Edwin Haig Alberian (January 21, 1920March 31, 1997) was a stage and television actor and entertainer who began his career in

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

productions, and moved into the nascent television industry, where his work was oriented to children's programming and

clowning A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms. History The most ancient clowns have been found in t ...

. Alberian played the

Clarabell the Clown Clarabell the Clown is a character who was part of the main cast on the 1947-1960 series ''The Howdy Doody Show''. Clarabell, who wore a baggy, striped costume, communicated through mime and by honking a horn for "yes" or "no". Clarabell would also ...

for public appearances and on the television show ''

Howdy Doody ''Howdy Doody'' is an American Children's television series, children's television program (with circus and Western (genre), Western frontier themes) that was created and produced by Victor F Campbell

'' appeared as Professor Gusbags, as well other characters such as Doaky the Clown, on ''Let's Have Fun'' and ''The Beachcomber Bill Show''. Alberian was frequently asked to do the original live performances of animated or promotional characters. Projects in which he worked include appearances as

Bozo Bozo or bozo may refer to: People *Bozo people, a fishing people of the central Niger delta in Mali ** Bozo language, languages of the Bozo people * Frédéric Bozo, history Professor at the University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle * Bozo Mille ...

and in ''

The Banana Splits ''The Banana Splits'' is an American television variety show produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and featuring the Banana Splits, a fictional rock band composed of four costumed animal characters in red marching band hats with yellow plumes. ...

''. He was also the side-kick and chaperone, Sir Clacky Wack, to Sunbeam Bakeries

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

Little Miss Sunbeam. In these numerous roles he often played master of ceremonies at

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical theatre, musical performances, sketch comedy, magic (illusion), magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is ...

s and fundraisers and was introduced to many prominent figures, including President Truman. In 1958, he copyrighted the persona of Dokey the Clown, which developed through his career. On a private trip to

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

he was seen entertaining local children and, in 1988, after some years of semi-retirement, was invited to

Soviet Armenia The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic,; russian: Армянская Советская Социалистическая Республика, translit=Armyanskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika) also commonly referred to as Soviet A ...

to promote cultural exchange.

Education and personal life

Alberian was born Edwin Haig Alberian in New York on January 21, 1920. Alberian was of

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

descent, his family having arrived in the United States as part of the

Armenian diaspora The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...

. He attended

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, where he studied science and chemistry and received a degree in

perfumery Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Th ...

. He later graduated from

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

and chose a career as performer. He married and lived in

Weehawken, New Jersey Weehawken is a Township (New Jersey), township in the North Hudson, New Jersey, northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located largely on the Hudson Palisades overlooking the North River ...

with his wife Marie (née Hekimian) with whom he had two children. Alberian died March 31, 1997 and is buried at

Flower Hill Cemetery, North Bergen Flower Hill Cemetery is located in North Bergen, New Jersey. It is cojoined with Hoboken Cemetery and Machpelah Cemetery. History In 1900, many who died in the fire of the and SS ''Bremen'' on the North River (Hudson River) at Hoboken were int ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alberian, Ed 1920 births 1997 deaths Television personalities from New York City American people of Armenian descent Juilliard School alumni People from Weehawken, New Jersey American clowns New York University alumni Columbia University alumni Male actors from New York City Male actors from New Jersey 20th-century American male actors Burials at Flower Hill Cemetery (North Bergen, New Jersey)