Show World (June 1910)

THE SHOW WORLD 1009. TOPICAL CLOWNS HAVE SPLENDID FIELD COLUMBUS, O., June 31—I look toward Sellsville, not far'from here, sacred with its memories of the circus profession. The noted show- and girls __ _ a home, live to tell its - - , remember the clowns who mingled there, who joined hands with the ap¬ proach of spring to demonstrate with tricks and oddities the cardinal propo¬ sition: “Laugh and the world laughs with you; weep and you weep alone.” One of these funmakers in particular vividly comes to view—Sam Rinehart. He was also a leaper of renown. The last time I saw him alive was in his room, a humble affair, a few days be¬ fore his death. On the wall hung a whip, one of the long, ringmaster kind, and pointing to that he said: “That’s what makes Sam his living; that’s my dearest friend.” There was meaning in his lines—a meaning for the ages, a story that still re¬ echoes, that speaks in language plain, that advises, that contains volumes of common sense, of “peace, good will to all.” Clown Is Historical. I promised to write of clowns this week and the above I use as the cor¬ nerstone of my Show World struc¬ ture. I trust all catch my meaning, that all can read no matter how fast they run, and that all will understand even if they read between the lines. Where the circus was or is you find . the clown. History tells us there were circuses long before the shepherds sang their carols on the first Christ¬ mas morning upon the plains of Judea. To my mind Adam and Eve had the first circus in the Garden of Eden. Did not Adam have a woman made from a rib (a real feature) and a “show for the earth”? Adam was the first clown. He started the clown’s business and illustrated to a certainty: “Laugh and the world laughs with you; weep and you weep alone.”- Can you name the first American clown? The late George S. Cole told me of James Myers, clown with the Aaron Turner circus in 1849; of Sam Lithrop, clown with General Rufus Welsh’s National Circus in 1850; and George O. Knapp, talking clown, and TTnliv Pn t- 1 ^ tallfirnr anH trick Sig. Felix Carlo, talking and trick clown, with the Spaulding & Rogers North American Circus in 1851. Col¬ onel James Hatch, of Kansas City, oldest living tent showman, says he began circus life with Dan Rice, who was a clown in the late “forties.” I spent a good part of my life with the old John Robinson show, and the family records of the Robinsons, so the “Guv” says, reveal that his father, Uncle John Robinson, who founded the Robinson circus in 1831, clowned and rode and about put on the entire performance. According to this, Adam was the first clown in the old world and Uncle John Robinson the initial entry on the western hemisphere. Famous Funmakers. The clowns of the old school whose names and sayings and songs and funnyisms are talked of to this day and will live on and on and on are the late Dan Rice, who gained fame mostly on the one line:_ “My wife loves her Rice,” and John Lowlow, who lives at Cleveland, who looks as young as he did forty years ago, and who became noted for the well- remembered cry, when another horse was needed for the leapers: “Bring in another ‘hoss’”! The clowns you hear most spoken of today are Frank (Slivers’ Oakley, “Spader” Johnson, and Uncle Hiram and Aunt Lucinda (Bert Davis and wife). They stand Successful Features Require Brains and Enterprise and Present Funmakers Past BY DOC WADDELL. the Sells Brothers, who tablished the little town, are dead, and only a hand- full of the boys whom it was practically story. r out like the stars of the old school did because they have the goods, that which satisfies the demands of the amusement public. They do not wor¬ ship the tallow candle, and they understand the why and wherefore of “the survival of the fittest.” Connected with shows the greater part of my life, and most of this time as press agent, I have been interested in, studied closely and written en¬ thusiastically of the Joeys. I like them, every one of them. I declare here and now that as a class they pos¬ sess the brains, the heart, the soul to accomplish wonders; that no other set of circus life, underneath the out¬ ward surface and appearance of being, are superior. Ideas that have given to the air and bar and flying ring and back of horse dare-devil, high- salaried acts were born amidst the clowns. The same attention paid to their own realm would put all clowns in the running with the big money. The point I make is that vaudeville is a lure for clowns who achieve suc¬ cess in the circus world. away up, gets the money. He schools himself. This beats time wasted, thrown away, moments passed out with the boys being a “good fellow” in the common acceptance of the term. Circus clowns should study events, read the newspapers and magazines and instead of following old lines of clowning put on skits de¬ picting topical events of the day. Let the circus clown educate himself to the possibilities of real humor. Clowns and all showmen should mas¬ ter the “Life of P. T. Barnum.” This should be to the showman what Blackstone is to the lawyer. Every clown by all means should read and study the writings of the late Bill Nye, Mark Twain and “Brick” Pomeroy. Take it from me, as your friend and well-wisher, that if you never had the chance of a school education, dur¬ ing leisure moments on the road pick up a little sbmething each day and when home during the winter be Johnny-on-the-spot at the night school. You have the brains—more Enterprise Is Necessary. My talk will be straight. I cannot mince words; I would not if I could. My aim is to benefit you and I and all. Let us be “honor bright.” Let each and every clown cultivate thought and have control of the pas¬ sions that render persons unfit for progress, and if kept up, eventually, unfit for citizenship. Be this way: “Have and give.” The flower that withholds its treasures of color and fragrance from others loses its wealth of beauty. When the rose opens itself and gives out its life to others then its fragrance is developed. The clown who is selfish defeats his own ends; loses the very thing he tries to keep. Let each and every clown re¬ solve to school themselves. Really at present you are in a sort of dried- apple routine that would sour the stomach of a top-notch booking agent. The whole Dam family should wake up. And warm up. Be modern. If you would school yourselves you can materially increase your value as en¬ tertainers for the tented aggregations. Rapidity is the trimming of the age. Swift is our pace. Evolution is ever active. The signs of the times are exceedingly vivid. Why do the per¬ sons who furnish comedy for the cir¬ cus remain in the slap-stick rut and not hearken? The demand for first- class clowns—male and female—for the circus was never greater than now. It comes to me straight that some of the comedians who are strug¬ gling along on the musical comedy stage have their eyes on the sawdust. It must be admitted that if they do give the matter of circus clowning consideration they will better them¬ selves. Some Timely Hints. As stated, evolution is at work on circus clowning as on all other things. It is bound to evolute from the cut and dried slap-stick type as at pres¬ ent in vogue. The present circus clowns should get busy and not permit the band wagon of progression and improvement to pass them in the broad light of day. I was riding on a train one day out of Cleveland. In the seat just in front of me was a professional. He was reading and studying. About him on the seat were all sorts of books and news¬ papers. I butted in and I found he was a comedian and he was “eating up” the good things in the works of humor in his possession. He told me that he spent nearly $100 per year for literature that would provide him with practical morsels valuable for use on the stage. This comedian is sense is all right, common sense with an education is a stronger, more powerful combination. An example: “Teddy” Roosevelt would have been there without the education, but with education and common sense he is the acknowledged greatest of all Americans. By the way, I heard him once say: “I like the clowns. For their good in every way, I wish they would break away from conventional stuff handed down by predecessors from time immemorial and evolve funny stuff from happenings that come up every day. The circus clown has a mission to perform. The car¬ toon and the clown have well-defined places in the education and entertain¬ ment of the masses.” Clown Is Living Cartoon. Roosevelt’s cartoon idea is classy. Clowns—ponder over the creations of the top-notch cartoonists. Study their offerings and to you will come real comedy and enable you to infuse life into circus clowning. You cannot ad¬ vance from your present position until you have prepared yourself for a higher one. Lack of ability is the thing that sets the limit to every per¬ son’s success. Spend one hour of every twenty-four in mental concen¬ tration, thinking and planning ways of improving your work. You will be surprised at the results. It is not true to your upbuilding to think that your employer will not appreciate your efforts and will try to keep you from advancing. Circus owners can¬ not keep a capable clown or employe from advancing; they cannot afford to. Be willing. Be ready to make yourself a part of the circus business. Do not waste time wondering about opportunites that lie ahead. It was once written* “I might offer a ton of iron to a hundred people, and to most of them it would look like a useless black mass, while possibly one of the numbfer looking at it would see it transformed into razors, steel springs, cutlery, tools, etc., and right away would proceed to make the black mass give forth the things his inner eye had seen therein. This one man out of a hundred grasped oppor¬ tunity because he was prepared to see it. The man who is prepared will see opportunity at every turn. He will have no need to look for it.” Get it out of your heads for all time thinking of the day when you will be promoted to the position some one e*lse is now holding. That is de¬ structive. Get in a class by yourself. Make a position for yourself as you go and make yourself necessary ( the position. Use your ideas for th( benefit of the business you are asso ciated with. “Spader” Johnson in troduced the “Brainstorm Automc bile” and other clown creation! Frank (“Slivers”) Oakley receive $16 a week as a clown with the Ring ling Bros, shows in 1895. Today h is the principal funmaker at the Net^ York Hippodrome in New York Citj Why? He shelved the convention^ and sought for innovation. His base ball stunt appeals to every fan in th< wide world. He sought a nations pastime for his material. This I be lieve he introduced when with thi Barnum-Bailey shov? in Madiso: Square Garden. Critics from every where came to see .it. Among thes was Montgomery Phister, dramati editor of the Commercial Tribune Cincinnati, and I wish to state hei that on either stage or sawdust, < footlight follower or they of tente dome, Montgomery Phister is autho^ ity and critic true, and sincere frien! of all clean amusement and its v ries. Mr. Phister told me that * James Bailey he was passing throug] Madison Square Garden when of ‘ sudden he found himself spellbouni His eyes were feasted on a clow playing baseball and he was holdin his sides with laughter as were th thousands of spectators. Bade; missed his guest and looking ’ saw Phister being really entertained Coming back the great dramati editor asked: “Who is that fellow? Bailey told him, “Slivers” Oaklej whereupon Phister said: “Well, he’ extra good, high hygiene. He’s in \ class by himself or he never couli have stopped and held and made r roar with laughter.” “Although the heavy earth cloud With sometimes an unlooked shower. Don’t Weep. Rise up! Assert j power! And^ though misfortune seems j Keep smiling! The constant cry of circus ownei is: “Give us good clowns.” Unfoi tunately the Joeys do not seem preciate the possibilities and art_ tented to do their little bit just a their predecessors have done befotj them. Clowns should not deal imitation stuff and “get by” in th way. Take hold of yourselves, stud] your business, determine to evolv original ideas. Know that the oppoi tunities are unlimited. On the othe hand circus owners, it seems to me should not let the first-class clown] get away from them. There is n< reason in the world why vaudevill should steal the top-notch clown The Ringling circus had only a fai: afternoon crowd at Milwaukee Mon day. The newspapers say botl crowds were “good” so the nigh] house was probably as good or better It is said that the business of th< Ringling circus for the week before Milwaukee, which ended with SoutI Bend, Ind., was only “fair.” The Two Bills billed against the Ringling show at Milwaukee. Fight a Draw. Reports from Fitchburg, Mass, where the 101 Ranch and the Barnun & Bailey played day for date, is ti there was rain, but both shows L_ fair business. It seems impossibh for the 101 Ranch to line up in direc: opposition to another show and there not be some excuse for the two hav¬ ing slim crowds.