14/09/2025
We have sadly learned that Earl "Mr. Clown" Chaney passed away on September 14, 2025. Earl played an essential role during Clown Camp’s formative years.
Earl was a graduate of the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus Clown College and toured with the RBB&B Circus. When Leon McBryde ended his service as the RBB&B Circus Advance Clown, he produced a mall show titled Leon’s Clown Alley. The show’s cast included Earl Chaney, Jim Howle, and Mark Anthony. Jim painted Earl’s portrait as part of his American Contemporary Clowns series. Those portraits were sold following the shows.
Earl joined the Clown Camp staff in 1982, which was the program’s second year.
He was the first RBB&BC Clown College graduate to serve on staff. Monday morning was listed in the schedule as “Morning with Earl Chaney.” Earl demonstrated how he applied his makeup. Then he did a demonstration birthday party show. Following the show, he gave a lecture titled “Getting the Shows: Promotion/ Publicity.”
Information on applying clown makeup was rare during that period. Earl produced and sold a VHS tape titled “Color the Clown.” On the tape, Earl, Jim Howle, and a Whiteface clown demonstrated how they applied their makeup. Earl explained that the black line bordering his Auguste muzzle had a gap near his chin. He said that he was because he was taught that your makeup design should include a flaw. Earl was from Las Vegas, and this might have been inspired by Navajo artists who always included a tiny flaw in their work so the spirits would not become jealous.
In 1984, Earl was included in the cast of the first public show performed by Clown Camp staff members.
A visit to the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, WI, was included in the early years of Clown Camp. In 1984, Earl was one of a small group of clowns from Clown Camp invited to perform walkaround entertainment on the museum’s grounds. Their success led to the museum extending the opportunity to staff members and participants to perform at the museum in other years.
Earl had recently married Michelle in 1986. She did not attend Clown Camp with him. The Blue Vest volunteers planned a parody of the Newlywed Game to entertain everyone one evening. They told Earl that they were flying Michelle to La Crosse and asked if he would be willing to play the game. He agreed. To his shock, his “wife” turned out to be David Ginn wearing a pink dress. That dress was auctioned off to raise some of the initial funds for the Bo Dino Scholarship. It became a tradition that the winner would return the dress each year so it could be auctioned off again.
Recognizing that not everyone could afford to take a week off and travel to La Crosse for clown training, the Clown Camp on the Road program of weekend training sessions was begun. Earl was an instructor at many of the Clown Camp on the Road programs in the early 1990s.
Earl was always willing to do anything to help the Clown Camp program. In the early 1990s, there was an Open Mike session on the first night. Not many participants were ready to volunteer for the show. So, each week, the second half of the show was a group of staff members playing an improvisation game known as California Tag or Freeze Tag. Earl would agree to be one of the participants.
One of the charity auction items in 1991 was Dinner with Elvis. Jack Frank played Elvis. In an elaborate production, staff members played other roles including security guards, limo driver, and head waiter. Earl performed as a waitress named Earlene. There were multiple one-week sessions of Clown Camp that year. Meals were not provided on the day between the sessions. Many of the staff members would go to breakfast at Mr. D’s, a small restaurant famous for its doughnuts. Earl was shocked when the waitress greeted him by saying, “Hello, Earlene.” We discovered that she was a college student working in the campus cafeteria in the evening and at Mr. D’s in the morning.
Earl’s performances were all memorable. His performances of Busy Bee with Leon McBryde are particularly remembered by Clown Camp staff and participants.
In addition to his service at Clown Camp as an instructor and performer, Earl was also an important presence in the dealer room, where he sold magic effects and clown props.
After the early years, Earl was on staff occasionally. However, he continued to be a mentor and friend to many clowns.
He was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame in 2003.
We are thankful to Earl for his contributions to the development of Clown Camp and his impact on the art of clowning. No doubt, Leon was waiting for Earl at the Gates to Heaven, welcoming him and telling him he had five minutes to showtime, then followed a hilarious rendition of Busy Bee.
Our sympathy goes to Earl’s family and many friends.
Written by Bruce Johnson
