Pennywise is a great retirement philosophy, as well as the name of a terrifying clown. The latest version of the movie “It” by Stephen King has certainly rekindled talk about clowns.  There were clowns all over town begging for candy the other night, as one of Halloween’s most popular costume choices.

I have fond memories of clowns, dating back to my Grandmother’s fascination with Emmett Kelly and his memorable character “Weary Willie,” based on a depression era hobo.  She used to paint clown faces on canvas as a hobby, and would enjoy watching the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, that performed near their Florida home. I even found an Emmett Kelly autograph and a personal letter from the famous performer among my mother’s keepsakes.  I did discover that Emmett took the year 1956 off from the circus to act as the World Series Champion Brooklyn Dodger’s mascot.  There are Dodger’s pennants from that era with Kelly’s portrait.  As an added note, let’s not forget the Indianapolis Clowns, the Negro League team that played serious professional baseball.  Reece “Goose” Tatum played with the organization back in 1946. but was better known for his basketball skills as the “Clown Prince” of the Harlem Globetrotters.

Characters like Weary Willie, Charlie Chaplin’s The Tramp, Red Skelton’s Dodo, Bozo, Clarence the Clown from Captain Kangaroo, and Ronald McDonald made clowns lovable, but I always found them to be a little creepy, hiding behind all that make-up and never saying a word.  One of my most memorable experiences was trying to hire a magician to dramatically reveal the amount of money collected from a United Way campaign.  Someone thought it would be a good idea for me to provide the inspirational speech at the community dinner.  I was a nervous wreck at the thought and decided that a magician would help take some of the attention off me.  As it turned out, the only magician in town available was “Sally the Clown,” so I hired her to be part of my presentation.  She showed up a bit late, adding to my anxiety, and didn’t help matters by wondering through the crowd during dinner, asking the donors; “Have you seen my kitty?”  Everyone wondered what she was doing there?  When I brought her on stage to do her “magic,” she bungled the act, making me look like a clown.

Barrel Clowns perform a dangerous role at rodeos, distracting dangerous animals from attacking their riders.  They also provided comic relief, similar to what Emmett Kelly did with the Dodgers, taunting the umpires and opposing team players to keep the crowd entertained between innings.  I recently saw a clown act in conjunction with an outdoor music concert here in Portland, where the clown directed the band and the performed mime.   Clowns date back to ancient Greek and Roman theater, and served as Royal Jesters.  “Clown Care,” that many consider Bozo-derived, is important in hospitals, providing entertaining diversion for sick children and their worried families.

My grandfather would dress me as a clown and in other costumes for his photography hobby.  I would dramatically pop out of a clothes hamper like a “Jack-in-the-Box.”  The “Jack-in-a-box” fast food franchise uses a similar-looking character with a ping pong ball-like head, a yellow clown cap, two blue eyes, a pointy black nose, and a red smile-line.  “Jack” strikes me as a bit creepy, and frankly so does “Ronald,” but they’ve both played major advertising roles in somehow attracting families.  However, I do find twelve clowns abandoning a small car quite funny, as I think about all the “clown cars” now on the road.  You might even want to enjoy a cold mug of “Clown Shoes Beer” at the “Creepy Clown Bar,” dine at the “Happy Clown Restaurant,” at the shop for an outfit at “Clownantics.”

Serial killer John Wayne Gacy, Jr. was called the “Killer Clown.”  He would dress as “Pogo the Clown” at fundraiser events , parades, and children’s parties in the same community where 26 bodies were discovered in the crawl space under his home.  There was also the killer clown craze that recently took off across Brittan, as clowns armed with machetes terrorized drivers who stopped at traffic lights.  Clowns can look friendly on the outside, but behind that painted face, sadness and evil can easily hide.  Smokey Robinson’s hit, “Tears of a Clown,” exposes the depression and hurt behind a permanent, fake smile.  Beware of the grin!

Pennywise the Clown takes fictional creepiness to a terrifying level, as only Stephen King could do.  I have a paperback copy of the book on my desk, but IT’s two and a half inch thickness and microscopic print has caused me to work around it rather than through it.  My wife did not want to see it, so I’ll wait to watch it at home when available.  She often asks me to “quit clowning around.”  Creepy or not, they are an important part of our culture.  As the Stephen Sondheim song goes and Frank Sinatra sings: “Send in the Clowns,” and my grandmother, with her great sense of humor, would have gladly joined the parade.