Felix Adler, Lou Jacobs, Charlie Bell, Chesty Mortimer, Paul Wenzel, Jack LeClair, Gijon Polidor, Prince Paul... some of the first half of the 20th century's best Ringling clowns as photographed by one of the era's greatest circus photographers, E.J. Kelty.
For more info on Mr. Kelty's photographs and an excellent DVD on his life and work please click on the title of this post.
Academy Award, Emmy Award, Golden Globe and Tony Award winner Henry Fonda in the General Electric Theater television adaption of Emmett Kelly's autobiography, CLOWN which premiered March 27, 1955.
Look for fellow Academy Award winner Dorothy Malone as Emmett's first wife, Eva and longtime actor, Spike Jones sideman and future Little People of America founder Billy Barty as a member of Clown Alley.
I sure wish I could come up with a lifetime's worth of great material off-the cuff and in under a half an hour!
Every artist dreams of painting their masterpiece. This is Emmett's.
Not the funniest gag in the circus world, but inarguably the best known and the one that resonated the strongest with 20th century American circus audiences. This gag was bigger than big, huger than huge and elevated Emmett into a whole different level of celebrity, one that tracended mere "circus star" (such as Clyde Beatty, Gunther Gebel-Williams or the Flying Wallendas) and made him a bona-fide household name.
Credit goes out not only to Emmett for creating and performing the gag but also to John Ringling North and his production team for knowing how to showcase it so well.
This clip is from the 1967 film THE CLOWN AND THE KIDS, made at the tail end of Emmett's circus career, so it may not be performed here precisely as audiences might have seen it in the late 40s or early 50s but it does provide us a valuable document of this important gag.
A friend recently took me to task for ignoring Emmett Kelly on this blog. It's true. In over 700 posts I don't think Emmett appears here more than 4 or 5 times.
I think it's because Emmett doesn't need me, or anyone, to shine the spolight on him. He's a star. Emmett is still one of the best known circus performers in America and his name and likeness continue to resonate with audiences.
But that's no excuse for excluding him.
So here he is, the legendary Emmett Kelly as star and narrator of a television special entitled CIRCUS (co-written by future Clown College Director Bill Ballantine) which aired as an episode of THE DUPONT SHOW OF THE WEEK in 1962.
Emmett is seen with his trunk, in the Alley of the early 60s Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Clown Alley (alongside Kenny Dodd, Lou Nagy and Eddie Dullam seen performing the Washerwoman Gag) and at his home in Sarasota, FL.
Not sure about the little people down front but the clown cop on the left looks like Charlie Lewis, that's Peluza one and a half guys in on the right (in his Jimmy Stewart GSOE inspired makeup) and that may be George LaSalle in the center with Connie Wilson to his immediate left.
The one person that I'd NEVER be able to identify if it weren't for Bill telling me is the person to the immediate right of George LaSalle. That's Dime Wilson is his usual tramp costume but wearing his old whiteface makeup for this one date only.
Please click on the title of this post to be taken to Bill's excellent circus blog, YESTERDAY'S TOWNS.
Rudy Coby "The Coolest Magician on Earth" performing the Multi-Leg Gag I enjoy Jeff "Le Clown Gordoon" Gordon's version very much but I think my favorite is Geoff Hoyle's.
Otto in the Cole Bros. Clown Alley, September 21, 1937.
Apparently, back in the late 30s Otto's trunk was spotted in the Alley right next to that of Busta Rhymes. Who-HA!
Otto (supporting the troops in his own fashion) seems smitten with Ensign Betty Bayly, October 2, 1943.
Yo, dog! Circusbutterflygurl points out that Ensign Betty appears amused to the point of throwing down gang signs. DANG!
Once again making "moonsie-moonsie and tootsie-tootsie" by flashing his puppy dog eyes at a female fan in the seats in this photo dated September 27, 1937. Looking on are Hollywood stars Helen Broderick and Victor Moore.
Clips of both A. Robins and Sam Levine, the performers known to audiences as "The Banana Man".
First up is a clip of A. Robins (although this is in dispute as Robins would have been 61 years old when this 1947 film was made 1947 and the performer seen here doesn't look a day older than the A. Robins seen in the 1939 Red Skelton short SEEING RED), originally known to vaudeville audiences as "The Walking Music Store" or "The One Man Music Store".
Robins, a talented NY area toy and prop maker as well as vaudeville and circus clown built all of his own props. Over time he added big bunches of his spring-loaded fruit to the enormous list of musical intruments he could load into his oversized coat, including (seemingly) hundreds and hundreds of bananas, hence the change in billing to "A. Robins: The Banana Man".
Robins passed away in the early 50s. It is uncertain if he trained his successor, Sam Levine, personally or Mr. Levine was trained by their agent, Max Roach.
Either way, Mr. Levine assumed the mantle of "The Banana Man" in the early 50s and kept Mr. Robins' unique brand of visual comedy alive on many, many television programs throughout the 50s, 60s and into the early 70s. He is probably best remembered for his numerous appearances on "Captain Kangaroo" throughout those years.
The clip of Mr. Robins (or Mr. Robins' unknown immediate successor) is taken from the 1947 film MOTHER WORE TIGHTS.
The clip of Mr. Levine is from late in his career and is believed to be from an early 70s (possibly his final) appearance on CAPTAIN KANGAROO.
For more information on The Banana Man act and character, please click the title of this post to be taken to Rhett Bryson's excellent tribute page.
Photos courtesy of Rik Gern with special permission from the Mark Anthony Collection of Wayne and Marty Scott
Just a few of the hundreds of highly detailed wooden figurines that Mark carved of some of his favorite clowns. Rik spent a weekend at the home of Wayne and Marty Scott photgraphing the figurines and other of Mark's work for a special project that he's working on as a tribute to one of his heroes.
Mark's brief video bio from his induction among the first group of International Clown Hall of Fame honorees in 1989.
For more on the ICHoF please click the title of this post but be warned, the site hasn't been updated in quite some time and I don't believe that any of the email links are valid anymore.
Anyone with more info on the current state of the ICHoF PLEASE let me know. If Wisconsin isn't working out for them perhaps they'd like to move it here to the Jersey Shore ; )
Alongside Pio Nock and Walter Galetti, Belgian born Linon is fondly remembered as one of the all time great wire-walking clowns. He is seen here performing on Hollywood Palace on December 26, 1967. The episode was hosted by Jimmy Durante (whom Linon doubled for in the film JUMBO) and Anissa Jones.
Legendary ex-Ringling clown Peter Pitofsky (Comic Strip Live, Tonight Show, Arsinio Hall Show, MADhattan, The Aristocrats) performing on Venice Beach.
Peter can currently be seen (working alongside Pickle Family Circus alum Geoff Hoyle) in Seattle's Teatro Zin Zanni. To find more on the show please click the title of this post.
Otto Griebling makes his point to two year old Karen Nardironiant during a May 1960 performance of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus at the Boston Garden.
From the A&E special UNDER THE BIG TOP, a look at some of contemporary American circus clowning's leading lights interviewed about their craft.
More with Jason T. Stewart (Whiteface), Barry Lubin (Auguste) and Tom Dougherty (Character) and a great historical clip of Jack LeClair performing his "Blowing Up the Fat Man" gag.
From former road clown and Circus World producing clown Tom Piccard...
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I guess always was a clown..at age 12 ...I worked in a small one ring open air circus...After the army I was playing drums and tour with different bands.
At one point I was off the road for awhile I started putting together my first clown character. It made it as a regular on a morning Kiddie TV show called THE OLD REBEL SHOW.
While on that show one morning a clown who was doing the advance for the Blue unit of RBBB was on the show to promote the coming Circus, I think his name was Troy Straight and he invited me to the show and introduced me to Mark Anthony...It would a few years later that I would run into Mark in Orlando doing a magic convention and selling his foam carvings. He had been fired from the show over a $5.00 pay dispute with Irvin Feld..And was living at Marty and Wayne Scott's home in Howie in the Hills..he invited me to come out for a visit .
The visit turned into a one month stay and a complete training course into foam prop making...Later I toured with Mark on the Gatty Circus ..Aside from that I clowned at Circus Hall of fame..and later worked at Circus World..I left the main stream end of the circus Biz and went independent in 1982.After the untimely death of my Older Brother, BUT Continued to Clown at Race tracks and other large events...and in 1986 took my clown rag's and props to Italy...Touring for 3 months with Cellini the magician and Birdie McClain the Juggler..I continue to clown with out the nose and make-up now as I can be just as funny without it..the BIG RED NOSE IS GONE ,but the clown in me will never die until I do...
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To visit Mr. Piccard's myspace page please click the title of this post.
