Each donation over $50.00 between 5:00-6:00 PM EST gets a pristine copy of the 1999 ICHOF induction poster featuring Bill Irwin, Richard “Snowflake” Snowberg, Charlie Rivel, Bob “Hambone” Hamilton and Umberto “Antonet” Guillame.
The highest bidder of the hour will win a copy signed by Tony Award winner Bill Irwin, Richard Snowberg, Bob Hamilton and artist Jim Howle.
This is the very rarest of all the ICHOF posters. There were fewer signed copies of this induction poster than any other year so if you've always wanted Bill Irwin's autograph, NOW IS THE TIME TO GET IT!
ICHOF Director Greg DeSanto has just informed me that we have added a 3:00 PM Grand Prize Game:
The single largest donation over $50. in the 3:00-4:00 PM EST hour will receive a copy of the extremely rare, and much sought after, book Circus Storiesby the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus'only living Master Clown, the one and only Glen "Frosty" Little.
If you've spent years searching eBay in vain, here it is, folks! Hotorini!
Our 1:00 PM Grand Prize Game is for the 1994 ICHOF induction poster. Each and every donation of $50.00 or more wins you a pristine copy of this Maurice Porcelain poster featuring Nicolai "Coco" Poliakoffs, Bumpsey Anthony, Jim Howle, Joe Jackson and Annie Fratellini.
The largest donation in the 1:00 - 2:00PM EST hour wins a copy autographed by Jim Howle (with added caricature), Mike Coco, Bumpsey's daughter, Joe's Jackson's daughter Ruth Jackson, a relative of Annie Fratellini's as well as artist Maurice Porcelain.
Keep those donations coming!!!
CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS MORNING'S GRAND PRIZE GAME WINNER: KENNY MIKEY!
Hello and welcome to the final day of the ICHOF's "First of Mayday" fund raising event.
Let's kick things off with a very special "Grand Prize Game" offer. Each and every donation of $50. or more made between 10:00 and 11:00 AM EST will receive a pristine autographed poster of WGN's Roy "Cookie" Brown, a longtime fixture of WGN's Bozo's Circus.
To make a donation, simply click the PayPal button at the top of the right hand column on this page. You don't need a PayPal account to use the PayPal service but you DO need to make a PayPal donation to be in the running for the Grand Prize Game. In other words: You Have to Be In IT to Win It!
We will be running additional Grand Prize Games during the 1:00 and 5:00 hours as well as the mother-of-all biggies at 9:00 PM tonight.
And tomorrow morning we have a very special announcement about the ICHOF and the Grand Opening in our new home in Baraboo, WI.
Yesterday's Grand Prize Game winner was: Mr. Jack Painter!
Please click the title of this post to read John (Ren & Stimpy) Kricfalusi's thoughtful analysis of Chuck Jones' 1956 Looney Tunes short Barabary Coast Bunny. This is one of my favorite blogs for animation history and never fails to amaze me just how many parallels there are between classic cartoon animation and good clowning.
Today has been steady, but still not as big as Tuesday was so...
The very next donation of $100. or more after 9:00 PM EST wins a pristine signed 1998 ICHOF induction poster autographed by the lovely and talented Ms. Peggy Williams, Blinko & Maran Burch, a relative of Robert Armin and artist Mark Refro.
Keep 'em coming folks! We just received a large shipment of Clown College-era George Shellenberger clown props today that are going to need a little restoration work so they'll be ready for the Grand Opening!
Wednesday was a little slower than Tuesday. We had several very generous donations but we still have a ways to go if we are going to meet our goal by midnight Friday, so...
Today's Drive Time Grand Prize is the ICHOF 1995 poster featuring the Sherman Bros, Don Burda, Jimmy "Happy" Williams, Dimitri and Poodles Hannedford. Any and all donations over $50. made during that hour will receive a pristine copy of the poster.
The largest donation made between 5:00 and 6:00 PM EST will receive a copy autographed by Joe Vani (Sherman), Don Burda, HappyWilliams, Masha Dimitri, Gracie Hannedford and artist Mark Renfro.
Good luck, thank you all and get ready tomorrow for more prizes and a very special announcement!
If you've never read Arthur "Milo" Brandon's autobiography Milo & Roger: A Magical Life then stop what you are doing right now, track down a copy (at any price) and read it. Now.
Today's Drive Time gift is the rare ICHOF 1996 induction poster with Bob Bell, Boom Boom Baily, Jackie LeClaire and Bert Williams.
Every contribution of $50. or more between 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM EST today will receive a pristine copy of the poster, suitable for framing.
The largest contribution of the hour will receive a copy of the poster signed by WGN-TV's longtime Bozo the Clown Bob Bell, Boom Boom Baily, a relative of the great Bert Williams, the legendary Jackie LeClaire and artist Mark Renfro.
I just checked the ICHOF "First of Mayday!" tote board and we are just shy of halfway to our stated goal.
So... it's time to sweeten the pot!
From 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM EST today EACH AND EVERY person who donates $50. or more will receive a rare ICHOF induction poster. The person who makes the LARGEST donation in that hour will receive a copy of that poster autographed by inductees, their heirs and the artist.
Check back at 4:00 PM to find out which year's induction poster will be our special Wednesday Drive Time gift and who's autographs are up for grabs. Then check back after 7:00 PM EST tonight to see who won!
We had a spectacular first day, not exactly on track to meet our anticipated goal but far better than we'd hoped for a first day!
Thank you, each and every one of you, who have made a donation so far. Each donation is greatly appreciated and some of you have been remarkably generous. Anything that you can send, large or small, will make a world of difference in these difficult final days before the Grand Opening in our new home in Baraboo, WI.
Some folks are having trouble getting to the PayPal site from the link here on clownalley.net. I don't know why that is. It works for some and not for others. If the link isn't working for you, please go directly toPayPal and "send money" under the ID "cashincomedy@yahoo.com". I'm not using the account for anything else this month so each and every donation is logged and every dime in the account will go directly to the International Clown Hall of Fame.
You do not need a PayPal account to send money via PayPal, just a credit card, a debit card or a checking account.
Some folks couldn't get through and have pledged to snail mail their checks directly to the ICHOF. That's great and we're extremely thankful, but time is of the essence and PayPal is the fastest way to meet (and possibly exceed) our stated goal with minimum impact on the environment. Save a tree, save a stamp, save the fossil fuels needed to get from here to there and send it electronically so we have it in hand ASAP : )
Thanks,
Pat Cashin Member, Board of Directors International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center
Whenever I ask any older American circus performers the question "Who was the very best clown you've ever seen?" the answer always comes back one of two people: Otto Griebling or Bobo Barnett.
To quote the immortal Dr. Suess, “From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere.”
May 1st of this year will begin our sixth month of caretakers of the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center. It has been our privilege to collect, organize and hold in our hands the artifacts and history of this thing we do and love called clowning. To be in the same room with the props, scrapbooks, wardrobe, photo’s and books of some of the greatest funny people on earth has been a gift that we will never forget or stop appreciating. But it’s really the memories and life stories that these items hold that make them so special.
As we pick up steam in preparing for our opening weekend, we are continuing to deal with the other aspects of running a museum. As much as we need to be self-sufficient and strong in our business endeavors, we also inherited many financial challenges and past debts. Working alongside us are community leaders and some angels in the tax accounting and legal fields. Their work, all done pro-bono, has allowed us to begin to make our way right in all aspects of our business life. The road ahead is long, but we have created a positive business model and are working toward a conservative, professional future.
With little less than 4 weeks away from our grand opening, we come to you and ask for your help and support. Our physical space is nearly complete, but still needs funding for exhibits and restoration. Our goal is to create a base of stable exhibitions that will encompass all aspects of clowning and offer tribute to the finest professional performers of the clown arts. To showcase the artifacts and create the necessary presentations, we need funds to properly display these priceless parts of our clown history.
If you believe in what we are trying to do and would like to support us further, please consider donating any amount you feel comfortable with to this project. ClownAlley.net has generously offered to let us use their PayPal feature on the website, www.clownalley.net for financial contributions. We are a 501(3) C not for profit organization and all your contributions are 100% deductible as allowed by law. Checks can be mailed to ICHOF PO Box 204 Baraboo, WI 53913.
In closing, we’ve set a minimum goal of $5,000 by midnight Friday, April 30, 2010. Please consider helping build the future of the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center.
We thank you, but most of all the clowns thank you.
Greg DeSanto Executive Director International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center
> PLEASE CLICK THE PAYPAL LINK AT THE TOP OF THE RIGHT HAND COLUMN TO MAKE A DONATION! THANK YOU!!! >
The art of the clown is not just a profession, but a life style that demand an understanding of emotion, sesitivity, passion, pathos and hart. J.Edwards
(Next NOUVEAU CLOWN INSTITUTE masterclass in October 2010!!! www.clownfish.es/nci.htm nouveauclown@gmail.com Facebook groups: Nouveau Clown Institute and N.C.I.-Second Class- March 2010)
TEORÍA DEL CLOWN CON JANGO EDWARDS EN BARCELONA
El arte del clown no es solo una profesión sino un modo de vivir que exige emoción, sensibilidad, patetismo y corazón. J.Edwards
Próxima masterclass del NOUVEAU CLOWN INSTITUTE en Octubre 2010 www.clownfish.es/nci.htm nouveauclown@gmail.com Facebook grupos: Nouveau Clown Institute and N.C.I.-Second Class- March 2010)
Laurel and Hardy are in the fish business. They drive around town seeing if they can sell any. Stan suggests they catch their own fish and keep all the profits. Ollie likes the idea of cutting out the "middleman" so they buy a boat at a junk yard. After testing it for leaks by filling it with water and some setbacks such as dropping an anchor through the hull and sawing through the mast, they succeed in fixing it up. When the boat is finally ready, the whole operation goes south when they decide to hoist the sail.
Towed in a Hole was remade by The Three Stooges in their 1945 short Booby Dupes.
Cirque du Soleil to create new Cirque du Soleil-themed shows
By Bob Loblaw April 20, 2010
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Cirque du Soleil has announced that it will develop a series of shows based on the popular Canadian circus, Cirque du Soleil, representatives for the popular Canadian circus said on Tuesday.
The projects include touring and permanent shows and a nightclub to open in Las Vegas. The first project from the partnership will be an arena touring show expected to open in late fall 2011.
"Having attended Cirque du Soleil performances, I am a huge fan," John Branco, a representative of the Canadian circus said in a statement.
"We are excited to be partners with Cirque du Soleil to give Cirque's fans a truly unique way to hear, see and experience Cirque's unique Cirque-itude-iness," Branco said.
Cirque du Soleil and Canadian circus company Cirque du Soleil will each own half of each project arising from the partnership. They will split development and production costs, representatives for the popular Canadian circus said.
Katherine Luc-du-Sault-Saint Marie of Cirque du Soleil said in a statement, "Cirque is thrilled that Cirque du Soleil will pay tribute to Cirque us Soleil in such an important way."
The Canadian-based Cirque du Soleil currently has shows in Las Vegas based on singer Elvis Presley, called "Viva Elvis", a Beatles-themed show, called “Love” and two shows based on something Justin Beiber tweeted last week.
No matter how hard I try to find out the name of Mr. Darewahl's partner, no matter where they appeared they were always billed as "Walter Darewahl (or Dare Wahl) and Company.
* Tommy Moore tells me that Mr. Darewahl's partner was Johnny Trama when he appeared on the Jackie Gleason Show in the 1960s where they were still billed as "Walter Darewahl & Johnny". This footage from Star Spangled Rhythm, as well as their appearance in Top Banana may or may not all feature Mr. Trama as "& Co."
All of the power here is in Olivia's hands. The toddler chose to meet the clown, gives him a high five and chooses when to go. THIS is how you empower a toddler who is probably meeting a clown for the first time.
Last night I had the opportunity to watch and meet another of my heroes, Mr. Neil Innes. Mr. Innes started his comedy and musical career as part of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and performed on DO NOT ADJUST YOUR SET alongside future Monty Python members Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. He appeared in the last season on MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS, plays Sir Robin's minstrel in MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL and joined them onstage at City Center in New York and again at the Hollywood Bowl. He was also a regular on Eric Idle's post-Python show, RUTLAND WEEKEND TELEVISION and wrote all the absolutely dead-on, brilliant Beatles song parodies for THE RUTLES.
Neil Innes is a brilliant comic mind and a tremendous talent. If ANY of the dates on his tour schedule are ANYWHERE near you DO NOT miss the chance to see him live.
2010 US Tour
April 11 Ocean County Library Toms River NJ April 13 The Turning Point - Piermont,NY April 14 Night Cat - Easton, MD April 15 Jammin' Java - Vienna, VA (Wash. DC area) April 16 Record Collector Bordentown, NJ April 18 Iron Horse Northampton, MA April 20 BB King's New York, NY April 21 The Lovin' Cup Rochester, NY April 22 Hugh's Room Toronto, ON April 23 This Ain’t Hollywood Hamilton, Ontario April 25 The Doug Fir Portland Oregon April 26 The Triple Door Seattle, WA April 28 Cobbs, San Francisco CA April 30 McCabe’s Guitar Shop Santa Monica, CA May 1 Acoustic Music San Diego, CA May 2 Skye Peoria, AZ (Phoenix)
2010 UK Dates
19 MarchROPETACKLE ARTS CENTRE Shoreham by Sea West Sussex BN43 5EE 01273 464440
20 March THE TOWER ARTS CENTRE Romsey Road, Winchester, SO22 5PW 01962 867 986
28 MarchTHE STAND COMEDY CLUB 333 Woodlands Road Glasgow G3 6NG 0870 600 6055
9 May PAVILION THEATRE Cromer Pier, Cromer NR27 9HE TEL 01263 512495 (PART OF CROMER FOLK FESTIVAL)
1 June HALF MOON 93 Lower Richmond Road Putney, London SW15 1EU TEL 020 8780 9383
3 June THE GUILDHALL Guildhall Lane, Leicester LE1 5FQ TEL 0116 253 2569
4 June THE ROPEWALK Maltkiln Road, Barton-On-Humber North Lincolnshire, DN18 5JT TEL: 01652 660380
5 June THE ARC ARTS CENTRE Dovecot Street, Stockton-On-Tees TS18 1LL TEL 01642 525199
11 June THE THEATRE 2 Spring Street, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire OX7 5NL TEL 01608 642 350
9 July THE CHICKENSHED THEATRE 290 Chase Side, Southgate, London N14 4PE TEL 0208 351 6161
Chesty Mortimer and a whiteface partner performing the boxing gag in an undated photo. I'm going to guess that this is from the late 20s/early 30s. I have footage of Lou Jacobs performing the gag on Ringling in the 30s, probably just about the same time that Otto Griebling and Freddie Freeman were establishing their version on the Cole Bros. Circus.
Happy 60th Birthday today to my friend and teacher, Mr. Jango Edwards, one of the most unique, inspired and inspiring clowns that the world has ever seen.
The first few photos to emerge from last Friday's Ringling PR in which Al Rios, Watson Kawecki, Mike Richter, Joel Jeske, Peter Strauss and I set up our trunks, on a beautiful spring day, in front of Macy's in Herald Square and proceeded to turn it into Clown Alley. We made up, joked and even had a "high card" (I won!) and when we were all finished we worked the crowd, sat for 10,000 photos and were escorted back to the Garden by the two prettiest officers in the whole NYPD...
Watching from the sidelines were Ruth Chaddock, Alan Miller, Jennifer Jo, Amy Alter, the Barney family and my very Plonsky friend, Michael Karp. I hope I'm not leaving anybody out!
And with that, gentle readers, clownalley.net takes a one week Spring Break.
The kids are all asleep now? Good! Let's all watch a cartoon made the way cartoons were made back when the used to make cartoons the way cartoons ought to be made!
Easter Yeggs (1947) is a 1946 Looney Tunes animated short originally released theatrically on June 28, 1947. Story by Warren Foster, with Layouts by Cornett Wood, and Backgrounds by Richard H. Thomas. Animation by Charles McKimson, Dick Bickenbach, and I. Ellis. Directed by Robert McKimson. It is that director's second Bugs Bunny effort (following the previous year's Acrobatty Bunny), and his first Bugs & Elmer cartoon. (Arthur Q. Bryan plays Elmer; all other voices are by Mel Blanc.)
The title is a play on "Easter eggs" and on "yegg", a slang term for a burglar or safecracker.
This was the 500th cartoon short released by Warner Bros., they would release exactly 500 more after this.
Plot
Bugs Bunny finds the Easter Bunny (also called the "Easter Rabbit" throughout this cartoon) sitting on a rock, crying. The Easter Bunny tells Bugs that his feet are sore, so he cannot deliver the Easter eggs. Bugs takes up the job, not knowing that, every year, the Easter Bunny gets some "dumb bunny" to do his work for him.
The first house the "joyous bunny" visits bears a name by the door: Dead End Kid, and the mean little red-haired kid who lives inside throws the egg at Bugs' face, bites him and beats Bugs up before body slamming him on the floor. Bugs loses his cool and grabs the kid's arm. Unfortunately, Dead End Kid screams and three huge thugs rush in on Bugs while aiming guns at him. Bugs barely escapes the hail of bullets. When Bugs rushes back to the Easter Bunny telling him he quits, the Easter Bunny gets him to "try once more".
Unfortunately, the next house is that of Elmer Fudd, the veteran wabbit-hater. Fudd sets up an elaborate welcome and, disguised as a baby, hides his gun in a bassinet and climbs in. Just then Bugs arrives, but this time he's prepared for toddler resistance: he cracks the egg in Elmer's hands. Thus commences the classic chase until Bugs manages to sic Dead End Kid on Elmer (who beats Elmer on the head repeatedly with a hammer). Finally, Bugs plants a bomb painted like an easter egg and leaves it for the Easter Bunny. When he picks it up to finish his job, Bugs lights the fuse, proclaiming to the audience "it's the suspense that gets me," and the bomb explodes on the Easter Bunny, leaving the hapless hen-fruit handler hanging high up in a tree. Bugs' parting shot: "Remember, Doc, keep smiling!" The cartoon irises out as Bugs starts laughing.
Annotations and subreferences
* The main titles are set to the quaint old pop-tune "Some Sunday Morning".
* Despite the obvious Easter theme, the cartoon was released in June.
* The Easter Rabbit's despondent voice and his therefore ironic catch phrase, "Keep Smiling!", are a takeoff of a character created by Mel Blanc for George Burns and Gracie Allen's radio show during the 1940s; Mel's character was called "The Happy Postman".
* The funny little snicker used first by the Easter Rabbit, and then by Bugs at the end of the cartoon, "A-heh-heh!" is borrowed directly from Blanc's other employer, Jack Benny.
* Carl Stalling's scoring of this cartoon includes a rendition of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" to accompany Fudd's welcome of the "Technicolor hen fruit" courier.
* Dead End Kid and his complaint, "He bwoke my widdow awm!!", is a takeoff of Red Skelton's popular radio character Junior the Mean Widdle Kid. Blanc would use a similar line with Tweety Bird in A Tale of Two Kitties: "Aw, da poor putty tat - he cwushed his widdow head!"
* Fudd's "Dick Twacy hat" refers to the popular comic-strip character from mid-20th-century America.
* This cartoon has even been seen aired (and vocally redubbed) in China, along with Gorilla My Dreams.
* The Dead End Kid would reappear in The Tiny Toons Spring Break Special in a cameo appearance where he attacks Ross Perot.
Song
The song Bugs sings was a tune previously sung by the prototypical Bugs Bunny in Hare-um Scare-um. Partial lyrics in Easter Yeggs:
Here's the Easter Rabbit, hooray! The happy Easter Rabbit, hooray! I am getting Looney Tuney, touched in the head This whole thing is gooney, I should-a stood in bed. etc.
Partial lyrics in Hare-um Scare-um:
I'm going cuckoo, woo-woo! Here comes the choo-choo, woo-woo! I'm so gooney Looney Tuney, touched in the head Please pass the ketchup, I think I'll go to bed etc.
"But I'm gonna put a cat on you ...was the coolest, grooviest, swingin'est, wailin'est, strumminest, swingin'est cat that ever stomped on this jumpin' green sphere.
And they called dis here cat ... Da Nazz!"
Well it's a kick anyway, isn't it? What a great thing it is to be alive!
M'Lords, M'Ladies ... beloveds, would it embarrass you very much if I were to tell you ... that I love you? It embarrasses you, doesn't it? Mmm.
Now look at all you cats and kittys out there whippin' and wailin' and jumpin' up and down an suckin' up all dat juice ...an pattin' each other on the back an hippin' each other who the greatest cat in the world is ... eh-heh.
Mr. Malenkov,
Mr. Talenkov,
Mr. Eisenhower,
Mr. Whoozer-wheezer,
Mr. Whiser-whooser,
Mr. Woodhill, Mr. Beachhill, an' Mr. Churchill,
an all them other hills gon' get you straight, and if they cain't getchu straight they know a cat that knows a cat who'll straighten you.
But I'm gonna put a cat on you ... was the coolest, grooviest, swingin'est, wailin'est, strumminest, swingin'est cat that ever stomped on this jumpin' green sphere.
And they called dis here cat ... Da Nazz!
(low) He was a ...
He was a carpenter kittie.
Now, The Nazz was the kind of a cat that come on so cool and so groovy and so with-it that when he laid it down ...
WA-BOM!!
... it ~stayed~ there.
Naturally all the rest of the cats said, "Man, look at that cat wail! He's wailin' up a storm up there. Hey, I'm tellin' ya, he layin' it down right, he..."
"Get off my back, Jack! What's the matter with you? I'm tryin' to dig what the cat's puttin' down!"
They're pushin' The Nazz to dig his miracle lick.
And The Nazz say, "Cool, babies. Tell ya' what I'm gonna do. I ain't gonna take two, four six, eight of you cats, but I'm gonna take all twelve of you studs and straighten you all at the same time."
"Say, you cats look like you pretty hip."
He say, "You buddy with me."
So The Nazz and his buddies was goofin' off down the boulevard one day ... and they run into a little cat with a bent frame.
So The Nazz look at this little cat with the bent frame and he say, "Watsamatta wit' chew, baby?"
Little cat with the bent frame he said, "My frame is bent, Nazz." Say, "It's been bent from in front."
So The Nazz look at the little cat with a bent frame and he put the Golden Eyes of Love on this here little kittie and he look right down into the window of the little cat's soul and he say to the little cat ... he say, "STRAIGHTEN!"
Rooom - Boom!
Unbent that little cat like an arrow.
And everybody's jumpin' up and down sayin' ...
"Look what The Nazz put on that boy!"
"You dug him before. Said redig him now!"
Everyone's talkin' about The Nazz. What a great cat he was. How he swung with the glory of love. How he straighten out the squares.
How he stomp into the money changin' carts and kicked the short change all over the place and knockin' the corners off the squares.
How he put it down to the one cat, dug it. Didn't dig it. Put it down twice, dug it. Didn't dig it. Put it down a third time, dug it. Boom! Walked away with his eyes buggin out in the air bumpin' into everybody.
And they're pullin' on The Nazz's coat tail. They want him to sign the autograph. They want him to do a gig here, do a gig there, play the radio, play the video. He can't make all that jazz!
Like I 'splained to you he's a carpenter kitty, got his own lick.
But when he know he should go and show and blow, and can't go cause he got too much strain on him, straightenin' out the squares, he sends a couple of these cats that he's hippin'.
So came a little sixty-cent gig one day, and The Nazz was in a bind, and he put it on a couple of his boys. He say, "Boys, take care of that for me, would ya?"
And they say, "You take it off your wig, Nazz, we'll cool it."
And they started out to straighten it out for The Nazz.
And they got about half way to where they were goin' and they came to a little old twenty-cent pool of water and they got right in the pool of water with the boat and all of a sudden, Blam!, the lightnin' flashin' and the thunder roarin' and the boat is goin' up and down and these poor cats figured every minute gonna be their last and one cat look up and.... here come The Nazz!
Cool as anyone you see. Right across the water.
Stompin'
And there was a little cat on board, I think his name was Jude.
He say, "Hey, Nazz, can I make it out there witcha?"
And The Nazz say, "Make it, Jude!"
Old Jude went stompin' off that boat, took four steps, dropped his whole cart, and the Nazz had to stash him back on board.
So The Nazz say, "Say, what seem to be troublin' you boys?"
He say, "You hittin' on that S.O.S.in' bell pretty hard. You gonna bend that bell, knockin' on it like that."
One of the cats say, " 'What seems to be troublin' ya?!?!' Can't ya see the storm's goin' and the lightnin' flashin' and the thunder roarin'...?"
And The Nazz say, "I told you to stay cool, didn't I, babies?"
To the people who don't know what it means to believe, to "stay cool" is to be, to have the sweet fragrance of serenity rock ya' away.
So now everybody's talkin' about The Nazz.
Oh, this beautiful, swingin' man.
How he's settin' the country on fire with great sparks of great love like a swingin' non-stop satellite goin' through all the lands and valleys and puttin' down the scene with such beauty and such power and such charm that there are now sparks seventy-five feet long shootin' out of the grapevine and they now got five thousand of these little cats and kitties in The Nazz's home town, where the cat live, lookin' to get straight.
Well, he knows he can't straighten them there. It's too small a place to want to hang everybody up.
So The Nazz backed away a little bit and he look at these cats and these kitties and he say, "Come on, babies. Let's cut on out down the pike."
And there went The Nazz.
And these five thousand cats and kitties are stompin' up a storm.
Behind them there's a great love river of joy. It's goin' like a great chain through these gorgeous cats and kitties as they're swingin' along on the beat of the Nazz and the birds are flyin' on one side and singin' love songs to these cats and kitties and there's a great jubilee of love.
And The Nazz talkin' about how pretty the hour, how pretty the flower, how pretty you, how pretty me, how pretty the tree. Nazz had them pretty eyes. He wanted everybody to see with pretty eyes and see how pretty it was.
And they're havin' such a glorious swingin' time that before you know it they were forty-two miles out of town and ain't nobody got the foist biscuit.
So The Nazz look at them cats and kitties and he say, "You hungry, ain't ya, babies?"
And the cats say, "Yea, Nazz." Say, "We was diggin' so hard on what you was puttin' down we didn't pre-pare." Say, "We goofed."
So The Nazz say, "Well we gotta take it easy here. We wouldn't want to go ahead and order up something you might not like, would we."
And they said, "Sweet double hipness, you put it down and we'll pick it up."
And the Nazz step away a little bit. And he put a glorious sound of love on.
He said, "Oh, sweet swingin' flowers of the field."
And they said, "Oh, great non-stop singular song to beauty."
And he said, "Stomp upon the terra." They did.
He said, "Lift your miracle the body." The body went up.
He said, "Lift your arms." The arms went up.
He said, "Higher." They went higher.
He said, "DIG INFINITY!" And they dug it!
And when they did, Whap!, there was a flash of thunder and they looked in one hand was a great, big, stuffed, sweet, swingin', smoked fish.
And in the other a long, gone, crazy loaf of that southern, home-made, honey-tastin', sweet bread.
Tino Gaona has halted the wrecking ball and may really have the momentum going this time to actually restore and re-open the circus arena in Venice, FL. This is the arena where Ringling had its Winter Quarters from 1960-1992 and Clown College was held there annually from it's inception in 1968 until the arena was closed in 1992.
Click the title of this post! Join the Facebook group! Support the project!
I, for one, would like to see the International Clown Hall of Fame run an 8 to 10 week training program there each summer ;0)
Ladies and gentlemen, below you will find, for the first time anywhere, the brand new logo of the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center in Baraboo, WI.
Thank you to Sandy Weber for his fantastic design work. For more of Sandy's work, please click here.
As the ICHOF's new Director Greg DeSanto puts it, "It's the first step of many in the next days and weeks as the ICHOF moves forward to its grand opening celebration."
Our Grand Prize Game for the 5:00 hour is...
