LIUZHOU, CHINA: The Melee at Stage Three

The talented cast of performers from Stage Three of the Happy Liuzhou International Clown Festival at Long Tan Park in Liuzhou, China...

Stage Three

The Martian Brothers

Chris, Gina and Hunter Allison

Festival Organizer Extraordinarie: Brenn Swanson

Ron "Toto" Johnson

Kevin Brown

Eric "EZ" Zander

MYSTERY CLOWN: Substitute Ringmaster

I'm in Orlando with the family and staying at the beautiful Marriot Cypress Harbor resort right around the corner from Sea World. I'll get back to the Liuzhou festival photos tomorrow, I PROMISE and then it's right back to posting classic videos.

As for today's photo: Many Ringling clowns have acted as substitute Ringmasters on the show over the years. Duane "Uncle Soapy" Thorpe did it for many years during the North era. How many of you can identify the former Ringling clown in this photo? Hint: He was in Liuzhou AND works here in Orlando...

RINGLING RED ALLEY AND HAMID SHOW: Thank You!

Thanks go out to the Ringling Red Unit Alley, especially Leo, Kelly and Alan for showing my son Shane and I a really wonderful time with a nice long post-show conversation in the Alley. Thanks for the homecoming!

We left the Red Show in Trenton, NJ and headed over to Plymouth Meeting, PA to catch the Hamid show where Shane played with all the show kids while I visited with friends and shared stories about the trip to China. Everyone there raved about how Greg and Karen DeSanto KILLED in Springfield.

I leave for Orlando at 6:00 AM tomorrow morning and hope to get to see Todd Zimmerman, Thom Wheaton, Kirk Marsh and maybe Brian Weckerly while I'm there.

Oh, by the way, the above photo comes from Gary Peare and is of Mike Coco, his son, Coconut and Bobby Kay doing a LA area hospital visit to promote the Ringling show July 31, 1970. It has nothing really to do with what I've posted but it's a really great photo!

WE INTERUPT THE LIUZHOU PHOTOS...

To ask this important question: Can anyone positively identify this clown from the Tom Mix Show?

LIUZHOU, CHINA: Stage One

Stage One AKA The Traditional Stage AKA Woodstock/Led Zeppelin Stage List of Performers...

The Troubadors:
Greg May & Sean Fagan

Clowns Without Bearings:
Ted Lawrence, Chris Grabher & Chris Shelton

Supersonic Hypercool Awesome Clown Show:
Matthew Duncan, Brian Foley & Erin Schmahl

LIUZHOU, CHINA: More from Stage Two

Here are more Stage Two photos from the Happy Liuzhou International Clown Festival in Liuzhou, China...


Stage Two in the final stages of construction and decoration.

Stage Two fully completed and being rocked by Thom Wheaton (reaching for hat), Jesse Dryden (holding ladder on left) and Todd Zimmerman (holding ladder on right) who KILLED with a 40 minute trio show of amazing circus skills and really well-planned and executed slapstick.

Backstage Stage Two with Jason T. Stewart (foreground), Gary Spear (left) and Mike Smith (right). This picture gives no indication of the frequently hectic backstage pace but all three teams got along famously and jelled into a great "Alley" back in the dressing rooms.

LIUZHOU, CHINA: The Stage Two Crew

As CLOWNALLEY.NET's 800th post, here are the first of a series of photos from what was surely the largest international clown event in history, The Happy Liuzhou International Clown Festival in Liuzhou, China. The performers on Stage Two (the "Water Stage") were...



Todd Zimmerman (back to camera), Jesse Dryden (holding ladder) and Thom Wheaton (on ladder).



Jason T. Stewart (back to camera) and Mike Smith were a huge hit performing the classic Washer Woman Gag in their own style.



Andrew Scharff, Pat Cashin and Gary Spear. A guy couldn't ask for two better partners.

DOUG ASHTON: Royale Super Circus

Notoriously eccentric, Doug Ashton's Chaplinesque clown character is widely regarded to be one of the funniest ever to appear with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He also appeared on several Shrine circuses and enjoyed a long run at Knott's Berry Farm while here in the States.

He appears in this clip with "His Gal Sal" (his beautiful and talented wife Sally) from Royale Super Circus in his native Australia.

Doug Ashton and Michael Karp both joined Ringling at about the same time that Freddie Freeman retired. Doug Ashton's makeup and costume were very different in '66 and '67 from what his character evolved into. I wonder if there was any conscious "passing of the torch" from Freddie to Michael and Dougie?

JACKIE LE CLAIRE: Happy 80th Birthday!

Larry H. writes in to tell me that congratulations are in order. According to his records former Ringling great (and according to some sources the STAR clown of the Ringling European tour), International Clown Hall of Fame inductee and current Circus Sarasota "Ambassador of Mirth" Mr. Jackie LeClaire turns 80 years young today.

Very happy returns of the day, Mr. LeClaire. Your friendship throughout the last 10 years has helped me immeasurably and your impressive body of work (and that of your father) continue to serve as an inspiration to the next generation of clowns.

And to think, we started corresponding because you were amazed that anyone in that Clown College class of '97 knew who Chesty Mortimer was ; )

Happy Birthday, Jackie!

CIRQUE BOUGLIONE: The Bird Entree

Here it is again: The Bird Entree.

I'm not sure who this is performing it. They do a masterful job with the material but it's still not my favorite routine. I've got one more version around here somewhere that I have to track down and post here for comparison.

HOME AGAIN!

I'm finally home again after the enormous Happy Liuzhou International Clown Festival in Liuzhou, China.

I'll post some photos and some video from the festival in a few days, after I've had time to decompress. Right now my son Shane and I are going to see Spiderman 3.

Until then, here is a link to some photos and thoughts from an Englishman working in Liuzhou that we met and befriended while we were there...

http://liuzhou.blog-city.com/

And here are some of the local media photos...

http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a268/Liuzhou/clowns/

WALTER GALETTI: Cirque Bouglione

Sorry, it's EXTREMELY hard use blogger from China.

Enjoy!

CHARLIE CAIROLI & CO. : Cirque Bouglione

I don't have a lot of time, I have to catch a plane. This clip will have to speak for itself.

I'm hoping that John Cooper will be so kind as to fill us in with some more information on this one.

BARRY LUBIN: Circus Krone

Photos courtesy of Don Covington (via aucirque.com)






Photos from American clown Barry "Grandma" Lubin's recent triumphant run on Germany's Circus Krone.

Go granny, go granny, go granny, go!

CALLING ALL CLOWNS!

I leave today for an large international clown festival in Liuzhou, China where I'm thrilled at the opportunity to work alongside (and get to watch) dozens of talented performers from around the globe. I will try to keep updating The Alley while I'm away.

As an appropriate parting gift, here is Millie Schofield's portrait of Beatty-Cole's Bernie Kallman, entitled "Calling All Clowns".

To link to Ms. Schofield's eBay site, please click the title of this post.

CLOWN ALLEY: Ringling at the Garden 1920s?

A photo that looks to have been taken at the old Madison Square Garden, probably in the 20s, at a PR event with "non traditionally or differently-abled" children. The ringmaster at right looks to be the legendary Fred Bradna and I'm not sure but the little clown on the left looks to be a very young Frankie Saluto.

LES FRANCESCOS: Military Entree

Paul Jung wasn't the only clown with an Army Gag way back when. Even though his was VERY widely imitated in America, this one is entirely different and doesn't seem to reference it at all. I do have to say that, as good as this one is, I think Jung's had a MUCH better blow-off. The alien/boogeyman just doesn't compare with loading Prince Paul into a canon and firing him up into the rafters.

One day I'd like to take Jung's gag. this one, Abbott and Costello's and the one Joe Besser did in Olsen & Johnson's show SONS O' FUN and combine them with new material to create an "ultimate" military style gag.

But then, how would I do it when most producers never hire more than one clown anymore?

And does anyone know if Francesco, who is back in France recovering from a surgery while his son covers for him on Big Apple, is related to these Francescos?

Anyone know how Francesco is doing? I'm hoping that he's doing well and will be able to return by the end of the season.

GOLDEN NOSE AWARDS

NEW YORK DOWNTOWN CLOWN
GOLDEN NOSE AWARDS

New York Downtown Clown is proud to present the ONLY Clown Awards Show in North America- The New York Downtown Clown Golden Nose Awards.

This first-annual event will honor Clown Excellence from performances of the New York Downtown Clown Monthly Revue’s inaugural year. In addition to the awards presented, the evening will include performances by nominees, dance numbers, door prizes, red carpet, and audience participation games with prizes. The show will also feature Clown Superstar Presenters, including Barry Lubin (Grandma- Big Apple Circus) and Hovey Burgess (The Father of the New Circus Movement). The Golden Nose Award Statues will be designed and created by Clown Nose/Mask Maker, Stanley Allan Sherman (creator of the WWF Mankind Mask).

Dress: Formal Attire- Noses Optional

The Categories and Nominees for the 2007 New York Downtown Clown Golden Nose Awards are:

Audience Choice Best Clown:
Brent McCoy
Hilary Chaplain
Mark Gindick
Poofy Du Vey

Audience Choice Best Clown Piece:
Classically Trained by Hilary Chaplain
Glamourpuss by Kendall Cornell
Super Nova by Mark Gindick
Jeff Seal and His Big Red Ball by Jeff Seal

Clown of The Year:
Eric Davis
Hilary Chaplain
Joel Jeske
Kendall Cornell

The Producers of Slava’s Snowshow (David Foster and Ross Mollison) will receive the Clown Achievement of The Year Award for running the show for two record breaking years off-Broadway.

WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT THE SHOW

This is the First Clown Awards Show in NYC and the only one in North America.

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Well' the only one CURRENTLY in America.

For more on the New York Downtown Clown Monthly Revue, please click the title of this post.

CHRISTOPHER "HOOT" HUDERT

A great clown, a great puppeteer and a great dinner conversationalist, Mr. Christopher "Hoot" Hudert on the Ringling Red Unit during Gunther Gebel Williams' Farewell Tour.

For more on Mr. Hudert and his company APPLAUSE UNLIMITED, please click on the title of this post.

CHAZ CHASE: Cirque Bouglione

After a long career in vaudeville Chaz Chase sort of dropped out of sight in the 1940s, only to re-emerge in the 1950s as a sought-after guest on many television variety programs.

This mid-60s clip tells us that he was working in European circus during that time and I've recently found out that his final two appearances were on Late Night with David Letterman shortly before his death in 1983.