Glurpo
John went to an estate sale yesterday and came home with several boxes of photos, ephemera, and 8mm home movies. I found this creepy postcard in one of the boxes. It's of Glurpo, Aquarena's Famous Aquatic Clown from San Marcos, Texas. I once owned an 8mm movie of the underwater show. It showed several pinup type gals doing various things like brushing their long flowing hair while peering into a hand mirror. It was a very surreal film, but I don't remember seeing Glurpo. He's not someone you easily forget. Hopefully, I will find a film in the boxes that shows this clown in action.
posted by swapatorium @ 10:45 AM
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Sounds like the Texas version of Weeki Wachee, but I don't think Weeki Wachee had a "Glurpo".
i found your blog via boing boing and its GREAT. i love going to thrift stores and garage sales and whatnot and looking at all the fun old crap (and treasures!) unfortunately, i dont get to go very much because im busy with school.
also, im from houston as well, though i go to school in california.
Mike, I have some View Master reels of Weeki Wachee. It would have been cool to see it in person.
Hallie, thanks for reading my blog! What's your favorite thrift store in Houston?
I thought the same thing - I visited Weeki Watchi in the 70s as a kid and of course saw the underwater mermaid show, where they had an underwater picnic, among other things.
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Holy Cow! You made boing-boing with this one! That's awesome. So is this clown, but in a much more creepy way.
Thanks for reading my blog el wombato & leff!
my big obsession is random tshirts and for those the best place ive found is value village in the heights because they have a lot and they are pretty cheap. over christmas when i was in town, a couple of my friends took me to retropolis, also in the heights, and that was pretty cool too. i also like most of the places around the westheimer/montrose area. i enjoy going to used book stores like half price as well.
A bit creepy this fellow. All clowns are a bit weird anyway, but an underwater clown - only in America!
Aquamarina Springs in San Marcos, Texas was also where they shot the 1978 movie "Pirana."
I was never Glurpo...but I was one of the underwater clowns. In the two years I swam there, I accumulated about 1500 hours of time underwater. I did everything, from underwatering gardening (yes, there was such a thing) to raising all the swimming pigs that went through there. Honesty, I was the most fun I've had in my life.
I used to swim shows at Aquarena Springs in the late 1960's. Glurpo the clown changed with the new theme of the show (he late became Glurpo the underwater witch doctor, with grass skirts and heavy beaded necklace).
However I did swim several shows in the this clown outfit. I started working at Aquarena Springs at age 12 in 1962 in the parking lot putting on bumper stickers and later moved into driving glass bottom boats, swimming in the underwater shows, and then cutting the underwater plants with a machete knife. It was a great place to work. We had lots of fun.
Would be interested in seeing your old movie of the show.
Bob Phillips
Thanks for posting this article...I would be interested in talking with Bob Phillips and posting an article about his experiences with Aquarena Springs on our site. Contact me at trey@texcenproperties.com. Great piece.
I also was an 'Underwater Performer" at Aquarena Springs and loved every minute of it. However, pig pen duty was the worst!
I can also still remember the 30 minute glass bottom boat speech verbatim.
Where is this video you speak of? If you find it let the world know please!
I have enjoyed the comments about "Glurpo." I also sometimes swam as the lead clown, Glurpo, in the late 60's. We also had two assistant clowns known as "Bubblio" and "Sam." The clowns had their own comedy act but, importantly, "off-set" or held the air hoses for the aquamaids..pretty girls that performed an underwater ballet. When they finished their ballet routines, they had pretty much exhausted their air and needed the air hoses slapped into their hands without delay! When we weren't swimming as clowns, we "punched" admission tickets and served as the announcer for the show. The announcer had a set spiel and would coordinate his patter with the performers in the submarine theater. It was really interesting when a performer "deviated" from the script forcing the announcer to improvise. My most fun experience as an underwater clown happened during my first show...while swimming toward the underwater submarine, I accidentally ingested too much water making myself sick in the process! When I reached the submarine I grabbed some pipes on the front of the sub, pulling myself half out of the water while my body (from the waist down) was hard pressed against the sub's glass window--fully exposed to the show patron! Our manager was on top of the sub exhorting me to get back in the water, whereupon I promptly vomited. Later, the announcer told me a little boy asked his mother what was happening to me. Her response was, "Glurpo is sick, Honey!" I'm not certain, but I believe Bob Phillips was the manager that encouraged me to get back in the water. If he was, I'll wager he vividly remembers that occasion! I think a reunion of the show performers would be great fun!
Rocky Lane
hi, i was also glurpo in the late 60's. it was a blast. the pigs, ralph, baca baca, nepa taca, and poco loco were the highlite. after a while they were all called ralph since the audience reacted the best to that name. i was there in 67/68 right as we changed from the clown to the witch doctor/volcano show. we all started as the native boy job and moved up to bublio who swam with the pigs, and then to glurpo, who was of course the star!!. as i remember there was a ms backus?? who ran the show.
i had some good times there in the volcano and the underwater cave where we hung out between acts. the water was sooo cold, we had to get out after 3 or 4 shows and announce a show to get our temp back up. i made 1.25 per hour and the aquamaids made 4.00 per show i think. they were in the water for only about 7 minutes out of the 45 minute show.seems a little unfair!! when i was there the submarine held 150 people. the one they are about to demolish may hold as many as 450. we did 14 shows a day during the summer months. we wore white pants and a flowered shirt and straw hat when we were out of the water. read my blog at helicopterr44pilot.com it gets mentioned as why i went to vietnam.
you can email me at helicopterpilot@gvtc.com or comment on my blog
bob grier
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