Marceline Orbes

Isidro Marcelino Orbés Casanova (May 15, 1873November 5, 1927), best known simply as Marceline, was a world-renowned clown during the late 19th and early 20th century.Cullen, Frank et al
Vaudeville old & new, Vol. 1
p. 719 (2007)(21 September 1913)
Merry Marceline's Magic Mimicry A Marvel
''Washington Herald''

Early life

Marceline was born in Jaca, Spain in 1873, performed in Spain, France and other continental european countries, made his way to England by around 1895. He had success at the London Hippodrome and then enticed by producers Thompson and Dundy to come to the New York Hippodrome, where he arrived with great fanfare in 1905.(23 April 1905)
An "Acrobatic Clown"
''New York Tribune''(16 December 1905)
For the Little Folks
''Evening Star'' He was a part of shows at the Hippodrome through 1915,(27 November 1910)
Marceline, Famous Hippodrome Clown, Made His Debut When Seven Years Old
''Pittsburgh Press'' by which time his pantomime routine and falling gags were falling out of favor with the public. He did reappear at the Hippodrome for some later shows, including ''Good Times'' in 1920-21 and ''Better Times'' in 1922-23.

Attempts to succeed in the restaurant business in New York and Connecticut both failed, Johnstone, Will B. (5 April 1918)
Marceline Back in Ring After Retiring To Gratify Eating and Cooking Ambition
''The Evening World'' and he lost money in real estate ventures. Out of work and out of savings, Marceline was found dead in his hotel room at the Hotel Mansfield on November 5, 1927, with photographs of his glory days on the bed, and a bullet through his head.(6 November 1927)

''The New York Times'' (subscription required)

Later years

After killing himself, he was buried at Kensico Cemetery.(7 November 1927). [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E06E4D61F3FE733A25754C0A9679D946695D6CF Stage Folks View Marcelline's Body - Funeral Services for Famous Hippodrome Clown to Be Held at Campbell Chapel Tomorrow], ''The New York Times'' (subscription required) He was survived by his wife, from whom he had been separated since 1925.

Marceline was long admired by Charlie Chaplin, who worked with Marceline at the London Hippodrome from December 1900 to April 1901, and is one of just a few performers from this period of his life that Chaplin discusses in his autobiography. Chaplin recounts seeing him years later in the United States with a circus, and though expecting to see him be a featured star, was surprised to see him only amongst other clowns.Scheide, Frank Milo
The history of low comedy
p. 244 (1990)

As Marceline performed before the film era, despite the many contemporary reports of his world fame, there is a lack of documentary evidence of his performances. A 1915 Thanhouser Company film short titled ''The Mishaps of Marceline'' is lost aside from a few still frames of the clown.

In popular fiction

Rod Rogers has a very short role as Marceline in the 1952 film ''Million Dollar Mermaid''.

References

External links

*
*Reid, Darren
Silent Film Killed the Clown: Recovering the Lost Life and Silent Film of Marceline Orbes, the Suicidal Clown of the New York Hippodrome, 1905-1915
The Appendix (November 6, 2014)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orbes, Marceline
1873 births
1927 deaths
People from Zaragoza
Spanish clowns
Spanish expatriates in the United States
Spanish circus performers
Spanish vaudeville performers
19th-century circus performers
20th-century circus performers
1927 suicides
Suicides by firearm in New York City
Burials at Kensico Cemetery