COCO THE CLOWN: Mills Bros. Circus, 1950s

Nicolai Poliakoff's (Coco the Clown of the Bertram Mills Circus) two sons, Sasha and Michael, on the Mills Bros. Circus in America in the 1950s.

Both went back to the UK but Michael returned a few years later and was an essential part of the Ringling Alley in the 1960s.

HOSPITAL CLOWNING

I've begun hospital clowning again.

I'm not with the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit (and I'm not currently at liberty to discuss my possibly joining the CCU somewhere down the road) but with my own program at a nearby hospital.

I'd forgotten how much I truly loved it until my first round yesterday.

I'm hooked again!

LOU JACOBS: Whiteface

I don't know how many times Lou wore this whiteface (it couldn't have been much) but there must be a billion and seven pictures of him in it.

THIS is the makeup that Larry Harmon should have adapted for the actors who would play Bozo the Clown on TV. Instead, most seem to have adapted Jimmy Stewart's makeup from The Greatest Show on Earth.

BILLY BURKE: Dobritch Photo

Speaking of adapting Lou's makeup, here's a 60s-era headshot of Billie Burke from the Dobritch show.

It wasn't Billie who was behind the 8-ball ; )

~P

PAT VALDO: Retirement

Didn't Pat Valdo retire around 1970?

This picture couldn't have been taken after April of 1965.

And just what kind of a world did we live in where a circus press photo of Pat Valdo also contains Paul Jung holding a gun to Prince Paul's head?

I believe that the other clown is one of Jung's pals, either Myron Orton or Harry Nelson

MYSTERY CLOWN: Georgetti Brothers

Photo and comments courtesy of Marcelo Melison



From Marcelo...

Pat:
Here you have yet another photo of the Mystery Clown... I don't know the Clown drawing the caricature (can HE be another Mystery Clown?) but the two other Clowns are the Georgetti Bros.

Looks like a Shriners' Circus, don't you think?. By the way, the previous photo was taken in 1949, so that can give you an idea about the age of the photo you posted in your blog...

Best always,
Marcelo PEPPO Melison

The clown at the easle drawing the caricature looks like Sa-So, which would most likely make this the Hamid-Morton Shrine Circus.

PIE FACE: TV Commercial

Pie Face, the game that permanently scarred the psyche of a young Gregory DeSanto ; )

THE POMADITAS

Video courtesy of chupetecalderon


From Chile, The Pomaditas.

MR. & MRS. DITTMAR: Budapest

Roland Dittmar and Agnes Nemeth, winners of the bronze prize at the 7th International Circus Festival of Budapest, 2008.

SUNDAY MORNING ART GALLERY: Charlie Rivel

Art by René Käsermann

JEFF DARNELL REMEMBERS: Bobby Kay, 1980

Photo and comments courtesy of Jeff Darnell


Hi Pat,
Here's a photo from 1980 of me and Bobby Kay!
Taken in the Alley in MSG.
He was a great clown!
JD

SERGUEI CHACHELEV: Chair Gag, Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba

Video courtesy of Stevie Oddsocks, information courtesy of Michael McLeod of The Orlando Sentinel



Outside of David Shiner's appearance in Nouvelle Experience my favorite Cirque clowning is that of Russian-born Serguei Chachelev and his Canadian partner Michel Deschamps in La Nouba.

Chachelev is very unique in that he has been deaf and mute since childhood.

Most performers learn to listen for audience reaction to gauge how well a gag is going over. They adjust the act accordingly. Chachelev simply watches Deschamps for subtle cues. Because so much of clowning is about body language, he sees no reason to call his deafness a disability.

"I was born to be a clown," he signs.

ZIPPY THE PINHEAD: Bozo's Revenge

Submitted by Rik "Bonzo Crunch" Gern



It does feel as though we are coming up on the end of the whole "Angry Clowns/I Hate Clowns/Evil Clowns" era, doesn't it?

JANGO EDWARDS: NY TV Appearance, Late 1970s

Video suggested by Tom Piccard





Jango Edwards in the late 70s on New York City cable access show "If I Can't Dance, You Can Keep Your Revolution".


From Ms. Coca Crystal, host of the show...

From 1977 through 1995 I was the producer and star of a public access television show that aired in NYC. With a lot of help from my friends, and volunteers we had 18 years of anti-authoritarian television. The show was called, "If I Can't Dance, You Can Keep Your Revolution."

It was my intent to have a television version of an underground newspaper, much like the East Village Other, where I had been employed previously.

The result was a wonderful mix of guests like Abbie Hoffman, Debbie Harry, Tuli Kupferberg, Michio Kaku, and hundreds of other fabulous people who fit the criteria of being anti-authoritarian.


Ms. Crystal is alive and well and living in the Catskills. She has many other clips from her show available on You Tube and she can be reached at cocacrystal@yahoo.com .

KIRK MARSH: International Circus Festival of Albacete, Spain

I've just been told that Kirk Marsh (fellow Clown College class of '97 alum) has been invited to compete in the 1st International Circus Festival of Albacete, Spain at the end of February. It'll be his European debut with his own material and he's very excited.





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

CLAIRE WEDEMEYER: Kelly-Miller Circus

Claire Wedemeyer, a very personable and talented young clown, formerly with the Kelly-Miller Circus and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.

MYSTERY CLOWN

Photo courtesy of "circusbutterflygirl"


We haven't had a "mystery clown" in awhile. Anyone know who this is?

For some reason I want to guess that it's Rudy Dockey but I don't know why.

____________________________________

This just in from Marcelo...

Hello Pat:
well, the mystery Clown is none other than... one of the Georgetti Bros. (no idea abour his first name...) and I'm enclosing a photo of both of them. You will see that he is wearing identical wardrobe and make up in both photos...
Best always from
Marcelo PEPPO Melison...



Thanks Marcelo!

LARRY CROSS: Autographed Picture

Photo courtesy of "circusbutterflygirl"

BOBBY KAY: Undated Photo

By all accounts, one of the very nicest men who ever lived.

The third of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's Master Clowns, Robert "Bobby Kay" Smiley.

JANGO EDWARDS: By Tom Piccard

Photo, comments and video links courtesy of Tom Piccard

This is Jango Edwards__ALL OF HIM__Well most of him anyway



.No this is snapshot from one his performances and the way he ends most all of his shows..Butt naked ..I could write 50 pages of the many Mis-adventures we have had together__I first met him in Italy in 1987__Since that time it has been my honor to work with him on many shows...

He is a genius of comedy and has almost put me and several other performers in jail so many times I've lost count...I was surprised when I saw the clip below as they actually featured a little of me performing on that show...He now lives in Spain as he had to flee Amsterdam for reasons I will not go into...This clip doesn't do him justice so I put a second one on this posting to show him at his Best when he is just turned lose on people...He's The man with the million dollar nose Jango Edwards at The festival of fools...Amsterdam..1996.



THE NEXT CLIP THEY HAVE TURNED HIM LOSE AT AN SPANISH MOVIE AWARDS CEREMONY IN SPAIN ON SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN SPANISH TV AND MOVIES...HE IS ALWAYS THIS WAY..NO MATTER WHERE HE IS.

CHUCK SILDOW: Feelin' Better!

Circus Sarasota's Chuck Sidlow, seen here with his lovely and very beautiful wife, Noriko...

Alright, you got me... Chuck is seen here not with his wife Noriko but with his lovely and very beautiful Laughter Unlimited partner, Mr. Jackie LeClaire.

Be that as it may, I spoke with Chuck yesterday and both he and Noriko are doing much better and deeply appreciate the outpouring of affection they have received from the international circus and clown communities.

If you'd like to drop him a line you can contact him at

Chuck Sidlow
c/o Circus Sarasota
8251 15th St. E Suite B
Sarasota, FL 34243

Circus Sarasota opened last Friday to wonderful box office and runs through the 24th before moving to Estero, FL March 11-30th. To find out more about the show please click the title of this post.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TUBA!

Very happy 29th birthday wishes go out today to my friend and fellow "chinaclown", Michael "Tuba" Heatherton!

Many happy returns!

ROB TORRES: In Budapest

Rob Torres, a fellow Ringling Clown College grad from New Jersey as well as a fellow Beatty-Cole Advance Clown, rocking the house at the 7th annual Circus Festival in Budapest where he took home the bronze.

Congratulations Rob!

FELIX ADLER: Big Momma's House

"Funny Felix" shows why his milkshake brings all the boys to the yard.

LITTLE TICH

Raffaele de Ritis has posted a very nice piece on Harry Relph, better known as Little Tich, on his blog. Read it by clicking the title of this post.

SCOTT AND MURIEL: Post MC Press Release

Press release forwarded by David Engel



Heartfelt congratulations go out to the cast of Scott and Muriel's BIG SHOW with Joe (Scott Nelson, Muriel Brugman and Clown College alum and former Abbott of Unreason Joe Dieffenbacher) and we look forward to seeing you here in the States soon!

PRESS RELEASE

Date: 23 January, 2008

Scott & Muriel, the first ever comedy act to win the Grand Prix at the FISM 2000 World Championships of Magic, have now become double prize winners at the 32nd International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo.

The festival is held every year and is considered the 'Oscars' of the circus world. It was sponsored and presided over by H.S.H. Prince Rainier until his death in 2005 and that role has now passed to H.S.H. Princess Stéphanie.

Scott & Muriel were invited to participate after having been seen by the festival director, Mr. Urs Pilz, in the World Christmas Circus in Carré, Amsterdam, in 2004/2005. They are only the 2nd illusionists ever to appear in the festival, the last one being Danish Illusionist Lee Pee Ville some 30 years ago.

Scott & Muriel received a standing ovation every time they performed their act, a shortened version of their FISM act done right in the middle of the ring. The standing ovations included H.S.H. Princess Stéphanie, H.S.H. Prince Albert II, the entire jury, and most if not all of the 4500 people in attendance.

They were awarded a special prize from the Nice-Matin newspaper in which they had a photo and the quote "Comedy Illusionists Scott & Muriel reinvent the illusion 'Sawing a Woman in Two.'"

They were also awarded the special prize from the four-star Fairmont Hotel (formerly the Grand Hotel and before that the Loews Hotel.)

"Not being a traditional circus act" was the reason given by the jury for not awarding Scott & Muriel a 'clown,' (the prizes that are awarded by the jury.) They were the only act to receive a standing ovation for every performance that did not receive a clown.

They have since received offers for a two year contract with Ringling Bros. in America, the Big Apple Circus in New York, and from circuses from most of the countries in Europe and even South America.

Scott & Muriel continue to tour their own full evening theater show 'Scott & Muriel's B!G Show with Joe' throughout Europe. Negotiations are under way to bring the entire show to Monte Carlo next season.

Scott & Muriel first performed together in Monte Carlo in the famous Magic Stars Festival in 1999. Only their third contract, they did not win an award. However it was at this festival that they got engaged backstage in the beautiful Theater Princess Grace. Ten months later they would go on to win the World Championships in Lisbon, Portugal.

"Monte Carlo has a very special place in our hearts and it was a thrill to be back and be asked to take part in such a prestigious event" said the couple. Participation is by invitation only with all acts being approved by H.S.H. Princess Stéphanie.

For more info on Scott and Muriel's BIG SHOW with Joe, please click the title of this post.

JEFF DARNELL REMEMBERS: Prince Paul Backstage at Madison Square Garden

Photo courtesy of Jeff Darnell

RUBE SIMMONS: Autographed Photo

Photo courtesy of "circusbutterflygirl"

DIME AND CONNIE WILSON

Photo courtesy of "circusbutterflygirl"

HAROLD CONN: Autographed Photo

Photo courtesy of "circusbutterflygirl"

JOSEPH GRIMALDI: International Circus Clowns Club Annual Mass

Link suggested by Mike Naughton


A very nice segment from the program SHOWROOM, which shows members of the International Circus Clowns Club attending the annual mass in honor of Joseph Grimaldi at Holy Trinity Church in East London.

From Marcelo Melison...

Hello Pat:
Thank you very much for posting that clip on Grimaldi's service; I heard about it and I saw photos of it for years, but I never saw any film before. You are right, Sonny Fossett is the auguste with the white derby hat, he can be spotted at 1:43, 2:11 and 4:53. Then, at 4:32, helping the little girl to put her nose on, I saw Smokey (sometimes I saw it spelled Smoky) who was founder and president of The Children's Clowns Club (I understand he passed away a few years ago). The auguste with the bald wig and orange hair talking at 7:09 is Jack Collins, Weedy the Clown, author of the book "Clowning around for children" (don't bother to read it, it's terrible) and at 7:32, the camera takes the back of white face clown Davide, from the group Clowns Cavalcade (I recognize the costume with the very fluffy ruffles). So, there you have some names. Of course... take what I say with a grain of salt, after all, what do I know about Clowns?. I don't collect clown figurines...

Love and sincere gratitude always from this argentine-canadian clown, Marcelo PEPPO Melison.

TONY ALEXIS FAMILY: Benneweis, 2002

Photo courtesy of Circus Scandanavia


At the urging of Mr. Mike Naughton of the Yankee Doodle Circus here is the Tony Alexis Family as seen of Circus Benneweis in 2002.

Does anyone know if there is any video of the act circulating?

BERNHARD PAUL: From Raffaele de Ritis

Photo and comments courtesy of Raffaele de Ritis



Bernhard Paul, as Zippo.
Bernhard Paul created his Zippo clown character in 1976.
It is interesting to remark how often in clown history a combination of shoes, shirt, neck, make-up, nose, even suspenders can meet incredible coincidences.

MORRIS BROTHERS: Kansas City Police Circus, 1943

Will and Bobby Morris at the Kansas City Police Circus May 4, 1943.

I'm wondering just where it is that Bobby lands as there is no seat on that bicycle.

HAROLD SIMMONS: Autographed Photo, 1962

ALF LANDON: Autographed Photo, 1962

SUPERBOWL SUNDAY

Enjoy the game and remember, it's not important whether or not the Giants win.

Just as long as the Patriots lose ; )

~P

SUNDAY MORNING ART GALLERY: Grock and Nock

Art by René Käsermann

JIMMY FOLCO: Circus Sarasota Opens!

Dolly Jacobs and Pedro Reis' CIRCUS SARASOTA opened their season last night with reprise clown Jimmy Folco providing the comedy this year.

Let me get this straight, Fumagalli and Jimmy Folco are in the States? Barry Lubin is in Europe? Wait just a cotton pickin' minute... JUST WHAT'S GOING ON HERE ?!?

Where is Frosty Little this season? Cirque d'Hiver?!?

; )

CHARLIE FRYE has COMPANY

Photo and comment courtesy of Captain Mike Heidtman


Hey Pat,

It's your old pal Cap'n Mike here ... trust all is well with you and yours. As a followup to your posting of Charlie Frye & Co. I'm forwarding this photo from a couple weeks ago. It's Charlie, me and Sherry taken in Columbia, SC where Charlie was headliner for the SCAM Con's public show (South Carolina Association of Magicians Convention). What a strong act he presents and the magi were seriously blown away with his skills both as an object manipulator and as a magician.

All for now - keep up the good work with The Alley.

Aloha-ha,
Cap'n Mike

BARRY LUBIN: The Reviews Are In!

Photo courtesy of Circus Scandanavia


From a Liz Aratoon's review of the 32nd annual Festival International du Cirque de Monte-Carlo


The second night of competition opens with a repeat of Kid Bauer’s big cat act. This is followed by the first appearance of the famous American clown Grandma (Barry Lubin). Dressed in his trademark red shift, yellow stockings, grey wig and pearls, his comedy is gentle and beautifully observed. Entrees involving popcorn, a running machine and Nat ‘King’ Cole’s duet with daughter Natalie - sung with a man at ringside - are all masterpieces.

Nice.

CHARLIE FRYE: Circa 1990

Clown College graduate and former Ringling circus clown, Charlie Frye and his partner in real life as well as on stages around the world, his wife Sherry.

The act is so good that you can deal with the poor sound quality.

Find out more about Charlie (and order his ECCENTRICKS videos) by clicking the title of this post.

OLEG POPOV: Programma Maximum, 2008

A very recent television segment on, and interview with, Oleg Popov.

ROB TORRES: International Circus Festival of Budapest

Did I hear right???

Did Clown College grad and former Beatty-Cole circus clown Rob Torres really just take home the Bronze in Budapest???

Nice!!!

DICK MONDAY & BARRY LUBIN: Disneyland Circus Fantasy 1986

Dick Monday and Barry Lubin at Disneyland Circus Fantasy, 1986.

I have a brief snippet of Dick's "Yard Sale" bit which he did on Main Street that I'll post if he's willing to tell the story about it.

GEORGE CARL: Stockholm Sweden, 1970s

While I certainly believe that this was shot at the same performance as the other clown footage from the Swedish television special CLOWNS (the one that features The Rastellis, Joe Jackson Jr, Eric Braun and Charlie Rivel), I have no way to confirm the date.

It looks to have been shot in the same building, by the same crew but features far more cutaway shots of the audience than the footage that I've seen of other acts shot during that taping.

The American TV special that I found this on gives the place as Stockholm, Sweden (the name of the show or the building is not given) and the year as 1979, which I believe is incorrect and only given to make the footage seem more current.

NORMAN WISDOM: Sunday Night at the London Palladium, 1961

Edited from the Wikipedia entry on "Sunday Night at the London Palladium"...


Sunday Night at the London Palladium was a British television variety show made by ATV for the ITV network, originally running from 1955 to 1967, with a brief revival in 1973 and 1974. The London Palladium is an actual theatre in London's West End.

Perhaps the most famous episode of all took place during a strike by the British acting union Equity, who refused to allow any of its performers to appear that week. Exempt from this, host Bruce Forsyth and comedian Norman Wisdom appeared in the entire show, improvising wildly on the live broadcast December 3, 1961.

The format was revived in the 1980s as Live From Her Majesty's, Live from the Piccadilly and Live From the Palladium with comedian Jimmy Tarbuck once again doing the hosting duties. Live from Her Majesty's is however mainly remembered as being the show on which comedian Tommy Cooper suffered a fatal heart attack, collapsing midway through his act on the popular program.


From John Cooper...

There is certainly a notable routine with Norman Wisdom and Bruce Forsyth doing this on "Sunday Night at The London Palladium" when there was some sort of strike so that the pair had to perform the entire show with just the two of them LIVE.

The paper-hanging sequence they did on that occasion was adapted from the routine used (if not devised) by Naughton and Gold (i.e. Charlie Naughton and Jimmy Gold) of The Crazy Gang.

OLEG POPOV: Stirka, 1957

Oleg Popov in the ring, in some of the most appealing footage I've ever seen of him, from the 1957 film which was posted to YouTube with the title STIRKA but which IMDB lists as ARTISTRY TSIRKA and was released in the US under the title CIRCUS STARS.

OLEG POPOV: with Zviaginy, 1953

Oleg Popov with trampoline artist Zviaginy from the film ARENA SMELYKH (which was titled DARING YOUTH CIRCUS or RING OF DARING in the US) released in 1953.

OLEG POPOV: Goluboy Ogonek

Since I don't read or speak any Russian I can only guess that these are scenes from a Russian film called GOLUBOY OGONEK (which AltaVista BabelFish translated to mean "Goluboy Ogonek") which features Oleg Popov.

It isn't listed with IMDB so I'm not sure of the year of it's release...

2008 FELIX ADLER AWARDS

Starting on March 1st we are going to start accepting nominees for the 2008 Felix Adler Awards which will be announced at 12:00 PM on April 1st.

That gives us one month to hash out a few questions that need to be resolved by "The Academy" but I'd like to gauge reader response to the following questions...

1) Do we keep it to the three awards given in 2007 (Otto Griebling Award for Solo Clowning, Paul Jung Award for Ensemble Clowning and Lou Jacobs Lifetime Achievement Award)? Do we add some? Subtract some?

2) The awards are for American circus clowning. They are open to all circus comedians who have performed in an American circus during the calendar year 2007. Does that exclude American circus clowns who performed in the three major festivals that took place in China in 2007? There was far more American circus clowning going on there than there was in the circus industry stateside!

3) In a given calendar year Big Apple has two productions, the one that premiered the previous fall and the one that premiers THAT fall. Are both, or only the new show, eligible for award?

We have a few more questions to resolve before the voting begins but let's start the discussion with those.

~P

COMEDY ACROBATS

A killer, but unidentified, comedy acrobatic act from a Colgate Comedy Hour hosted by Abbott and Costello.

LES BILI-BILI

Anyone have any information on Les Bili-Bili?

HARRY ATWELL: Jerome, Lewis and Jung

Back when the world was younger, the sky was bluer, grass was greener and Paul Jung was a young upstart in the Alley of The Greatest Show on Earth...


Paul Jerome


Lewis, Jung and Jerome


Paul Jerome, Jojo Lewis and Paul Jung

FELIX SAYS...

Isn't it about time we started discussing the 2008 awards?

OTTO GRIEBLING: Want Ad Wonder

Scan courtesy of circusbutterflygirl

JEFF DARNELL REMEMBERS: Mitch Freddes

Photos courtesy of Jeff Darnell


Mitch Freddes on Ringling in 1975.



The cover of Mitch Freddes most recent promo package.