Clown Research Project

Cassie Lujan

THE 3220

6 April 2016

Clown Research Project

Otto Griebling

Otto Griebling was born in Germany on April 28^th 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.

Clown youtube clips

The Mr. bean one was my favorite. As a child I loved watching Mr. Bean and it made me cheer up in the worst of times. These clips also show how timing is everything especially in the boxing clip which was very well done. The bar routine was hilarious and looked well done so that no one gets hurt. It is true that everyone should warm up so there are no injuries. Train well and don't try this at home kids unless you are trained!

clown research project

Clown research project

Dimitri Jakob muller was born in Ascona, Switzerland on September 18,1935. He wanted to be a clown at age seven after watching a clown performance by clown Andeff. His parents didn’t know how to help him when they found out he wanted to do clowning. They eventually signed him up for dance classes, acrobatics, acting, and gymnastics. He studied in Paris with Etienne Decroux and met Marcel Marceau. He was told that if he works at it really hard he could be a good mime. He married his childhood sweetheart Guanda in 1961, and has four children. In the early 1960’s he was performing in leading Paris theaters. In 1969, he was invited to swiss circus Knie. His style is solo and involves little to no props and no scenery.  In 1975, he established a school called scuola teatro Demitri.

He was inducted to the international clown hall of fame in 1995. He was an author, songwriter, and operated a theater company with his spouse. To be a successful mime one would have to play some instruments, good at clowning, good with timing, and do difficult tricks such as shooting and catching balls in your mouth.  He has always made people laugh he told an interviewer in 2012. He died at age 80 he passed on July 19,2016 In Borgnone, Ticino.

Dimitri the Clown; Mime artist and circus clown who trained with Marcel Marceau and became a Unicef ambassador." Daily Telegraph [London, England], 26 July 2016, p. 25. Infotrac Newsstand, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=STND&sw=w&u=auraria_main&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA459224830&sid=summon&asid=244aa22b3f8311ca34b959942903e852. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017.

Graeber, L. (2009, Apr 03). La famiglia dimitri. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://0-search-proquest-com.skyline.ucdenver.edu/docview/1030598085?accountid=14506

Clowning Videos

The videos were very interesting to watch.  I loved the Mr. Bean video.  I have always loved his work.  His ability to make it look like the drums were actually there was amazing!  It reminded me of when we were clowning with props.  I noticed that he had a space between his fingers for the drumsticks just like we talked.  In "Regards of the Flight," Bill Irwin as I talked about in my paper uses dance and his flexibility.  I also liked the way he used an audience member.  Irwin's body movement is special.  I really have never seen anyone like him.  His flexibility is amazing.  The Olympics for People with No Sense of Direction was hilarious.  It was a simple, yet effective clowning.  Charlie Chaplin's movement is so timely and precise.  His dance with the referee was so in time, choreographed, and rehearsed.  It was fantastic.  The Bar Routine was pretty funny.  The way he landed on his back at the end was done so well.  He knew exactly how to land to not get injured.

Reading MA 187-195 ,104-107,36-49

These readings seem to stress the importance of audience connection. Clowning is not always about making people laugh it is telling a story. This reminds me about making contact with the audience to get a good impression. After reading about Mr. Downey J.R. struggling to learn Chaplin it is similar to me when I try to mimic some actors. Bottom line it is important to connect with audience and rehearse with purpose.

Ed Wynn

Kelcee Covert

THE 3220- Stage Movement

Clown Research Project

April 5, 2017

Ed Wynn

            Ed Wynn was an American comedian who was born Isaiah Edwin Leopold in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents we’re immigrants from Europe, and were stern about working hard for a living. He ran away from home in his teens, worked as a hat salesman and as a utility boy, and eventually adapted his middle name "Edwin" into his new stage name, "Ed Wynn", to save his family the embarrassment of having a lowly comedian as a relative. Wynn began his career in vaudeville in 1903 and was a star of the Ziegfeld Follies starting in 1914. Wynn wrote, directed, and produced many shows on Broadway and was known for his silly costumes and props. He also developed a signature giggly, wavering voice in 1921 for the musical review, The Perfect Fool.

            In the early 1930s Wynn hosted the popular radio show The Fire Chief. Like many former vaudeville performers who turned to radio, Wynn insisted on performing for a live audience and doing each program as an actual stage show. He used visual bits to augment his written material, and wore a colorful costume with a red fireman's helmet. Wynn's customary opening, "Tonight, Graham, the show's gonna be different," became one of the most familiar tag-lines of its time.

            Ed Wynn hosted one of the first network comedy-variety television shows, on CBS, and won both a Peabody Award and an Emmy Award in 1949. He worked with many pop icons of the decade on this show. He than moved to movies alongside his son and starred in Requiem For a Heavyweight. This established Wynn as serious dramatic actor who could easily hold his own with the best. His role in The Diary of Anne Frank won him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Wynn skillfully moved between comic and dramatic roles. Wynn voiced the Mad Hatter in Disney's Alice in Wonderland and played The Toymaker in Disney's Babes in Toyland. Possibly his best-remembered film appearance was in Mary Poppins, in which he played Uncle Albert, singing "I Love to Laugh".

            Wynn died June 19, 1966 in Beverly Hills, California of throat cancer at 79. Red Skelton, who was discovered by Wynn, stated: "His death is the first time he ever made anyone sad."

Bibliography

Berman, Garry. Perfect fool: the life and career of Ed Wynn. Albany, GA: BearManor Media, 2012. Print.

"Ed Wynn." Ed Wynn. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ed-wynn

Encyclopædia Britannica. "Ed Wynn." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 16 Dec. 2009. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ed-Wynn

Bill Irwin - Clown Extraordinaire

Bill Irwin

Clown Extraordinaire

Bill Irwin is an excellent example of a modern day clown.  In his skit, In Regard of the Flight, (1982), he climbs into a trunk and pretends to walk downstairs.  This particular skit has followed me throughout my life. I am not sure where I first saw it but I have always been enamored with his movement and even attempted to copy it.  Unfortunately, my abilities are nowhere near Irwin’s.

After earning a theatre degree from Oberlin College, Irwin began his clown training by graduating from Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey’s Clown College in 1974.  He helped build the Pickle Family Circus as one of its founders.  Irwin has been featured on television, in movies, on Broadway, and even has had a few Broadway shows of his own. 

According to Marvin Carlson, Irwin is considered a “new vaudevillian.” (Carlson 124)  He “mixed traditional clown routines with continually foiled attempts to establish a new avant-garde approach to theatre and with the running accompaniment of a critic from the audience commenting on the work.” (Carlson 124)  Irwin has a way about him that one rarely sees.  He is extremely flexible and does the splits as if he were slipping on a banana.  He also is a magnificent dancer and brings that into his routines.  His character name on Sesame Street, Mr. Noodle, fits well because at times his body moves and literally looks like a noodle.

Irwin uses buoyancy, radiancy, and potency in his clowning.  Using all three at different times makes his character seem heavy, light, and at times nervous.  At times his feet never seem to touch the ground.  His ability to make his legs look like rubber when dancing or walking is quite amazing because it looks as if he is boneless.  According to Bruce Weber, clowning is so ingrained in Irwin that he even ends up using it during auditions.  Irwin’s ability to use his posture as an objective and a tactic is a reminder to all actors that physicality is just as important as vocal ability. 

Irwin discusses the differences between acting and clowning by reciting lines written by someone else and the “ability to use their own material.” (Bilowit)  He also believes that clowning is more physically demanding than acting.  This is reiterated simply by watching some of his clowning routines and comparing those to his roles on television or in movies, unless of course he is playing a clown on TV or in a movie.

According to Weber, Irwin stretches a lot.  He stretches even when doing mundane tasks, which is obvious in his skits, because he is extremely flexible.  In rehearsals, he uses mirrors to watch his facial expressions and get them just right.  Utilizing his eyebrows and mouth he creates the face of his character.

Personally, I would love to emulate Irwin’s imaginative expression.  He makes everything look simple, no matter what he is doing.  His face may show us a different view but his body is so fluid and smooth.  Irwin talks about the years of practice and how it makes him who he is in his interview with the New York Times.  However, Irwin is not just a clown.  He is also the 2005 Tony Award winning actor for his performance of George in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf on Broadway.  Irwin can dazzle the world with his movement and also with his abilities as an actor on stage.  

Bibliography

“Bill Irwin Biography.” The Bill Irwin.com.  2014-2017. Web 3 April 2017. http:// thebillirwin.com/biography.html

Bilowit, Ira J. "Bill Irwin and the fine art of clowning." Back Stage, 6 Oct. 1995, p. 5+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.dop=ITOF&sw=w&u=auraria_ main &v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE %7CA17595095&sid= summon&asid=864c798067517f5aef1bb6e2bcc4e8fb. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017.

Carlson, Marvin.  Performance: A Critical Introduction, second edition. Routeledge, 2004.

Weber, Bruce. “AT THE GYM WITH -- Bill Irwin; Just Clowning Around With Intellect.” New York Times. March 3, 1993. http://www.nytimes.com/1993/03/03/ garden/at-the-gym-with-bill-irwin-just-clowning-around-with-intellect.html? pagewanted=all