Cassie Lujan
THE 3220
6 April 2016
Clown Research Project
Otto Griebling
Otto Griebling was born in Germany
on April 28th 1896 and was responsible for the convention of the
silent tramp style of clowning. Griebling migrated to the United States at age
fourteen and lived with his mother in Wisconsin. He answered an advertisement
for a Bareback Rider for the Riding Hodginis of a famous circus family in
Baraboo, WI. Sometime after that, Griebling road for the Hanneford riding act
at the Sells Floto Circus.
Then in 1930, Griebling decided after
a decade of bareback riding he decided to become a clown full time and this is
when his silent tramp style emerged. In 1932, he took up with the
Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus. Then, two years later, he became a prominent figure
in the Cole Bros Circus. In 1951, Griebling found his circus home in Ringling
Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus.
Griebling had a style all his own
in his tramp clowning. It was silent and featured pantomime and many prop-heavy
gags. Some examples of that include hat prestidigation and using blocks of ice
to showcase a long running bit during the evening. It has been said that many
professional contemporary clowns have based their foundation on the techniques
that Griebling coined. Many people refer to Emmett Kelly as the curator of the
silent tramp, however this is due to misrepresentation and now Griebling is understood
as the revolutionary teacher he was.
In 1970, Griebling discovered
throat cancer and had to have his larynx removed, which rendered him
speechless. He taught at the Ringling Bros Clown College in Sarasota, Florida
and continued to perform til his death in April 1972 as he was doing what he
loved during a show at Madison Square Garden.
Works Cited
"Otto Griebling (1896 - 1972) - Find A Grave Memorial." Otto Griebling (1896 - 1972) - Find A Grave Memorial.
"Otto Griebling." Circus Clown Otto Griebling.
Sward, Jeffrey. "Otto Griebling Tribute." Jeffrey Sward, Photographer.
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