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Show DREAM COMES TRUE Boy Given Clown Role MILWAUKEE, WIS. Once upor, a time there was a boy who wanted want-ed to be a circus clown. And suddenly sud-denly he was. That's no fairy story it actually happened right here In Milwaukee The bey was James Miller, nine years old. His mother knew circus man Omar Kenyon, so when the circus came to town for the Shrine benefit performance, she asked Kenyon how about Jimmy becoming becom-ing a clown in the circus. It was okay, the man said. Jimmy's father took him out to eat and then they went to the Auditorium. Audi-torium. Jimmy had known that he was going to be a clown since the night before. He didn't sleep much. The Millers went up to clown alley, a dressing room above the Auditorium Audi-torium stage, and there they met the clowns. There was Sa-So, the boss clown, who was born in the Ringling Brothers circus, started to be a clown at 13 and has been at it for 37 years. There was Billy Rice and Billy Hudson, who don't know how old they are, exept it's over 65. Charles Lewis and his son, Earl, who is only 21. Roy and Joy Lewis, a married couple. And Slim Collins, Col-lins, long, lean and sad. Puts on Clown White Up in clown alley, Jimmy's father fath-er helped pull on a clown suit that was too big for him and a pair of artificial bare feet that were even bigger. Then Sa-So put clown white-zinc white-zinc oxide on Jimmy's face. He peppered Jimmy's face with a powder sock. He made lines on Jimmy's cheeks and above his eyes with grease paint. "It's the first time I ever made up anybody but myself," said the putty nosed clown. "Can I look at myself?" Jimmy kept asking. A ruffle around Jimmy's neck and a red, stringy wig and sailor cap on Jimmy's head, and he was a full fledged clown. Herman Miller suggested that the funny feet were too big for Jimmy to walk in. "I want to wear 'em," Jimmy said. Jimmy crouched in front of a mirror, looked at himself, and made bappy sounds. The other clowns gathered for a peek, too. Trick Explained Sa-So explained a trick he wanted want-ed Jimmy to help him do a trick in which colors are put into a tube and come out as an American flag. Someone suggested a rehearsal. "The first time'i sufficient," said the boss clown. "Come on now. You can't stay up here. You've got work to do." Sa-So and Jimmy, the clown, went down the steps and into the audience. "They've got a new clown," said a circus hand. "It's a midget, a circus fan explained ex-plained knowingly. Jimmy made a couple of .turns around the arena. He shook hand.v with children and patted bald headed head-ed men on their pates. He and Sa-So Sa-So did their flag trick and it went off without a hitch. The other clowns got into the act and finally they got into one of the rings with Sa-So and Jimmy. Sa-So , worked the audience for applause, going from one side to the other and cupping his ears. All the clowns trot down on thplr knees and salaamed to the side of the audience that made the most noise. Jimmy the clown got the idea, and he salaamed, too. |