ZAVATTA: Posters

Viva Zavatta!

THE CRASH BROTHERS: At Disneyland

The Crash Brothers (John Hadfield and Chris Shelton) perform their comedy juggling act in the Carnation Plaza Gardens during Disneyland's Circus Fantasy.

FUMAGALLI: Levitation

The Big Apple Circus, featuring Barry "Grandma" Lubin as well as Gianni Fumagalli and Daris Huesca (seen above) opens it's 30th season October 19th in Lincoln Center.

Please click the title of this post for tour information on the B. A. C.'s completely re-designed website.

LOU JACOBS: 15 Years

Scans courtesy of Rik Gern





It's been 15 years.

BOB DYLAN: Subterranean Homesick Shoes/Clown White on the Tracks

Few circus and clown historians and even fewer Dylan fans seem to know about Bob Dylan's all consumming passion for classic American circus clowning. Growing up in Minnesota, young Robert Allen Zimmerman attended his first circus at the age of three and was immediately entranced by the clowns. As he got older he befriended and corresponded regularly with several members of the classic Ringling alley, especially Otto Griebling from whom he learned about the poetry of Jack Kerouac and the music of Woody Guthrie.

Moving to Greenwich Village to join the New York folk music scene, Zimmerman (now Bob Dylan) was a fixture backstage at the Garden each spring throughout the early 1960s and, even at the very zenith of his counterculture celebrity, revelled in the any and all chances to help pad out the larger production gags like the Firehouse where his high, nasal "Fireman, save my bay-BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" could be heard echoing off the walls of the old Madison Square Garden.

After his close friend Paul Jung's death in 1965 Dylan was inconsolable and dropped out of the spotlight for almost 18 months while he studied mime and clowning with Tony Montaro in the hopes of leaving musical superstardom behind and joining Clown Alley. It was spring of 1967 before Lou Jacobs himself convinced Dylan that his skills and makeup were simply not up to an acceptable standard and that he should probably just return to his music. For his own good, a heartbroken Bob Dylan was not accepted to Clown College when he applied in 1968.



In typically Dylanesque fashion Bob denied that he had been studying clowning and instead he fabricated the unlikely story that he had actually been recuperating from a broken neck suffered in a motorcycle crash near his home in Woodstock, NY.

Continuing his friendships with the likes of Lou Jacobs, Bobby Kay, Duane Thorpe, Mike Polakovs, Prince Paul, Mark Anthony and Frankie Saluto and "guest clowning" at the Garden each spring, in 1972 Bob Dylan did finally visit the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College in Venice, FL to play the students two songs that have still gone unreleased, one about his good friend Otto Griebling, the other about the death of Paul Jung. These photos are taken from his brief concert and the long yoga and mime class that he taught that afternoon. As evening approached he left the Venice Arena profusely thanking Bill Ballantine for the opportunity but never visited the show again and did not return to teach at Clown College.


Disappointed that his sons Jesse and Jakob did not share his passion for circus clowning, Dylan strongly urged his youngest son, Todd Zimmerman, to apply to Clown College and was delighted when he was accepted. At the Kennedy Center ceremony in 1997 Dylan told President Bill Clinton that his greatest pride and joy was not in his own amazing and influential body of work but that his son currently toured with the Blue Unit of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Please click the title of this post to be taken to an EXTREMELY rare 1965 film that Dylan made to teach classic American circus clown blow-offs. It was used at the first Clown College class in 1968. Watch it twice and see if you can spot a teenaged Avner Eisenberg with a walking stick talking with Allen Ginsberg before walking off down the alley at the end.

SUNDAY MORNING ART GALLERY: Otto Griebling by Veres

Link courtesy of Rick Whelan


According to the Trigg Ison Gallery, the title of this work is "Lonesome: Emmett Kelley".

It is quite obviously a painting of Otto Griebling.

"Veres", having spent so much time around clowns and being a personal friend of Emmett's, would certainly have been able to tell the difference between the two, no?


TITLE: Lonesome: Emmett Kelley (sic)
ARTIST: Veres
WORK DATE: circa 1949
CATEGORY: Paintings
MATERIALS: Oil on Canvas
MARKINGS: signed
SIZE: h: 16 x w: 18 in
REGION: American
STYLE: Modern

This painting is now in the personal collection of Ms. Geraldine Clark.

SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES: Snub Pollard from IT'S A GIFT (1923)

This clip is from one of Snub's best films, taken from Robert Youngson's compilation, WHEN COMEDY WAS KING.

YURI NIKULIN: Novodevichy Cemetery

Yuri Nikulin's (1921-1997) gravesite in Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow where he rests eternally alongside other masters of Russian comedy such as Nikolai Gogol and Nikita Khrushchev.

For more on Mr. Nikulin's life and career, please click the title of this post.

HUEL SPEIGHT: Circus Circus, 2007

Graduate of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College class of 1980 and a favorite of just about everyone he has ever worked with in his long career on the Ringling Blue Unit as well as the Circus Circus Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV, Mr. Huel Speight.

LOU JACOBS: By Marcus Ritger

Probably taken in the Newport News/Hampton/Norfolk or Va. Beach, Virginia area in the 1940s.

SERGEY PAVLOV

For more information on Mr. Pavlov please click the title of this post.

CLOWN ALLEY: Voodoo Doll Gag, Ringling 1990s

Zoe's father, Todd Zimmerman and former Boss Clown David Solove performing their Voodoo Gag on the Ringling Blue Unit in the late 90s.

After leaving the show Zimmerman, Solove and Thom Wheaton formed the physical comedy troupe NOT THEM! which still performs (sans Solove) an extremely funny, fast paced slapstick show at SeaWorld Orlando.

In 2007 Wheaton, Zimmerman and Jesse Dryden all took part in the "Happy Liuzhou International Clown Festival in Liuzhou, China.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN JUGGLING CLUBS

MYSTERY CLOWNS: "Paging Dr. Freud!"

I don't recognize the clowns and I have no information on the show but if I had to guess it looks like a rocket gag from the mid-to-late 50s.

AJI: Teatro Zinzanni, 8/25/07

Video courtesy of "justiceclown"


Aji performing his "Raining Men" comedy juggling act at the Teatro Zinzanni Cabaret at the close of the "Royal Invitation" show.

I came up with a lot of business for a similar gag where the music wouldn't cooperate but could never find a satisfying "blow-off" to the gag so I've never performed it. It never occured to me to simply submit to the song that you hated and "thus the clown achieves his goal". My plan was to blow up the radio.

Mad, phat props go out to Aji.

K.I.S.S.

JOHN KRICFALUSI: All KInds of Stuff

I'm pretty consistently amazed at just how well Ren & Stimpy creator John "John K." Kicfalusi's classic animation blog ALL KINDS OF STUFF perfectly articulates my feelings on classic and contemporary American circus clowning.

Click the title of this post, read a few of John's rants about Disney and Dreamworks and see if you don't find an astonishing amount of parallels to circus clowning, Ringling and Cirque.

ALAIN ZERBINI CIRCUS Boxing Gag, 2007

Photos courtesy of David Powell




My Wayne and Marty Scott-made clown boxing gloves on tour with the Alain Zerbini Circus this season.

Good seats still apparently available.

Mr. Zerbini, if you need a gag for next season, my garage is always open to you ; )

SCOTT O'DONNELL: Comedy Dog Act, Ringling 2006-07

Former Blue Unit Boss Clown Scott O'Donnell's comedy dog act replaced Sveltlana Shamsheeva during the second year of the "Circus of Dreams" tour before Scott injured his back and retired from performing.

I just heard from Scott who is recuperating nicely and has a wonderful opportunity ahead of him.

I wish him the absolute best of luck and a very speedy recovery.

MYRTLE BEACH 2006: Grandma and Jay

Winner of the Lou Jacobs Lifetime Achievement Award at our 2007 Felix Adler Awards, Barry "Grandma" Lubin performs here with former Ringling Red Unit Boss Clown Jay Stewart at a reunion of Clown College alumni in Myrtle Beach, SC over the weekend of July 23-26, 2006.

Six years ago Mr. Lubin, Tiffany Riley and Dick Monday were given the Herculean task of trying to make New York smile again in the immediate aftermath of the September 11th attacks. It's starting to fade now, the horrible memories and feelings during that period of extraordinarly crushing sadness, when any attempt at humor, in almost any circumstance, seemed so out of place and inappropriate.

These three rose to this unprecedented challenge with unimaginable fortitude, did what many thought could not be done and succeededed with a style and grace that forever places them very firmly at the absolute pinnacle of their profession.


Clicking the title of this post will take you to myGoodDeed.org, an organization created in 2002 as a way to honor the victims and heroes of 9/11 and preserve the spirit of unity and compassion that existed in the nation following the attacks.

Join people and organizations everywhere who are pledging to keep the 9/11 spirit of unity alive by performing good deeds on 9/11 and every day throughout the year.

GERMAN VARIETY TOUR 1992

Behind the scenes and rehearsal footage from some of the giants of late 20th century Variety Arts during a tour in 1992 with Francis Brunn, Natahlie Enterline, Rudy Coby, Michael Moschen, Karen Carmichael and George Carl.

THE CASHIN COMEDY CO. presents THE CLOWNALLEY.NET VIDEO SHOW

I've got to start making decisions about what do with myself following next year's circus season soon and, as much fun as I've had on the fair and festival circuit, I think that I'd like to spend a little bit more time at home than I have been the last few years.

So, as I have agreements with two shows that should keep me busy circus clowning from January through June (and two more trips to clown festivals in China) I think that I'd like to explore teaching opportunities within the clown and circus fan community to fill in the rest of the calendar.

To that end I am assembling 60 minute, 90 minute and 120 minute video presentations featuring some of the international circus clown footage that I've shown here, a lot that I haven't and a few suprises that I'd like to start booking for the summer and fall of 2008.

So, if your organization might be interested in this entertaining, informative, completely self-contained (I bring all the video as well as my own large screen video projection and sound equipment) presentation please contact me at cashincomedy@yahoo.com.

SUNDAY MORNING ART GALLERY: Harry Nelson & Mike King

Veres

"Before the Matinee: Harry Nelson"

Oil on Canvas

American, Signed, c.1949

36 x 30 Inches




David Farrell

"Mike King"

Pastels

American, Signed, c. 1978

17" x 22.5"

SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES: Laurel & Hardy in PICK A STAR (1937)

Laurel & Hardy in a rarely seen clip from PICK A STAR a Hal Roach film directed by Edward Sedgwick starring Patsy Kelly. The director in the scene is played by Roach Comedy All-Star and longtime L&H foil Jimmy Finlayson.


Laurel & Hardy in a btter known clip from the same film, dubbed into Italian.

ITALIAN VIDEO

La Preghiera del Clown

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"The Prayer of the Clown" from the film "The Most Comic Show In the World"

DONOVAN & BLY

Slapstick music hall tumbling act from 1945. This footage is from a Mancunian Film's short called 'Randle and All That'.

THE CRAZY JOKER SHOW: Jacket and Thai Required

Video courtesy of John Hadfield



Jeff "Le Clown Gordoon" Gordon (of Big Apple Circus fame), Will Shaw (famous NYC juggler) Chris Shelton and John Hadfield (The Crash Brothers) and Rob Zeiser (former Ringling clown) appear in this ad for the Crazy Joker Show at Dan Neeramit (Magic Land) in Bangkok Thailand. There is no word for "clown" in Thai, so they were called "The Crazy Jokers."

KOCHMANSKI

Photo courtesy of John Peters



Famous riding clown, Kochmanski.

CLOWN COLLEGE REUNION: "The Great Pie Fight"

Video courtesy of John Hadfield



Wenesday October 14, 1987: Shot during the Clown College 20th Anniversary Reunion in Venice, FL, here is Master Clown Glen "Frosty" Little schooling Charles Gibson and Joan London in the proper method of throwing a pie on "Good Morning America".

This event was certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as "The World's Largest Pie Fight".

GROVER NICHTMAN: Cole Bros. Circus 1948

LITTLE TICH: Little Tich es ses "Big Boots" (1900)

"I like big boots and I cannot lie..."

I have seen snippets of this for years but this is the first time that I've seen this film of British Music Hall legend Harry "Little Tich" Relph in it's entirety.

For more information on Little Tich please click the title of this post.

CLOWN CAMP: Coco, Lou & Mark

Last photographed together in 1968, Michael "Coco" Polakovs, Lou Jacobs and Mark Anthony, all three former giants of the Ringling Alley and all three future International Clown Hall Of Fame inductees, demonstrate how they apply their make up and tell stories from their combined 200 years of experience in the field of circus clowning at Clown Camp La Crosse, WI in 1987.

For more information on Clown Camp, please click the title of this post.

CLOWN ALLEY: The Diner Gag, Ringling 2007

The soap gag from the current Blue Unit "Circus of Dreams" at the Times Union Center (Formerly The Pepsi Arena) in Albany, NY, April of 2007.

LES FRATELLINI: "Come To the Circus" circa 1945

Extremely rare film of the Fratellini trio of clowns (not the original trio, as this footage is from after Paul's death in 1940) from the short film "Come to the Circus", shot in performance somewhere between 1940 (after the death of Paul) and 1951 (the death of Francois).

Has anyone else ever noticed that Paul, Francois, Albert and Annie all passed away in June? Kind of weird.

BUZZY POTTS

CLOWN ALLEY: Bakery Gag, Garden Bros. Circus 1986

Roger "Rumpy the Clown" Prystanski and company perform a Bakery Gag based on the humor of "escalating reciprocal violence" (or "tit for tat"), similar in structure to the Washer Woman Gag and the basis for many of the best Laurel & Hardy shorts, on the Garden Bros. Circus in 1986.

SUNDAY MORNING ART GALLERY: "Backstage: Myron Orton, Paul Jung, & Prince Paul"

Link courtesy of Rick Whelan



"Backstage: Myron Orton, Paul Jung, & Prince Paul" an original oil painting by American artist Margot Clark, who painted under the name, "Veres.” Margot Clark was married to film actor Dane Clark, but chose to paint under the name, "Veres,” meaning, "Red Head" in Hungarian. Veres developed a passion for the theatrical world of famous clowns and they quickly became the primary subjects of her paintings. As the reputation of her quality increased, Veres was invited to exclusively paint some of the world’s most famous clowns, which included Emmett Kelley, Paul Jung, Harry Nelson, Prince Paul and numerous others.

The detail and use of color, combined with the realistic, American social realist style of painting became the trademark of Veres. Her paintings are completely theatrical, depicting not singularly the clowns, but the real men themselves as they transition into character, portrayed through various stages of costume and make up. The paintings by Veres are American works of theatrical social realism of the late 1940's and 1950's.

Veres exhibited extensively including major exhibitions at Hammer Galleries in New York , Galerie R. Creuze in Paris, France both in the 1950's. The original paintings by Veres are now exhibited exclusively by Trigg Ison Fine Art, West Hollywood, California.


TITLE: Backstage: Myron Orton, Paul Jung & Prince Paul
ARTIST: Veres
WORK DATE: circa 1949
CATEGORY: Paintings
MATERIALS: Oil on Canvas
MARKINGS: signed
SIZE: h: 50 x w: 40 in / h: 127 x w: 101.6 cm
REGION: American
STYLE: Modern
PRICE*: Contact Gallery for Price
GALLERY: Trigg Ison Fine Art 310-274-8047 Send Email
ONLINE CATALOGUE(S): Inventory Catalogue

For more information on this piece, please click on the title of this post.

SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES: Buster Keaton from THE CAMERAMAN (1928)

Buster Keaton performing a baseball pantomime which seems to be heavily inspired by Frank "Slivers" Oakley's "One Man Baseball Game" in his first feature film for MGM, which was his last true silent (SPITE MARRIAGE was without dialogue, but was a "sound" film). The scene is one of the last that Buster was allowed to completely improvise in front of the cameras before MGM forced him to completely change his method of filmmaking and strictly adhere to tightly written scripts.

THE CAMERAMAN was feared lost until a print was discovered in Paris in 1968 and finally made available on video in 1991 when an incomplete master positive was found and merged with the inferior 1968 print. The master positive used as the basis for the VHS release was missing the entire first reel, plus eleven "gags" ranging from the entire "One Man Baseball Game" sequence to simple three second reaction shots. When the stock suddenly changes from crystal sharp and clear to washed out and grainy, it makes a very strong statement for the importance of film preservation and in classic Buster Keaton fashion, makes it absolutely silently.

The film was recently re-mastered and is now on DVD as part of "TCM Archives: The Buster Keaton Collection" featuring a new score by former Frank Zappa band member Arthur Barrow.

And as for Buster's respect for Slivers? I re-post the following article (written in 1946 when Buster was 51) sent to me by Gene Wolande...

YARLYKOV ACROBATICS

The next step in the evolution of the Boxing Gag?

EMMETT KELLY: Ringling Museum, Sarasota, FL

Emmett Kelly's Weary Willie costume on display at the John & Mable Ringling Circus Museum in Sarasota, FL.

POODLES HANNEFORD: Poodles and Gracie at Frontier Town

"In 1954, at the age of 63, Poodles Hanneford retired from performing his trick riding at the circus. He continued with his whip routine for a while, but eventually came to work at an amusement park in New York, called Frontier Town. Poodles played the part of the Old Prospector as well as clowning, his wife Grace run the frontier store, and their daughter Gracie performed there as well with a trained dog act.

Poodles Hanneford worked there until his death in 1967. He is buried in Glens Falls, New York, beneath a memorial that includes his famous step off. Grace, his wife of 48 years, died in 1984 and was buried next to Poodles."

--www.clown-ministry.com

As an addendum to the information on clown-ministry.com, Gracie Hanneford passed away in Glens Falls, NY in the fall of 2006.

CLOWN ALLEY: Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros.

Video courtesy of Dean Chambers



Dean "Elmo Gibb" Chambers and members of the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Clown Alley perform and discuss their craft.

SLAVA'S SNOWSHOW: In Israel

Slava Polunin is interviewed as he brings his SNOWSHOW to Israeli audiences.

CLOWN ALLEY: Beatty-Cole 1985

The Beatty-Cole Alley always skewed towards neat whitefaces but, since an Alley with absolutely no augustes is unlikely, I'm going to guess that this is just the whiteface members of the 1985 Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Clown Alley.

Front and center, Sandy "Sandy K" Kozik with future Vidbel's Olde Tyme Circus star and Billy Vaughn partner Mike Snider directly behind.

CLOWN ALLEY: Survivor Gag, Ringling 2001

Video and comments courtesy of Larry Clark


This video is from the 131st edition of Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey's Circus (2001-2002).

It is Clown Alley's Spoof of the CBS show, Survivor.

This was filmed in Salt Lake City Utah in September of 2001.

The clowns in the gag here are:

Old Tribesman (Horn Blower) - Alan Ware
Ester (Big Mama) - Jay Stewart (Boss Clown)
Nanuk (Eskimo) - Albert Ramirez
Gilligan (Goofy Guy) - Darren Burrell
Bikini Model - Molly Pelley
Jungle Adventurer - Bryan Fulton
Latin Heart-Throb - Francesco Villares
Dr Flora Messenger (Dr Laura Schlessinger) - Pamela Ramirez
Host - Johnathan Lee Iverson (Ringmaster)

BOXING GAG: Poodles?

A 1934 photo, purported to be from the personal collection of Edwin "Poodles" Hanneford, of a Boxing Gag being performed on a closed off street.

I can't identify any of the clowns for certain but if it IS from Poodles collection he MAY be the clown on the left with his face obscured by a boxing glove. He looks to be about the right height and build and that certainly does look like his costume.

CLOWN ALLEY: Track Gag, Ringling 1969

George "Bumpsy Anthony" Hulme, Swede Johnson and Mark "Mark Anthony" Galkowski performing a "track gag" together on the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1969.

Not really sure of the gag since not all of the "beats" are here. It looks as though Bumpsy enters with a box, Swede comes along as the clown cop and tells him to move on, Mark enters as the tramp and sits on the box. Bumspy then lights a fuse attached to the box but when Mark stands up it snaps back on a bungee and hits the 102 year old Swede in the back.

I don't get it but, as I said, we have a couple of "beats" missing here.

Still, it's great to see all three of them in action, especially Bumpsy who has a great physicality to his character that isn't even hinted at in photos.

OTTO GRIEBLING: Come In & Boxing Gag, Ringling 1959

Today I am 40 years old.

The other day I was given one of the greatest gifts I've ever received and today I'm sharing it with you. Here is Otto Griebling performing come-in on an outdoor date in 1959 with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Afterwards there is a few minutes of the Boxing Gag with Freddie Freeman on an idoor arena date from the same tour.

JOSEPH "JOJO" LEWIS

Photo courtesy of John Peters


Veteran of many shows and just about every facet of professional clowning, clown cop Jojo Lewis.

CLOWN ALLEY: The Boxing Gag, Ringling 1969

Danny Chapman (the man responsible for the creation of Clown College), Mark Anthony and Swede Johnson along with a crew of then recent Clown College graduates present the first Boxing Gag done on the Ringling circus after the retirement of Otto Griebling's longtime sparring partner Freddie Freeman.

CHRIS SHELTON: Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday wishes go out today to Mr. Chris Shelton, an excellent clown who really knows how to rock an authenic hand made Chinese suit!

GIOVANNI ZOPPE: Philadelphia, PA, May 2007

Giovanni Zoppe as Nino the Clown with the Zoppe Family Circus at the Annenberg Center in Philadelphia, PA last May as part of the Children's Festival.

MIKE PADILLA: Beatty-Cole, circa 1980

After coming to America as part of the Alf Landon troupe of little people and many years with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey (often partnered with Lou Jacobs) Mike Padilla finished out his American circus career with a few seasons as a member of the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus Clown Alley.

PETER SHUB: German TV Appearance

Peter Shub running through several of his favorite bits VERY quickly for German television.

CLOWN ALLEY: Barnum & Bailey 1915

Members of the 1915 Clown Alley of the Barnum & Bailey Circus and a prop Jitney Bus.

This makes me wonder if this is the exploding Jitney Bus described in the book CIRCUS LURE AND LEGEND and if any of the clowns pictured here are the elusive Buck Baker.

Baker created several brilliant gags based around automobiles and motorcycles in the early part of the 20th century, many of which were never recreated. As well known as he was for his time, I have never seen a clear photo of Mr. Baker.

LORD BUCKLEY: Richard Henzel Performs "The Chairs"

A precursor to many of the contemporary audience participation gags, from Charles Pike's play "Return of the Hip Messiah," here's Richard Henzel as Lord Buckley performing Buckley's "The Chairs." Music by Jonathan Menchin, directed by Aaron Freeman, produced by Scott Vehill and Jonathan Lavan for Prop Theatre. Second City Skybox, Chicago, 1999. Video by Jim Sikora.

It sort of sets the stage for Shiner, Larible, Willer Nicolodi and lots of other folks who followed.

Please try to excuse the racism of the piece. At the time that Buckley was originally performing this material Amos & Andy was a long-running and extremely popular radio show. Audiences had grown up with and knew the characters the way many of today's twentysomethings have grown up with and know the Simpsons characters. It also allowed Buckley the freedom to explore the language of the African-American jazz community, something that he would later present with much greater artistic success. That doesn't excuse it, but it may help you to understand his choice.

Buckley dropped this very popular piece from his stage act rather early in comedy career and actually walked out of vaudeville at the Palace in it's dying days because he was so bored by performing it.

FELIX ADLER: Ringling, 1947

"The King of Clowns", Felix Adler, in spec wardrobe in 1947.

DAVID SHINER: Just for Laughs Festival

David Shiner performs his signature piece at the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival.

BILL IRWIN: Charlie Rose, 2000

Bill Irwin dicusses his production of Samuel Beckett's TEXTS FOR NOTHING with Charlie Rose in 2000.

WALLACE & CLARK: Unidentified Clown, 1950

Unknown clown on the Wallace & Clark Circus, 1950.

CLOWN ALLEY: Ringling 1956

The 1956 Clown Alley of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the final season under canvas.

I don't believe that Felix Adler was actually in the show that year, he Emmett Kelly and Otto Griebling were part of the AGVA strike and took part in the AGVA sponsored indoor shows that day and dated the circus that year.

The Ringling show closed early that year due to pressure from the Teamsters. Emmett only returned to Ringling once more, to speak to the students at Clown College in 1977.

GROUCHO MARX

It was 30 years ago today.

CLOWN ALLEY: The Hawaiian Gag, Ringling 1986

Video courtesy of "Super Steve" Copeland


The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Blue Unit Clown Alley performing the Hawaiian Gag in 1986.

OTTO GRIEBLING: CLOWNALLEY.NET's 1,000th Post

I had planned on posting an excellent, very rare, video that I had been saving to appropriately commemorate CLOWNALLEY.NET's 1,000th post but that one will just have to wait.

This video arrived in the mail this afternoon.

It's 1969 Ringling Alley footage. Just a quick sweep across Clown Alley, past several early Clown College grads (and Bill Ballantine), before the camera stops on a young whiteface who quickly realizes that the cameraman is not interested in him, he's shooting Otto Griebling as he puts on his makeup.

And just about nothing makes me happier than finding footage that I haven't seen of Otto Griebling.

JASON T. STEWART

I stopped by the NY Goofs Ultimate Goof School yesterday at the Flea Theater, 41 White St. in NYC and caught up with head goofs Dick Monday and Tiffany Riley, Gautham Prassad, Brian Foley, Laura Kendrick and her beautiful baby daughter Pearl (named after Laura's mother, Pearl Bailey) and instructors Hovey Burgess, John Lepiarz and Jay Stewart.

Since I owe Jay $10., here's a photo of him and a link to a great article on what he's been up to recently if you'll just click on the title of this post.

CLOWN ALLEY: The Firehouse Gag, Ringling 1989

Video courtesy of "Super Steve" Copeland



The 1989 118th Edition Blue Unit Clown Alley performing the Firehouse Gag on the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. I believe this is the last time the Firehouse was (or likely will ever be) performed on the Ringling show.

At this point the Ringling Alley could do one entire edition of the show loaded with classic gags (Firehouse, Boxing, Washerwoman) not seen there in almost a generation.

ELVIS AARON PRESLEY

The King is Dead!

Long Live the King!

And Long Live His Spec Wardrobe!

MITCH FREDDES: Barrel Act

Jonathan "Mitch" Freddes performing his barrel act on the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Gold Unit a few years back.

The prop was given to him at Ringling Clown College when Mitch was a student there in 1974 by Lou Jacobs.

Lou had gone with Bill Ballentine a few years earlier and purchased some props from Glen "Kinko" Sunberry, a longtime circus clown now retired. The prop sat waiting for the right student and when Mitch came along Lou taught him a few of the moves and Mitch created this act which has served him well with circus audiences for many years.

Just proving that a great prop, and great clowning, never go out of style.

KINKO SUNBERRY: Barrel Act

Kinko Sunberry and that same barrel at the Toledo, OH Grotto Circus in the 1950s.

EDDIE DOREY: 1912

A photo of circus clown Eddie Dorey, circa 1912.

Is this the inspiration for, or a reaction to Felix Adler's padded posterior?

FUMAGALLI: More Fumagalli

Fumagalli at a circus festival in Moscow.

LE CLOWN GORDOON

In addition to apearing in a very well received stage show in Pittsburgh with Dramatic Fool Drew Richardson, my friend Jeff "Le Clown Gordoon" Gordon has just come back from visiting Amman, Jordan with Pittsburgh's Zany Umbrella Circus and teaching at the Amman Children's Museum, where he was joined for a week by NY Goofs Hilary Chaplain, Dick Monday and Tiffany Riley.

He'll be headed to China for a huge international festival with AEMI in October.

If you click the title of this post you can view a wonderful piece done on him recently by PBS that features several minutes of interviews and masterful performance.

CIRCUS KNIE: Les Rossyann

Longtime stars of the Cirque d'Hiver Bouglione, here's a recent shot of Les Rossyann on Circus Knie.

BOZO ROW: Los Angeles Magazine

Photo courtesy of Ron Jarvis, comments by Billy Baker



From the 1981 Los Angeles Magazine photo shoot here are the ex-Red Unit Ringling clowns of "Bozo Row"

STANDING: (left to right) Billy Baker, Ed "Smitty" Smith

IN FRAME: (Top to bottom) Kevin Bickford, Dolly (Spann) Baker, Robin Shaw-Bickford, Jimmy Briscoe, Ron Jarvis and Daniel Rogers

____________________________________________________

Billy Baker describes Bozo Row...

"I arrived in Hollywood in 1978, and ended up managing an apartment complex, that within a year or two, was full of Ringling rejects coming to Lotusland to try their luck. Out of 12 units, 10 were filled with Ringling grease paint comrades. There were also many, who passing through were adopted or too broke to go elsewhere. It was a circus train that never left the station."

___________________________________________________

THAT must have been SOME party!

DR. L.C. HOLLAND

Dr. L.C. Holland, a dentist and an amateur clown. He was a good friend of Felix Adler's (to the point where Felix either gave him old costumes or patterns) who used to clown with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus doing walkarounds during his two weeks of vacation from his practice each year back in the 1940s.

Strangely, I've never seen a photo of Dr. Holland performing the Dentist Gag, only walkarounds.

BLACKPOOL TOWER CIRCUS: Mooky's Spotlight Gag

Video courtesy of Buldajay


Mooky (Laci Endresz Jnr) from England's Blackpool Tower Circus exploring the further evolution of the Spotlight Gag.

SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES: Rain or Shine (1930)

Comments courtesy of Aaron Neathery


One of the best early talking feature comedies and a record of both his greatest Broadway success and his numerous talents, Joe Cook plays circus manager Smiley Johnson who is forced to become a one-man circus when his performers go on strike in this scene from "Rain or Shine", released this week in 1930 and directed by Frank Capra

Joe's formidable juggling skills were documented repeatedly, but this is the only footage I've seen of his balancing and wire-walking abilities. Dave Chasen, later of Chasen's Restaurant fame, plays stooge for Joe in this sequence. He's rather like a less-subtle, talking Harpo Marx.