PAUL JEROME: Bosco Ad

Paul Jerome as "Bosco the clown" selling Bosco.

Bosco the Clown?

BOZO THE CLOWN: "Mystery Photos"

Can anyone out there confirm the what, where and why behind these photos.

I'm pretty sure that I know what they're from but not sure if I should let the cat out of the bag.

BALDER CLOWNS: Circus Dannebrog, 2008

Ummmm...

GEORGE CARLIN: Class Clown; Occupation Foole

From Wikipedia...


George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, actor and author who won four Grammy Awards for his comedy albums.

Carlin was especially noted for his political and black humor and his observations on language, psychology, and religion along with many taboo subjects. Carlin and his "Seven Dirty Words" comedy routine were central to the 1978 U.S. Supreme Court case F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, in which a narrow 5-4 decision by the justices affirmed the government's right to regulate Carlin's act on the public airwaves.

In the 2000s, Carlin's stand-up routines focused on the flaws in modern-day America. He often took on contemporary political issues in the United States and satirized the excesses of American culture.

He placed second on the Comedy Central cable television network list of the 10 greatest stand-up comedians, ahead of Lenny Bruce and behind Richard Pryor. He was a frequent performer and guest host on The Tonight Show during the three-decade Johnny Carson era, and was also the first person to host Saturday Night Live.


“ My grandfather would say: "I'm going upstairs to fuck your grandmother". He was an honest man, and he wasn't going to bullshit a four-year-old. ”

— George Carlin, "Carlin on Campus"


George Denis Patrick Carlin was born in New York City, the son of Mary (née Bearey), a secretary, and Patrick Carlin, a national advertising manager for the New York Sun. Carlin was of Irish descent and was raised in the Roman Catholic faith.

Carlin grew up on West 121st Street, in a neighborhood of Manhattan which he later said, in a stand-up routine, he and his friends called "White Harlem", because that sounded a lot tougher than its real name of Morningside Heights. He was raised by his mother, who left his father when Carlin was two years old. After 3 semesters, at the age of 14, Carlin involuntarily left Cardinal Hayes High School and briefly attended Bishop Dubois High School in Harlem. He later joined the United States Air Force, training as a radar technician. He was stationed at Barksdale AFB in Bossier City, Louisiana.

During this time he began working as a disc jockey on KJOE, a radio station based in the nearby city of Shreveport. He did not complete his Air Force enlistment. Labeled an "unproductive airman" by his superiors, Carlin was discharged on July 29, 1957.

In 1959, Carlin and Jack Burns began as a comedy team when both were working for radio station KXOL in Fort Worth, Texas. After successful performances at Fort Worth's beat coffeehouse, The Cellar, Burns and Carlin headed for California in February 1960 and stayed together for two years as a team before moving on to individual pursuits.



1960s


In the 1960s, Carlin began appearing on television variety shows, notably The Ed Sullivan Show. His most famous routines were: The Indian Sergeant ("You wit' the beads... get outta line"), Stupid disc jockeys ("Wonderful WINO...") — "The Beatles' latest record, when played backwards at slow speed, says 'Dummy! You're playing it backwards at slow speed!'" and Al Sleet, the "hippie-dippie weatherman" — "Tonight's forecast: Dark. Continued dark throughout most of the evening, with some widely-scattered light towards morning."

Variations on the first three of these routines appear on Carlin's 1967 debut album, Take Offs and Put Ons, recorded live in 1966 at The Roostertail in Detroit, Michigan.

During this period, Carlin became more popular as a frequent performer and guest host on The Tonight Show during the Johnny Carson era, becoming one of Carson's most frequent substitutes during the host's three-decade reign. Carlin was also cast on Away We Go, a 1967 comedy show. His material during his early career, which included impressions, and his appearance, which consisted of suits and short-cropped hair, has been seen as "conventional", particularly when contrasted with his later antiestablishment material.

Carlin was present at Lenny Bruce's arrest for obscenity. According to legend the police began attempting to detain members of the audience for questioning, and asked Carlin for his identification. Telling the police he did not believe in government issued IDs, he was arrested and taken to jail with Bruce in the same vehicle.


1970s


Eventually, Carlin changed both his routines and his appearance. He lost some TV bookings by dressing strangely for a comedian of the time, wearing faded jeans and sporting a beard and earrings at a time when clean-cut, well-dressed comedians were in vogue. Using his own persona as a springboard for his new comedy, he was presented by Ed Sullivan in a performance of "The Hair Piece," and quickly regained his popularity as the public caught on to his sense of style.


“Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, Tits.”

— George Carlin


In this period he also perfected what is perhaps his best-known routine, "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television", recorded on his album Class Clown.

Carlin was arrested on July 21, 1972 at Milwaukee's Summerfest and charged with violating obscenity laws after performing this routine. The case, which prompted Carlin to refer to the words for a time as, "The Milwaukee Seven", was dismissed in December of that year; the judge declared the language indecent, stating that the language was indecent but cited free speech, as well as the lack of any disturbance.

In 1973, a man complained to the FCC that his son had heard a later, similar routine, "Filthy Words", from Occupation: Foole, broadcast one afternoon over WBAI, a Pacifica Foundation FM radio station in New York City. Pacifica received a citation from the FCC, which sought to fine Pacifica for allegedly violating FCC regulations which prohibited broadcasting "obscene" material. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the FCC action, by a vote of 5 to 4, ruling that the routine was "indecent but not obscene", and the FCC had authority to prohibit such broadcasts during hours when children were likely to be among the audience. F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, 438 U.S. 726 (1978). The court documents contain a complete transcript of the routine.

The controversy only increased Carlin's fame (or notoriety). Carlin eventually expanded the dirty-words theme with a seemingly interminable end to a performance (ending with his voice fading out in one HBO version, and accompanying the credits in the Carlin at Carnegie special for the 1982-83 season), and a set of 49 web pages organized by subject and embracing his "Incomplete List Of Impolite Words".

Carlin was the first-ever host of NBC's Saturday Night Live, debuting on October 11, 1975. (He also hosted SNL on November 10, 1984, where he actually appeared in sketches. The first time he hosted, he only appeared to perform stand-up and introduce the guest acts.) The following season, 1976-77, Carlin also appeared regularly on CBS Television's Tony Orlando & Dawn variety series.

Carlin unexpectedly stopped performing regularly in 1976, when his career appeared to be at its height. For the next five years, he rarely appeared to perform stand-up, although it was at this time he began doing specials for HBO as part of its On Location series. His first two HBO specials aired in 1977 and 1978. It was later revealed that Carlin had suffered the first of his three non-fatal heart attacks during this layoff period.


1980s and 1990s


In 1981, Carlin returned to the stage, releasing A Place For My Stuff, and he returned to HBO and New York City with the Carlin at Carnegie TV special, videotaped at Carnegie Hall and airing during the 1982-83 season. Carlin continued doing HBO specials every year or every other year over the following decade-and-a-half. All of Carlin's albums from this time forward are the HBO specials.

Carlin's acting career was primed with a major supporting role in the 1987 comedy hit Outrageous Fortune, starring Bette Midler and Shelley Long; it was his first notable screen role after a handful of previous guest roles on television series. Playing drifter Frank Madras, the role poked fun at the lingering effect of the 1960s psychedelic counterculture.

In 1989, he gained popularity with a new generation of teens when he was cast as Rufus, the time-traveling mentor of the titular characters in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and reprised his role in the film sequel Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey as well as the first season of the cartoon series.

In 1991, he provided the narrative voice for the American version of the children's show Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, a role he continued until 1998. He played "Mr. Conductor" on the PBS children's show Shining Time Station which featured Thomas from 1991 to 1993 as well as Shining Time Station TV specials in 1995 and Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales in 1996. Also in 1991, Carlin had a major supporting role in the movie The Prince of Tides along with Nick Nolte and Barbra Streisand.

Carlin began a weekly Fox Broadcasting sitcom, The George Carlin Show, in 1993, playing New York City cab driver "George O'Grady". He quickly included a variation of the "Seven Words" in the plot. The show ran 27 episodes through December 1995.

In 1997, his first hardcover book, Brain Droppings, was published, and sold over 750,000 copies as of 2001. Carlin was honored at the 1997 Aspen Comedy Festival with a retrospective George Carlin: 40 Years of Comedy hosted by Jon Stewart.

In 1999, Carlin played a supporting role as a satirically marketing-oriented Roman Catholic cardinal in filmmaker Kevin Smith's movie Dogma. He worked with Smith again with a cameo appearance in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and later played an atypically serious role in Jersey Girl, as the blue collar father of Ben Affleck's character.


2000s


In 2001, Carlin was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 15th Annual American Comedy Awards.

In December 2003, California U.S. Representative Doug Ose introduced a bill (H.R. 3687) to outlaw the broadcast of Carlin's seven "dirty words", including "compound use (including hyphenated compounds) of such words and phrases with each other or with other words or phrases, and other grammatical forms of such words and phrases (including verb, adjective, gerund, participle, and infinitive forms)". (The bill omits "tits", but includes "ass" and "asshole", which were not part of Carlin's original routine.)

The following year, Carlin was fired from his headlining position at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas after an altercation with his audience. After a poorly received set filled with dark references to suicide bombings and beheadings, Carlin stated that he couldn't wait to get out of "this fucking hotel" and Las Vegas in general, claiming he wanted to go back East "where the real people are". He continued to insult his audience, stating, "People who go to Las Vegas, you've got to question their fucking intellect to start with. Traveling hundreds and thousands of miles to essentially give your money to a large corporation is kind of fucking moronic. That's what I'm always getting here is these kind of fucking people with very limited intellects."
An audience member shouted back that Carlin should "stop degrading us", at which point Carlin responded "Thank you very much, whatever that was. I hope it was positive; if not, well blow me." He was immediately fired by MGM Grand and soon after announced he would enter rehab for drug and alcohol addiction.

For years, Carlin had performed regularly as a headliner in Las Vegas. He began a tour through the first half of 2006, and had a new HBO Special on November 5, 2005 entitled Life is Worth Losing, which was shown live from the Beacon Theatre in New York City. Topics covered included suicide, natural disasters (and the impulse to see them escalate in severity), cannibalism, genocide, human sacrifice, threats to civil liberties in America, and how an argument can be made that humans are inferior to animals.

On February 1, 2006, Carlin mentioned to the crowd, during his Life is Worth Losing set at the Tachi Palace Casino in Lemoore, California, that he had been discharged from the hospital only six weeks previously for "heart failure" and "pneumonia", citing the appearance as his "first show back".

Carlin provided the voice of Fillmore, a character in the Disney/Pixar animated feature Cars, which opened in theaters on June 9, 2006. The character Fillmore, who is presented as an antiestablishment hippie, is a VW Microbus with a psychedelic paint job, whose front license plate reads "51237" — Carlin's birthday.

Carlin's last HBO stand-up special, It's Bad for Ya, aired live on March 1, 2008 in Santa Rosa, CA at the Wells Fargo Center For The Arts. Many of the themes that appeared in this HBO special included "American Bullshit", "Rights", "Death", "Old Age", and "Child Rearing". Carlin had been working the new material for this HBO special for several months prior in concerts all over the country.

On June 18, 2008, four days before his death, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC announced that Carlin would be the 2008 honoree of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor to be awarded in November of that year.


Personal life


In 1961, Carlin married Brenda Hosbrook (born August 5, 1936, died May 11, 1997), whom he had met while touring the previous year, in her parents' living room in Dayton, Ohio. The couple had a daughter, Kelly, in 1963. In 1971, George and Brenda renewed their wedding vows in Las Vegas, Nevada. Brenda died of liver cancer a day before Carlin's 60th birthday, in 1997.

Carlin later married Sally Wade on June 24, 1998, and the marriage lasted until his death - two days before their tenth anniversary.

In December 2004, Carlin announced that he would be voluntarily entering a drug rehabilitation facility to receive treatment for his dependency on alcohol and painkillers.

Carlin did not vote and often criticized elections as an "illusion of choice". He said he last voted for George McGovern, who ran for President in 1972 against Richard Nixon.


Religion



“ If God had intended us not to masturbate he would've made our arms shorter. ”

— George Carlin


Although raised in the Roman Catholic faith, Carlin often denounced the idea of God in interviews and performances, most notably with his "Invisible Man in the Sky" and "There Is No God" routines. In mockery, he invented the parody religion Frisbeetarianism for a newspaper contest. He defined it as the belief that when a person dies "his soul gets flung onto a roof, and just stays there", and cannot be retrieved.

Carlin also joked that he worshipped the Sun, because he could actually see it, but prayed to Joe Pesci (a good friend of his in real life) because "he's a good actor", and "looks like a guy who can get things done!"

Carlin also introduced the "Two Commandments", a revised "pocket-sized" list of the Ten Commandments in his HBO special Complaints and Grievances, ending with the additional commandment of "Thou shalt keep thy religion to thyself."


Themes



“ The very existence of flame throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done. ”

— George Carlin


Carlin's themes have been known for causing considerable controversy in the American media. His most usual topic was (in his words) humanity's "bullshit", which might include murder, genocide, war, rape, corruption, religion and other aspects of human civilization. His delivery frequently treated these subjects in a misanthropic and nihilistic fashion, such as in his statement during the Life is Worth Losing show: "I look at it this way... For centuries now, man has done everything he can to destroy, defile, and interfere with nature: clear-cutting forests, strip-mining mountains, poisoning the atmosphere, over-fishing the oceans, polluting the rivers and lakes, destroying wetlands and aquifers... so when nature strikes back, and smacks him on the head and kicks him in the nuts, I enjoy that. I have absolutely no sympathy for human beings whatsoever. None. And no matter what kind of problem humans are facing, whether it's natural or man-made, I always hope it gets worse."

Language was a frequent focus of Carlin's work. Euphemisms that in his view, seek to distort and lie, and the use of language he felt was pompous, presumptuous or silly, were often the target of Carlin's routines.

Carlin also gave special attention to prominent topics in American and Western Culture, such as obsession with fame and celebrity, consumerism, Christianity, political alienation, corporate control, hypocrisy, child raising, fast food diet, news stations, self-help publications, patriotism, sexual taboos, certain uses of technology and surveillance, and the pro-life position, among many others.

Carlin openly communicated in his shows and in his interviews that his purpose for existence was entertainment, that he was "here for the show". He professed a hearty schadenfreude in watching the rich spectrum of humanity slowly self-destruct, in his estimation, of its own design; saying, "When you're born, you get a ticket to the freak show. When you're born in America, you get a front-row seat." He acknowledged that this is a very selfish thing, especially since he included large human catastrophes as entertainment.

In a late-1990s interview with radio talk show host Art Bell, he remarked about his view of human life: "I think we're already 'circling the drain' as a species, and I'd love to see the circles get a little faster and a little shorter."

In the same interview, he recounted his experience of a California earthquake in the early-1970s as: "...an amusement park ride. Really, I mean it's such a wonderful thing to realize that you have absolutely no control... and to see the dresser move across the bedroom floor unassisted... is just exciting." Later he summarized: "I really think there's great human drama in destruction and nature unleashed and I don't get enough of it."

A routine in Carlin's 1999 HBO special You Are All Diseased focusing on airport security leads up to the statement: "Take a fucking chance! Put a little fun in your life! ... most Americans are soft and frightened and unimaginative and they don't realize there's such a thing as dangerous fun, and they certainly don't recognize a good show when they see one."


Death


On June 22, 2008, Carlin was admitted to St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California after complaining of chest pain. He died later that day at 5:55 p.m. PDT of heart failure at the age of 71.

DAVID SHINER: Kooza in Chicago

Link courtesy of Don Covington


A nice article on David Shiner, clowning and Cirque du Soleil's KOOZA coming to Chicago can be found by clicking the title of this post.

DIMITRI: New Victory Theater March 27- April 19, 2009

I just found out that Dimitri will be coming to the States next spring to perform at the New Victory Theater in Times Square.

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

SLAPSTICK: Dag Andersson, Morgan Alling and Lars Bethke

Who are these guys?

What's their deal??

When are they coming to the States???

To visit their site (which is in Swedish) please click the title of this post.

BILLY VAUGHN : With Mike Snyder, Vidbel's Olde Tyme Circus

Photo courtesy of Billy Vaughn


My very favorite picture of Billy and Mike and proof positive that classic American circus clowning was ushered into the 21st century by true professionals like these two gentlemen.

CLOWN ALLEY: Al G. Barnes, 1920s

MYSTERY CLOWN: Al G. Barnes Circus 1920s

TOBY TYLER: Al G. Barnes Circus 1920s

DROUILLE & ZIP E: Cirque Estival

HAPPY SHANE-UKKAH!

How do you make a five year old giggle like crazy for a half an hour, you ask?

Make him the star of a Hanukkah video in mid June when he least expects it.

Don't send a lame Holiday eCard.
Try JibJab Sendables!

LOU JACOBS & PAUL JEROME: Ringling, 1948

Lou and Paul assisting an unidentified woman in a photo from National Geographic from March of 1948.

CLOWN ALLEY: Sells-Floto, 1931

Photo courtesy of Bill Strong


A photo from the 1931 Sells-Floto program that shows Spader Johnson (far left), Pat Valdo (2nd from left) and two other clowns from the Ringling Alley in a shot that was reused by many shows in the programs from that time period.

CLOWN ALLEY: Out of Makeup: Ringling, 1950s

Photo courtesy of Sandy Weber



Sandy Weber sent this in response to the recent request for information on Everett Hart...


Hey Pat!

I found this photo in an old Clowns Of America magazine (1978) that I have.

It is a photo of several of the classic Ringling clowns out of make-up, one of which is listed as "Mr. Hart".

I am assuming it is probably Everett Hart (based on it
being dated from the 50's).

From left to right they are: Emmett Kelly, Mr. Hart (Everett?), Paul Jung, Walter Guisse, Gene Lewis, Myron Orton, Harry Nelson and Otto Griebling.

In front we have Frankie Saluto (seated) and Prince Paul Alpert.

I don't know who is in Paul Jung's make-up, but Paul has his arm around her so it could be his wife Elsie (this photo was from her personal collection).

OTTO WESSELY: Montreal Comedy Festival

BILL IRWIN: The Happiness Lecture

I had the chance to catch Bill Irwin's new show The Happiness Lecture at the Philadelphia Theater Co. last night.

I don't think that I could do any better reviewing it than Adam Gertsacov did earlier this week at clownlink.com.

It's the one Bill Irwin show that really made me wish that there was a discussion group afterwards.

PERCY HUXTER: With Queen Elizabeth, 1952

Percy Huxter with the Queen at the Bertram Mills Circus at Olympia in 1952.

LOU JACOBS: Baby Buggy Gag, circa 1970s

Lou Jacobs performing his Baby Buggy Gag on the Ringling Red Unit in the mid 70s with the assistance of Serf Rocha.

PAUL JUNG: Camera Gag, circa 1940s

Paul Jung on the Ringling show performing one of his favorite track gags with the assistance of someone who does not look to be Prince Paul Alpert, the person who taught this gag to the early Ringling Clown College grads.

IN CAPABLE HANDS: William Tell Overture

The best use of "boomwhackers" that I've seen so far.

To learn more about "boomwhackers" please click the title of this post.

TOMAS KUBINEK: Certified Lunatic and Master of the Impossible

Photo by D.A. Hill, Poster by Karl Simmons



One of my very favorite contemporary performers, Tomas Kubinek.

Find out more about him here.

BILLY VAUGHN: With Mike Snyder, Vidbel's Olde Tyme Circus

Billy and Mike with the cast and crew including Sue and Jenny Vidbel and Tepa Hall.

SERF ROCHA: Ringling, mid 70s

Photo courtesy of Thomas C. Fitzgerald


Serf Rocha on the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Red Unit.

This photo mark's clownalley.net's 1,900th post since 5/28/06.

CARROLL SPINNEY: AP Story

Please click the title of this post to be taken to Monday's AP story about Mr. Carroll Spinney, the man who has played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street for the last 40 years.

It was my great pleasure to meet Mr. Spinney at the conclusion of Clown College '97 during our performance at the International Children's Festival in Wolftrap, VA. I had a few moments to ask him about Jim Henson, Sesame Street and his years working in Boston on the WHDH Bozo Show (as well as the syndicated episodes).

He's a warm, wonderful person with a unique and incredible gift. Carroll Spinney is one of those truely rare and magical people who you can almost see the good spirit and joy just radiate from.

DENIS LACOMBE'S CONDUCTOR ENTREE: Circo Atayde

A "loving tribute" (down to the last detail) to Denis Lacombe's considerable talents as a writer and circus comedian, marred only by the performance itself.

FUMAGALLI: Big Apple Circus, 2008

Photo courtesy of Thomas C. Fitzgerald


Natalino "Gianni Fumagalli" Huesca during come-in with the Big Apple Circus in Boston, 2008.

BILLY VAUGHN: With Mike Snyder, Vidbel's Olde Tyme Circus

Photo courtesy of Billy Vaughn


Billy Vaughn and Mike Snider doing their very funny Restaurant Gag on the Vidbel's Olde Tyme Circus in the mid-to-late 90s.

I was deluged with mail the other day telling me that local circus fans are very excited about the prospect of Vidbel's hitting the road again, under canvas, this fall!

PRINCE PAUL ALPERT: With Michu, circa 1970s

Prince Paul Alpert with Michu.

MICHU MESZAROS
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mihaly "Michu" Meszaros is a Hungarian circus artist best known as a performer with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus where he appeared as the "shortest man in the world".

A native of Budapest, the 2 ft 9 inches (83.82 cm) tall, born October 1 1939.

Meszaros has appeared in numerous television and film projects. His last appearance was in 1993's Warlock: The Armageddon.

Back in the 1980's the City of Hawthorne, California named their shortest street in the city "Michu Lane".

KARANDASH: Reprise, circa 1950s

Video courtesy of Raffaele de Ritis


The legendary Soviet clown Karandash in the 50s, in one of his reprises at the Moscow Circus.


KARANDASH
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mikhail Nikolayevich Rumyantsev (Russian: Михаи́л Никола́евич Румя́нцев) (10 December 1901 - 31 March 1983), better known under his stagename Karandash (Russian: Каранда́ш which means pencil), was a famous Soviet clown. He was a People's Artist of the USSR, and was the teacher of the famous Russian clowns Oleg Popov and Yuri Nikulin.

Starting his career in the circus arena as the imitator of Charlie Chaplin, Mikhail Rumyantsev then abandoned it for, or rather, transformed that part into his would-be renowned image of Karandash always accompanied with his hallmark Scotch-terrier named Klyaksa (which means blot).

He enjoyed immense popularity with the Soviet audience and often gathered full houses all over the country.

In 1960, he toured South America with the Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard.

Altogether Karandash performed in the circus for 55 years and last appeared in the ring just two weeks before his death.
The Moscow Circus School was named after him.

COULROPHOBIA: The Fear of Not Being the Center of Attention

Let me get this straight... this woman absolutely HAS to confront her deep-rooted fear of clowns, especially on television, because otherwise she can't go to the circus?

When did that become so overly important?

Lots of people lead exceedingly full and productive lives without ever going to the circus; circus attendance is not now, nor has it ever been, mandatory anywhere on earth.

Get over yourself. It's not for everybody.

I like clowns and I like the circus but I don't care for, say, the music of Celine Dion. I don't claim to "fear" it. I just don't care for it.

I deal with that by not buying her CDs, attending her live performances or watching her on television. Occasionally, I hear her music on the radio. When I do I don't scream or run or wet myself. I change the channel. Sometimes I am exposed to her music in a supermarket or an elevator. When that happens I suffer through it and deal with it without anyone around me ever knowing, for one second, how I feel about Celine Dion or her music.

Life is not about supplying you with an endless parade comprised only of the things that you love the very most.

"But if I don't run screaming every time the theme from Titantic gets played at a wedding reception, how will I ever be the center of attention???"

The answer is "You do not constantly need to be the center of everyone's attention"! Most people over the age of three, are simply not that obnoxious, juvenile and/or needy.

So please explain to me why then is it so imperative, other than the chance to get herself on television, that she overcome this crippling clown-fear "affliction"? It can't be simply be because it hinders her ability to sit ringside and stuff her ample face with popcorn and cotton candy and gawk each year when the circus comes to East Mooseknuckle, Nowheresville?

(And can someone please explain to me why the producers felt the need to use the absolute crappiest yama clown imaginable to help her "conquer" her "fear"?)

I understand that it must be tremendously difficult for her, I mean she's so completely mature, settled and fully intellectually-developed in every other facet of her life. It's not like she's some grown woman who waddles around clutching a stuffed animal like a full-diapered toddler... oh, wait.

Be that as it may, she is definitely not just some needy, slack-jawed, mouth-breathing, attention whore. She truely suffers from a very real (and not imagined or fabricated) fear, just like these other folks who are definitely not exhibiting infantile behavior like this just to get a free trip to New York and their 15 minutes of perceived "fame"...











Please! Stop giggling! These people deserve our understanding, sympathy and need our help!

So remember, if anyone in your family or circle of friends ever display anything approaching these behaviors please show them how much you care by giving them a moment of your undivided attention and soundly slapping them, good and hard, right in the face before they get the idea that it's acceptable to go out in public and make an unqualified ass of yourself by pretending to "suffer" from an "illness".

It's time for you to do your part to once and for all pop this ridiculous pimple on the left butt cheek of our "Hey! Look-At-Me" culture.

We see you, OK?

Now knock it off.

SUNDAY MORNING ART GALLERY: Ringling Clown Alley by Frederick Penney

This is an Original painting, a watercolor by artist Fred Penney (b. 1900 - d. 1988).

Born in Fullerton, Nebraska, Frederick Penney became a landscape painter who spent much of the last 30 years of his career painting desert scenes of the Coachella Valley near Palm Springs. He moved to Los Angeles, California in 1924, having traveled as a youth with the circus in order to capture in paint aspects of this activity. He studied at Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Art Students League in New York, finally settling in Palm Springs. He was a member of the Desert Art Center in Palm Springs, the Laguna Beach Art Association, and the California Watercolor Society.

THE NEW YORK GOOFS: Ultimate Clown School 2008

WHAT: New York Goofs Ultimate Clown School 2008



WHERE: The Flea Theatre, 41 White Street, NY NY 10013



WHEN: July 28 – August 9



WHO: Students interested in studying the art of clowning and physical comedy.



HOW MUCH: Tuition is $750 for one week, or $1300 for both weeks. Classes are held Monday thru Saturday from 10am-6pm with a final performance at the end of session.



2008 marks the 10th Anniversary of America’s premiere Clown training program, The New York Goofs Ultimate Clown School. In 1997, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Clown College closed its doors leaving a void in America for training in the circus and clown arts. The last director of the Clown College, Dick Monday, saw the need for a credible environment for clown exploration and workshops and created the New York Goofs. Now, 10 years later, the Ultimate clown school has graduated over three hundred students.

Tiffany Riley, co-founder and director of the school, is also the clown partner of Dick Monday. Billed as Slappy and Monday, they travel the world performing in circuses, Theaters, and festivals while maintaining and producing shows at their family theater at the Galleria Dallas in Dallas, Texas.

The school is in session for two intense weeks each summer in New York City. The faculty assembles from around the globe, bringing many different disciplines and points of view from their world of clowning. Clowning, character, improvisation, movement, mask, material development, skills and circus history are the areas of focus each year with a core of teachers including Hovey Burgess (NYU), Larry Pisoni (Pickle Family Circus), Tiffany Riley, Barbara Karger (Mummenschanz), Jay Stewart (Ringling), Michael Preston (Flying Karamazov Bros.), Kim Winslow (Big Apple Clown Care) and Evelyn Tuths (NY Goofs) with special guest instructors from the world of physical comedy.

The Flea Theater, under Artistic Director Jim Simpson and Producing Director Carol Ostrow, is one of New York’s leading Off-Off-Broadway companies. Founded in 1996, The Flea’s mission is to raise the standards of Off-Off-Broadway for artists and audiences alike. From A.R. Gurney to Adam Rapp, from Mac Wellman to Will Eno, The Flea’s two intimate spaces are a home for established artists taking new risks, emerging artists developing their ideas, and mid-career artists building sustained identities. The Flea has been awarded a Drama Desk, an Otto, and numerous OBIEs for its commitment to adventurous theater, and its Dance Conversations and Music with a View series are must-see showcases for the early-stage work of choreographers and composers. The Flea has hosted important downtown music, dance and theater groups and this spring we are pleased to present: New York Art Ensemble, Nina Winthrop and Dancers, Electronic Music Foundation, Western Wind Vocal Ensemble, Concrete Temple, Fly-by-Night Dance Theater and the New York Goofs. To learn more about The Flea, visit www.theflea.org.



To reserve your spot, visit our website today at www.nygoofs.com or call 212.591.0028

SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES: Ted Healy and his Stooges in PLANE NUTS (1933)

Ted Healy, the team of Howard, Fine & Howard and Ms. Bonnie Bonnell in the MGM short Plane Nuts featuring stage material from the act that was known as "Ted Healy and his Stooges", "Ted Healy and his Southern Gentlemen", "Ted Healy and his Three Lost Souls" and "Ted Healy and his Racketeers".

It wasn't until the team of Howard, Fine & Howard split from Healy in 1934 that they began being billed as "The Three Stooges".

BILLY VAUGHN: With Mike Snider, Vidbel's Olde Tyme Circus

Photos courtesy of Billy Vaughn



More great photos just arrived from the Billy Vaughn Archives, these are of Billy and Mike performing the Watch Repair Gag on Vidbel's Olde Tyme Circus.

Vidbel's is rumored to be returning to the road this fall.

MILKO: Circus Herman Renz, 2008

A short documentary about clown Milko of the Dutch national circus Herman Renz. This version has been shortened for YouTube with respect to the original version of 14 minutes.

The credit (in Dutch):

Regie:
Alette van Zwieten
Karlijn Milder

Camera:
Remy Schepers

Geluid:
Yoeri van Echten

Productie:
Karlijn Milder
Remy Schepers
Alette van Zwieten

Montage:
Remy Schepers

HAROLD D: Al G Barnes Circus, 1925 & 26

A strange X-faced clown makeup that gives Chesty Mortimer and Jerry Bangs a run for their money in our annual Halloween post. I can't make out the entire signature but you can make out "Harold D".

It reads, "To Lawrence Swalley the "Prince of Joy" ??? a sad rival, Harold D?????? season 1925 & 26".

Anyone know more about the mysterious "Harold D"?

JOE PENNER: College Rhythm, 1934

Take a look at this footage of Joe Penner (which starts after the musical number featuring thousands including Jack Oakie and Franklin Pangborn) from the 1934 film College Rhythm and tell me that Jerome "Curly" Howard wasn't studying and absorbing Penner's unique physicality the way that Lou Costello was absorbing Curly's just a few years later.

Penner strikes me as the early talkies manic answer to the silent persona of Harry Langdon.

Penner died very young (in 1941 at the age of 37) after his popularity had run it's course. It would have been very interesting to see him, had he lived, hosting children's afternoon television in the 1950s (a la Pinky Lee), finding a new audience and asking a whole new generation of kids if they'd wanna buy a duck.

ROY BENSON: Chinese Sticks, 1955

The comedy magic of Roy Benson, who reminds me quite a bit of Wally Boag (or maybe Wally Boag reminds me of Roy Benson) on television in 1955.

EMMETT KELLY: Reno, Nevada

Emmett Kelly promoting an appearance in Reno, NV, undated.

My guess is that this would have to be sometime in the late 50s or early 60s.

NBC's CELEBRITY CIRCUS

...stinks.

BAVARIAN CLOWNS

Well, someone else out there has been studying Charlie Cairoli as well.

Ummmm...

TOM & EVERETT HART

I received this message the other night from Maura...

Hi Pat -

I was wondering if you could help me find more information about Tom & Everett Hart. They are my father's grand uncles.

Thanks!
Maura

Does anyone out there have any information on on Tom & Everett Hart?

SHANE: T-Ball Ceremony

Shane Cashin proudly displaying his certificate and medal upon the completion of his first season of t-ball.

In his final game he knocked three into the outfield in four at bats.

POODLES HANNEFORD: Undated Photo

A huge amount of the Edwin "Poodles" Hanneford estate has been generously donated to the International Clown Hall of Fame. The collection now includes several costumes, boxes of photos and news clippings as well as props.

Many of the whips that Poodles used in his act are now in the ICHOF's storage facility waiting to be displayed when they move to their permanent home next year.

PRINCE PAUL ALPERT: Undated Photo

An undated photo of The Prince in mid-makeup.

GROCK: In the Ring, 1950s

Video courtesy of 79350435


Grock's famous leap through the chair.

HIP RAYMOND: Sarasota/Gibsonton FL???

Is there anyone in the Sarasota/Gibsonton FL area who knows anything about what's become of Hip Raymond's car and props? Someone had mentioned to me about a year ago that they might become available but I haven't heard anything since.

I'm very interested in expanding that act and taking it back out on the road.

Please drop me a line at cashincomedy@yahoo.com.

Thanks,
~P

EGG BALANCE

The old standard, stretched beyond belief, by a guy dressed as Austin Powers.

Ummm...

THE INTERNATIONAL CLOWN HALL OF FAME: New Associate Board Members and Historians

I am extremely honored to announce Greg DeSanto and I have been asked by the Board of Directors to become Associate Board Members and Official Historians to the International Clown Hall of Fame.

FUNAMBOLIKA 2008

FUNAMBOLIKA 2008
Pescara, Italy, July 5-8, 2007

Funambolika 2008 is the 2ND edition of the summer circus arts festival focused on clowns, and conceived by Raffaele De Ritis.

It takes places in Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy, in the open-air Teatro D’Annunzio on the Adriatic beach. This is the same 2000-seats arena where it take places Pescara Jazz, one of the oldest and most prestigious jazz festivals in the world (www.pescarajazz.com), that is the same organizing company of Funambolika.

After presenting last year two great clown icons (Jango Edwards, David Larible), FUNAMBOLIKA will show this year again three original evenings:


July 5 - DUEL (Paul Staicu, piano – Laurent Cirade, cello), the comedy musical revelation of last year’s Edimburgh and Avignon Festival;

July 7- PETER SHUB, the legendary clown with his solo theatre show “Nice Night for an Evening”;

July 8 - GRAN GALA DU CIRQUE, an evening of international circus acts (from Monte Carlo Festival, Kiev School, Moscow Circus, Cirque du Soleil appearances) including among others juggler Boul, acrobat Maxim Popazov, contorsionist-swimmer Aqua and others, around a special guest star: ANDREI JIGALOV, the king of contemporary russian clowns.


Pescara is close!

With a beautiful seaside, lovely hills, the best wine and excellent fish.
The theatre and hotels are just 10 minutes drive from Aereoporto d’Abruzzo (www.abruzzo-airport.it ), regularly connected with: London, New York, Paris, Frankfurt, Munchen, Bruxelles, Barcelona, Stockolm, Toronto, Kiev, Rome, Milan, etc.
The Rome Fiumicino airport is 2 hours drive.
Organization: info@pescarajazz.com tel. (39) 085-6920057 – 4221463
Artistic direction: rderitis@hotmail.com

Organizing committee website: www. entemanifestazionipescaresi.it
Funambolika blog: www.funambolika.blogspot.com

PIERRE ETAIX: Bio & Petition

Link suggested by Don Covington




Pierre Etaix built his career principally around comedy. In 1954, he moved from his native Roanne to Paris where he would make a living as an illustrator and eventually as a solo performer in cabaret and variety venues. He would also work as a circus clown in partnership with Nino Fabbri.

In 1954, he met Jacques Tati for whom he worked for 4 years as a draughtsman and gagman in the preparation and shooting of Tati's film, Mon Oncle, and as an assistant-director during the shooting, also playing a small, uncredited role in that film. In 1961, he performed his own “number” in Tati's music-hall production, " Jour de Fête à I'Olympia".

In 1961, he became a filmmaker, realising two shorts - Rupture (FIPRESCI prize in Mannheim 1961) and Happy Birthday (Oscar in Hollywood 1962) - both co-written with Jean-Claude Carrière. Between 1962 and 1970, he realised five features: The Suitor (Prix LOUIS DELLUC 1963; the Comic Film Prize of the Moscow International Film Festival, 1963), Yoyo (Grand Prize - OCIC International Festival in Venice 1965), So Long as You're Healthy (Silver Siren at the International Festival of Sorrento), The Great Love (Grand Prize of French Cinema 1969) and The Land of Milk & Honey(Pays de cocagne, 1970).

In 1971, following the release of his fifth feature, he resumed work as a clown, touting France with Circus Pinder for approximately eight months.

In 1973, he wrote and acted in the stage show Whatever the Role (A quoi en joue) at the Théâtre Hébertot, winning the Society of Authors Award. The production then toured the provinces. By that time he had decided, with his wife Annie Fratellini, to found the first National Circus School in France. They also produced their own duo clown routines.

He is the author of many books including Hatbox, Dactylographismes, Stars System and Sketches of Jerry Lewis. In 1985, he signed his first play for the “legitimate” theatre: L 'Age de Monsieur est avancé(The Gentleman is getting on), which he adapted for television in 1987, co-starring in that version (title role) with Nicole Calfan and Jean Carmet.

In 1989, he directed the first ever fiction film made in the Omnimax format: I Write in Space. More recently, he collaborated in the DVD release of the complete collection of film shorts by Buster Keaton - namely, "The Art of Buster Keaton'. His most recent books include: The Men from ...,, Let's Criticise the Camera, You Must Call a Clown a Clown, Karabistouilles, and The Clown and the Scientist with mathematician Claude de Calan.

Please click the title of this post to sign a petition to (hopefully) expedite the commercial re-release of M. Etaix's films.

MIKHAIL USOV: Ping Pong

GLEN "KINKO" SUNBERRY: Al G. Barnes 1926

A very young Kinko Sunberry doing his comedy contortion act on the Al G. Barnes Circus in 1926.

CLOWN ALLEY: Al G. Barnes 1930

Photo courtesy of Bill Strong


Following yesterday's post about not be able to rely on program photos be sure which clowns were on which show in which year comes this picture from the 1930 Al G. Barnes program.

I'm not sure of the identity of the clown on the left. The clown on the right is Billy Rice. The clown in the center is a young Felix Adler and it is unlikely that he participated in any part of the Al G. Barnes tour of 1930.


This is, more likely, a Ringling Alley photo.

It is interesting though to see what it was that American circus clowns were doing in the days before rubber noses, when it was too warm outside for nose putty. Felix, Billy and Paul Jerome when he worked in whiteface all painted a red circle around their noses. It looks odd in photos but probably looked alright under canvas, from the seats.

CLOWN ALLEY: Bug Zapper

Video courtesy of Lance Brown



The more things change in the Ringling Alley, the more things stay the same...

CLOWN ALLEY: Sells-Floto, 1931

Photo courtesy of Bill Strong


Just because this photo appeared in the 1931 Sells-Floto program it doesn't necessarily mean that these are actually the clowns that appeared on that show that year.

American circus programs from that era are notorious for reprinting photos from other shows (usually Ringling/Barnum) in their programs.

SCOTT & MURIEL: Monte Carlo 2008