August 29, 1994 Stroke Steals Laughter From Billy The Clown
PRINCETON, Ind. – Billy Griffin positions the wheelchair so he can look out the window of the convalescent center. He pays particular attention to the cars speeding by. “I miss the travel most of all,” the 74-year-old man says sadly. “The hardest part of all is just sitting here.” Griffin was a professional clown for more than 40 years. The Fort Branch, Ind., native hit the big time, one doing his white-face act for shows put on by Clyde Beatty and Ringling Brothers. He bought a Ford Thunderbird and took his place in the caravan behind the elephant trucks. There were smaller circuses, too, like Hoxie and the Adams Brothers. He rarely stayed with a show longer than two or three seasons. Sometimes he didn’t care for the boss, Other times he just wanted a change of scenery. The only state he missed was Maine. Billy the Clown, as he was known, suffered a stroke six years ago in Iowa. He couldn’t care for himself, so he moved back to his native Gibson County. He is no longer able to walk and has only limited use of his hands. The false teeth don’t fit properly and he struggles to make himself understood. “I don’t have any complaints. All my life I wanted to be a tramp. I pretty much got my wish.” He was born with curvature of the spine. The stroke made the condition worse. “The best job for me in the circus would have been bareback rider, but my back made that impossible. The only things left were doing contortion acts and being a clown.” He would squeeze inside a tiny car and get laughs when he popped out beside a much larger clown. The crowd also guffawed when he dressed as a woman en route to the altar and a poodle walked on the train of the long dress. Griffin worked with Emmett Kelly, perhaps the world’s bestknown clown. Several times he was on the same bill as the Flying Wallendas, a famous high-wire act. Garret Mathews
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