a day in the life of a circus clown

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A Circus Clown ; A DAY IN TI{E LIFE OF A Circus Clown by Corol Goskin Photogrophy by Johrn F. Klein Troll AssociCes IibardW$ Caalogi1gdl tublb&n hrt GuLh, Cel. A day ir tbc lift of r cim dm. Sunmry: Follou e ciru dm rbrcugh hir dey u hc pmie mtiu, w 6r ocw ud prcpo, rDDlid D*c-uD. md cntcrtrinr thc eudicne. " l. Cbwlluvoilc litcntun. ll. Cloro 2. Gqb, Oru. 3. Cimr. {. OadDrtioDrl I. KIeiD, Jobn F. (fohn Prcdoil), 195{t' ill. tr. fitlc. GV!828.G37 1908 79r.33 87-t(D54 ISBN 0.8167.t107{l (ib. bdg.) ISBN G8167-ll0&9 (pbt.) Copyright @ f988 by Ttoll Associates, Mahwah, New Jersey. All rights reser'ti/ed. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner ryhatsoever without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. 10987664321 The author and publisher wish to thank the stafr of Allan C. Hill Entertain- ment Corp., especi8lly Allar C. Hill, trYed John, and Jefirey Scott; Mike Ri- denour, Jim Ridenour, and the per{omers and stafiof Grest American Circus, Special thsnks to Charleg Neubauer of Sa,resota, Floride. Photograph on page 5 by Fled John, courteey ofAllan C. Hill Entertainment Corp. fr**.lr*ru Mike Ridenour is a clown in a traveling circus. Every morning he wakes up in a new town. Dur- ing the night, the circus travels in a caravan, or long line of trucks and trailers. The trucks arrive at an empty field at dawn. By midday, the circus will spring to life once again. fl.wffiffry-$ffi 3 As the sun rises, workers called "roustabouts" raise the Big Top. The tent will cover two-thirds the area of a football field. First, tent stakes are driven into the ground and tent poles are laid out. Then the tent is unrolled from a special truck, called a "spool wagon." 4 The roustabouts spread the canvas over the metal poles that will support the roof. They anchor the sides of the tent to the wooden tent stakes. Later, when the heavy tent poles are raised, the tent will go up with them. To do this, very special equip- ment will be needed-elephants! 5 The elephants are harnessed to the poles. They pull, and up goes the tent! Circus tents have been raised this way for generations. When it rains, elephants are also used to pull trucks and trailers out of the mud. So many circus vehicles get stuck that traveling circuses are often called "mud- shows." 6 't I t f f , t f Mike has free time while the tent goes up. He practices an acrobatic routine with Chepi, a seven- year-old clown. Most clowns learn their trade from older clowns. Mike's first teacher was his father. Now Chepi, whose parents are bareback riders in the circus, learns clowning from Mike. It's a circus tradition. I .;, Mike washes in cold water from a huge water truck. He naps in the shade of another truck. Cir- cus life is not always comfortable! The circus is like a town on wheels. The performers ride, wash, eat and sleep in the eighteen-wheelers that have replaced the circus wagons of the old days. 8 Being a clown is not all clowning. Mike must care for his costumes and props. He grooms his clown wig and practices on a miniature trumpet he some- times uses in his act. Some days he works on his juggling or stilt-walking. His act is always chang- ing as he masters new skills. 9 [...]... Little Dave's head! 28 As Mike and the other clowns get ready for the grand finale, Chepi helps out with a routine everyone loves The circus ring has become a boxing ring, and the star performer is a boxing kangaroo! Chepi rings a bell to signal the end of eachround 29 At night the midway is a magical place It seems to glow with a light of its own Children are up past their bedtimes Full of popcorn and... public relations is a seriousresponsibility for a circus clown 24 While some acts are performing under the Big Top, others are getting ready behindthe scenes The elephant with his elephants, trainer rehearses and a bareback rider climbs into a furry gorilla suit They must be ready to enter the ring when their acts the ringmasterannounces 25 Omar stops to talk with the other clowns on the midway.As a youngsterpasses,... the first act "Ladies and Gentlemen,Boys and Girls," he announces."Presenting-that juggling genius, Jose Torres!" It's the ringmaster's job to make sure each act is ready on time, and to see that the show flows smoothly t7 Animal acts are the heart of the circus, and animal trainers are highly respected The audienceoohs and aahs as acrobats ride trick ponies, elephants dance, and fearless trainers work... cotton candy,they clutch their souvenirballoons.Tonight they will dream of bareback riders, dancing elephants, and smiling clowns 30 Behind the scenes,Omar Goshand Coco share a quiet moment before the finale Even though the show is almost over, circusclownsmust alwaysbe ready to perform If there is an accident the Big in Top or if someoneis late, the ringmaster will "send in the clowns." 31 Omar leads the. .. "honey" and cries, "You're supposed say, to 'Let it fly!"' 2l \ Little Dave "lets it fly" and Omar Goshgets showered again The crowd roars Omar is used to being the one who always "gets it." It's his traditional role "Making people laugh is what being a clown is all about," he says And he always gets a laugh 22 After changinginto a dry costume,Omar sells coloring books in the stands It is an important part... going to throw this egg into the air and catch it in my back pocket! One two " Omar looksup, then runs But Little Dave doesn'tthrow the egg 27 has "Eueryone to count!"insistsLittle Dave."One two wait a minute! That lady still isn't counting!"Again and againhe delays.Finally ,the yells,"THREE!" and Little Dave wholeaudience throws the egg into the air The crowd screams with delightasthe egglandsright... colorful Auguste Mike is an Auguste-type clown An Auguste clown has a flesh-toned face and wears bright, baggy clothes The jokes are always played on him '$h, $ u -& t s $ ; & d$; o ,#,,"t dfi ffi* 11 A clown' sfaceis as personalas his signature Mike adds the detailing that makeshis face his own He paints his cheeks cherry red and adds touches of black to his eyes and mouth Soonhe will assume his clown. ..An hour beforeshowtime,Mike applieshis makeup, or "puts on his face."First he coatshis face with white grease paint He smilesand frowns to study the creases and hollowshis facial muscles make.Then he outlinesspaces wherehe will wipe the white grease paint away 10 Mike fills in the spaceswith flesh color There are several classic clown types: the neat whiteface, the unshaven tramp, and the colorful... personality, a goofy character named Omar Gosh t2 Mike fills an old sock with baby powder and powders his face "Don't you wonder what happensto all of those socksyou lose?"he asks "They travel all over the world Clowns have them!" Finally, to "fix" his face, Mike blots the excesspowder for a smooth finish 13 Mike dressesin the costumehe has picked for the day He always wears baggy pants, suspenders, and... and a loud shirt He finds someof his costumesin second-handstores His giant-sized clown shoes come from a mail-order company.Mike wears out two pairs every season #'e- L4 As Mike adds the finishing touches, he says, "When most kids think of a clown, they think of great big shoes and a red nose." Omar Gosh always has both He puts on a bright false nose, a silly little hat, a big smile, andPrestol Say . A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A Circus Clown ; A DAY IN TI{E LIFE OF A Circus Clown by Corol Goskin Photogrophy by Johrn F. Klein Troll AssociCes IibardW$ Caalogi1gdl tublb&n. parents are bareback riders in the circus, learns clowning from Mike. It's a circus tradition. I .;, Mike washes in cold water from a huge water truck. He naps in the shade of another. acts are the heart of the circus, and animal trainers are highly respected. The audience oohs and aahs as acrobats ride trick ponies, elephants dance, and fearless trainers work