What Is a Clown Alley?

                       The Clown Alley was a special place in the circus set aside for the clowns. It wasn't a real alley, simply a strip of the yard alongside the Big Top.

This location was covered with a canopy which extended from the Big Top itself and was near the back doorway of the main tent. The back doorway had to be very easily available, because the clowns were in and out of the tent so many times throughout the show.

Nowadays clowns often use RV's and motor-homes to dress and apply make-up, so the historical dressing area seldom exists. Therefore the expression is used for any organized group of clowns, whether or not they are affiliated with a circus or carnival.

In the circus, clowns were given their own section in the dressing tent because powdering their make-up might be messy. This part was usually closest to the edge of the tent so the clowns may easily duck underneath the canvas to powder their make-up outside.

Simply because this area was the farthest from the opening to the primary tent, they were also the darkest. The darkness and the tent walls lower on one side made it seem like an alley, so it came to be called " clown alley."

During the show, if there had been issues with the rigging or another person got injured, the clowns would fill in till the show was ready to resume. It is customary that the traditional procedure to signal an acrobat to go on to begin his act was to yell "Allez Oop" (pronounced Alley Oop). Once the clowns were needed, the director may yell, "Clowns Allez" meaning "Clowns Go."

After a while, the team of clowns grew to become known as the clown alley and the area where these folks waited between the acts also adopted this name.

In a dressing tent in Clown Alley, the clowns put on their distinctive costumes and makeup. Starting with white colored stocking caps to shield their hair, these folks may smear their faces with a grease paint known as "clown white". After that, every single clown developed his or her own make-up to accent their facial traits.

No two clown faces could be precisely alike. If you glance carefully at two clowns who appear to look alike, you can see modest differences - eyebrows formed differently, or the muzzle simply a bit greater or smaller.

Clown Alley was where the clowns waited for the sign to "allez." It is additionally a holding place for the larger props essential in the shows. There were the stilt walker's ten-foot stilts, the funny carts, and the tiny fire engine wagon. There had been the human-size razors that turned up in the barbershop act, as well as bicycles, hoops, and collapsible chairs just to mention a few.

The clowns invested lots of time in Clown Alley where there was constantly laughter, simply because the clowns cherished to master jokes on each other.

It is there that quite a few youthful clowns discovered the art of clowning from their elders.

Clown Fear Is Real, Perfect for Haunted House Owners

                       Clowns are enigmas. The role of the clown exists to bring cheer to children, yet millions of people are scared of these painted-up actors. Let's delve into the frightening world of the clown and see why they strike terror in the hearts of some adults and children while bringing smiles to other people. We'll also see why clowns are perfect ghouls for haunted house owners.

It is interesting to note that the fear of clowns is a legitimate fear and even has a name - Coulrophobia. Coulrophobia is an abnormal or exaggerated fear of clowns. According to the Web site way2hope.org, "Coulrophobia is very common...one of the top 10 most common specific phobias. Symptoms can range from high anxiety to outright panic attacks around people in clown outfits or other bizarre attire and make-up...even Santa Claus." Yep, the fear of clowns is certainly real. This is the reason many haunted houses include clowns alongside the actors dressed as zombies, werewolves and witches.

Of course, it is not only adults who are fearful of clowns. Although clowns are meant to entertain children, many children are scared of them. As a former haunted house manager, I believe the fear of clowns comes from the fact the clown make-up obscures the wearer's face. Is Bozo really happy or is he only smiling because he has a painted-on grin? We do not know. Also, I think we instinctively realize that brightly colored outfits do not mean the clowns are always happy go lucky. What dark thoughts lurk inside the mind of a clown? No one except the clown knows.

Furthermore, I think as a society we can't help but remember John Wayne Gacy, Jr. He did nothing good for the professional clowns of the world who work hard to make us laugh. John Wayne Gacy, Jr. was an American serial killer also known as the Killer Clown who committed the rape and murder of 33 teenage boys and young men between 1972 and 1978, according to Wikipedia. Twenty-six of Gacy's victims were buried in the crawlspace of his home, three others elsewhere on his property and four victims were discarded in a nearby river, the online database states.

Gacy was dubbed the Killer Clown because he entertained children as "Pogo The Clown." He was eventually sentenced to death, and on May 10, 1994, was executed by lethal injection. The world breathed a sigh of relief. But, many adults cannot help but remember photos of Gacy dressed as a clown. These images were published in newspapers and today are on the Internet. I am sure those images play a part into our fear of clowns.

Of course, it takes more than just one man to make us afraid of clowns. According to the site phobias.about.com, there are two main theories surrounding why some people are scared of clowns. The Web site states, "In a 2004 review article for Trinity University, Joseph Durwin postulates that there are two commonly accepted schools of thought. One is that the fear is based in a negative personal experience with a clown at a young age. The second theory is that mass media has created a hype surrounding evil clowns such that even children who are not personally exposed to clowns are trained to dislike or fear them."

Durwin's theory that society has created hype around evil clowns is fascinating to me. It is true that Stephen King scared us through the book and film version of It. The novel and film revolve around an evil alien-type creature that disguises itself as "Pennywise the Dancing Clown." Also, as I mentioned earlier, there are many haunted houses that feature killer clowns. There is Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988), the famous b-movie from the 1980s that brought clowns into our nightmares, as well.

So, has society brought this fear of clowns on itself? It becomes a chicken and the egg issue. Did books, movies, haunted houses, and the image of Gacy cause our fear of clowns? Or did movies and haunted houses start using clowns to strike terror because society was already afraid of them? Which came first? Sadly, there does not seem to be an answer yet.

All I can conclude with certainty is the fear of clowns seems here to stay and haunted house owners should take advantage of this fact!

A Clown's World

                    Those funny old clowns were the masters of merriment, mayhem, and mirth bringing larger than life exaggerations of our very own lives to us in the canvas covered and sawdust floored tents of the circus.

Obviously the circus clown has had many changes over the years. We can trace the origins back as far as the jesters of the medieval times. Even the biblical times tells of entertainers. So how did these pantomimes and court jesters steal their ways into those hearts? They mastered the art of day to day living and made a pun of the simplest things in life.

Clowns as we know them today have evolved from the singer / jester of two hundred years ago to the fantastic art form of comedy pantomime in huge auditoriums and arenas today. The earliest forms of clowns talked to the crowds as they were small enough to be heard by all. They even sang the enchanting song of the day to such all time greats as "The Daring young man on the Flying Trapeze."

While the Circus clown has been immortalized as the flamboyant punster, film studios have twisted the clown and his grotesque make-up into creatures of evil and horror. Rightfully so, some people today are scared to death of a clown.

The clown has evolved into a piece of art and those they take the part of a circus clown, a circus performer, are true artists in every sense of the word. They have to be creative first of all. Their facial make-up while it may be patterned after another clown is a one of a kind fingerprint for each individual clown. It is an unwritten rule in the world of greasepaint and slapstick that no one wears the same face as some one else.

These facial make-ups are then categorized in different styles or looks. The basic whiteface clown wore the leotards, slippers, and even a pointed hat as in the old Dan Rice style. The Auguste type usually exaggerates the features of the face with larger than life smiles, BIG eyes, a huge nose, and round rosy cheeks. His costumes are silly; some have polka dots or stripes and usually are accompanied by gigantic shoes. The tramp type clown is usually a down and out character with a dirty unkempt appearance but still utilizing the traits of other clowns such as the large shoes or red nose. Clowns can be as simple as a regular person sitting in the crowd who is actually part of the act. These are called your Plant or stooge.

While most circuses usually carried one clown who interacted with the performance and the crowd, the necessity to add more clowns came about with the enlargement of the circus tent itself. While the circus was basically a one ring affair, the quest to expand and offer more than ever added to the circus press corps delight in securing the notoriety of the never seen before acts, more than ever claims, and the bold brash statements of the "Greatest Show on Earth."

As more and more clowns joined the circus ranks, the presentations and abilities of the circus clown changed as well. Soon the ability to speak to the entire audience was diminished or completely gone due to the new found size of the crowds. To be able to communicate their points, the clowns turned to acting out their scenarios in a dramatic and foolish way. These pantomimes and slapstick used a wide variety of props to achieve their laughs from the audience such as a clown going to the dentist, or the clown Fire Department.

Throngs of clowns now gathered in the canvas arena for a slapstick adventure designed to make you laugh and also to act as a diversion while another circus act was being taken down or being put up for another featured performer. Whistles, Sirens, smoke, Firecrackers, and long, long, very long shirts, all made us scream with delight and laugh at the silliness of what we go through every day.

While the clowns were there every day and were wonderful at what they do, very rarely did we ever remember a single clown's name unless we studied Circus History and events. Emmett Kelly and Lou Jacobs are probably remembered by more people than any other clowns. Emmett Kelly was known as a hobo character who tried to sweep the floor with a spotlight as his pile of dust getting smaller all the time and moving from side to side only to burst all over the place. The legendary clown, Lou Jacobs is famous for his motorized bathtub, his miniature car, and his very long face make-up. A very similar likeness to Lou Jacobs even became a US Postage Stamp. Some great clown gags and scenes with the clowns are preserved in Cecil B. DeMille's epic film "The Greatest Show on Earth" which was filmed on the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1951.

Today's Big Apple Circus has the likes of Barry Lupin's immortal character "Grandma" who is as well know in the Big Apple Circus as he is in Television and Parades. He was a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus performer for five years after graduating from Clown College. He has captivated the crowds at the Big Apple Circus since 1982 and appeared in films like Pee Wee's Big Top Adventure. As a member of the International Clown Hall of Fame he stands in good company with other master clowns such as Glenn "Frosty" Little, Otto Greibling, Lou Jacobs and many others.

We remember other clowns in our lives but we don't think of them as circus clowns. We can't talk about clowns without recalling the entertaining genius of Richard "Red" Skelton and his many characters and funny faces he provided. His father was a circus clown and "Red" was also on the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus before getting into the TV industry. Max Patkin was known as the "Clown Prince of Baseball" a one man baseball institution with his hilarious hi-jinks on the Baseball diamonds across America. The cross eyed expressions, the rubbery mouth going all over and the floppy double jointed body movements all brought us laughter with out any clown make-up at all. Going back a little bit further in history was the greatness of a true master of the screen in the form of Charlie Chaplin. Charlie Chaplin delivered a circus theme in his movie simply titled Circus.

Magic, Clown Magic, and Magic in Clowning - What's the Difference?

                    In this article, I'd like to make a few short comments about the performance of magic in clowning -- where it's appropriate, and where it's not. For instance, it would be out of character for a bumbling clown to suddenly put on a serious demeanor, and with the aid of a beautiful assistant, saw a woman in half, or levitate her, or cause her to mysteriously vanish & reappear. Any of these would be totally out of character for virtually any clown.

However, it would be perfectly in character for a clown to attempt to be the suave magician, and be revealed for the charlatan he is, either by his own bungling or that of his assistant (likely an auguste or tramp clown). Since the clown is, by definition, a bungler, this would be fine, and totally in character. In fact, once having been exposed/failed, it would be fine for the clown to successfully complete the magic (with the help of the audience, a volunteer from the audience, or perhaps with a clown assistant).

There is another way for the clown to perform magically, however. Something that we forget too often is that the clown is, himself, a magical character, a 'toon come to life. Whereas the clown cannot perform magic in character (most of the time; if it's in character for your clown to successfully perform magically, do so! No one complains that a clown juggler can successfully juggle, or that a clown balloon artist can twist latex into wonderful shapes without them popping), magic can (and perhaps should) happen to the clown, without his even being aware of it. For instance, it is perfectly in character for a clown assistant to a magician to be handed three rings, only to have them magically link in his hands - with the clown having a befuddled expression as to how this could have happened!

Likewise, why not have the clown pull out a handkerchief to hand to someone (or blow his own nose), only to give it away/leave it lying and pull out a second from the same pocket (followed by a third, fourth, etc.)? Why not have things magically multiple, change color, disappear -- with the clown acting nonchalant, as though this is an everyday occurrence?

Now, if your clown doesn't perform magic, that's fine -- not every clown should, any more than every clown should twist balloons, use puppets, or have the same make-up as every other clown. But if your clown does perform magically, why not broaden our horizons a little, and truly portray a magical clown.

Send in the Clowns: A Look At Clowns Through the Ages

                        When I was a kid we couldn't wait to go to the circus to see the Lion tamer, the high wire acts and most of all the clowns. The Ringling Bros. Circus was the biggest and best, but not the only show on the road. There was the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus. Clyde was great as he entertained audiences with his feats of bravery and courage. He combined lions, tigers, cougars and hyenas in the cage all at one time. He was armed with a whip and pistol. He is also believed to be the first to use a chair in his performance.

And there was also the Shrine Circus founded in 1906 and affiliated with the Shriners' organization. It still travels to 120 cities annually. When I was about 5 years old Mother took me to see it at the sports arena of Illinois Wesleyan University. After the thrill of watching the motorcycles whirring around inside a steel globe, I was treated to an even bigger thrill. That incident involved an animal tamer who had allowed his Gorilla to purposely escape the cage and run into the bleachers. As he came toward me I was screaming and crying like a little girl. I nearly wet myself. He finally had to remove the head of his costume to reveal that he was just a man in gorilla suit. He seemed quite surprised to find it necessary to go to such lengths before I would stop my caterwauling (Caterwauling: To cry or screech like a cat in heat.)

Then the clowns came in. I was instantly transported to a place of happiness and make-believe. I enjoyed the clowns more than anything else. None could compare with Emmett Kelly and the "Weary Willie" character he had fashioned after depression era hobos. We could feel his sadness and yet he made us smile. His was the face of clowning.

Kelly had begun his career as a trapeze act with John Robinson's circus. It was there that he met and married Eva Moore who also performed as a trapeze artist. They went on to perform together as the "Ariel Kellys" and Emmett would occasionally perform as a white face clown. By 1931 he was clowning fulltime. I began clowning fulltime 30 years later in Mrs. O'Brien's 4th grade class. I spent most of that school year in the cloakroom.

Bozo is another famous clown that my generation grew up with. His bright red hair with that lacquered flip has become iconic as a symbol of Bozo. Created as a storytelling character for children for Capitol Records in 1946; he has continued to entertain children of all ages through Television and personal appearances. There were actually many actors who portrayed Bozo during the early T.V. years. The business model was of a franchise instead of a syndication which meant that local TV stations put on their own local productions of the show using their own Bozo. He remains one of America's favorite clowns.

Though the origin of the word is uncertain, it is thought to have come from the word "clod" which means a coarse or boorish person. Clowning's rich history can be traced to Greek burlesque and to the Roman stage. During the Middle Ages the Court Jester or Fool enjoyed a position of privilege with his master. As long as his antics amused the court he gained favor;, or he could sometimes be the object of the king's wrath. Cloaking his wit and wisdom in riddles, the "Fool" was often anything but.

Native Americans also have their own tradition of clowning. Their clowns played a religious role in the culture. They would participate in ceremonies used to ensure crop fertility for the tribe and good hunting. They taught the each new generation the importance of these ceremonies. Believing that it was necessary for the clowns to make everyone laugh to open their minds to learning; a clown was required to begin these rituals.

Asian clowns likewise serve a religious function and have roles in the telling of epic stories. Since the dialogue was in Sanskrit and the populace spoke Prakrit, it was necessary for Vidhusaka (the clown) to interpret for the audience.

The clown is a universal symbol that appears in all cultures throughout the ages. There is an innate quality in humans that finds an inexplicable fascination for clowns. Whether it is to be distracted monetarily from our own misfortune or because we see ourselves as the clown, we have a A desire within many of us calls to us to the art of clowning.

Do you yearn to be a clown? What child hasn't dreamed of running off with the circus and performing under the big top? The part of a clown would be the favored choice among many, I'm sure. Attending clown school is one way to learn the basics of applying make up, pie throwing and other slapstick buffoonery.

In 1968, Irvin Feld saw the need for formal clown training due to the declining and aging population of performers. Feld was the owner of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Together with Bill Ballantine (a longtime clown and frontman for Ringling) he established Clown College in Venice Florida; it was later relocated to Baraboo, Wisconsin which is also home to The International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center (ICHOF).

Originally a 10 to 13 week course it was eventually scaled back to 8 weeks. Those weeks were filled with 9 hour days of students learning to "play off" one another to develop their basic clowning skills. The "Ringling style" which was taught at the school is rooted in the American type performance of slapstick. It is distinguished from the European type which is more stylized and elegant in its approach and often their appearance resembles a jester.

Candidates were selected through audition, and with 30 to 50 students accepted each year, it was an exclusive honor. Men outnumbered women about 7 to 1. The sessions continued as one long audition while instructors kept a watchful eye on pupils. The most talented had the potential opportunity to fill positions for the following season's shows.

The sessions were tuition free, but clown cadets had to cover their room and board. Students finished the term with full clown gear. Suit, shoes, wig and make up kit. A rubber chicken was optional.

By 1998 the school had relocated to Sarasota, Florida and there were more than 1500 graduates of the school. With clowns no longer on the endangered species list, Clown College closed its doors, having become a victim of its own success.

Still want to become a clown? There are a number of schools in operation throughout the world, including such far away places as Japan and Australia. Recruiting also remains active through Ringling Bros. Circus online at their Fun Zone site.

With peanuts, popcorn and cotton candy to satisfy the confectionery desires of kids and adults alike, an afternoon at the circus can be delightful and unforgettable. It makes summer as exciting as Christmas. I will remain thankful to the many circus performers who gave their all in providing me the thrills and chills of "The Greatest Show on Earth." And a very special thank you goes to the clowns.