Hi

I found this website looking for some new ideas for a parade. My grandson and I did the shoe shine (at a night parade) and it was a huge hit, even made it in the paper.

Also did free shakes and Brown E's everyone loved it!

Now I need some help, I am assisting with movie night durring the circus fans convention and need some ideas built around popcorn and or the movies?

Thanks in advance
Trish

A fellow circus fan? Is this for the Hershey convention in May? (If it is the you probably ought to build it around pretzels rather than popcorn!)

it is for the convention but is for the movie night and we will be handing out popcorn to everyone and also ushering folks to there seats.

are you going to be in Hershey?

yes very serious fan, check out myspace, I am listed as ringling_fan. Of course the way Ringling is going these days maybe I should be just fan!

Trish

it is for the convention but is for the movie night and we will be handing out popcorn to everyone and also ushering folks to there seats.

are you going to be in Hershey?

I'd like to come. Was at the Chicago convention. Just have to see how some things pan out. Nice to hear that there will be popcorn (as well as movies most nights).

Perhaps you could play something off "buttering him up"?

yes very serious fan, check out myspace, I am listed as ringling_fan.

Coolio. I want an elephant stool, also. Well, that is, one like they stand on, not a sample. Though stepping in the latter is said to be good luck!

Of course the way Ringling is going these days maybe I should be just fan!

Heh. Too true. Diamond rings? What's gotten into Nicole's mind?

Thanks my husband made that for my grandson as a Christmas gift one year, I will have to post some photos of it without me on it.

Circusly yours
Trish

butter....maybe that will work, I will start thinking along those lines.

Do you know Timothy Tegge?

butter....maybe that will work, I will start thinking along those lines.

Anything you can do to "get" Past President Richard D. would work, too. :P

Giovanni Zoppe does this bit in his circus where he balances a bag of popcorn on his chin, then applauds (causing the popcorn to fly all over). That sort of a blowoff of "the flying popcorn brothers" might work, with whatever other precursor leading up to it. If you're ushering people in, then perhaps a sort of Bustor Keaton-esque (or maybe Jerry Lewis "Bellboy") old movie scheme could work for your characters.

Do you know Timothy Tegge?

I met him at the convention in Chicago. (Where's he's from, incidently.) Can't say I know him particularly well, however. He does have a new show, Mystification, with his wife going now.

Just a thought... maybe you could end with this or develop it into a running gag.

Clown 1, whiteface politely hands out popcorn to the guests.
Clown 2, an auguste follows behind, eating popcorn out of the containers handed to the guests.

Clown 1 does double-take, chastises Clown 2. They proceed to hand out the popcorn again. Clown 2 tries to eat with the patrons again. Double-take, followed by Clown 1 chasing Clown 2 up the aisle. Maybe finish it with Zoppe's gag?

Check this out:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqdqyEJXPtw&eurl=

Also, you might want to use "invisible popcorn" and catch it in a paper bag. Perhaps with some sort of "magic" effect, you could even show that the bag is "empty", catch invisible popcorn from people, then blow up the bag, pop it and real live popcorn comes spilling out!

So, I got to brainstroming. This is just a suggestion. Don't feel obligated in any way to use it. But it may offer some ideas:

Clown 1: (enters, walks down center aisle determinedly until reaching front of room (or stage). Stops. Continues to face away from the audience. Raises right hand and waves.) "Hello Everybody!"

(He reacts to either their silence or shouts, but seems confused. Raises his left hand and waves.) "HELLO EVERYBODY!"

(Again he reacts, but still seems befuddled and shrugs his shoulders.)

"HEY!"

Clown 2: (comes traipsing up the aisle hurriedly, reaches the first clown, faces him generally - but more so open to the audience - and asks), "Did you call?"

Clown 1: "Call? I don't even have a telephone!"

Clown 2: "Well I heard something come in on the tin can."

Clown 1: "Oh, that was me!"

Clown 2: "Well, what is it?"

Clown 1: "Where are the people?"

Clown 2: (slowly turns around clown 1 to face forward to audience)

Clown 1: (reacts with surprise), "OH! There you are! Hi." (extends his arms as if to hug them. He then continues to make silly gestures towards them.)

Clown 2: (interrupting) "Eh, hum".

Clown 1: (turns to clown 2) "Don't you want to say hi to them."

Clown 2: (looks at audience and dryly recites) "Hello."

Clown 1: (continues to make playful gestures)

Clown 2: (seriously taps clown 1 on shoulder)

Clown 1: (turns too clown 2 and gleefully proclaims) "HI!"

Clown 2: (dryly) "Hello"

Clown 1: "How are you?"

Clown 2: "Fine. Thank you. Are you going to introduce the film?"

Clown 1: "Introduce the film?"

Clown 2: "Yes. Introduce the film."

Clown 1: "Alright. What do I say?"

Clown 2: "You say, 'Ladies and Gentlemen...'"

Clown 1: "Ladies and Gentleme... wait."

Clown 2: "What?"

Clown 1: "Let me show you." (He cautiously walks out to the audience. Picks his favorite male circus fan well known to all - maybe the President? Walks up behind him. Faces the stage and points to the fan. Shakes his head no. Then makes the shhh sign over his lips so as not to 'say anything' about the man. Next, he wags his finger at the fan. Makes the shame sign with his fingers to the fan. Says,) "You behave." (Moves to walk away back to stage, but then turns backs to him and says,) "Or I'll sic the tigers on you!" "Understand?" (nods his head). (Walks back to the stage. To clown 2,) "Now where was I?"

Clown 2: "Ladies and gentlemen..."

Clown 1: (flatly repeating), "Ladies and gentlemen."

Clown 2: "Come, now, you can do it better than that".

Clown 1: (more emphatic) "Ladies and gentlemen."

Clown 2: "With enthusiasm!"

Clown 1: (overboard and with large movement) "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"

Clown 2: "Very good. Children..."

Clown 1: "Childr..." (stops in his tracks. looks slowly around the room. turns to look with concern to clown 2), "Um... where are the kids?"

Clown 2: "They're out there" (gestures to audience)

Clown 1: (Points to audience while looking at clown 2) "Out there?"

Clown 2: "Yes, out there. Look!"

Clown 1: (Turns slowly back to audience. Looks around slowly. Looks back at clown 2) "I don't see them?"

Clown 2: "You DON'T?"

Clown 1: "No."

Clown 2: "Well, what DO you see?"

Clown 1: "A bunch of old people!"

Clown 2: (slaps clown 1)

Clown 1: "OUCH! Well YOU look at them!"

Clown 2: "Alright." (looks to them)

Clown 1: "Now what do YOU see?"

Clown 2: "I see children.... of ALL AGES!"

Clown 1: "OOOOOOOH. Alright." (looks to audience)

Clown 2: "Do you see them now?"

Clown 1: "Yes. I see children. Of all ages. Over 50."

Clown 2: (slaps clown 1)

Clown 1: (looks at clown 2, upset. Moves out to audience. Finds someone with a bag of popcorn.) "Well, I'm just going to take a seat with these kids out here, then."

Clown 2: "Fine". "Ladies and gentlemen..."

Clown 1: "Hey wait!"

Clown 2: "What?"

Clown 1: "I want to do a trick."

Clown 2: "A trick?"

Clown 1: "Yeah. Here watch this." (grabs the person's popcorn bag. takes a piece. tosses it up and tries to land in mouth. continues a couple of times, maybe even catching)

Clown 2: "Very well." (If clown 1 can't catch it, then clown 2 suggests that perhaps someone else can. If clown 1 does catch it, then clown 1 proceeds to suggest that maybe someone else can do it too).

Clown 1: (finding another member of the audience, motions to him to open up his mouth. walks up to the person, pulls a flashlight out of his pocket. looks in. pulls back and makes like he's scared at what he saw. finds another fan. Gets him to open his mouth. Gets him to stick out his tongue and say "ahhh", shines the flashlight in, gets close, pulls back. holds nose and waves at nose with other hand to indicate a bad smell. reaches into pocket and produces a small bottle of mouthwash, hands it to the fan. proceeds to find another fan. gets him to open mouth. Throws a piece of popcorn at him, intentionally missing. Tries again. Misses again.) "I don't know why he's missing, he has a big mouth!" (On the third try, throws a whole handful of popcorn at him twice. If, per chance, the audience member catches it, then just say, "she's good." and move on to try it again with someone else, "Let's see if HE can do it too!")

Clown 2: "Get back up here!"

Clown 1: (returns to stage)

Clown 2: (grabs bag of popcorn from him - if clown 1 hasn't already gotten rid of it) "I'm only letting you have 'invisible popcorn' from now on!"

Clown 1: "Invisible popcorn?"

Clown 2: "Yes. Here. You can put it in this empty bag." (shows the 'empty bag' to audience then hands it to clown 1).

Clown 1: (looks at empty bag) "What do I do with it?"

Clown 2: "You can ask the audience to fill it up with their invisible popcorn".

Clown 1: "Ask the audience to fill it up with their invisible popcorn."

Clown 2: "Yes. Now go to it!" (to audience), "Help him out, please".

Clown 1: (finding someone to play with, invites the fan to throw a piece of popcorn into his bag. The fan attempts, but the clown indicates that it was a miss... far short, and goes over to look at it on the floor, making fun of the fact that the fan couldn't get it far enough. He continues the charade with several other fans, having great fun with it, doing whacky stuff, catching pieces and clicking his bag to indicate that they have been caught.)

Clown 2: (as all of this unfolds, he watches on and reacts appropriately, then finally calls out to clown 1) "Is your bag full now?"

Clown 1: "Yes!"

Clown 2: "Good, well then come back up here."

Clown 1: (returns to stage while slyly looking giddy and holding bag up to mouth to inflate it, then shutting the air in)

Clown 2: (once he returns to stage) "Well done. Let's give him a round of applause."

(everyone claps)

Clown 1: (excitedly claps hands, popping bag and having real popcorn fly out all over the place)

Clown 2: (angry) "GET OUT OF HERE!" (grabs clown 1 by the collar and tosses him offstage)

Clown 1: (exits)

Clown 3 (tramp): (enters with broom, slowly making his way past clown 2 and sweeping things up)

Clown 2: (shaking head), "What a mess!"

Clown 2: (seriously and straightforward - not grandiose) "Ladies and Gentlemen, Children of All Ages, Presenting Our Featured Film This Evening: (name of film)!"

Clown 2: (exits)

Clown 3 (exits)

END

Thanks Tim!
Ya just can't beat grandma....... She's a tough old broad! Or Barry Lubin either!

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen; and welcome... to the movies!

We have a really big shoe for you tonight! (hold up clown shoe)

Thanks Tim!
Ya just can't beat grandma....... She's a tough old broad! Or Barry Lubin either!

Don't even try. She'll beat you back with her purse!

Barry does a bit with popcorn in this piece.

Well, it would help if I'd actually add the link!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJAkv5YtU6M&eurl=

Of course, there is plenty of comedy which could be conceived using the concept of "Kisses" (being in Hershey, PA and all.)

I wrote a routine of my own based on that idea. But it requires a midget and a gorilla in a wedding dress to produce.

Take some popcorn boxes or if you can find them the plastic ones you can buy for a buck. Make a tray for them. String some popped popcorn like you would at Xmas and attach the strings to the bottom. Walk around like you are a vendor and as you go to hand it to them dump it…It’s easy to reload making this a good parade prop as well.

I've thought of two different things that you could do. Either have enother clown eat a banana and then throw the peel in the aisle. You then walk up slipping on the peel and spill the popcorn onto the other clown's lap. Or instead you could be carrying a large bucket of popcorn, then sneeze and blow popcorn onto another clown.

Piggy backing on the banana idea... With the right fabric and a couple of zippers you could make a banana (slightly larger that normal.) When you pulled down the zippers to open the "banana" you get... Popcorn.

(Are you working on that groan button yet Princess?)

Piggy backing on the banana idea... With the right fabric and a couple of zippers you could make a banana (slightly larger that normal.) When you pulled down the zippers to open the "banana" you get... Popcorn.

(Are you working on that groan button yet Princess?)You know that is actually a funny idea for a show I am working on! A main quirk of my character in this show is that he eats anything while his partner starves. Some of the stuff I eat is impossible (I substitute real food of course.) I love little surprises and unexpecteds like this!