Author: Glynn.Forsythe

A Family of Clowns As the family name suggests, the Grimaldi family came from Italy. They had been living in England for half a century when Joseph was born. They made their living from comic performances and acting in the London theatres. Joseph’s father, Joseph Giuseppe Grimaldi, was an accomplished entertainer but a harsh parent who regularly beat his children. Joseph’s mother was a 14 year old dancer taken into his father’s apprenticeship. His father was 60 years old at the time of his birth. Joseph’s mother was not the only woman in his father’s life. He had a few mistresses. Born into such a family it was not surprise that Joseph Grimaldi began his stage career at an early age. He was only a toddler when his father took him on stage with him to take a bow on the stage of the famous Drury Lane Theatre in 1780. With no compulsory education law in those years the young boy only received the most rudimentary education. He was raised a child actor to appear in support of his father. Sometimes he had to play the role of animals. It is recorded that once his father brought him on the stage in the guise of a pet monkey with a chain around his neck. His father swung him round so fast by the chain that he was thrown off the stage into the orchestra pit. He survived this fall and many cuts and bruises. This turned out to be a good preparation for the athletic clowning style that brought him later fame. Joseph Grimaldi’s father died when he was just 10 years old. He had developed a paranoid fear of death, and especially being buried alive. In the 1700s the poor state of medicine made this a real concern, but nevertheless Grimaldi Senior went a little too far in his fears. He asked his daughter to cut off his head after his death just to make sure that he would not be buried alive. He offered her the princely sum of five pounds for performing this grisly duty. Joey the Clown The young Joseph Grimaldi was forced to become the main supporter of his family at such a young age. The famous theatre manager Richard Sheridan gave him employment at the Drury Lane Theatre for a pound per week. His mother was also employed as a dancer. Over the next few years he continued to play a series of child, animal and dwarf roles on the London stage. In 1794 he had his first major breakthrough in the Thomas John Dibdin pantomime “The Talisman; or, Harlequin Made Happy” During this era productions build around the comic characters of Harlequin and Clown were the mainstays of comic theatre. Into this particular milieu, Grimaldi found that his comic acting skills fitted very well. He developed his unique clown identify with the painted face. He also entertained the audience with acrobatics and sword play. Not infrequently he caused himself injury through his energetic performance. Another popular element in his performance was the way he used satire to poke fun at characters or stereotypes that his audience easily recognised amongst their own family or acquaintances. He also courted audience participation. In a tactic that is followed by pantomime performers today he asked the audience if he should do a certain move or trick. Invariably his audience shouted yes and egged him on. He also coined the “here we come” catchphrase which successive generations of clowns have borrowed. Some of his comic songs have also stood the test of time and you might hear them sung today where clowns perform. In the first decade of the nineteenth century Joseph Grimaldi rose to the position of the leading comic performer of Regency England. His performance as clown in the Mother Goose pantomime in 1806 brought the theatre an amazing 20,000 pounds in takings. In 1815 along with his fellow clown Jack Bologna, he earned 1,743 pounds in the course of just 56 performances. Theatrical Family Life In 1799 Joseph Grimaldi married Maria Hughes, daughter of Sadler’s Wells Theatre manager Richard Hughes. His wife died in childbirth in 1801. Joseph was devastated by his wife’s death. To take his mind off his grief he added to his performing schedule by performing at both Drury Lane and Sadler’s Wells theatres each night. During one of his routines he accidentally shot himself in his foot. His mother arranged for a dancer called Mary Bristow to attend to him in his sickness. A relationship developed and in the end of 1801 they married. By Mary Bristow he had his only child, Joseph Samuel. With his career at its peak they could afford to take a country cottage at Finchley, which was in those days a country village outside London. Just as Joseph had been introduced to the stage at an early age by his father, he decided to do the same with his own son. Joseph Samuel also developed into an accomplished pantomime performer but he remained in the shadow of his famous father and came to resent it. The Unhappy Clown It is a well-known phenomenon that comic entertainers are often struggling to cope with depression. A story is told that Joseph Grimaldi once went to a leading doctor for treatment for his depressed condition. The doctor was not aware of his patient’s identity. He recommended that the man go to see a performance of Joseph Grimaldi the clown to cheer him up. The patient looked the doctor straight in his face and said to him, “I am Joseph Grimaldi.’ Another time he is recorded as saying that while he makes other people laugh he remains “grim all day” (a clever play on his name). Grimaldi’s acrobatic stunts and numerous injuries in the course of his performances took their toll on his health. In 1821 he collapsed after a performance and from this point on his health went continually downhill. He gave a farewell performance at Drury Lane Theatre in 1827. His wife’s spendthrift habits and people taking advantage of his own lack of skills in money management led to the Grimaldi family’s fall into poverty. His own son became an alcoholic. The drunken friends and ladies of the street he brought home aggravated his parents suffering. Joseph Samuel Grimaldi died age 30. His parents made a suicide pact but their attempt to take poison was botched. Mary Grimaldi died in 1834. Joseph continuing living on his own in abject poverty relieved by visits to the tavern to drink and talk about better times. He died on 1st June 1837, probably from alcoholism. Charles Dickens edited Grimaldi’s memoirs. He had a strong admiration for the clown whom he saw while a young child in 1812. The book was a great success and still makes an entertaining read. ]]>