Albert White

On the subject of clowns, I recently received this picture of Albert White from Don Curtis. Ernie Burch told me that they once had a big clown number on the Ringling Show with a Western theme with a fort erected in the center ring and most of the clowns wore those "hobby horse" outfits with the false legs, some were cowboys, others Indians. Emmett Kelly had a feather in his derby and as usual wandered around doing things completely unrelated to the action going on. The number was again concluded with an explosion and a cowboy dummy with angel wings going to the top of the tent. The highlight tho, was when a stage coach entered pulled by a team of horses which was stopped in front of the center ring by Ernie and a few more clowns (bandits) would then hold up the stage coach. The first thing done was to open the door and out would come "Pretty Miss Flo" in a state of high drama and attired in a costume similar to the one above but with more of a Mae West flair, the bustle was made to resemble a large stalk of carrots. Ernie said that one day the teamster let the hitch get away and while making the turn on the round end, rolled the coach over and drug it upside down for a considerable distance before they could get it stopped. After being extracted from the wreck, Albert now in a state of general disarray, wig askew and carrots awry, was helped to the back door and once outside began screaming "MISTER VALDO, MISTER VALDO,........I SHALL HENCEFORTH MAKE MY ENTRANCE AFOOT!". When I was on the show in 1957 they rehashed the old Fire House gag, I was told it was the first time it had been used since the Hartford fire. They had built a fire plug big enough to allow a midget to be concealed inside so when the fire truck entered, the little fire plug came trudging along behind. When they did the "Fireman save my child" part, the mother clown would start to throw the baby to the rescue squad below but after reflecting for a moment, she retreated into the house and returned with TV set which she threw in first, then the baby. I even laughed at that one but of course, I have been blessed with a great sense of humor and laugh at many things.