Figure 1.--

An 11-year old boy (Tim Considine) inspires in has-been comedian father to succeed in a final chance for a comeback. "The Clown" is basically a re-make of "The Champ", with a show-biz performer, Red Skelton, in place of prizefighter Wallace Beery. Tim Considine wore a striped T-shirt and blue jeans for much of the film, and longs for other scenes. Not a bad film, though some watchers will find Red Skelton's performance a bit old fashioned, and the film is very much a tear jerker.

Filmology

Setting

"The Clown" is set in New York City in late summer of 1952, the time it was filmed.

Cast

Dodo is played by Red Skelton, a very popular radio, film, and TV star. Tim Considine played the part of Dink quite convincingly. Tim, born in Los Angeles on December 31, 1940, was about 12 years old when "The Clown" was filmed. He later became an early Walt Disney star, playing Frank hardy in "the Hardy Boys" mysteries and Spin of "Spin and Marty". Later, Tim was one of the original "My Three Sons", playing Mike Douglas for five seasons. Jane Greer, a versatile actress from this film era, played Dink's mom.

Plot

Dodo Delwyn, once a Ziegfeld Follies comic, ekes out a living by playing Coney Island shows and other limited engagements. His son, Dink, idolizes him and dreams that one day Dodo will make a show business comeback. That seems unlikely, though, as Dodo drinks or gambles away what little he earns. Dink's mom no longer lives with them, and Dink divides his time looking after his dad and scouting job opportunities for him. Jobs are scarce for Dodo because his personal problems are well known to his show biz pals. One promising offer turned out to be the part of a stooge, a humiliating role, at a convention party. Worse, Dink saw the act, and the boy's obvious hurt added to Dodo's misery. Amomg the audience, however, were Dink's mom and her new, wealthy husband. Soon, they asked Dodo for custody of Dink, so they could give him a good home and send him to a good school. Reluctantly, Dodo accepted their offer, knowing it was in Dink's best interest. Dink, however, missed Dodo and ran away to live with him again. Things began to look up for Dodo when he is offered his own television show. An old friend pulled some strings to make it possible. During rehearsals for the show, Dodo began to show signs of illness, but he shrugged it off. The TV premier was attended by Dink's mom and her husband, and they thrilled to the show. Dodo had made his comeback, but within minutes of the show's end, he became quite ill and died. Dink was comforted by his mom and, fully accepting her now, goes to live with her and ger new family.

Clothing

Dink dressed in typical, contemporary boys' clothes for the film. They reflect some images found in HBC's pages for boys' clothes from the 1950s. Dink wears a striped T-shirt, and tennis shoes in the early scenes, along with a baseball cap. later, we see him in a short-sleeved dress shirt, long dress pants, and leather shoes when he goes job hunting for Dodo. Dink dressed up in a medium/dark long pants suit, light colored shirt, tie with a diamond pattern, striped socks, and leather shoes for Dodo's performance as a stooge. In a scene set in his mom's new home, Dink wears that suit and tie again, but his hair seems more neatly combed and a hair dressing had been applied. In a few other scenes, Dink undresses to a sleeveless undershort and boxer shorts when he's ready for bed. In one scene, in the very nice bedroom of his new home, his mom comes in as he readies for bed. She gets his pajamas out of a dresser drawer, and Dink took off his shirt, but insisted mom turn around as he took off his pants. Dink declined the pajamas.

Film Assessment

"The Clown" is a rather difficult film to watch. Red Skelton plays a better comic than dramatic role. Various elements bothered me as I watched. In a role reversal, Dink seems more like a responsible parent and Dodo a wayward son. Dodo constantly lets Dink down. He got his tuxedo and pocket watch, given him by the great Ziegfeld, out of hock to play his stooge performance. Dodo gave the watch to Dink. Later, after the show, Dink's soon-to-be step-dad offers Dodo $200 to allow the boy to visit his mom. Dodo took the money, but later that night he lost it all in a dice game. He even had to take the watch from Dink as he slept. Later, to persuade Dink to go live with his mom, Dodo made as though he no longer liked Dink or wanted him, even slapping him and causing the boy to fall down. Overall, "The Clown" is an emotionally cold and unconvincing film. The film makers may have missed an opportunity to use clothing to make a subtle point. Dink's new family was wealthy, and included a young daughter. A short pants suit or short pants as costume for Dink would have made the children seem closer in age. It would also reflect the parents' status, and a mom's influence in his life, symbolically. There were a couple of things that make the film interesting: a young Charles Bronson plays one of the men Dodo shoots dice with. Interesting for Bronson fans, maybe. Also, we see a glimpse of the early days of television, its spontaneity and creativity apparent, in the scenes of Dodo's TV show.

Created: 4:39 PM 12/17/2004
Last updated: 4:39 PM 12/17/2004