Cairoli, Charlie, 1910 - 1980
Dates
- Existence: 15 February 1910 - 17 February 1980
Biography
Hubert Jean Charles Cairoli was an Italian-English clown, impressionist and musician.
Cairoli was born in Affori, Milan, Italy to a travelling circus family of French origin, he began his performing career at the age of seven, under the name 'Carletto'. In his twenties, he was performing around Europe with his father as The Cairoli Brothers, a knockabout acrobatic act.
Cairoli first appeared at the Blackpool Tower Circus in 1939 just as the Second World War broke out and became the Tower’s resident clown for the following forty years.
Cairoli achieved worldwide fame appearing in circuses, films, television, theatres in the UK America and Europe and regularly performed in variety shows and pantomime.
He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1970 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at London's Wembley Arena.
Cairoli retired in November 1979 at 69 due to ill health and died a year later on 17 February 1980.
In February 2000 in Blackpool, Cairoli was awarded a posthumous Lifetime Achievement award from the World's Fair circus newspaper.
His son, Charlie Cairoli Junior, adapted the role his father had made famous, although performing more cabaret and pantomime rather than in the circus.
Found in 24 Collections and/or Records:
Blackpool Tower Circus Fantastic Programme, 1977
Charlie Cairoli and his company clowns, Bronley’s Space Rocket, Rogana balance act, Circus Knie’s Horses and Ponies presented by Franz R. Althoff, Tommy Chipperfield and his lions, Bratuchin Cossack Troupe, Gina, Orlando and Celinas, Los Hermans, Inge Lise, Tommy de-Vel Trio jugglers, Normans and his udgerigars, Professor Grimble clown. Contains illustration on the cover with photos, 12p.p.
Blackpool Tower Circus International Summer Season Programme, 1957
Charlie Cairoli, Clown, Excess Baggage, Performing dogs, Krone’s Arabian Horses, Polar Bears and Shetland Ponies, The Flying Marileesm Aerial Texans, The Five Cristianis, Acrobats, Frances Duncan, Aerialist, Nino Rubio, Balancing act, The Yokoi Troupe, Cycling act, The Golden Linders, Water Fantasy, The Bedini Troupe, Tumblers, The Aerial Chapmans, Revolving ladder thrills, 12pp.
Blackpool Tower Circus International Summer Season Programme, 1960
Charlie Cairoli, Clown, Benneweis’ Mixed group presented by Gerd Siemoneit, Animal act, The Myrons, Balancing act, Bob Gerry troupe, High Wire Walkers, Knie’s Elephants, chimpanzees and Arabian horses presented by Sacha Houcke, Dudi Smith and Rupert Bemmerl, The Five Amandis, Tumblers, The Balcombes, Fun on a ladder, The 3 Houcs, Jugglers, King Kong, Schaller Brothers, Clowns, Fattini, Clown acrobat, The Therons, Cycling stars, 12pp.
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1961
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1958
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1939
15 Devils of the Forest presented by Alfred Court big cat act, Emmy Truzzi equestrian act, Cairoli Trio clowns, Lou Lenny with her kicking mules, 7 Martinettes acrobats, Omega Trio, equilibrists, Doodles clown, Cavalini's canine comedians, 3 Van Normans, The Great Wallendas high wire. Main background is blue with white stars, main title in yellow, type in red and blue on a white background. Printed by W. E. Berry.
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1948
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1958
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1954
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1952
Blackpool Tower Circus Poster, 1968
Charlie Cairoli and his Company clowns, Gerd Siemoneit's lions, tigers, leopards, pumas and panther, 6 Kludsky, Chy Bad Guy, The Four Rodriguez aerial acrobats, The Svenssons, Gabriella and her show dogs, Astralita, The Balcombes, Ivan Bratuchin and his Cossack riders, Concha and Concha, Giselle Palmas, Tower Circusettes, Desmond and Marks. Black and white photograph of a clown, type multicoloured on multicoloured background.
Blackpool Tower Circus Posters, c1930 - 1990
Posters for Blackpool Tower Circus including shows by Knie's Circus, Circus Krone, Circus Schumann, Bertram Mills Circus, Robert Brothers Circus and performances by Charlie Cairoli, Doddles, Coco the Clown, The Rosaires, Lilly Yokoi, Alfred Court, Vojtek Trubka, The Great Wallendas and Mary Chipperfield among others.
Charles Taylor Collection
The Charles Taylor collection is a fine example of Taylor’s of Wombwell printers’ posters, which highlight changes in printing techniques, fashion and taste within the popular entertainment industry. Included are examples of posters for pantomimes, fairs and circuses. The collection also contains handbills and other advertising material.
Christopher Palmer Collection
Circus programmes and VHS tapes from Billy Smart’s Circus and Chipperfields’s Circus collected during the 1970s and early 1980s by the TV producer, Christopher John Palmer. There are also a number of promotional photographs of artistes and other ephemera related to the circus.
Circus Friends Association Collection
This collection consists of a large library of books and journals, as well as archival material including posters, programmes, photographs, films, handbills, research material, scrapbooks, original artwork and many other items of ephemera relating to British, Irish and European circuses
Cyril Critchlow Collection
Gerry Cottle's Circus, Cottle and Austen and Burnt Stub's Circus Programmes, c1900 - 2001
Gerry Cottle Circus programmes including Circus of Horrors, Cottle and Austen, Cottle-Chipperfield Circus, Continental Berlin Circus, Moscow State Circus and Gerry Cottle's Circus abroad.
Hamilton Kaye Collection
Programmes, handbills, photographs and a digital copy of Hamilton Kaye's notebook which contained jokes and stories that he kept for using in his act.
Posters, c1937 - 1989
A collection of posters printed by Taylor's of Wombwell for music hall and variety, circus, pantomime and fairgrounds.
Posters, c1800 - 2011
A wide range of British and international circus and menagerie posters ranging from the 19th to the 21st century including Astley's Amphitheatre, Pablo Fanque, Polito, Bostock and Wombwell, Ducrow, Cooke, Hengler, Sanger, Smart, Gerry Cottle, Bertram Mills, Chipperfield's, Robert Brothers, Fossett, Blackpool Tower, Billy Russell, Belle Vue, Great Yarmouth Hippodrome, Austen Brothers and many more.