Buckles Blog: Robbins Bros. Circus Program 1938 #5

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Happy Kellems with statlets Francis Gifford and Ann Miller. Hap is listed in the program but this would be an earlier picturre with another show.

Anonymous said...: Interesting ! Who was the Original Circus Tramp Clown ?; 03 May, 2006 08:13
Anonymous said...: I have a book by Bruce "Charlie" Johnson that says the Tramp character traces from the 1870's.
(His Charlie clown charater is a tramp.) Bruce puts on a show called "Tramp Traditions".

Don Bloomer; 03 May, 2006 08:54
Anonymous said...: The sad clown was always my favorite. Tramps seemed to have the best acts. Not knowing Emment Kelly personally, I could never take my eyes off that spotlight as he swept the circle. I will always remember that as I use a broom every day. Not to ride on as someone in Tenn would like to say. Not my mode of tranportation. Not yet anyway. I am a Bit not a WIT and darn well proud of it.; 03 May, 2006 10:02
Buckles said...: According to my pictures the earlier tramp clowns were more Chaplinesque in feature. The Great Depression produced the tramp clowns that we are more familiar with since hobos were on every corner and mostly being victims of circumstances.
Today tramps are either the Homeless or Hippies, not much humor in either.; 03 May, 2006 10:19

Buckles Blog