Paul Jerome James was born on September 30, 1889 in St. Joseph Missouri. At an early age Paul's family moved to Mississippi. Paul served in the United States Navy during World War I.
James began his show business career as a burlesque comedian. Paul soon found that he preferred the circus ring over the theatre stage.
Paul began working as a "white face" clown, his white face makeup was similar to Felix Adler's. To this day many photos of these two famous clown are in circulation and misidentified as one or the other.
Paul is best remembered as a "tramp" clown . He became known as the "Neon Clown" due to the light at the tip of his nose and large glowing heart that he would activate at the sight of a good looking girl. This was long before modern LEDs and efficient batteries so the apparatus was very heavy and cumbersome and had to be rewired before each performance. Paul's dog also wore a glowing light at the tip of his tail.
Paul Jerome worked for over twenty five years with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, appeared in the movie "The Greatest Show on Earth" and his image is depicted on many decorative figurines and collectable dinner plates.
On November 07, 1960 Paul Jerome James died in Sarasota, Florida. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery (Section 12 Grave Number 4675), in Arlington, Virginia. |
