The Serious Art of Clowning
Branson Daily News
By Chad Hunter
BDN Staff Writer
chunter@bransondailynews.com
A magic kit at age 6 was the catalyst for Ron Retherford’s career in smiles.
Now 48, “Ronzo” makes his living as a balloon-curling clown in Branson.
“I’m going to do this forever,” Retherford said. “To be a clown, you almost have to be born that way. You almost have to be a little off center. I guess it’s in your genes — well, I have overalls on. But, there’s just something about it.”
In character from head to toe, Retherford joined more than 100 other colorful clowns, magicians, mimes and puppeteers over the weekend for a yearly “Clown Jam” gathering in Branson.
The professional event featured contests, vendors and even classes on how to keep — or lose — a straight face.
“Facial expressions are critical,” said class instructor Mark Burgess, a 17-year clowning veteran with his wife, Nettie, who now run Clown ‘N’ Ministry.
And for the thousands of clowns across the country, workshops like Clown Jam keep the performers at the top of their game.
“It’s a wonderful art, and it truly is an art,” said Tom King, president of Clowns of America International. “Clowns today are much better made up and skilled than they were years ago when it comes to small, hometown clowning. But we really lack in the big performance clowning like in the circuses and on stage because everything has turned to smaller venues.”
King points to Branson’s own “clown about town” as a colorful example of modern-day pranksters.
“(Retherford) has put a lot of thought into how he’s put his costume together,” King said. “It’s not just something he went out and bought at a yard sale; he’s got it all tied together, he looks clean, he looks sharp. I know when I’m dressed head to toe, I probably have over $1,000 invested in my outfit.”
Clowning 101
A face painter for 12 years, Vivian “Sugar” McArthur, of Branson, said a love of children is a prerequisite for the job.
“I like the money, but it’s the smile on the kids’ faces,” McArthur said. “When I finish the painting, and they become a princess or a butterfly or a dragon or a cat, when they look into that mirror, that look is my paycheck.”
The former theater major said she “retired from the real world” four years ago.
“It takes a lot of work to be a really good clown,” she said. “You need that innate ability to see things funny through a child’s eyes. You have to just enjoy and love it.”
McArthur’s friend and fellow clown Rose Mangels, who lives at Lake of the Ozarks, said it’s all about feeling young.
“We like to be kids, too. It’s our second chance.”
A ‘yo-yo’ industry
King, a 20-year veteran in the industry, said interest in clowning “yo-yos,” but never dies.
“We’re bigger now than we were in the ‘80s, but probably a bit smaller than we were in the late ‘90s,” he said, adding that his organization alone boasts nearly 6,000 full-time clowns nationwide. “The clown who’s doing it just once in a while for a birthday party or the church, they’re also very important to the art. I don’t think there’s an insignificant clown. I’ve never seen one myself.”
Anyone brave enough to put on the makeup, King said, can make a difference.
“Most clowns clown from the heart,” King said. “It’s not like I was looking for a job and all of a sudden I decided I was going to do that. Most of us stumbled into to it along the line and found we really, really cared. We just want to see people have a little joy in their life and have a smile; make people forget there are problems out there.”
The next generation
A new crop of aspiring clowns is working itself through the ranks.
Two dozen children — including Retherford’s 12-year-old daughter — took part in Clown Jam.
“Samantha’s been doing balloons since she was 3,” Retherford said. “Soon as she can drive, she’s got a way to make extra money and have fun.”
The Reeds Spring student already has a style and persona — “Lollygag.”
“I’ve helped my dad,” she said, adding that one day she looks forward to clowning on her own. “I’m going to wait until I’m like 16, 17 or 18, when I get my driver’s license.”
Novice clown Joshua Hocker, of Little Rock, Ark., was fitted for his first red nose by a vendor on Friday.
“Technically, I’m more of a mime than I am a clown, but I do some clown things,” the 16-year-old said. “It’s more of a hobby to make people laugh.”
A clown ‘til the end
With decades of successful clowning behind him, Retherford — a fixture at Branson Landing — anticipates many more.
“You don’t retire from this,” he said. “I can see myself doing this at like 70-80 years old. I just may slow down a little bit.”
For now, Retherford is juggling a busy schedule, even farming out work when he gets overwhelmed. In addition to his job as a street performer downtown, the Springfield native — self-described as “an uber geek nerd” who loves science fiction — is president of the local clown organization.
“I’ll be down at the landing some times 10 and 12 hours a day doing balloons. Sometimes I’ll have three or four birthday parties in a day’s time,” he said. “I like doing what I’m doing. It’s better than flipping burgers at McDonald’s or something, you know. But I don’t mean to cut down McDonald’s; I don’t want to have that other clown come down on me.”
