About the Event
Our May 31 Circus History Live! program will feature the story of Jerry Bangs, the most famous clown you've never heard of as told by CHS Trustee Brian Hollifield.
Jerry Bangs was a comedy producer and gag man with Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus from 1930 until 1949. During his tenure, Bangs witnessed many major events in Ringling history including several management changes, labor strikes, and the 1944 Hartford circus fire. Bangs chronicled this important period of circus history in the letters he sent to his parents and in an unpublished book. Bangs died in 1978.
Fortunately for us, however, those letters and the unpublished manuscript were discovered in 2025 and came into the hands of CHS Trustee Brian Hollifield in connection with a circus memorabilia auction.
In this session, Hollifield will talk about how Bangs' letters and manuscript set him off on a research journey that resulted in his article titled “Letters from the Lot: The Untold Story of Jerry Bangs” that appeared in Bandwagon, Volume 69, Number 4 (2025) and a physical quest to find the props built by Bangs. Those props have since been donated by their owners to the International Clown Hall of Fame in Baraboo, Wisconsin. You will not want to miss this fascinating discussion!
In recognition of the role that he played in the history of circus clowning, Jerry Bangs will be posthumously inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame on June 12 during the 2026 Circus Historical Society Convention.
Circus Historical Society vice president Chris Berry will host this session.
Registration is Required
Circus History Live! is free for Circus Historical Society members and non-members. However, because our Zoom Big Top has a limited number of seats, registration is required and nonmembers are encouraged to join CHS.
To register, click the green YES button at the top of the announcement or the REGISTER button on the top left of the event webpage.
How to Attend the Event
To participate, at the time of the event, Click here to enter the CHS Zoom Big Top and follow the prompts. Be sure that your microphone is muted and your video is off to help preserve bandwidth.
To listen to the program on your phone, dial (646) 931-3860. Enter Meeting ID 874 5519 9879. The passcode is: 303678.
About the Circus Historical Society
We are a tax exempt nonprofit educational organization dedicated to preserving the rich history of circus. Nonmembers are invited to join and receive full member benefits, including four issues of Bandwagon: The Journal of the Circus Historical Society, access to the members-only Back Yard and bookstore, discounted registration for our annual Convention, and more! Dues are only $60 per year. Click here to learn more and join today!
Circus History Live! Recordings
Please visit the CHS YouTube Channel for recordings of previous Circus History Live! programs.
Technical Assistance
For assistance, please click Technical Support.
