Dig A Hole: Marcel Marceau

September 24th, 2007 by Scott Marks

Incriminating evidence: He wore clown makeup, never spoke, and pretended that he was inside an invisible box climbing the walls.

There are mental patients all across America that do the same thing every day and you don’t see anybody writing about them.

Ed Sullivan went ape s*it over this guy. After my first introduction, each subsequent appearance signaled that it was time for dad to make some popcorn.

He had a bit part in the unwatchable Barbarella and appropriately enough, his first starring role was in William Castle’s swan song Shanks. In it Marcel plays a mute (what else) puppeteer who turns corpses into marionettes. Sleep easier tonight knowing that it’s not available on home video.

Mel Brooks put him to good use in Silent Movie where he spoke the film’s only word: “No!”

I’m sure that he was a nice guy and that his dog loved him, but mimes have forever secured second place right behind bagpipe players in the line to hell.