Die Tränen des Clowns

I only watched about fifteen minutes of this and just exited out. I really thought Red Skelton would be enjoyable in what was to be a dramatic role. I thought it would like watching the likes of Robin Williams or Jerry Lewis - actors known for comedy but are surprisingly good at drama. But no. Sadly, Skelton played it all for laughs, and it failed. The scene where his son is reviving him at the bar was slapstick, as was the scene where he is getting undressed for bed. When he wakes up in the morning with his head stuck in the footboard, that was it for me. Enough already, I was expecting a drama.

Red Skelton plays Dodo Delwyn, a clown who has seen better days (and years...). He has a problem keeping jobs because of his drinking and he also has a big problem with gambling away the little money he does make when he works. This wouldn't be so bad if he was on his own, but he has a young son Dink (Tim Considine) tagging along with him. Add in the fact that Dink's mother suddenly appears and wants him back so she can give him a better life (she has married well..) and the fact that Dodo can't make any kind of life for a young boy and you see where this plot is headed. Dink is (miraculously, considering his record..) offered a TV show of his own to host. The year before (1951) Red has also started his own "Red Skelton Show" so this wasn't a stretch for Red. Will Dodo be able to handle a TV show? Will he and his son have the "big times" they dream of (A yellow convertible and a real house of their own..)? Essentially a remake of "The Champ" with a clown in the boxer's role. Red Skelton, along with Charlie Chaplin, is a master of pathos, and he is here at his best.

When I plunked down my half-dollar at Washington DC's most deluxe Loew's Capitol Theatre in 1953 --- for a matinée of THE CLOWN plus their Stage Show --- I had no idea the powerhouse of raw emotion and dramatic excellence waiting on the screen inside.

THE CLOWN is without a doubt the finest work of one of America's best comedy actors. This film is loaded with belly-laugh humor, drama, tragedy, hope, redemption, pathos. More than 50 years later I can still feel the emotion of this great film.

Skelton plays a down-and-out comedy star who's drifted into a daze of alcoholism. He's given up on reconnecting with his ex-wife, but has hopes of a relationship with his young son. IF ONLY... if only he can stay off the sauce.... if only he can find somebody who'll let him perform again......

Red Skelton does a great job in a straight role as a former vaudeville star, now an alcoholic drifting from one gig to another, and raising a son. Skelton's Dodo depicts an alcoholic quite well - he continually makes promises not to drink, to get steady work, etc. And then sabotages his own efforts, leaving Dink to clean up after him. Dink - a child forced to grow up sooner than he should - adores his father, even though he is frustrated by his behavior as well. The movie is pretty much a remake of Wallace Beery's "The Champ," but even so, the pathos stays intact. This ranks as a minimum two-hanky feature, and is well worth watching.

Dodo Delwyn (Red Skelton) is a drunken struggling clown. He works with his adoring young son Dink. For the former Ziegfeld star, his best days are well behind him. He can't even hold onto a carnival ride job.

It's the classic veteran comedian playing a washed-up performer. Red is doing the serious well. The big turn is when he becomes the receiver. Quite frankly, I didn't know what that meant. It's a good turn. As for the other big reveal, it's a little convenient. I wonder if it would be better for her trying to track them down deliberately. Charles Bronson has an early minor role. It's good that it doesn't get overly-sentimental, but the last bit goes overboard. It doesn't need to go so far.