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Andrés Jouannet

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Day Fourty-Seven of Goofy Lewy!

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George Truzzi - with the moustache and tux, above - was a star of messy comedy during its postwar heyday. Seen here paired with Lauri Lupino Lane, he partnered other top-billing clowns, notably Charlie Cairoli over many seasons at The Blackpool Tower Circus.

With his handsome looks and athletic build he could easily have had a career playing leading men in legitimate theatre, but instead Truzzi threw away all pretence of dignity and pursued his passion - slapstick. Established clowns appreciated his acting skills as their straight man, as well as his willingness to absorb unlimited amounts of humiliatingly messy punishment.

In another routine that he performed during the dying days of British music-hall, it was Truzzi who donned the builder's overalls to receive the slosh. Daniel Potier, a long-serving stooge to Charlie Cairoli, once revealed that Truzzi only ever wore a pair of swimming trunks underneath, and when a full bucket of paste got poured down inside the front, he'd slyly turn to his colleagues watching from the wings, and grin to show his pleasure.

This was in the days when it was common practice to perform two shows a night plus a matinee on Saturdays, and when backstage washing facilities would have been rudimentary. It must have taken a lot of commitment and stamina to submit to such a tough regime, but apparently George Truzzi never tired of being a slapstick performer or of repeatedly getting messed-up.

George Truzzi, 1924-1994

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Billy was in a stall at the baseball field, marker squeaking as he defaced the bathroom wall, oblivious to the person in the next stall listening. Suddenly, a voice confronted him, phone in hand, recording the entire act. The guy threatened to report Billy to his coach—a move that would mean losing his college scholarship prospects, along with ruining his senior season, yearbook profile, and recruitment package. Panicked, Billy pleaded, and the guy agreed to keep quiet under one humiliating condition: Billy had to play every game with his fly open. Billy tried to negotiate, explaining that as catcher, his open fly would be visible to pitchers, batters, and even the cameras. Worse, every squat risked exposing his cup-stuffed jockstrap. But the guy held firm, and Billy, out of options, reluctantly agreed. Every photo, video, and yearbook shot of his final season captured his open fly. The whole season, Billy had managed to endure the embarrassment of his open fly. But during a high-stakes playoff game, disaster struck. As the opposing runner sped toward home, Billy lunged forward to make the play, his crouch pushing his cup right through his open fly. In slow-motion replay, broadcasted live, the moment his cup popped out became the highlight of the game. Fans and players alike saw it, and within hours, the clip went viral. Billy’s hard-fought season would forever be remembered for that one, humiliating instant.