All I know about Bumpsy is what I've read. In addition to the material below I know that he was married to one of the Hanna triplets and that at some point in the late 60s he went down to Venice in the to speak to someone about the possibility of re-joining the Ringling show. When he found out what they were paying he turned on his heel and left. So much for the popular story that Irvin Feld had searched all across the country but couldn't find enough clowns left anywhere for his new second unit so he had to open Clown College. I guess then, like today, the pros would just prefer to work the Shrine circuit where they earn a lot more money and work a much less hectic schedule.
He is also mis-identified on page 37 of Charles Meyer's HOW TO BE A CLOWN as Levoie Hipps.
From the ICHOF website:
George "Bumpsy Anthony" Hulme left home to join the circus at the age of 16, and for 62 years worked on various shows including Hamid, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey, Tom Mix, Sells Floto, Clyde Beatty, the Robbins Brothers, Hoxie, Walter L. Main, the Keith Brothers, Hagenback-Wallace, Howe's Great London Shows, Sparks, and Cole Bros.
He wore a baggy suit with low cut neckline and continued the lines of his unique make-up design down his neck to accentuate his long neck. An acrobatic clown, he performed a table rock act. One of his trademarks was carrying a long knotted rope which would get tangled on objects causing him to do a pratfall.
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From Bill Strong's YESTERDAY'S TOWNS blog:
Bumpsy was one of a kind, he was on the Hamid Show for awhile. He and Dime did a surveyer gag where Dime would stand in the ring with a prop surveyer's transient, and Bumpsy would take a roll of toilet paper into the seats and have someone hold the end. Then Dime would direct him through the seats, and I'm sure you know where this is going. Once they had the whole section covered Dime and Bumpsy would just walk off the floor. I can see the building people allowing that now.
http://yesterdaystowns.blogspot.com/2006_04_01_yesterdaystowns_archive.html
3 comments:
Bumpsy was my uncle.he was married to my grandmothers sister one of the hanna triplets,My grandmothers name was Laura Hanna,
Bumpsy was my uncle too, my mom's eldest brother. We always went to the circus when it came to RI., and Bumpsy always found pennies and nickels in my ears.
Barb Thayer Monaghan
Bumpsy was my uncle too. He was my mother's eldest brother. We always used to go to the circus when it came to RI. Bumpsy used to find pennies and nickels in my ears!
Barbara Thayer Monaghan
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