100th Edition Ringling Blue Show 1970: I'm not positive of the ID of the young Clown College grad emerging from the Lou Jacobs-style car but the cop is none other than Swede Johnson.
The photo brings two questions immediately to mind:
1) Who had the nerve to ask Lou (if they asked at all) if they could replicate one of his signature props (and paint it all psychedelic colors, damn hippies) for the Blue show? Kinko Sunberry was on the show from '66 to '68 and had spent probably 20 years doing a midget car act but there is no evidence that he EVER did it on Ringling, where the gag belonged to Lou.
2) Speaking of Kinko, how could the Felds justify "retiring" some of their senior (and I DO mean SENIOR) clowns in 1968 for being too old and then hire Swede Johnson who was just as old if not OLDER than the guys he was replacing?!?
Great ring mats though.
11 comments:
I'm taking a guess, I believe the CC grad is Ray Cutty who later in his career did a motorcycle on inclined wire on Beatty-Cole. I am not 100 per cent certain of the last name. I believe the car was purchased from Billy Griffths.
Toto
Bobo Barnett
Glen "Kinko" Sunberry
Mark Anthony
Hip Raymond
Billy Vaughn
The clown in Olsen & Johnson's stage shows
This gag in 1970 and twice on Ringling since 2000
and NOW Billy Griffith wherever and whenever he performed it before he sold it.
ALL IN ADDITION TO Lou Jacobs.
How many people need to use a prop before you can safely call it "community property" and I can finally get one and perform it guilt-free?
~P
Pat, You raised a valid question; What is your opinion on bringing back classic gags that are no longer used and the originators are deceased? Such as Paul Jung's Adam Smasher or Lou and his car.
BTW, I knew that Kinko did a mini car gag also. But, was it like Lou Jacobs or are they completely different?
Scruffed One,
Kinko and Lou had completely different takes on the car gag. Bobo used his for an entrance with his dogs, Kinko used his in much the same way, as an entrance for his contortion act that included his barrel (now in the possesion of my man, Mitch Freddes) routine.
Lou was the only one (that I've seen) to build a gag around the car.
As for reviving other folks gags, as long as they aren't currently earning a living performing it and approve, go for it! If the performer is deceased, a reasonable amount of time has passed and they haven't "deeded" it to anyone I would think that it's ripe for revival.
Lou, Jung and Otto couldn't have wanted these gags to die with them. The only way they can "live" is to continue to perform them and allow them to evolve and see what they mutate into.
The Atom Smasher wouldn't be as relevant or topical today but the same prop could be reworked to get a laugh now. Audiences haven't seen it anywhere (that I can tell) since Blinko Burch did it on Hollywood Palace in December of 1965.
~P
Pat,
Now that you are ona rant, ask yourself how many others have useda modification of Lou's make-up? Saw your oven gag on You Tube last evening but remember seeing it many years ago on Hammid Morton also but I was to young to remember who the clowns were.
I saw a photo from a theme park trade show that features "racing" bathtubs, just like Lou's. This is a "new" attraction available for the 2007 season. The tubs are a little shorter than Lou's but they are complete with the shower head, sans the mylar/water flowing from the showerhead.
Pat, don't forget, Hip Raymond brought a room full of furniture out of his car, plus a pretty young girl.
Greg Friel who used to fly with & jump out of the cannon for Dave Smith, built a car too. If I'm not mistaken he did a Gorilla act out of it.
jsyaownu, I'm telling you this thing hates me!
bernie: the oven gag you saw was probably the Alarcons, who were actually a musical comedy actb ut also did the oven as a second number. I worked with them on Migley, about '88.
In Puerto Rico they also did a blindfold duel with slapsticks that was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. I tried hard to get them to do it when we came back here but it involves a lot of patter and they were afraid it wouldn't translate.
You have a what now?
An exploding piano?
Would such a thing just be taking up valuable storage room at Stately DeSanto Manor?
~P
Los Alarcons did several winter tours on my Yankee Doodle Circus. I never got tired of watching the act. I think Leo's deadpan character was priceless.
Several times when we had three show Saturdays and Sundays, Nany (the son) would ask if they could change the middle of the musical act to keep things fresh. At first I was very hesitant, but agreed to a "trial" for one show. After the first show I said "go ahead" and for the entire weekend they never did the same "middle" twice. They had tons of material. At one time they had a television show in Puerto Rico or South America, I forgot which, and they had to come up with a lot of bits.
When I would go into their dressing room their table was draped with a towel and all the make-up and brushes and mirrors were laid out with a surgeon's precision. I told them I thought I was entering backstage at the Palace Theater.
Now they are retired and living in Las Vegas where I understand Leo and Teresa thoroughly enjoy the buffets
Greg.....
Sounds like you've purchased the Rastelli's entire act!
They had an exploding piano too. It was Tony Poletto's job to reassemble it.
John.
That's Ray Cuddy with Swede--and yes Swede was an old timer, chain smoked and told great stories...wife worked in wardrobe; he had been in show biz forever--a former lion trainer. Cuddy was on blue a few years and disappeared from the biz--was tight with Elvin, Jose Guzman, Franz Althoff, a litle social clique around Blue in the early 70's; Cuddy's wife Alice was a showgirl---
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