout the country.

David Williams: Hoxie Bros.

An article on David Williams during his First of May season on Hoxie Bros. Great American Combined Shows in 1984. "Little Dave" as he later became known was a staple on the Clyde Beatty Alley in the late 80s and early 90s. 

Thank you to John "Eggroll" Kane for lending me the article to share. 

New Exhibits at ICHOF!

The Clown Hall of Fame has been busy! New walls, brand new exhibits, welcoming Bello Nock into the ICHOF, getting ready for the Circus Historical Convention and the 2026 Induction of Jerry Bangs!

This is a summer you don’t want to miss! To attend the induction banquet & ceremony please register at the CHS convention website!

https://circushistory.org/next-convention/

2002 Kinoshita Clown Alley

 

Sean Hartman, Kelly VanCleave, Adam Kuchler, and Peter Bufano on Circus Kinoshita in 2002. 

All were Clown College grads (Sean 94, Kelly 85, Adam 95 and Peter 86) and former Ringling clowns (Sean Red 2002, Kelly Red 1986-1989, Adam Blue 96-99, and Peter Red 87-88). 

Peter also came back in 2006 and the first half of 2007 as a keyboard player on the Blue Unit band. He was my next door neighbor on the train and we had lots of fun conversations. 

Kelly stayed on Kinoshita for many, many years. She started sometime in the 90s and was there into the 2010s.

Ringling: Bike Display

 

Another great photo from Brandon Bolden's collection. This is the Blue Unit Clown Alley for the 130th Edition of Ringling in 2000. 

The second half opened with a bike display with all of the clowns wearing fun costumes to make it look like they were kids dressing up and playing pretend. 

Each clown had a bike that fit in with their character: the cowboy had a unicycle with a saddle that looked like a hobby horse, the scientist had a bicycle with an extendable and retractable magnet on the front, the doctor clown had a.... mini bicycle.....yep! It all checks out! 

Top row left to right: Leo Acton, Marni Sussman Zalban, Todd Zimmerman, Pat Acton

Middle row left to right: Melanie Covello, Cherie Gregg, Cezary Skarzynski, David Gregg, Thom Wheaton, Steve Lough, Gabor Hrisafis, Brandon Bolden, Lance Brown, Josh Zehner, Elizabeth Sekine Lough

Bottom row left to right: Christy McDonald Atkinson, David Solove, David Hennessy 

Ringling: Chinese Bike Parody

 

Photo courtesy of Brandon Bolden

The casts of the Chinese bicycle act and the Chinese bicycle parody (I'm not sure which is which) on the Ringling Blue Unit in 2000. The clowns are Brandon Bolden (top left), Josh Zehner (white sweatband), Lance Brown (top right), Gabor Hrisafis (center), Cherie Gregg (whiteface), Christy McDonald Atkinson (bottom center) and Thom Wheaton (bottom left).

It was a pretty funny idea for a gag. After the act where the Chinese women would form pyramids on a moving bicycle the lights would come up on Josh in a sweatsuit working out on a stationary exercise bike. The other clowns would enter dressed as the Chinese women and try to perform different stunts and formations on top of him and his bike. Lance's costume had a giant inner tube tire inside so he could backflip off the back of the bike and then bounce on his "fat stomach". At the end the bike would become overloaded by all the added weight and an explosion would cause it to come unattached so Josh could ride off with the other clowns in hot pursuit. Thought not as hot as the actual Chinese women. 

This was all followed by ANOTHER comedy bicycle act featuring a bike with huge tractor tires and a troupe of Eastern Europeans dressed as clowns. I believe the theme that tour was Redundancy.....featuring Sara and the Tigers!