Wheeler Presents A                     Chronology of Clowndom

1930

Clown Hall of Fame inductee and Soviet circus great Oleg Popov was born.

Circus Hall of Fame inductee Otto Griebling, an accomplished horseback rider in the Sells Floto Circus, suffered a serious fall and, while recovering, decided that it was time for career change . A natural comedian, he became a silent tramp clown, starting a successful career that would lead to Otto also being inducted into the Clown Hall of Fame.

Alphonse Helwig  joined the Ross Acrobatic troupe and first took the stage name of Al Ross, beginning a career that would lead to his induction into the Clown Hall of Fame.

Clown Hall of Fame inductee Nikolai "Coco" Poliakov moved from the USSR to England and joined the Bertram Mills Circus. Soon he was Great Britain's most popular clown.

Bevely "Rebo the Clown" Bergeron was born.

Walt Disney created the cartoon character Pluto, and chose as the voice behind the character a retired circus clown named Vance "Pinto" Colvig Sr. (who later became the first Bozo the Clown). Pinto soon lent his voice to another Disney cartoon creation, the original Goofy.  (picture courtesy of WGN-TV)

1932

Clown Hall of Fame inductee Joe Vani became part of the Kenneth Waite acrobatic trio, along with Kenneth Waite and Clown Hall of Fame inductee Chester Sherman. When Waite retired a short time later, the remaining two formed the clown duo known as the Sherman Brothers.  (Picture courtesy of the International Clown Hall of Fame)

Clown Hall of Fame inductee Anni Fratellini, (granddaughter of Clown Hall of Fame inductee Paul Fratellini) was born in France. 

Clown Hall of Fame inductee Arthur "Vercoe" Pedlar was born in England. 

Clown Hall of Fame inductee Roy "Cooky Cook" Brown was born in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.   

Clown and Circus Halls of Fame inductee Felix Adler became the first clown to appear on a television program.

Clown and Circus Halls of Fame inductee Otto Griebling became a silent tramp clown in the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus.

Clown and Circus Halls of Fame inductee Emmett Kelly Sr. toured nightclubs, using both his talents as a clown and an artist to give chalk talks as Weary Willie.

1933

The tramp clown character Weary Willie (left) first performed under the big top, at the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus.  Before that, Clown and Circus Halls of Fame inductee Emmett Kelly Sr. was a whiteface clown (right).

By proving how popular his character was and how Weary Willie enhanced other acts, Emmett was given permission for Weary Willie to stay in costume and character throughout the circus performance, even to mix with serious acts (i.e. hanging wash on the slack wire and being chased out of the ring, etc.) . He continued to do this at every circus for which Weary Willie performed from then on.

Clown and Circus Halls of Fame inductee "Prince Paul" Alpert first performed as a clown in the Paul Jung Troupe. He was one of the little people (a term used for dwarf and midget circus performers).  (Picture courtesy of the International Clown Hall of Fame)

1934

Vladimir Durov, Soviet clown, and half of the Durov Bothers act, died. (born 1863). He was more comic animal trainer than clown, but often performed with his brother Anatoly, who was a noted auguste clown.

Clown Hall of Fame inductee Paul Jung left Vaudevile to return to circus life, employed by Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus as a clown. (Before that, he had been a trapeze artist)

1935

Clown Hall of Fame inductee Gene "Cousin Otto" Lee  began his career at the Cole Bros. Circus.  (Picture courtesy of the International Clown Hall of Fame)

Clown Hall of Fame inductee and Swiss clown mime, Dimitri, was born.

Clown Hall of Fame inductee Umberto "Antonet" Guillaume, the last of the authoritarian Whiteface clowns, died. (born 1872 in Italy) He had teamed with several notable augustes over the years, including Grock. (In fact, Grock credited Antonet for getting his career as an auguste started correctly.)

Clown and Circus Halls of fame inductee Emmett "Weary Willie" Kelly Sr. and wife Eva were divorced, in large part over Emmett's preference of clowning over their aerialist act. They each took custody of one of their two sons; Emmett Jr. becoming the responsibility of his father. (due to the nomadic life of a circus performer, Emmett Jr. lived most of his school years with Emmett Sr.'s parents) Eva later would marry another clown, JoJo Lewis. Emmett Sr. would also remarry, but unsuccessfully.

Due to a clown shortage and at his father's urging, fifteen year old Gene "Cousin Otto" Lee first performed as a clown; at the Cole Bros. Circus, leading to a successful career and induction into the Clown Hall of Fame. (Picture courtesy of the International Clown Hall of Fame)

1937

Clown Hall of Fame inductee Emmett "Weary Willie" Kelly, Sr. appeared at the New York Hippodrome. Audiences loved the silent tramp clown.

Clown Hall of Fame inductee Mark "Tony " Antony began his career as a whiteface clown. A short time later, he switched to the tramp character (left) for which he became famous.

Walt Disney created the first feature length animated cartoon, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Two of the dwarfs, Grumpy (left) and Sleepy, were voiced by a retired circus clown named Pinto Colvig Sr., who later became the first Bozo the Clown (right). (Bozo picture courtesy of WGN-TV, Grumpy picture courtesy of Snow White Website)

1938

Dorothy "JoJo" Barnett joined the clown act of her husband Chester "Bobo" Barnett. A whiteface, she was billed as the only performing girl clown. (which was probably true at that time) She certainly had to battle with the prejudices of an all male clown alley in order to get her chance, as well as male jealousy when she succeeded.

1939

Popular Soviet R'izhii clown Vitaly Efimovich Lazarenko the Elder died. (born in 1890) (*note: R'izhii was a red-haired clown type popular in the Soviet Union before World War II and was probably the inspiration for the modern auguste)

Vance "Pinto / Bozo" Colvig Sr. was the voice of Gabby the  Lilliputian in what became a very popular animated feature Gulliver's Travels.

Clown Hall of Fame inductee Jim Howle was born in South Carolina.

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