Editing Circus clown (section)

====Frank "Slivers" Oakley ====

Frank Oakley, also known as Slivers (1871–1916) was the most popular circus clown of his generation. Born in Sweden, both of Oakley's parents were [[concert]] [[singers]]. At the age of 14 he began to practice as a [[contortionist]] and at 16 he joined his first circus. His parents convinced him to enroll at the [[University of Michigan]] but two years later Oakley was back under the big top.

His first show was [[Andrew MacDonald (circus owner)|Andrew MacDonald]]'s Circus, but in 1897 he joined the Ringling Bros. Circus. Before the turn of the century Oakley performed with the Barnum & Bailey Circus, followed by three seasons with the Adam Forepaugh & Sells Bros. Circus (1900–02). Oakley returned to the Barnum & Bailey Circus for four seasons (1903–07), where he reportedly earned up to $1,000 a week.

Slivers was famous for working solo in the ring. His featured gag was a one-man [[baseball]] game in which he played all the positions of both teams. Among his classic walkarounds was a gag in which he rode around the hippodrome track atop two giant [[lobster]]s.

He went on to perform in other circuses, in [[vaudeville]] and was featured (sometimes partnered with [[Marceline Orbes]]) in the massive shows at the [[New York Hippodrome]].

He married vaudeville singer Nellie Dunbar in 1902 and they had one daughter, Ruth.

With the coming of [[motion pictures]] and the superstardom of [[Charlie Chaplin]] Slivers was supplanted as an American comedy icon. When other offers had dried up he tried to return to Ringling where he was offered only $75.00 a week to perform walkarounds.

He committed [[suicide]], dying by gas [[asphyxiation]], on March 8, 1916 in his room in New York City. Oakley had fallen for Viola Stoll, a young vaudeville actress, and remained infatuated even after she was arrested and incarcerated for stealing his late wife's jewelry. When he tried to have her paroled from [[Bedford Reformatory]] by proposing marriage, she rejected him.