Lou Jacobs
Lou Jacobs was born on New Years day in 1903 in
Bremerhaven Germany, and his real name was Ludwig Jacobs. He
was the most famous clown known to America.
When we spoke to Dolly she told us how her
father had been so important to her career. She really wanted to
make him proud. One of her proudest moments was being with her
father when was honored with an award.
Lou Jacobs was really popular at clown college. He was
famous for his gags -- especially one that included his chihuahua Knucklehead
that was part of his act for 14 years -- and worked as a clown with Ringling
Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Lou Jacobs also had a role in The
Greatest Show on Earth, which was filmed right here in Sarasota.
People continued to see his face on his very own postage stamp!
He married Jean Rockwell, an aerialist with Ringling
(remind you of a certain "Queen of the Air"?), in 1953 and had two
children.
