Clown Alley Black History Month: James Holyfield

James Holyfield, Dan Rooney, and Laura Presley performing the Reducing Sauna gag during the 1991 graduation of the Ringling Clown College.

Clown Alley Black History Month: Gregory Parks

Gregory Parks and Josh Shack performing Whack-a-Clown on the Ringling Blue Unit in 2004.

Clown Alley Black History Month: Lea Abierra

Lea Abierra and Aziz Gual perform an opera gag at the Ringling Clown College in 1997.

Clown Alley Black History Month: Lem Fillyaw

Lem Fillyaw, Brad Weston, and Alex Weinreb perform an ATM gag at Ringling Clown College in 1993.

Clown Alley Black History Month: Darren Wilson

Darren Wilson and Matt Mullins perform a tea time gag in the 1993 Ringling Clown College graduation.

Clown Alley Black History Month: Danise Payne

Danise Payne and Tina Kitt performing in the 1978 Clown College graduation.

Please check out Danise's fantastic book, Elbows In My Ears, about her life and career as a circus clown:

https://www.amazon.com/Elbows-My-Ears-Little-Wardrobe-ebook/dp/B0B41VFTW9/ref=sr_1_1?crid=14VHJEFTZE828&keywords=elbows+in+my+ears&qid=1676079743&sprefix=elbows+in+my+%2Caps%2C257&sr=8-1

Clown Alley Black History Month: Preston Crawford

Preston Crawford, Kevin Thompson, Kevin McGowan and....I think Christopher Hudert performing on the Ringling Blue Unit in 1984.

Peggy Williams: Ring of Fame 2023

 

Sorry this is a few days late. I've been dealing with a leak under my trailer's floor. Luckily it is fixed and I don't own the trailer anyway!

Congratulations to Peggy Williams who was inducted into the Ring of Fame in Sarasota, FL on Saturday Feb 4th surrounded by friends, family and her peers.

Clown Alley Black History Month: Huel Speight

Huel Speight, Greg Sherman, and Laura Pape perform a hat routine on the Ringling Blue Unit in 1989.

Clown Alley Black History Month: Robert "Onionhead" Dunn

Robert Dunn, or as he is known to thousands of fans of the Universoul Circus, Onionhead, speaks with a "reporter" promoting the show's run in Chicago in 2019. 

Clown Alley Black History Month: Dean Anderson

Dean Anderson, Jeff Wolff, and Gordon Klein laying some carpet in the 1986 Clown College graduation. 

Clown Alley Black History Month: Carlos Ragas

Carlos Ragas, Larry Fortunato, and David Duby performing a pizza gag on the Ringling Red Unit in 1989.

This gag was developed in Clown College the year before by Andy Martello and Larry Fortunato. 

Bernhard Paul’s 40th Birthday 1987

 

Please excuse the translation:

Such a festival hadn't been there for a very long time! ✨

Circus founder, director and clown Bernhard Paul was invited to his 40th in a tent filled with 700 celebrity guests. They were cooked by 40 star chefs with a total of 40 stars from all over Germany, who came up with 40 exclusive desserts. The main course ? Vienna Schnitzel, of course! 🍽 🍽

I Love Lucy: Lucy Hates Grapes

The Hollywood Reporter resurfaced a 1974 interview Ball did with "The Dick Cavett Show." She was asked about one of her favorite episodes, to which she said "grapes" – referencing the beloved moment from the "Lucy's Italian Movie" episode. 

However, she revealed that she thought she was going to be killed. Ball was joined by Teresa Tirelli D'Amico for the grape-stomping scene — but a language barrier kept the two from understanding one another.

Tirelli, who only spoke Italian, took an accident to heart.

"[Tirelli] was told that there would be a fight, and it was also explained to her that there were times when my legs had to come up in this huge vat of real grapes," Ball said. "I slipped and when I slipped, I hit her, accidentally. And she took offense. So, she hauled off and let me have it. This was supposed to happen, that she got right! But when she hit me ... took all the wind out of me."

"She kept me down by the throat," Ball continued. "I had grapes up my nose, in my ears, and she was choking me." 

Los Rivelinos 1988

Los Rivelinos performing in Circo Espana in 1988.

Rest In Peace: Ceslee Conkling

Taken from the world twenty-nine years ago today. Here she is with Margie Talavera performing a doctor gag on the Ringling Blue Unit in 1992.

BREAKING NEWS: ICHOF Announces 2023 Induction Candidates!

Five days into the new year, the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center is very proud to announce the 2023 Inductees!

Please welcome -

The legendary Rastelli family

Tom & Tammy Parish

Ruth Anne Chaddock

Paul Jerome

The Board of Directors is thrilled to welcome these amazing clowns and their contributions to the art of clowning into the ICHOF.

Each has left an distinct imprint of the craft of clowning and have inspired generations of clowns and their audiences with their talents and dedication.

Details following very soon as to Induction time, place & date.

Big Apple Circus: Bello and Francesco

 

Bello Nock and Francesco Brunaud on Big Apple Circus for the 1999/2000 season “Bello and Friends”.

Happy Lou Year 2023!

Lou Jacobs and Pee-Wee performing his renowned hunting gag. Lou was making a special appearance on the Blue Unit's 1982 television special.

Congratulations, Alan "Tweedy" Digweed!

 From the Independent: 

Circus clown ‘surprised’ at royal honour

Alan Digweed, known better as Tweedy, has been awarded the British Empire Medal.

A clown who has performed for decades has told of his surprise at being recognised in the New Year Honours list.

Alan Digweed, 48, known as Tweedy the clown, has worked in the circus and shows across the world, and he has now been awarded the British Empire Medal.

The entertainer, who is part of Gloucestershire-based Giffords Circus, said he almost missed the news of his royal award.

He told the PA news agency: “The honour was a complete surprise. I nearly missed out because for some reason I didn’t get the email, and then they got in touch by my agent. I was too late in the end to respond to it, but they let me off for being late, typical clown fashion I guess.

Tweedy, who was born in Aberdeen, had wanted to be a clown from an early age and was inspired by slapstick cartoons and comedy duo Laurel and Hardy.

He added: “I went to Butlin’s in Ayr, Scotland, but I didn’t know how to become a clown at the time, there was no Google back then, so I taught myself how to juggle and unicycling and did shows there, and then I joined the circus the year after and learnt on the road, with some other clowns.

“Being with the circus is very different – it’s a great kind of lifestyle. It’s a travelling community, which is what I love about it, and you all kind of work together and pitch in together.

“It’s an exciting life, but a hard life as well, you would get stuck in mud.

“There’s something pure about it that I love. There’s something raw and real that I quite like about it.

“I did a tour of America with the circus which was great and seeing all that. I lived on the circus train so that was a lot of fun. Sadly the circus train is not a thing any more – it was a unique experience.”

Tweedy is currently starring in the Dick Whittington And His Cat Tweedy panto at Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham.

His wife Sharon performed on the trapeze in the circus, and the couple have a daughter.

He continued: “There’s been lots of interesting experiences, clowning in Saudi Arabia was interesting, there was a lot of things I couldn’t do. I had a huge list, but at the same time, they were a very easy audience as there was a lack of entertainment.”

In his spare time, Tweedy enjoys putting on charity shows and in future is planning to continue working in the circus and pantomimes.