Wednesday, December 03, 2014

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

6 Comedy Lessons that Chuck Jones Learned From Tex Avery

Courtesy of Cartoon Brew
Click to read the entire piece written by Chuck Jones for the Sunday, August 31, 1980 edition of the Los Angeles Tribune.

In this 1980 tribute to legendary animation director Tex Avery, fellow legendary director Chuck Jones shared six lessons that he learned about comedy from working with Avery in the 1930s. The advice remains essential to any animation director working today:
  1. You must love what you caricature. You must not mock it—unless it is ridiculously self-important, like the solemn live-action travelogues of that day.
  2. You must learn to respect that golden atom, that single-frame of action, that 1/24th of a second, because the difference between lightning and the lightning bug may hinge on that single frame.
  3. You must respect the impulsive thought and try to implement it. You cannot perform as a director by what you already know, you must depend on the flash of inspiration that you do not expect and do not know.
  4. You must remember always that only man, of all creatures, can blush, or needs to; that only a man can laugh, or needs to, and that if you are in that trade of helping others to laugh and to survive by laughter, then you are privileged indeed.
  5. Remember always that character is all that matters in the making of great comedians in animation and in live-action.
  6. Keep always in your mind, your heart and your hand that timing is the essence, the spine, and the electrical magic of humor—and of animation.

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Saturday, August 30, 2014

RUDY LLATA CLOWNS: Luxembourg (1957)

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer





Thursday, August 28, 2014

LARRY CLARK & PAT CASHIN: Political Ad (2014)



A recent commercial that Larry Clark and I shot in Washington DC that is currently airing throughout California.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

GIL DOVA

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer





Tuesday, August 26, 2014

PIPO, DARIO, MIMILE & LORIOT

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer






Sunday, August 24, 2014

JEAN MADD

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer



Saturday, August 23, 2014

ACHILLE ZAVATTA

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer




Friday, August 22, 2014

ACHILLE ZAVATTA: Bareback Parody


Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer






Thursday, August 21, 2014

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

THE FRANCESOS: Balloons & Musical Entree (1968)


Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer







Saturday, August 16, 2014

CHARLIE CAIROLI & CO.

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer





ALEX & COMPANY

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer






Friday, August 15, 2014

GILLES MARGARITIS & ROGER CACCIA

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer



LARRY GRISWOLD: The Frank Sinatra Show (November 13, 1951)






Monday, August 11, 2014

IN MEMORIAM: Robin Williams (July 21, 1951 - August 11, 2014)

Add caption

THE BARGUIS

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer




Sunday, August 10, 2014

THE FRANCESCOS

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer





Saturday, August 09, 2014

LES PAUWELS

Link courtesy of Karen Bell




Friday, August 08, 2014

ØRKENES SØNNER: Gas





Tuesday, August 05, 2014

YANN FRISCH







Wednesday, July 23, 2014

THE INTERNATIONAL CLOWN HALL OF FAME 2014 INDUCTION




Tonight, July 23, the ICHoF honors and inducts these 4 clowns: Dougie Ashton, Paul Wenzel, Chuck Burnes & Swede Johnson. Ceremony begins at 7:30pm at the ICHoF in Baraboo, WI. It is open to the public and limited seating is available. Admission is $10.00. Join us as we begin Baraboo's Circus Celebration and we salute these funnymen and their careers with kind words, rare video clips of their work and family members. It's guaranteed to be a once in a lifetime event!
 
Chuck Burnes


Dougie Ashton


Prof. Paul Wenzel


Carl "Swede" Johnson (photo by Robert Altman)



Monday, June 23, 2014

From the International Clown Hall of Fame...


The International Clown Hall of Fame is dedicated to preserving the art and craft of the clown worldwide.

We hope everyone who visits this page, the ICHoF Facebook page and our website 
enjoys the images and the history that we have worked to compile and share.

We are confronted with a financial situation that needs our immediate attention. We respectfully ask for your support to help solve this problem and allow us to continue to preserve and present the artifacts and images that represent this worldwide art form. We need to raise a minimum of $600.00 by this Friday, July 27, 2014. If you can help, please visit our website at www.theclownmuseum.com and donate via our Paypal link button. No amount is too small to help.

We appreciate the generosity shown to this organization in the past and hope we can count on the over 6,453 individuals who follow us on Facebook to help us overcome this challenge.

The Board of Directors of the ICHOF thanks you in advance for your generosity.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

THE WHY FACTOR: The Fool (BBC World Service)


Link courtesy of David Burd



A 17:30 minute piece on the history of fools, jesters and clowning from the BBC World Service.


Sunday, June 08, 2014

CLOWN ALLEY: Mills Bros. Circus (Circa 1960s)

Herman Joseph, Buck Leahy and Bumpsy Anthony in an
undated photograph that I would estimate comes from the early 1960s

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

OUR EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY!

Pat Cashin at the Salaam Shrine Circus (produced by the Royal Hanneford Circus)
May 18, 2014 at the Mennen Arena in Morristown, NJ. Photo by Paul Guthiel.


Today marks 8 years since the launch of clownallet.net, a project most assured me would run out of material within the first few months.

Thank you all for your continued support.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

PETE MARDO: Sparks Circus (1923)

Pete and Florence Mardo, Sparks Circus, 1923. Photo by Frederick W. Glasier

Pete Mardo, Sparks Circus 1923. Photo by Frederick W. Glasier

Monday, May 26, 2014

SALAAM SHRINE CIRCUS: Honoring Our Veterans (May 18, 2014)

Veterans were given a ringside seat of honor for last week's Salaam Shrine Circus in Morristown, NJ. The gentleman seated in the center is a veteran of World War II and turns 100 years old this week. Photo by Paul Gutheil.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

ACROBATS AND MOUNTEBANKS: Hugues Le Roux and Jules Garnier (1890)

Billy Hayden

The complete text and illustrations of ACROBATS AND MOUNTEBANKS (1890) is available to read at The Internet Archive. The chapter on clowns begins on page 276.

Thursday, May 01, 2014

PROF. PAUL WENZEL: Skeleton Chase Patent (Feb. 17, 1925)

Photos and research 
courtesy of Beth Grimes



Yup, that photo that we've all seen? That's a young Paul Wenzel and he filed the paperwork for his creation with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on December 4, 1923.

Paul Wenzel should be officially recognized as the creator of the Skeleton Chase.



Wednesday, April 16, 2014

RUDI LLATA CLOWNS: Boxing Entree on Circus Schumann (International Showtime, 1961)


Courtesy of Raffaele de Ritis




From Raffaele...

"Circus Schumann, Copenhagen, from "International Showtime" NBC TV prime-time show, hosted by Don Ameche. 
Nolo and Pepi Diaz with José Llata were the core of "Rudi Llata", the greatest European clown team between 30s and 70s. 
The "boxe" entrée is considered their masterpiece."