| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| HTA ID | HTA-0356 |
| Title | Clown College — Ringling Brothers |
| Date | ~1980–1981 |
| Date Confidence | Moderate (PM Magazine era; Clown College in Venice, FL operated 1968–1997) |
| Program | PM Magazine |
| Station | WDVM Channel 9, Washington DC |
| Duration | ~8.5 minutes |
| Format | Participatory feature |
Henry attends the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus Clown College in Venice, Florida, for a "cram course in clowning" with veteran clown Ron Severini, the Dean of Clown College. The piece follows the full process: developing a clown character (they settle on a "professor type" who works hard to go nowhere), learning physical comedy routines, and finally performing in the actual circus. Henry's two duties are "meat and greet" (working the crowd in the stands) and a boxing scene where he plays the trainer. Despite stage fright ("My method of warming up is to tremble uncontrollably"), he survives the performance and receives an honorary diploma as "Master of Mirth" — followed immediately by a pie in the face.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| People | Ron Severini (Dean of Clown College, veteran clown) |
| Organizations | Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, Clown College, PM Magazine, WDVM |
| Locations | Venice, Florida (Clown College); circus arena |
| Subjects | Circus, clowning, performance, physical comedy |
| Themes | Fear of performance, the craft behind comedy, transformation through costume, participatory journalism |
| Keywords | Ringling Brothers, Clown College, Ron Severini, Venice Florida, circus, clown, PM Magazine |
| Career Period | PM Magazine, WDVM Channel 9 (1979–1984) |
"They are to the circus what spices are to food, what bubbles are to champagne, what frosting is to cake."
"Who has not dreamed of putting on the powder? Who has not longed for the laughs of the crowd?"
"The guy who works hard to go nowhere." — Henry's clown character description
"Each clown has his own special method of warming up. Mine is to tremble uncontrollably."
"Whereupon, honorary clown, Henry Tenenbaum, PM Magazine, WDVM TV, a Master of Mirth."
This is classic "Super Henry" participatory journalism — the reporter becomes the story by attempting something difficult and potentially humiliating. The structure follows the hero's journey in miniature: training (developing the character with Severini), ordeal (stage fright before the performance), and triumph (surviving the act, receiving the diploma). The pie in the face at the end is the perfect deflation — just when Henry achieves something, he's brought back to earth.
The character development sequence is genuinely interesting: Severini and Henry try multiple approaches (different limps, different walks) before settling on the professor who "works hard to go nowhere." This is real creative process documented on camera — the same kind of behind-the-scenes craft revelation that makes the Behind PM Magazine piece (HTA-0351) valuable.
The piece also reveals that thousands apply to Clown College annually, 50 are accepted, and only half make it into the circus — establishing clowning as a serious, competitive profession rather than a fallback.
| Type | Reference |
|---|---|
| Theme | "Super Henry" participatory — connects to Wing Walking (HTA-0345), Bear Wrestling (HTA-0350), Counter-Terrorist Driving (HTA-0344) |
| Theme | Performance craft — connects to Dustin Hoffman (HTA-0355), Baryshnikov (HTA-0347) |
| Career Period | PM Magazine — peak participatory journalism |
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Source File | CLOWN PM.txt |
| Alternate Files | None identified |
| Source Location | /transcript macwhisper/ (root folder) |
| Transcription Quality | Good (main piece ~8:40; tape continues with unrelated raw audio) |
| Repository Status | Preserved in Source Repository |
The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College operated in Venice, Florida from 1968 to 1997, training over 1,400 clowns. It was the only institution of its kind in the world. Ron Severini was a legendary figure in American circus history who served as Dean for many years. The tape continues past the main piece with raw behind-the-scenes audio including voiceover sessions and casual conversation — this additional material has no narrative structure and appears to be unedited tape overflow from the same reel.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Review Date | 2026-07-06 |
| Source File | CLOWN PM.mp4 |
| Source Location | Dropbox / PM MAGAZINE folder |
| Duration (confirmed) | 8:16 (0:34–8:50) |
| Video Quality | Good |
Henry appears in two distinct looks. Civilian: brown plaid sport coat, tan v-neck sweater, light shirt, brown tie, jeans. Full clown: white face paint, red cheeks/nose, black eyebrows, yellow wig, red top hat, black tailcoat, red/white striped shirt, floral tie, yellow flower lapel, red plaid baggy pants, oversized shoes. Set at Ringling Bros. Clown College in Venice, Florida, and the circus arena.
| Timestamp | Content |
|---|---|
| 0:34–1:20 | Introduction — selection process for Clown College |
| 1:21–2:51 | Makeup application + Dean Ron Severini interview |
| 2:52–3:22 | Juggling lesson (Henry drops clubs) |
| 3:23–4:04 | Fake slap lesson (Henry slaps own face) |
| 4:05–5:50 | Clown walk lesson |
| 5:51–6:09 | Circus montage |
| 6:10–6:46 | Pre-show audience warm-up |
| 6:47–7:50 | Live performance — boxing skit before real audience |
| 7:51–8:50 | Conclusion — pie in face "diploma" |
Total immersion — Henry becomes a student at Clown College. He gets full makeup and costume, learns juggling (fails), practices fake slaps (hits himself), learns the clown walk, warms up the audience, performs a live boxing skit, and takes a pie in the face as his "graduation." He performs before a real circus audience.
The transformation from reporter to full clown is visually stunning. Dropping juggling clubs, slapping his own face during the "fake slap" lesson, and the pie-in-face "diploma" are all physical comedy gold. His sign-off — "The greatest day on earth! I can't believe I fell for that old gag one more time" — captures both joy and self-awareness.
"The greatest day on earth! I can't believe I fell for that old gag one more time. We'll be right back with our PM Magazine departments."