Here's a guy who must have had a hard time getting work during the McCarthy era, Carl Marx.
He's one of those people whose name your read mentioned as being a fixture on Shrine shows of his time but you almost never see a picture of him. Now we have, thanks once again to Bill Strong.
Marx makeup is very similar to Billie Burke's, an adaption of Lou Jacobs' adaption of Albert Fratellini, yet they are all different and distinct.
Now if anyone out there has photos of John Toy and Billy Griffen THAT would be a big help too!
Carl & Otto did the escort routine during "come in" with equal success and I wouldn't demean either by saying one was better. Carl had a light up nose, and a fright wig parted in the middle, and used them with perfect timing, Otto was the master of expressions, and knowing exactly when to use each one, the dead pan, & then that little,"oh darn it, I've been caught move", if only we had video cameras in those days.
ReplyDeleteLee Marx, Carl's son toured with the Hubert Castle Circus many a year along with Rex Young, Gene Randal, Herold Simmons also Chester (Bobo) Barnet. Bobo did an act, he came in a car like Kinko's. With dogs and could hit a serious lick on a trumpet. Lee Marx also did an act, Rolling globe and a bit of juggling. Lee also had a wig just like his father's used to work.
ReplyDeleteI knew about Lee when he worked halftimes for the Globetrotters, but I had never met him. When my son David was clowning on the Paul Kay show at the age of 9, or 10, he and Carl were very close, he was even coaching David how to do his hat routines. When we arrived in Denver and learned of Carls death, David was very upset. To get on, the first time I saw Lee in that make up, I walked up to him and said, "you've either got a lot of guts wearing that face, or you're Carl's son Lee". He of course told me who he was.
ReplyDeleteA word about Bobo, the dressing rooms in Cleveland are theater style, up a common stairway, clowns on 2nd floor, women on 3rd, men on 4th, above that were private dressing rooms, one of which was Bobo's. Because of his lip, he had stopped playing "Peg O'My Heart", Jimmy Troy went up to Bobo's room and talked him into playing it for him. From the first note that came down that stairwell, time stopped, in any dressing room you could have heard a pin drop. Afterward Jimmy, who was a tough little guy, admitted shedding a tear or two, I think a lot of others did too.
ReplyDelete