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This is a collage I made of clowns: part 1. Lon Chaney's Paul Beaumont the He clown from He Who Gets Slapped (1924). Lon Chaney's Tito clown from Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928). Conrad Veidt's Gwynplaine clown freak from The Man Who Laughs (1928). Emmett Kelly's Weary Willie clown from Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus in 1942-1956, from The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), General Electric Theater "The Clown" (1955), The Jackie Gleason Show "All Star Circus Revue" (1957), Playhouse 90 "Around the World in 90 Minutes" (1957) and The Clown and the Kids (1967). Lou Jacobs from Ringing Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus in 1925-1985, from The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) and Highlights of Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus (1975). Lew Anderson's Clarabell the Clown from the Howdy Doody Show (1954-1960) [based on Bob Keeshan's original Clarabell the Clown from the Howdy Doody Show (1947-1953)], Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1955), The Arlene Francis Show (1957), The New Howdy Doody Show (1976), The Bob Braun Show (1983) and It's Howdy Doody Time (1987).

A lot of people have a fear of clowns. The fear of clowns is a real phobia called coulrophobia. But I find these historical clowns interesting and sad rather than scary.

This is definitely creepy, though... The Tampa Times [November 29th 1979] newspaper features an article by Times Wire Reports called "Clown called Killer... Oceanside, California. The grandson of the famous clown Emmet Kelly was being held today in the brutal slayings of two men. Paul Anthony Kelly, 22 [years-old], a circus clown who performed on the high wire despite having an artificial leg, faced arraignment today on charges he killed Los Angeles antique dealer Brent David Bailey, 22 [years-old], and retired minister Henry B. Kuisenga, 66 [years-old]."

www.newspapers.com/image/33462…

I never heard that famous clown Emmet Kelly's grandson is a killer clown until I read that searching clowns in those vintage newspapers.

Conrad Veidt's Gwynplaine said, "A king made me a clown!" Another clown said to Gwynplaine, “What a lucky clown you are! You don’t have to wipe off your laugh!” He was a freak show carnival clown called “The Laughing Man" in the movie The Man Who Laughs (1928). He was mutilated as a child. If you were to watch the film, that's part of it. That's what he was referring to when he said "A king made me a clown!" He was a clown.

Conrad Veidt's Gwynplaine was the inspiration for the look of the Joker. As reported in the fanzine Batmania #14 (1967) in an article titled "Con-Cave '66 Batmanias Assemble!" by Tom Fagan, Joker co-creator Bill Finger said at the New York Academy Convention in 1966, "Joker? Well, I got a call from Bob Kane, he asked me to come up. He had a new villain. When I arrived he was holding a playing card. Apparently Jerry Robinson or Bob, I don't recall who, looked at the card and they had an idea for a character ... the Joker. Bob made a rough sketch of it. At first it didn't look much like the Joker. It looked more like a clown. But I remembered that Grosset & Dunlap formerly issued very cheap editions of classics by Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo ... The volume I had was The Man Who Laughs — his face had been permanently operated on so that he will always have this perpetual grin. And it looked absolutely weird. I cut the picture out of the book and gave it to Bob, who drew the profile and gave it a more sinister aspect. Then he worked on the face; made him look a little clown-like, which accounted for his white face, red lips, green hair. And that was the Joker!"

comicbookplus.com/?dlid=11970

The Witchita Daily Times [October 31st 1912] newspaper features an article by the Associated Press called "Clown Arrested for Chicago Murder... Chicago police learned today that Charles Conway, the clown wanted in connection with the murder of Miss Sofia G. Singer of Baltimore has been arrested in Lima, Ohio. A second telegram said the woman known as Mrs. Conway, Beatrice Ryall, and several other names, also had been arrested."

www.newspapers.com/image/20724…
The clown Charles Conway was the first killer clown. October 31st was Halloween!

The Pomona Progress Bulletin [July 29th 1950] newspaper features an article by United Press International called "Famous Clown Becomes Killer... Seattle, Washington. A Rodeo clown turned killer last night. Frank Chitwood, 46 [years-old], went berserk at a farm house 18 miles south of here. He shot and killed his baby daughter and his father-in-law, wounded his wife, their four-year-old son and his mother-in-law, and then took his own life."

www.newspapers.com/image/62379…
Disturbing! The killer clown Frank Chitwood was the first real serial killer clown.

Description

This is a collage I made of clowns: part 1. Lon Chaney's Paul Beaumont the He clown from He Who Gets Slapped (1924). Lon Chaney's Tito clown from Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928). Conrad Veidt's Gwynplaine clown freak from The Man Who Laughs (1928). Emmett Kelly's Weary Willie clown from Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus in 1942-1956, from The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), General Electric Theater "The Clown" (1955), The Jackie Gleason Show "All Star Circus Revue" (1957), Playhouse 90 "Around the World in 90 Minutes" (1957) and The Clown and the Kids (1967). Lou Jacobs from Ringing Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus in 1925-1985, from The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) and Highlights of Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus (1975). Lew Anderson's Clarabell the Clown from the Howdy Doody Show (1954-1960) [based on Bob Keeshan's original Clarabell the Clown from the Howdy Doody Show (1947-1953)], Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1955), The Arlene Francis Show (1957), The New Howdy Doody Show (1976), The Bob Braun Show (1983) and It's Howdy Doody Time (1987).

A lot of people have a fear of clowns. The fear of clowns is a real phobia called coulrophobia. But I find these historical clowns interesting and sad rather than scary.

This is definitely creepy, though... The Tampa Times [November 29th 1979] newspaper features an article by Times Wire Reports called "Clown called Killer... Oceanside, California. The grandson of the famous clown Emmet Kelly was being held today in the brutal slayings of two men. Paul Anthony Kelly, 22 [years-old], a circus clown who performed on the high wire despite having an artificial leg, faced arraignment today on charges he killed Los Angeles antique dealer Brent David Bailey, 22 [years-old], and retired minister Henry B. Kuisenga, 66 [years-old]."

www.newspapers.com/image/33462…

I never heard that famous clown Emmet Kelly's grandson is a killer clown until I read that searching clowns in those vintage newspapers.

Conrad Veidt's Gwynplaine said, "A king made me a clown!" Another clown said to Gwynplaine, “What a lucky clown you are! You don’t have to wipe off your laugh!” He was a freak show carnival clown called “The Laughing Man" in the movie The Man Who Laughs (1928). He was mutilated as a child. If you were to watch the film, that's part of it. That's what he was referring to when he said "A king made me a clown!" He was a clown.

Conrad Veidt's Gwynplaine was the inspiration for the look of the Joker. As reported in the fanzine Batmania #14 (1967) in an article titled "Con-Cave '66 Batmanias Assemble!" by Tom Fagan, Joker co-creator Bill Finger said at the New York Academy Convention in 1966, "Joker? Well, I got a call from Bob Kane, he asked me to come up. He had a new villain. When I arrived he was holding a playing card. Apparently Jerry Robinson or Bob, I don't recall who, looked at the card and they had an idea for a character ... the Joker. Bob made a rough sketch of it. At first it didn't look much like the Joker. It looked more like a clown. But I remembered that Grosset & Dunlap formerly issued very cheap editions of classics by Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo ... The volume I had was The Man Who Laughs — his face had been permanently operated on so that he will always have this perpetual grin. And it looked absolutely weird. I cut the picture out of the book and gave it to Bob, who drew the profile and gave it a more sinister aspect. Then he worked on the face; made him look a little clown-like, which accounted for his white face, red lips, green hair. And that was the Joker!"

comicbookplus.com/?dlid=11970

The Witchita Daily Times [October 31st 1912] newspaper features an article by the Associated Press called "Clown Arrested for Chicago Murder... Chicago police learned today that Charles Conway, the clown wanted in connection with the murder of Miss Sofia G. Singer of Baltimore has been arrested in Lima, Ohio. A second telegram said the woman known as Mrs. Conway, Beatrice Ryall, and several other names, also had been arrested."

www.newspapers.com/image/20724…
The clown Charles Conway was the first killer clown. October 31st was Halloween!

The Pomona Progress Bulletin [July 29th 1950] newspaper features an article by United Press International called "Famous Clown Becomes Killer... Seattle, Washington. A Rodeo clown turned killer last night. Frank Chitwood, 46 [years-old], went berserk at a farm house 18 miles south of here. He shot and killed his baby daughter and his father-in-law, wounded his wife, their four-year-old son and his mother-in-law, and then took his own life."

www.newspapers.com/image/62379…
Disturbing! The killer clown Frank Chitwood was the first real serial killer clown.