Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-05-06

Apprentices Not Often Taken-ChanEes
in the Business.

"I've card itsaid that great actors are born
not made. 1t isn't that way with clowns
They make clowns, and never knew one that
was born that way" said Billy Andrews, the
estbetic Jester of Meyer & Shorb's United States
circus. Billy had been in reflective mood, and
the burden of his thoughts was evidently the
profession of which he is a distinguished MEM
Der.
''How do they make 'em, Billy?" a Chicago
NetCS man asked.
THAT depends upon what kind Of clown he
is. johnny Newcomer of clown, as we
call some of the fresh fellows. just hops into the
ring and gets everything down fine in a minute
In his mind. But clown that is a clown serves
an apprenticeship. Generally it is Just as it
happens whether boy is developed into
clown or not. To become circus performer
one must begin young. Now. to be a thorough
clown a man must be good general performer.
He must understand and be able properly to
perform all the tricks that he makes funny
failures of before the audience. Ii he didn't,
sometimes when he attempted to be funny he'd
just leave his situation vacant and 90 himself to
do statue act in an hospital That's the rea-
son it is necessary for a clown to begin his
training early in life'
'ls it customary, then, to take clown appDen-
tees in circuses!n
No, that is just as 1t happens. as I've said
boy is never taken as an apprentice clown. Every
show has several boysin training for performers.
plays any ability as mimic. they put him down
for clown, and then clown is made, whether
he wants to be or not"
"There is popular suspicion that the profess
sion have some means of preserving through all
ages the good old stories, and the bearded jokes
OF the clowns; how is that!'
Nov, maybe you imagine that is great gag,
but it isn't. The jokes and stories of the clowns
are not kept on ice, whatever smart newspaper
people may think good many Of the funny
or pinCi in, In Df1
whiskers. and many Of them were coined in the
ring. What the methods of other clowns are
don't know, but as for myself, whenever see a
good story, or observe a trait of human charac-
ter that suggests gag, Immediately make a
place for 1t IN my memory. and when l have to
use it give it all the originality ] can. And,
after all. don't think it is fair to demand that
clown shah invent every good story that he
tells"
Has the system Of consolidating shows under
acres of canvas made any changes in the BUSH
ness of the clOwn?"
"It has changed it great deal In old times
talking clown was the monarch of his pro-
fessiOn. While this style was the rage Nat Aus
tin was great success. but the big shows killed
him, and no one ever hears of him now. There
is no use in trying to talk from ring to 10, OOO
people, and the managers have found that out.
In the big shows now, If the clown wants to
make hit in talk, he has to talk to his audience
In sections do It frequently. begin on one
they begin to laugh skip over to the other side
to give the people there show tor their money.
But nowadays the 'knOck-abOut' clown ia most
In demand. mean by that the clown who tum-
bles through the tricks and falls all over himself
and everybody else in clever make-belief that
he can't possibly do the feats performed by the
leapers and gymnasts Talk won't win any more.
The clown must act to catch an audience in the big
tents. And is harder work to talk act lin ring
than it is upon the stage. You don't feel as
OVyA6 from fla r,1n nj oil
There they are all around you, and fellow act
ually seems to feel the weight Of the crowd when
he runs into the ring and finds the people
stretching right down on tOhim from the high
est seat to the edge Of the circle. Now while
we are talking about audiences, l am going to
tell you something that yOumay not be ready to
believe: I've always found it easier to catch an
audience in the cities than in the country towns.
The cities are the field for talking clowns. You
can hit them with a little cOnundrum and they'll
laugh and applaud. You've got 'em, and your
work is easy. But TN the country conundrums
don't go. There they want to see the clown do
something and they never let up on him until
he does story that would go in the city slick
as greese, You couldn't shoot into country au-
dience, so as to catch laugh. with 15-inch
cannon"
How do clowns rank on the salary list in the
prOfession?"
1.-THE average salary of the clowns who are
worthy Of the name will run from $75 to 800
per week, yet few of them save any money.
They are high livers when in prosperity, but as
class they do not drink to excess. The money
goes, though"
"And then what becomes OF the clown when
he grows old2"
"Well. clown lives about as long as any
body, and, as q rule he manages to get enough
together to get little farm to retire to when
he Is too old for the ring. Clowns have great
fOndness for farms to die on. That's about
what happens when o clown buys farm
About as soon as you hear he has got it you
hear of his DEATH / am not quite ready to get
farm yet, myself"