Other than the fact that he was a very early Clown College graduate, and that he was keenly interested in combining Felix Adler's (more accurately Paul Jerome's) "teeth" makeup and padded rear end with an auguste makeup, I know very little about Garden Bros. longtime clown "Rumpy".
I can't imagine walking into Bill Ballantine's office and telling him that you'd like to be referred to as "Rumpy"...
"Rumpy"?
That's right. "Rumpy".
"Rumpy"?!? Are you ABSOLUTELY sure that you wanna go with "Rumpy"?
Oh, dude, it's the 70s and I'm totally feeling the "Rumpy" thing.
"Rumpy", huh? OK then, if you're ABSOLUTELY sure... I guess "Rumpy" it is. If you're SURE that you're sure...
I do have a tape of the 'ol Rumpster performing an absolutely KILLER pie gag that I have to post one of these days...
2 comments:
Pat,
I met Rumpy several times, great guy and a very funny clown.
His last name is a Polish one, I forgot the exact spelling, it began with P and ended with ski. He used the stage name Roger Preston from time to time.
Ian, Jr. is the godfather of our youngest daughter, Elizabeth (13), I will call Ian later today and get the accurate spelling of Roger's last name.
The last time I saw him was at the Clown College 20th Anniversary gala. In fact, he and I are a few feet away from each other in the photo of hundreds of clowns that appeared in LIFE magazine.
Blog to you later (?) is that the correct phrase these days?
Rumpy was so well thought of on Garden Brothers Circus that his face still graces their logo and the original artwork of that logo is display prominently in the corporate office in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, just outside of Toronto.
I emphasis: one of the funniest clowns I ever saw doing the "classic" gags with his hilarious twists. A tremendous talent.
Mike: Try, Pres-ton'-ski!
I asked Dale & he wasn't sure if it was Pers-, or Pres-, I think you sealed it!!!!
I think besides clowning, Roger was involved in many other things on Garden Bros., I have always considered the Ian Garden family as someone you work "with" rather than "for".
Post a Comment