CLOWNING AROUND
Tomorrow is NATIONAL CLOWN DAY and also marks the start of INTERNATIONAL CLOWN WEEK (August 1-7). Clowns have a long and interesting history, as chronicled in this scholarly(?) introduction to the subject:
No doubt you noticed in the above video (unless you were clowning around while it was playing) that the first clowns were court jesters. In the Middle Ages — as can be seen in this scene from the middle of a bygone century — THE COURT JESTER* typically played the fool and looked uncannily like Danny Kaye:
Who knew film — technicolor, no less — existed way back then to record such scenes? But nowadays, clowns have a farcical role model who is an amalgamation of Court Jester, Bozo the Clown, and Tyrant-osaurus Rex:
https://imgflip.com/memegenerator/77899773/Donald-Trump-Clown
The moral of the amoral story is that, if you asspire to the highest office in the land, you could hardly do worse than pattern yourself a-Round-Old Mc-Donald Trump. All Hail to the Cheat — er, Chief!
….so BE A CLOWN!
*THE COURT JESTER is a 1956 feature film starring Danny Kaye as a fatuous faux court jester (co-starring Angela Lansbury, Basil Rathbone, and Glynis Johns, among others).
blindzanygirl 2:02 am on July 31, 2020 Permalink |
This cheered up my morning. I love being a clown. You should see me lol
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mistermuse 7:56 am on July 31, 2020 Permalink |
I bet watching you is a ‘circus,’ Lorraine. 😉
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blindzanygirl 8:31 am on July 31, 2020 Permalink
It certainly is, mistermuse xx 😀
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obbverse 2:05 am on July 31, 2020 Permalink |
The orange one gives the poorest clown a bad name. Yes, he might be laughable but worryingly so.
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mistermuse 8:00 am on July 31, 2020 Permalink |
“Worrying” is putting it mildly. He is capable of trying almost ANYTHING to avoid defeat in the election.
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calmkate 4:04 am on July 31, 2020 Permalink |
lol I’ve never been a huge fan of DK but I do like him in the knight number … what length will tRump go to to save himself … we watch with bated breath!
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mistermuse 8:07 am on July 31, 2020 Permalink |
I’m with you regarding DK (a little of him goes a long way), but The Court Jester is the one film in which he makes me laugh throughout. It’s his best role by far, in my opinion.
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calmkate 3:58 pm on July 31, 2020 Permalink
I certainly enjoyed your clip 🙂 No idea how they did that tongue twister so rapidly 🙂
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Rivergirl 7:30 am on July 31, 2020 Permalink |
I’ve always disliked clowns and find them creepy beyond measure. But that picture of a Trump clown? The stuff of nightmares.
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mistermuse 8:09 am on July 31, 2020 Permalink |
You said it, Rg. He’s a nightmare no matter how you slice it.
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masercot 9:18 am on July 31, 2020 Permalink |
Don’t forget Emmett Kelly…
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mistermuse 9:26 am on July 31, 2020 Permalink |
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masercot 10:08 am on July 31, 2020 Permalink
That was… beautiful…
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Rosaliene Bacchus 2:13 pm on July 31, 2020 Permalink
Loved that!
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Don Ostertag 12:29 pm on July 31, 2020 Permalink |
The Kaye bit is a masterpiece as is the great Emmett Kelly.
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mistermuse 4:04 pm on July 31, 2020 Permalink |
I agree on both counts, Don.
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Rosaliene Bacchus 2:10 pm on July 31, 2020 Permalink |
Thanks for sharing the fun facts about clowns. The Danny Kaye video clip was hilarious 🙂
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mistermuse 4:10 pm on July 31, 2020 Permalink |
I’ve seen that film several times over the years and I still laugh at the Danny Kaye clip….and don’t forget: THE PELLET WITH THE POISON’S IN THE VESSEL WITH THE PESTLE! 😉
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Catherine Haustein 4:58 pm on July 31, 2020 Permalink |
Or as Radioheadsays, Hail to the Thief”. I think they meant W. Remember that clown?
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mistermuse 6:01 pm on July 31, 2020 Permalink |
Looking back, I would rank W. as an amateur compared to Trump. And, though he may have been something of a clown, I give him credit for attending the funeral of civil rights leader John Lewis yesterday — something Trump couldn’t be bothered with.
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annieasksyou 12:44 pm on August 2, 2020 Permalink |
Yes, that Danny Kaye line ranks high up on the all-time list of greats—just a tad below “To be or not to be…” and well above “Peter Piper Picked a Peck of…”
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mistermuse 6:02 pm on August 2, 2020 Permalink |
For me, the greatest all-time line in terms of making me laugh is Trump’s “I’m a very stable genius.”
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arekhill1 9:01 am on August 4, 2020 Permalink |
I was fantasizing about headlines I could write if Trump loses big, Sr. Muse, and “Ass-Clown Goes Down” was one of them.
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mistermuse 12:21 pm on August 4, 2020 Permalink |
…..”and on Jan.20 gets dragged kicking and screaming out of D.C. town.”
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Kally 11:46 am on August 4, 2020 Permalink |
Love that Danny Kaye video clip! Hahaha.
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mistermuse 12:26 pm on August 4, 2020 Permalink |
You might even say
It’s better than ‘O-Kaye.’
😉
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Kally 1:11 pm on August 4, 2020 Permalink
OMG! you are super funny!
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annieasksyou 12:22 pm on August 4, 2020 Permalink |
How about “Biden Tromps Trump in Landslide Romp”?
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mistermuse 3:51 pm on August 4, 2020 Permalink |
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Dolly Vas 2:51 am on August 5, 2020 Permalink |
I love to being a clown. In india there was a film joker of shami Kapoor that was super dooper hit blockbuster. Nice blog and nice post.
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waywardsparkles 3:56 pm on August 5, 2020 Permalink |
MM, Thank you, thank you, thank you for this post. I love Danny Kaye but have never seen The Court Jester. After seeing your “pestle vessel clip” above, I knew we had to watch this. My son who has autism loves slapstick and this movie did not disappoint. Some things are just classic! We all enjoyed this movie! Get it? Got it. Good! Mona
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mistermuse 4:58 pm on August 5, 2020 Permalink |
You’re very welcome, Mona. I’m particularly pleased that you (and especially your son) enjoyed THE COURT JESTER.
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Silver Screenings 10:06 pm on August 9, 2020 Permalink |
Thanks for sharing the video re: clown history. I had no idea clowns appeared so early in history.
Also: That Danny Kaye bit with the pestle/poison gets me every time. How on earth did they make it through that scene?
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mistermuse 8:33 am on August 10, 2020 Permalink |
Practice, practice, practice! Kaye was a master of that type of comedy, but the other actors were equally impressive. Great fun!
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