PROF. PAUL WENZEL: Sparks Circus (1927)

WITH BELLO NOCK: Melha Shrine Circus (April 25, 2015)

Pat Cashin and Bello Nock backstage at the Melha Shrine Circus in Springfield, MA
(Photo courtesy of Bello Nock)

CHESTY MORTIER (1941)

Chester Mortier, Clown, 1941
Photo © Sverre O. Braathen, Illinois State Univerity

FUNNY GEORGE: Duffy's Circus (1911)

PAUL JUNG and RED NOSE DAY

 

Today marks the 50th anniversary of learning of Paul Jung's death at New York's Forrest Hotel at 224 W. 49th St, just around the corner from Madison Square Garden.

Jung, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' chief Producing Clown for 22 years, was murdered by two heroin addicts for $40. and his typewriter.

They were arrested pawning the typewriter.

But, as if the Comic Universe was attempting to right this terrible wrong, one month from today is Red Nose USA Day! Red Nose Day is a campaign dedicated to raising money for children and young people living in poverty by simply having fun and making people laugh. A 30 year institution in the UK, the inaugural Red Nose Day will be held in the US today. People across the country will come together to have fun and raise funds and awareness. The day's events will culminate in a three-hour entertainment TV special on NBC featuring the country's favorite comedians, musicians and Hollywood stars.

So get ready to make someone laugh, watch the show May 21st and BE SURE TO MENTION that you are donating in honor of Paul Jung's memory!

Visit https://www.rednoseday.org/about for more info on Red Nose Day USA!

THE FRANCESCOS: The Haunted House (1968)

Courtesy of Lionel Lutringer

FATTINI: La Piste aux Etoiles

FATTINI ET SON REVERBERE A LA PISTE AUX ETOILES MIS EN LIGNE PAR VOTRE SERVITEUR LIONEL LUTRINGER
Posted by Lionel Lutringer on Sunday, April 19, 2015

GEORGE CARL: Am laufenden Band (1974)

DONOVAN & BYL: Tumbling Tomfoolery (1945)

JACK STANFORD: Eccentric Dance (1935)

Link courtesy of Betsy Batos and Michael Karp

LOU JACOBS

THIS is EXACTLY what a circus, and a circus clown, look like.

FRANKIE SALUTO: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey

1973 

1968

RINGLING BROS. AND BARNUM & BAILEY: When Sir Paul Met Prince Paul (1974)

RINGLING BROS. AND BARNUM & BAILEY: Paul Jung and Lou Jacobs (Undated)

Paul Jung and Lou Jacobs in the Clown Alley of the Greatest Show on Earth.

"And All Was Right With the World... "

IN MEMORIAM: FRANCIS (FRANK) "SLIVERS OAKLEY" ANDERSON

Courtesy of Bill Strong

THE AUSTINS

Photo courtesy of Sue Lenz

Alby (top), Spider and Billy Merchant

ACHILLE ZAVATTA

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer

Post by Lionel Lutringer.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GREG DESANTO!

Birthday greetings go out today to International Clown Hall of Fame Director Greg DeSanto, pictured here in the final circus related photo taken at the historic Venice Arena before its demolition.

FELIX ADLER & FRANKIE SALUTO: Dagmar's Canteen (April 12, 1952)

Link courtesy of Beth Grimes

 Jump forward to the 24:30 mark to watch Felix Adler and Frankie Saluto in a PR hit for the annual appearance of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at Madison Square Garden.

FRITZ & JEAN HUBERT (1934)

Post by Geo. Willeman.

TOM "TEPPY" PICCARD: Circus Hall of Fame, Sarasota, FL (Circa 1970s)

RECO: Bertram Mills Circus (Circa 1956)

His name was Reco. I do not know whether or not he wore a diamond.

BOCKY & RANDEL: MIlitary Entree

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer

CHARLIE CAIROLI AND CO. : La Piste aux Etoiles

Post by Lionel Lutringer.

BARBER SHOP ENTREE: Alex & Francini with Bernard Haller

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer

HAIR GROWER GAG: Unknown (Circa early 1950s)

RBB&B CLOWN ALLEY: "The Funny 40" (Billboard April 20, 1957)

Felix Adler

CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations go out today to Ryan and Tatiana Combs on the birth of their daughter!

Welcome to the club, kiddo!

BANANA/BANDANA: Carl-Einar Hackner (Melbourne Comedy Festival 2011)

He won the festival and then came back and did the Fun Magic Coloring Book for an encore.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TOM PARISH!

POODLES HANNEFORD AND PERCY CLARKE (Undated, Circa 1930s)

Poodles Hanneford and Percy Clarke

ROSE HANLON (Undated, Circa late 40s)

Felix Adler in walkaround costume and Rose Hanlon of the famous Hanlon-Lees family.

JE SUIS CHARLIE

Courtesy of Beth Grimes

LOU JACOBS AND BLUCH LANDOLF (Undated, Circa 1930s)

Lou Jacobs and Bluch Landolf

JE SUIS CHARLIE

Courtesy of Greg Parks

FRANKIE SALUTO, JIMMY ARMSTRONG & SHORTY HINKLE (Undated, late 50s/early 60s)

Frankie Saluto, Jimmy Armstrong and Shorty Hinkle.
This may have been taken in the very early days of the Beatty-Cole show.

BERNARDO CRESPO: Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus (Circa 1970)

SHRINE CIRCUS PARADE: Austin, TX (1960s)

At the :18 mark look for International Clown Hall of Fame inductee Ernie "Blinko" Burch riding atop a truck, shooting balloons out into the crowd and wearing the same outfit he wore at the 1964 World's Fair putting this roughly in that timeframe.

If someone out there knows who the producers were for the Austin, TX Shrine dates in the 60s we could probably figure this out. Gil Gray did the Texas dates for many years. Blinko did a lot of work for Al Dobritch.

RBB&B: Under Canvas (Home Movie Footage 1950s)

Look for glimpses of Paul Jung's "Adam Smasher", Emmett Kelly, Charlie Bell, Paul Jerome, Joe Ward, Felix Adler and Paul Wenzel's silk and wire elephant/butterfly costumes all in three rings and two stages and all under canvas...

HAPPY LOU YEAR!

A very happy 2015 to one and all and a Happy Birthday to legendary American circus clown Lou Jacobs, who performed with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for 60 years, and was born January 1st 1903 in Bremerhaven, Germany.

MERRY CHRISTMAS: Peace On Earth, Goodwill to All (2014)

WALTER DARE WAHL AND EMMETT OLDFIELD: The Patty Page Show (1956)

CLOWN WORKSHOP WITH STEVE & RYAN IN FAIRFIELD, NJ: December 11, 2014

If you are a clown in the NY/NJ/CT/Eastern PA area, DO NOT MISS THIS WORKSHOP NEXT WEEK!!!

HOUSCH-MA-HOUSCH

SPIONE: Clown Scene (Fritz Lang, 1928)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JACKO FOSSETT (11/11/22)

Photo courtesy of Sue Lenz

6 Comedy Lessons that Chuck Jones Learned From Tex Avery

Courtesy of Cartoon Brew

Click to read the entire piece written by Chuck Jones for the Sunday, August 31, 1980 edition of the Los Angeles Tribune.

In this 1980 tribute to legendary animation director Tex Avery, fellow legendary director Chuck Jones shared six lessons that he learned about comedy from working with Avery in the 1930s. The advice remains essential to any animation director working today:

1. You must love what you caricature. You must not mock it—unless it is ridiculously self-important, like the solemn live-action travelogues of that day.
2. You must learn to respect that golden atom, that single-frame of action, that 1/24th of a second, because the difference between lightning and the lightning bug may hinge on that single frame.
3. You must respect the impulsive thought and try to implement it. You cannot perform as a director by what you already know, you must depend on the flash of inspiration that you do not expect and do not know.
4. You must remember always that only man, of all creatures, can blush, or needs to; that only a man can laugh, or needs to, and that if you are in that trade of helping others to laugh and to survive by laughter, then you are privileged indeed.
5. Remember always that character is all that matters in the making of great comedians in animation and in live-action.
6. Keep always in your mind, your heart and your hand that timing is the essence, the spine, and the electrical magic of humor—and of animation.

PUDDLES PITY PARTY: Hallelujah (2014)

VALERY GLOZMAN & YURY KARASHKEVICH

LATTI

CHARLIE BELL: Clown at Madison Square Garden

ALONSO & HERMANOS RAMPIN

JULES GUERIN: Circus Clowns, Backstage Dressing Room (1904)

THE NEW RIVELINOS: Festival Internacional de Payasos (Nov. 2013)

KARATE MASTER

THE SADDRI DANCERS: Hollywood Palace (March 8, 1969)

THE THREE STOOGES

MARCELINE ORBES: The Mishaps of Marceline, Reconstructed (1915)

THE PICKLE FAMILY CIRCUS CLOWNS

LARRY CROSS & DAVID STRONG: Gil Gray Circus (1963)

Photo courtesy of Bill Strong

Lawrence Cross and David Strong, less than a year old.

THE INTERNATIONAL CLOWN HALL OF FAME: Pie Class at Clownfest (9/11/14)

CHAZ CHASE

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer

THE FRANCESCOS

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer

STEVE COPELAND & RYAN COMBS: CNN

THE FRANCESCOS: Military Parody

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer

RUDY LLATA CLOWNS: Luxembourg (1957)

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer

Post by Lionel Lutringer.

THE FRATELLINIS: Horse Parody

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer

LARRY CLARK & PAT CASHIN: Political Ad (2014)

A recent commercial that Larry Clark and I shot in Washington DC that is currently airing throughout California.

GIL DOVA

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer

Post by Lionel Lutringer.

PIPO, DARIO, MIMILE & LORIOT

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer

Post by Lionel Lutringer.

ACHILLE ZAVATTA

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer

JEAN MADD

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer

Post by Lionel Lutringer.

ACHILLE ZAVATTA

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer

Post by Lionel Lutringer.

ACHILLE ZAVATTA: Bareback Parody

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer

Post by Lionel Lutringer.

THE RASTELLIS

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer and Beth Grimes

SERGIO & DOMINIQUE

THE FRANCESOS: Balloons & Musical Entree (1968)

Link courtesy of Lionel Lutringer

Post by Lionel Lutringer.

MATTHEW SILVER: The Great Performer