Frankie Saluto

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Frankie Saluto
Saluto with his trained bunny rabbit, Buns
Born(1906-11-08)November 8, 1906
Massachusetts
DiedJuly 30, 1982(1982-07-30) (aged 75)
Sarasota, Florida
OccupationProfessional clown
Employer(s)Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Clyde Beatty and Cole Bros Circus
Known for"King of the Midget Clowns"
HonoursInducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame

Frankie Saluto (November 8, 1906 – July 30, 1982) was an American clown. Standing at just 3'10, he was known as "King of the Midget Clowns".[1][2] His career spanned 46 years as a professional clown, starting in 1928,[3] although he did not appear in guides until 1931.[4] Saluto spent most of his career with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus. He retired in 1974 and was inducted into the Clown Hall of Fame in 1991.[5][6]

Biography

Saluto was born in Massachusetts on November 8, 1906.[7] He began performing as a clown in 1928 and would go on to have a 46-year career with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Some of his notable routines included a Charlie Chaplin impersonation, performances with a giant rabbit, and playing the gas station attendant in Lou Jacobs' car gag. He was also a member of the Ringling Giants, a dwarf baseball team that raised money for charity,[8] and was frequently a part of the group of performers who visited children's hospitals to help promote the circus and entertain ill children.[7] Saluto was awarded a diamond stickpin bequeathed to the "most popular clown" in John Ringling's will.[8]

Around 1955, during a tumultuous time for the circus industry, Saluto joined the Clyde Beatty and Cole Bros. Circus for five years, before returning to Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey.[7] He was also a member of the Shrine Circus, in 1951.[9]

Saluto retired in 1974.[8] He died in Sarasota, Florida on July 30, 1982,[1] and was posthumously inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame in 1991.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Stephenson, Luke; Champion, Helen (2018). The Clown Egg Register. Chronicle Books. p. 43. ISBN 9781452169859. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Brother of local woman to be inducted into hall". Public Opinion (Chambersburg, Pennsylvania). April 18, 1991. p. 3. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Cashin, Pat (July 10, 2006). "Pat Cashin's CLOWNALLEY: Saluto Bio". Pat Cashin's CLOWNALLEY. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022. The blogspot of the International Clown Hall of Fame [1]
  4. ^ Hewitt, L. F. (January 10, 1931). "The Circus Blue Book". The Circus Blue Book. 1931. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  5. ^ "International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center". www.theclownmuseum.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  6. ^ tom.raymond (July 24, 2015). "International Clown Hall of Fame inductees". Famous Clowns. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "Frankie Saluto – Timeline". www.frankiesaluto.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Ogden, Tom (1993). Two hundred years of the American circus: from Aba-Daba to the Zoppe-Zavatta Troupe. Facts on File. pp. 310–11. ISBN 0816026114 – via Internet Archive.
  9. ^ "University of Southern California – Circus donation to Korean relief, 1951". digitallibrary.usc.edu. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
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