All we have to go on here is that the man in the center in silent film star Ben Turpin and that this was taken at a show in 1934. I suppose we can assume it's Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey in Los Angeles but there is no guarantee of that.
Does anyone recognize the two clowns?
The Fabulous Hair-lip Dwarf Duo!
ReplyDeleteduh, Pat!
Heya Pat!
ReplyDeleteThis IS most likely the Ringling show. There is a Kelty photo from 1934 of the Ringling alley and the clown on the right is in the photo. Plus I have seen him in other Ringling photos as well. Don't know his name though.
The other clown... could that be a young Prince Paul? His facial structure looks similar and I know he was with the show then, but don't know if his makeup at that time was as we know it now.
Great pic!
Sandy
Hi Pat, I think maybe you borrowed this photo from my Turpin collection at Facebook. Unfortunately the original usual snipe is long-gone (if ever there even was one). The photo is stamped and dated on the back October 14th, 1934, Examiner Reference Library and an International News Photo. Maybe someone with access to the LA paper of that time can track down a copy, and hopefully identify (in the caption) the clowns for you. I found this photo in the mid to late 70's at a Phila movie memorabilia shop. It's one of hundreds of photos illustrated in my forthcoming book, "For Arts Sake" The Biography and Filmography of Ben Turpin. SteveR
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