One of the things I have always wanted to do is become a clown.
Actually, all of my life, i have been the class clown. Starting at Las Palmas Elementary School in San Antonio, TX, I was always playing the buffoon. As a kid I would watch old Jerry Lewis movies. I watched not only for the laughs, but I memorized them as well. I would then mimic the routines that I had seen the weekend before.
Among my favorite movies was "The Patsy", starring my early hero, Jerry Lewis. The film was rich with not only sight gags, but Jerry's hilarious facial expressions and his ridiculous over reactions to even the simplest of tasks. I often found myself at recess with an audience of children as I performed the classic routines.
I also watched all of "The Red Skelton" show. Yes, I was a "Kadiddlehopper". A What?? "Clem Kadiddlehopper" was a character portrayed by Red Skelton. "Clem" is described as a slow witted, big hearted country bumpkin with a distinctive hop as he walked. And yes, i did that at school.
I later graduated to routines done by comic Flip Wilson. I don't mean his more "normal" routines. I am talking about his character, "Geraldine".
"Geraldine" was Flip's interpretation of a modern (late 1960's) Black woman. Yup, he used make up, drag, mannerisms, and voice to to create the hilarious and opinionated "Geraldine".
True to form, I studied and memorized his impersonation. Days later, at lunch time, I adjusted my voice and mannerisms"Geraldine". So now you have a 10 year old Hispanic boy acting like black man impersonating a black woman. Crazy, huh?
What friends and family didn't know about me was my shyness. Performing bizarre skits and routines and telling of jokes was my way to get past ability to be myself. Without this ability to get out of myself and assume different personas, made the difference between being a wall flower and some one know as a funny guy.
For more photos of Boffo, click here!
Boffo is also on YouTube!
