OTTO GRIEBLING & POODLES HANNEFORD: Boxing Gag

Correct me if I'm wrong here but, if I'm not mistaken, this is a photo of Poodles Hanneford (in his prime) and a young Otto Griebling performing the Boxing Gag!?!

Otto learned the Boxing Gag from Poodles?

Anyone have more information on this?

PAUL JUNG: Star-Crossed Eyes

Ringling Golden Age superstar Paul Jung works his special brand of magic and entertaining the offspring of a couple of Hollywood also-rans.

YOUTUBE

I am working to restore my YouTube account and hope to have all of the videos back up and available soon.

ELMO GIBB Clyde Beaty-Cole Bros. Circus 1985

Dean "Elmo Gibb" Chambers, a recent star of the Kimtom International Clown Festival in Shanghai, China, taken on the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus in 1985.

LOU JACOBS In Whiteface

Scan courtesy of Bill Strong



Lou Jacobs in an adaption of the mysterious whiteface that Felix Adler and Gijon Polidor also donned for Ringling PR during the same era, from the 1948 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey press book.

For some reason I don't think "Clowns Are Still the Backbone of the Greatest Show on Earth" will be an article in the 2008 Ringling press book.

BILLY BAKER

My pal, ICHOF inductee Mr. Billy Baker.


From Billy:

-------------------------------------------

"Thanks for being kind enough to feature my Full Monty with the breatheren...I'm somewhat embarrassed, and somewhat proud....and please share that it wasn't my idea to be compared to Chaplin at the end title....maybe Mortimer Snerd, but not Chaplin.......

-------------------------------------------

Billy ends his wildly successful run at the Comedy Barn in Pigeon Forge, TN at the end of January and plans are afoot to produce a brand new Elwood Smooch revue (with a full 14 person cast). More details to be announced here soon!

WILBUR "WILLIE" HALL: In "THE KING OF JAZZ" (1930)

Link suggested by Michael Karp



Violin in hand and "Little Tisch" lean shoes on his feet: Wilbur Hall in the film THE KING OF JAZZ (1930). KING OF JAZZ is a musical, filmed in early Technicolor, that preserves a part of America’s musical heritage that few people today know ever existed. The film has no plot, but consists of a series of extraordinary production numbers all directed by John Murray Anderson with the music supplied by Paul Whiteman, "the King of Jazz," and his orchestra.

Whiteman, unknown now to all but specialists, had a musical career that ran from before World War I into the early sixties. His band was one of the most successful in history – their first hit, "Whispering," sold two million copies in 1920, about one for every record player in the country. It was the first of more than 20 number-one hits that the band would record in the twenties. However, Whiteman made his greatest contribution to American music in 1924, when he commissioned and then premiered George Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue."

For more on the film please click the title of this post.

WILBUR HALL: On Spike Jones' Show

Wilbur Hall many years later performing on Spike Jones' show.

I enjoyed just watching how much Spike and Freddie Morgan enjoyed the performance!

IGUDESMAN & JOO

Igudesman & Joo, a contemporary musical comedy duo that pays tribute to the style of Wilbur Hall in their show.

DENIS LACOMBE: On Cirque

Mr. Lacombe in Cirque's humbly titled "Cirque Reinvente" with his robot clown entree.

DENIS LACOMBE: On Cirque 2

Also from Cirque's "Cirque Reinvente", Mr. Lacombe's better known "Mad Conductor".

I wish Cirque would create a unit that continued to work in this lower-key vein instead of every new show being presented in the bombastic, overwrought, overthought cliche that they've become.

MEET THE SHNEEDLES: Shneedlemania

As for the break-up of the Shneedles, I blame Yoko.

JOE JACKSON SR.

Photo courtesy of circusbutterflygurl



This photo was taken in the summer of 1979 following the release of his breakthrough single "Is She Really Going Out With Him?"

Mr. Jackson, seen here staring out his window as his coffee grows cold, is watching pretty women out walking with gorillas down his street.

SPIKE JONES: All Star Revue

Is it just me or did television "entertainment" used to be a lot more entertaining?

FELIX ADLER: All Hail the King

Photo courtesy of circusbutterflygurl



The "King" in all his glory; Felix Adler preparing for spec as Old King Cole.

GENE RANDOW

Photo courtesy of circusbutterflygurl



Tick off a Shriner and feel the wet, sticky wrath of Randow: Gene Randow delights in wiping a booger on a young circus troublemaker.

VAS AND STAS: St. Petersburg

Russian clowns Vas and Stas.

MICHAEL O' DONOGHUE: 1940-1994

The TV trailer of the infamous 1979 movie "Mr.Mike's Mondo Video", a creation of original SNL writer Michael O'Donaghue.



O'Donoghue and John Belushi in the "Wolverines" sketch, penned by O'Donoghue, the very first sketch on the very first episode of Saturday Night Live October 11, 1975.

Please click the title of this post to find out more about Mr. O'Donoghue, who passed away 13 years ago today and whose influence on contemporary satirical comedy is immeasurable.

MITCH FREDDES: Transformation

Jonathan "Mitch" Freddes "slaps it on" during his tenure as featured clown on the Ringling Hometown Edition.

If things work out, I eagerly anticipate working with Mitch in China in '08.

BILLY VAUGHN: Hubert Castle International Circus

Billy Vaughn, 1970s, post-Ringlingling on the Hubert Castle International Circus.

DOUGIE ASHTON

Doug Ashston and "His Gal Sal", his wife, Sally.

THE COHEN BROTHERS

Who doesn't love a little person prone to outrageous bursts of slapstick violence? For more on the subject see JOHNNY PULEO AND THE HARMONICA RASCALS.

James Thiérrée - Au Revoir Parapluie at BAM

"...a journey as beautiful and disturbing as a dream or fable."
—LE MONDE



AU REVOIR PARAPLUIE

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY JAMES THIÉRRÉE
DEC 4—8, 11—15 AT 7:30PM
DEC 9 & 16 AT 3PM
BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) HARVEY THEATER
RUNNING TIME: 100MIN
TICKETS: $20, 35, 50, 60


Nouveau cirque wunderkind James Thiérrée makes his highly anticipated return to BAM with the soulful Au Revoir Parapluie, the follow-up to Bright Abyss, his transfixing, sold-out debut at the 2005 Next Wave Festival.

Marvelous physical theatrics—acrobatics, dance, mime, music—abound. The show begins with a fantastic creature, covered in gold glitter and crooning in an unidentifiable tongue. Realizing that it can’t escape its golden shroud, its face crumples in anguish. The curtain opens to reveal ominously swirling ropes on which climb changelings—careening, flying, and dancing in pitched battle with rocking chairs and great swaths of black cloth. With Au Revoir Parapluie (which translates as "Farewell Umbrella") the extraordinarily gifted and charming Thiérrée and his astonishing company achieve a most delicate balance of pathos and delight.

James Thiérrée - La Veillée des Abysses 1

James Thiérrée - La Veillée des Abysses 2

CHARLIE CAIROLI: Film Appearance

Video courtesy of Craig Royston


A young Charlie Cairoli. I'm hoping that John Cooper will know the name of the film.

SLIVERS OAKLEY: Sells-Floto 1905

Photos courtesy of Bill Strong

SLIVERS/NOT SLIVERS

Frank "Slivers" Oakley


Not Oakley but another clown from the same era.

BRYAN FULTON: Table Rock

I may be wrong but I think that my pal Bryan Fulton (who killed at the recent Happy Tiandu AEMI World Clown Festival) may be the only professional clown in America performing the classic table rock act.

Here he is folks, as taught by Mitch Freddes and performed in honor of folks like Dime Wilson, Dick Lewis and Bumpsy Anthony, here's the one and only Bryan Fulton performing his table rock on Ringling Red as an emergency stretch gag one day when there was trouble putting up the tiger cage...

GROCK: In Retirement

GROCK: In Performance

Video courtesy of Jon Pult



British-Pathe newsreel footage of M. Grock in performance.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

As is our annual tradition here at CLOWNALLEY.NET, here is the infamous Jerry Bangs to wish you all a very Happy Halloween.

He's teaching a makeup workshop at the World Shrine Hall of International Clowns in America for Jesus' CLOWN-A-ROUND-A-DING-DONG 2008 convention Mooseknuckle, AK this spring if anyone is interested

CHESTY MORTIMER: Fright Wig & Comb

Belgian funnyman Paul "Chesty Mortimer" Mortier performing his fright wig and comb walkaround on the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in the 1930s.

I'd been doing one for the last 3 years when I found this photo.

"Everything old is new again..."

PIO NOCK: "Circus World" (1964)

Another video uploaded to YouTube by Sandy Weber, this time it's Pio Nock's scenes from the John Wayne film CIRCUS WORLD.

This from Sandy...

Your recent post of Pio Nock reminded me that I have footage of him
from the movie Circus World (which I'm sure you have seen). I have
cut all of his scenes into one clip and uploaded my first YouTube
video - Hurrah!!

This includes the scenes where he doubled for Richard Conte on the
highwire. I remember seeing his act when he appeared on Ringling and
it was just as thrilling (and funnier) seeing him perform live over a
tiger's cage as it appears on film. We also get to see him doing a
funny plate smashing routine. Do you happen to know the name of the
white face clown appearing with him?

THIS JUST IN:

Just received from Marcelo Melison...


Hello Pat:
The whiteface appearing with Pio Nock is one of Grock's former partners, Max Van Emden (sometimes spelled "Van Embden").
Marcelo PEPPO Melison.

Thanks Marcelo!

THE RASTELLIS

Sandy Weber has uploaded this clip of the Rastellis entree from the Mary Hart hosted television show GREAT CIRCUSES OF THE WORLD. It purports to be from Stockholm Sweden in 1978 but it was shot for a special on circus clowns a few years earlier than that.

CLOWN ALLEY: Clyde Beatty-Russel Bros. 1944

The other day I received very nice messages from the grandson and daughter of longtime circus clown Dick "Rocco" Lewis. His daughter Kathleen was kind enough to help correct some misinformation here about her Dad so I thought that I'd dig around the web and see what else I could find about him.

Below you'll find the clown-relevant snippets from a great article that I found on the Circus Historical Society website about the Clyde Beatty-Russell Bros. Circus tour of 1944 where "Rocco" was prominently featured...

----------------------------------------------

Clyde Beatty and Russell Bros. Combined Circus, Season of 1944
By Chang Reynolds. Bandwagon, Vol. 13, No. 3 (May-Jun), 1969, pp. 10-19.


...The clowns handled their trunks and props and put up the clown dressing tent and tore it down.

..."It went along like this until we got to Pasadena," related Matthie, "when the clowns went on strike. We went to Jack Joyce and told him that we wouldn't move the trunks or put up the dressing top and tear it down anymore. He gave us a hard look and said it didn't make any difference whether we were on the show or not. So we went back to hauling the trunks and putting up the tent and tearing it down."

...In addition to the above, Matthie's work consisted of setting up the bandstand, calliope and its motor and compressor, the P.A. system (this included tw 6 ft. stakes), ticket sales downtown, cigars, candy, and cigarettes, work the matinee and night show, and then tear down and load all of the above. He was paid separately for all of those jobs. Putting up and tearing down the clown tent and handling the clown props was part of the clown act and was included in his pay for clowning.




Clown alley in San Diego. Dick Lewis is in the center with Walt Matthie at the upper left. Alva Evans is at the right front. Doc Hayden photo
(*I would add that it looks like Dennis Stevens kneeling to the right of Dick Lewis with Art Cooksey standing above him. ~PC)

...The clowns were introduced in Display No. 3. The Official Route Book for the season lists eighteen clowns, nine of whom were on the show for the road tour after the show left Los Angeles. The others were present only for the big 24-day stand; and one joined in Kansas to finish the tour. The nine who toured were Brownie Gudath, Rene Thezan, Dick Lewis, Walt Matthie, Alva Evans, Alex Lowande, Gus Lind, George Perkins (who left in Idaho), and Hughie Kyle.

...Following the web act, Albert Fleet presented Clyde Beatty's two chimpanzees, "Mickey" and "Minnie." "Mickey," the male, was a powerful ape who hated clowns and often went into a rage at the sight of anyone wearing white clothing. This even included Beatty who always wore a white uniform when working. Since the clown fire-house number frequently followed Fleet's act, "Mickey" had a great opportunity to unleash his vengeance upon the men in white-face. Chairs, props, and an occasional axle flew through the air as the men in white entered, and the chimps left, the arena. Alva Evans wore a white clown suit and a monkey mask in one number and "Mickey" seized the bars of his cage and rocked it furiously every time he spotted the clown in this attire. To show that he was truly impartial, he bit off the end of Albert Fleet's thumb during the Los Angeles stand.



...The Wild West concert was introduced and then Dick Lewis played the part of the frantic bride in the burning house. Brownie Gudath was inside with the fire pot and the rest of the poeys tried to put out the fire and catch the rather weighty Lewis as he leaped to safety. The fire pot, manned by Gudath, was constructed from a coffee pot which burned gasoline. Clouds of smoke were created by blowing through the tubing into the pot. Later, at Anacortes, Washington, the long grass inside the house caught fire from the torch and the clowns outside threw quantities of water into the enclosure to save Lewis and Gudath from being toasted. Upon emerging, these two smoked-up clowns berated the others for getting them wet!

FELIX ADLER: An Unusual Photo

An unusual 1940 autographed photo of "The King of Clowns" Felix Adler in costume but out of makeup.

I can't be certain, but I have the strong suspicion that Felix used his starched white and spangled wardrobe exclusively for "picture day" at the beginning of the season, switched to a similar wardrobe in red or yellow for the indoor dates in NY and Boston and then wore this plaid suit for most of the remainder of the season for the outdoor dates.

Duane "Uncle Soapy" Thorpe would have taken a page out of that book when he'd have his program picture taken in a beautiful new costume with his bald top burgundy yak wig all styled and set and then switch back to his trusty sythetic orange afro and red jacket as soon as the season started.

The birdcage top hat that Felix is sporting in this photo is now in the collection of the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, WI.

HAL HAVILAND

PIO NOCK

Talented comedy wire walker as well as a great clown in the ring, Pio Nock.

KEVIN BROWN: Plate Spinning Gag

My pal Kevin Brown, who rocked 'em and rolled 'em in China with this gag, seen here performing at the Clown College reunion in Myrtle Beach, SC.

POODLES HANNEFORD

The smiling face of Edwin "Poodles" Hanneford.

I don't think that I ever realized before just how closely related Poodles makeup is to that of Michael "Coco" Polikovs, just add a putty nose, a wig and a sailor hat and I think that you're most of the way there.

But I don't think that Mike was much of an equestrian and I don't think that Poodles was noted for stilts or soap gags, so the similarities end there.

LOU JACOBS: Papa Lou

CONGRATULATIONS DOLLY AND PEDRO!!!

They were the consummate circus power couple when an equipment malfunction during a Big Apple Circus performance grounded daredevil aerialist Pedro Reis only two days after he proposed to “Queen of the Air” Dolly Jacobs.

After recovering from his accident, Reis experimented with other circus acts and created an aerial pas de deux with Jacobs called “On Wings Of Love”, but the flame and passion for performing had scarred him. They then decided to form their own circus, but one with great heart and a mission to serve the community in a way that no other circus had before. In 1997, Circus Sarasota was born in Sarasota, Florida, the historic home of Circus King John Ringling and his wife, Mable.

Jacobs and Reis took every risk, financially and emotionally, to nurture and build Circus Sarasota into an organization that made everyone proud. Their critically acclaimed seasonal performances in February have elevated the profile of the circus arts, building a following among those who normally frequent opera houses and concert halls. Throughout the year, their professional clowns provide therapeutic outreach and meaningful encounters with individuals in institutions such as nursing homes and adult day care centers. Professional circus performers also provide a curriculum-based educational program in local schools and after-school centers. Over 5,000 individuals young and old every year are touched by their programs.

Circus Sarasota celebrated its 10th season in 2007. “We had waited long enough to get married and now Circus Sarasota is not only stable, but successful,” says Reis. Their wedding takes place today, Friday October 26, 2007 in the courtyard of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art with over 250 guests from far and wide in attendance.

Born to circus stardom, Dolly Jacobs the daughter of legendary clown, Lou Jacobs, was a headliner with her balletic aerialist Roman Ring act. Her father, who passed away in 1992, will be remembered with a memorial on each guest table at the wedding.

Pedro Reis, who received his circus training at a YMCA in Cape Town, South Africa, was also a headliner. He created the Survivors, an aerial act that was considered one of the most daring in circus history and later as a solo aerialist on the cloud-swing, another death defying act. He and Jacobs first met while rehearsing with the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus. As their relationship grew, many in the circus world whispered that their love was reminiscent of another great aerialist couple – Lillian Leitzel and Alfredo Cordona who, in the early 20th century were considered the most spectacular aerialists of all time. Tragically, Lillian fell to her death in an equipment malfunction and Cordona pined for her the rest of his life.

The love story of Pedro Reis and Dolly Jacobs has a much happier ending, one which serves as a romantic reminder of the power of two.

Circus Sarasota will open its 2008 season on February 1 and run through February 24. For more information, visit www.circussarasota.org.






Pedro and Dolly,

Here's wishing that the immense joy that your artistry has created over the years be returned to you a thousand-fold on this, your wedding day, and from this day forward into your new lives together as husband and wife.

With love,
Pat, Terry & Shane
The Cashin Family

MARK ANTHONY: Undated Photo

Mark Anthony in an undated photo from the DeSanto archives.

If I had to guess, I'd say this is from the 1950s on Wirth's Circus in Australia.

GROCK SAYS...

Sorry about the delay in posting today. The macbook is in the shop for repairs and probably won't be back for another 7-10 days. That means no new video until then.

In the meantime I'll link to some video that I've been meaning to link to for awhile and post some of the backlog of photos that have been piling up here in my downstairs office.

STAYIN' ALIVE IN CHINA with Circus Bambouk

Another Brian Foley masterpiece.

JOHNNY PEERS: Undated Photo

Photo courtesy of Lane Talburt



An udated photo of Muttville Comix frontman Johnny Peers.

Johnny's father worked concessions for Ringling, where Johnny helped out. While working with his father he continually managed to sneak away to watch the clowns and eventually attended Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, class of 1970. He started the Muttville Comix a few years later.

Click the title of this post to see them wowing the crowd at the Just For Laughs festival.

(Is Johnny using the Jaco Pastorius song "The Chicken"?!? Why is Johnny Peers using MY new "come-in" music???)

; )

TRUNKS: Tom and Frosty

Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Sward



Trunks belonging to Tom Parrish (l) and Master Clown Glen "Frosty" Little as they were displayed at Ron Lee's World of Clowns in Henderson, NV. Photographed by Jeffrey Sward.

CLOWN ALLEY: Dobritch Int. Circus, Winnipeg 1954

Video courtesy of Bill Strong



A very quick video from Bill Strong of the Alley on the 1954 Dobritch International Circus in Winnipeg, Ont. This is a test as Bill emailed me the file last night and I converted it for mac this morning. Even though I upgraded the software I can't seem to get the words that appear on the screen to go away.

But it's an interesting 20 seconds (the opening credits are longer than the video itself) so I thought I'd post it now and fix it later. If people can start emailing me video we're going to be opening this thing up to a lot more footage!!!

As for this, first we see tramp clown Jimmy Davidson, then Ernie "Blinko" Burch in his auguste makeup and finally whiteface John Toy who is probably best known to an entire generation who grew up on Bill Ballantine's book CLOWN ALLEY as the only guy in the world who Lou Jacobs didn't get along with.

MARK ANTHONY: The Bullfight Gag, Ringling 1964

Mark Anthony performs a bullfight (with dogs as the bulls) on the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1964.

The source footage is very dark so we see two performances of the gag from two different shows, the second of which I tried to digitally make a little brighter.

In between we see Jackie Le Claire and Billy Ward performing a variation on Jackie's father's (Jack LeClair) "Spark Plug" bendover walkaround with Jackie replacing Barney Google's horse Spark Plug with a circus elephant.

THIS JUST IN!!!

_______________________________________________

From Jackie himself...


You know, of course, that my father created and built this bendover way back in the 40's.

He had previously a bendover horse that he called Spark Plug. Spark Plug was a cartoon horse in the Snuffy Smith cartoon
series. It was Barney Google's horse. The horse was always drawn with a full length blanket, not showing the legs. My father got the idea of what a great bendover it would make as you would not have to worry about legs.

He trained me in it and I must say it was always a great surprise and made a big hit in the show and also on the South American, Cuban, Russian and European tours as it was different. He had the horse head from a wire frame and paper mache. The ears wiggled back and forth, the eyes used to light up and powder would shoot out of it's nostrils, making it all the more interesting.

It was indeed, very heavy, so when he created the elephant, (he laughed that after all his year with circuses, he actually had to go down to the library to get a photo of what an elephant really looked like) it was done with simply a wire frame covered by grey material and accents.

It was so much lighter!

He always admired Paul Wentzel's piano wire creations and would have built it that way but working with piano wire, welding it, that was a skill that he did not have.

Billy Ward worked the cloth and yes, he did it well in Russia (first time I ever worked with him) and Europe and the finish of the '64 season.

I still have it, or rather it is stored at Chuck Sidlow's. We did do it once at Van Wezel.

Hope this is enough information for you.

Love,
Jackie

SLIVERS?

Photo courtesy of Bill Strong


An undated and unidentified photo that features a group of early century American circus clowns in a large touring car.

I may be wrong, but that looks to me like Frank "Slivers" Oakley sitting on the hood of that awfully long Ford!

Can anyone out there confirm or deny?

EMMETT KELLY: Circa 1950s

Emmett "Weary Willie" Kelly on the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in the early 1950s.

HAPPY TIANDU AEMI WORLD CLOWN FESTIVAL: Tiandu City, Hangzou China

Andrew Scharff, Gary "Gilligan" Spear and me (appearing as me) at the recent Happy Tiandu AEMI World Clown Festival.

KIMTOM INTERNATIONAL CLOWN FESTIVAL: Shanghai, China 2007

Mark Lohr as me at the Kimtom International Clown Festival in Shanghai, China.

Mark is appearing as me, not only with my permission but my blessing as well. Larry Harmon and Barry Lubin are right! Franchising your character is really the way to go.

To return the favor I'll be appearing as "Mark Lohr" at a series of circus camp gigs throughout the Maryland this summer ; )

CLOWN ALLEY: The Wedding Gag, Ringling 1968

MIke Douglas announces a condensed presentation of the Wedding Gag from the "Highlights of the Greatest Show on Earth" television special in 1968.

The gag features Mike Padilla as the groom, Lazlo Donnert as the bride, Doug Ashton as the best man, Duane "Uncle Soapy" Thorpe as the preacher and Marcos Drougett as the baker with Michael "Coco" Polakovs, Frankie Saluto, "Prince Paul" Alpert, Billy Ward, Bobby Kay and Glen "Kinko" Sunberry amongst the wedding guests.

GENE LEWIS: Circa 1950s

HAPPY TIANDU AEMI WORLD CLOWN FESTIVAL: More Foley-rrific Video

More great video of the Happy Tiandu AEMI World Clown Festival from Brian (Circus Bambouk) Foley.

BIG APPLE CIRCUS: 30th Anniversary

I attended the final NYC dress rehearsal of the Big Apple Circus' 30th anniversary show last night in Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park and had a thoroughly wonderful time watching a wonderful performance and catching up with friends both old and new.

Standouts (IMHO) include the teeterboards of the Kongvar Troupe, The slack wire of Cong Tian, the trained dogs of Irina Markova, the show-stopping juggling of Kris Kremo and, of course, Barry "Grandma" Lubin who impresses more and more with each passing season.

LOU JACOBS: Ringling European Tour, 1963

Photos courtesy of Raffaele De Ritis





Raffaele was kind enough to send these scans of two posters featuring Lou Jacobs that were used by Ringling when they played Paris in 1963. Neither features Otto Griebling, so maybe Dominique Jando was mistaken or maybe there are more posters out there from Paris 1963.

Clicking the title of this post will take you to Raffaele's most excellent circus blog.

PAUL WENZEL: Circus 1950s

The Professor

HAPPY TIANDU AEMI WORLD CLOWN FESTIVAL: Brian Foley Video #3

Parade Day!

CLOWN ALLEY: The Horse Race Gag, Ringling 1968

The clowns of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus perform an abbreviated version of the classic Horse Race Gag with Mike Douglas on "Highlights of the Greatest Show on Earth" television special in 1968.

The clown who approaches Douglas at the beginning of the clip is Doug Ashton, the jockeys look to be (from left to right) Bobby Kay, Mark Anthony and Lazlo Donnert (who slaps Doug Ashton to the ground at the end). Mike Padilla is the photographer capturing the "photo finish" and Frankie Saluto is standing in the ring, mostly obscured by Douglas until the very end.

I understand that the gag was produced by Mark Anthony, who I'm told never much cared for it. I don't think that it was ever performed again on Ringling after 1969 but the gag enjoyed an extremely long life on the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus where it was performed quite frequently.

JOSEPH AND JEROME: 1915

An extremely rare photo Herman Joseph and Paul Jerome out of makeup in 1915, signed by Paul Jerome.

The photo is signed in pen- JOSEPH & JEROME - LATE OF BARNUM & BAILEY - TO MY PAL & FRIEND BEN HARKSOME JUGGLER FROM PAUL JEROME OF JOSEPH & JEROME PREMIER CLOWNS OF BARNUM & BAILEY'S GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH -SEASON 1911-12-13-14-15.

Can we guess from this that Herman Joseph and Paul Jerome tried their luck and left the circus for vaudeville in 1915, only to return to circus clowning shortly thereafter?

If nothing else this photo tells us that Paul Jerome (and possibly Herman Joseph as well) began his circus career in 1911.

BOZO THE CLOWN: DVD Box Set

Two clips from the recent Bozo the Clown DVD box set featuring episodes featuring Frank Avruch who played Bozo (1966-1970) at WHDH-TV (now WCVB) Boston. These were produced specifically for syndication in 1965-1967 for local U.S. TV markets that were not producing their own Bozo shows.

Clicking the title of this post will take you to the Amazon.com listing.

CHESTER "BOBO" BARNETT: Polack Bros. 1950

Whenever I ask old showfolks who is the best circus clown that they ever saw, the answer always comes back one of two people: Otto Griebling or Bobo Barnett.

The only footage that I have found so far of Chester "Bobo" Barnett, one of the biggest stars of the Shrine Circuses from the 1940s through the 1960s, is this brief snippet from an outdoor date with the Polack Bros. Circus in 1950.

Bobo's act consisted of a midget car entrance, a powerhouse comedy dog act and closed with Bobo's virtuoso trumpet rendition of either "Am I Blue" or "Peg O' My Heart", heard here as performed by Miff Mole and his Nicksieland Band.

"Peg O' My Heart" was also the song George Carl played on harmonica in his act for many years.

Clicking the title of this post will take you to the Amazon.com page for Bobo's daughter's recent book, entitled (appropriately enough) BOBO'S DAUGHTER.

OTTO GRIEBLING: Circus Hall of Fame Achievement Award 1958

Photo courtesy of John Peters



Otto Griebling pictured with his Circus Hall of Fame Achievement Award for Best performing Circus Clown of 1958.

Robin Estes sent this message in response to yesterday's photo of Otto on the Ringling '63/'64 European tour...

_____________________________________________________________


As to your questions about Otto seeing any of the European clowns on their tour of Europe, Jackie LeClaire could probably answer that question. He was on that tour with Otto. On the old History e-group he wrote the following:


(Jackie LeClaire speaking about a photo of Otto.)

The photo of Otto is heart rendering. It is painful yet a joy to look at. He shall always remain a great influence, not only in clowning, but in my life. I am so blessed at having been so close to him and having him share some of his life with me. We had such a small clown alley on the European tour that held us all close together. I will never forget how entertaining he made the ship trip back from Rotterdam to New York. It was a passenger freighter with just 85 on board and the eight days would have been like months in the cold spring, but Otto saw that we all enjoyed every day with his antics. He truly clowned from the heart and his warmth is still present in so much of clowning today. There is no question in anyone's mind who ever knew him and saw him clown, what status he should have in the circus clown world. No one has ever even come close. And this was all before they even knew the word "Master Clown". Here I am getting carried away again. Sorry,

—Jackie LeClaire

More on the Russian Tour

Actually the circus in Russia was just titled, I think "CWA" on the marquee, which if I remember the correct letters and I can look them up, simply meant USA. We were all under contract with Holiday On Ice, owner Morris Chafflin. There was no press or mention to my knowledge of Ringling in Russia.

Briefly, while the ice show was in Paris, the Russians came to Chafflin and asked if he would relinquish the time he had booked the ice show into Paris so that the Russians could bring in a show there during that time slot. They wanted the building. I am not sure exactly what they wanted it for but it was very important for them to have it at that time.

Chafflin and that might be Shafflin with an S. was an Impresario. He brought his ice shows all over the world. He was also a smart businessman. He proposed to the Russians, that he would let them have the building in Paris if they would let him be the first American Impresario to bring the Russian Circus into the United States. They agreed, but according to the relations between Russian and the US, a Russian circus could not come into the US unless we sent one there. It had to be a cultural exchange. The rest is history. We opened in Moscow on July 4, l963 and the Russian circus later came for a US tour.

The European circus was under the Ringling name, so we actually changed employers when we went from Kiev Ukraine to Lille France.

John Ringling North would not pay anyone's fare back from Europe when the show closed in Stuttgart Germany. I went to the American Embassy about the fare deal and they said we could do nothing because we changed employers when we went to Europe. That North did not bring us to Europe.

In Russia we were paid 1/3 in Russian Rubles and the rest was deposited by Holiday On Ice to a bank in Minnesota. All our hotel and transportation was paid but not food. Unfortunately some of the bigger acts accumulated quite a bit of savings in Russian money but found out that although they could take it out of the country, as soon as they crossed the border, it was worthless. I actually saw one very conservative performer cry as he had been saving so frugally.

Enough on this subject. Here I go rattling on again. Love you all,

—Jackie LeClaire

HAPPY TIANDU AEMI WORLD CLOWN FESTIVAL: Brian Foley Video #2

More "Brian "Circus Bambouk" Foley video from the Happy Tiandu AEMI World Clown Festival in Tiandu City, China.

HAPPY TIANDU AEMI WORLD CLOWN FESTIVAL: Brian Foley Video #1

The first in a series of Brian (Circus Bambouk) Foley's videos from the recent Happy Tiandu AEMI World Clown Festival.

OTTO GRIEBLING: Europe '63/'64?

Photo courtesy of John Peters



A photo of Otto Griebling sitting and reading a European magazine with his picture on the cover. This could possibly be one of the few pieces of physical evidence I've ever encountered that prove that Otto (and Freddie Freeman) were on the Ringling European Tour in '63/'64.

Dominique Jando told me that Otto was one of the few successes in a show that simply didn't click with European audiences and that there were posters with Otto's picture featured on them. I've never seen one anywhere, but then again I've never seen or heard anything about that magazine that he's holding either, so they may be out there.

Does anyone know if he met with any of the major European circus clowns during the tour? It would seem odd if he didn't go to see what the clowns were doing on more prestigeous European shows and that other clowns didn't come out to see him, one of the few American circus clowns with a reputation for brilliance.

Imagine if he'd found an audience, stayed in Europe and finally garnered the level circus stardom and critical acclaim that he'd deserved throughout his career?

DAVID SHINER: Carre World Christmas Circus 2006

From the Stardust Theater website...

"There is also great attention for humour this year. Francesco, the classical reprise clown from Italy, has been joined by David Shiner, who is without doubt one of the world¿s best clowns. Mr. Shiner is a regular star in the Las Vegas circuit, with quick and original humour, and although he's a modern day clown, his humour is suitable for audiences of all ages. For many years, David Shiner has dreamed of performing in Carré, and that dream is now finally to come true. "

Francesco and Shiner? Anyone know who'll be on the show this year?

LOUISIANA POLITICAL COMMERCIAL

Link courtesy of Bryan Fulton



A Louisiana political commercial featuring appearances by Larry Clark, Mitch Freddes, Jesse Highley, Dean Kelley and Sandy K for some or another Louisiana Politician.

Please click the title of this post for a watershed article on Jesse and Dean while they were on the road with Ringling.

CLOWN COLLEGE 20th ANNIVERSARY REUNION (1987): Mike Naughton Remembers

Photos and comments courtesy of Mike Naughton




From Mike Naughton...


Attached please find two unique photos for your blog:

1. CC 20th Anniversary Reunion/TV Special: Class of 1974 (l to r) Michael Perry, Ruth Chaddock, Richard Mulholland (a/k/a Dick Monday) and Mike Naughton (owner of Yankee Doodle Circus).

2. Rehearsing the midget car for the television taping later that day: Lou Jacobs and Jimmy Briscoe. Also in background, wearing black and white polka-dots is CC '74 Jonathan (Mitch) Freddes and son. Interesting to note that when Johnathan arrived at CC he was known as Jonathan but his roommate Michael Perry (in the other photo) kept calling him Mitch because Jonathan reminded Michael of a friend back home in the Pittsburg area, if I recall correctly. Another CC legend explained.

CIRCUS WORLD: July 1979

Photos and comments courtesy of Larry Clark







From Larry Clark...

So anyhow here are some pictures from July of 1979. My family went down to Orlando for a vacation. Besides SeaWorld,
Cypress Gardens,etc. They spent a day at CIrcus World!! Most of the kids in the pictures are my 2 sisters or my cousins.
You can see Jim Arnesburg (whiteface bandleader), Cricket (banner holder), and I can never remember the auguste/rufflecollar guys name. So who are the other guys?

Ps. I have no memories of this trip, I was only a 16 months old.

Larry

EARL BENNETT: Sir Frederick Gas

From Mark Evanier's blog...

Earl Bennett, who performed with Spike Jones and the City Slickers, died October 4 at the age of 87. When he worked with Spike, he went by the name Sir Frederick Gas and played a wide array of musical instruments, many of which were not instruments at all. He could get notes out of hitting two pieces of lumber together or blowing on a leaf. He also belched a lot to music — ergo, the name.

Earl Fred Bennett was born November 5, 1919 in Kansas and grew up pursuing the dual paths of music and art. He studied painting at the Kansas City Art Institute from 1938 to 1941 before serving in World War II. In the service, he got to playing occasionally with military bands and appearing in shows so after his discharge, he gravitated in that direction. He toured for a time with a night club act featuring novelty music and appeared in Ken Murray's stage revues. In 1947, Bennett's act caught the attention of Spike Jones, who was then at the peak of his popularity and recording songs that employed the kind of odd sounds in which Bennett specialized. Spike hired him on and assigned him the handle of Sir Frederick Gas, which had previously been a gag credit on several of the City Slickers records.

Bennett appeared with the band on records, on radio, in movies and on Jones's 1954 TV series. He vocalized (often doing a Yiddish accent) and played odd instruments and even built some of the outrageous props that the orchestra employed. But after the '54 series, he decided there wasn't much future in that kind of act, and he was also tired of touring...so he got into film production, mainly as an editor but occasionally as a sound effects specialist. He worked for U.P.A. on the Mr. Magoo cartoons (he edited Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, among many other productions) and later became a long, friendly fixture at Hanna-Barbera Productions, working on all their shows from around 1965 on. He occasionally worked with Joe Siracusa, another member of the Spike Jones band who became a film editor.

I got to meet Earl at H-B and pester him with questions about his days with Spike. He spoke fondly of those days and of the people with whom he worked — Spike, especially — but insisted he was glad to be out of it. I'm told that after he retired, his career went full circle and he returned to painting, which he did until worsening eyesight forced him to stop. We miss you already, Sir Frederick.

Here's Earl Bennett as Sir Frederick Gas (in the striped shirt) singing "You Always Hurt the One You Love" accompanied on vocals by banjo virtuoso and RSG (Really Silly Guy) Freddie Morgan...

SUNDAY MORNING ART GALLERY: Francois Fratellini figurine

Rosenthal, Selb. 'Fratellini', 1932, c . H. 28 cm. Design: Hans Parzinger. Made around 1933. Porcelain, white glazed, polychromatic overglaze. Marked: maker's mark, painter 's signet.

SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES: Wheeler and Woolsey in HOLD 'EM JAIL (1932)

Wheeler and Woolsey irritate the easily irritable Edgar Kennedy, absolute master of the "slow burn", in this scene from HOLD 'EM JAIL (1932).



From Pratfall, Issue Number 2...

One of the most beloved foils of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy was old "Slow Burn", Edgar Kennedy. A man whose face rarely showed a trace of a smile on Screen, Kennedy was jovial and friendly in real life, talking to the man on the street as though they were best friends. Who will be able to forget the sidesplitting laughter they endured when Laurel and Hardy proceeded with their unintentional vendetta against Edgar's gouty foot in "The Perfect Day"? Among the best and most frequently seen characters in the Laurel and Hardy films, Edgar Kennedy was responsible for a good deal of the merriment and hilarity that runs rampant through the Laurel and Hardy films.

Born on April 26, 1890, near Monterey, California, Edgar Kennedy was a spirited lad who spent a good deal of his time traveling around the country from one odd job to another. Blessed with a good voice as a youth, his first contact with show business came when he did some singing in mid-western musical shows. The attractive young man who sang songs was not to be trifled with in the boxing ring, however, where he spent a number of years professionally. In his later years one of Kennedy's favorite stories revolved around his having fought fourteen rounds with Jack Dempsey.

Eventually the boxer-singer-wanderer arrived in Los Angeles and after some difficulty managed to find employment at the Mack Sennett Studios on what is now busy Glendale Boulevard. Acclimating himself to Sennett's comedy factory, Kennedy found he was appearing in many of the Keystone Comedies, including the classic "Tillie's Punctured Romance", with Charlie Chaplin. Edgar was also prominent in a number of Chaplin's other films, including, "Twenty Minutes of Love", "The Knockout", "The Star Boarder", "Caught in a Cabaret", and "Getting Acquainted". When his original contract expired in 1921, he freelanced with other studios around town, but often returned to the Sennett lot to appear in films with Ben Turpin, Gloria Swanson, and Charlie Murray.

Kennedy developed to perfection his portrayal of the stereotyped American Cop after he left Sennett and began working for the Comedy King's archrival, Hal Roach, in the late twenties. While Al Capone and bathtub gin rocked the country and staggered the people with the gravity of law abuse, Kennedy carried on, making the country and the people reel and stagger with the anti-gravity of the abused lawman. His appearances in the Laurel and Hardy films were more often than not characterizations of harassed policemen, unable to cope with the absurdities he encountered from the daffy duo. He performed in the Laurel and Hardy films; "Leave 'Em Laughing", "The Finishing Touch", "Angora Love", "The Bacon Grabbers", "Two Tars", (with a moustache yet!) "The Perfect Day", "Unaccustomed As We Are", "Habeas Corpus", and "Night Owls". Not resting on his laurels as a more-than-competent actor, Kennedy turned his hand to directing, performing admirably in this function for two of the Laurel and Hardy films, "From Soup To Nuts" and "You're Darn Tootin'".

As the years went by, actors came and went. Many found themselves out of work and some, like Edgar Kennedy, were always busy. RKO featured him in a lengthy series of family situation comedies called, "The Average Man". One such comedy would often be filmed in as little as three days, much like the television shows of today. Some were very good, others just average-but-adequate entertainment. None of them, however, were ever bad comedies. Rarely did the filmgoer see Edgar Kennedy give anything but his best in whatever he did.

In the course of his film career, Kennedy made over 200 short subjects and more than 100 feature length films. It remains a testimony to his seldom paralleled ability that the quality of his work was consistently high.

November 9, 1948, thirty-six hours prior to a large testimonial dinner planned in his honor by his fellow actors wishing to toast never-say-die, always-on-the-go Edgar Kennedy, the man succumbed to cancer. His legacy is and will remain the abundant laughter that fills any room where his films are shown.

This article is Copyright ©1969-1990 Way Out West Tent. All rights reserved.

For more info on Edgar Kennedy, please click the title of this post.

HOME AGAIN!

Gary "Gilligan" Spear (son of John Spear of Spear's Specialty Clown Shoes of Springfield, Mass.), Andrew Scharff and I prepare to perform "The Levitation Gag" together as UMM-BOO-WEE on the Beach Stage of the Happy Tiandu International Clown Festival in Tiandu City (just outside of Hangzou), China.

LOU NAGY: Circa 1940s

I'm not sure, but I believe this is Lou Nagy on Ringling.

FELIX AND AMELIA ADLER: Circa 1950s

BOCKY & RANDEL: The Nightingale Entree (Repost)

More sad news, this time from Europe. The item below is from John Cooper in England, forwarded to me by Bill Strong...

Unfortunately there is some sad news to impart from this side of The Pond, although I don't know if you transatlantics will have heard of the gentleman. Having worked in Europe, you may have heard mention of the French clown duo called Bocky and Randel. Randel (the auguste Andre Randel) died in May 2005. Now I learn that the white-face Bocky (Roger Maslard) died on 8 October, aged 80.

OTTO T. CLOWN: Ed O'Neill

I am deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of my friend, Ed O'Neill, an extremely kind and generous man and a truly wonderful clown to watch and to learn from. I only wish that I'd had the chance to talk with him one more time, to really thank him for all the help and guidance that he's given me through the last 10 years.

If anyone out there has photos of Ed that they'd like to share, please send them to me at cashincomedy@yahoo.com.


From the Home News Tribune Online
---------------------------------------------

Edmund J. O'Neill Jr., 66, passed away Sunday, Oct. 7, 2007, at Raritan Bay Medical Center, Perth Amboy.

Born in Bayonne, he had resided in Parlin for the past 20 years. Before his retirement in 1997 he was employed as a professional photographer with Van Cleff and Arpels in New York City for 35 years. Edmund was also a self-employed magician and clown appearing for over 30 years professionally, known as "Otto T. Clown" and the "Amazing Ed." He was a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, Circus Model Builders Association, Circus Fans of America and Circus Historians. Mr. O'Neill served in the Air Force in the Vietnam War.

Funeral services will be held at 8:45 a.m. Thursday at the Carmen F. Spezzi Funeral Home, 15 Cherry Lane, Parlin, followed by a 9:30 a.m. Mass at Sacred Heart R.C. Church in South Amboy, with burial to follow at Chestnut Hill Cemetery, East Brunswick. Calling hours at the funeral home will be 2 p.m.-4 p.m. and 7 p.m.-9 p.m. on Wednesday. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations in Ed's name be made to the Sayreville Emergency Squad, P.O. Box 9, Sayreville, NJ 08872.