Another Clown Band

 

THE CLOWNS

Their flour hands forever learning

To be tongues and speak, the clowns

Pull down their flags, they collapse

As tents over poles.

The clowns haul down their hearts

Like kites.

They open their loves like oysters.

They open

To seek the clever eyes of love.

(Papa, what are clowns?)

(They are fools, son.)

The clowns are making us beggars,

They dance in a ring,

They have the metal eyes of birds

And have traveled from country to country.

(Papa, what do clowns do?)

(They make us laugh, son.)

Clowns cannot be tripped, like dancers,

Nor broken, like banjos,

They sometimes wrestle with weather

Like old trees.

by Richard O. Moore 

Poetry, vol. 67, no. 4 (Jan., 1946)

The preceding poem was the work of Richard O. Moore (1920 – 2015), an American poet  associated with the San Francisco Renaissance. This movement in modern poetry and other associated artforms was also connected to poets and writers working at Black Mountain College, a private liberal arts college that operated from 1933–1957 in Black Mountain, North Carolina. The composer John Cage (1912–1992) also taught there, but I do not know if Richard Moore ever had any direct link with the college. By coincidence Black Mountain is only 15 miles from where I live now. I chose Moore's poem by chance because I thought it fit the image of this German clown band. It was published in January 1946 in Poetry, A Magazine of Verse. 

The six costumed musicians pictured on this postcard are Charly Petrelly's Orig. Clown-Capelle ~ Original Clown Band. The clown standing center with a violin is the leader, Charly Petrelly. They seem to be on a stage surrounded by an assortment of musical instruments. In addition to Charly's fiddle there are several brass instruments, a blackwood flute, drums and three trapezoidal xylophones which were a popular folk instrument in Central Europe in the 1900s. On the left backwall is a shelf displaying some wine and/or liquor bottles which I believe were played like a tuned percussion instrument. There is also an upright piano with a pair of long herald trumpets above. Hung along the top of the wall are over a dozen ribbon awards. Perhaps commemorating prizes won at some clown contest? It looks more like a clubhouse than a theater's stage.

The postcard was sent from Bremen, Germany on 22 March 1914 to a soldier's address in Sondershausen, a central German town in Thuringia, west of Leipzig. The handwriting is difficult to make out clearly, as the addressee's rank looks more like Musketier than Musiker, though neither uses an umlaut ü. What amuses me about the message is that at least three, maybe four people, have written a greeting in grey, red, and blue, orienting the lines along four directions. On the front picture of the band two of the clowns have signatures written in pencil on their white collars, so maybe the card was sent by the clowns.

Lübecker Volksbote
23 September 1913

Charly Petrelly was known as „Die fidelen Leipziger” ~ The jolly Leipziger as featured in this German theater notice from September 1913. He and his Klown-Kapelle performed at the  Konzerthaus Zauberflöte ~ Concert Hall Magic Flute (Mozart's most famous opera) in Lübeck, a port city northeast of Hamburg on the Baltic Sea. They were known as Die 7 Blödsinnigen ~ the Seven Idiots, an appropriate name for a bunch of foolish clowns.

.

_ _

Here is another postcard of Charly Petrelly and his comical crew. [Pardon the image quality but I just found it online today and have not yet purchased it.]

Here the group is a quintet, not a sextet as in the other postcard. They display mostly brass and percussion instruments with three of long trumpets carefully arranged at the front. The three clowns in the center appear to be floating in the air but are actually lying on a thin tabletop. The postmark date is 14 September 1910 from Leipzig. 

What kind of music did Charly Petrelly's clown band they play? Did it include singing too? I imagine their act was an absurd imitation of a real musical ensemble with lots of foolish pratfalls, weird noises, and other outlandish behavior like throwing pies. However I suspect that the humor of a clown band from 1913-14 would still make a 21st century audience roar with laughter, whereas the jokes of a standup comic from the same era would be very stale and unamusing. 

To be successful entertainers Charly Petrelly's clown band needed to practice its timing, coordinate its banter and buffoonery, and hone the act to a sharp edge of absurd slapstick. Being funny in show biz is a serious business. It's all about finding the invisible balance between pathos and cheer. The world could use more clown bands right now.

Here's a suitable video to accompany this postcard.

It's a clip from the 1948 MGM film The Pirate

starring Judy Garland and Gene Kelly.

This scene features a memorable song by Cole Porter
and a dance number that features Gene Kelly (the pirate)

and the fabulous Nicholas Brothers, 

Fayard (1914–2006) and Harold (1921–2000).

And for a musical bonus here is a clip

from another Gene Kelly movie

Singin' In The Rain

which was released four years later in 1952.

The song is "Make 'Em Laugh"
written by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown

which perceptive listeners will hear  

bears a very strong similarity to Cole Porter's song in The Pirate. 

It is performed by Donald O'Connor.

From the Wikipedia entry for "Make 'Em Laugh":  

O'Connor's performance for  is noted for its extreme physical difficulty, featuring dozens of jumps, pratfalls, and two backflips. Hollywood legend states that O'Connor, though only 27 years old at the time but a chain-smoker, was bedridden for several days after filming the sequence.

The song was a last minute addition to the film and was acknowledged as "100% plagiarism" as both the music and lyrics of "Make 'Em Laugh" are nearly identical in form and style to "Be a Clown". Although Cole Porter had unchallenged reason to bring suit, he never sued for copyright infringement.

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday

where everyone is clowning around this weekend.

And by pure chance
this talented clown and his sidekick 
were performing yesterday (16 February)
here in downtown Asheville, North Carolina.

Make 'em laugh, indeed!

La Sérénade des Clowns

 

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Tonight, I present to you
the celebrated and world famous duo

Les Conches

Comedians and Musical Virtuosos
all the way from Paris, France.

 

 

 

This pair of French entertainers appeared on a postcard of unknown date. However on the back corner is a single clue showing that the card originated from a studio in Paris. Based on the style of photo, these two musical comedians likely performed their violin and guitar in European music halls and circuses sometime from 1905-1915. It should be obvious which was the funny one.

 

 

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday
where every duo has a story to tell.

Four Musical Jokers

 

What makes a clarinet funny?
By itself, nothing,
as it's not really an odd looking instrument.
But placed in the wrong hands
it is capable of making the most distressing noises.
Especially if it's the smaller variety of clarinet
designed to squeal like a small animal.

That can be funny.

For a moment or two.

If you are ten. 

 

 

What about the bass drum?
Is that a funny instrument too?
Again, it depends.
It's not difficult to master,
but it does require a steady pulse.
Which for some drummers can be pretty variable

if they can't count to four or walk in a straight line.
When a bass drum's boom skips a cadence
and lands on the wrong beat
that usually provokes a guffaw.
But it's always the same punchline.
 

 

 

Now the trumpet is not an especially funny instrument.
It's more likely to annoy than charm.
But trumpet players do tend to be pranksters
who amuse themselves
by inventing childish tricks and silly gags.
A good reason to never sit in front of one.

 

 

But for shear entertainment value,
nothing beats a bassoon for buffoonery. 
This woodiest of woodwinds
seems designed in both shape and sound
to be played as one continuous musical farce
of funny stories and slapstick comedy.
It's always good for a laugh.

 

Today I introduce four maestros
of instrumental humor.

 

 

My first musical joker is Adam Wenk, der originelle Komiker ~ the original comedian. Dressed in formal white tie and tails, Herr Wenk is pictured in the center of a postcard triptych with his two comical characters on either side. The fellow on the left is playing a little E-flat clarinet, an instrument often added to brass bands to play the high melody line instead of a piccolo. His coat has decorative braid embroidered on the cuff so I think he is supposed to be a member of a town band. On the right, Wenk is costumed as a Tyrolean country bumpkin with leather breeches, vest, and feathered cap. He is holding a fishing pole or a livestock whip. I've found numerous examples of this type of theatrical character in German and Austrian postcards sometimes labeled as "Seppl" which, I think, translates to English as "rube" or "dope".  

The back of the postcard has a postmark of 9 July 1913 from Altenburg, a town in Thuringia, Germany, south of Leipzig. The printer was Nordische Kunstanstant Ernst Schmidt & Co. of Lübeck, a German port on the Baltic Sea.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

The second joker is Artur Heidenreich, Komiker whose postcard's design is identical to Adam Wenk's card. Herr Heidenreich stands in the center of three photos wearing a long wool coat and bowler hat. On the left he plays a goofy-looking German soldier carrying a marching bass drum. On the right he is dressed as a Feuerwehrmann or  fireman with a water/sand bucket and fireman's hard hat. It would appear that in the center photo his mustache is trimmed in the upturned Prussian style, but that was actually penciled in by the writer who added initials on the other characters' drum and bucket. 

 

This postcard was sent from Saarbrücken dated by the writer 12 November 1912. Saarbrücken, which translates as Saar bridges, is located on the Saar River and is the capital of the state of Saarland, Germany. Today Germany's border with France, which does not follow the river, is about 2.7 miles (4.35 km) west of the city. But in 1912, the border was officially about 40 miles (60 km) further west, as Germany claimed the Alsace-Lorraine region of France, now called Alsace-Moselle, as part of the German Empire after capturing it from the Second French Empire in the Franco-Prussian War of 1871. In 1914 this area would be hotly contested during the Great War.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

The third musical joker is Carl Bergelt, Sächsischer Komiker, whose name is captioned on the top photo in a quartet of images from his act. Herr Bergelt appears a young sophisticate posed with his smoky cigarette. But on stage he played a dejected looking dolt who is pictured making hapless faces and playing a cornet. It's interesting that his instrument has piston valves instead of rotary valves which were the standard for brass instruments in Germany. 

For some reason the Free State of Saxony was noted for its Sächsischer comics, as this was a common regional appellation used by German comedians. This postcard was never mailed but bears the imprint of a Berlin photographer's studio on the back. The printing style resembles other German entertainer's postcards from the 1910-1920 decade. 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

The fourth jester is Hans Meppe, Original Instrumental Humorist und Charakter Komiker from Leipzig, the largest city in Saxony. Herr Meppe's smiling portrait is shown in a group of six photos of his act. One photo shows him portraying a fireman climbing a brick wall and another as a raggedy tramp trying to hang himself. The others demonstrate his versatility as an instrumentalist with wacky characters playing a bassoon, a clarinet, and an oboe. In the image with bassoon, Meppe seems to be inflating a balloon attached to the end of the instrument. While this seems a perfectly funny concept, as a practical matter it must have been very hard to do. A bassoon is about 8 feet long and it would require superhuman air pressure to make a sound through the little double reed and also blow up a balloon.

The postcard has a postmark from Essen of 22 February 1918 or maybe 1919, but I believe it is the earlier date. By coincidence this Sächsischer comic's postcard was sent to Saarbrücken.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Humor is possibly the most ephemeral of human emotions. A joke has a shelf life that depends entirely on current events, fashion trends, and a comedian's insight into the public's fickle emotions of the day. Unlike music which can gain merit on repetition, a joke usually loses laughs the more it is repeated. Humor easily goes stale. 

Back in February, I devoted a post to this subject in Two Wise Guys. When we see pictures of comedians from earlier times like these four musical jokers, we are forced to imagine their funny jokes,  their inevitable puns, and their clever double entendre humor. Sadly, no one wrote down their wisecracks, transcribed their 10 minute stage act, or recorded their droll stories for posterity. All we have left of the laughter they produced are little images displayed on old faded postcards. They don't seem very funny now. 

Except for one thing, their musical instruments. These comical props featured music, the universal language, as a way to tell a joke. We may be unable to ever hear their funny stories or clever wisecracks, but seeing their instruments at least lets us imagine the awkward tunes, the silly mannerisms, and the ridiculous sounds that these Komickers made. That's entertainment.

 

Here is a performance of Sid Millward & The Nitwits,
a British comedy act which appeared in 1970
on a popular German television show
hosted by Rudi Carrell, a Dutch presenter.
I think everyone will recognize that this band of looney musicians
follows in the footsteps of the jokers I've featured today.

 

 

 

Another band of crazy musicians,
Spike Jones and his City Slickers band,
is better known in America where their madcap music 
became a big hit on radio, film, and television.
In this so-called Tchaikovsky Medley from The Spike Jones Show,

which ran on CBS in the summers of 1957, 1960 and 1961,
Spike Jones and his band masterfully demonstrate
how any squeak, bang, or squawk

will work as a joke's punchline.  

 

 

 

 

 

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday
where old family photo albums are a dime a dozen.

Two Wise Guys

Comedy is hard.
An English pun or a Hungarian double entendre
doesn't translate very well into German or Chinese.
Funny stuff doesn't preserve very well either.
Neolithic man didn't leave behind
a great deal of fossilized humor.

What looks odd or peculiar
in antique ephemera we can guess at,
but we will never know for certain
just how amusing it really was.
The silly or childish things
that we see in bygone art
seem easier to discern,
but can we recognize actual mirth?

We think we see
the ridiculous absurdities of fools,
but if we are honest,
the farce that once appeared
so hilariously comical,
so humorous that it produced more
than just a chuckle or a guffaw,
but uncontrollable shrieks of laughter,
that joke is invisible to our eyes.
 

Somehow we never get the punchline.

Which is why comedy
is the most ephemeral of human sentiments.

Two comical characters stand in front of a white panel.
A kind of Chinese sage seems to be instructing a foppish dandy
about a series of twelve dots on the panel.

The postcard's caption reads:

Le Clown dessinateur — Proposition

~
The Cartoonist Clown - Proposal

The postcard's sender has added a date 26.6.05 on the panel board.

 It seems that these two French music hall clowns
are setting up a puzzle joke or a magic trick.
They were probably featured on a series of postcards
that were produced as souvenirs for a theater or circus act.
If I ever find a full set,
they might offer more clues to the clowns' skit,
but the actual funny business will have to remain
a mystery to us in the distant future of 2021.

 

The postmark of 28 June 1905
identifies the sender living in the commune Confolens
in southwest France, which is a rural city located
at the confluence of the Vienne and Goire rivers,
hence its name.
The recipient was Madame Andre Pallier
of Saint-Priest-Taurion, a commune
in the Haute-Vienne department, east of Confolens.

 

 The grim message on the back
makes an ironic case for how
the corollary to "Comedy is Hard",
is that "Death is Easy."

 

Notre malade est toujours
dans le meme état, elle ne
garde absolument rien pas
meme l'eau sucree; nous la
soutenons par des lavements
nutritifs.  Vous avons
une religieuse de l'Espérance
depuis Lundi soir, comme
cela nous sommes plus tranquilles
la nuit.  Le docteur nous
dit que cet état peut se pro-
longer encore longtemps.
Nos amitiés à tous autour de toi. 
mes meilleurs baisers pour
toi et Vovoune

Our patient is still in the same condition,
he/she keeps nothing down,
not even sugar water;
we support him/her through nutrient enemas.
We've had a nun from l"Esperance [name of a hospital?]
since Monday evening;
that way we are calmer at night [less worried].
  The doctor tells us
that this condition may
continue for a long time.
Our best regards to everyone
at your house, 
my best kisses [love]
to you and Vovonne.  [a name?]

[With special thanks to my Francophone English wife for making this translation] 

The second postcard of the same two clowns 
puts them in a completely different sketch.
Both are perched on top of the backs of kitchen chairs.
The Chinese clown has a guitar and is demonstrating a kick step.
His sad-faced companion has a mandolin.
The rush seats of their chairs
look about to be busted out.
The caption reads:

Séance interrompue
~
Interrupted session

 Their costumes tell us that they are a crazy duo.
Their instruments suggest a musical element.
The joke, however, has vanished. 

The card was sent to Mademoiselle Bertha Dumont
of Montluçon, a commune in central France on the Cher river,
on 7 September 1904.

 The antique photographs and postcards that I collect
show us images of entertainers from past times,
but I only pretend to know anything
about their musical artistry
or, in this case, their comic flair.
Music and humor are both
elusive historical artifacts.
Living a century later
we can't hear the melody
or experience the gag.

Our timing is off.

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday.
where we might find more answers
to the question,
Why? 

The Clown Band

 

The Circus

by C. J. Dennis, (1876–1938)

Hey, there! Hoop-la! the circus is in town!
Have you seen the elephant? Have you seen the clown?
Have you seen the dappled horse gallop round the ring?
Have you seen the acrobats on the dizzy swing?
Have you seen the tumbling men tumble up and down?
Hoop-la! Hoop-la! the circus is in town!

Hey, there! Hoop-la! Here’s the circus troupe!
Here’s the educated dog, jumping through the hoop.
See the lady Blondin with the parasol and fan,
The lad upon the ladder and the india-rubber man.
See the joyful juggler and the boy who loops the loop.
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Here’s the circus troupe!

*** ***

This clown band and its educated bull terrier
were not identified on this small 4"x3" snapshot photo.
They stand outside the doorway of a crude shack
which has a damaged foundation
that tilts down alarmingly on one side.
It gives the photo an absurd quality
that matches the fantastic faces of the clown troupe.

Their clown uniforms are, needless to say, not any standard to make a judgement of when or where the photo was taken. My best guess is roughly 1910-1930, somewhere in the United States. These six zany musicians could be a group of amateurs like the Zanesville Rube Band, but I think they look too professional, especially their shoes. Check out the shoe size of the cymbal player in the doorway, and the stray boot behind the snare drummer. Those are the footwear of professional fools.

Clarence Michael James Stanislaus (C.J.) Dennis (1876–1938)
Source: Wikimedia Commons

This poem was written by C. J. Dennis, (1876–1938),  a prolific Australian poet celebrated for his humorous poetry, often in dialect verse. His full name was Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis, and he was born in Auburn, South Australia. He published his first poem at age 19 while employed as a solicitor's clerk. He moved on to work at numerous literary publications and newspapers. His second book of poetry, The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke, published in 1916, sold 65,000 copies in its 1st year, and by 1917 he had become the most successful poet in Australian history. During his lifetime C. J. Dennis produced over 12 collections of poetry. This poem, The Circus, appeared in A Book for Kids, published in 1921.

Dennis died in 1938 in Melbourne at age 61. Joseph Lyons, then Prime Minister of Australia, said of him: "I am sure that I speak for all Australians in expressing deep regret at the death of C. J. Dennis. He was the Robert Burns of Australia. He created characters which have become immortal and he captured the true Australian spirit. Already his work is world-famous, and future generations will treasure it."

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday
where ice cream is on special offer all weekend.

The Contrary Bass

Do you know what's funny?

Big and awkward is funny.

Making strange buzzy noises
or a sudden unexpected sour note
is always good for a laugh.

Or watching someone
get so frantic in frustration
with a musical instrument
that it makes them pull their hair out.
That's funny!

That was the humorous setup of

Karl Willing
humoristischer Streichbassist
~
humorous string bassist

This crazy German comedian's postcard
was sent from Hannover
on the 21st of February 1918
to Frieda Hümpe of Varrel,
a town in Lower Saxony, Germany
just south of Bremen.

Karl Willig's three pictures
wrestling with his double bass
gives a preview of the jokes
in his music hall act
that needs no translation.

* * *

Sometimes the humor of the string bass,
a.k.a. the contrabass, the double bass
or the bass fiddle
was associated with less sophisticated culture
like folk and country music.

In this case the instrument itself
can become a joke.
A crude homemade box
with three strings
would be all that was needed
for the bass accompaniment
of a Tyrolean folk ensemble.

This Bavarian folk comic and musician
was known as:

Schnacklfranz
Der g'schert Girgl mit der Bassgeig'n
~
The sheared Girgl(?) with the bass violin

This postcard of Schnacklfranz
was never posted but it has note in French on the back
Munich la 14 V 09
Souvenir à
notre voyage de noce
~
Souvenir to our honeymoon
Charles & E...(?)

Certain musical instruments are inherently funny.
The shape, the sound, or the size
all contribute to punchlines that never get old.
These two entertainers knew
that a well-played joke on the double bass
was better that any concerto
because it could make an audience laugh.

We can appreciate the classic humor of the string bass
by watching these two clips of the brilliantly funny
British comedian and actor, Jim Tavaré
from two sets performed many years ago.

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday
where there's always something funny going on.

The Merry Brothers

Johann: You look very glum, Hans. Why so?
 
Hans: I've lost my milk cow. 

Johann: That's terrible. Where did you last see her? 

Hans: She was in the barn last night, but this morning she is not there. 

Johann: You should place a notice in the newspaper. 

Hans: That won't do any good. She can't read! 

Johann: But you could offer a reward. 

Hans: How does that help? A cow doesn't need money. Grass is free! Besides she can count. She knows how much money I have.

 * * *

Karl:  Funny things have happened in this war. The other day I heard of a corporal who lost his right hand and did not know it was gone until he tried to take a package of cigarettes out of his pocket!

Walter:  That's not so bad. Someone told me about a Lieutenant what got his head shot off but didn't know it until he tried to scratch it!

* * *

Josef:  It's a very hot day and we've been walking on this road a long time. Want to make a bet that I'm dirtier than you are?

Franzl:  Why not? That's an easy win. You got to be filthier, you are three years older than me. 

Josef:  Did you know a man could get drunk on water?

Franzl:  That's impossible! Water can't make you drunk!

Josef:  Sure thing. If a sailor can get drunk on land, he can get just as drunk on the water!

* * *

The first postcard is a photo of two comical men, one an older gentleman looking a bit down in his cups, and the second a country yokel with big nose, small cap, and a soup bowl haircut. The card was sent from Augsburg  through the German soldiers' free Feldpost on 2 September 1917. The comedians' names are unknown, but a caption on the backside may be the name of their theatrical agency.

Münchner Singspielgesellschaft
~
Munich Singing Company
Gustav Weinschenk

* * *

The second postcard is two merry fellows dressed liked tramps and poking a thumb at each other. One wears a derby and the other a top hat. This card has a German caption that is difficult to read without flipping the white to black.

Die lustigen Brüder
~
The funny Brothers

Verpflegungstrain IV Div. 1917
~
Meal Train IV Division 1917

It's unclear if the pair of men are soldiers or entertainers, but I think they have the look of music hall comics. On the back of the card is written Januar 1917, with  two other words that are less clear. Maybe Aesch, Vichdepot (?)

* * *

The third postcard shows two characters dressed as country bumpkins. They are Die G'scheerf'n a Germanic dialect slang phrase that doesn't show up in any German dictionaries. Perhaps an occupational title like "sheep shearers", though I don't think I'd trust them to run with scissors without hurting someone. In two vignettes are the sober faces of the G'scheert'n character actors, G. Finn and K. Warter. The postmark is faint but the handwriting seems to indicate it was sent from Leipzig on 23 October 1913.

The short bits of comedic dialogue were borrowed from vintage joke books and rewritten to fit skits that I imagine these characters might have played. The German people, both then and now, have a reputation with other nationalities as having collectively a poor sense of humor. As stereotypes go that might have some very broad justification, but the number of postcards of comic entertainers I have collected argues that Germans and Austrians enjoyed laughter as much as anyone. And in Germanic culture the comedy of the rustic rube, the village bumpkin, or the foolish country boy as pictured by these duos had a long history in German fables, literature, plays, and opera.

I think every language creates its own style of ironic story telling that can easily get lost in translation. And certainly the variation in regional dialects adds a layer of fun that is hard to discern for foreigners not in on the joke. But even a funny face will always be recognized as laughable no matter what the native language is.

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday
where laughter is contagious!