From my new CircuSpace friend Jerry Jay, here's Jerry with Pepo on Hoxie Bros.
Dig that purple truck!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
FROM JERRY JAY: Hoxie Bros. w/ Pepo
Photo courtesy of Jerry Jay
From my new CircuSpace friend Jerry Jay, here's Jerry with Pepo on Hoxie Bros.
Dig that purple truck!
From my new CircuSpace friend Jerry Jay, here's Jerry with Pepo on Hoxie Bros.
Dig that purple truck!
CLOWN ALLEY: From the Circus City Diner
From the wall of the Circus City Diner in Hugo, OK comes this wall hanging that looks as though it may have been done by a local sideshow banner artist.
Featured are: Paul Jerome, Larry Cross, Albert White, Gene Lewis, Ernie Burch and Charlie Lewis.
MYSTERY CLOWN: From Bill Strong
Photo courtesy of Bill Strong
If I had to guess, I'd say it was one of the Hanlon brothers based solely on the eyebrows but I could be way off.
Anyone out there know this one?
**************************************
NEWSFLASH FROM ARTE BAUSMAN!!!!
Pat,
Browsing the site, I noticed that Bill Strong had sent a photo of an unidentified clown. That clown is Tom Sink, from Ohio.
Regards;
Arte Bausman
Friday, April 11, 2008
SLAPPY'S PUPPET PLAYHOUSE: Dallas, TX
The clown "Wall of Fame" at Slappy's Puppet Playhouse in Dallas, TX, owned and operated by Dick Monday and Tiffany Riley.
I had just enough time to make it to the Galleria, visit the Playhouse (unfortunately Dick and Tiffany weren't there) and grab some lunch before I had to hightail it to the Dallas Hilton to meet up with my sister-in-law for dinner before flying home.
My son Shane saw a show there a few months back and still raves about it.
For more on Slappy's Puppet Playhouse please click here. For more on Dick & Tiff's NY Goofs (and their Ultimate Clown School) please click here.
CLOWN ALLEY: From the Circus City Diner
Found on the wall in the Circus City Diner in Hugo, OK this is a photo of Lou Jacobs and Emmett Kelly leaving the massive RBB&B big top tent.
This must have been taken between 1943 and 1947 when Robert Ringling was in charge of the the Big One and reverted to it's traditional, light-colored, big top.
When JRN returned to the helm in 1947 he brought back his darker big top, seen in the film The Greatest Show on Earth.
SEPARATED AT BIRTH?: Wade Burck and Peter Criss
Wade,
You'll be a Hard Luck Woman, baby, 'til you find your man.
Sing "Baby Driver"!
~P
MITCH FREDDES: Teeterboard
Jonathan "Mitch" Freddes, Clown College class of '74 and veteran of the RBB&B Red and Gold units (among other circus accomplishments) seen here performing during the "All-Access Pre-Show" of the Ringling Hometown Edition.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
GENE SHELDON
Yesterday we featured several videos of legendary Disney performer, Wally Boag. Today we spotlight Gene Sheldon, who you may remember as the clown in films such as Toby Tyler and Three Ring Circus with Martin & Lewis...
Here's another clip from the Perry Como Show with the same intro...
Two clips from Disney's Babes in Toyland...
CLOWN ALLEY: From Robin Shaw
Photo courtesy of Robin Shaw-Bickford
Earl Chaney, Bob Casanova and Billy Vaughn 1973.
Earl Chaney, Bob Casanova and Billy Vaughn 1973.
LOU JACOBS: August 16, 1960
A photo of Lou taken many, many years before but published again on August 16, 1960.
This photo was used in the artwork on the cover of the program about this time, but with Paul Jung's head in place of Lou's.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
THE BOZO ROW BOYS
Photo courtesy of Robin Shaw-Bickford
Keith Crary, Kevin Bickford and Billy Baker.
From Mr. Billy Baker himself...
I have full head of hair which dates this photograph to be the Super Bowl of 1988, at Kevin's house, adjacent to the old Bozo Row apartment dwelling.
I was in Los Angeles (on winter's leave from Dollywood) working on a writing project when this was taken. I remember it as if it were yesterday. Don't remember much about the game but we were always more entertaining anyway.
LOU JACOBS: October 2, 1957
The little boy in this photo is older now than Lou was when the photo was taken.
WALLY BOAG
WALLY BOAG
From Wikipedia
Boag was born to Wallace B. and Evelyn G. Boag. He joined a professional dance team at age nine, later established his own dance school, and by the age of 19 had turned to comedy. He toured the world's stages in hotels, theaters and nightclubs. While appearing at the London Hippodrome in Starlight Roof, he brought a young 12-year-old girl on stage to help with his balloon act. The girl, a young Julie Andrews, astonished the audience with her voice and was kept in the show. In 1945, Boag signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and appeared in films such as Without Love and The Thrill of a Romance, albeit uncredited.
In the early 1950s, while appearing in revues in Australia, he met tenor Donald Novis. It was Novis who got Walt Disney to audition Wally for the Golden Horseshoe Revue, a 45-minute stage show which was written by its first pianist Charles LaVere and lyricist Tom Adair. Novis was the show's first tenor and was replaced by Fulton Burley when he retired in 1962. Both Wally and The Golden Horseshoe Revue were cited in The Guinness Book of World Records for being the longest running revue in the history of show business. The 10,000th performance of the Golden Horseshoe Revue was featured on NBC's The Wonderful World of Disney.
Boag's Pecos Bill/Traveling Salesman character was a fast-paced comedy routine featuring slapstick humor, squirt guns, a seemingly endless supply of broken teeth which he would spit out throughout the routine, and his signature balloon animals (Boagaloons).
In 1963, Julie Andrews once again performed with Boag on the Golden Horseshoe stage along with the Dapper Dans, at a special press-only event to promote the following year's release of Mary Poppins. Together, Andrews and Boag recreated their act of long ago and sang "By the Light of the Silvery Moon."
While Walt Disney was alive, he did everything he could to further Wally's career. Boag voiced Jose in "Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room" and also wrote much of the script for the attraction, participating also in the development of "Haunted Mansion" in Disneyland.
Disney had small roles written for Wally in The Absent-Minded Professor and Son of Flubber. It was Disney's intention to use Wally as the voice of Tigger in Winnie the Pooh, but Disney died in 1966 and the role ultimately went to Paul Winchell.
In 1971, Wally took his Pecos Bill character to the newly-opened Walt Disney World and re-crafted the saloon show into a faster, funnier Diamond Horseshoe Revue. Three years later he returned to Disneyland and finished his career there, entertaining adoring crowds at the Golden Horseshoe, retiring in 1982. The Golden Horseshoe Revue closed in 1986. In 1995, Wally was inducted into the ranks of the Disney Legends and has his own window on Main Street in Disneyland above the Carnation Company. The inscription reads "Golden Vaudeville Routines - Wally Boag - Prop."
Wally's performances have influenced many later performers and comedians, most notable of whom is Steve Martin, who studied Boag's humor and timing while working at Disneyland as a teenager. Boag's performance appears on Week One of the Mickey Mouse Club DVD collection, and the soundtrack of the Golden Horseshoe Revue has been released on CD.
Wally is currently working on his autobiography, entitled "The Clown Prince of Disneyland", which is to be published in 2008. He lives in California with his wife, Ellen Morgan Boag.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
LOU JACOBS: September 1, 1961
Further proof that the three classic clown types were not solidified in the United States until Clown College in the late 1960s: Here Lou Jacobs, America's preeminent grotesque auguste, is identified as a "character clown".
Monday, April 07, 2008
LOU JACOBS: With Billy Merchant
Lou Jacobs and Billy Merchant in a 1961 photo that is one of the best that I have ever seen of Lou and his car.
More Lou photos tomorrow!
JOE VANI: Obit from the Cincinnati Enquirer
Link courtesy of Don Covington
JOSEPH VANI, 94, WAS CIRCUS CLOWN
Inducted into Clown Hall of Fame
By Rebecca Goodman | RGOODMAN@ENQUIRER.COM
MILFORD - Old clowns don't retire. When they can no longer do pratfalls, they still work hard to make people laugh.
That held true with Joseph Robert Vani. When he approached 90, he told funny stories to visitors at the International Clown Hall of Fame in Milwaukee. He used a walker, but his eyes twinkled. He could still make people laugh.
Mr. Vani - thought to be the world's oldest professional circus clown - died March 21 at Meadowbrook Care Center in Montgomery after breaking his hip. The Milford resident was 94.
He was "sharp as a tack and a real fast wit," said his niece Marlene Lorenz of Twin Lakes, Wis. He was "always kidding around with everybody."
Mr. Vani performed with Chester Sherman, a Greater Cincinnati native, as the Sherman Brothers from 1937 until 1975. In one popular routine, a clown gobbles hot dogs he has stolen from a clown vendor. He gets sick and when his stomach is pumped by clown doctors, out pops a little dog. The clowns take a bow and exit followed by the dog walking on its hind legs. Audiences roared.
The Sherman Brothers were inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame in 1995. Their clown wardrobe and effects are prominently displayed.
Mr. Vani was born in Chicago. His father, a firefighter, was trampled to death by runaway horses while responding to a fire. Because his mother was unable to care for him and his three brothers, Mr. Vani was sent to an orphanage until the sixth grade.
In his teens he answered an ad for an acrobat with the Kenneth Waite Trio. He performed with Waite and Chester Sherman for several years until Waite retired. He and Sherman put together a clown act and entertained across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
"When they weren't on the road, they would be back at Chester's house" in Greater Cincinnati, said Lorenz. "When he joined the circus, he just became very close to Chester's family and they treated him like a son for most of his professional life with Chester." After Sherman died in 1976, Mr. Vani moved to Covington. He had lived in Milford for the past 20 years.
Mr. Vani used to play Santa Claus at Shillito's downtown. About 10 years ago, he became the adopted grandfather to a local first-grade class. Each spring he took the class to the Shrine Circus, his niece said.
"He just had the best attitude about life," his niece said. "His favorite thing to say was 'Everything is wonderful.' He had lost his vision. He had a very bad back and knees - probably from the hardships of clowning. But he never ever complained.
"He'd say, 'If I had it all to do over again I'd do it exactly the same.' "
Survivors include a brother, Frank Vani of New Port Richey, Fla.; and other nieces and nephews.
Services have been held. Burial was in the cemetery at St. Alphonsus Church in New Munster, WI.
Memorials: Shriner's Hospitals for Children, 2900 Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607-1460.
JOSEPH VANI, 94, WAS CIRCUS CLOWNInducted into Clown Hall of Fame
By Rebecca Goodman | RGOODMAN@ENQUIRER.COM
MILFORD - Old clowns don't retire. When they can no longer do pratfalls, they still work hard to make people laugh.
That held true with Joseph Robert Vani. When he approached 90, he told funny stories to visitors at the International Clown Hall of Fame in Milwaukee. He used a walker, but his eyes twinkled. He could still make people laugh.
Mr. Vani - thought to be the world's oldest professional circus clown - died March 21 at Meadowbrook Care Center in Montgomery after breaking his hip. The Milford resident was 94.
He was "sharp as a tack and a real fast wit," said his niece Marlene Lorenz of Twin Lakes, Wis. He was "always kidding around with everybody."
Mr. Vani performed with Chester Sherman, a Greater Cincinnati native, as the Sherman Brothers from 1937 until 1975. In one popular routine, a clown gobbles hot dogs he has stolen from a clown vendor. He gets sick and when his stomach is pumped by clown doctors, out pops a little dog. The clowns take a bow and exit followed by the dog walking on its hind legs. Audiences roared.
The Sherman Brothers were inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame in 1995. Their clown wardrobe and effects are prominently displayed.
Mr. Vani was born in Chicago. His father, a firefighter, was trampled to death by runaway horses while responding to a fire. Because his mother was unable to care for him and his three brothers, Mr. Vani was sent to an orphanage until the sixth grade.
In his teens he answered an ad for an acrobat with the Kenneth Waite Trio. He performed with Waite and Chester Sherman for several years until Waite retired. He and Sherman put together a clown act and entertained across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
"When they weren't on the road, they would be back at Chester's house" in Greater Cincinnati, said Lorenz. "When he joined the circus, he just became very close to Chester's family and they treated him like a son for most of his professional life with Chester." After Sherman died in 1976, Mr. Vani moved to Covington. He had lived in Milford for the past 20 years.
Mr. Vani used to play Santa Claus at Shillito's downtown. About 10 years ago, he became the adopted grandfather to a local first-grade class. Each spring he took the class to the Shrine Circus, his niece said.
"He just had the best attitude about life," his niece said. "His favorite thing to say was 'Everything is wonderful.' He had lost his vision. He had a very bad back and knees - probably from the hardships of clowning. But he never ever complained.
"He'd say, 'If I had it all to do over again I'd do it exactly the same.' "
Survivors include a brother, Frank Vani of New Port Richey, Fla.; and other nieces and nephews.
Services have been held. Burial was in the cemetery at St. Alphonsus Church in New Munster, WI.
Memorials: Shriner's Hospitals for Children, 2900 Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607-1460.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
VANCE COLVIG: Bozo's Got a Secret
Link and comments courtesy of Mark Evanier
The guest in this segment of I've Got a Secret is Rodney Dangerfield but that's not what's interesting about it.
His secret involves a gentleman named Vance Colvig. Actually, his name was Vance Colvig, Junior. His father (Vance Colvig, Senior) was also known as Pinto Colvig, the voice of Goofy and many other classic cartoon characters. Dad was also the original Bozo the Clown, initially on records and then on early television.
Later, Vance Junior became a Bozo. He was Bozo the Clown on Los Angeles TV, appearing every weekday on KTLA, Channel Five from 1959 to 1964.
He was also an occasional cartoon voice, most notably playing Chopper the Bulldog on the Yakky Doodle cartoons for Hanna-Barbera. Later, he did all sorts of film and TV acting jobs and for some reason, usually wound up playing a wino or derelict. One of his last roles — as a bum, of course — was in the Weird Al Yankovic movie, UHF. Anyway, if you were a fan of anything he did, here's a rare chance to get a look at him.
To visit Mr. Evanier's excellent blog NEWS FROM ME please click the title of this post.
The guest in this segment of I've Got a Secret is Rodney Dangerfield but that's not what's interesting about it.
His secret involves a gentleman named Vance Colvig. Actually, his name was Vance Colvig, Junior. His father (Vance Colvig, Senior) was also known as Pinto Colvig, the voice of Goofy and many other classic cartoon characters. Dad was also the original Bozo the Clown, initially on records and then on early television.
Later, Vance Junior became a Bozo. He was Bozo the Clown on Los Angeles TV, appearing every weekday on KTLA, Channel Five from 1959 to 1964.
He was also an occasional cartoon voice, most notably playing Chopper the Bulldog on the Yakky Doodle cartoons for Hanna-Barbera. Later, he did all sorts of film and TV acting jobs and for some reason, usually wound up playing a wino or derelict. One of his last roles — as a bum, of course — was in the Weird Al Yankovic movie, UHF. Anyway, if you were a fan of anything he did, here's a rare chance to get a look at him.
To visit Mr. Evanier's excellent blog NEWS FROM ME please click the title of this post.
ALFREDO RASTELLI: Hugo Public Library
Alfredo Rastelli from a European circus book found at the Hugo Public Library.
LES BARIOS: French Television
The Barios, sans makeup, in the 1960s performing on the French equivalent of Shindig/Hullabaloo/Where the Action Is/American Bandstand.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
JANICE GILLESPIE: From Robin Shaw
Photo and comments courtesy of Robin Shaw-Bickford
Janice Gillespie 1973 Blue RBB&B
Janice Gillespie 1973 Blue RBB&B
WAYNE SIDLEY: From Robin Shaw
Photo and comments courtesy of Robin Shaw-Bickford
Wayne Sidley behind the arena in Venice, FL.
Wayne Sidley behind the arena in Venice, FL.
1987: From Robin Shaw
Photo and comments courtesy of Robin Shaw-Bickford
Some of the 70's clowns come back to visit in 1987 (Back row) Frosty Little, ?, Kevin Bickford, Mark Anthony, Robin Shaw (Front row) Jimmy Briscoe, Barbara Nadel
Some of the 70's clowns come back to visit in 1987 (Back row) Frosty Little, ?, Kevin Bickford, Mark Anthony, Robin Shaw (Front row) Jimmy Briscoe, Barbara Nadel
Friday, April 04, 2008
KELLY-MILLER: DeQueen, AR
JRNII's Kelly-Miller Circus, America's One Ring Wonder, survived the torrential rain as well as the tornadoes that ripped through Arkansas last night.
Mike Smith arrived just in time to see the show on the muddiest lot of the season. He watched the 4:30 show and then jumped in to work the 7:30 with me. We had a blast working together and were just minutes into the second half when the mayor and sheriff stepped into the tent and asked John Moss to end the show there and evacuate the tent.
We cleaned our makeup off, loaded my car (parked at the front of the lot so I wouldn't get stuck again) and headed to McDonald's for dinner, arriving in our rooms at the DeQueen Inn just before the storm really hit and the power went out.
If you've never sat smoking cigarettes outside a darkened, powerless Arkansas motel room during a hellacious electrical storm and pounding rain wondering if your about to be killed by tornadoes... well, your just not real circus then, are you ; )
GRANDMA: Star Morning Show with JR and Kate
The Star Morning Show with JR and Kate gets a visit from Grandma (most likely Mark Gindick), who, get this, creeps out Kate.
Isn't that a hoot? You see she doesn't like clowns!
Having gone to college for Communication and concentrated on Radio, do you know what creeps me out? Do you want to know what I don't like? Lame "happy chat" morning shows that play "good time oldies" that "get you going in the morning with a smile" and employ vacuous, under-talented, insincere phonies like "Kate" who engage in contrivied "bits" like this.
What exactly was the point of putting a silent circus clown on the radio in the first place? It's a truly stupid idea made all the more worthless by this frumpy, unpleasant human "Cathy" cartoon.
I'll bet she has a blog about her cat.
Circus and clowning are entering their fourth century of existence here in America. Radio, and the like these that have ruined it, will be long gone and replaced by the iPod by 2015.
The seventh caller gets to put on a pair of great big clown shoes and kick Kate really hard until she realizes she's wasting her life and our time and decides to get out of the business. The video of this will be up on their website.
"Up after the break, Gary Lewis and The s'This Diamond Ring on your home of Continuous Good Time Oldies, Power Y105.1!!!"
Yuck!
L.A. CIRCUS: From Robin Shaw-Bickford
Photos and comments courtesy of Robin Shaw-Bickford
Kevin "Roofus T. Goofus" Bickford and Dick Monday
This was from the LA Circus, on the Universal Studios' lot in 1997-1998...performing during the El Nino (winds of up to 85 mph and with drenching rains were commonplace and some days downright dangerous) But we got through it and lived to tell about it.
Robin Shaw, Kevin Bickford and "Brittany Star" a beautiful hoola hoop artista, real name Noella.
Other clowns who also appeared in the show were: Jeffrey Taub, Grainger Esch, Carlos Ragas, Sheri Sicard, and a couple of others, whose names escape me right now. It was a great gig, being that it was only 4 minutes from our house and fun to be on City Walk.
Kevin "Roofus T. Goofus" Bickford and Dick Monday
This was from the LA Circus, on the Universal Studios' lot in 1997-1998...performing during the El Nino (winds of up to 85 mph and with drenching rains were commonplace and some days downright dangerous) But we got through it and lived to tell about it.
Robin Shaw, Kevin Bickford and "Brittany Star" a beautiful hoola hoop artista, real name Noella.
Other clowns who also appeared in the show were: Jeffrey Taub, Grainger Esch, Carlos Ragas, Sheri Sicard, and a couple of others, whose names escape me right now. It was a great gig, being that it was only 4 minutes from our house and fun to be on City Walk.
THE CHICKYS" Hugo Public Library
The Chickys in performance from the book Circus - Magie der Manege with photos by Rolf Lehman and text by Fredy Knie, Sr., Horst W. Cekan & Lutz R. Schoellkopf, found at the Hugo Public Library.
CLOWN ALLEY: Ringling, circa 1940
A very rare photo of Paul Jung, Lou Jacobs and Paul Jerome together in a group shot.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
KELLY-MILLER: DeQueen, AR
Today is my last scheduled day as full-time clown on America's One Ring Wonder, the Kelly-Miller Circus, before Mike Smith takes over.
Or as Casey Cainin McCoy puts it, "When the funny clown gets here."
Two performances today at 4:30 and 7:30 PM
Tomorrow I drive back to Dallas and fly out first thing on Saturday morning which means that I'll miss Tom Parish who might be stopping by this weekend. Tom, if you are out there, COME TONIGHT!!!
It does mean that I might catch the Shrine show in Dallas Friday night and try to meet up with the Mondays and Kelly by taking in Slappy's Puppet Playhouse in the afternoon.
And dinner (and a margarita) at El Fenix.
JOEL HEIDTMAN: Toni Braxton
Photo and comments courtesy of Joel Heidtman
Joel Heidtman, Clown College grad, Red Unit road clown, CC instructor and juggler extraordinaire recently did a gig for Toni Braxton.
From Joel...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Friends,
I performed for Toni Braxton at her sons 5th birthday party this
afternoon. Toni was recently on Larry King speaking about her son and
his autism.
Let me just tell you all that Toni Braxton is absolutely one of the
nicest and kindest people that I have ever met.
I really had no idea who she was, just that she was a successful
recording artist that has been performing at the Flamingo Hilton in
Las Vegas for the past few years.
I went to the gig, and moments after meeting her I told her that my
daughter had recently turned 5 and what a great age it is. Her face
lit up and she said "Did you bring her?". I answered "Well, heavens
no!" and she immediately said "Please call your wife and daughter and
have them come over. I would love to have them here for the party".
I was stunned! (Of course I didn't have them over... but the offer
was extremely nice and very, very sincere).
Toni Braxton has sold over 40 million albums, and her number-one
hit "Un-Break My Heart" is the second biggest single by a female
artist ever.
Just wanted to share about meeting a truly kind and down to earth
mega-star.
Joel Heidtman
Toni Braxton Fan
KEITH CRARY: The Great Circus Parade, 1980s
Photos courtesy of Robin Shaw-Bickford
Keith Crary, Ben Barkin and Ernest Borgnine
Amazing.
Really, how many American circus clowns can you name whose "spec" wardrobe actually gets BETTER after they've left Ringling?
Keith Crary, Ben Barkin and Ernest Borgnine
Amazing.
Really, how many American circus clowns can you name whose "spec" wardrobe actually gets BETTER after they've left Ringling?
MYSTERY CLOWN: James Bros. Circus 1968
These photos are from the James Bros. Circus and are dated 1968, which may be meaningless as James Bros. also dated a Beatty-Cole Alley shot of Eddie Dullam, Harry Dann, Marvin Gauger and Jimmy Armstrong from 1967 as being from the James Bros. show in '68.
The truck does say James Bros., but these could have been taken anywhere from the mid-50s on based on the look of the photos.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
PHILIP STEVEN HARRIS
Video link and comments courtesy of Steve Langley
Pat,
Once again, I apologize for the initial name mix up.
Here is a brief description of Steve's funeral. It was a very appropriate clown send off. It was a 6 nose salute as I supplied all of the pall bearers with noses to wear. It killed. Wasn't even fair... You woulda loved it...
Here Ya go...
Well folks we buried our friend today...
We sent Steve off in grand style this afternoon. Hardin Minor and I supplied red noses for the pall bearers. We gave him a 6 clown nose salute as we carried the coffin from the church to the hearse and from the hearse to the grave. The gesture was well received by friends and family alike. Steve would have loved it as well. It was good to hear chuckles from the crowd and people commenting "perfect" when, as the coffin approached us to take it to the car, I quietly gave the command to the other pall bearers... "time to "nose up" boys"... the noses all went and you could hear and feel the collective appreciation for the gesture. Lots of smiles and laughs... It was perfect for a fool like Steve to be carried to his final resting place by a bunch of red nosed wearing fools. The ceremony at the church and graveside was beautifully executed. We ended it all with a group release of individual colorful balloons... as Steve's ex wife Sarah exclaimed to everyone "I hope you enjoyed the show". A perfect send off for a showman like Steve. It was good to be surrounded by people who were all aware of what a special person he was. We've lost another one of the good ones.
Sincerely,
Steve
Thanks again for all you've done for my friend.
Hope you made it home safe and sound...
S
Steve Langley
The Fettucini Brothers
PO Box 2266
Huntersville, NC 28070
Pat,
Once again, I apologize for the initial name mix up.
Here is a brief description of Steve's funeral. It was a very appropriate clown send off. It was a 6 nose salute as I supplied all of the pall bearers with noses to wear. It killed. Wasn't even fair... You woulda loved it...
Here Ya go...
Well folks we buried our friend today...
We sent Steve off in grand style this afternoon. Hardin Minor and I supplied red noses for the pall bearers. We gave him a 6 clown nose salute as we carried the coffin from the church to the hearse and from the hearse to the grave. The gesture was well received by friends and family alike. Steve would have loved it as well. It was good to hear chuckles from the crowd and people commenting "perfect" when, as the coffin approached us to take it to the car, I quietly gave the command to the other pall bearers... "time to "nose up" boys"... the noses all went and you could hear and feel the collective appreciation for the gesture. Lots of smiles and laughs... It was perfect for a fool like Steve to be carried to his final resting place by a bunch of red nosed wearing fools. The ceremony at the church and graveside was beautifully executed. We ended it all with a group release of individual colorful balloons... as Steve's ex wife Sarah exclaimed to everyone "I hope you enjoyed the show". A perfect send off for a showman like Steve. It was good to be surrounded by people who were all aware of what a special person he was. We've lost another one of the good ones.
Sincerely,
Steve
Thanks again for all you've done for my friend.
Hope you made it home safe and sound...
S
Steve Langley
The Fettucini Brothers
PO Box 2266
Huntersville, NC 28070
KELLY-MILLER: Ashdown, AR
America's One Ring Wonder (John RINGLING North II, Proprietor), the Kelly-Miller Circus is in Ashdown,AR tonight for two shows ON ASPHALT (NO MUD).
Showtimes (all together now) at 4:30 and 7:30 PM.
Add Texarkana, TX to the list (headed by Reno, NV) of towns I'll never go back to for any reason.
MIKE POTEETE: Hamid Shrine Circus
It looks like Mike may be headed to the showers after a "SM Johnson" moment.
CLOWN ALLEY: Tork & Kevin 1972
Photo and comments courtesy of Robin Shaw-Bickford
This is Rick Parrot on RBB&B in the blue and yellow suit in the background (and Mark Anthony passing behind him), with Tim Torkildson holding the banana to his ear while checking out Kevin Bickford with his large pretzel which he purchased one day at Madison Square Garden 1972. He bought it from a concession stand and a vendor, who had it hanging on the wall. He paid $5. for an instant walkaround.
What a deal!
This is Rick Parrot on RBB&B in the blue and yellow suit in the background (and Mark Anthony passing behind him), with Tim Torkildson holding the banana to his ear while checking out Kevin Bickford with his large pretzel which he purchased one day at Madison Square Garden 1972. He bought it from a concession stand and a vendor, who had it hanging on the wall. He paid $5. for an instant walkaround.
What a deal!
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