TV CLOWN: the True Story of Flippo, King of Clowns DVD

"TV CLOWN: the True Story of Flippo, King of Clowns" is an 89

minute biopic about Bob Marvin aka Marvin Fishman, a television

pioneer. In 1951 he was discovered at Columbus's Neil House

blowing sax, singing and joking around on the bandstand. WBNS

executives asked him over for a drink and then an audition. Bob

Marvin started on "Homemaker's HobNob", a morning "magazine" show

as a song-and-dance funnyman. Two years later he would audition

and become Flippo (the name picked by the Walter Thompson ad

agency).

On December 10, 1953, he became The King of Clowns on "Tip Top

Bandwagon". Over the next decades the show would change and expand

to 2 hours while Flippo provided the laughs for kids and adults.

From 1977 to 1983 his reign changed to QUBE, the world's first

interactive TV. He was chosen to be the front man for the project

due to his enormous popularity in Central Ohio.

"TV CLOWN" follows him through this odd career with Bob Marvin

telling his own story. You'll find out how he inspired little

Johnny Markus to keep writing jokes after visiting Flippo at the

10TV studios. Markus would go on to become a producer/writer for

the most popular sitcom of the 1980's: "The Cosby Show". Mike

Clark, longtime movie critic for USA TODAY, was once Flippo's

teenage "moomie" critic on "The Early Show". Bob "Morty" Morton

was Bob's producer at QUBE and would go on to work with another

comic great, David Letterman.

His was a funny, colorful life and "TV CLOWN" captures the spirit

of this talented man.