Thursday, December 29, 2016

#4 Clowns


8 comments:

Chic Silber said...


Perhaps Otto also did

a comedy riding act or

maybe just a photo op

My very favorites were

Lou & Otto (nuf said)

Mike Naughton said...

Yes, Chic, Otto started in a riding act. Much later his comedy boxing partner, Freddie Freeman, was also a rider.

Unknown said...

This is a photo taken by my grandfather, Luke Swank a noted photographer in his day. This photo was taken about 1929. It was included in a book about Luke called, Luke Swank, "Modernist Photographer" by Howard Bossen. There a lot of his other circus pictures in the book.

Roger Smith said...

Read of Otto's history in Bradna's THE BIG TOP. His riding began with Albert Hodgini. He did a Poodles Hanneford-style turn for May Wirth, then got busted up beyond repair for riding. He taught himself to juggle during his long recovery, and turned to full-time clowning. Albert White used to marvel at him, saying, "Otto is the only clown who can make clowns laugh."

Charles Hanson said...

Otto's come in routines were priceless...He was funny and never received the recognition he should have in my opinion.

Chic Silber said...


No matter the size of the arena

Otto had everybody's attention

I tried for a vantage location

as often as possible

Chic Silber said...


My favorites of his wandering

through the seating were the

"Railway Express Agent" & the

"Audience Evaluator"

It's a wonder he didn't get

graphite poisening from the

pencil wetting on his tongue

Roger Smith said...

For me, Otto and Freddie Freeman did the greatest boxing gag ever presented. I tried to never miss it.