Rudy Coby: 4 Legs

Rudy Coby "The Coolest Magician on Earth" performing the Multi-Leg Gag I enjoy Jeff "Le Clown Gordoon" Gordon's version very much but I think my favorite is Geoff Hoyle's.

Otto on Cole Bros.

Photos courtesy of "circusbutterflygurl"


Otto in the Cole Bros. Clown Alley, September 21, 1937.

Apparently, back in the late 30s Otto's trunk was spotted in the Alley right next to that of Busta Rhymes. Who-HA!



Otto (supporting the troops in his own fashion) seems smitten with Ensign Betty Bayly, October 2, 1943.

Yo, dog! Circusbutterflygurl points out that Ensign Betty appears amused to the point of throwing down gang signs. DANG!



Once again making "moonsie-moonsie and tootsie-tootsie" by flashing his puppy dog eyes at a female fan in the seats in this photo dated September 27, 1937. Looking on are Hollywood stars Helen Broderick and Victor Moore.

His partner looks, to me, to be Happy Kellams.

The Banana Men

Clips of both A. Robins and Sam Levine, the performers known to audiences as "The Banana Man".

First up is a clip of A. Robins (although this is in dispute as Robins would have been 61 years old when this 1947 film was made 1947 and the performer seen here doesn't look a day older than the A. Robins seen in the 1939 Red Skelton short SEEING RED), originally known to vaudeville audiences as "The Walking Music Store" or "The One Man Music Store".

Robins, a talented NY area toy and prop maker as well as vaudeville and circus clown built all of his own props. Over time he added big bunches of his spring-loaded fruit to the enormous list of musical intruments he could load into his oversized coat, including (seemingly) hundreds and hundreds of bananas, hence the change in billing to "A. Robins: The Banana Man".

Robins passed away in the early 50s. It is uncertain if he trained his successor, Sam Levine, personally or Mr. Levine was trained by their agent, Max Roach.

Either way, Mr. Levine assumed the mantle of "The Banana Man" in the early 50s and kept Mr. Robins' unique brand of visual comedy alive on many, many television programs throughout the 50s, 60s and into the early 70s. He is probably best remembered for his numerous appearances on "Captain Kangaroo" throughout those years.

The clip of Mr. Robins (or Mr. Robins' unknown immediate successor) is taken from the 1947 film MOTHER WORE TIGHTS.

The clip of Mr. Levine is from late in his career and is believed to be from an early 70s (possibly his final) appearance on CAPTAIN KANGAROO.



For more information on The Banana Man act and character, please click the title of this post to be taken to Rhett Bryson's excellent tribute page.

Mark Anthony: Figurines

Photos courtesy of Rik Gern with special permission from the Mark Anthony Collection of Wayne and Marty Scott


Just a few of the hundreds of highly detailed wooden figurines that Mark carved of some of his favorite clowns. Rik spent a weekend at the home of Wayne and Marty Scott photgraphing the figurines and other of Mark's work for a special project that he's working on as a tribute to one of his heroes.

Mark Anthony: Publicity Photos

Photos courtesy of Rik Gern with special permission from the Mark Anthony Collection of Wayne and Marty Scott









Some unused publicity photos of Mark, late in his career, that most likely haven't seen the light of day since the time that they were taken.

Mark Anthony: ICHoF Induction Bio

Mark's brief video bio from his induction among the first group of International Clown Hall of Fame honorees in 1989.

For more on the ICHoF please click the title of this post but be warned, the site hasn't been updated in quite some time and I don't believe that any of the email links are valid anymore.

Anyone with more info on the current state of the ICHoF PLEASE let me know. If Wisconsin isn't working out for them perhaps they'd like to move it here to the Jersey Shore ; )

Linon on Hollywood Palace

Alongside Pio Nock and Walter Galetti, Belgian born Linon is fondly remembered as one of the all time great wire-walking clowns. He is seen here performing on Hollywood Palace on December 26, 1967. The episode was hosted by Jimmy Durante (whom Linon doubled for in the film JUMBO) and Anissa Jones.

PETER PITOFSKY Venice Beach

Legendary ex-Ringling clown Peter Pitofsky (Comic Strip Live, Tonight Show, Arsinio Hall Show, MADhattan, The Aristocrats) performing on Venice Beach.

Peter can currently be seen (working alongside Pickle Family Circus alum Geoff Hoyle) in Seattle's Teatro Zin Zanni. To find more on the show please click the title of this post.

Ed Alonzo Performs the Knife Thrower

Comedy Magician Ed Alonzo performs the classic Knife Thrower Gag.


Please click the title of this post to visit Mr. Alonzo's website.

Otto at the Boston Garden

Otto Griebling makes his point to two year old Karen Nardironiant during a May 1960 performance of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus at the Boston Garden.

CLOWN ALLEY A&E's Under the Big Top Part Two

From the A&E special UNDER THE BIG TOP, a look at some of contemporary American circus clowning's leading lights interviewed about their craft.

More with Jason T. Stewart (Whiteface), Barry Lubin (Auguste) and Tom Dougherty (Character) and a great historical clip of Jack LeClair performing his "Blowing Up the Fat Man" gag.

Tom Piccard

From former road clown and Circus World producing clown Tom Piccard...

________________________________________________

I guess always was a clown..at age 12 ...I worked in a small one ring open air circus...After the army I was playing drums and tour with different bands.

At one point I was off the road for awhile I started putting together my first clown character. It made it as a regular on a morning Kiddie TV show called THE OLD REBEL SHOW.

While on that show one morning a clown who was doing the advance for the Blue unit of RBBB was on the show to promote the coming Circus, I think his name was Troy Straight and he invited me to the show and introduced me to Mark Anthony...It would a few years later that I would run into Mark in Orlando doing a magic convention and selling his foam carvings.
He had been fired from the show over a $5.00 pay dispute with Irvin Feld..And was living at Marty and Wayne Scott's home in Howie in the Hills..he invited me to come out for a visit .

The visit turned into a one month stay and a complete training course into foam prop making...Later I toured with Mark on the Gatty Circus ..Aside from that I clowned at Circus Hall of fame..and later worked at Circus World..I left the main stream end of the circus Biz and went independent in 1982.After the untimely death of my Older Brother, BUT Continued to Clown at Race tracks and other large events...and in 1986 took my clown rag's and props to Italy...Touring for 3 months with Cellini the magician and Birdie McClain the Juggler..I continue to clown with out the nose and make-up now as I can be just as funny without it..the BIG RED NOSE IS GONE ,but the clown in me will never die until I do...

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To visit Mr. Piccard's myspace page please click the title of this post.

CLOWN ALLEY A&E's Under the Big Top Part One

From the A&E special UNDER THE BIG TOP, a look at some of contemporary American circus clowning's leading lights being interviewed about their craft.

We have Jason T. Stewart (Whiteface) as well as 2007 Felix B. Adler Award winners Barry Lubin (Auguste) and Tom Dougherty (Character) with a brief cameo by fellow 2007 winner Greg DeSanto and appearances by Mitch Freddes, Alan Ware and Bryan Fulton.

Sylvester the Jester

Dan "Sylvester the Jester" Battagline, A Real Live Cartoon, with more great clown gags per second than 100 circuses.

For more on Sylvester the Jester please click on the title of this post.

Glen "Kinko" Sunberry on the Grotto Circus 1950s

Kinko Sunberry performing his comedy contortion act at the Grotto Circus in Toledo, OH "back in the day".

Happy Valentines Day!

Earl Shipley

A publicity photo of Earl Shipley. I don't recognize the woman but the photo looks to have been taken towards the end of Earl's long career, when he was doing advance work for Ringling in the 50s.

CLOWN ALLEY Shrine Circus CT 1940s

Left to right Al Florenze, Billy Price, Slivers Johnson, Guby Deko, Jimmy Davidson, Gil Corbin, Rube Simmons, Herb Taylor.

CLOWN ALLEY Ringling 1965

Ed Wynn performs a teeterboard gag with members of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Clown Alley.

Look for Michael "Coco" Poliakovs, "Prince Paul" Alpert, Duane "Uncle Soapy" Thorpe, Gene Lewis and Albert "Flo" White (in his final Ringling season) as the nurse.

Jack LeClair

I don't have the horseback riders name but the clown is none other than Jack LeClair, creator of several classic gags including Blowing Up the Fat Man, and father of Jackie LeClaire, himself a longtime fixture of the Alley of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and (I recently found out) the toast of Paris when the Ringling show played there in the 1960s.