Pat Cashin's CLOWNALLEY.NET

CAPUCCCINO & LORENZO MARTINI

2012-02-11T00:30:00.000-05:00

WHO IS WHERE 2012

2012-02-10T00:30:00.000-05:00

The following is a list of what clowns are on what American circuses this season. This list is not intended to be exhaustive as clowns perform in all manner of venues outside of the traditional circus. If you know of any clowns or shows not listed please let us know so that we can update the list...

WHO IS WHERE 2012

Big Apple Circus

Barry Lubin
Scott & Muriel

Kelly Miller Circus

Ryan Combs
Steve Copeland
Raul Oliveras

Universoul Circus

Shuckey Duckey
Zeke
Onionhead

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Blue Unit

Andrew Hicks
Jared Monjeau
Frances Tiffin
Kelli Argott
LaRena Rose
Taylor Albin
Billy Murray
Alex Barney
Henry Castillo
Sandor Eke
Ivan Vargas
Oscar Liendo

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Red Unit

Kyle Barker
Jeffrey Branin
Kelli Brown
Sean Davis
Rodger Fisher
Brandon Foster
Joy Powers
Dustin Portillo
Julio Ramazini
Richard Stringer
Chris Sullivan
Rudy Wollrabe

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Gold Unit

Dean Kelley
Victor Franke
Anton Franke

Circus Vargas

Jon Weiss
Matti Esqueda

Circus Sarasota

Bello Nock

Circus Zoppe

Giovanni "Nino" Zoppe

Circus Flora

Giovanni "Nino" Zoppe

Carson & Barnes Circus

Alex Acero

Clyde Beatty Circus

Elmo Gibb

Culpepper & Merriweather Circus

DJ Weiss

Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars

Kellan & Company

Circus Gatti

Leo Acton

NoJoe's Clown Circus

Joey Thurmond
Lee Andrews

Royal Hanneford Circus

Unconfirmed

Walker Bros. Circus

Orlandito

Piccadilly Circus

Jack Cook

Hamid Shrine Circus

Larry Clark

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus

Keith "Kinko Bindlestiff" Nelson

Circus World Museum

Nathan Holguin
Michelle Musser

Circus Circus Hotel & Casino

Benny Schultz
Huel Speight
Dave DeDera
Scott Linker
Tonya

The Yankee Doodle Circus

Pat Cashin

(overseas Jessi Hoffschildt and Kelly Van Cleave are on Circus Kinoshita, Tom Dougherty and Lorenzo "Pepe" Silva are on Circus Arlette Gruss, David Larible is on Circus Roncalli and dozens of people working theme parks and cruise ships)

ROAD REPORT: Kelly-Miller Clown Alley

2012-02-09T11:45:00.000-05:00

Word comes to us today from Steve Copeland, today beginning his fourth season with America's One Ring Wonder - The Kelly-Miller Circus...

"Today is opening day for the 2012 season of Kelly Miller.Ryan and I are debuting six new numbers: an opening, a cover for the tiger cage strike, a chase, and three production gags."

The very best to the entire cast and crew. Last year's production will be very difficult to top and we're all eager to see what you two have come up with this time!

STEPHEN COLBERT: Slate Article

2012-02-04T00:30:00.000-05:00

Stephen Colbert is carrying on in the proud tradition of Dan Rice. With all due respect to Will Rogers, Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Chevy Chase, Dana Carvey, Darrell Hammond, Will Ferrell and Tina Fey, not since Pat Paulsen in 1968 has a comedian had so much impact on American politics...

Colbert v. the Court

Why, in the battle over Citizens United, the Supreme Court never had a chance.

By Dahlia Lithwick

Comedian Stephen Colbert hosts a rally in Charleston, S.C. on Jan. 12, 2012.
Photograph by Richard Ellis/Getty Images.

The Supreme Court has always had its critics. Chief Justice John Marshall had to contend with the temper of President Andrew Jackson (“John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it!”). And Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes went toe-to-toe with FDR, who wouldn’t let up with the court-packing. But in the history of the Supreme Court, nothing has ever prepared the justices for the public opinion wrecking ball that is Stephen Colbert. The comedian/presidential candidate/super PAC founder has probably done more to undermine public confidence in the court’s 2010 Citizens United opinion than anyone, including the dissenters. In this contest, the high court is supremely outmatched.

Citizens United, with an assist from a 1976 decision Buckley v. Valeo, has led to the farce of unlimited corporate election spending, “uncoordinated” super PACs that coordinate with candidates, and a noxious round of attack ads, all of which is protected in the name of free speech. Colbert has been educating Americans about the resulting insanity for months now. His broadside against the court raises important questions about satire and the court, about protecting the dignity of the institution, and the role of modern media in public discourse. Also: The fight between Colbert and the court is so full of ironies, it can make your molars hurt.

When President Obama criticized Citizens United two years ago in his State of the Union address, at least three justices came back at him with pitchforks and shovels. In the end, most court watchers scored it a draw. But when a comedian with a huge national platform started ridiculing the court last summer, the stakes changed completely. This is no pointy-headed deconstruction unspooling on the legal blogs. Colbert has spent the past few months making every part of Justice Anthony Kennedy’s majority opinion in Citizen United look utterly ridiculous. And the court, which has no access to cameras (by its own choosing), no press arm, and no discernible comedic powers, has had to stand by and take it on the chin.

It all started when Colbert announced that, as permitted by Citizens United, he planned to form a super PAC (“Making a better tomorrow, tomorrow”). As he explained to his viewers, his hope was that “Colbert Nation could have a voice, in the form of my voice, shouted through a megaphone made of cash ... the American dream. And that dream is simple. That anyone, no matter who they are, if they are determined, if they are willing to work hard enough, someday they could grow up to create a legal entity which could then receive unlimited corporate funds, which could be used to influence our elections."

Then last June, like a winking, eyebrow-wagging Mr. Smith, Colbert went to Washington and testified before the FEC, which granted him permission to launch his super PAC (over the objections of his parent company Viacom) and accept unlimited contributions from his fans so he might sway elections. (He tweeted before his FEC appearance that PAC stands for "Plastic And/Or Cash.") In recent weeks, Colbert has run several truly insane attack ads (including one accusing Mitt Romney of being a serial killer). Then, with perfect comedic pitch, Colbert handed off control of his super PAC to Jon Stewart (lampooning the FEC rules about coordination between “independent PACS” and candidates with a one-page legal document and a Vulcan mind meld). Colbert then managed to throw his support to non-candidate Herman Cain in the South Carolina primary, placing higher on the ballot than Rick Perry, Jon Huntsman, and Michele Bachmann.

The line between entertainment and the court blurred even further late last month when Colbert had former Justice John Paul Stevens on his show to discuss his dissent in Citizens United. When a 91-year-old former justice is patiently explaining to a comedian that corporations are not people, it’s clear that everything about the majority opinion has been reduced to a punch line.

Colbert took the mainstream by storm in interview after interview that schooled Americans about the insanity of Citizens United and garnered blowback from NBC White House correspondent Chuck Todd, who complained that Colbert is “making a mockery of the system” and questioned whether the real agenda was to “educate the public about the dangers of money and politics ... or simply to marginalize the Republican Party?” Then came the un-ironic defenses of the irony of Colbert and the obligatory navel-gazing about whether Colbert is in fact effecting real change or in peril of succumbing to “irony fatigue.”

At one level, this is all just comedy, and it’s hard to measure whether Colbert’s sustained attacks on the court’s campaign finance decisions are having any real impact, beyond making us laugh. On the other hand, when the New York Times declares that Colbert’s project is deadly serious, and it’s just the rest of politics that’s preposterous, something more than just theater is happening. I spoke to Trevor Potter, former chairman of the FEC and adviser to John McCain, and the man Colbert has designated his “personal lawyer,” about the consequences of Colbert’s assault on the campaign finance regime. Potter is very careful not to ascribe an end game to Colbert’s efforts but says that he has seen Colbert’s campaign finance crusade as an “opportunity to open up to the rest of the world what we lawyers already know: that the whole area of campaign finance is a mess.” He adds that Colbert’s antics are “having a real effect in terms of public understanding about how the system works” and getting people to start to think about how to fix it.

Potter is also emphatic that the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision is not the sole cause of the problems he sees. (You can thank the media for its bang-up job of suggesting that the court singlehandedly designed super PACs with its decision in CU). Potter says Kennedy’s majority opinion is not so much disconnected from reality but, rather, “assumed that the world would work in the way he thought it would.” (In Kennedy’s fantasy, there would be no chance of corruption, no coordination between PACs and candidates, and full disclosure of corporate contributions.) And had the FEC done its job, had Congress passed better disclosure rules, had shareholders been better able to control corporate activity, the Kennedy decision would have been less monumental. (Potter is quick to point out that the court needn’t reverse itself completely for the country to fix the worst problems in the post-CU system.) Still he adds that Citizens United “epitomizes the problem of having a court where no justice has ever run for any office, including dogcatcher.”

Of course that’s precisely the problem: The institutional aloofness that allowed the Roberts court to pen such a politically naive decision is the same blind spot that precludes them from even understanding, much less responding to, the media criticism. And as professor Lyrissa Lidsky, who teaches law at the University of Florida College of Law, reminded me last weekend, there is amazing language in Justice Kennedy’s majority in Citizens United about the need to elevate corporate speech to the same protected status as that enjoyed by the cable news shows. As Kennedy observed, “Speakers have become adept at presenting citizens with sound bites, talking points, and scripted messages that dominate the 24-hour news cycle. Corporations, like individuals, do not have monolithic views.”

In other words, (if you can stand the irony) in Citizens United, the Supreme Court empowered Colbert to create a super PAC so he could answer back to, well, folks like Stephen Colbert. The opinion even notes that “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington may be fiction and caricature; but fiction and caricature can be a powerful force.” Now, courtesy of Mr. Colbert, no one knows that better than the court itself.

PRO CLOWN STORE: Yak Wigs

2012-02-03T10:44:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note to mention that I was pulling out my auguste costume the other day in preparation for my 2012 tour with the Yankee Doodle Circus and wanted to give a plug to my friends Tara and Trick Kelly at Pro Clown Store.

My yak wig still looks just as full and as funny as the day I got it. The craftsmanship is absolutely outstanding.

Click here to visit their website.

SH*T MIMES SAY: Jeff Seal

2012-02-02T11:15:00.002-05:00

THE CLOWN SUMMIT: Jan. 30 - Feb. 3, 2012

2012-02-01T10:19:00.001-05:00

The Clown Summit is a free, online, week-long audio event happening January 30th - February 3rd. During the week of the Clown Summit a new audio interview with an influential clown educator will be posted to the website each day.

The interview will be available to listen to for free for only 24 hours. Then, the next day a new interview will be posted.

For more information, please visit their website by clicking here.

ICHOF: Clown Intensive Cancelled

2012-01-27T18:25:00.002-05:00

"It is now official, due to lack of commitments, we are unable to hold the Feb. 14th-thru 18th CLOWN INTENSIVE. We are very grateful for the few that did commit to join us for our unique weeklong workshop, and hope all understand that in order to successfully produce an event of this type, we need to meet our financial obligations to the artists teaching as well as the venues. We hope to re-schedule this event for September 2012. Watch this space for more details."

ICHOF: Clown Intensive (Feb. 14-18, 2012)

2012-01-25T14:55:00.001-05:00

Received this afternoon from Baraboo, WI...

"We are very sorry to announce that unless we get commitments from 8 individuals in the next 48 hours, the ICHOF sponsored CLOWN INTENSIVE scheduled for Feb. 14 thru the 18th will be cancelled. We were hoping this unique opportunity would attract more interest, and hopefully in the next 48 hours, it will. Details are online at www.theclownmuseum.com. Don't let this very special chance to work and develop your clown pass you by. Sign up TODAY!"

CHARLIE CAIROLI: Appreciation Society Launch (1994)

2012-01-23T00:30:00.000-05:00

DAVID LARIBLE: Kaleidoscape Opening (2000)

2012-01-22T08:28:00.000-05:00

GROCK: "Au Revoir Monsieur Grock (1950)

2012-01-14T00:30:00.000-05:00

IN MEMORIAM: Ceslee Conkling (December 6, 1965 - January 13, 1994)

2012-01-13T08:32:00.002-05:00

Ceslee and Ethel

ICHOF: Clown Intensive February 14-18 2012

2012-01-06T13:28:00.000-05:00

Visit the International Clown Hall of Fame website for more details. There are a limited number of spots available and they are filling up quickly!

CHARLIE CAIROLI & CO: Parkinson at the Pantomime (1978)

2012-01-02T15:01:00.001-05:00

GROCK: La Vie d'un Grand Artiste (1931)

2012-01-01T21:55:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-12-31T14:52:00.001-05:00

CLOWNALLEY.NET VIDEO CHRISTMAS CARD 2011

2011-12-24T08:45:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Kenny "The Great Gumbini" Colombo and the 1976/'77 Blue Unit Clown Alley of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.Merry Christmas to one and all.

ICHOF: Clown Intensive - Feb. 14-18, 2012

2011-12-16T18:08:00.001-05:00

CHARLIE BELL: Hunting Gag (August 14, 1947)

2011-12-12T15:34:00.000-05:00

Photo by Sverre "Bex" Braathen, courtesy of the Illinois State University Digital Collection

Charlie Bell and Peanut preparing to perform their classic Hunting Gag on the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Jimmy Armstrong can be seen in the background

PAOLO CASANOVA: Gala di Magia e Circo - Carillon e Francesca Bartolomucci

2011-11-30T09:16:00.001-05:00

GAYLE LAJOYE: Snowflake

2011-11-28T14:08:00.001-05:00

CLOWN ALLEY: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Red Unit (1983)

2011-11-23T00:30:00.000-05:00

Video courtesy of Nic Beery

BERTRAM MILLS CIRCUS (Undated)

2011-11-22T07:59:00.001-05:00

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Can anyone identify the two clowns in this clip? Does anyone know the year?

IN MEMORIAM: Jim Robertson (1962-2011)

2011-11-17T09:32:00.001-05:00

PROTOTYPE HAND AND ARM

2011-11-16T22:49:00.001-05:00

A TOUR OF THE CIRCUS AND CLOWN MUSEUM, VIENNA

2011-11-12T15:57:00.001-05:00

FROM INTERNATIONAL CLOWN HALL OF FAME EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR GREG DE SANTO

2011-11-07T11:59:00.001-05:00

And now an important message from me...I just want to clarify a few points about the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center. It is clear that some people do not know all the facts and backstory of how I came to be the chief cook, bottlewasher and keeper of the props, wardrobe, stories and memories of clowns past, present & future here at the ICHOF. The quick version is I was asked to help this organization at a time when it was about to, in no easy words, "go-away". Financial troubles, Board problems and this amazing collection of artifacts tucked away in storage units not being seen by anyone. With the help of dedicated friends, clowns, performers and the community of Baraboo, WI, the ICHOF became a reality, and once again a proud monument to the lives and careers of clowns, world-wide.

Since our opening on May 21, 2010, we have cleared up the back taxes, become current with all our bills, created a complete inventory of every artifact in our collection, re-structured our board to include a mix of local merchants and business members who share our mission and passion and believe in the good that a museum celebrating clowning can do. And the clowns themselves. Every time there has been a need, the professional clown community has stepped up. EVERY time. Whether it's trust in me, or belief in the mission to preserve our shared history or just something as simple as wanting to help and to be able to say to themselves that they did do something to help an art form that has given so much to our lives.

With an institution that dates back to 1986, there is going to be history attached. Most of it good, but some not so much. All we can do in the present is to learn from the past and not repeat those mistakes. Many great clowns helped start this idea of a depository of physical items relating to clowns, but really what makes these "items" important are the stories that bring them to life and honor the performers who dedicated their lives to this thing we call clowning. From a museum business stand point these items are what give our collection "value". We have to insure them. We have to care for them them. We have to be responsible caretakers for these items so that future generations can see and learn from these artifacts of those who came before us.

That being said, it needs to be stated very clearly that unless a written document on ICHOF stationary,dated & signed by both parties is present indicating that a item is on "loan" to the ICHOF, it is the current Board of Directors and Executive Director position that any and all items currently on display or in the collection of the ICHOF are the sole and complete property of the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center, a 501 (c) 3 organization. Wisconsin law allows for a seven (7) year period in which an item in the care of the institution (ICHOF) has not been reviewed by said owner, it is implied that ownership of said item becomes the property of the institution caring for its physical being and financial worth. In laymans terms, for example, if an item was loaned/donated back in 1989, and no contact about that item has been made since the date, and no paperwork can be produced to verify any agreements between the two parties, the item is the sole property of the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center.

We take the business of operating a not for profit museum very seriously. From the time I have taken over as Board President,(October 2009) I have waived all salary compensation and our board worked diligently to correct our business model and return the organization to financial solvency. They have also agreed to not receive any items on loan or consignment. Any exceptions are duly noted in our files and are done with Board approval. To date there is only one exception on file.

As we move forward and continue to grow and add to our collection, I would hope this policy will not deter anyone from making a contribution of historic clown related artifacts. More importantly, one should know that any item given to us will be treated with respect, displayed with the knowledge of where this artifacts falls in the vast history of clowning, and be seen by generations of people who might just walk away having learned something about clowns that will affect them for the rest of their lives.

So ends my story for today. I cannot begin to thank everyone who has helped us on our mission to see the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center become a living, ever changing place to honor clowning. I hope that if it your desire to help in any way, ideas, suggestions, volunteer, financial contributions, you will do so, and know your efforts are appreciated and welcomed by a very grateful Clown Hall of Fame.

In Laughter-

Greg DeSanto

THE RASTELLIS: Circus Scott (August 18, 2011)

2011-11-04T09:42:00.003-04:00

COPUCHA CUCHARITA Y CHIROLA

2011-11-02T21:02:00.000-04:00

CLOWN ALLEY: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey (Circa 1960)

2011-10-28T10:04:00.000-04:00

Photo courtesy of Chipper Lowell (Chuck's son and a world-class comedy magician)

Arne "Red" Honkola at the piano and Chuck Burnes as the saloon girl in Paul Jung's Western Gag.

(Chuck Burnes himself writes to tell us that this photo was taken during either the New York or Boston dates)

SLIVERS OAKLEY: Ringling Bros. Circus Poster (Circa 1900)

2011-10-20T08:15:00.001-04:00

This lithograph - perhaps the only surviving example - was printed by the Courier Litho Company for the Ringling Bros. Circus about 1900. This particular poster sold at auction in September of 2010 for nearly $5000.00

SPADER JOHNSON: Circa 1910

2011-10-18T15:13:00.001-04:00

FROSTY AND SOAPY Mid 1980s

2011-10-15T10:39:00.001-04:00

Photo courtesy of Michael Johnson


Glenn "Frosty" Little and Duane "Uncle Soapy" Thorpe at the Chicago Ampitheater

BUSTER KEATON: Cops Analysis from Ben Model

2011-10-05T08:44:00.001-04:00

Click here to hear Ben Model explain key scenes, at actual speed, from Buster Keaton's COPS.

BUSTER KEATON: Happy 116th Birthday

2011-10-04T14:19:00.001-04:00

DUO FRENKIS

2011-09-30T16:18:00.002-04:00

THUNDER & BLAZES

2011-09-28T08:47:00.000-04:00

I don't think it was the creator of this clip's intention but this piece very clearly illustrates the difference between what clowning is supposed to be... and what it all too often is.It's not a fashion show or a fetish party... it's clowning. You have to DO something.

RINGLING BROS. AND BARNUM & BAILEY CLOWN COLLEGE REUNION: Cape Cod, MA (Sept. 22-25, 2011)

2011-09-23T08:28:00.000-04:00

Do we all have to fill this out again?

THE RASTELLIS

2011-09-21T12:33:00.002-04:00

Photo courtesy of Johnny Xod

OTTO GRIEBLING: Bellevue Hospital, New York City (1960s)

2011-09-16T11:57:00.001-04:00

MICHAEL "COCO" POLAKOVS: Bellevue Hospital, New York City (1960s)

2011-09-13T18:31:00.001-04:00

Michael "Coco" Polakovs performing at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey benefit show at New York's Bellevue Hospital, an annual tradition throughout the "North Era", in the 1960s. Coco told me that this colorful harlequin checked outfit was custom made for him in England and was his very favorite costume.

MYSTERY CLOWN: Circus Krasnodor

2011-09-09T07:35:00.000-04:00

LA FAMIGLIA DIMITRI

2011-09-07T07:30:00.000-04:00

BILLY VAUGHN: Photos From His Induction Into the International Clown Hall of Fame

2011-09-02T10:17:00.000-04:00

Photos courtesy of Noah Van Denburgh

Billy Vaughn accepting the plaque inducting him into the International Clown Hall of Fame from ICHOF Executive Director Greg DeSanto in a ceremony which took place Friday August 26th during the 2011 Circus Fans of America convention in Newburgh, NY. A wonderful retrospective video of Billy's career (courtesy of ICHOF board member Sandy Weber) was screened and fellow circus clowns Scott O'Donnell, John Kennedy Kane and Michael Karp were in attendance.

Congratulations, Billy. Well deserved!

CONGRATULATIONS, BILLY VAUGHN!

2011-08-26T09:11:00.000-04:00

Congratulations go out to Billy Vaughn who will be inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame today in recognition of a circus career that has spanned decades and is distinguished for his exceptional qualities both inside and outside of the ring.

Truly a clown's clown, the honor is extremely well deserved and very happily bestowed.

Namaste!

IRA GLASS: On Getting Better

2011-08-22T00:01:00.002-04:00

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.

MYSTERY CLOWN: Does Anyone Know Who This Is?

2011-08-19T14:17:00.002-04:00

KELLY-MILLER 2011: Don't Miss It!

2011-08-18T17:26:00.000-04:00

I saw a circus yesterday that made me wish I was seeing the current edition of Kelly-Miller again. I said it before and I'll say it again, dagnabit: The current edition of Kelly-Miller is just about as good a traditional circus as I've ever seen.

BILLY PEARCE: Children's Royal Variety Performance (1992)

2011-08-17T10:27:00.000-04:00

DANISE PAYNE: Gerry Cottle's Circus

2011-08-15T04:19:00.000-04:00

HOW TO MAKE CHILDREN LAUGH by Paul Terry

2011-08-13T00:01:00.002-04:00

Wouldn't it be great if we unlearned all of the deeply, profoundly "important" lessons that we've learned about clowning and just simply tried to make people laugh?

CIRCUS SMIRKUS

2011-08-11T07:51:00.001-04:00

Video courtesy of M Lane Talburt

HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY, LUCY!

2011-08-06T08:49:00.000-04:00

CAPTAIN KANGAROO LINKS

2011-08-05T12:11:00.000-04:00

For those of you wondering why the posting here have slowed, I am busy re-launching ICHOF inductee Bob Keeshan's classic television creation, Captain Kangaroo.

Click the title of this post to be taken to our Facebook page, click the link here to be taken to our website and blog.

ICHOF: Front Page News!

2011-08-05T11:34:00.000-04:00

Funny business: International Clown Week has Baraboo busy smiling

By Ed Zagorski, News Republic

Greg DeSanto, executive director of the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center in downtown Baraboo, adjusts a display of Bobo the Clown's famous wardrobe. Bobo, who stood 6-foot, 3 inches tall and weighed 240 pounds would take six dogs, a skunk, suitcase and trumpet with him inside the small electric car, which still runs today. Ed Zagorski / News Republic

Clowning around is no joke to Greg DeSanto, executive director of the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center in downtown Baraboo.

"This is not a job for me," he said. "I love coming here."

But this week is something special for DeSanto. International Clown Week began Monday and runs through Sunday.

The original National Clown Week proclamation, signed by President Richard Nixon on Aug. 2, 1971, is on display at the facility.

"It's great to have a week like this because clowns have been getting a bad rap, especially with some of the horror movies that are out there," DeSanto said.

"I want people to walk away from here with a respect for clowns. Clowns or comedic figures have been around for hundreds and hundreds of years in different cultures throughout the world."

DeSanto said the definition of a "clown" fits more than just those who wear big, red noses, floppy shoes and colorful wigs.

"You have Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett and Jerry Lewis," he said. "You also have the Clown Prince of Baseball, Max Patkin, and the Clown Prince of Basketball, Meadowlark Lemon," DeSanto said. "Those folks had other careers which led them into clowning. They just had different venues to showcase their acts."

DeSanto said a few television personalities earned their start by playing clowns.

He said that long before Ed McMahon began calling out "Here's Johnny!" on the "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," McMahon wore clown makeup and a wig before the opening of each episode of "Big Top Circus" on CBS in the 1950s.

DeSanto also said before Bob Keeshan played the beloved "Captain Kangaroo," he was the first to play Clarabell the Clown on "The Howdy Doody Show."

"Television needed people who could work on these types of programs devoted to children," DeSanto said. "Some of these guys already had television experience, like Willard Scott, the weatherman, who played Bozo the Clown for a time in the 1960s. Willard also played Ronald McDonald, too."

DeSanto, who plays Greg the Clown, said he has met a lot of the clowns whose photos hang from the walls inside the International Clown Hall of Fame.

"Their memories should be shown and shared with the younger generation," he said. "It's just one big family here, and their stories should be kept alive."

Pat Cashin, who serves on the board of directors of the International Clown Hall of Fame, is doing just that with his blog at clownalley.net, which he said brings people together from all over the world to talk about clowns and their different art forms.

"I started the blog about five years ago and we have between 400 and 500 hits a day on it," he said. "We have about 5,000 posts, where people from around the globe post their pictures, stories, old news articles and even videos of family members who were clowns in the past."

Cashin said the site helps to drive the art form of clowning forward virtually, like the clown colleges did physically for those who took part in them.

"The site puts older clowns in touch with young ones from all over the world," Cashin said. "It has become real handy for professional clowns to share their stories."

He also said the site has boosted the reputation of Baraboo's International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center.

"There is no permanent clown museum in the world that can touch what Baraboo has," he said. "Clowns from around the world are sending their things to our museum, and it's great because it helps to show what clowning really is."

Send email to ezagorski@capitalnewspapers.com.

THE MOST LIKELY ORIGIN OF THE TERM: "Walkaround"

2011-08-04T07:55:00.001-04:00

Number Two In a Series

Why are clown "walkarounds" referred to as "walkarounds". The term most likely has its origins in the pre-three ring circus minstrel show days...

THE MOST LIKELY ORIGIN OF THE TERM: "First of May"

2011-08-03T12:18:00.001-04:00

Number One in a Series

I know what you've heard. I know what you've read in books written decades after the fact by people who never worked in the circus. This seems to me to be the most likely origin of the term "First of May"...

CLICK HERE

SAM FERLO: New York Times Article

2011-08-02T13:41:00.002-04:00

Please click the link below for a wonderful article on Ted and Mary Beth Ferlo's son Sam following in his father's oversized footsteps and attending Circus Smirkus this summer.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/us/29land.html

INTERNATIONAL CLOWN WEEK 2011: August 1st - 7th

2011-08-01T12:29:00.000-04:00

From the desk of Greg DeSanto, Executive Director of the International Clown Hall of Fame...

August 1st thru the 7th is designated "National Clown Week" by Joint Congressional Resolution, approved October 8, 1970 and signed into law by President Richard Nixon on August 2, 1971.

In part the proclamation reads,

"Whoever has heard the laughter of a child or seen the sudden delight on the face of a lonely old man has understood in those brief moments mysteries deeper than love.

All men are indebted to those who bring such moments of quiet splendor-who redeem sickness and pain with joy. All across America good men in putty noses and baggy trousers following a tradition as old as man's need to gently touch the lives of his fellowman. Today, as always, clowns and the spirit they represent are as vital to the maintenance of our humanity as the builders and the growers and governors... "

The International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center is proud to help celebrate the laughter this week with special events to include a display of the original proclamation signed by President Richard Nixon, guided tours of the largest collection of clown artifacts in the world and on Saturday, August 6th, a celebration of Lucille Ball's 100th Birthday with a trivia contest at 1:00pm, daylong video highlights of some of Lucy's funniest moments, and face painting.

The Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center is a 501 (c) 3 organization, and is located at 102 4th Avenue, Baraboo, WI 53913, right on the historic downtown square. Hours are Monday to Saturday, 10:00am to 5:00pm, admission is $5.00. For more info call 608-355-0321.

IMPROV EVERYWHERE: MP3 Experiment

2011-08-01T00:01:00.000-04:00

STEPHAN ZAVATTA

2011-07-29T00:01:00.001-04:00

JOANES

2011-07-27T00:01:00.001-04:00

LACI "MOOKY" ENDRESZ JR: Juggling Act; Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain (1995)

2011-07-25T09:29:00.001-04:00

Video courtesy of Circopedia

GIOVANNI "NINO" ZOPPE: Zoppe Family Circus (2011)

2011-07-21T08:30:00.003-04:00

BASAN FAMILY MUSICAL CLOWNS

2011-07-18T16:49:00.002-04:00

JULIEN COTTEREAU: Cirque d'Hiver Bouglione (2011)

2011-07-15T07:55:00.000-04:00

LEE ANDREWS: Cole Bros. Advance Clown

2011-07-12T17:10:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of M Lane Talburt

INTERNATIONAL CLOWN HALL OF FAME: Kimmer & Victoria's Visit

2011-07-11T14:53:00.001-04:00

Kimmer and Victoria are exploring the United States by RV for 52 weeks. They recently visited the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center in Baraboo, WI and shared their experience.

CHUCK SIDLOW: Gulf Coast Journal (2011)

2011-07-07T06:53:00.000-04:00

Watch the full episode. See more A Gulf Coast Journal.

HISTORY DETECTIVES: Ronald McDonald (featuring Mike "Coco" Polakovs)

2011-07-06T18:19:00.000-04:00

Watch the full episode. See more History Detectives.

THE RASTELLIS: Cirque Jean Richard (1976)

2011-07-05T14:24:00.000-04:00

Video courtesy of circopedia.org

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

2011-07-04T08:18:00.000-04:00

RYAN & STEVE: Kelly-Miller Circus (2011)

2011-07-01T08:27:00.001-04:00

Video courtesy of M Lane Talburt

I saw the Kelly-Miller show a few weeks back in Secaucus, NJ and, from the moment it started til the finale, it was probably the very best circus (outside of Big Apple) that I have seen in 15-20 years!!!

Gone are the lackluster "thrill" acts of a few years back, replaced with an extremely well-paced, well presented performance that puts the rest of the industry to shame.

The near capacity audience was ecstatic... and so was I. This was the circus that I've wanted to take my son to for almost nine years. The one that has the smell of elephants and cotton candy, has funny clowns and great acts presented with a professional attention to detail. This is showmanship! This was a real honest-to-goodness CIRCUS under canvas!

It was wonderful to see.

Check the Kelly Miller website to see when the show is in your area and DO NOT MISS IT!

2011-06-24T10:40:00.003-04:00

Clownalley.net returns July 1st, 2011.

A one month vacation isn't too much to ask after 5 years, is it?

INTERNATIONAL CLOWN HALL OF FAME INDUCTION ANNOUNCEMENT!

2011-06-20T18:41:00.001-04:00

The International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center and its Board of Directors are proud to announce the their selection for the 2011 Induction into the Clown Hall of fame- Mr. Billy Vaughn!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ELMO!

2011-06-11T05:41:00.000-04:00

Clownalley.net will return soon but I had to come back from vacation to wish a very happy 60th birthday today to my good friend Dean "Elmo Gibb" Chambers. Today marks another milestone as he celebrates 35 years as a professional clown.

As a "baby clown" graduating the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College at the Venice Arena

At the center of the Blue Show Clown Alley of the Greatest Show on Earth in 1977.


On a Shrine Date in New York State in 1981


The longtime Advance Clown for the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus

On Hoxie's Great American Circus


As Producing Clown for Beatty-Cole

At the Clown College Reunion in 1987

At the Showfolks Circus with Sandy Kaye

With Shane and I at Michael Rosman's Circus Camp

In the Showfolks Alley

Happy Birthday, Elmo!

LOU JACOBS

2011-05-28T21:34:00.000-04:00

OTTO GRIEBLING

2011-05-28T21:33:00.006-04:00

Julio Mitchel is a douche.

CLOWNALLEY.NET: Five Years Old Today

2011-05-28T21:15:00.001-04:00

Clownalley.net is five years old today. This also marks our 5,000th post.

We'll be back after a brief intermission.

YANN ROSSI: Circus Krone (2011)

2011-05-27T11:35:00.001-04:00

SQUIRM BURPEE: Sizzle Reel

2011-05-27T10:51:00.000-04:00

INTERNATIONAL CLOWN HALL OF FAME: Water for Elephants

2011-05-26T09:45:00.001-04:00

Greg and Karen DeSanto at the historic Al Ringling Theater for the Baraboo premier of Water for Elephants...

SLAVA: Martial Arts Gag, Great Moscow Circus (May 2011)

2011-05-26T09:38:00.000-04:00

ELECTRIC CITY CLOWN ALLEY: Tonight

2011-05-25T12:13:00.001-04:00

I'm loading the car for the long drive to Schenectady, New York to visit the Electric City Clown Alley tonight and share a lot of rare clowning videos and some stories.

CLOWN ALLEY: Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus (circa 1970s)

2011-05-25T12:07:00.000-04:00

Shorty Hinkle

Lou Nagy

Jimmy James Plott

NO JOE'S CLOWN CIRCUS: 2011 Promo Video

2011-05-25T12:02:00.000-04:00

Folks, this is what a professional promo video looks like. Joey's marketing material is always top notch but I think that he's really outdone himself this year.

CLOWN ALLEY: Hubert Castle Circus (1972)

2011-05-24T07:44:00.000-04:00

Rex "Count DeBoxcar" Young, Jimmy Armstrong and Lee Marx

KING OF THE HILL: "Portrait of the Artist As a Young Clown" (2005)

2011-05-24T00:24:00.000-04:00

CLOWN ALLEY: Four Kings and Some Joker (Circa 1940s)

2011-05-23T11:26:00.000-04:00

Charlie Bell, Emmett Kelly, Felix Adler, Frankie Saluto (in Chaplin makeup) and what appears to be someone else in Paul Jung's makeup and costume. Does anyone have any background on this?

FREDDY "ALEX" ACERO: Shrine Circus (2011)

2011-05-23T11:18:00.000-04:00

JOHN MCCONNELL MEMORIAL SERVICE: May 20, 2011

2011-05-22T23:14:00.000-04:00


After a few deeply heartfelt words from John's son Eric McConnell, John's family and friends held a good thought or memory of John and released a multitude of balloons heavenward.

WHEN YOU HAVE A MOMENT...

2011-05-21T13:13:00.001-04:00

I have some news that I'd like to share with you...

Please click here.

MY FRIEND AND YOURS, MR. KENNY AHERN...

2011-05-21T11:39:00.000-04:00

THIS is how it's done...

PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS...

2011-05-20T12:50:00.000-04:00

GENE LEWIS: By Weegee

2011-05-19T08:44:00.000-04:00

THE CHICKYS: Balloon

2011-05-19T08:42:00.000-04:00

JOHN MCCONNELL: Information on Services

2011-05-18T12:13:00.003-04:00

Services for John McConnell will be at Doyle Funeral Home, Friday May 20, 2011. Viewing will be from 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM with a service at 7:00 PM. A reception will follow at the Mt. Kemble Firehouse, Springbrook Rd., Morristown (1 mile south of Morristown off of Rt 202.

ETIENNE DECROUX: The Principals of Corporeal Mime

2011-05-18T12:12:00.000-04:00

One subgroup of physical theater is corporeal mime. Its objective is to place drama inside the moving human body, rather than to substitute gesture for speech as in pantomime. In this medium, the mime must apply to physical movement those principles that are at the heart of drama: pause, hesitation, weight, resistance and surprise. Corporeal mime accentuates the vital importance of the body and physical action on stage.

It was developed primarily by Étienne Decroux, who was heavily influenced by his training with Jacques Copeau at the Ecole du Vieux-Colombier. He created this method and technique for creative performers wishing to transform their ideas into a physical reality, in order to devise a new style of theater "making visible the invisible," as Decroux put it.

The objectives of corporeal mime are to enable the actor to become more autonomous in creating metaphor-based physical theater pieces, which may include text, but are not based on text, i.e., to give the actor greater access to physical metaphors in work in traditional plays, and to increase the actor's strength, agility, flexibility and imaginative powers.

While Decroux’s movement style was quite different from the commedia dell'arte from which 19th century pantomime took as its model, Decroux was influenced by this classical art form. Decroux worked extensively with Teatro Piccolo in Milan, training actors and choreographing Arlecchino an adaptation of Galdoni's Servant of Two Masters directed by Giorgio Strehler. Concidentally, Jacques Lecoq, another famous mime teacher worked as a movement teacher at Piccolo Teatro until he was succeeded by Decroux.

Unlike classical pantomime, corporeal mime was also no longer an anecdotal art that used conventional gestures to create illusions of objects or persons.

Corporeal mimes seek to express abstract and universal ideas and emotions through codified movements of the entire body (but most especially the trunk--the face and hands are confined to a secondary role in this movement form) Some corporeal mimes write their own texts, as did the Greek mime-authors, integrating the mime-actor's art with the author's. They also include props, costumes, masks, lighting effects and music. Because it contains movement expression along with other elements, it is often loosely alluded to as physical or movement theater.

IN MEMORIAM: John McConnell

2011-05-17T18:52:00.000-04:00

It is with deep regret that I inform you that friend and colleague John H.
McConnell passed away last night.

He had recently been ill with an undiagnosed ailment.

John is survived by his wife, Dolores, and three sons, two of whom, Eric and
Brian, were with him in the circus business, as well as his
daughters-in-laws.

Funeral arrangements are pending. Doyle Funeral in Morristown, NJ will be
handling the arrangements.
http://www.doylefh.com/

He was active for many years as a circus proprietor, manager and consultant.
He wrote many books including several on circus topics, including the
Hanneford family and the Shrine circus that originated in Detroit.

John was a long time member of the Circus Historical Society and was serving
as a trustee of the organization.

Fred Dahlinger