Wheeler Presents A Chronology of Clowndom

1990

Clown Hall of Fame inductees were Leon "Buttons" McBryde, Joseph "Joey" Grimaldi, and Bob "Clarabelle Hornblower" Keeshan. (Buttons Picture courtesy of Larry H.'s picture website...Clarabelle's picture courtesy of the Captain Kangaroo website)

Clown Hall of Fame inductee Anthony Mark "Mark (Tony) Anthony" Galkowski died. (Born in 1915). In his honor, the Mark Anthony Memorial fund was set up at the University of Wisconsin - Lacrosse clown camp (which pays the tuition of one student per year). (Picture courtesy of the International Clown Hall of Fame)

1991

Bobby

Frankie

Coco

Frosty

Yankee Dan Rice

Clown Hall of Fame inductees were Bobby Kay, Frankie Saluto, Michael "Coco" Poliakov, Glen "Frosty" Little, and Daniel "Yankee Dan Rice" McLaren.  (All pictures except Yankee Dan's courtesy of the International Clown Hall of Fame)

Clown and Circus Halls of Fame inductee Lou Jacobs' continually declining health forced him to retire from teaching at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College. Lou just couldn't stay away though. He continued to visit the college as often as he could.

Clown Hall of Fame inductees Bob "Bozo" Bell and Roy "Cooky Cook" Brown were both hospitalized with heart problems. (Pictures courtesy of WGN-TV)   

David Larrible joined the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. He became the first clown in that circus's history to perform a solo act in the center ring. (Other clowns had performed rare and notable featured solo gags,  i.e. Clown and Circus Halls of Fame inductees Lou Jacobs and Emmett "Weary Willie" Kelly Sr., but not as featured center ring performers.)       

Vance "Pinto" Colvig Jr., who was the son of the original Bozo the Clown and who portrayed Bozo himself for a number of years, died. (born 1919)   (Picture courtesy of WGN-TV)

Clowns of America International changed the name of National Clown Week to International Clown Week. The name change has not totally caught on with all clowns and clown alleys in the United States.

1992

Grock

Paul

Prince Paul

Vercoe

Cousin Otto

Clown Hall of Fame inductees were Karl Adrian "Grock" Wettach, Paul Jung, Paul "Prince Paul" Alpert, Arthur "Vercoe" Pedlar, and Gene "Cousin Otto" Lee.  (Pictures of Prince Paul Arthur, and Cousin Otto courtesy of the International Clown Hall of Fame)                       

 Several cast members of The Bozo Show received emmy awards, including clown Joey "Bozo" D'Auria and Clown Hall of Fame inductee Roy "Cooky the Cook" Brown. Adrian Zmed (better known as William Shatner's partner in the television show TJ Hooker or as Johnny, leader of the T-Birds, in the movie Grease 2) also received an emmy for his portrayal of a clown on the show. (Pictures courtesy of WGN-TV)   

Clown and Circus Halls of Fame inductee Jacob "Lou Jacobs" Ludwig died. (born 1903 in Germany)

Clown Hall of Fame inductee Steve "T. J. Tatters" Smith was appointed a director of the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus.  (Picture courtesy of the International Clown Hall of Fame)

1993

Mexican Clown/actor Mario Mareno "Cantinflas" Reyes  died. (birthdate unknown)

Albert

Al

Popov

Cooky Cook

T.J. Tatters

Clown Hall of Fame inductees were Albert Fratellini, Alphonse "Al Ross" Helwig , Oleg Popov, Roy "Cooky Cook" Brown, and Steve "T.J. Tatters" Smith.  (Pictures of Al, and T.J. courtesy of the International Clown Hall of Fame; Cooky's Picture courtesy of WGN-TV)               

The Pickle Family Circus, featuring Clown Lorenzo Pickle, ceased operation.

1994

Bumpsy Anthony

Joe

Coco

Anni

Jim

  Clown Hall of Fame inductees were George "Bumpsy Anthony" Hulme, Joseph Francis "Joe Jackson" Jiranek Sr., Nikolai "Coco" Poliakov, Anni Fratellini (the first female inductee), and Jim Howle.  (Pictures of Bumpsy Anthony, Anni, and Jim courtesy of the International Clown Hall of Fame)                                                              

Clown Hall of Fame inductee and former aerialist Emmett "Weary Willie" Kelly, Sr. was posthumously inducted into the Circus Hall of Fame.

 Six Emmy awards were awarded to the cast and production crew of The Bozo Show. Also that year, to raise money for local children's charities, WGN-TV offered 5,000 limited edition Bozo long - distance calling cards for sale to the public. (Picture courtesy of WGN-TV)

Clown Hall of Fame inductee Roy "Cooky Cook" Brown retired from television. He had missed much of the previous season of The Bozo Show due to heart problems. At this time Roy donated some memorabilia, including a Cooky Cook costume to the Clown Hall of Fame. (Picture courtesy of WGN-TV)

1995

Poodles

Chester      Joe

Dimitri

Homer

Happy

Clown Hall of Fame inductees were Edwin "Poodles" Hanneford, The Sherman Brothers (Chester Sherman & Joe Vani), Dimitri, Don "Homer" Burda, and Jim "Happy" Williams.  (Pictures of Chester, Joe, and Happy courtesy of the International Clown Hall of Fame, Homer's Picture courtesy of Larry H.'s website)

1996

Boom-Boom

Bob as Bozo

Bert

Jackie

Clown Hall of Fame inductees were Bill "BOOM-BOOM" Baily, Bob "BOZO" Bell, Bert Austin Williams, and Jackie LeClaire. Due to the fact that Bob Bell was no longer portraying Bozo on television, Larry Harmon would not allow him to attend the induction ceremony in costume and makeup.   (Bozo's picture courtesy of WGN-TV, Boom-Boom's and Bert's pictures courtesy of the Clown Hall of Fame website)                                        

Clown Hall of Fame inductee Roy "Cooky the Cook" Brown made a surprise final appearance as a guest on the 35th Anniversary episode of WGN-TV's The Bozo Super Sunday Show. (Picture courtesy of the International Clown Hall of Fame Website)

The Clown Hall of Fame was moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1997

Clown Hall of Fame inductees were George Foottit (left) and Raphael "Chocolat" Padilla (right).

Clown Hall of Fame inductee Richard "Red / Freddie the Freeloader" Skelton died. (born 1913)

Clown Hall of Fame inductee Robert (Bob) Lewis "Bozo" Bell died of heart failure. (born 1922) (photo courtesy of WGN-TV - click on picture for larger view)

Clown Hall of Fame inductee Annie Fratellini died of cancer. (born 1932 in France)

(Picture on left courtest of the International Clown Hall of Fame Website. Picture on right courtesy of www.clown-ministry.com)

The last class of the century graduated from the Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Clown College, which closed its doors that year.  (I have been told from someone who is in a position to know, that it will reopen in a year or two.)

1998

Clown Hall of Fame inductees were Peggy Williams, Ernie "Blinko" Burch, and Robert Armin.  (Blinko's and Robert's pictures courtesy of the International Clown Hall of Fame)                            

Rodeo Clown great Quail Dobbs retired.

Alan Livingston, creator of Bozo the Clown, received the Clown Hall of Fame Lifetime of Laughter Achievement Award.  (Picture courtesy of WGN-TV)

 

Joey D'Auria received another Emmy award for his television portrayal of Bozo the Clown. (Picture courtesy of WGN-TV)   

To honor their deceased favorite son and one of the most famous of the Bozos (and a Clown Hall of Fame inductee), the City of Chicago and State of Illinois proclaimed April 18, 1998 "Bob Bell Day." The Chicago City Council renamed one of the city's streets Bob Bell Way. (Picture courtesy of WGN-TV) 

1999

					(I haven't found the other pictures yet)
Snowflake Jr.				Antonet

 Clown Hall of Fame inductees were Charlie Rivels, Bob "Hambone" Hamilton, Richard "Snowflake Jr." Snowberg, Bill Irwin, Umberto "Antonet" Guillaume, and Keith Crary. 

WZZM-TV, Grand Rapids, aired it's final episode of "Bozo's Bigtop," making WGN-TV, Chicago, the only station in the world to still be airing a live "Bozo the Clown" Show.  (photo is WGN-TV's Joey D'Auria and is courtesy of WGN-TV)

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