The Baker's Gag at Ringling Brothers.

 I've been asked to regurgitate memories of my first ring gag with Ringling Brothers as a First of May back in 1972. Here goes:

The gag featured Swede Johnson, Dougie Ashton, Marc Anthony, Prince Paul, Lazlo Donnert, and myself.  We were in center ring.

I don't remember how or why I was included in such an august assemblage of zanies, but I felt it was an honor. What I do remember is that it got me out of having to do the Spanish Web number that immediately followed it. All the other clowns had to hold the ropes for the showgirls . . . 

Mark, Lazlo, Prince Paul, and myself were dressed as bakers. Swede was the groom and Dougie dressed in drag as the blushing bride, coming into the ring to pick up their wedding cake, as the band swung into "If I Knew Your Were Coming I'da Baked a Cake."

Mark had rigged up a marvelous stove that shot out flames whenever Swede positioned himself in front of it, roasting his keyster nicely.

After much slapstick business Dougie steals the cake, making a mad dash out of the ring. He trips and takes a header into the cake, which is made of foam rubber and filled with shaving cream. A tsunami of shaving cream from the cake engulfs us all. Blackout.

I have two distinct memories of that gag.

First, during a matinee in Denver I took a fall wrong during the gag and bruised my coccyx. I couldn't get back up and had to be carried out of the ring by Swede and Mark. I spent a week in bed recuperating. Thank goodness we belonged to AGVA back then -- because they paid all the hospital and doctor bills. I've had lower back trouble off and on ever since then.

Second, at the blow off Dougie liked to shove so much shaving cream into my face that my makeup was ruined. I'd have to hurry back to clown alley to wipe it off and put it back on again before the next clown number. I finally got tired of that, so the next time it happened I didn't put my own clown face back on -- I put on Dougie's. He was fit to be tied, and complained to Charlie Baumann, the Performance Director. But Charlie, with half a smile, said there was nothing he could do about it. After that, Dougie was careful to refrain from getting a single soap bubble on my makeup.

Those were days of magic for a young kid like me. Working with men touched by comic madness. How I'd love to strut into that center ring just one more time for a pie in the kisser!