I recently performed as PT Barnum in a 2 part podcast, the first part of which dropped today! The podcast is called Calling History, and it’s a very entertaining idea. The host, Tony Dean, somehow magically manages to slip a smartphone into the folds of time, and gets to have an unscripted conversation with a number of entertaining characters. He’s […]
Read moreDan Rice, the most famous clown you’ve never heard of, is going to turn 200 this year! You may not have heard of him, but surely, you know his image. Dan Rice was “most likely” the model for the classic Uncle Sam poster. It’s not 100% proven, but the poster looks a lot like him, and combines his costume and […]
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The Festival of Fools Barcelona 2022 is in fool swing right now. I’ve seen a few of the shows this year so far, and have been posting excerpts of some of the videos I’ve taken over on my Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/kafclown/ If you want to catch any of the festival, you should check out their website https://festivaloffoolsbcn.com/. There are plenty of […]
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My pal, author and performer Trav S.D. has teamed up with my other pal, photographer and entrepreneur Jim Moore and published a new book. Both gentlemen are no stranger to these pages, and I am more than pleased to feature them yet again. The book that they have collaborated on (which if it were written by a phd would be […]
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It’s a great day in Mudville, people. My pal, Trav SD, (who probably hold the ignominious honor of being mentioned the most on this blog) has announced that he will be giving a regular series of talks on Zoom regarding his specialty (old time entertainment and performance.) If you haven’t read his books, hie thee to a bookstore at once. […]
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A friend sent me an article from the Daily Beast about a German ringmaster who, dearly World War II, secretly saved Jewish acrobats and other circus performers from the Nazis. I hadn’t known about the story, although it’s apparently been widely reported upon, and I thought that it’s worth spreading wide here. I’ve collected a number of sources about Adolf […]
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I received a book a couple of weeks ago (Slapstick Divas: The Women of Silent Comedy) by film historian and film series curator Steve Massa that has made for fascinating reading and introduced me to the stories of dozens of very funny comediennes. When we think of silent film comedy today, a great deal of attention gets paid to the […]
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I’m happy to say that ClownAlley, the late Pat Cashin’s excellent blog about the history of clowns and circuses, is back.  (It’s not currently at clownalley.net, but at it’s original place clownalley.blogspot.com) I have always been a big supporter of that blog, which has had some amazing photos and articles about circus clowns past and present. Friend of Pat’s  Beth Grimes […]
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Often what remains of the work of the clown are sawdust and memories and maybe old playbills. Such is the case of Frank “Slivers” Oakley. Â He was one of the top American circus clowns of the early 20th century. He performed an unheard of 15 minute solo baseball routine with the Ringling Circus that made him one of the premier […]
Read moreHere’s a video that I hadn’t seen before of a younger George Carl doing all of his stuff , but with a little more energy and a little more acrobatics. Â He’s such an amazing and precise performer, and he works so fast. Â A true joy to watch. [youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCGzy-K5rX8″]
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 The inimitable Trav S.D., author of (you guessed it) a brand new book, makes a vaudevillian style plea for you to liberate your wallet of that pesky green stuff and buy his brand new book, Chain of Fools – Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to YouTube which happens to be a fabulous and well-researched tome about the impact […]
Read moreI’m hanging around with 50 Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Clown College (RBBBC) Alumni this weekend on Cape Cod. It’s a little overwhelming. Clowns of all shapes, ages, and classes are here. Clown college started in 1968, and went up until 1997, there are over 1500 alumni of the school. Of course, some have passed on, some have stopped clowning […]
Read moreThis is the third or fourth year in a row that I forgot that this week is International Clown Week. I have posted about it before. (In fact, when I went to go look for images for this, I found one of the images that I created!) What can I tell you, I’m a professional clown. I’m good at being […]
Read moreGiorgio Strehler was the founder (along with Paolo Grassi) and director of the Piccolo Teatro di Milano. Some would say that he is the father of modern commedia. I don’t think I would go that far, as there were a number of disparate Italian groups working after the war that were trying to figure out how to resurrect Italian pride, […]
Read moreMike “Hillbilly” Weakley is a 1988 graduate of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College. He then toured with the circus for 7 years as Hillbilly the Clown, and as a featured stiltwalker. Since that time he has entertained and performed for audiences at theme parks, professional sporting events, casinos, corporate events, festivals, concerts, trade shows, and other special […]
Read moreBonnie Barnett first met her father (Chester “Bobo” Barnett) at the circus. She was a four-year-old spectator; he was one of the world’s most famous clowns, a veteran performer for shows like the Shrine Circus and The Ed Sullivan Show. Though his star persona was always present in the periphery of her life, she rarely got to see him in […]
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