Blowey the Clown Renovation

[James]

The late Martin Grundy did this routine with two clowns, and was able to talk by having the tube of the balloon attached to a foot pump. It worked very well, he would encourage the audience to cheer as the balloon blew up, of course they cheered so much the balloon burst.

Come on Tony, none of that, or we'll get the RSPCA on you.

[Tony James]

".....There is a knack of speaking with the blow tube in your mouth....."


There's no secret Chris and no more I can add. One has to get used to its presence. You may have misunderstood what I said above.

A tip which may help to keep the tube end more securely in your mouth. Push the tube end into another larger tube. It must be a really tight fit and it needs to be cut off to form a small collar, about half an inch long. That should make it easier to grip and prevent it slipping through your lips.

I recall someone at the time I received mine in 1977 suggesting a foot pump. A sort of flat bottomed ball used to inflate beach toys - mattresses, lilos and plastic boats. I thought he was joking! I imagined myself with both hands high above my head and stood on one leg and pumping away with the other. Chances are I would have fallen over so I stuck to the mouth tube.

But it obviously worked for Martin.

[Chris]

Tony, are you perhaps talking through another orifice? You were supposed to be helping a young lad with a query and you said:
"There is a knack of speaking with the blow tube in your mouth "
Now the only reason to have the blow tube in your mouth is either while you are blowing up the balloon, or retaining the air inside the blown up balloon. If you haven't started blowing the balloon then there is no reason to have the tube in your mouth. If you are blowing, or blocking the tube with tongue, or keeping tube between the teeth to prevent air loss, you cannot you speak at the same time. Nor, for realism, could Blowey speak while thus occupied.

Yes, you can use a foot pump, but then you haven't the blow tube in your mouth.
Yes, you can have Blowey speak (illogically with limp balloon hanging from lips) before he starts to blow - but then there is no need to have the blow tube in your mouth.
Yes you can blow up the balloon and then use your other hand to keep the air in the tube - in which case you do not have the tube in your mouth.

I think you are being misleading, since evidently you are unable to explain your boasted "knack".

[Tony James]

Let's straighten out what I said. This is to do with speaking whilst holding the blow tube in your mouth. I have never, ever suggested anything otherwise. Certainly not blowing the balloon AND speaking at the same time.

And one wouldn't even if one could.

The silence accompanying the visual gag of the balloon inflating underpins the action. Speech would detract.

I think Chris may have found the answer to something which I never have. Problem : how do you get the tube in your mouth?

Neville's answer was, as far as I am able to work out, to bend downwards towards the hanging Blowey, pick up the dangling tube with his left hand (he worked Blowey on his left with Punch on his right and Punch was up), place the tube end in his mouth and then place his hand in Blowey and bring him up.

The alternative is to bring up Blowey with the tube dangling. Now you have the problem of getting the tube in your mouth with both hands up. It's difficult, bordering on the impossible - unless you know something I don't.

Maybe someone has devised some form of 90 degree bend in the tube so the end is pointing horizontally towards you. The tube moves and swings about and the mouth end tends to push away from you like playing some form of bob apple.

Once it's in your mouth it has to stay there. Unless you possess three hands! Thereafter you have to speak with it in your mouth.And it must stay there. If it slips out you've little chance of putting it back in without lowering the other hand and pushing it back into your mouth.

In the end it's a matter of individual choice of your routine. I have always used Blowey as a double act crosstalk with Joey. Neville used it as a crosstalk with Punch. Martin had a crosstalk with another clown, presumably Joey.

As for the knack of speaking you just have to learn how to speak without losing the tube end out of your mouth. The end will move about, depending on tongue/mouth/lip movements. The collar I mentioned helps to warn you through feel if there's a danger of losing the thing and also helps in retaining it. The speech duration and the choice of words can help to limit the problems.

You have a Blowey yourself Chris. Unless you use it in silence, how do you manage?

[Harvey]

Blowey The clown is going to me renovated again because of his hat it falling apart any ideas on what i should do?

[Harvey]

hello all blowey is changing alot he will be coming joey the clown due to i am planning to get bryan clarke puppets at christmas punch judy and policeman.