Saturday, May 03, 2008

CLOWN ALLEY: Frampton (LaPorte) Comes Alive or Not

Photo courtesy of Thomas C. Fitzgerald


Terri Frampton LaPorte (or possibly Mike Oster ?)and Eugene"Pidge" Pidgeon on the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Red Unit in (or around) 1978.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

This was '78 on the red show. It is Eugene Pidgeon and Mike Oster. I remember the walkaround. Mitch Freddes

Mark Lavender said...

I'm not sure, but Ms. Laporte's partner looks like "Pidge", a CC Clssa of 1975 grad. I believe his full name is Walter Pidgeon (seriously). Met his folks briefly when they visited Clown College or the Blue Unit somewhere along the route.
Pidge was on the Blue Unit in 1976.
Another little person in the class of '75 was George (can't remember his last name just now), good kid, looked like a blonde-curly-headed cherub. He went to the Red Unit after CC.

OrMaggie77 said...

What happened to the photos of Hamid you promised? Don't tell me you had your finger in front of the lens? LOL.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Danny Rogers (Taz?), also class of '76

Bruce the clown

Mark Lavender said...

I think Mitch is right about Pidge's actual first name. Thinking more on it, I seem to remember him making a joke out of "Walter Pidgeon" as a memory device for folks to remember his name.

Anonymous said...

eugene was i believe an heir to Pidgeon Steel Corp.And by the way Bens name was Said and his wife was Ellen who did the bird act. Mike Oster was from NY? I beleive he became a doctor or something. Pidgeon was friends with jackson Brown and brought him to the show a few times. I think eugene even took off one time for an anti nuke demonstration in DC. He may have taken a couple clowns with him.Taz came later. Both these little people were on both shows. Dany was on the REd for a short time and then went to the Blue. Pidge started on theBlue and came to the Red. I dont know what ever happened to George Rollins. Mitch

Anonymous said...

I think Mitch is right..... however, Oster was CC '78 with me.... (I think I'm remembering this correctly) so perhaps this was taken in '79.
I seem to remember that that was his walk around in Clown College.
J.D.

Mark Lavender said...

Pidge has been a busy man since RBBB: See this google search: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Pidgeon

and this one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Pidgeon

Go Pidge!!!

Mosterpieces said...

This is me and Pidge! I've never seen this photo so thanks for the memory!

Mike Oster

Unknown said...

I think that the clown on the left is Jimmy Brisco.
I shot the photo, Tom Fitzgerald