They created the clown troupe, The New York Goofs, Slappy’s Puppet Playhouse, and the Funnyatrics Clown Program. They have now brought all endeavors under the label, Laughter League, which is a non-profit organization. You can currently see Laughter League clowns at Boston Children’s Hospital, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Cook Children’s Medical Center, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, and at public schools and libraries across Texas.
They most recently co-produced The Petite Palace, Big Fun in a Tiny Tent on the banks of White Rock Lake in collaboration with the Bath House Cultural Center in Dallas. You can often find them performing Goofballs Cabaret at the Pocket Sandwich Theatre, or you can listen to their podcast, This American Goofball on iTunes. Monday and Riley’s mission is to prove that not only is laughter the best medicine, but that clowns are one of the best ways to inspire laughter and help people’s health improve.
The extremely talented artist, Elena Zaïka, has had two of her paintings chosen to be used as celebratory stamps for the Monaco Principality. The first is of the well known Russian clown, Yuri Nikulin.
Many of you that watched the Bozo Show in the late 90s until the show's end in 2001 will remember Robin Eurich, who played Bozo's sidekick, Rusty the Handyman.
Robin has had a long career of acting, clowning, and teaching, but due to recent health problems has fallen on hard times. Joey D'Auria, who played Bozo for the show's final seventeen years has set up a Go Fund Me page to help Robin during these tough times.
If you are able, please make a donation, or share this link on social media to help a man who has brought happiness to so many people. Thank you.
Link: Help Robin Eurich
Happy New Year from the International Clown Hall of Fame and Pat Cashin's Clown Alley!
January 1st is not only the start of a new year, it is also the birthday of arguably the most recognized circus clown in the world, Mr. Lou Jacobs.
In honor of Lou's birthday and (hopefully) a much better year, we are proud to share with you some extremely rare photos generously sent to us by Gloria Wilkinson, long time Ringling Blue Unit head of wardrobe and friend of the clowns.
These photos were taken on Lou's birthday in 1990 when the Blue Unit was in Winter Quarters for the 120th Edition (the Flavio Togni show for you non edition-alists). Many thanks to Gloria for these wonderful moments from history, and many thanks to all of you who visit this blog and support the ICHOF.
And in honor of Mr. Jacobs, let there be no spaghetti served on this day!
Andrey Jigalov was born on April 21, 1966 in Chelyabinsk. He grew up on the CHP. From an early age he was engaged in music. At the age of 13 he composed his first song and since then, according to him, he has not parted with the guitar. "The courts still remember my "concerts,"" he said.
After graduating from the eighth grade of school, he studied at the Chelyabinsk Vocational School, having received a specialty of welder. Then he worked at the Chelyabinsk tractor factory.
In 1984-1986 he served in the Soviet Army and served in Shuya. In 1987 he entered the GUCEI (State School of Circus and Variety Art by M. Rumyantsev (Pencil).
He became widely known in 1990, when he played the main role - Kolya - in the tragicomedy of Nikolai Dostal "Cloud-paradise". Thinking of the film "Cloud-paradise", Nikolai Dostal was looking for an actor similar to Yuri Nikulin in his youth. The candidacy of Andrei Jigalov was prompted by actress Alla Kluka.
In the plot of the film loitering in the yard from idleness Kohl annoys neighbors with stupid conversations. Not finding interlocutors on the street, he goes to his friend Feda. Meet him tired and indifferent. Wanting to attract attention, Kolya says that he is supposedly going to go to a friend - the Far East. This decision finds universal support, Kolya becomes a local hero, all the neighbors participate in his gatherings and wires. Under the dictation of Fedi he writes a statement of dismissal, Valya collects his suitcase, enterprising neighbors buy his furniture. For the decision to leave boring monotonous life Kolya gets respect and even good envy of friends. And when he says that the story of leaving - just a fiction, no one believes him. Kolya is put on the bus, and he leaves his hometown and the people who became his closest for that day.
According to a survey of film critics and journalists, "Cloud-Paradise" was recognized as the best film of the year, the role of Andrey Jigalov - the best male role.
For his work in this film, he received the Prize "For breaking the barrier between films for the chosen and cinema for all" at the first film festival "Kinotavr" in 1991. In 1992 he was awarded the Golden Aries Prize. He was also awarded the "Silver Leopard" - a special grand prize of the jury and the second prize of the city of Locarno, the prize of the ecumenical jury, the prize of the youth jury, the prize of the International Confederation of Experimental Cinema in Locarno. He also won the Grand Prix II MFEC (France) and the Special Jury Prize for the Cast of the Young Actors Film Festival in Geneva. Andrey Jigalov in the film "Cloud-paradise"
In the 1990s he played in several more films - "Body," "The Hermit," "Education of Cruelty in Women and Dogs," "It's Not Serious" and others. He worked as a clown with Eduard Alekseenko at the Center of The Eccentrics of Alexander Jerome. In 1992 he was awarded a gold medal at the prestigious circus festival "Circus of Tomorrow" in Paris.
In 1993 he left under a circus contract for Germany, where he settled. With his variety-circus "Jigalov-show" performed in the best circuses in Europe. Recognized as one of the best clowns in the world. He received almost all the highest awards in the field of circus arts, including the "Chaplin Cup" at the international competition in Canada. In 2003 he received the highest award of the circus world - "Silver Clown" at the circus festival in Monte Carlo from the hands of Princess Stephanie.
In 2005, he starred with Nikolai Dostal in the sequel to the film "Cloud-Paradise" - the picture "Kola-roll the field". This is a new story about the same heroes. Once accidentally thrown in front of witnesses phrase forced Kolya to leave his house and her girlfriend. Overcoming the seas and oceans, Kolya returns to his hometown, unaware of the changes that occurred in his absence. For fellow countrymen such a surprise - a complete surprise, splashed out a storm of emotions and escalated into panic, because the arrival of Kohli - the real threat of their measured life. Like ten years ago, Kolya invents a story that turns everything upside down. At the 2005 Window to Europe Film Festival, the film "The Rolling Field" was awarded the Special Jury Prize "Golden Rook". Andrey Jigalov in the film "Kola-roll-up field"
In 2007, jigalov starred in the joint production of Kazakhstan, Germany, Russia and France "Songs of the Southern Seas." In 2011 he played the role of Vasi Skvortsov in the crime series "Comrades Cops". In 2016, he shot a video "Ranetki" about a Chelyabinsk guy. The text was composed by Yuri Kosintsev, his colleague by profession and countryman.
Andrey Jigalov lives in Berlin,Germany, and continues to work as a clown. His performance of La Clown on the German NETWORK's GOP variety show for 15 years has been the leader in the number of viewers who have visited it. He performs with the Jigalov and Friends Show in well-known circuses and variety shows - Roncalli, Knie, variete Wintergarten, etc.
Photo credit: Paul Gutheil
Mike Snider backstage after performing the mouth chase on Vidbel's Olde Tyme Circus in the 1990s.
The mouth chase was first performed by Steve LaPorte and Teri Dryden on Ringling in the 1970s. Since then it has been performed again several times on the Ringling show, Vidbel, Shrine dates, Kelly Miller Circus, and even (for a very brief time) at Cirque D'Hiver Bouglione in Paris!
For the next few days I will be sharing some circus program scans from the collection of Ralph Pierce. First up, the Clyde Beatty Cole Bros. Clown Alley from the 1980 season. I'm 99% sure it's from 1980 because Tony Blanco graduated from Clown College in 1979 and was only on the road for a partial season, or so I've heard.
Jimmy James became Ringmaster that year and John Kennedy Kane aka Eggroll took his spot in the Alley. Not sure why he isn't pictured.
Many thanks to Bobbo Roberts for sharing these masks of clowns who performed on British circuses that could be found on the backs of boxes of Kellogg's Corn Flakes.
If anyone has an extra Enrico Caroli mask lying around, feel free to send it to me. Christmas is coming, after all!
From Dominique Jando on Circopedia:
A popular figure in the European circus ring for twenty years, the clown and ropedancer Walter Galetti was born January 29, 1931 in Thayngent, in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland. He was originally trained as a brick mason, but that was not the life he really wanted: At age twenty-one, he “ran away and joined the circus”—in his case, Switzerland’s premier circus, Circus Knie, where he found a job as an animal keeper.
His ambition, however, was to perform in the ring, and during his spare time, he trained on the bouncing rope. It was perhaps a little late for Walter to become a strong acrobat, but he had a cheerful nature, and he began to work as a clown. The very colorful costume and makeup he eventually developed would become as iconic as those of Lou Jacobs or Paul Jung, and the face of Galetti, the clown, would eventually grace anonymously many a circus poster!
In 1966, together with his wife Mary (who, like him, didn’t come from a circus family), Galetti developed a charming act, The Clown And The Ballerina, which was soon noticed by circus directors and agents. Thus Galetti (as he was billed, without first name) started a brilliant career that lasted two decades. He went on to work in practically every major European circus, and appeared many times on television shows.
Galetti retired from the circus ring in 1986, but his performing career was not over. He settled in his wife’s hometown, Rankweil, in Austria, and developed a puppet show for children, which he still performs to this day (2013). In 2005, he published his autobiography, Ein Clown geht um die Welt. Walter and Mary Galetti have three children, Carmen, Maria, and Marco.
From Wikipedia: Keep Off the Grass is a musical revue with sketches by Mort Lewis, Parke Levy, Alan Lipscott, S. Jay Kaufman, and Panama & Frank, lyrics by Al Dubin and Howard Dietz, and music by Jimmy McHugh. The choreography was by George Balanchine.
Produced by Lee Shubert and J. J. Shubert, the Broadway production, opened on May 23, 1940 at the Broadhurst Theatre and ran for a total of 44 performances. The cast included Jimmy Durante, Ray Bolger, Jane Froman, Virginia O'Brien, Emmett Kelly and Ilka Chase. O'Brien recorded four of the songs for Columbia Records in 1940 and they are included as bonus tracks on her CD "Virginia O'Brien Salutes the Great MGM Musicals".
Man, oh man would I love to hear more about this show!
More beautiful posters from the collection of Ralph Pierce.
A slide from Gary Cybul showing Lou Jacobs at Madison Square Garden on May 8, 1969.
