JOSE MICHEL CLOWNS: Circus Krone (2009)

CIRCUS RONCALLI: München Premiere "All You Need Is Laugh" (05/11/2010)

GLEN "FROSTY" LITTLE: Obituary, New York Times

Glen Little, Better Known as Frosty the Clown, Dies at 84

By DANIEL E. SLOTNIK

Published: November 4, 2010

Glen Little, better known as Frosty the Clown, who performed at the White House and was a teacher and mentor to a generation of clowns with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, died on Oct. 26 in Kimberly, Idaho, near his home in Burley. He was 84.

His wife, Patricia, confirmed his death.

Mr. Little was the last of four Ringling Brothers clowns to earn the circus’s “master clown” designation, and the last surviving member of that select group.

Peggy Williams, one of Mr. Little’s protégés, described him as “kind of a drill sergeant, but in a comedic way.”

“He insisted that you always look your best, even on a Saturday after three shows, that you never looked disheveled in front of the audience or ruin a kid’s fantasy of a clown,” Ms. Williams said.

Mr. Little was the circus’s executive director of clowns in 1986 when an About New York column in The New York Times described him meticulously inspecting his charges before a performance while wearing “full clown regalia.”

After scolding lackadaisical and inappropriately attired clowns, Mr. Little, perched on a tiger cage, said, “Sometimes it’s tough to get them to take me seriously.”

Glen Gordon Little was born on Dec. 5, 1925, to Elsie and Glen Little in Genoa, Neb. He was given the nickname Frosty because he loved playing in the snow as a child.

After high school he joined the Navy in 1944. An injury in 1945 led to the removal of part of his right lung and an honorable discharge.

Mr. Little married Shirley Moss in 1950; they divorced in 1970.

He began his capering career with the Joe King Circus in Colorado in 1956 and opened his own clown business in 1962.

Mr. Little’s persona combined two styles of clown: the whiteface, more dignified and usually the boss or straight man in a gag; and the auguste, prone to wearing garish, oversize clothing and more often the butt of physical jokes.

In 1968 he spied an opportunity for the big time: Ringling Brothers’ new Clown College in Venice, Fla. He graduated with the inaugural class in 1968 and landed a coveted job with the circus at the age of 44.

In 1970 he was promoted to boss clown, a job he held for the next decade.

He met his second wife, Patricia, in 1971 while the circus was in California, and they married three weeks later in Chicago.

Mr. Little became executive director of clowns in 1980 and held the job until he retired in 1991, the year he was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame. He taught at Clown College during most of his career.

In 1983 Irvin and Kenneth Feld, the owners of Ringling Brothers, designated Mr. Little a master clown. Only Otto Griebling, Bobby Kay and Lou Jacobs had received the honor before him. Mr. Little also performed repeatedly at the White House, where he met Presidents Richard M. Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Little is survived by a brother, Dixon Little, of Northport, Fla.; a daughter from his first marriage, Tawnya Wiseman, of Greeley, Colo.; and a daughter from his second, Roxanne Webster, of San Diego.

SAM POOKA: Part Five

All good things must, eventually, come to an end.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure and privilege  to present the thrilling conclusion of Sam Pooka...

LEONID LEMI: Balance

GLEN "FROSTY" LITTLE: From Steve Smith

Frosty Little - teacher; performer; mentor; Master Clown.

He entertained so many millions over the years; 

He helped show so many of us the way over the years;

He loved to blow things up; set things on fire - any kind of pyro effect. 

His list of CBOBS {Comic Bits of Business} was endless, and mostly questionable. 

He should have had stock in Sea Breeze.

He was a one-of-a-kind, true original - Hotorini!!! 

I imagine him now, and here is a thought or two: "I'll be there...when you look up at the sky at night. In one of the stars I'll be smiling...In one of the stars I'll be laughing....And so it will be as if all the stars in heaven are smiling & laughing when you look up at the sky at night. I'll be there. But, oh how we'll miss you down here... 

For all who know this life, know it too briefly, and all who leave this life, leave it too soon. May peace cup your heart and hold it gently.

love & light...

Rest In Peace

GLEN "FROSTY" LITTLE: Obituary, Sarasota-Herald

Glen "Frosty" Little taught others art of clowning

 

Glen Little, an early graduate of the Ringling Bros. Clown College, was known as "Frosty" the clown.

By Jay Handelman

Published: Tuesday, November 2, 2010 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, November 1, 2010 at 8:42 p.m. 

 

( page of 2 )

In his off hours, Glen Little could easily go unnoticed, but when he spread white makeup all over his face and donned his trademark pointy red hat, thousands of circus lovers instantly knew him as Frosty.

One of the first graduates of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College who later mentored hundreds of younger clowns during a 23-year career, "Frosty" Little died Oct. 26 in Burley, Idaho. He was 84.

"We used to say that the Clown College was a salvation for American circus clowning, but I say Frosty was the salvation of circus clowning," said Chuck Sidlow, who studied under and worked with Little for several years.

Born in 1925 in Nebraska, Little developed a lifelong love for circus after seeing a performance as a child, Sidlow said. Friends said he got the nickname "Frosty" from a grandfather because he loved to play in the snow.

In 1968, he became part of the first class of Clown College, which was based for many years in Venice. He graduated at age 44, and quickly joined the newly created second touring unit. Within two years, he became the "boss clown," and for 11 years until his retirement in 1991, he served as "Executive Clown Director," overseeing clowns in both the red and blue units and helping to develop new clown gags. He also returned each summer to work with new Clown College students. He and his wife, Pat, lived in Venice during his Ringling circus years.

"He made young kids feel welcome and made sure the old-timers were treated with respect and honor," said Sidlow, who now works for Circus Sarasota. "He recognized their contribution to the circus and the art of clowning, and he carried the torch."

Sidlow said Little created more than 200 clown gags, designed and built props and taught many newcomers how to be better in the three-ring circus world.

"He was a father figure to almost everybody," Sidlow said. "He had a soft humane side that enabled him to mentor. He was such a giving person, and instead of teaching you about circus and clowning and comedy, you learned by osmosis, because it just came off him."

In 1983, Little joined Lou Jacobs, Otto Griebling and Bobby Kay as one of only four Ringling circus "master" clowns. He was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame in 1991, around the time he retired and moved with his wife to Burley, Idaho, where he ran a circus museum.

He also worked privately with many clowns to develop and perfect their acts, Sidlow said. In 1996, he also wrote a book about his clowning experiences, "Circus Stories: Boss Clown on the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus for More than 20 Years."

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his brother, Dixon, and a daughter, Tanya. No formal funeral is planned, but a celebration of life will be scheduled in Sarasota.

PETER PITOFSKY: Evening at the Improv

CANDY GRAHAM HAS BEEN FOUND!!!

Candy was returned safely home last night. Thank you to all for the thoughts, prayers and for forwarding the information ; )

EKATERINA "ANTOSCHKA" MOZHAEVA: The Marionette (2005)

Video courtesy of Circopedia

IN MEMORIAM: Thina Hansen

Mrs. Thina Hansen, wife of John Hansen and mother of Diana Hansen-Juchno and Shane Hansen, passed away quietly Saturday, surrounded by family. A longtime circus performer with the Rolling Diamonds as well as active member of Showfolks of Sarasota, she was a very loving grandmother to J.R., Olivia, Michael, Madison and Ella.

A Celebration of Life is being planned for December.

A wonderful woman; she will be missed.

Now that I am gone,
remember me with smiles and laughter.
And if you need to cry,
cry with your brother or sister
who walks in grief beside you.
And when you need me,
put your arms around anyone
and give to them what you need to give to me.
There are so many who need so much.
I want to leave you something --
something much better than words or sounds.
Look for me in the people I've known
or helped in some special way.
Let me live in your heart
as well as in your mind.
You can love me most
by letting your love reach out to our loved ones,
by embracing them and living in their love.
Love does not die, people do.
So, when all that's left of me is love,
give me away as best you can.

~ Author unknown

MISSING CHILD ALERT!!! CANDY GRAHAM

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

From Jimmy Graham...

Hello to all my facebook friends...My daughter CANDY GRAHAM -17, is missing. Last night (Saturday Oct 30) she and her boy friend went to Hollywood for a concert at the Palladium on Sunset Blvd- he went in and she did not but rather took off to somewhere. If you see her call ME at (909)234-9864 or the local police...she is listed as a missing person/minor.

There is reason to believe that Candy may be in Van Nuys, CA. If ANYONE know ANYTHING about Candy's whereabouts PLEASE get in touch with the Graham family immediately!

CIRCUS CLOWN IS A SERIOUS PERSON OUT OF THE RING: New York Times (May 15, 1910)

Courtesy of Gary Peare

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

CLOWNS AND THEIR WORK: By Harry LaPearl (April 16, 1910)

Clowns and Their Work

By Harry LaPearl. New York Clipper, April 16, 1910. Reprinted in Circus Scrap Book, No. 11 (Jul), 1931, pp. 18-20. The information should be checked with additional sources.

Probably no one is better able to speak of the labors of a clown than Harry LaPearl, himself one of the leading clowns of America. In an interview with a Clipper reporter, in answer to the question, "How does the work of a clown compare with that of a stage comedian?" he said: 

"Did you ever stop to consider what a clown has to do to make the public laugh?"

The Clipper man said very few people gave it a thought. 

"The very answer I expected," replied La Pearl, "and I shall endeavor to give you an idea of the work of a 'funny' man with a circus, and let you compare his work and that of a stage comedian." 

"To begin with, a clown, to be successful, must be a good pantomimist; he must have a funny make-up, and he must have original ideas - otherwise he will soon find himself relegated to the tall timbers. He must also be an acrobat, a tumbler and a juggler, and many of them are aerialists." 

"Does a comedian need these accomplishments to succeed? And yet they are a clown's stock in trade. Without them he could hope for no recognition in his calling. 

"A comedian (I have been on the stage myself) changes his voice, sneezes, or he can just do a few funny steps and the audience roars. Try to do the same thing in a circus ring and, believe me, the only notice you would receive would be from the manager, who would notify you that if you wanted to continue with the show you would have to do something. Several times since I have been with the Barnum and Bailey show, I have tried to ring in a few of my vaudeville stunts, and I am ashamed to tell you the result. 

"With the show this season I am doing about seven acts. Think of asking a comedian to do as much work as that! The majority of the boys are compelled to go into the "spec," or the parade as the public calls it. They then rush to the dressing-room, change their parade costumes to clown make-up, being allowed about five minutes for the change. Then they rush out to the tanbark and work like beavers to make the spectators sit up and take notice, while ten or more acts are performing. 

"Of course, I will agree with you in regard to some of the clowns not being funny or having proper make-up, but take it from me they do not get very far in business - though they are usually kickers on the salary question. A good clown very rarely has a kick about salary, as the management is not slow to notice the value and services of a clever performer, and the reward usually follows. It has been so in my case, and I can mention many others. 

"For instance, take Al Olifan, who has been in the show business all his life. He started at the bottom like the rest of us, and today he is one of the leading producing clowns in the country. 

"I tell you, and you would agree with me if you ever tried to amuse the public, that a clown's portion is much harder than a comedian's, and he positively must be funnier. To prove this take any one of our leading comedians and let him pull the same stuff before circus crowds that he uses on the vaudeville stage, and watch the result. In my experience I have seen many well-known comedians who have been a frost at clowning, and not because they are not clever in their own line. 

"On the other hand, very few of the clowns have proved a failure on the vaudeville stage. There are Frank 'Slivers' Oakley and Spader Johnson, both of whom have made a pronounced success in vaudeville. I am not picking out two of the leading clowns, mind you, there are others too numerous to mention who have scored big hits. 

"I remember once, in a little town we played in Texas, there happened to be a well-known comedian playing at the Opera House (the comedian by the way is now appearing in New York) who was asked to appear as a special favor to the management in a clown act, and, honestly, he could not draw a laugh. Why, some of the minor clowns we have with the show made him look like a 'piker'," and with a hurried "excuse me, I am on in this display, shake hands with Al Olifan," La Pearl rushed out of the dressing room. 

Of course, during all this interview, the Clipper man said scarcely a dozen words. He was about to ask Mr. Olifan how he did a certain stunt, when that gentleman began by saying, "You will pardon me, but I overheard most of the conversation, and I can vouch for every word Mr. La Pearl has said.

"I have often heard this same subject discussed by performers, but never have given it a thought. There are several ways to look at it. Of course you will understand that a comedian on the vaudeville stage has to amuse his audience alone, he being the only one on the stage at the time. Now, take the clown. He is obliged to get his laughs while a dozen acts are performing at one time. He has to do something very original and funny to attract their attention," and with a hurried good-bye, Mr. Olifan went to do one of his many stunts.

GLEN "FROSTY" LITTLE: Read More About It (1983)

CLOWNS AND CLOWNING: Cincinnati Gazette (June 3, 1883)

Courtesy of the Circus Historical Society...

Clowns and Clowning

From Cincinnati Gazette, June 3, 1883. Reprinted in Circus Scrap Book, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Jan), 1929, pp. 15-20. 

To most people a clown is a clown, take him in whatever guise you will, and the fool in motley, with the cap and bells, differs not a whit from the Punchinello of a pantomime. Yet this merry man of the arena is not a new found acquaintance, by any means, and can boast his descent almost directly from the classical times, having figured, as some assert, in the ancient MIMI of the ATELLANIAN fables. Harlequin and Punchinello, both of whom retain the character of jesters, wags and buffoons, find a place in dramatic history of all Nations, and it is believed existed among the Romans before the time of Plautus, continuing to play their frolics during the middle ages, when the legitimate drama was unknown. Indeed, the images of these grotesque characters have been discovered by antiquarians on Etruscan vases and, among the characters in the earliest of our English plays, the fool frequently occurs. Though the term clown and fool are improperly used as synonymous by these early writers, and the fool denoted, in some of the old plays alluded to, either a natural, as they were then called, or a witty hireling, retained for the purpose of making sport for his employers, a clown was a perfectly distinct character, and one of much greater variety. 

Richard Tarlton and many other actors, as far back as the time of Ben Jonson, had distinguished themselves as clowns. In 1723 the pantomime clown began his reign upon the English stage, the circus fool coming many years later. In December of the year mentioned, Rich, the London manager, produced the first regular pantomime at Lincoln's Inn Theatre, entitled "The Necromancer, or, The History of Dr. Faustus," which Doran tells us conjured all the town within the ring of his little theatre, and raised harlequinade above Shakespeare and all other poets. In a divertisement of this description, presented by Mr. Rich several years afterwards, the name Grimaldi appears as Pantaloon and in 1758 this same famous clown relieved the tragedy of RICHARD III as enacted by Mossop, by appearing in comic dances between the arts. 

Our modern circus clown is a direct descent of Punch and was brought into being, as one might say, by Old Astley, of London, who died in 1814. Philip Astley was a famous rider who first exhibited equestrian pantomimes in which his son, who survived him for a short time, rode (as it is said) with great grace and agility. 

Astley had amphitheatres (famous establishments they were, too,) in London, Dublin and Paris and migrated with his actors, bipeds and quadrupeds from one to the other. Belzoni, the celebrated Egyptian antiquarian, who unearthed many famous tombs at Thebes, and earned great distinction as the discoverer of the entrance to the pyramid, was at one time a clown in Astley's London house. 

With Rickett's Circus, which was the first that ever exhibited in the United States, the clown was transplanted to American soil and today is such an institution in our midst that tented exhibitions like Barnum's, Forepaugh's and Robinson's are compelled to have not one, but a dozen or more; and so great is the difference in their skill and the character of their performances that they are classed under almost as many different heads. Four distinct species of clowns are recognized by our showmen, i. e., the Talking Clown, the Silent Clown, the Pantomimic Clown and the Trick Clown. 

Of Talking Clowns Dan Rice is undoubtedly the greatest that ever lived, having achieved such fame as to be able to command a salary at one time of $1,000 a week with all expenses paid. 

Dan was the best of the so-called Shakespearean jesters and was paraded about the streets in a coach-and-four with a handsomely-bound copy of the great William's works open before him when, had his life depended upon it, he could not have spelled out a single word of the text. 

Away back in the 50's when old Van Orden was travelling about the country at the head of a circus, Dan Rice was the possessor of an "educated pig" which he exhibited in a side canvas. Fortunately for Dan, Van Orden's clown, a fellow of no great reputation and so addicted to his cups as to be utterly unreliable, was incapacitated for work by intoxication, and Dan was called upon at short notice to take his place. Van Orden had the brains and Dan the impudence, so between the two, jokes - enough to carry him through the performance - were strung together and to the surprise of everyone made the most remarkable hit with his antics, his reputation increasing day by day until, within a very brief space, he stood at the head of his profession. 

Long before Rice's debut, however, great clowns were not wanting and John May, John Gossin, Sam Lathrop, Sam Long, Joe Pentland and Old Dan Gardner reigned supreme. May, Gossin and Long were a peculiar trio, each in turn acting in the capacity of liege lord to the famous Madame Delphine who, in her time, had no fewer than seven husbands. Each of the three poor fellows alluded to died of softening of the brain, some said owing to the poisonous effects of the bismuth with which they whitened their faces, while others insinuate that bad whiskey and a scolding wife proved more baneful than the compound blamed by many as the cause of the great Fox's taking off. 

Considering the number of clowns that have died in the asylum some, like poor Fox and May, having to be confined in padded cells and harnessed in straight jackets, Old Gardner of all the early clowns was about the only one that died possessed of anything, and yet his early career was less promising of any, he having first appeared before the public in the character of a female impersonator in a minstrel show and a very poor one at that. However, he was well fixed in after years and lived to be honored and respected by a large family of children some now among the best-known people of Philadelphia.

However, it must be remembered that the salaries of circus performers in those days were nothing as compared to what is paid now. 

Gossin, it is said, got but $80 a month and was compelled to assist in the putting together of the show wherever an exhibition was given. "We had no canvassmen even when I began the business," said a well-known rider, John Wilson, in conversation upon the subject the other day, "and the clowns, riders, performers, in fact everybody connected with the show, had to turn out, rain or shine, to put up the canvas, build the ring and look after the horses." 

Old man Walcott, Teddy Walcott as he was familiarly known in times gone by, now the business manager of Buffalo Bill's Wild West, was one of the most famous of talking clowns just before the breaking out of the war, and for years he travelled with Spaulding & Rogers' Show, receiving, as a compensation, little more than $30 per week, while at present the most ordinary talking clowns are paid from $75 to $150 per week throughout a long season. Dock Thayer, Jim Meyers, Jerry Reynolds, Pete Conklin and the Pastors, Tony and Billy, each shone resplendent for a time in the sawdust arena, but of the lot Tony is today the only one possessing either reputation or money. Tony Pastor was apprenticed to Old John Nathan, and having proved a failure at everything else, he was put to clowning. His first reputation was made under the management of Jerry Mabie as a singer of comic songs and a few seasons afterwards he stepped from the ring to the stage, since which time his career is known to you. 

"Do you know how clowns are made?" asked a famous wearer of the motley of a Commercial Gazette man the other day. "I'll tell you; when a man has proved himself utterly incapable of anything else in the ring; when, he can neither ride nor tumble, do a rope act or swing on a trapeze, they smear his face with bismuth and glycerine, put a striped suit upon his back, and he is a full-fledged clown. Tony Pastor was dumped into the ring after this fashion, and is today a millionaire, simply because as a boy he was too trifling for any other line of business." 

Buck Gardner, Nat Austin, Ted Croust and John Lowlow are among the next batch of celebrities, the last-named being the best known jesters today. Lowlow and Old Si of the Atlanta Constitution were boys together, both running away from home when mere lads to join Uncle John Robinson's circus, then exhibiting in the South. Small soon tired of the rough life, however, and returned to his home, and sorrowing parents, while Lowlow journeyed on toward the North and now, at the end of twenty-five years' service in this one show, finds himself owning some most valuable property in the City of Cleveland. Talking clowns like Lowlow and his companions, are fast becoming a thing of the past, however, the silent clown now usurping his place. 

Of the eight or nine clowns with the Barnum show, all are of this description, and it is a rule with the management of that concern that as soon as a man opens his mouth, he is handed his salary and dismissed. 

The silent clown proper is a sort of a "Lone Fisherman" indeed, and this famous character is said to have been suggested to the author of "Evangeline" by a performance witnessed at the circus. The silent clown is as different as the Humpty Dumpty of the pantomime as is the latter from the Shakespearean jester. He is a quite peculiar fellow, comical both in his make-up and expression of face and usually wanders about the ring in a listless sort of a way, as if naturally unmindful of the presence of other people. This style of business was introduced to our tented shows by the two celebrated European clowns Chadwick and Wheel. Both were large and powerful men and without saying a word would stumble into the ring, pick up a pony, trick mule or even some famous rider or acrobat and carry them off under one arm in spite of their struggles. 

Ash, of the Robinson circus, first taught his business by John Wilson, then equestrian manager of the show, is accounted one of the best silent clowns and acted a "Lone Fisherman" almost as laughable as that of the original Harry Hunter. 

The Trick clown, common to almost every circus, is another peculiar species and although distinct from all others, may be either of the talking or silent sort. The Trick clown is usually an acrobat disguised in motley who, after floundering about in the ring to the great delight of the rustics, suddenly jumps upon a horse and discovers the fact that he is quite a skillful rider. Among the tumblers he sometimes proves the best, and as a bar performer is frequently hard to surpass. The first of our Trick clowns was the great Frenchman, Oriole, who made his appearance in Paris about 1850 and who, it is claimed, was the first man who ever did a somersault on a horse. George Adams, the pantomimist, before taking to the stage, was famous among trick clowns, having served his apprenticeship under Cooke, the great Englishman. He was "creeked" when quite a boy - that is, he had certain joints in his back so twisted as to render him extremely supple - and it is doubtful whether any clown who ever stepped into the arena could at all compare with him. Coming from a great family of circus performers, Adams proved an exception to the rule of the general worthlessness of clowns as gymnasts or riders and before ever putting white on his face had won for himself an enviable reputation as a rider, bar performer and tumbler. 

Of the many pantomime clowns the most celebrated within the remembrance of any of the present generation were undoubtedly the Ravels; indeed it is claimed that the first pantomime ever produced upon the American stage "Jocko, the Brazilian Ape," was with these people as principals. The Ravel Brothers, (Mazetti, Gabriel, Francois and Antoine), each have nothing added to their fame at this day. They were the greatest of all pantomimists and are equally as celebrated in Paris as afterwards in this new-found home. Pantomime in all essentials is the same no matter whether it be French, English or Italian; yet there is, to the acute observer, a difference in clowns, the English or American being just as distinct from the others today as when in 1700, even before the time of Rich, the first crude pantomime was given in London. The Martinettis came over from Paris with the Ravels as "property men" and gradually as one after the other of the famous brothers dropped out of the company assumed the vacancy until in the end "Mazumma, the Night Owl," "The Red Gnome" and the other famous pantomimes were played by them and not by the Ravels. However, the Martinettis never amounted to much, nor did the Leland family who came first after them. Maffit and Bartholomew and others gained some little notoriety in these same pantomimes, but the next great success after the Ravels was that made by George Fox at the Olympic Theatre, New York, in 1867. As Humpty Dumpty he has never had his equal and is admitted by all to have been the funniest clown ever seen upon the stage. Tony Denier and George Adams were the nearest approach to Fox, the last named having fairly won the distinction of being the greatest of living pantomimists with the probable exception of the Hanlons who, however, strictly speaking, do not come under the head of pantomime clowns. 

As to salaries, the pantomime clown is the best paid of any, $200 and $300 a week not being considered at all out of the way as a compensation for their labors and the Ravels, Fox, the Hanlons, George Adams and even those less celebrated among them have, in their day, earned ample fortunes.

THIS SHOULD ANSWER A LOT OF QUESTIONS...

GLEN "FROSTY" LITTLE: From the Times-News

He kept them laughing: Burley resident was key part of 'Greatest Show on Earth'

BURLEY — Reactions to the recent passing of a famous circus performer just prove the saying that everyone loves a clown.

Former Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey clown Glen “Frosty” Little, 84, died Tuesday in Kimberly.

“I already miss him like crazy,” said Little’s wife, Pat Little, who described the man under the Ringling Boss Clown makeup as extremely kind and loved by people around the world.

Fans’ love for her husband kept Pat’s phone ringing Wednesday with calls from around the world as the news of his death spread.

The Littles settled in Burley after Glen’s retirement from “The Greatest Show on Earth” 19 years ago. But he didn’t exactly hang up his nose — instead, he settled in teaching another generation of clowns how to make people chuckle.

Clown Tricia “Priscilla Mooseburger” Manuel, who lives in Maple Lake, Minn., worked under Glen for several years at the Ringling circus.

“Frosty was a great clown, but more importantly he taught us all to be great clowns,” Manuel said. “His purpose was to take young clowns and to push them to the front of the spotlight.”

Manuel said many of the old-time circus greats learned from Glen, who was inducted into the Clown Hall of Fame in 1991.

He received his Master Clown title from Ringling while Manuel performed with him in the 1980s. Manuel worked with him again when she opened Mooseburger Clown Arts Camp.

“He was the first person I called,” Manuel said. “I was so proud to have him be a part of my staff.”

Glen was tough, she said — after all, clowning around was his life’s work.

“He made sure we toed the line,” Manuel said. “... Most of all he wanted us to have respect for the show and to know our place in it. The show always came first. That was important.”

Manuel said Glen was able to make a successful transition from a circus clown performing in front of thousands of people to a hometown clown performing in someone’s living room.

Bruce “Abernathy D’ Clown” Chenoweth of New Plymouth worked with Glen writing gags for his clown partner, Ann “Twinkles” Chenoweth.

Ann Chenoweth remembers Glen as an old-school clown and “a very nice man.”

Glen passed along gags to the Chenoweths, including one tricking the audience to think they’re about to get doused with a water bucket really filled with confetti.

“His basic clown skills that he taught were tremendously valuable and his makeup was magnificent,” Bruce Chenoweth said.

Pat Little, who enjoyed a 41-year marriage with her husband, said that he above all loved to joke with people.

“I lived to make him happy and he lived to make me happy,” she said. “After he retired he’d play tricks on me and then I’d get him back. There will never be another one like him.”

Red Skelton never forgot him at Christmas, Pat said, and actor Iron Eyes Cody adored him.

“He was so well loved,” Pat said. “I don’t know anybody who didn’t like Frosty.”

Laurie Welch may be reached at lwelch@magicvalley.com or 677-5025.

THE HOTARINI HALLOWEENI IS STARTING EARLY

Greg DeSanto as Frosty 

Pat Cashin as Frosty at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, NJ

Join us in turning this into the "Hotarini Halloweeni" by sending your Frosty Halloween photos or photos of yourself in your own makeup and costume with Frosty's signature red hat.