Other editions of book The Autobiography of a Clown

Excerpt from The Autobiography of a Clown, as Told to Isaac F. MarcossonWhen the article on which this little book is based appeared in the Saturday Evening Post we were amazed at the response it evoked. It simply proved that all the world loves a clown. In most of the com ment and communication, however, there was a question as to the authenticity of the subject. 'i beg to say that Jules is a real personage and still the nimble producer of many laughs.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The Autobiography of a Clown I I AM BORN IN A CIRCUS WAGON I suppose it was destiny that I should be a clown because I was born in a circus wagon. It happened in this way. My mother had been a première dancer on the French and English stage and had appeared in many of the great Covent Garden and Drury Lane Christmas pantomimes, but she grew stout, which is always fatal to that kind of dancing. She did not want to leave my father, who was also a dancer and general acrobat, so they invested their savings in a small circus. In those days—it was more than fifty years ago—Europe was alive with small circuses; most of them very modest, but all furnishing a very popular form of amusement. There were few, if any, theaters scattered throughout the country. Only city folk could enjoy the benefits and pleasures of plays. It followed that the great mass of the country people flocked to the circus, and the coming of one of them was an event. Often the circus showed in a large inclosure built for meetings and public entertainments. There was no top to the structure and in case of rain the people either went home or ran the risk of spoiling their clothes for the privilege of remaining. The shows traveled from town to town in wagons, much smaller but not unlike the big red creaking wagons of the modern American circus. Up to that time the menagerie was not considered necessary to the circus, but it was good business to have at least one cage with a wild beast in it. My mother’s circus had a performing lion who was a sort of patriarch. He was so amiable that he would eat out of the hand of a child and he was so gentle that he had to be prodded into a roar. The circus bill included several acrobatic acts, a juggler, a sleight-of-hand worker, and th

This memoirs of Jules Turnour came from a famous article that was seen in the Saturday Evening Post in 1909. Jules Turnour relays with Isaac Marcosson his life experiences and that of being a clown in a circus, both in Europe and the United States. By sharing moving, entertaining, and miserable incidents that he underwent or perceived, he exhibits his passion of circus life and his art. "As soon as I hear the music of the band...and the indescribable movement of the crowd toward the big tent...I am stirred to action, the weariness falls away like magic, and I am young again." The Autobiography of a Clown includes these stories: I Am Born in a Circus Wagon; I Become a Clown; I Join the Tented Circus; I Tell About Clown Tricks; I Learn About Life; I Relate Some Clown History; and I Give My Creed. Isaac Frederick Marcosson was a U.S. editor, born in Louisville, Kentucky, and attended the schools of Louisville. He was the associate editor of The World's Work, and he later became a member of and financial editor of The Saturday Evening Post. Then, he became the editor of Munsey's Magazine. Some of his works are: The War After the War; The Rebirth of Russia; The Business of War; Adventures in Interviewing; An African Adventure; Turbulent Years with Daniel Frohman, Charles Frohman; Manager and Man; Metal Magic: The Story of the American Smelting and Refining Company; The Black Golconda: The Romance of Petroleum; Caravans of Commerce; Leonard Wood: The Prophet of Preparedness; Peace and Business; S.O.S - America's Miracle in France; David Graham Phillips and His Times; Wherever Men Trade: The Romance of the Cash Register (the story of National Cash Register - NCR); Colonel Deeds - Industrial Builder (Edward Anthony Deeds).