FELIX ADLER, Clown

A few months ago I was contacted by a person who works behind the scenes for the tv show American Pickers. She was interested in using an image I'd posted on August 16, 2012. The show with the image below was shown tonight. I decided I'd repost the entire piece in case anyone went searching for Felix Adler after watching the show.
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The clowns I've featured in photos have been nameless, except for Felix Adler. The reason Adler is named in the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Magazine and Daily Review is because he was the head clown at the circus.


Click on image to see it larger.

(SOURCE: Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Magazine and Daily Review, 1940)

First Clown to Appear on Television

Felix Adler entertained millions in his role as head clown for Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus. In the hierarchy of clowns, he ranked at the top as a whiteface clown.

He performed with such famous clowns as Lou Jacobs and Emmett Kelly.

All three circus greats lived and practiced their routines in Sarasota.

Adler's costume took up a lot of space because he buttressed his posterior with a couple of basketballs hitched in place with a custom sling similar to a brassiere. He wore traditional whiteface clown makeup adding a big rhinestone on the tip of his nose.

Often the clown topped his garb with a big jello mold for a hat. Remember, the early days of television and product sponsorship? Adler had ties to Jell-O!

Piglets played integral roles in Adler's clowning. He named each one Amelia after his wife and as the piglets became full fledged pigs, he traded them in for a new piglet whom he promptly named Amelia.

The first clown to appear on television, Adler earned his title "The White House Clown" by performing for three presidents (Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Franklin D. Roosevelt). He and his wife were the first American husband and wife clown team. (SOURCE: Squidoo/Felix Adler)

Felix Adler died on February 1, 1960. The following is his obituary from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune on February 2nd.




(SOURCE: Sarasota Herald-Tribune)

Notice the handwork of the staff artist on the photo of Adler. Apparently the image was less than satisfactory for reproduction so the artist did a bit of doodling. Sort of surprised that the newspaper from the town where the circus was headquartered did not have a decent photo of the most important clown.
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Tattered and Lost: Cakes, Picnics, and Watermelon

GARGANTUA the GREAT, AKA Buddy

Here is another ad from the 1940 edition of Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Magazine and Daily Review. I love the look of the ad. I think it's great. I intended to do a little online search for information about it, but frankly it just breaks my heart.

I'm an animal lover. I cannot visit a zoo or a circus because I cannot stand to see animals confined and used by people to do things against their nature. I find it heartbreaking.

So, though I love the look of the ad, I can't stand what happened to this incredible animal. His journey to the circus and this Eveready battery ad should have never happened.


Click on image to see it larger.
(SOURCE: Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Magazine and Daily Review, 1940)

From the Find a Grave website about Gargantua "Buddy" the Gorilla:

Birth:  unknown, Congo, Democratic Republic Of

Death: Nov., 1949, USA

Born in the Belgian Congo he was captured by missionaries and given as a present to Captain Arthur Phillips, who named him "Buddy" and was extremely fond of him. A drunk freighter accidentally scarred the ape's face with acid and the Captain gave Buddy to Gertrude Lintz, an eccentric socialite and animal lover and her husband Dr. John Lintz. He grew to over 450 pounds and too large for the Lintzs to care for. He was bought by John Ringling, who renamed him Gargantua because of his large size and scarred face. Ringling put Gargantua on display at his circus and billed him as "The Largest Gorilla in World" and saved The Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus from bankrupcy by attracting millions of visitors. Despite being given special care and attention, Gargantua died from double phonomnia in 1949. His life story and that of Massa another gorilla who belonged to Mrs. Lintz, inspired the 1997 movie, "Buddy". 

Burial: Peabody Museum, New Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut, USA

Plot: Skeleton in musuem collection

To see another version of the ad click here and here.

HAMS IN HOLLYWOOD?

A complete surprise to me. I didn't see one ham while I lived in Hollywood. Not one! I saw thousands!


Click on image to see it larger.
(SOURCE: Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Magazine and Daily Review, 1940)

"Hello, I'd like to order a ham for my party. 

Are any of the Barrymore's available?"

Ham on the red carpet.

Hams eating ham?

Goodbye!

Click on image to see it larger.
(SOURCE: Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Magazine and Daily Review, 1940)

BIG FLOPPY SHOES optional

Suitable for framing? Hang it on a child's bedroom wall. Just an idea.


Click on image to see it larger.
(SOURCE: Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Magazine and Daily Review, 1940)

Clown FELIX ADLER

The clowns I've featured in photos have been nameless, except for Felix Adler. The reason Adler is named in the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Magazine and Daily Review is because he was the head clown at the circus.


Click on image to see it larger.

(SOURCE: Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Magazine and Daily Review, 1940)

First Clown to Appear on Television

Felix Adler entertained millions in his role as head clown for Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus. In the hierarchy of clowns, he ranked at the top as a whiteface clown.

He performed with such famous clowns as Lou Jacobs and Emmett Kelly.

All three circus greats lived and practiced their routines in Sarasota.

Adler's costume took up a lot of space because he buttressed his posterior with a couple of basketballs hitched in place with a custom sling similar to a brassiere. He wore traditional whiteface clown makeup adding a big rhinestone on the tip of his nose.

Often the clown topped his garb with a big jello mold for a hat. Remember, the early days of television and product sponsorship? Adler had ties to Jell-O!

Piglets played integral roles in Adler's clowning. He named each one Amelia after his wife and as the piglets became full fledged pigs, he traded them in for a new piglet whom he promptly named Amelia.

The first clown to appear on television, Adler earned his title "The White House Clown" by performing for three presidents (Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Franklin D. Roosevelt). He and his wife were the first American husband and wife clown team. (SOURCE: Squidoo/Felix Adler)

Felix Adler died on February 1, 1960. The following is his obituary from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune on February 2nd.




(SOURCE: Sarasota Herald-Tribune)

Notice the handwork of the staff artist on the photo of Adler. Apparently the image was less than satisfactory for reproduction so the artist did a bit of doodling. Sort of surprised that the newspaper from the town where the circus was headquartered did not have a decent photo of the most important clown.

FELIX ADLER loved Wheaties, and so did ANTOINETTE CONCELLO

I really have no idea if the famous Ringling Brothers/Barnum and Bailey clown Felix Adler loved Wheaties, but the ad would have you believing he did. Most likely just another ad, like the cigarette ads from long ago, where words are put into a celebrities mouth.


Click on image to see it larger.
(SOURCE: Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Magazine and Daily Review, 1940)

These days the only safe way to let a celebrity speak on behalf of your product is to make sure they follow the script. Try to imagine Lindsay Lohan representing any company. How about a car ad with her behind the wheel careening towards a palm tree. A present day clown. Sad, very sad.

As to Antoinette Concello, the aerialist:

Antoinette Concello was a member of the famous "Flying Concello" aerial troupe, a family of flying trapeze artists. In the 20th Century multi-ring circus, the flying trapeze was the main attraction in the center ring of the "Big Top." The Flying Concellos were the premier troupe of aerialists in the 1920s, and Antoinette became known as the "greatest woman flyer of all time" because she was the only woman to complete the fabled "triple" (see Carol Reed's 1956 film "Trapeze" for background about this legendary stunt). A triple means that the aerialist completes three full somersaults while "flying" through the air after leaving their bar and being caught by a "catcher" hanging upside down on the opposite bar. It is a dangerous stunt.



Antoinette appeared with the troupe as one of the acts in Cecil B. DeMille's 1952 Best Picture Oscar-winning movie "The Greatest Show on Earth," which uses Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Baily Circus as a backdrop. The red-coated Ringling ringmaster Fred Brandna would introduce her act by announcing that Antionette was the first and only woman to achieve the triple, and added that she did it with "incomparable grace". The legendary flyer did not disappoint her audience, performing the fabled triple at every performance.



Antoinette Concello was inducted into the Circus Hall of Fame in 1963.

She died in 1984. (SOURCE: IMDB)

Click on image to see it larger.
(SOURCE: Sarasota Herald-Tribune, February 7, 1984)

I will have more about Felix Adler in another post.

The STOP CLOWN at Howard Johnson's

Howard Johnson's never really caught on out here in the West the way it was on the East Coast. I remember them as a child with their blue and orange color scheme. I also remember them along turnpikes when we travelled coast to coast.

When I lived outside DC we used to go to a place called Hot Shoppes, or something like that, that as I recall had the same color scheme. We preferred Hot Shoppes food. No idea if they're in business anymore. I'm remembering back to the 1950s.

As far as the clown in this ad, he's probably the least creepy of all I've posted lately. Sure, his eyes are crossed and he's got a really wimpy feather in his hat and now that I think of it he's got a Halloween pumpkin nose...yeah, he's creepy too. But I really like the rendering of the ice cream cone.

As to the salivating dog...really? They needed to draw drips of saliva?


Click on image to see it larger.
(SOURCE: Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Magazine and Daily Review, 1940)

BIG FLOPPY FOOT problems

I gather from this circus magazine that circus performers suffer from a lot of common ailments, especially clowns.

Now we find out that they also have feet that need some soothing care. Johnson’s Foot Soap to the rescue. Mind you this company is still in business. About now I could use some since I go barefoot most of the summer. I’m not a shoe fan. And if I can get away with being barefoot in the winter I do it.


Click on image to see it larger.
(SOURCE: Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Magazine and Daily Review, 1940)

Now, I have one question…what size tub do those clowns with the big floppy feet need? I’m thinking perhaps a horse trough. I could be wrong.

Now, clown…creepy or not? You decide.

WHY IS THIS CLOWN LAUGHING?

I don’t know if this clown is laughing maniacally at the thought of Borvil or at all the typos in this ad. It sort of amazes me that they went to the trouble to be “clever” with the spelling of “gentlmun” hoping to simulate the ringmaster’s call, but then didn’t pay any attention to the truly lousy typesetting. And this isn’t the only ad that has errors. Take a look at yesterdays ad for a really stupid one.


Click on image to see it larger.

To see more about Bovril, which is still manufactured in the UK, click here for a fascinating 360 view of some mountain top, but careful because it can get spinnin' pretty darn fast. Make sure you try the rain effect too.

One final thought, the bottle featured in yesterday’s ad for Sunkist looks somewhat similar to the one in today’s ad. Now, yesterday’s was to alleviate the problem of constipation, today’s is just a warm comforting drink. Don’t you wonder if some old tired clown came in after a show and drank too much of the wrong stuff? Could have made the next day’s show pretty darn interestin’!

Now, creepy clown or not? You decide.

A LAXATIVE made for a clown

Nothing relives constipation better than a daily dose of a clown with Marie Antoinette.


Click on image to see it larger.
(SOURCE: Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Magazine and Daily Review, 1940)

Creepy clown or not? You choose.

This is a CLOWN ON A SUGAR RUSH

The look on this clown's face only confirms what I found to be true during elementary school. If you pulled a box of Ludens out of your book bag every kid around you would get the same expression this clown has as their hands came out demanding you share. Ludens and Smith Brother cherry cough drops were all about the sugar. You had to sneak them on the sly if you hoped to have any for yourself.

As far as the al-ka-line...let's just say the author of the little poem should pursue writing less creative. Imagine what was rejected if this is what was chosen.


(SOURCE: Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Magazine and Daily Review, 1940)

Creepy clown or not creepy clown? You decide.

KURLASH for the clown in you

I think this company might have been stretching it a bit when they said that curling your eyelashes was "more fun than a circus." Really?

I had a friend in high school who used an eyelash curler that had lost the little rubber part that's on part of the crimping mechanism. Did she have more fun than a circus? No. She cut her eyelashes off her one eye. Up until that time I'd toyed with the idea of trying one of these thingies. After I saw what she looked like I avoided the fiendish thingies. I have no idea what brand she used so I'm not trying to disparage Kurlash. I have no idea if the company is still even in business.


(SOURCE: Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Magazine and Daily Review, 1940)

So, creepy clown or uncreepy clown? How about if it were painted on black velevet? Would that be creepier or less creepy? For me he just doesn't add much to an ad for a "beauty" product.

CLOWNS...not creepy or creepy?

I’d like to think that clowns don’t frighten me. As a child I don’t think they did. I liked clowns and never thought of them as being creepy men in makeup hiding their true identity. They were just clowns. I guess it was John Wayne Gacey who made me start looking at them with a skeptical eye. I sort of hate that clowns are forever tarnished in my imagination. I still adore Clarabell and Emmett Kelly and nobody will convince me otherwise. That said…

Over the next several posts you’ll meet clowns, some real, some just drawings, from the 1940 Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Magazine and Daily Review. I’ll let you be the judge on the creepiness quotient.


Click on image to see it larger.
(SOURCE: Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Magazine and Daily Review, 1940) 

To see another vintage Camel cigarette post with a very interesting outcome click here. It's one of the most interesting posts I've ever done.

A FIGHTER PILOT and Coca-Cola in 1940

This vintage Coca-Cola magazine ad is from a 1940 Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Magazine and Daily Review. I find it fascinating that it uses a military theme before the war.


Click on image to see it larger. 
(SOURCE: Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Magazine and Daily Review, 1940) 

To see other vintage Coca-Cola ads click on "Coca-Cola ads" or "Coca-Cola" below in the labels.